Wins for England, Italy and Ireland at the Rugby World Cup
England got their Rugby World Cup campaign off to a scrappy start in Sapporo last night with a 35-3 Pool C victory over Tonga, as Manu Tuilagi scored two tries while skipper Owen Farrell added 15 points with the boot.
Tuilagi's double was followed by a second-half try to Jamie George, and England secured the bonus-point try through Luke Cowan-Dickie in the 77th minute.
A team will receive one extra point if they score four or more tries in a match.
In earlier matches, Italy defeated Namibia 47-22 in Pool B, while Ireland battered Scotland 27-3 in Pool A. - AFP
Carolina Marin, Kento Momota clinch China Open titles
Spanish badminton queen Carolina Marin completed a successful comeback from injury by retaining the China Open crown yesterday.
The 26-year-old, who is currently ranked world No. 24 after missing eight months due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January, defeated world No. 4 Tai Tzu-ying 14-21, 21-17, 21-18 in a 1hr 5min encounter in Changzhou.
In the men's final, world champion Kento Momota cemented his place as the top men's player by defeating Indonesia's seventh seed Anthony Ginting 19-21, 21-17, 21-19.
Rafael Nadal pulls out of Laver Cup
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Laver Cup yesterday due to inflammation in his hand, denying fans the opportunity to see him partner Roger Federer in the doubles on the final day of the tournament in Geneva, Switzerland.
Team Europe's Nadal was scheduled to take on Team World's Nick Kyrgios in his singles clash before partnering Swiss Federer to face John Isner and Jack Sock.
Nadal beat Milos Raonic 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) in his singles match yesterday morning (Singapore time) before partnering Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 defeat by Kyrgios and Sock. - REUTERS
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