BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines over the past week:
1. China's Zhang vows to regain UFC strawweight title
Zhang Weili, China's first-ever UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) world champion. (Xinhua)
Chinese mixed martial arts (MMA) star Zhang Weili will face reigning champion Carla Esparza on November 12 in the UFC 281 co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Zhang became the first Asian to win the UFC title in 2019. Losing her belt to Rose Namajunas in 2021, Zhang struggled back this year with a knockout over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in their June rematch.
2. Former world silver medalist Shi wins first match in 10 months
Shi Yuqi of China celebrates after scoring during the men's singles first round match against Ade Resky Dwicahyo of Azerbaijan at the BWF World Championships 2022 in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
China's Shi Yuqi fought off a tenacious challenge to beat lowly-ranked Ade Resky Dwicahyo of Azerbaijan in his first match in 10 months at the World Championships on Monday.
"I was a bit nervous soon after standing on the court," said Shi, who was suspended last October by the Chinese Badminton Association for making "inappropriate remarks" about the withdrawal from the Thomas Cup semifinal against Japan's Kento Momota.
"It's a long time since I played a match last time, so when my opponent played well and I made some mistakes, it was easy to be left behind," Shi said.
But later Shi was defeated by Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the quarterfinals after fighting hard.
3. 30 nominated for 2022 China Basketball Hall of Fame
30 nominees for the 2022 China Basketball Hall of Fame. (Photo courtesy of Chinese Basketball Association)
The 2022 China Basketball Hall of Fame has picked up 30 nominees from 100 basketball-related parties for further review to decide the final 10 inductees.
The 30 nominees feature 12 male players, nine female players and nine coaches.
A basketball-related 500-member committee will then screen out 16 (six male players, five female players and five coaches) from the 30 nominees for final review.
The 10-inductee final list will be announced in late October.
4. China defeats Kazakhstan in FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers
Zhou Qi (2nd L) of China goes for a basket during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian qualifiers match against Kazakhstan in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Aug. 25, 2022. (Photo by Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua)
China's men's basketball team defeated Kazakhstan 68-56 in the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan on Thursday evening.
Zhou Qi scored a game-high 19 points for China and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Sun Minghui had 13 points and Hu Mingxuan added 11.
China will meet Bahrain on Monday.
5. Henan forward Dourado banned for 12 months for attacking referee in CSL
Henrique Dourado of Henan SSLM reacts during a Chinese Super League (CSL) match against Changchun Yatai in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Zhixuan)
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced on Friday that Brazilian forward Henrique Dourado of Henan Songshan Longmen has been suspended for 12 months for his "act of violence" against referee Ma Ning in the Chinese Super League (CSL) last Sunday.
"According to the CFA Discipline Code, the CFA disciplinary committee decided to penalize Dourado for a 12-month suspension and 200,000 yuan (about 29,180 U.S. dollars) fine," the statement noted.
6. China's Wu, Zhang make breakthroughs by reaching US Open main draw
China's Wu Yibing (R) and Zhang Zhizhen pose for a photo after qualifying for the US Open men's singles main draw. (Photo courtesy of US Open Weibo account)
China's Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen have qualified for the US Open men's singles main draw for the first time in their careers after winning respective qualifying matches on Friday.
Chinese female player Yuan Yue also advanced to the tournament's main draw for the first time after defeating Australian Maddison Inglis 6-1, 6-0.
