Digest

Snooker

Ding's difficulties continue in Belfast

China's No 1 Ding Junhui fell at the first hurdle at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast on Monday, crashing to a 4-2 first-round loss against England's David Lilley.

The 32-year-old Ding trailed 3-0 but mounted a mini-comeback to make it 3-2. However, newly turned pro Lilley, 44, wrapped up victory in the sixth frame with a break of 71.

Ding, the winner of 13 ranking titles, has suffered an alarming slump in form of late. He was also beaten in the first round of last month's English Open and lost in the last 16 of the World Open in Yushan, Jiangxi province.

The former world No 1 is now ranked 16th, with his 19-year-old compatriot Yan Bingtao only two places behind.

Yan won his first ranking event at July's Riga Masters in Latvia and safely negotiated the first round in Belfast with a 4-2 win over Englishman Andy Hicks.

Olympics

Noguchi first Japanese to carry Tokyo flame

Former Olympic women's marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi has been chosen as the first Japanese torchbearer of the Olympic flame on its journey to next year's Tokyo Games, the organizing committee announced on Monday.

Noguchi, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games, will be the second torchbearer in the Greek leg of the relay. She will receive the flame on March 12 following a lighting ceremony in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games.

The ceremony begins an eight-day torch relay through Greece, before the flame is handed over to Games organizers in Athens on March 19.

The Japan leg of the torch relay will begin in Fukushima prefecture on March 26, and will pass through each of the country's 47 prefectures en route to the opening ceremony in the capital on July 24.

Soccer

Gunners warn Emery results must improve

Unai Emery has received the backing of the Arsenal board, but has been warned that results must improve.

The Spaniard has come under mounting pressure after just two wins from Arsenal's last 10 Premier League games.

A 2-0 loss at Leicester City on Saturday saw the sixth-place Gunners fall eight points behind the Premier League's top four.

However, the north London club's head of football, Raul Sanllehi, and managing director Vinai Venkatesham insist Emery remains the right man for the job.

"We are as disappointed as everyone else with both our results and performances at this stage of the season," Sanllehi and Venkatesham told Arsenal staff at a meeting on Monday.

"Things need to improve to meet our objectives for the season, and we firmly believe Unai is the right man for the job, together with the backroom team we have in place."

England drops Sterling over team 'disturbance'

Raheem Sterling will not be considered for England's European Championship qualifier against Montenegro after emotions ran high when the team gathered on Monday following Manchester City's loss to Liverpool.

A day after the Premier League's top two teams met at Anfield, where City's Sterling clashed with Liverpool defender Joe Gomez near the end of the Reds' 3-1 win, both players apparently became involved in another heated exchange when the England squad convened at the national training center at Burton upon Trent.

The Football Association said in a statement that Sterling will not be considered for the game on Thursday against Montenegro at Wembley "as a result of a disturbance in a private team area at St. George's Park today. He will remain with the squad".

England manager Gareth Southgate said it was the right call.

Baseball

Alonso, Alvarez win Rookie of Year awards

Pete Alonso, the most productive rookie home-run hitter in baseball history, and Yordan Alvarez were landslide winners of baseball's Rookie of the Year awards on Monday.

Alonso of the New York Mets trotted away with the National League honor after smacking 53 homers to break the rookie mark set by Aaron Judge (52) of the New York Yankees two years ago.

Alvarez had a franchise-rookie-record 27 homers in just 87 games for the Houston Astros en route to unanimously winning the American League award.

Alonso, an All-Star first baseman, received 29 of 30 first-place votes for 148 points and easily won over second-place finisher Mike Soroka (82) of the Atlanta Braves and third-place shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (26) of the San Diego Padres. The right-handed Soroka received the other first-place vote.

Xinhua - Agencies