Digest

BASKETBALL

Zhou, Franklin scoop November CBA awards

Zhou Qi and Jamaal Franklin have been named the CBA's players of the month for November.

Zhou was honored among domestic players with an average of 22.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.5 blocks as the Team China international led the Xinjiang Flying Tigers to a 10-2 record, the second-best in the league.

Franklin scooped the best foreign player prize after averaging 31.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 10 assists and 2.1 steals with the Shanxi Brave Dragons.

"I'm excited about winning the player of the month, but I'm more excited about our team playing well right now. We've got to be a team taking one game at a time and staying together. We are nobody from nowhere. Just stay together," Franklin said in a video message.

SNOOKER

Trump toppled by Bond at UK Championship

World No 1 Judd Trump crashed out of the UK Championship in York on Monday, losing 6-3 to fellow Englishman Nigel Bond in the last 16.

It looked like Trump would cruise to victory after easing into a 3-1 lead, however the reigning world champion suddenly lost momentum as veteran Bond reeled off the next five frames for victory.

"I "m really happy with the way I played. It was great to score well today," said the 54-year-old Bond, who spends more time coaching than competing nowadays.

"Coaching is a good distraction for me. I cannot practice seven or eight hours a day. I'm too old for that," said Bond, who is ranked 98th in the world.

China's Li Hang was in hot potting form, racking up two breaks of 131 en route to a 6-4 triumph over Marco Fu. Stuart Bingham ousted China's Zhao Xintong 6-1 while John Higgins saw off Ian Burns with the same scoreline.

BADMINTON

Momota, Chen the top seeds at Tour Finals

Kento Momota of Japan and Chen Yufei of China will be the top seeds at this month's BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou.

The top eight-ranked players in each category, will do battle at the $1.5 million season-ending tournament, which begins on Dec 11.

Reigning world champion Momota will be seeking his second Finals title after lifting the trophy in Dubai four years ago, with China's Chen Long seeded fourth.

World No 1 Chen is the player to beat in the women's draw, which features defending champion PV Sindhu of India.

China's Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen will defend their men's doubles crown as fifth seeds, while their teammates Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping will go for mixed doubles glory. In the women's doubles, China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan will defend their newly gained world No 1 ranking in front of the home fans.

SOCCER

Spurs star Son wins third Asian accolade

South Korean Son Heung-min was named the AFC's Asian International Player of the Year for the third time in Hong Kong on Monday.

The Tottenham striker, who was also awarded the accolade in 2015 and 2017, has been a shining light for his club again this year.

The 27-year-old scored 12 goals and provided six assists as Tottenham finished fourth in the Premier League last term and reached the Champions League final in Madrid, where Spurs lost to Liverpool.

Qatari forward Akram Hassan Afif, who plays for Al Sadd on loan from Spanish club Villarreal, and Lyon's Japanese midfielder Saki Kumagai, who fended off competition form China's Li Ying, won the AFC men's and women's Player of the Year awards, respectively.

TENNIS

Federer on the money with Swiss coin honor

Roger Federer is to become the first living Swiss to have a coin minted in their honor, with a commemorative 20 franc ($20.02) silver piece bearing his image being issued in January.

Swissmint confirmed that 55,000 of the coins, featuring Federer delivering a backhand, will be produced and are now available for pre-order until Dec 19.

"Roger Federer's sporting achievements, his charitable commitments, his easygoing nature and his accessibility to his fans have prompted Swissmint to dedicate this 20-franc silver coin to him－the first time it has done so with a living person," said a Swissmint spokesperson.

"Thank you Switzerland and Swissmint for this incredible honor and privilege," Federer wrote on Twitter.

Ex-Olympic champion jailed for sexual abuse

Austrian judoka and two-time Olympic champion Peter Seisenbacher was sentenced to five years in prison for the sexual abuse of minors and the abuse of his authority in Vienna on Monday.

Seisenbacher, 59, showed no reaction to the ruling, although his fans and associates from the Austrian judo scene were visibly stunned by the verdict. In his ruling, judge Christoph Bauer explained that the witnesses for the prosecution had all made "a very credible impression".

The abuse took place in Vienna between 1999 and 2004. The women filed charges in 2013 but Seisenbacher had fled the country before the first trial date on Dec 19, 2016. He was captured on the Ukrainian-Polish border earlier this year.

The two-time Olympic champion had written Austrian sports history by winning consecutive gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and in Seoul in 1988.