The 21-year-old from Phatthalung, who was suffering with a cold he brought with him from Thailand last week, summoned all his resources to grab a split-decision win over his French opponent in their One Super Series flyweight bout at the packed 11,000-seater sumo venue.

“I was a bit upset about not producing my best form out there,” said Rodtang, whose nose was running prior to the fight. “I wasn’t able to train as much as I wanted to,” added the Thai fighter, who was in tears during an emotional awards presentation.

“I was very concerned that I might lose but I tried to boost my mood by showing my [dance] moves during the opening walk to the cage,” said Rodtang, who wanted to celebrate the win by buying a new motorcycle, before his gym owner Suntharee Jitmuangnon dismissed the idea out of safety concerns.

Rodtang has now won all three of his bouts in the One Series following wins in Indonesia last October and the Philippines in January.

In the catchweight (72kg) kickboxing, the other Thai fighter Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex tasted sweet revenge against Dutchman Andy Souwer, winning in the second round by technical knockout, 11 years after losing their last bout in the Netherlands.

“I’ve been waiting for 11 years for this revenge. I didn’t expect to beat him so fast. I was really well trained for the bout.” said Yodsanklai who has won all his three One Championship fights.

In Saturday’s other fights, hometown boxer Mei Yamaguchi lifted the spirits of Tokyo fans by winning the women’s mixed martial arts atomweight class against Kseniya Lachkova of Russia by submission in three rounds.

“Hearing the crowd cheering my name, Yamaguchi, made me stronger. I had no choice but to win in front of the fans,’’ said the 36-year-old, who is based in Tokyo.

Her win came as consolation for home fans after fellow Japanese hope Hiroki Hakimoto lost in three rounds by split decision to Josep Lasiri of Italy.

In the featherweight bout, Garry Tonon of the US remained unbeatable in the One Championship, delivering a technical knock out to Anthony Engelen of Indonesia. The 27-year-old from New Jersey has won all four fights dating back to March last year.

In the One Super Series bantamweight class, Panicos Yusuf of Cyprus relied on his superior martial skills to beat Malaysian Mohammed Bin Mahmoud by unanimous decision.

In the lightweight class Yoon Chang Min of South Korea knocked out Balla Sherry of India in the first round after the Indian, with a bad cut above his left eye, surrendered.

WORLD No 8 Ratchanok Intanon toppled arch-rival He Bingjiao of China 21-15 21-14 in the final to become the first player to lift a hattrick of India Open badminton crowns in New Delhi yesterday.

The 24-year-old Thai went into the final on a four-match losing streak against the Chinese left-hander but quickly took control in a bid to add to her titles here in 2013 and 2016.

“I’m happy to finally end my poor record against her,” said Ratchanok, in her third final of the season after winning the Malaysian Masters in January and losing the German Open final in three games to Akane Yamaguchi in early March.

“I’m was inspired to play well as I didn’t want to keep losing to the same player. Winning today really boosts my confidence,” said Ratchanok, who took her tally of titles to 19.

The Ratchanok-Bingjiao match was a battle of two former world champions, with the Thai winning in 2013 and the Chinese last year. But unlike their four previous encounters, it was the Thai who took full command on Sunday.

A sluggish start and poor shot selection saw Ratchanok drop behind 6-9. But she raised the level of her game to fight back aggressively, forcing a string of errors from the world No 7 Chinese.

Ratchanok surged ahead to 17-15 and secured the first game point when the Chinese hit long at 15-20. Ratchanok seized the chance in the next rally to wrap up the game as Bingjiao buried her shot in the net.

The second game saw Ratchanok take charge, using the full gamut of her armoury to jump to a 13-7 lead. The outgunned Chinese had no answer to the onslaught and began being picked apart by clever angles and varied shot speed from the Thai side of the net.

Ratchanok finally unleashed a forehand down-the-line smash to set up championship point at 20-12. Bingjiao briefly resisted before the Thai stepped up the pace again to end the match.

 ONE: A NEW ERA delivered a collection of compelling matchups and exciting finishes. In the main event, Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Japan submitted Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines to be crowned the new ONE Lightweight World Champion.

Japanese mixed martial arts legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki put on a masterful display of grappling dominance as he submitted Filipino icon Eduard “Landslide” Folayang to be crowned the new ONE Lightweight World Champion. After flashing a high kick, Aoki shot in for a single leg and put Folayang on the mat with a takedown. He then swiftly transitioned into an arm-triangle choke from half guard. Aoki tightened his squeeze and put Folayang to sleep before celebrating the victory in front of his hometown crowd.

Defending ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China continued her reign of dominance over the division after defeating challenger “Unstoppable” Angela Leeof Singapore by TKO in the fifth and final round. Lee was aggressive and had Xiong in a number of dangerous submission attempts, but the champion was lighting Lee up on the feet the entire bout. In the final round, Xiong punished Lee with hard kicks to the midsection and fierce punch combinations that forced the referee to intervene and award Xiong with the stoppage win.

Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang successfully retained his ONE Middleweight World Championship with a spectacular second-round TKO victory over Ken Hasegawa of Japan. Aung La N Sang was dominant all throughout the bout, punishing Hasegawa with an arsenal of powerful punches and thunderous kicks. A stiff right straight from Aung La N Sang late in the second round spelled the beginning of the end for Hasegawa, as the defending champion followed up with ground-and-pound to score the finish in dominant fashion.

An unfortunate sequence of events turned in the ONE Bantamweight World Title clash between championKevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines and former titleholder Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes of Brazil. Fernandes, who was in the driver’s seat after two rounds of action, landed a takedown in the third round but was left unable to continue after Belingon connected on a flurry of illegal elbows to the back of the head. Belingon was shown a Red Card and was automatically disqualified. Fernandes was then awarded the ONE Bantamweight World Title.

In a ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final contest, 12-time Flyweight Mixed Martial Arts World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson of the United States made a successful ONE Championship debut as he submitted Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu of Japan. Although Wakamatsu would land a few clean punches to keep Johnson on his toes, the American showcased his impeccable grappling skills to transition from one position to the next with relative ease. After grabbing a hold of Wakamatsu’s neck in the second round, Johnson secured a deep guillotine choke to force the tap.

Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin welcomed Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez of the United States to ONE Championship, finishing the former 4-time Lightweight Mixed Martial Arts World Champion inside of the first round of a ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout. After a few brief exchanges at range, Nastyukhin closed the distance and hurt Alvarez with a left straight, sending him reeling towards the cage fence. Nastyukhin then unloaded a barrage of punches as Alvarez covered up before the referee called a halt to the contest.

In a ONE Super Series Kickboxing contest, Muay Thai legend Yodsanklai “The Hero” IWE Fairtex put on a dominant performance in his highly-anticipated rematch with the Netherlands’ Andy Souwer, knocking out his rival in the second round. The first round saw fierce action from the opening bell, with Yodsanklai dropping Souwer early. Towards the end of the round, the Thai warrior hurt Souwer again and nearly finished him. Less than a minute into the second round, and Yodsanklai put on the finishing touches as Souwer hit the canvas for the last time.

In a ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout, former ONE World Title challenger Danny “The King” Kingad and Pancrase Flyweight Champion Senzo Ikeda figured in an intense war of attrition for three whole rounds. It was an incredible performance from the two amazing athletes, as they both showcased their full repertoire of skills. In the end, it was Kingad who was awarded a close unanimous decision victory for his efforts.

In a ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan overcame a spirited effort from Reece “Lightning” McLaren of Australia to win by unanimous decision after three rounds. McLaren had great difficulty taking the bout to the ground, as Akhmetov utilized his Greco-Roman wrestling to control the action in the clinch. On the feet, Akhmetov found a home for his left hook on McLaren’s chin, as he connected cleanly on multiple occasions. In the end, all three judges saw the bout in favor of Akhmetov.

Muay Thai icon Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon continued his winning ways as he eked out a tough split decision win over France’s Hakim Hamech in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest. The two-world class strikers stood toe-to-toe for the action-packed bout, thrilling the crowd with their crisp combinations. In the end, it was Rodtang who earned the close decision.

Former WBC Muay Thai Super Bantamweight World Champion Joseph “The Hurricane” Lasiri of Italy notched his first ONE Super Series win after edging out Japan’s Hiroki Akimoto via majority decision. Lasiri started out strong and had Akimoto on the defensive in the opening round. Akimoto battled back and made it an exciting back-and-forth contest in the succeeding rounds. After three rounds of action, it was Lasiri who came away with the victory.

Japanese women’s atomweight star Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi bucked a slow start and scored a third-round submission win over Russia’s Kseniya “The Tigress” Lachkova. Lachkova’s height and reach proved to be a problem early for the DEEP Jewels Featherweight World Champion, who had trouble closing the distance. In the third and final round, Yamaguchi was able to take Lachkova down and secure a deep armbar for the slick submission win in front of her hometown crowd.

Multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon of the United States made easy work of Indonesia’s Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen. Tonon closed quarters on Engelen early, taking him down with a swift double leg in the opening moments of the featherweight contest. On the mat, the American truly shined, transitioning to various dominant positions whilst remaining in full control of the action. With less than a minute to go in the first round, Tonon secured Engelen’s back and pounded him out to win by technical knockout.

2-time Muay Thai World Champion Panicos Yusuf of Cyprus and Mohammed “Jordan Boy” Bin Mahmoud of Malaysia put together an exciting three-round ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest. The two bantamweights traded powerful combinations all throughout the bout, but it was Yusuf who landed the more telling blows. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Yusuf to win by unanimous decision.

A spirited clash between two lightweight hopefuls ensued to kick off ONE: A NEW ERA. After a few moments of solid action on the feet, South Korea’s Yoon Chang Min locked in a deep rear naked choke to force India’s Bala Shetty to tap with less than a minute to go in the first round.

Official results for ONE: A NEW ERA

ONE Lightweight World Championship bout: Shinya Aoki defeats Eduard Folayang by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) at 2:34 minutes of round 1

ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship bout: Xiong Jing Nan defeats Angela Lee by TKO (Strikes) at 1:37 minutes of round 5

ONE Middleweight World Championship bout: Aung La N Sang defeats Ken Hasegawa by TKO (Strikes) at 4:41 minutes of round 2

ONE Bantamweight World Championship bout: Bibiano Fernandes defeats Kevin Belingon by Disqualification (DQ)

ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarter-final bout: Demetrious Johnson defeats Yuya Wakamatsu by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:40 minutes of round 2

ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarter-final bout: Timofey Nastyukhin defeats Eddie Alvarez by TKO (Strikes) at 4:05 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Kickboxing Catch Weight bout (72.0kg): Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex defeats Andy Souwer by Knockout (KO) at 0:51 minutes of round 2

ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarter-final bout: Danny Kingad defeats Senzo Ikeda by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarter-final bout: Kairat Akhmetov defeats Reece McLaren by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

ONE Super Series Flyweight Muay Thai bout: Rodtang Jitmuangnon defeats Hakim Hamech by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

ONE Super Series Flyweight Kickboxing bout: Joseph Lasiri defeats Hiroki Akimoto by Majority Decision (MD) after 3 rounds

Women’s Atomweight bout: Mei Yamaguchi defeats Kseniya Lachkova by Submission (Armbar) at 3:18 minutes of round #3

Featherweight bout: Garry Tonon defeats Anthony Engelen by TKO (Strikes) at 4:12 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai bout: Panicos Yusuf defeats Mohammed Bin Mahmoud by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Lightweight bout: Yoon Chang Min defeats Bala Shetty by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:16 minutes of round 1

The final day offered plenty of memorable moments and its first winner – Yutthakarnnawa (Royal Thai Navy Seals) – Chang Mineral Water

The final four teams – Nonthaburi – Avani Hotels & Resorts; Institute of Physical Education – Mercedes Benz; Yutthakarnnawa (Royal Thai Navy Seals) – Chang Mineral Water; Pradu Thong Goddess (Royal Thai Navy) – JW Blue Label went head to head in the thrilling final with only 4 seconds separating all the teams. It was festival favourites the Royal Thai Navy Seals that claimed the glory.

The Indoor Rowing Asia Cup Tournament was also held concurrently with teams from 9 countries – Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, India, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand. Each digital heat consisted of 8 rowers giving it their all across 2km with both female and male competitors vying for the coveted Asia Cup trophies. The winners of the woman’s Asia Cup was Yi-ting Huang from Chinese Taipei and Mr. Parminder Singh from India taking the men’s championship.

Saturday night also saw fantastic concerts from New Jiew and fan favourite Singto Numchok.

The exciting event was not only about fun and games – one hundred percent of ticket sales from the event will be donated to elephant related projects throughout Thailand via the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.

Final Leaderboard for 2019 King’s Cup Elephant Boat Race

1. Yutthakarnnawa (Royal Thai Navy Seals) – Chang Mineral Water
2. Pradu Thong Goddess (Royal Thai Navy) – JW Blue Label
3. Institute of Physical Education – Mercedes Benz
4. Nonthaburi – Avani Hotels & Resorts
5. Singburi – Casillero del Diablo
6. Pradu Ngern  Goddess (Royal Thai Navy) – Price Waterhouse Coopers
7. PhetNava – Keith & Kim
8. Samutprakarn – Veuve Clicquot
9. Nakornsithammarat – EGAT ( Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand)
10. Porn Phra Kaew – Bangkok Bank
11. Dongguan Sheen Fine Club, China – CITI
12. Pilipinas Orient Dragon – Anantara Hotels

 Inbee Park of Korea reacts after hitting her birdie putt on the 18th hole / AFP 

Park, a seven-time major champion seeking to end a year-long title drought, carded her second straight five-under par 67 at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California.

Her 14-under par total of 202 put her one in front of Hataoka, who had eight birdies without a bogey in her 64 for 203.

Park, seeking a 20th LPGA title in this last event before the first major of the year, the ANA Inspiration, said the key to her round was “a combination of consistency and the putting.”

“I holed some good putts, especially on the back nine,” she said. “Just the feel on the greens is really good this week and I really want to keep that going tomorrow.”

Hataoka, 20, is trying to add to the two titles she won last season.

“I started out playing really well, attacking the pins, and had a lot of par saves as well, good par saves,” she said, adding that she wanted to take advantage of good scoring conditions.

South Korea’s Hur Mi-jung made the most of them, firing a tournament record 62 that included seven of her 10 birdies on the back nine.

“I got goosebumps,” she said. “So excited playing the back nine. (I) had great shots and great putts and made seven birdies in a row.”

Her sparkling effort left her tied with world number one Park Sung-Hyun (71) on 205 — a stroke behind Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura.

Thidapa, tied for the overnight lead with Park Sung-hyun, carded a 70 while the South Korean posted a 71 — bouncing back from a double-bogey and two bogeys in her first six holes with six birdies before a bogey at the last.

The 22-year-old Aussie quit tennis five years ago after finding the mental grind of the tour too much to bear, turning to professional cricket in a bid to find sporting happiness.

Barty, however, knew she had the tennis skills to compete at the very top and after returning in February 2016, has taken her career to an elite level, culminating in her first-ever WTA Premier Mandatory title to follow on from the US Open doubles crown she won last September.

Barty, a junior Wimbledon winner at age 15, will rise from 11th to number nine in the world rankings and become the first Australian woman since Sam Stosur in June 2013 to crack the top 10.

“It feels like it’s a long time ago now since I took the break and since I came back,” said Barty, who also reached the doubles semi-finals at the Hard Rock Stadium with Victoria Azarenka.

“It’s been a few years now, but I certainly feel like I’m a very different person. I feel like I’m a more complete player, I’m a better player.

“I was an average cricketer and I’m becoming a better tennis player.

“I feel like when I play my best, I’m good enough to match it with the very best in the world.”

Barty hit 15 aces and 41 winners compared to 22 from an out-of-sorts Pliskova.

“I had to keep it physical, make as many balls as possible and keep my running shoes on,” Barty said.

Barty’s victory means that for the first time ever there have been 14 different winners in 14 WTA events so far this season.

Pliskova, who will rise to fourth in the rankings despite a disappointing final, badly struggled with her serve and movement, off the pace mentally and physically after reaching the quarter-finals or better in her five prior tournaments this year.

“She played well and I was super tired,” said the Czech. “The conditions were different to the night matches I played. For sure I could play better but she went for it in the tie-break.

“The first set was key for the match and one I should have won.It was tough to fight in the second.”

The 27-year-old Czech , who beat Barty 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16 at last year’s US Open, came into the final with 31 aces, most in the women’s draw, but she won only 65% of points on her first serve compared to 86% from Barty.

“She served great,” said Pliskova who defeated Simona Halep in the semi-finals and denied the Romanian the chance to reclaim the world number one ranking.

– ‘Amazing fortnight’ –

When the Australian double faulted at 1-1 to hand Pliskova an early break, it wasn’t the start Barty sought and more errors in the following game allowed Pliskova to extend her lead.

Barty then began to settle down and crisply struck a forehand winner to break Pliskova for the first time.

The Aussie started superbly in the tie-breaker, moving 5-1 ahead before Pliskova hit long to seal the set for Barty, who broke early in the second set to signal it would be her day.

“It’s been an amazing fortnight of tennis and it’s pretty cool to have played a good match on such a big stage.

“It was always going to be a match of small opportunities so getting the first set was massive.

“There were zero expectations coming into this tournament, I just saw it as an opportunity to get better every day but I have grabbed my chance with both hands.

“I am proud of myself,” she said.

Five out of six makes good reading for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the reigning Champion took a fifth pole at Termas de Rio Hondo on Saturday, setting himself up for a charge at another victory at the track. But there’s more than a couple of riders well within the number 93’s postcode, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) just 0.164 back in P2 and Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) only another 0.010 further off – a tantalising prospect for lights out at Round 2.

It’s not just the front row in the spotlight, however. Plenty of eyes will be on the second row as 2015 Argentina GP winner Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) lines up fourth and directly behind Marquez, with 2018 polesitter and top Independent Team rider Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) keeping the ‘Doctor’ more than a little honest in fifth. From Marquez to Miller the grid is covered by just 0.244.

The tiny margins continue in sixth and seventh, too. Sophomore Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) took P6 and his best ever premier class qualifying position to lock out Row 2, with rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo once again the fastest debutant on the grid and just point blank fast. The Frenchman was only 0.011 off Morbidelli, and will be hoping to avoid his dramatic start to the Qatar GP. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took P8 and he’s aiming for the podium having won from P10 on the grid last season, with the British rider joined by teammate and Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) on Row 3.

Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) completes a top ten covered by 0.789 at Termas de Rio Hondo, with Q1 graduate Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) starting from P11. That was after Jorge Lorenzo’s (Repsol Honda Team) fastest lap was cancelled due to exceeding track limits – the five-time World Champion will start from 12th, nevertheless a solid Saturday as he continues both his adaptation to the Honda and his recovery from injury.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) starts P13 ahead of another impressive performance from Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Miguel Oliveira who will likely fancy his chances at some good points, with Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) putting in a solid showing in P15.

A major shock in Q1, however, was 2018 Argentina GP podium finisher Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). The Spaniard’s success at the track last year was his first rostrum in the premier class but in 2019 he’ll line up in P16. Can he mount a comeback from there? Sunday will reveal all…

It’s a good looking grid after qualifying at Termas and the race looks sure to be a stunner. That’s even before we mention the weather that could well mix everything up again…Don’t miss any of the action from Argentina, lights go out for the premier class at 15:00 local time (GMT-3).

But all eyes were on the twelve teams vying for the coveted King’s Cup Elephant Boat Race trophy. The first heat of the semifinals was a closely fought battle between Thailand teams from the Royal Thai Navy, the Institute of Physical Education and Singburi province.

Each team of 20 paddlers fought hard for a place in the finals but it was the Institute of Physical Education team that passed the finish line with a photo finish at 48.03 secs closely followed by Pradu Thong Goddess (Royal Navy) 49.04 secs, Singburi 49.28 secs and Pradu Ngern Goddess (Royal Thai Navy) 53.69 secs. Each race takes place across 200m with 4 teams per heat, the first to cross the finish line wins and progresses to Sunday’s grand closing Trophy Ceremony.

Contenders for Ladies Day Best Dressed

The Indoor Rowing Asia Cup Tournament is also being held concurrently with teams from 10 countries including Iraq, Pakistan, Taiwan and Malaysia. Each digital heat consists of 8 rowers giving it their all across 1km with both female and male competitors vying for the coveted Asia Cup trophies.

One hundred percent of ticket sales from the event will be donated to elephant related projects throughout Thailand via the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.