Nadal eases ahead on day of domination at Australian Open

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 20 10 05:08 PM

Melbourne, Jan 20 (DPA) Defending champion Rafael Nadal followed Wednesday's relaxed formbook a day after a crush of 87 matches, powering past Slovak outsider Lukas Lacko 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to lead a cluster of no-stress wins at the Australian Open.

The second seed took just under two hours to advance, setting the pace for fellow top players Andy Roddick and Fernando Gonzalez.

Nadal, who dethroned Roger Federer in last year's final, improved to 23-4 winning record at Melbourne Park.

Seventh seed Roddick, appearing fully recovered from a knee injury which ended his 2009 season early, hammered Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 while Gonzalez, seeded 11, beat Turkish qualifying lucky loser Marsel Ilhan of Turkey 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.

Russian Evgeny Korolev also went through with minimal distraction over Czech Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

Wednesday's schedule was back to a more manageable level after officials were able to catch up after a near-rainout on Monday's opening day.

On the women's side, with temperatures warming again to summer levels following a brief cold snap down to 20 degrees Celsius, Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova shrugged off a morning start as the big-match spirit helped her to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

'I get extra motivation when I play Slams,' said the defending French Open winner and US Open champion from 2004, the first into the third round.

'It doesn't matter how bad you play, when you come to Grand Slams, it's like, you just get there, and it's special. This is what I work for, you just enjoy it so much,' Kuznetsova said.

'To play here even today the first at 11 am, there are still many people. You just have fun - this is for real.'

France's Marion Bartoli moved through easily over Czech Sandra Zahlavova 6-4, 6-4, while Belgian's power pair from the US Open - semi-finalist Yanina Wickmayer and champion Kim Clijsters - also won.

Wickmayer put out Italian 12th seed Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 and Clijsters, seeded 15th, came back from 0-3 in the second set to top Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-3.

'I feel like, I'm good enough on the day to beat my opponents,' said double Grand Slam winner Clijsters. 'It's not with my best tennis yet, but hopefully I can save that when it's really necessary.

'Today Tammy was very tricky. I was actually surprised to see she was still playing. But it's very hard to read her game.'

Britain's 83rd-ranked Elena Baltacha's win over Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2, 7-5 duplicated her career-best showing at a major (third round Melbourne, 2005) and a similar showing at Wimbledon eight years ago.

First-round play concluded at fast rate, with four seeds sweeping ahead in quick straight sets.

Danish number four Caroline Wozniacki beat Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak for the fifth time in their past six meetings through a 6-4, 6-2 decision. Number seven Victoria Azarenka stopped Stephanie Cohen-Aloro with the loss of just two games.

It was the same dominating scoreline for Russian ninth seed Vera Zvonareva, a winner over Slovak Kristina Kucova 6-2, 6-0.

China's Li Na bet New Zealand's Marina Erakovic with a similar scoreline.

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Christine Bleakley admits she's dating Frank Lampard

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 20 10 04:41 PM

London, Jan 20 (ANI): Christine Bleakley has confirmed that she's dating Chelsea star Frank Lampard.

The popular One Show presenter made the confirmation yesterday, as she prepares to water-ski across the Channel for Sport Relief, reports The Mirror.

Christine said: "It is early days, so we are trying to be low key. But I am very happy."

While referring to skiing, she said: "I have never skied before.

I have been out at sea and it was the most exhausting thing I have done. I'm not a great swimmer so it's utterly ludicrous. But if I do it I will never be more proud of myself." (ANI)

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Roddick defends decision to skip 2010 Davis Cup campaign

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 20 10 04:29 PM

Melbourne, Jan 20 (DPA) American Andy Roddick offered no apologies Wednesday for skipping the Davis Cup campaign this season.

'I'll miss it, for sure,' the seventh seed said after reaching the third round of the Australian Open. 'It's been a big part of my career so far. I don't know if I've shut the door on as far as forever goes.'

Roddick said he made the decision late in 2009 in the midst of a recovery from injuring his knee in Shanghai, which cut his season short.

'We made the decision late last year,' said last year's Wimbledon. 'My knee was still hurt. We [he and coach Larry Stefanki] didn't think it was smart to be switching surfaces from hard to clay to hard, time zones, all that.'

The American said he's not trying to hurt his team's chances - they face Serbia away in March - but would not be changing his mind.

'I never wanted to be one of these guys who played when it was convenient,' he said. 'I feel like if you commit at the beginning of the year, then you commit. Last thing I'd want to do is have those guys go battle early in the year, then me waltz in and try to play later in the year when they've been the ones to get the team to that point.'

But Roddick said the length of the current ATP season does get on his nerves with the former number one as keen as his rivals for some kind of rational change.

He said he's all in favour of reducing the Davis Cup's annual frequency.

'We've been talking about adjustments for a long time,' he said. 'Bottom line is, until the ITF [International Tennis Federation] steps up and actually says, 'This might be better for our [Davis Cup] event,' then it's really a moot point.'

While he's not holding his breath, the American said he is optimistic that some kind of eventual compromise could be reached.

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Warne helped me join IPL, says Martyn

Deepak Jain Wed, Jan 20 10 04:25 PM

Melbourne, Jan 20 (PTI) Retired batsman Damien Martyn, one of the two Australian players sold at yesterday''s IPL auction, said it was his ex-teammate and Rajasthan Royal''s captain Shane Warne who guided him in sending his entry for the auction. The 38-year-old Martyn, who quit international cricket in 2006, was yesterday bought by the Rajasthan outfit for USD 100,000 (45.5 lakhs), giving a major boost to his seemingly finished cricket career. Another Australian, who found a place in the cash-awash tournament was one-day specialist Adam Voges, who was also picked by the Rajasthan team for USD 50,000. Martyn said that he met Warne recently in Australia and inquired about his prospects in the IPL. "We had a chat about the pros and cons and he put me on to certain people including (IPL commissioner) Lalit Modi. "I said I had to get my paperwork in order and Warnie said he might be interested, depending on which other players were available," Martyn told The Australian. That paperwork included signing out of the rebel Indian Cricket League, where Martyn had led the Ahmedabad Rockets. The right-hand batsman had attended Australia''s national cricket academy with Warne 20 years ago and they have been firm friends ever since. Other Australian players like Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger and Phil Hughes went unsold in the auction due to uncertainty over their availability for the whole tournament, which clashes with their tour of New Zealand in March-April.

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Gerrard terms flare-up rumours as 'fantasy'

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 20 10 04:19 PM

London, Jan 20 (ANI): Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has dismissed as "fantasy" the wild rumours that he will quit the club after a flare-up with boss Rafa Benitez.

Both manager and skipper are dismayed by persistent speculation which claims the player had a furious row in the dressing room at half-time during the defeat by Reading in the FA Cup last week.

The rumours claimed Gerrard had a showdown with Benitez and coach Mauricio Pellegrino, and vowed that he would never play for Liverpool again.I've heard about a dozen versions of the same rumour and they're all as daft as each other," The Mirror quoted Gerrard, as saying.

"I'd love to know who comes up with this kind of stuff because they must have an unbelievable imagination. Nothing happened, that's an absolute fact. And if anyone thinks this nonsense unsettles either me or the club then they're mistaken. If anything it's brought everyone even closer together because we've all had a good laugh about it.

"In the time since he's been here I've never had a problem with the manager or his staff, and certainly not at half-time in the Reading game when I was actually receiving treatment for the injury I'd picked up during the first half," Gerrard added.

Benitez too, explained that he and his skipper were laughing about the 'stupid' rumours yesterday, with the manager refusing to give them credence. (ANI)

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'Voice of Rugby' Bill McLaren dies

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 20 10 04:09 PM

London, Jan 20 (ANI): Commentator Bill McLaren, known popularly as the "voice of rugby", has died at the age of 86.

McLaren spent almost 50 years as a national broadcaster, beginning his career on BBC radio in 1953.

Tributes were flowing in from all over Scotland yesterday to McLaren.

Everybody had their individual memories of the man, two themes ran through them all: The ultimate professionalism of his commentaries in a career that spanned almost 50 years, and ability to inspire all those he came in touch with.

Players and coaches alike reminisced on Tuesday about how they would come across McLaren at training sessions in the week leading up to matches, making sure that he could recognise the players and using the time to gather the little anecdotes that would liven up his commentary.

Known as the "voice of rugby", he was honoured with an OBE, a CBE and an MBE for his services to the sport.

Until 1987, McLaren combined his broadcasting career with his role as a PE teacher, coaching several players who went on to play for Scotland.

McLaren died in hospital in his hometown of Hawick in the Scottish borders. (ANI)

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Australian Open: Somdev-Prakash advance, Bopanna-Qureshi lose

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 20 10 04:00 PM

Melbourne, Jan 20 (IANS) India's Somdev Devvarman and Prakash Amritraj fought off a stiff American challenge while Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi bowed out in the men's doubles first round at the Australian Open tennis at Melbourne Park here Wednesday.

Somdev and Prakash rallied from a set down to beat American pair James Cerretani Travis Rettenmaier, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.

The Indians now play the winners of the match between 11th seeds Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Australian Paul Hanley and Brazilian Marcos Daniel and Austrian Daniel Koellerer.

Bopanna and Qureshi went down to South Africa's Rik de Voest and American Scott Lipsky 6-4, 1-6, 6-7 (6).

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