Serena Williams knocked out of Madrid Masters

Published>Thu, May 13 10 02:47 PM

Top-ranked Serena Williams was knocked out of the Madrid Masters, falling 4-6 6-2 6-3 to Nadia Petrova of Russia in the third round.

Petrova, who has won 19 doubles titles, on Wednesday frustrated Williams into making 41 errors by hitting accurately from the baseline. The 16th-seeded Petrova served 10 aces to advance to the quarterfinals.

Williams had looked out of form in a marathon match against Vera Dushevina on Tuesday, which lasted 3 hours, 26 minutes. It was the longest match of her career.

Last year, Williams was beaten in the opening round in her first appearance at the Madrid Masters.

"I wasn't moving my fastest but all I could do was try and do the best. I don't know. I definitely wasn't at my best," said Williams, who criticised the tournament for its scheduling. "This isn't a player-favourite tournament, just to be honest. None of the players are really gung-ho about playing here."

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal advanced to the third round with a 6-4 6-3 win against Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr.

Nadal broke early to take control of the first set, although Dolgopolov pressured the Spaniard's serve in the second with some blistering ground strokes.

A superb forehand down the line by Nadal gave him a breakpoint which he converted to go 4-3 up in the second.

Dolgopolov saved a match point serving at 5-3 down but Nadal still broke to close out the match.

Nadal was in the Madrid Masters on the back of tournament wins in Monte Carlo and Rome. The 2005 champion and 2009 finalist is hoping to extend the record for ATP World Tour 1000 titles of 17 he shares with Andre Agassi.

At 21, the 62-ranked Dolgopolov is the youngest player in the ATP top 100.

"He is very unusual and very difficult to play against.

He is very fast with his shots and he has a fast serve too," said Nadal.

"It was an important victory for me because for a moment the match wasn't under control."

Earlier, fifth-seeded Andy Roddick withdrew from the tournament before his second-round match against Feliciano Lopez due to illness. Lopez instead played and beat Spanish countryman Oscar Hernandez, who failed to qualify.

"In the end it's positive not having to play against Roddick, although I was looking forward to playing him, it would have been a fun match. But now I just have to be happy to be in the next round," said Lopez.

Seventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withdrew injured from his match with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez after losing the first set 6-2.

Spain's Nicolas Almagro upset fourth-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-4 7-5 to set up a meeting with Juan Monaco of Argentina.

Andy Murray, the 2008 winner, enjoyed a smooth passage through to the third round, beating Argentine qualifier Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 6-3. The third-seeded Murray hit 32 winners.

"It was the best I have hit the ball in a long time. I felt comfortable on the court," Murray said. "I didn't serve that well in the first set, but in the second I started to serve a lot better and started to hit winners."

Other winners were John Isner of the United States, who plays Nadal in the next round, and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.

In the women's draw, fourth-seeded Venus Williams beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy 3-6 6-1 6-2 to move into the fourth round.

In the second round, seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic 4-6 6-4 6-1.

"It wasn't my best tennis," said Jankovic. "I can't expect myself to play so great, it's my first match here in Madrid and it's high altitude and all that but I got through and that is the most important thing. I get to play today."

Source: Web Search

Felipe Massa slams Dunga over World Cup squad

Published>Thu, May 13 10 02:37 PM

Rio de Janeiro, May 13 (DPA) No exception to Brazilians' love for football, Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa slammed national team coach Carlos Dunga over his choice of a World Cup squad.

'The truth is I didn't like it. And I think most Brazilians did not like it,' the Ferrari driver told Brazilian radio network Jovem Pan in an interview Wednesday.

'You have to take the best players to a World Cup, and that's not what Dunga does. He is taking the players he trusts, and he is excluding those who are most talented,' Massa complained.

He was particularly upset about the absence from the squad of Milan star Ronaldinho and about Santos' rising talents Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso.

Ganso and Ronaldinho have been included in the reserve list of seven players who might get to play the World Cup in case of any injuries.

Young Neymar, 18, who is a darling of Brazilian sports media and fans alike after an impressive season, will have to wait four more years for the chance to play a World Cup.

'I think Neymar, Ganso and Ronaldinho should go to South Africa. They are players who have already shown their skill in football, and they should be on the list,' Massa said.

He also slammed Dunga for his decision to call Cruzeiro's Gilberto and and Olympique Lyon's Michel Bastos as left-backs.

'I would have included Marcelo, of Real Madrid, and Maxwell, of Barcelona, who play very well,' Massa noted.

Like Ganso and Ronaldinho, Marcelo is in the 'waiting list' that was sent to FIFA Tuesday, while Maxwell, like Neymar, will not play in South Africa 2010.

Source: Web Search

China sending teenagers to Barcelona to improve standards

Published Thu, May 13 10 02:27 PM

China will select 40 teenagers in June to train at Spanish club Barcelona, kicking off a major Chinese Football Association (CFA) initiative to develop elite footballers in Europe.

The players, all under 15, will be chosen by Barcelona scouts at a two-month camp in Hebei province and then stay with more than a dozen youth clubs affiliated to the European champions over the next three years.

"The CFA hopes to send some 40 players to Spain to guarantee about three players for each position on pitch," Sun Zhedong, chief of CFA's youth development told the Beijing Youth Daily.

"However, if the Barcelona scouts think there are only 30 good enough, we will fully respect their opinion. The final decision of who are going will be totally made by the Spanish side."

The Barcelona project is a part of CFA's ambition to train up to 500 teenagers overseas in the next five years. Sun said they had received invitations from English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Italian and American FA's.

"Going to Barcelona is absolutely not the only project we are working on," he said. "In the near future, more young players will have the opportunity to study in the developed countries of football."

This will be China's latest youth production attempt through training overseas, following the first squad sent to Hungary in the 1950s and more recent groups who spent long periods in Brazil and Germany.

This time, though, the players will not be kept together but will stay in local homes and train separately, gathering only in school holidays.

The scheme is the brainchild of new CFA boss Wei Di, who is determined to improve China's current international standing and qualify regularly for the World Cup.

Wei, who enjoyed some Olympic success by employing foreign expertise when head of China's water sports teams, believes a similarity in physical stature between the Chinese and Spanish makes Spain the best option to develop talent.

Source: Web Search

Pietersen crucial for England's chances of winning World Cup: Collingwood

Published>Thu, May 13 10 02:07 PM

London, May 13 (ANI): Skipper Paul Collingwood has said that Kevin Pietersen, who arrived back in the Caribbean after becoming a father, is crucial for England's chances of winning their first cricket World Cup after 35 years of trying

Pietersen landed last night and will regain his place at No.3 in the World Twenty20semi-final with Sri Lanka today. Pietersen's wife Jessica Taylor gave birth to their first baby, a boy, on Sunday.

Collingwood insisted Pietersen will rejoin a squad oozing with confidence, excitement and talent, The Sun reports.

"I'm sure KP will be happy and raring to go. Fatigue shouldn't be an issue and he will be in a great state of mind. He won't have a formal practice, but I'm sure he will have a few hits," the England skipper said.

'There is nothing technical he needs to change and I'm sure his mind will be 100 per cent right. KP is very important. He played two man-of-the- match innings before he went home and looks back to his best," Collingwood said.

England won all three of their Super Eights matches against Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand.

"Captaining England in a world semi-final, that's brilliant. I had a real sense when we turned up with this squad that we could do well. We've made some selections that have really come good," Collingwood said.

"I think there was a real belief in the squad at the start of the tournament and now there is a lot of excitement. Sometimes, when you get to these situations, you sense some nerves but that hasn't been the case. The boys can't wait to play.

"This is the most powerful England side I've played in - definitely. Everybody can hit sixes all the way down to No 10.

The bowlers are also thinking for themselves," added. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Pacquiao gets mum's nod for Mayweather bout

Published Thu, May 13 10 01:27 PM

Manny Pacquiao has been given permission to fight for the final time by his mother and plans to take on undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. later this year when the Filipino is likely to be a politician.

Pacquiao, a world champion in seven divisions, is leading the count for a seat to represent his home province in the Philippine Congress after Monday's elections. Earlier this year he had said he was considering his mother's request to retire.

"Many fans really want me to fight Floyd Mayweather, so I asked my mama if we can give them one more fight. She said okay," 31 year-old Pacquiao told a local television network.

Fight fans have been dreaming of a bought between the sport's two best fighters but have been thwarted by the Filipino's refusal to submit blood testing.

"Manny is ready to fight Mayweather in November, but under the rules sanctioned by the state commission, not by any other body," Pacquiao's lawyer Franklin Gacal told Reuters by phone.

"Our position stays the same, we will only abide by the rules set by the state commission sanctioning the fight, whether in Las Vegas or in Texas,"

The two fighters were expected to fight early this year but negotiations collapsed over the undefeated American fighter's demand for random drug testing, which Mayweather said earlier this month still stood.

On Monday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) urged Pacquiao to agree to Olympic-style drug testing to remove the stumbling block to a bout with Mayweather.

Source: Web Search

Lee plans on longer run than Korean coach has targeted

Published Thu, May 13 10 01:07 PM

South Korea goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae believes his coach's target of a place in the last 16 of the World Cup would be a failure and is aiming for a longer run at the finals in South Africa.

South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo previously erred on the side of caution by stating his "initial goal" was a place in the last 16 after being drawn with Argentina, Greece and Nigeria in Group B.

"We don't consider...the top 16 as our goal," Lee told South Korea's Yonhap News. "That would be a case of things not turning out well."

The Koreans stormed to the semi-finals in 2002 as co-hosts and their qualifying credentials are second to none in Asia, this their seventh successive World Cup finals.

Their astonishing run to last four under Dutchman Guus Hiddink in 2002 brought the country to a standstill and major cities were transformed into a sea of red as fans flocked in their thousands to watch matches on giant screens.

South Korea have yet to advance beyond the first round on foreign soil but Lee said they could produce another shock at this year's tournament, which begins on June 11.

"We can do better than reaching the top 16," said the 37-year-old keeper, who has made 129 appearances for his country.

"(At) my first World Cup in 1994...I didn't even know what game I was playing in. But young players now have more big-league experience so the pressure should be less."

Captain Park Ji-sung of Manchester United heads a strong contingent of Europe-based players also including Monaco's Park Chu-young and Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers.

South Korea take on Ecuador in a home warm-up game at the weekend before Huh names his final 23-man squad for South Africa and final send-off game away to fellow qualifiers Japan.

Source: Web Search

Smith can help Australia regain Ashes: Greg Chappell

Published>Thu, May 13 10 12:37 PM

Sydney, May 13 (ANI): Former Australian skipper Greg Chappell has said that young all-rounder Steven Smith has the talent needed to help Australia regain the Ashes, after his match winning performance in the Caribbean.

Chappell worked with Smith at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence last winter and he believes his talent extends well beyond the Twenty20 arena.

Smith (20) bowled Australia into the semi-finals of the World T20 with an impressive haul of 3-20 against the West Indies in St Lucia.

Chappell predicted that Smith's entry to Test cricket could more closely emulate that of Richie Benaud than of Shane Warne.

Smith boasts a first-class batting average of 56.22 in 13 games, which suggests that by batting in the top seven he could co-exist in the Test team with established off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"He is part of the Ashes plans in my view. In Australia, through the history of cricket, good wrist-spin bowling has been very successful and I think he has the capabilities to do that, and it gives you the opportunity to play two spinners," Chappell said.

"Remember that Richie Benaud played for three or four years as a batsman predominantly, and bowled the odd over here or there. I can see Steve Smith doing that in the early days of his career," Chappell added.

Chappell has encouraged Smith to develop all facets of his game rather than concentrate on one or the other, and regards him as precisely the kind of cricketer the selectors should promote across all formats. (ANI)

Source: Web Search