tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941457484263580182023-11-15T16:07:14.206+03:00SportStyleNews, Sports, Football, Hockey, Tennis, Olympics, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, Handball, Bobsleigh, Rally, Slalom, Mototrial, Skeleton, Speedway, Surfing, Judo, Boxing, Karate, Fencing, Canoeing, Biathlon, Swimming, Curling, ChessdAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-5523454342667211652009-07-01T15:59:00.000+04:002009-07-01T15:59:05.602+04:00MLB to help Australia set up new league<H2>(AUSTRALIA, BASEBALL, LEAGUE, GOVERNMENT, SPORT, AUSTRALIAN)</H2><br />MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia will establish a new professional baseball league as early as next year with backing from the government and North America`s Major League Baseball.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />The sport has struggled to gain a foothold in Australia, and the country`s first professional league folded under heavy debts in 1999 after lasting only 10 years.<br />Australia`s government has pledged $400,000 to help the league`s development.<br />"Australian baseball has done a great job in securing this significant partnership with Major League Baseball -- developing up-and-coming athletes and strengthening the game in Australia," sports minister Kate Ellis told the Australian Baseball Federation`s (ABF) website (www.baseball.com.au).<br />"This funding will help baseball to develop the next generation of Australian baseball stars."<br />Paul Archey, head of MLB International, said in a statement on the website Wednesday that his organization was keen to develop the sport in Australia.<br />"I cannot tell you when this will happen or where, but I can tell you that MLB is committed to this initiative and look forward to working with the Federal Government and the ABF to further develop the game of baseball in Australia through planning a new national league."<br />QUESTIONABLE CLIMATE?<br />The new league would likely include eight to 10 teams and schedule matches between November and February, the Australian Associated Press said.<br />"Some people may think we`re crazy with the present economic climate: `Why would you even be thinking about doing a national league?`" the agency quoted ABF Chairman Mark Peters as saying.<br />"Well we`ve got the confidence that there are people out there that will support us and with MLB`s backing, one of the best brands in the world, this will be successful."<br />Peters said the federation had learned from the experience of other leagues and from the previous league`s failure.<br />"One of the big issues is going to be facilities," he said.<br />"If we`re going to run a spectator-friendly sport then we`ve got to have the right facilities in place.<br />"The days of playing on the side of rugby and football ovals are something we can`t cope with if we`re going to be professional."<br />(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5601V620090701" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-4287223104202894002009-07-01T11:13:00.000+04:002009-07-01T11:13:11.171+04:00Orioles complete record rally to soar over Red Sox<H2>(BALTIMORE, BOSTON, SEVENTH, INNING, BEFORE, THREE)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090701&t=2&i=10701184&r=2009-07-01T053018Z_01_BTRE5600FAU00_RTROPTP_0_BASEBALL" alt="Orioles complete record rally to soar over Red Sox" title="Orioles complete record rally to soar over Red Sox" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >BALTIMORE (Reuters) - The Baltimore Orioles rallied from a nine-run deficit to shock the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox 11-10 on Tuesday.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />The Orioles looked dead and buried when they trailed 10-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but tallied five runs to reduce the margin to four before completing the biggest comeback in team history with five more scores in the eighth.<br />Oscar Salazar`s three-run homer in the seventh sparked the unlikely recovery before Nick Markakis sealed the comeback with a two-run double to deep center field an innings later.<br />Boston enjoyed a five-run inning of its own in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead before Dustin Pedroia`s single in the seventh took the visiting team`s score into double digits.<br />Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis both drove in three runs for Boston with the latter, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeff Bailey each collecting three hits.<br />Both teams had 16 total hits with Nolan Reimold going 3-for-5 for Baltimore, which had lost 11 of its past 12 games against Boston.<br />(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by John O`Brien)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5600WJ20090701" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-81658220145843736472009-07-01T10:01:00.000+04:002009-07-01T10:01:50.733+04:00Yankees hold off Mariners to record sixth straight win<H2>(SEATTLE, MARINERS, CABRERA, EIGHTH, BEFORE, FIELD)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090701&t=2&i=10700791&r=2009-07-01T042523Z_01_BTRE5600CAH00_RTROPTP_0_BASEBALL" alt="Yankees hold off Mariners to record sixth straight win" title="Yankees hold off Mariners to record sixth straight win" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees shrugged off a rain delay to record a sixth consecutive victory on Tuesday, the 8-5 win over the Seattle Mariners set up by Melky Cabrera`s tie-breaking double in the eighth inning.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />Cabrera drove in three runs overall but the one that mattered most was an extra-base blast to break a 5-5 deadlock after the gritty Mariners had twice rallied to tie the score.<br />Alex Rodriguez`s two-run shot in the seventh, his 565th homer, had given the Yankees (44-32) a 5-3 lead before Seattle battled back for a second time with two runs in the top of the eighth.<br />Kenji Johjima, who had three hits, singled in the first run and Russell Branyan added the second with a sacrifice fly to left field.<br />Cabrera wasted little time regaining the initiative for the home team before Derek Jeter`s single to center field brought two more runners home to complete the scoring. (Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina. Editing by John O`Brien)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5600OE20090701" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-11507829552448054372009-07-01T09:50:00.000+04:002009-07-01T09:50:13.982+04:00Few thrills as Williams sisters thrive<H2>(WIMBLEDON, CENTER, COURT, WOMEN, VENUS, WOULD)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10694589&r=2009-06-30T172639Z_01_BTRE55T11IW00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Few thrills as Williams sisters thrive" title="Few thrills as Williams sisters thrive" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Martyn Herman<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - Sobriety returned to Wimbledon on Tuesday after the heady brew of the night before with Center Court open to the sunny skies and the insatiable Williams sisters blasting through to the semi-finals.<br />British hope Andy Murray`s intoxicating five-set defeat of Switzerland`s Stanislas Wawrinka on Monday, a thrilling match which ended way after sunset under Center Court`s gleaming roof and blazing lights, raised excitement levels far beyond the reach of women`s quarter-final day.<br />Murray`s four-hour epic was played out in an adrenaline-fueled Davis Cup style atmosphere but polite applause was the order of the day as first champion Venus Williams, 29, romped to a 6-1 6-2 defeat of Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and then Serena powered past Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2 6-3.<br />Neither have dropped a set in the tournament so far -- they even won a women`s doubles 6-0 6-0 on Monday -- as they career headlong toward a seemingly inevitable fourth meeting in a Wimbledon final on Saturday.<br />"That first set for me was really almost perfect," Venus, who is chasing a hat-trick of singles title here and her sixth overall, told reporters of her match against former Wimbledon junior champion Radwanska on Court One.<br />"Do I feel invincible? I`d like to say yes, but I really do work at it."<br />Asked if she and Serena were now head and shoulders above the rest, Venus did not exactly dismiss the suggestion.<br />"I think we are definitely the frontrunners in tennis as far as being some of the best players out there," she said. "But if there were just two players, it would just be a final. There`s got to be 128. So that`s the way it`s got to be."<br />At least Elena Dementieva, the graceful Russian fourth seed, is doing her best to keep up with the Americans.<br />The 27-year-old performed a Williams-type demolition job on diminutive Italian Francesca Schiavone, winning 6-2 6-2 on Court One where fans who forked out for expensive tickets received just two hours and 14 minutes of singles action.<br />With Serena needing little more than an hour to polish off Azarenka it meant Murray and Wawrinka`s fourth-round duel lasted longer than three of the women`s quarter-finals put together.<br />She refuted a suggestion that fans were being short-changed by one-sided women`s matches but said maybe they should play best of five sets -- a scenario that would strike fear into most who face them across the net.<br />"Yeah, I`m ready for five-set matches. On grass it would be fine. I can definitely play five sets," she said.<br />World number one Dinara Safina and unseeded German Sabine Lisicki did provide a contest worthy of the name with the Muscovite wearing down her opponent 6-7 6-4 6-1 on Center Court.<br />Safina now stands between Venus and an eighth Wimbledon singles final when they meet for the first time on a grasscourt in the last four. <SPAN class=label><STRONG>Continued...</STRONG></SPAN><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLU7484420090701" target="_blank">Original article</a><br /><br />Related articles:<br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/jankovic-melts-murray-blasts-through.html">Jankovic melts, Murray blasts through</A> <br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/williams-sisters-still-tough-act-to.html">Williams sisters still a tough act to beat</A>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-11853078175175259352009-07-01T09:38:00.000+04:002009-07-01T09:38:45.680+04:00Boozer and Okur decide to stay with Jazz<H2>(BOOZER, SEASON, GAMES, ASSISTS, LEVEL, PLAYED)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090701&t=2&i=10700387&r=2009-07-01T032440Z_01_BTRE56009HB00_RTROPTP_0_NBA" alt="Boozer and Okur decide to stay with Jazz" title="Boozer and Okur decide to stay with Jazz" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >NEW YORK (Reuters) - Utah Jazz starters Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur have decided not to opt out of their contracts to remain with the team for next season, the Jazz said on Tuesday.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />Both players had early termination options and could have tested the NBA`s free-agency market, which opens on Wednesday.<br />Boozer appeared in only 37 games last season after suffering numerous injuries, but averaged 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a starting forward.<br />"We are excited that Carlos has decided to remain with the Jazz," Utah general manager Kevin O`Connor said in a statement on the team`s website (www.nba.com/jazz).<br />"We are hopeful he can continue to play at an All-Star level and will have an injury-free season."<br />An NBA All-Star in 2007 and 2008, Boozer also played on the gold-medal winning U.S. basketball team at the Beijing Olympics.<br />Turkey`s Okur played in 72 games for Utah and averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists.<br />"He has clearly been an integral part of our success since his arrival and we are hopeful that he will continue to perform at such a high level in the future," O`Connor said of Okur.<br />(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5600JU20090701" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-82147012068873375362009-07-01T06:20:00.000+04:002009-07-01T06:20:42.939+04:00Canadiens secure Gomez in seven-player trade with Rangers<H2>(CANADIENS, GOMEZ, RANGERS, SEVEN, SEASON, FIRST)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090701&t=2&i=10699322&r=2009-07-01T004356Z_01_BTRE560021C00_RTROPTP_0_NHL" alt="Canadiens secure Gomez in seven-player trade with Rangers" title="Canadiens secure Gomez in seven-player trade with Rangers" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >MONTREAL (Reuters) - The Montreal Canadiens acquired Scott Gomez, and his sizeable contract, from the New York Rangers in a seven-player trade on Tuesday.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />With the free-agent signing window opening on Wednesday, Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey got an early jump on the competition landing the play-making center he had been seeking.<br />Gomez will earn $8 million next season.<br />The Canadiens also received forward Tom Pyatt and defenseman Michael Busto from New York while sending forward Christopher Higgins and defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik to the Rangers.<br />"We are extremely pleased to have acquired an impact centreman in Scott Gomez," Gainey said on the Canadiens website (www.canadiens.nhl.com) "He is an outstanding playmaker and an excellent skater.<br />"Having won the Stanley Cup twice with the New Jersey Devils, he brings a lot of playoff experience to our team."<br />The first Hispanic player taken in the first round of the NHL draft, Gomez was selected 27th overall by the Devils in 1998 and went on to claim the Calder Cup as the league`s top rookie.<br />He spent seven seasons in New Jersey winning two Stanley Cups before signing a seven-year contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Rangers two years ago.<br />Gomez tied Nikolai Zherdev for the lead in team scoring last season with 58 points but is more renowned for creating opportunities for others.<br />He has scored 148 goals and accumulated 578 points over nine seasons, where he has missed just 32 games because of injury.<br />Higgins, selected by the Canadiens 14th overall in the 2002 draft, struggled last season scoring just 12 goals and 23 points.<br />It was the first time the left winger had scored less than 20 goals since entering the league.<br />(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE56006F20090701" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-48103349720094395662009-07-01T04:49:00.000+04:002009-07-01T04:49:56.385+04:00Team USA opt for youth in ice hockey training squad<H2>(BURKE, TUESDAY, VANCOUVER, GOING, PLAYERS, ORIENTATION)</H2><br />CHICAGO (Reuters) - Team USA general manager Brian Burke signaled a changing of the guard by naming a youthful training camp squad Tuesday for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />"We`re going to be the underdog in Vancouver, we know that," Burke told a conference call Tuesday to announce the 34 players to take part in a Team USA orientation camp from August 17-19. "There is not going to be a penny bet on us in Las Vegas.<br />"We are probably going to be the youngest team in the tournament but we are going there to win and we have tried to identify a group that will give us our best chance to do that.<br />"We think we have a good blend. We have some first violins and we have some tuba players too."<br />Team USA will have a youthful new look in Vancouver with Burke extending camp invitations to only five players with Olympic experience, led by three-time Olympian Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars.<br />Future Hall of Famers such as 47-year-old Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios and national team stalwarts like Doug Weight, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin were not included on Burke`s list, signaling a changing of the guard at USA Hockey.<br />In their places, rising talents like Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane, the top pick in the 2007 draft and young St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, the number one selection in 2006, will get their opportunity to shine.<br />"We`re turning the page to a large extent and some of those choices will be questioned, which we are prepared for," said Burke. "This is not the U.S. Olympic team for 2010, these are the invitations to our orientation camp.<br />"Some of the guys who were not invited are going to jam it right down my throat and I welcome that.<br />"If we`re right with our identification virtually all the team will come out of this group but my prediction is a couple of guys are going to make this real hard for us."<br />The final 23-man rosters are expected to be confirmed in late December.<br />(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Justin Palmer)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T7EP20090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-27766177055463168292009-07-01T01:44:00.000+04:002009-07-01T01:44:23.963+04:00Curry sacked as Pistons coach after one year<H2>(DETROIT, CURRY, PISTONS, SEASON, NUGGETS, IVERSON)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10696596&r=2009-06-30T195123Z_01_BTRE55T1J5W00_RTROPTP_0_NBA" alt="Curry sacked as Pistons coach after one year" title="Curry sacked as Pistons coach after one year" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >DETROIT (Reuters) - Michael Curry was sacked as Detroit Pistons coach on Tuesday after just one season in charge.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />"This was a difficult decision to make," said Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations in a statement on the team`s website (www.nba.com/pistons).<br />"I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."<br />Under Curry the Pistons finished with a regular-season record of 39-43 and advanced to the playoffs where they were swept from the first round in four games by the Cleveland Cavaliers.<br />The results fell far short of the high expectations for a team that had reached the conference finals the previous six years.<br />A former Pistons player, Curry watched the season unravel following an unpopular trade in which popular point guard Chauncey Billups moved to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Allen Iverson.<br />While Billups revived the Nuggets, Iverson flopped in Detroit and ended the season on the injury list.<br />(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Ed Osmond)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T6PX20090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-12681308231085940852009-07-01T01:32:00.000+04:002009-07-01T01:32:12.639+04:00Tiger has extra incentive to win at Congressional<H2>(WOODS, WORLD, NUMBER, WINNER, MAJOR, GREAT)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10697083&r=2009-06-30T203413Z_01_BTRE55T1L5600_RTROPTP_0_GOLF-OPEN" alt="Tiger has extra incentive to win at Congressional" title="Tiger has extra incentive to win at Congressional" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Steve Ginsburg<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />BETHESDA, Maryland (Reuters) - Tiger Woods said his role as host of this week`s $6 million AT&T National provided an added incentive to finish top of the leaderboard at Congressional Country Club.<br />"It is fun winning your own event," the 33-year-old world number one told reporters Tuesday. "No doubt. It is awfully fun to do that."<br />Woods headlines a 120-player field at pristine Congressional, site of the 2011 U.S. Open. The four-day event at the 7,255-yard, par 70 course outside Washington, D.C., begins Thursday.<br />Among those also entered are newly crowned U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, 2008 AT&T winner Anthony Kim, world number three Paul Casey and triple major winner Vijay Singh.<br />World number five Sergio Garcia and three-times major champion Padraig Harrington sit out the AT&T, preparing instead for next month`s British Open by playing the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond next week.<br />Woods, still searching for his first major of the year, sat out the 2008 AT&T while he recuperated from knee surgery.<br />"Unfortunately I wasn`t able to attend last year," he said. "I was at home watching it on the couch, and it wasn`t a whole lot of fun."<br />The 14-times major winner said he was thrilled to have his injury behind him, adding that it "feels good to wake up in the morning and not ache, not want to move out of bed."<br />"I went through all of that," he said. "I don`t want to go through that again. It feels great to be back. What my surgeons and trainers did to get me to this point has been great.<br />"I feel so good getting up and doing things each and every day.<br />"I`m able to play with (children) Sam and carry Charlie around and do all those different things. I was really struggling with it for a while."<br />Woods is expected to be challenged for the $1 million winner`s prize by Kim, who won the AT&T title a year ago in a demonstrative wire-to-wire victory. Kim said the triumph "definitely elevated my confidence."<br />The native Californian, seen by many as having as much potential as anyone on the tour, said he will remain patient as he improves his game.<br />"I just turned 24 ten days ago," said Kim, who finished tied for 16th at the U.S. Open at Bethpage two weeks ago. "I have no pressure from anybody. I want to play great golf. I want to win golf tournaments.<br />"I`m here to do that, but at the same time, I have so much to look forward to. <SPAN class=label><STRONG>Continued...</STRONG></SPAN><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T6Z520090630" target="_blank">Original article</a><br /><br />Related articles:<br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/glover-holds-nerve-to-triumph-at.html">Glover holds nerve to triumph at Bethpage</A> <br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/early-slip-costs-barnes-outright-lead_22.html">Early slip costs Barnes outright lead</A> <br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/mickelson-in-upbeat-mood-after-beating.html">Mickelson in upbeat mood after beating Bethpage storms</A> <br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/mickelson-likely-to-miss-british-open.html">Mickelson likely to miss British Open</A> <br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/bethpage-champion-woods-still-has-major.html">Bethpage champion Woods still has major appetite</A>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-43798156273674105072009-06-30T23:54:00.000+04:002009-06-30T23:54:58.096+04:00NHL`s Panthers use football agent in ad campaign<H2>(PANTHERS, MARKETING, CAMPAIGN, SEASON, TICKET, WOULD)</H2><br />CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drew Rosenhaus, a sports agent who typically battles with football team owners to get lucrative contracts for his clients, has been enlisted by the NHL`s Florida Panthers in a marketing campaign to boost season-ticket sales.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />"This is part of our new marketing campaign that`s launching next week," Panthers President Michael Yormark said in a statement Tuesday. "The premise of the campaign is that he`s been retained by Panthers` fans to renegotiate the season-ticket pricing."<br />Sports teams have been hurt by the recession as fans cut back on spending at games or attend fewer events. In the National Hockey League, the tight credit markets have led to the expected sale of several teams as well as the bankruptcy of the Phoenix Coyotes.<br />The Panthers last season had an average attendance of 15,621 at its home arena, which seats 19,250 people. A full-season Panthers ticket currently costs an average $54.16.<br />Rosenhaus, who represents such National Football League players as wide receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson, will appear in television, radio and print ads talking about how he has been hired by fans of the hockey team to negotiate lower season-ticket prices and other benefits for the 2009-2010 season that begins in the fall, Yormark said.<br />The campaign is set to start on July 7, but the team would not confirm if it would result in lower season ticket prices.<br />(Reporting by Ben Klayman, Editing by Maureen Bavdek)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T52T20090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-80032189377041893852009-06-30T20:53:00.000+04:002009-06-30T20:53:13.800+04:00Venus restores order after Murray epic<H2>(WIMBLEDON, NIGHT, CENTER, COURT, WOMEN, VENUS)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10693590&r=2009-06-30T160433Z_01_BTRE55T11IW00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Venus restores order after Murray epic" title="Venus restores order after Murray epic" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Martyn Herman<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - Sobriety returned to Wimbledon Tuesday after the heady brew of the night before with Center Court open to the sunny skies and women`s champion Venus Williams blasting through to the semi-finals.<br />The 29-year-old American romped to a 5-0 lead against Poland`s Agnieszka Radwanska and completed a 6-1 6-2 victory on auto-pilot as slumbering Court One fans applauded politely in temperatures soaring into the 30s Celsius again.<br />Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva then crushed Italy`s Francesca Schiavone 6-2 6-2 in quick time meaning that holders of costly Court One tickets were treated to a mere two hours 14 minutes of singles play.<br />Venus will face world number one Dinara Safina for a place in her eighth Wimbledon singles final after the Muscovite wore down unseeded German Sabine Lisicki 6-7 6-4 6-1 on Center Court in a match that at least resembled a proper contest.<br />Second seed Serena plays Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the day`s last quarter-final with a sense of predictability sweeping women`s tennis. Most pundits have already pencilled in a fourth Wimbledon final between the insatiable sisters Saturday.<br />"That first set for me was really almost perfect," Venus told reporters. "Do I feel invincible? I`d like to say yes, but I really do work at it."<br />Having won 33 consecutive sets at Wimbledon it seems only Serena is capable of stopping her. Asked what it must be like to have to play herself, Venus said: "I have no idea. I guess the same way I feel when I have to face Serena Williams."<br />The drowsy nature of what should be one of the biggest days in the women`s draw was all a stark contrast to Monday`s late-night blockbuster in which Andy Murray fought tooth and nail for nearly four hours to beat Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka under Center Court`s illuminated canopy.<br />That electrifying five-set contest will go down in Wimbledon folklore as the day the tournament changed forever and it was pretty much all anybody was talking about as the fans poured through the gates on another sweltering day.<br />Murray`s victory -- played out in front of 15,000 fans on Center Court, thousands more crammed together in the dark on Henman Hill and a British television audience of 12.6 million -- has set a high standard that sadly the women could not match.<br />"The only danger to the roof was that it could have been blown off by the crowds," Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said of the events of the previous night.<br />Murray, who had a day off to recover before his last eight assignment against Juan Carlos Ferrero, said it was the noisiest crowd he had ever played in front of -- which for somebody with experience of U.S. Open night sessions was quite a statement.<br />(Editing by Miles Evans)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLU7484420090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-23833143481235440892009-06-30T20:41:00.000+04:002009-06-30T20:41:53.442+04:00Yao injury could be career-threatening, says doctor<H2>(HOUSTON, INJURY, CLANTON, SEASON, COULD, WOULD)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10691012&r=2009-06-30T135008Z_01_BTRE55T12FS00_RTROPTP_0_NBA" alt="Yao injury could be career-threatening, says doctor" title="Yao injury could be career-threatening, says doctor" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >HOUSTON (Reuters) - Houston Rockets center Yao Ming`s foot injury is severe enough to end his career, the team doctor told the Houston Chronicle newspaper.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />A CT scan showed Yao`s injury not only failed to heal as expected but has got worse, Rockets physician Tom Clanton said.<br />"At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening," Clanton said on the paper`s website (www.chron.com).<br />Clanton said he was trying to "make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery."<br />The 7-ft-6in (2.29m), 310-pound (140.6 kg) Chinese center could try to immobilize the left foot in the hope that the hairline fracture will heal on its own, Clanton said.<br />He added that because Yao had no pain or other symptoms there was reason to be optimistic that approach could work.<br />Yao, a seven-times NBA All-Star, fractured his foot during the Western Conference semi-finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 8.<br />He averaged 19.7 points per game and 9.9 rebounds this season.<br />(Writing by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Sonia Oxley)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T3R520090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-52567337069445293292009-06-30T16:34:00.000+04:002009-06-30T16:34:56.372+04:00Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic<H2>(WIMBLEDON, NIGHT, MURRAY, AUSTRALIAN, PERKINS, REGULAR)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10687338&r=2009-06-30T102527Z_01_BTRE55T0SYK00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic" title="Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Paul Majendie<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - "Andymonium" reigned supreme at Wimbledon as fans of newly crowned "King of The Night" Andy Murray threatened to blow the new roof off Center Court.<br />But Wimbledon officials were quick on Tuesday to stress after Murray`s epic night marathon that the world`s most famous tennis tournament would always be a daytime, open-air event.<br />Players at Wimbledon will not be following the U.S. and Australian Opens with matches played deep into the night.<br />Anyone who watched the first late night match in the cathedral of tennis will never forget the deafening roar on Monday evening.<br />The British third seed got a standing ovation from 15,000 screaming fans who leapt to their feet whenever he struck a winner in his titanic five-set victory over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.<br />Forget the British stiff upper lip. Reserve was abandoned. Fans punched the air, cheering till they were hoarse. Union Jack flags were frenetically waved.<br />"At the end, that was probably the noisiest crowd I played in front of," Murray said.<br />But he was not complaining. "Support is great. If it`s loud, then it`s better."<br />Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins, reflecting on Murray`s gladiatorial fourth-round battle with Wawrinka, said: "The only danger to the roof was that it could have been blown off by the crowds."<br />London`s transport system was suddenly confronted late at night with thousands of spectators pouring onto the streets in search of a bus or a train.<br />"A lot of people descended on the system when not expected. This will not be a regular experience," Perkins told Reuters.<br />"This is not the start of regular night shifts. This is not the U.S. or the Australian Open. We are conscious we are in a residential area. We need to think of our neighbors," he said.<br />Murray thought Wimbledon should stay a daytime tournament and not adopt regular night-time sessions.<br />"You can`t really do it. I don`t think for the outside courts and stuff. They can`t play because of the dew and they don`t have floodlights. I like it being a day event."<br />Once the euphoria of novelty had died down, Wimbledon spokesman Perkins agreed: "It was an historic occasion but as with all historic occasions, it is best if they don`t happen too often."<br />(Editing by Miles Evans)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL067791620090630" target="_blank">Original article</a><br /><br />Related articles:<br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/slam-stays-open-air-despite-murrays_30.html">Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic</A> <br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/slam-stays-open-air-despite-murrays.html">Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic</A>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-17100194146060077742009-06-30T16:23:00.000+04:002009-06-30T16:23:30.813+04:00Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic<H2>(WIMBLEDON, NIGHT, MURRAY, AUSTRALIAN, PERKINS, REGULAR)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10687338&r=2009-06-30T102527Z_01_BTRE55T0SYK00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic" title="Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Paul Majendie<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - "Andymonium" reigned supreme at Wimbledon as fans of newly crowned "King of The Night" Andy Murray threatened to blow the new roof off Center Court.<br />But Wimbledon officials were quick on Tuesday to stress after Murray`s epic night marathon that the world`s most famous tennis tournament would always be a daytime, open-air event.<br />Players at Wimbledon will not be following the U.S. and Australian Opens with matches played deep into the night.<br />Anyone who watched the first late night match in the cathedral of tennis will never forget the deafening roar on Monday evening.<br />The British third seed got a standing ovation from 15,000 screaming fans who leapt to their feet whenever he struck a winner in his titanic five-set victory over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.<br />Forget the British stiff upper lip. Reserve was abandoned. Fans punched the air, cheering till they were hoarse. Union Jack flags were frenetically waved.<br />"At the end, that was probably the noisiest crowd I played in front of," Murray said.<br />But he was not complaining. "Support is great. If it`s loud, then it`s better."<br />Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins, reflecting on Murray`s gladiatorial fourth-round battle with Wawrinka, said: "The only danger to the roof was that it could have been blown off by the crowds."<br />London`s transport system was suddenly confronted late at night with thousands of spectators pouring onto the streets in search of a bus or a train.<br />"A lot of people descended on the system when not expected. This will not be a regular experience," Perkins told Reuters.<br />"This is not the start of regular night shifts. This is not the U.S. or the Australian Open. We are conscious we are in a residential area. We need to think of our neighbors," he said.<br />Murray thought Wimbledon should stay a daytime tournament and not adopt regular night-time sessions.<br />"You can`t really do it. I don`t think for the outside courts and stuff. They can`t play because of the dew and they don`t have floodlights. I like it being a day event."<br />Once the euphoria of novelty had died down, Wimbledon spokesman Perkins agreed: "It was an historic occasion but as with all historic occasions, it is best if they don`t happen too often."<br />(Editing by Miles Evans)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL067791620090630" target="_blank">Original article</a><br /><br />Related articles:<br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/slam-stays-open-air-despite-murrays.html">Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic</A>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-21697507951805022032009-06-30T16:12:00.000+04:002009-06-30T16:12:06.779+04:00Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic<H2>(WIMBLEDON, NIGHT, MURRAY, AUSTRALIAN, PERKINS, REGULAR)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10687338&r=2009-06-30T102527Z_01_BTRE55T0SYK00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic" title="Slam stays open-air despite Murray`s roof epic" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Paul Majendie<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - "Andymonium" reigned supreme at Wimbledon as fans of newly crowned "King of The Night" Andy Murray threatened to blow the new roof off Center Court.<br />But Wimbledon officials were quick on Tuesday to stress after Murray`s epic night marathon that the world`s most famous tennis tournament would always be a daytime, open-air event.<br />Players at Wimbledon will not be following the U.S. and Australian Opens with matches played deep into the night.<br />Anyone who watched the first late night match in the cathedral of tennis will never forget the deafening roar on Monday evening.<br />The British third seed got a standing ovation from 15,000 screaming fans who leapt to their feet whenever he struck a winner in his titanic five-set victory over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.<br />Forget the British stiff upper lip. Reserve was abandoned. Fans punched the air, cheering till they were hoarse. Union Jack flags were frenetically waved.<br />"At the end, that was probably the noisiest crowd I played in front of," Murray said.<br />But he was not complaining. "Support is great. If it`s loud, then it`s better."<br />Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins, reflecting on Murray`s gladiatorial fourth-round battle with Wawrinka, said: "The only danger to the roof was that it could have been blown off by the crowds."<br />London`s transport system was suddenly confronted late at night with thousands of spectators pouring onto the streets in search of a bus or a train.<br />"A lot of people descended on the system when not expected. This will not be a regular experience," Perkins told Reuters.<br />"This is not the start of regular night shifts. This is not the U.S. or the Australian Open. We are conscious we are in a residential area. We need to think of our neighbors," he said.<br />Murray thought Wimbledon should stay a daytime tournament and not adopt regular night-time sessions.<br />"You can`t really do it. I don`t think for the outside courts and stuff. They can`t play because of the dew and they don`t have floodlights. I like it being a day event."<br />Once the euphoria of novelty had died down, Wimbledon spokesman Perkins agreed: "It was an historic occasion but as with all historic occasions, it is best if they don`t happen too often."<br />(Editing by Miles Evans)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL067791620090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-33714212064250506592009-06-30T14:37:00.000+04:002009-06-30T14:37:28.351+04:00Costs squeeze profits at Japan`s baseball teams<H2>(BASEBALL, REVENUE, TEAMS, THEIR, COSTS, TIMES)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10684745&r=2009-06-30T064021Z_01_BTRE55T0IJG00_RTROPTP_0_JAPAN" alt="Costs squeeze profits at Japan`s baseball teams" title="Costs squeeze profits at Japan`s baseball teams" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Junko Fujita<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese baseball pulls in the fans, produces the players and rakes in revenue many American clubs would be proud of -- but in terms of profit they still languish in the little league.<br />Despite earning similar revenues to Major League Baseball teams in North America, few of Japan`s 12 big professional outfits say they are profitable, prompting even their once-indulgent owners to cut costs in tough times.<br />Add in the credit crunch and sliding TV revenues and teams are tightening their purse strings in ever more dramatic and visible ways, including the imminent departure of high-profile American manager Bobby Valentine from the Chiba Lotte Marines.<br />"However hard Japanese baseball teams work to cut costs and boost revenue, most of them can`t become profitable," said Munehiko Harada, a sports management professor at Waseda University. "They have done so much but they are still struggling. We might be seeing the limit of their potential now."<br />The contrast with U.S. teams, almost all of which are reported to be profitable according to a Forbes magazine list, comes down to huge stadium fees faced by Japan`s teams.<br />DIFFICULT TIMES<br />U.S. baseball teams typically own stadiums or get subsidized access to public facilities but most Japanese teams hire venues at commercial rates, often from private investors.<br />The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks pay 4.8 billion yen ($49 million) a year, a quarter of their annual revenue, to the Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC), owner of the team`s home stadium, said Itaru Kobayashi, a team director.<br />That is about seven times the sum the New York Yankees paid New York City for its former home, the Yankee Stadium, records from the New York City Comptroller`s Office show.<br />The Hawks, now owned by a mobile phone company, Softbank Corp, have never made a profit since the team was founded in 1938 despite having the fourth-highest audience.<br />"I always ask myself why it costs so much to operate a baseball team in Japan," Kobayashi laments.<br />Japanese teams survive because their losses are treated as tax-deductible marketing costs for their corporate owners, which include meat packer Nippon Meat Packers Inc, leasing company Orix Corp and drink maker Yakult Honsha.<br />But the sustainability of that model may be in doubt as team owners such as Orix, with a huge exposure to a troubled property market, face difficult times.<br />FIGHTING BACK<br />The departure of just one team could threaten a 60-year-old system of two leagues with just six teams each, as it did when high costs drove out Kintetsu Corp`s Buffaloes. <SPAN class=label><STRONG>Continued...</STRONG></SPAN><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T16R20090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-71754550188058559342009-06-30T11:35:00.000+04:002009-06-30T11:35:01.152+04:00McGehee grand slam propels Brewers to top spot<H2>(BREWERS, FIRST, PLACE, MCGEHEE, INNING, THREE)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10683888&r=2009-06-30T051132Z_01_BTRE55T0EFD00_RTROPTP_0_BASEBALL" alt="McGehee grand slam propels Brewers to top spot" title="McGehee grand slam propels Brewers to top spot" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Milwaukee Brewers moved into sole possession of first place in the National League Central with a 10-6 victory over the slumping New York Mets on Monday, the win highlighted by Casey McGehee`s first career grand slam.<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />McGehee acknowledged a curtain call ovation from the 39,872 fans at Miller Park after his sixth inning blast, winning over the same spectators who booed him for dropping a routine fly ball that led to two New York runs in the top of the inning.<br />"If somebody would have told me this time last year I`d have 40,000 people calling me out of a dugout for a curtain call, I would`ve said they were lying," McGehee, who has hit all five of his career homers in the last 13 games, told reporters.<br />"I didn`t really know what was going on. I`m just glad I was able to redeem myself a little bit."<br />Milwaukee`s win combined with the Cardinals` 10-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants put the Brewers (41-35) one game ahead of St Louis in the division, while the Mets lost their fourth straight game.<br />Braden Looper (6-4) went 6 1/3 innings for the win. Four relievers finished the game, including Trevor Hoffman, who came on in the ninth and needed just one pitch to induce a double-play and record his 18th save in 19 chances.<br />J.J. Hardy had four hits, including a homer, and Jason Kendall added three hits and an RBI for the Brewers, who had 19 hits off five New York pitchers.<br />"We were all really excited for him," Hardy said of McGehee, who was playing in just his 50th Major League contest.<br />"It`s also great to get into first place."<br />New York (37-38) fell one game under .500 for the first time since May 5 and slipped into third place in the NL East, three games behind the first place Philadelphia Phillies.<br />"If we cannot sustain a level of .500 play, then yeah, we need help," New York manager Jerry Manuel said. "We`re a below average team. Period."<br />Fernando Nieve (3-1) was roughed up for three runs on 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings and took the loss. Gary Sheffield homered, had three hits and three RBI and Ryan Church had four hits for New York.<br />(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto; Editing by John O`Brien)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T0TQ20090630" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-28407437225287936392009-06-30T08:07:00.000+04:002009-06-30T08:07:45.172+04:00Williams sisters head for familiar final tussle<H2>(VENUS, SERENA, WIMBLEDON, HAVING, COURT, GRAND)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090630&t=2&i=10683041&r=2009-06-30T030649Z_01_BTRE55T08NH00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Williams sisters head for familiar final tussle" title="Williams sisters head for familiar final tussle" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Neil Maidment<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - Sisters Venus and Serena Williams will go into Tuesday`s quarter-finals increasingly confident of setting up a fourth family showdown in the Wimbledon final.<br />Five-times Wimbledon winner Venus has ground to make up, having lost twice here to Serena in 2002 and 2003 before enjoying success in the 2008 showpiece.<br />Third seed Venus, consigned to Court One for the second day in a row despite being defending champion, faces Polish 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska having won the last three of her four encounters with the Pole.<br />Opening on Center Court will be Russian top seed Dinara Safina, who will enjoy her second consecutive day in the limelight against unseeded German Sabine Lisicki, despite not having yet won a grand slam title.<br />Serena will follow Safina as the American continues her quest for an 11th grand slam title against eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.<br />Serena, who destroyed Slovakia`s Daniela Hantuchova on Monday, will be looking for revenge having lost to Azarenka in this year`s Miami final.<br />Last up on Court One is unseeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy who plays Russian fourth seed and serial grand slam semi-finalist Elena Dementieva.<br />Dementieva has reached the semi-final at every grand slam event including three at Wimbledon in 2000, 2005 and 2008 and is tied 4-4 in her head-to-head record with Schiavone.<br />(Editing by Miles Evans)<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55T0JU20090630" target="_blank">Original article</a><br /><br />Related articles:<br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/murray-wins-thriller-under-new-roof.html">Murray wins thriller under new roof</A>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-10197657125093298832009-06-30T07:55:00.000+04:002009-06-30T07:55:41.685+04:00Murray wins thriller under new roof<H2>(SECOND, MONDAY, FIRST, CHAMPION, THIRD, TITLE)</H2><br /><img src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20090629&t=2&i=10681499&r=2009-06-29T232841Z_01_BTRE55S1T7Z00_RTROPTP_0_TENNIS-WIMBLEDON" alt="Murray wins thriller under new roof" title="Murray wins thriller under new roof" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" width="340" >By Martyn Herman<SPAN id=midArticle_byline></SPAN><br />LONDON (Reuters) - Heatwave conditions heralded the start of Wimbledon`s second week on Monday as the surviving 32 men and women in the singles draws chased quarter-finals slots.<br />With the mercury shooting past 30 degrees as Elena Dementieva polished off fellow Russian Elena Vesnina to become the first player into the last eight, fans grabbing spots near Henman Hill`s huge video screen in advance of the Andy Murray show later sizzled in the sunshine.<br />Defending women`s champion Venus Williams, looking for a third consecutive title here, was able to conserve vital energy, the American third seed strolling through to the quarters when tearful Serbian opponent Ana Ivanovic retired after losing the first set 6-1.<br />Like the third round of a golf major, nicknamed moving day, when the top players begin to rise up the leaderboard, Wimbledon`s second Monday is traditionally the moment when the main title contenders turn it up a notch.<br />Men`s favorite Roger Federer, seeking to reclaim the title he has won five times, has not been absent from the second week of Wimbledon since 2002, the year before his domination of the grasscourt slam began.<br />Federer, on course for a record 15th grand slam title, was scheduled first on Center Court for his fourth-round match against Robin Soderling, the Swede he beat in the French Open final earlier this month.<br />At times during the first week Federer appeared to be playing exhibition tennis, so untroubled was his progress, Soderling`s grass scorching serve and the baking temperatures should make the cool-as-a-cucumber Swiss break sweat.<br />SOARING TEMPERATURES<br />With older sister Venus already safely through, twice champion Serena Williams was also expected to make short work of unseeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova in the furnace-like bowl of Court Two.<br />Murray, the 22-year-old Scot tipped as Federer`s most likely opponent in the men`s singles final on Sunday, has become a tea-time fixture at this year`s championships.<br />The world number three was again scheduled third on Center Court to play the second best tennis player in Switzerland, Stanislas Wawrinka, when temperatures should have dipped to more comfortable levels.<br />Support for Murray has grown steadily since the start of the tournament and expectation levels, like the temperatures, are soaring with acres of newsprint mapping out the Scot`s likely route to greatness.<br />"The biggest question mark this week is whether Murray can maintain his poise," former men`s champion Boris Becker, now a BBC pundit, said on Monday. "If he can, then he is going all the way to the final."<br />Lleyton Hewitt`s vocal fan club, the Fanatics, will be back on Court Two to watch the 2002 champion take on Radek Stepanek having serenaded the Australian battler into the last 16 for a sixth consecutive year on Saturday.<br />After a first week of record-breaking crowds, up almost 10 percent on last year, large queues of hot and bothered fans snaked toward the All England Club again on Monday with another busy day expected for the club`s first-aiders. <SPAN class=label><STRONG>Continued...</STRONG></SPAN><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLR02163120090630" target="_blank">Original article</a><br /><br />Related articles:<br /><A href="http://ensportstyle.blogspot.com/2009/06/early-slip-costs-barnes-outright-lead_22.html">Early slip costs Barnes outright lead</A>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-38893752150269155772009-06-30T04:16:00.000+04:002009-06-30T04:16:39.108+04:00Russians enjoy mixed success in 4th round of Wimbledon<H2>(WHILE, DEMENTIEVA, RUSSIAN, SAFINA, 6-3, PLAYER, WIMBLEDON)</H2><br /><img src="http://en.beta.rian.ru/images/15516/94/155169405.jpg" alt="Russians enjoy mixed success in 4th round of Wimbledon" title="Russians enjoy mixed success in 4th round of Wimbledon" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" >Maria Sharapova poses, plays down Wimbledon hopes<br />MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - World No. 1 Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Yelena Dementieva won on Monday to secure places in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, while two compatriots were knocked out.<br />Top seed Safina enjoyed a narrow victory over Amelie Mauresmo, beating the French player in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, while No. 4 seed Dementieva sent another Russian Yelena Vesnina home in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.<br />A fourth Russian player, Nadia Petrova (10), is also packing her bags after losing to Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (6) 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 3-6.<br />Safina will play against Germany`s Sabine Lisicki for a semifinal place while Dementieva faces Francesca Schiavone of Italy.<br /> <br /><a href="http://en.rian.ru/sports/20090629/155385826.html" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-19443041853423343492009-06-30T04:04:00.000+04:002009-06-30T04:04:27.349+04:00Villarreal confirm interest in Pavlyuchenko<H2>(MILLION, RUSSIAN, PAVLYUCHENKO, PAPER, TOTTENHAM, MOSCOW, TRANSFER)</H2><br /><img src="http://en.beta.rian.ru/images/15538/16/155381665.jpg" alt="Villarreal confirm interest in Pavlyuchenko" title="Villarreal confirm interest in Pavlyuchenko" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" >MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Spanish club Villarreal have confirmed their interest in Tottenham Hotspur`s Russian forward Roman Pavlyuchenko, Sport Express said on Monday.<br />The paper cited a Villarreal spokesman as saying that the former Spartak Moscow striker was one of the players the club was looking at to bolster its attacking force.<br />However, the paper also said that as the side was not prepared to spend more than 12 million euros ($16.8 million), a loan deal was the most likely option. Tottenham paid some $28 million for Pavlyuchenko last August.<br />Pavlyuchenko scored 14 times for Tottenham in his debut season. However, the majority of these goals came in the less-prestigious Carling Cup.<br />In other transfer news, Sport Express said that a deal to take CSKA Moscow`s Russian international Yury Zhirkov to Chelsea could be concluded in the next 48 hours. The Russian club could earn as much as $33 million from the transfer, the paper said.<br />The attacking left midfielder / defender has been an integral part of CSKA`s and Russia`s success over the past few years, scoring the second goal in a 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the 2005 UEFA Cup final and starting every game in Russia`s run to the semifinals of Euro 2008.<br />He was recommended to the club by Russian national coach Guus Hiddink, who managed Chelsea from February to the end of the 2008/2009 season.<br /> <br /><a href="http://en.rian.ru/sports/20090629/155381147.html" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-51292046280072264932009-06-30T03:52:00.000+04:002009-06-30T03:52:13.460+04:00Three Russian women through to fourth round at Wimbledon<H2>(ROUND, MATCH, VESNINA, PETROVA, DEMENTIEVA, 64, FRENCH)</H2><br /><img src="http://en.beta.rian.ru/images/15512/68/155126883.jpg" alt="Three Russian women through to fourth round at Wimbledon" title="Three Russian women through to fourth round at Wimbledon" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" >MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia`s Dementieva, Petrova and Vesnina all made their way through to the fourth round of Wimbledon on Friday.<br />Twenty-seven-year-old Elena Dementieva trounced her unseeded compatriot, Regina Kulikova, in just under an hour 6:1, 6:2 to set up a fourth round meeting with another Russian, Elena Vesnina.<br />Vesnina, ranked 37th in the world, dropped the second set in her three-set thriller against Slovakia`s Dominika Cibulkova, seeded 14, but dug deep in the third to break the Slovak`s serve and win the match 7:5, 4:6, 6:4.<br />Earlier Nadia Petrova, seeded tenth, was also involved in a three setter against Argentine Gisela Dulko, who dumped Maria Sharapova earlier in the week. Petrova dropped the first set but her power began to tell as she broke back to take the final two sets and run away with the match 3:6, 6:3, 6:4.<br />In a post-match interview Dementieva, who was the 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist, said that she had been working on her fitness following her surprise third-round defeat in the French Open.<br />"I took some time off after the French Open and was working on my fitness and I was more focused on the footwork and just the core build exercise. I just started to practice a couple days before Eastbourne and came there early to get used to the surface. It`s really worked for me," the Olympic gold medalist winner told journalists.<br /> <br /><a href="http://en.rian.ru/sports/20090626/155365225.html" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-25696234452784145912009-06-30T03:40:00.000+04:002009-06-30T03:40:03.600+04:00Russian billionaire Prokhorov may buy NBA`s New Jersey Nets<H2>(PROKHOROV, RUSSIAN, WEBSITE, BASKETBALL, RICHEST, PLANS, WOULD)</H2><br /><img src="http://en.beta.rian.ru/images/15506/74/155067404.jpg" alt="Russian billionaire Prokhorov may buy NBA`s New Jersey Nets" title="Russian billionaire Prokhorov may buy NBA`s New Jersey Nets" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" >Prokhorov jumps to top of Russian richest list, Deripaska tumbles<br />Richest Russians<br />MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is part of one of four groups interested in buying the New Jersey Nets basketball team, Sports Illustrated reported on Friday on its website.<br />SI said a highly placed National Basketball Association source predicted that Prokhorov - Russia`s richest man according to this year`s Forbes list - would get through the league`s vetting process for prospective owners.<br />The Sports.ru website said that the businessman`s Onexim group had denied having plans to buy the Nets.<br />"Mikhail Prokhorov has not made any plans to purchase this club nor held any negotiations," Igor Petrov was quoted as saying.<br />The 2.06-meter (6-foot-9) Prokhorov is known to be a big basketball fan, and as a major shareholder in Norilsk Nickel funded the Euroleague champions CSKA Moscow, before selling his stake in the metals giant last year.<br />He has long been interested in buying an NBA franchise, and has entered into preliminary negotiations with several teams, Sports.ru reported.<br />"Prokhorov would prefer to acquire a team, firstly, on the East Coast, where it`s easier for him to fly, and secondly, in a city where there are Russians," the website quoted a source as saying. "New Jersey fits this plan perfectly: it is virtually in New York, and soon will be right in New York - the team plans to move to Brooklyn."<br /> <br /><a href="http://en.rian.ru/sports/20090626/155363447.html" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-66157976554941691482009-06-30T03:27:00.000+04:002009-06-30T03:27:52.405+04:00Arsenal`s Andrei Arshavin dismisses his agent<H2>(ARSHAVIN, CONTRACT, HOWEVER, ARSENAL, THINGS, EXPRESS, PROBLEM)</H2><br /><img src="http://en.beta.rian.ru/images/15406/66/154066626.jpg" alt="Arsenal`s Andrei Arshavin dismisses his agent" title="Arsenal`s Andrei Arshavin dismisses his agent" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" >MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) - Arsenal forward Andrei Arshavin has parted company with his agent, the player`s official website announced on Friday.<br />Dennis Lachter was regularly quoted by world sports media as Arshavin`s protracted, and at times torturous, move to Arsenal from Zenit St. Petersburg dragged on. Arshavin eventually signed for the London club in February.<br />He has however expressed dissatisfaction with his contract, worth 80,000 pounds ($127,000) a week.<br />"I have a problem with my contract. Certain nuances emerged linked to taxation and some other things. As a result, I`m getting less money than I expected. It`s not critical but I still need to put it right," the player told The Mail on Sunday in May.<br />However, the Russian international denied that contract problems lay behind his decision.<br />"This is in no way connected with the drawing up of my contract with Arsenal," Arshavin told Sport Express. "In fact, I would like to express my immense gratitude to Lachter for helping me make the move."<br />"However, Dennis, who has a newborn son, is living in Israel and can not be close by all the time. It`s simpler for me to solve things myself," he said.<br /> <br /><a href="http://en.rian.ru/sports/20090626/155357716.html" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694145748426358018.post-34018250731729288542009-06-30T03:15:00.000+04:002009-06-30T03:15:34.412+04:00Ukraine`s Euro 2012 prospects bleak admits President Yushchenko<H2>(UKRAINE, UEFA, CONFIRMED, 30, VENUE, NOVEMBER, CITIES)</H2><br /><img src="http://en.beta.rian.ru/images/15503/30/155033048.jpg" alt="Ukraine`s Euro 2012 prospects bleak admits President Yushchenko" title="Ukraine`s Euro 2012 prospects bleak admits President Yushchenko" align="left" hspace="10" border="1" >MOSCOW, June 25 (RIA Novosti) - Euro 2012 joint host Ukraine faces serious difficulties in completing preparations for the tournament, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Thursday.<br />Ukraine has been hard hit by the global financial crisis, and delays in the implementation of plans to improve infrastructure have lagged far behind UEFA requirements. UEFA president Michel Platini said recently that, "There are huge infrastructure problems to be resolved in Ukraine."<br />European football`s governing body has so far only confirmed that the capital, Kiev, will host games, although it has not yet approved the city as the venue for the final. A decision on the suitability of the three other cities - Donetsk, Lvov and Kharkov - will be made on November 30.<br />"November 30 is Judgment Day," Yushchenko said, as quoted by the Rosbalt news agency. "Believe me, I don`t want to play the role of a bearer of bad news, but all of this is a major warning."<br />Ukraine and Poland were named as joint hosts for the tournament in April 2007. All four Polish cities put forward for Euro 2012 - Warsaw (opening game), Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk - have been confirmed by UEFA as venues.<br /> <br /><a href="http://en.rian.ru/sports/20090625/155350968.html" target="_blank">Original article</a>dAppErhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00817390034884496337noreply@blogger.com0