Victoria Azarenka swept into the Australian Open third round on Thursday with a straight- sets mauling of Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and said she was thriving on the pressure of being defending champion. The two-time title-holder was rarely threatened on Rod Laver Arena to blast past the Czech 6-1, 6-4 in 88 minutes, benefiting from the roof being shut on centre court because of searing heat. “It feels pretty good, it was a good match and a competitive second set,” Azarenka,...
AP, ManchesterAlvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko grabbed two goals each and Sergio Aguero scored on his return from injury as Manchester City swept to a 5-0 win over Blackburn in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday.In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team – Watford.City’s largely second-string lineup took a while...
AFP, MelborneRafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray rose victorious from one of the Australian Open’s most chaotic days Thursday when a rare extreme heat shutdown and then a surprise rainstorm threw the tournament into disarray. After severe temperatures reaching 43.4 Celsius (110.1 Fahrenheit) forced organisers to take the rare step of suspending play on the outside courts and closing the stadium roofs, the big trio were able to play in air-conditioned comfort. So just hours after Maria Sharapova slogged...
Russian star Maria Sharapova said Thursday her intense training after shoulder surgery had paid off after surviving a big scare...
AFP, TokyoJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics, reports said Friday, despite calls for a boycott over Russia’s anti-gay laws. He is also expected to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Games, Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun daily said. Abe’s attendance would put him out of step with ally the United States and with Germany, whose leaders are unlikely to be at...
Top seed Serena Williams set a new record en route to the Australian Open fourth round Friday as Li Na avoided an upset by fighting back from match point to stay alive. On another hot Melbourne day, the world number one and five- time tournament champion powered past Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3 to record her 61st Australian Open win, surpassing the previous mark set by Margaret Court. Asked which had been her favourite matches, Williams, who made her Melbourne debut...
Russian third seed Maria Sharapova battled into the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday with a hard-fought, straight-sets win over...
AFP, Japan :Japan’s Olympic gold medal hope Sara Takanashi soared to her seventh ski jumping World Cup victory of the season Saturday, despite sustaining a pratfall after a giant leap. The 17-year-old jumped 104 metres (341 feet) to outdistance her rivals but fell after an erratic landing in the first round on the Zao hill in Japan. She lost points for style because of the fall, but made up the marks with her distance....
Record Grand Slam champion Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday, downing unseeded Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili in straight sets. The Swiss great, who is chasing his fifth Australian crown, has now made the round of 16 at Melbourne for the 13th straight year after a workmanlike 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win in one hour 41 minutes. It was his 71st match victory at Melbourne Park to extend his record at the Australian Open and set...