Tennis; Sharapova wins French Open to complete career grand slam

PARIS: Russia’s Maria Sharapova became the 10th woman in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles on Saturday when she defeated Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final

In what turned out to be largely one-sided contest, the second seed and new world No.1 led from the start, fixing the 21st seeded Errani with her biggest shots and giving her little chance to employ her own, more considered game.

The French Open title for Sharapova follows her Grand Slam triumphs at Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 and it crowns her return from a serious shoulder injury that nearly wrecked her career.

The 90-minute final though did little to restore the reputation of women’s tennis at Roland Garros, continuing a run of straight sets finals that date back to 2001 when Jennifer Capriati defeated Kim Clijsters in a three-set thriller.

“It’s a magical moment in my career,” Sharapova said in French, before quickly reverting to English.

“It has been such a journey for me to, to get to this stage. Eight years ago it was my first break though Grand Slam and eight years later here I am.

“No matter how many Grand Slams you win … if it was my only one it would be just as special as it would be winning my fourth.”

Errani, when told that her runner-up finish would put her in the world top 10 for the first time, replied: “I don’t feel like top 10, but I will be top 10, so it’s incredible for me and I can’t believe it.”

It what was the first meeting between the two and the contrasts were stark – notably in height with the 1.88m tall Sharapova towering 24cm above the little Italian.

The 25-year-old Sharapova had the experience of winning three Grand Slam titles and has just been assured of regaining the world number one spot. Her global superstar status has made her the biggest-earning sportswoman on earth.

Errani, 10 days younger than her opponent, was little-known outside of her own country until she won three clay-court titles in the buildup to Roland Garros in recent weeks.

She then defeated two previous champions en route to a first appearance in a Grand Slam final.

Sharapova opened confidently on serve and then used her booming groundstrokes to pin back a tight Errani, breaking serve when the Italian hit long.

The Russian, playing in her first final at Roland Garros at her 10th attempt, moved 3-0 up and then converted a third break point to take a 4-0 lead.

Sharapova had made a dream start, but once again her propensity to double fault struck again, with two of them in the fifth game. She then hit a forehand narrowly wide on break point.

That seemed to settle Errani, who was bidding to become the second Italian winner at Roland Garros after Francesca Schiavone in 2010, and she pumped her fist at her team in the player’s box after holding serve for the first time.

Errani saved two set points at 2-5 and 15-40 down on serve in the eighth game as she started to pull Sharapova from side to side, but the Russian, despite another double fault, served out for the set.

Sharapova broke again to open the second set and moved 2-0 up as the Roland Garros centre court faithful tried to lift the morale of the outgunned Italian.

She held serve to get to 2-1 down and then had a break point to level, only for Sharapova to hit the line with a forehand.

The fifth game of the set was crucial as Sharapova opened her shoulders to hit some big winners, converting her third break point to go 4-1 ahead when a net-charging Errani failed to deal with a hard, angled drive from the Russian.

Errani was not yet quite out of it however, as she won four points in a row from 30-0 down to break Sharapova’s service for the second time.

The Russian though put that aside to win the next two games, sealing her career Grand Slam on her third championship point when Errani failed to return an angled backhand.

Football; Dutch and Germans look for flying start

WARSAW: The pressure will be on big guns Netherlands and Germany to follow the eventful opening matches of Euro 2012 when the tournament action switches from Poland to co-hosts Ukraine.   

Netherlands, in the headlines for the wrong reasons on Friday after their players heard monkey chants at their training in Krakow, Poland, meet 1992 European champions Denmark in Kharkiv (1600 GMT).

The Dutch, World Cup runners-up two years ago, have not lost to Denmark in regulation time since 1967 and with one of the most complete squads they will fancy their chances of claiming three points.

Germany face Portugal in Lviv (1845), knowing front man Cristiano Ronaldo will be hungry to impress for his country though his team’s form is patchy at best with no win since November.

Ronaldo, after yet another fine league season in which he netted 46 goals, missed a penalty in their last match, a 3-1 home loss against Turkey when they were whistled off the pitch.

Germany, who won all 10 of their Euro qualifiers, also suffered a surprise defeat in the build-up to the tournament, losing 5-3 to Switzerland on May 26.

Cricket; West Indies 164-5 against England at tea

BIRMINGHAM: Graham Onions marked his England recall with two wickets as West Indies collapsed to 164 for five at tea on the third day of the third Test at Edgbaston here on Saturday.

 

The tourists, who had been a solid 85 for one at lunch, lost four wickets for 79 runs in the second session, with Durham paceman Onions’s figures now standing at an economical two for 32 in 18 overs.

Fellow seamer Tim Bresnan weighed in with two for 44 in 16.

Marlon Samuels, who scored a century in England’s nine-wicket second Test win at Trent Bridge, was 50 not out and Denesh Ramdin one not out.

History was against either side winning this match after the first two days had been washed out without a ball bowled.

Only twice before in Test history had a team triumphed in such circumstances, with England beating New Zealand at Leeds in 1958 and New Zealand defeating Bangladesh at Hamilton in 2001.

It was no surprise when England captain Andrew Strauss opted to field first after winning the toss against a West Indies side whose top-order collapses had helped the hosts into an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-Test series.

Before this match, England had left James Anderson out of their 12-man squad in order to rest the Lancashire seamer and, before play started Saturday, they also omitted Stuart Broad.

Onions and Steven Finn were called up in place of the new-ball duo and, in overcast conditions, it was Onions, in his first Test in over two years, who nearly had an early breakthrough.

Adrian Barath had made just four when Onions took his outside edge only for Ian Bell, fielding in the third slip position often occupied by Anderson, to drop the straightforward chance.

Although he had looked the least threatening of England’s three seamers, it was Bresnan who took the first wicket when he had Kieran Powell caught by second slip Graeme Swann for 24 to leave the tourists 49 for one.

However, it wasn’t long before debutant Assad Fudadin, in for the the dropped Kirk Edwards, drove Finn through the covers for four.

Off-spinner Swann came on in a change to England’s all right-arm pace attack but Barath responded by advancing down the pitch to loft him for a straight six.

Barath, 40 not out at lunch, had yet to add to his interval score when he was reprieved again by third slip Bell, who dropped an easy chance after Finn took the shoulder of the bat.

Fortunately for England, Barath had added just one run when he was lbw to an understandably delighted Onions, his exit only temporarily delayed by an unsuccessful review, as a 106-ball innings, featuring a six and four fours, came to an end.

And 90 for two soon became 99 for three when Finn caught and bowled Darren Bravo after the batsman checked a drive.

Fudadin, who went more than half an hour without scoring, saw his promising innings end on 28 when he gloved a well-directed Bresnan bouncer and Bell, to the delight of his Warwickshire home crowd, at last held a catch.

Samuels then drove Bresnan through the covers before striking successive Swann deliveries for a six and a four to complete a 76-ball fifty.

But shortly before tea Narsingh Deonarine, in for the injured Shivnarine Chanderpaul, edged Onions to Strauss at first slip.

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Bairstow, Matt Prior (wkt), Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, Steven Finn

West Indies: Adrian Barath, Kieran Powell, Assad Fudadin, Darren Bravo, Narsingh Deonarine, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin (wkt), Darren Sammy (capt), Tino Best, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI) and Tony Hill (NZL)

TV umpire: Aleem Dar (PAK)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

Cricket; Dilshan fires as Sri Lanka post 280

PALLEKELE: Tillakaratne Dilshan cracked an impressive century to help Sri Lanka post a challenging 280-4 against Pakistan in the second one-day international on Saturday.

The opener hit one six and 11 fours in his 139-ball 119 not out for his 13th one-day hundred to boost Sri Lanka’s hopes of levelling the five-match series in the day-night match in Pallekele.

Sri Lanka, who lost the opening one-dayer by six wickets on Thursday, batted steadily as Dilshan added 70 for the third wicket with Dinesh Chandimal (32) and 86 for the next with skipper Mahela Jayawardene (53).

He reached his century in the 43rd over when he pulled paceman Umar Gul for a single and then smashed fast bowler Sohail Tanvir over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.

Sri Lanka scored 56 runs in the last six overs, with Thisara Perera hitting two sixes and as many fours in his unbeaten 24 off just 14 balls.

Jayawardene was bowled by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal soon after completing his half-century, hitting eight fours in his brisk 45-ball knock.

Off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez, Tanvir and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi were the other wicket-takers for Pakistan.

Tanvir struck in his fourth over when he had opener Upul Tharanga (18) caught behind and then Hafeez held a return catch to remove Kumar Sangakkara (18) with his first delivery.

But there was no stopping Dilshan, who continued to gather runs comfortably and completed his half-century with a four off Afridi.

Pakistan made one change from the team which won the first match as they brought in debutant paceman Rahat Ali in place of injured Mohammad Sami, while Sri Lanka retained the side.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Rahat Ali, Azhar Ali, and Sohail Tanvir.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), T.M. Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Upul Tharanga.

Football; Classy Russians in driving seat after 4-1 Czech win

WROCLAW: A vibrant Russia took command of Group A on the opening day of the European Championships with a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic here on Friday.

Alan Dzagoev notched a brace with Roman Shirokov and Roman Pavlyuchenko grabbing one each as Russia went two points clear at the top of the group following the earlier 1-1 draw between co-hosts Poland and Greece.

It was a statement of intent from a team many are starting to regard as more than just outsiders for overall victory.

For the Czechs though, Vaclav Pilar’s strike was scant consolation from a poor showing.

Russia seemed disjointed at the beginning and it was the Czechs who bossed the opening exchanges as Dick Advocaat’s team struggled to find their rhythm.

But once they did, they carved Michal Bilek’s team open in ruthless fashion.

A clever backheel from Arshavin set Yuri Zhirkov free at the byline and his cross found Aleksandr Kerzhakov, but he couldn’t direct his side-footed finish on target.

Yet within 60 seconds Russia were in front.

Dzagoev capitaised on two Czechs bumping into each other in midfield to surge forwards and release Konstantin Zyryanov down the right.

He picked out Kerzhakov at the back post and when his header came back off the upright it was Dzagoev who arrived on the scene in the right place and at the right time to drill home.

Dzagoev then wasted a great chance as he took a wild swing with a wood from the green when played in on the right by Kerzhakov.

But on 23 minutes it was two as Arshavin played an incisive ball into the box and although it was an inch too far in front of Kerzhakov, Shirokov sneaked in around the back to dink the ball over Petr Cech.

The Czechs produced little in terms of clear-cut chances but Jan Rezek flicked a header into Vyacheslav Malafeev’s arms before sending a weak shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Another sweeping Russian move with Shirokov breaking from deep ended with Kerzhakov blazing high over the bar.

The second period began with a strangely muted atmosphere but seven minutes in it was livened up as Jaroslav Plasil sliced open the Russian defence and Pilar skipped around Malafeev before sliding the ball home.

Arshavin, enjoying one of his more productive games, cleverly clipped in Kerzhakov but the Zenit St Petersburg striker had not brought his shooting boots to Poland and screwed his effort wide of the far post.

His next two efforts were so awful that he was roundly jeered before Advocaat put him out of his misery and brought on Pavlyuchenko instead.

Czech full-back Theodor Gebre Selassie produced a showreel moment with a spectacular volley into the side-netting and Malafeev got down well to clutch a thumped Tomas Rosicky effort at the second attempt.

But 11 minutes from time Dzagoev effectively sealed the points with a rising finish from Pavlyuchenko’s pass.

And then Pavlyuchenko added an individual effort from the edge of the box following dogged persistence.

Hockey; Shakeel Abbasi, Wasim Ahmad to join squad later

LAHORE: The Pakistan hockey team is set to leave for Europe on late Friday night but without three senior players, namely Shakeel Abbasi, Wasim Ahmad and Imran Warsi, who could not get a visa. 

The three senior players were inducted into the squad for the tour in haste on Thursday.

Pakistan will play four matches — two against Germany and one each against Belgium and Holland.

The trio may get the European visa on Monday to leave for Holland the same day. Therefore, they will miss the first match of the tour against Belgium on Monday.

After playing Belgium, Pakistan will go to Germany to play back-to-back matches on June 13 and 14.

They will play the last match against Holland on June 15.

Football; Ten-men Poland, Greece draw in dramatic opener

WARSAW:Euro 2012 began on Friday, with Poland’s 1-1 draw with Greece as eventful as the tournament’s turbulent build-up, as both sides were reduced to 10 men and the host’s reserve goalkeeper saved a penalty with his first touch.

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski gave coach Franciszek Smuda the perfect start in the 16th minute, getting on the end of a cross from skipper Jakub Blaszczykowski and placing a well-controlled header past goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias.

But Greece, reduced to 10 men after Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent off for a second bookable offence shortly before half-time, levelled just after the break as subsitute Dimitris Salpingidis converted a loose ball in the Polish penalty area.

The Poles then had Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny sent off for bringing down Salpingidis in the box but replacement Przemyslaw Tyton, of PSV Eindhoven, dived left to keep out Greek skipper Giorgos Karagounis’ resulting spot-kick.

The scoreline dampened the mood for the 50,000 home fans at the ground and the tens of thousands more outside, with Warsaw a sea of Polish red and white for the arrival of the showpiece event behind the former Iron Curtain for the first time.

Ukraine will co-host the event with the Poles.

Holders and world champions Spain are favourites to retain the title, although perennial challengers Germany are out to avenge their final defeat from four years ago.

But the final crescendo to the opening ceremony – a pageant of music and dance celebrating both host countries’ rich heritage – was overshadowed by claims that fans racially abused the Netherlands team during a training session on Wednesday.

Dutch skipper Mark van Bommel said in an interview published in De Telegraaf newspaper that the Oranje were forced to train away from the 25,000 fans who had turned up to watch in Krakow, southern Poland.

“We all heard the monkey chants,” he was quoted as saying. “We can’t accept that. We reacted well and the situation was sorted.

“During the tournament, if any one of us is confronted with such a thing, we’ll immediately go to the referee to ask him to intervene,” added van Bommel, who faces Denmark with his team-mates in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.

Van Bommel’s comments come despite a senior UEFA official previously denying there had been any racist chants and an angry response to a BBC programme last month which claimed far-right gangs were rife in Polish and Ukrainian football.

The documentary showed footage of some supporters making Nazi salutes and monkey chants at black players, as well as anti-Semitism and a violent assault on a group of Asian students.

Poland, Ukraine and UEFA president Michel Platini have all tried to play down fears of racist incidents, which prompted the families of two black England players to say they would not be travelling to watch the tournament.

“It’s easy to point the finger at Ukraine and Poland for racism but all countries are faced with the same problem,” Platini told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday.

“We’ve done a lot of things but it (racism) is not a football problem, it’s a social problem.”UEFA said on Friday that it was now aware of racist incidents, although it had not received any formal complaint from the Dutch football federation.

“Should such behaviour happen at further training sessions, UEFA would evaluate the operational measures to be taken to protect the players,” it warned in a statement, without elaborating.

The Poland-Greece opener in Group A was the first of 31 games in eight venues in the two eastern European nations, with the final to be played in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev on July 1.

Russia take on the Czech Republic at 1845 GMT in Wroclaw, western Poland.

Tennis; Djokovic sweeps Federer for place in final

PARIS: Novak Djokovic moved one step closer to winning a forth consecutive Grand Slam by defeating Roger Federer in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. 

By wining the French Open, Djokovic would be the first man in 43 years to have won four straight majors.

Although Federer started well, striking the balls crisply and breaking Djokovic for an early lead, the Serb found his game and broke back immediately and eventually took the first set 6-4.

The second set was a story of service breaks. Federer started the set strong going up two breaks but was unable to hold on to the lead as  Djokovic climbed his way back by attacking Federer’s serve and winning the set 7-5.

Two sets up and with the wind out of Federer’s sails, Djokovic coasted through the third set, sealing victory with a service winner.

The win sets up a blockbuster Final with Rafael Nadal, who is also looking to make history by winning a record seventh French Open title.