Lydia Ko says she is &quot;super excited&quot; at the prospect of competing in her first Olympics next month although the women&#39;s world number one has decided against living at the Games village in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Golf is returning to the Games for the first time since 1904 but the 19-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander wants to keep things as normal as possible for the 72-hole strokeplay competition in Brazil. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve been excited about the Olympics since they announced it,&quot; Ko told Reuters in an interview after a rousing three-under-par 69 sent her sprinting through the field in the third round of the Ricoh Women&#39;s British Open today. 
 
&quot;Now that it&#39;s around the corner in a couple of weeks my heart is pounding. 
 
&quot;I was always going to stay outside of the village. I&#39;d love to stay in the village and get to meet other New Zealand athletes, but no, I&#39;ve decided to stay out so I can keep similar routines to when I play these kind of events (at Woburn).&quot; 
 
Double major winner, Ko, will be living at a hotel with her family, coach and New Zealand golf officials. 
 
The teenager loves home cooking and staying outside the Olympic Village will help her to maintain the same sort of lifestyle she has during regular tour events. 
 
&quot;I feel like I should try and not change my routines that much,&quot; said Ko. &quot;I&#39;m staying with my sisters so I should be in a similar atmosphere off the course. I feel that would be a good way to go. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t want to change my routines that much even though it&#39;s the Olympics.&quot; 
 
Ko&#39;s agent Michael Yim told Reuters: &quot;She always travels with her family and if she stays in the village she has to stay alone. 
 
More Flexibility 
 
&quot;Staying at a hotel she has a little more flexibility to go out if she wants to go out. Not that you can&#39;t in the village but it&#39;s kind of like constrained. 
 
&quot;I think she just wanted a bit more comfort. That was always the decision from the get-go ... she&#39;ll have support for anything she needs,&quot; added Yim. 
 
Ko believes the Rio Games will boost knowledge and awareness of women&#39;s golf and provide the sport with a huge lift. 
 
&quot;Golf is quite an individual game,&quot; she said. &quot;Obviously we need a team around us but at the Olympics you are not just representing yourself and your team but your country as well. 
 
&quot;I think this could make a big difference in the game of golf especially women&#39;s golf.&quot; 
 
There was certainly a big difference in Ko&#39;s game today compared to the opening two rounds at the fourth and penultimate women&#39;s major of the season. 
 
The teenager went on an inspired run, firing six birdies in nine holes to the 16th. 
 
A lot of Ko&#39;s work was undone, though, when she lost her ball off the tee at the 18th and slipped to a closing double-bogey six. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s tough to finish on that but it&#39;s the best score I&#39;ve had during this tournament,&quot; she said after finishing with a three-under total of 213. 
 
&quot;The best cure for a double-bogey is a toffee, or sugar, any type of sugar; I love my chocolate,&quot; laughed Ko. 
 
(Reuters)

The Golfer loves home cooking and staying outside the Olympic Village will help her maintain the same lifestyle

Lydia Ko says she is "super excited" at the prospect of competing in her first Olympics next month although the women's world number one has decided against living at the Games village in Rio de Janeiro. Golf is returning to the Games for the first time since 1904 but the 19-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander wants to keep things as normal as possible for the 72-hole strokeplay competition in Brazil. "I've been excited about the Olympics since they announced it," Ko told Reuters in an interview after a rousing three-under-par 69 sent her sprinting through the field in the third round of the Ricoh Women's British Open today. "Now that it's around the corner in a couple of weeks my heart is pounding. "I was always going to stay outside of the village. I'd love to stay in the village and get to meet other New Zealand athletes, but no, I've decided to stay out so I can keep similar routines to when I play these kind of events (at Woburn)." Double major winner, Ko, will be living at a hotel with her family, coach and New Zealand golf officials. The teenager loves home cooking and staying outside the Olympic Village will help her to maintain the same sort of lifestyle she has during regular tour events. "I feel like I should try and not change my routines that much," said Ko. "I'm staying with my sisters so I should be in a similar atmosphere off the course. I feel that would be a good way to go. "I don't want to change my routines that much even though it's the Olympics." Ko's agent Michael Yim told Reuters: "She always travels with her family and if she stays in the village she has to stay alone. More Flexibility "Staying at a hotel she has a little more flexibility to go out if she wants to go out. Not that you can't in the village but it's kind of like constrained. "I think she just wanted a bit more comfort. That was always the decision from the get-go ... she'll have support for anything she needs," added Yim. Ko believes the Rio Games will boost knowledge and awareness of women's golf and provide the sport with a huge lift. "Golf is quite an individual game," she said. "Obviously we need a team around us but at the Olympics you are not just representing yourself and your team but your country as well. "I think this could make a big difference in the game of golf especially women's golf." There was certainly a big difference in Ko's game today compared to the opening two rounds at the fourth and penultimate women's major of the season. The teenager went on an inspired run, firing six birdies in nine holes to the 16th. A lot of Ko's work was undone, though, when she lost her ball off the tee at the 18th and slipped to a closing double-bogey six. "It's tough to finish on that but it's the best score I've had during this tournament," she said after finishing with a three-under total of 213. "The best cure for a double-bogey is a toffee, or sugar, any type of sugar; I love my chocolate," laughed Ko. (Reuters)

World number 1 Ko will not stay at Olympic Village

Red Bull team chief Christian Horner today defended Formula One&#39;s decision to postpone the introduction of cockpit &#39;halos&#39; and said not enough research and development had been carried out. 
 
Horner spoke out after drivers union boss Alex Wurz warned that the move, taken on Thursday by the Formula One Strategy Group, had put business interests before driver safety. 
 
&quot;I disagree with that,&quot; said Horner. &quot;We&#39;ve agreed for a system to come in in 2018, but it needs to be fully researched, fully developed and fully tested.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;At the moment, other than a couple of installation laps from a couple of drivers, there&#39;s been no (testing) mileage put on this.&quot; 
 
He added that new tyre compounds are always tested intensively and extensively before they are introduced and said the same rigour must be applied to safety components. 
 
News of the rejection of the proposed cockpit protection device came just hours after four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel warned &quot;nothing justifies death.&quot; 
 
The Ferrari driver said: &quot;It would be the first time in human history that we&#39;ve learned a lesson and we did not change.&quot; 
 
The F1 Strategy Group made the decision at a meeting in Geneva where it also decided to make changes in other areas including a near-complete relaxation of restrictions on teams radio communications and the introduction of wet race standing starts. 
 
In a statement sent out &nbsp;today morning, F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting said the lifting of radio restrictions was done to improve content for the fans and spectators. 
 
His technical directive made clear that there would be no limits on the messages sent by teams except during the pre-race formation lap. 
 
He listed the subjects permitted in formation lap messages - including car problems, damage, driver software failures, official race control information and oil or debris on track. 
 
In exchange, he said, teams would no longer be able to use a &#39;privacy&#39; button and keep their radio communications message secret. 
 
This means that in future broadcasters will have access to all the radio traffic, a move taken to boost the entertainment factor at a time when F1 ticket sales are slumping. 
 
Thousands of seats at Hockenheim have been covered by green sheeting because the promoters have not sold them. 
In another move, a proposal for a standing race start after a Safety Car period was agreed. 
 
Horner welcomed the changes, but added that with major technical regulation changes next year requiring new designs for cars, it was likely to be difficult to do all the required work in the limited time available. 
 
Asked about the implications if there was a serious accident, in which the &#39;halo&#39; might have helped protect a driver`s head, next year, he said: &quot;It&#39;s very difficult... 
 
&quot;There are always &#39;what ifs?&#39; 
 
&quot;What if it was introduced and it created an accident or a driver couldn`t get out of the car... There are so many what ifs... We need to do the work and make sure it is what the drivers need.&quot; 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
&nbsp;

Christian Horner insisted system needs to be 'fully researched, fully developed and fully tested'

Red Bull team chief Christian Horner today defended Formula One's decision to postpone the introduction of cockpit 'halos' and said not enough research and development had been carried out. Horner spoke out after drivers union boss Alex Wurz warned that the move, taken on Thursday by the Formula One Strategy Group, had put business interests before driver safety. "I disagree with that," said Horner. "We've agreed for a system to come in in 2018, but it needs to be fully researched, fully developed and fully tested." "At the moment, other than a couple of installation laps from a couple of drivers, there's been no (testing) mileage put on this." He added that new tyre compounds are always tested intensively and extensively before they are introduced and said the same rigour must be applied to safety components. News of the rejection of the proposed cockpit protection device came just hours after four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel warned "nothing justifies death." The Ferrari driver said: "It would be the first time in human history that we've learned a lesson and we did not change." The F1 Strategy Group made the decision at a meeting in Geneva where it also decided to make changes in other areas including a near-complete relaxation of restrictions on teams radio communications and the introduction of wet race standing starts. In a statement sent out today morning, F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting said the lifting of radio restrictions was done to improve content for the fans and spectators. His technical directive made clear that there would be no limits on the messages sent by teams except during the pre-race formation lap. He listed the subjects permitted in formation lap messages - including car problems, damage, driver software failures, official race control information and oil or debris on track. In exchange, he said, teams would no longer be able to use a 'privacy' button and keep their radio communications message secret. This means that in future broadcasters will have access to all the radio traffic, a move taken to boost the entertainment factor at a time when F1 ticket sales are slumping. Thousands of seats at Hockenheim have been covered by green sheeting because the promoters have not sold them. In another move, a proposal for a standing race start after a Safety Car period was agreed. Horner welcomed the changes, but added that with major technical regulation changes next year requiring new designs for cars, it was likely to be difficult to do all the required work in the limited time available. Asked about the implications if there was a serious accident, in which the 'halo' might have helped protect a driver`s head, next year, he said: "It's very difficult... "There are always 'what ifs?' "What if it was introduced and it created an accident or a driver couldn`t get out of the car... There are so many what ifs... We need to do the work and make sure it is what the drivers need." (AFP)

Formula One: Red Bull boss defends 'halo' delay

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka advanced into the semi-finals at the Rogers Cup with a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 victory over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson at the Aviva Centre in Toronto yesterday. 
 
Wawrinka raced into a 4-0 lead as he swept through the opening set in 30 minutes, and then overcame tougher resistance by Anderson in the second before wrapping up the win in one hour, 14 minutes. 
 
The 31-year-old from Lausanne, who hit 14 winners and lost only five of his first service points, will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the last eight. 
 
&quot;I started really well from the first game,&quot; said Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who is seeking his 15th ATP World Tour title. &quot;It showed me that I was ready, aggressive, moving really well. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s one of the best matches of the year I played, I think. I was calm. Serving really good. Mixing a lot. I was reading the game well, good in defence and found a way to come back and attack.&quot; 
 
Nishikori, who reached the final in Miami and the last four in both Madrid and Rome in ATP Masters 1000 events earlier this season, beat Dimitrov in a see-sawing encounter that lasted just over two hours. 
 
Later yesterday, top-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic was scheduled to meet Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych before local favourite Milos Raonic, the fourth seed, takes on Frenchman Gael Monfils. 
 
(Reuters)

Nishikori beat Dimitrov in a see-sawing encounter that lasted over two hours. Wawrinka will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka advanced into the semi-finals at the Rogers Cup with a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 victory over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson at the Aviva Centre in Toronto yesterday. Wawrinka raced into a 4-0 lead as he swept through the opening set in 30 minutes, and then overcame tougher resistance by Anderson in the second before wrapping up the win in one hour, 14 minutes. The 31-year-old from Lausanne, who hit 14 winners and lost only five of his first service points, will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the last eight. "I started really well from the first game," said Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who is seeking his 15th ATP World Tour title. "It showed me that I was ready, aggressive, moving really well. "It's one of the best matches of the year I played, I think. I was calm. Serving really good. Mixing a lot. I was reading the game well, good in defence and found a way to come back and attack." Nishikori, who reached the final in Miami and the last four in both Madrid and Rome in ATP Masters 1000 events earlier this season, beat Dimitrov in a see-sawing encounter that lasted just over two hours. Later yesterday, top-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic was scheduled to meet Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych before local favourite Milos Raonic, the fourth seed, takes on Frenchman Gael Monfils. (Reuters)

Wawrinka, Nishikori reach semi-finals at Rogers Cup

Jimmy Walker shrugged off some recent struggles to shoot a five-under-par 65 and claim the first-round lead in the PGA Championship at a hot, steamy Baltusrol Golf Club on Thursday. 
 
Major winners were close behind.&nbsp;Lurking in striking range was world number one and defending champion Jason Day who, despite not setting foot on the course until Wednesday, patiently plotted his way through the 7,328-yard layout to shoot 68. 
 
British Open champion Henrik Stenson was even closer after a birdie at the par-five 18th for 67. 
 
Despite lively afternoon winds and the wear and tear on the greens for the later starters, twice major winner Martin Kaymer of Germany posted a 66 to join Argentina&#39;s Emiliano Grillo and Englishman Ross Fisher in a tie for second. 
 
Walker, who has missed four cuts in his last eight events including the US Open and British Open, found his form at the year&#39;s last major. 
 
&quot;I just haven&#39;t been scoring, I haven&#39;t been making the 15, 18-footers you need to make to start running up the leaderboard,&quot; said Walker who won three times in 2014 and twice last year, but has just three top-10s from 19 events this season. 
 
The 2014 US Ryder Cup player made good use of his putter on Thursday, making four birdies over his first nine after starting at 10, and gaining two more strokes at the first and seventh to take a one-shot lead. 
 
Fisher birdied the two closing par-fives for a big finish, while Grillo was boosted by back-to-back birdies from the 14th. 
 
Grillo, who won the Frys.com Open to start his season, said he gained confidence from his tie for 12th at this month&#39;s British Open. 
 
&quot;Playing well anywhere in the world, it helps your confidence,&quot; Grillo, 23, told reporters. &quot;Bringing that into this tournament, one of the biggest four on the planet, it&#39;s a big boost.&quot; 
 
Day&#39;s preparation was disrupted by a bug he caught from his children and an emergency trip to the hospital with his wife, who had a bad allergic reaction on Tuesday night.&nbsp;But the Australian showed no ill effects from his quick study of Baltusrol. 
 
&quot;I played good today. Drove it very nicely and hit a lot of good iron shots,&quot; Day said.&nbsp;&quot;To be able to go out there and hit it exactly where I&#39;m going and see the shot and what I need to do and actually execute it was exciting for me. Really positive stuff going into the next three rounds.&quot; 
 
Day&#39;s playing competitors Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson did not fare as well.&nbsp;Twice PGA winner McIlroy struggled with his putting and shot a four-over 74 without a single birdie. 
 
Mickelson revived 
 
Phil Mickelson, who won the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, was also four-over after a bogey on his 11th hole, but revived with three birdies in a five-hole stretch from his 12th to card a 71. 
 
&quot;To come out and hit shots like I hit those first 11 holes was very disappointing,&quot; said the American, who waged a sensational duel with Stenson at Royal Troon, shooting 65 in finishing runner-up at the Open. 
 
&quot;However, I&#39;m proud that I hung in there, fought and got three back coming in. If I go out tomorrow and just play a good round, I think I can shoot mid-60s and get back in it.&quot; 
 
Stenson&#39;s playing competitors, the season&#39;s other major winners had mixed results.&nbsp;Masters champion Danny Willett birdied the last for 71, while US Open winner Dustin Johnson stumbled to four bogeys and a pair of double bogeys in his 77.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Jimmy Walker has won three times in 2014 and twice last year, but has just three top-10s from 19 events this season

Jimmy Walker shrugged off some recent struggles to shoot a five-under-par 65 and claim the first-round lead in the PGA Championship at a hot, steamy Baltusrol Golf Club on Thursday. Major winners were close behind. Lurking in striking range was world number one and defending champion Jason Day who, despite not setting foot on the course until Wednesday, patiently plotted his way through the 7,328-yard layout to shoot 68. British Open champion Henrik Stenson was even closer after a birdie at the par-five 18th for 67. Despite lively afternoon winds and the wear and tear on the greens for the later starters, twice major winner Martin Kaymer of Germany posted a 66 to join Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and Englishman Ross Fisher in a tie for second. Walker, who has missed four cuts in his last eight events including the US Open and British Open, found his form at the year's last major. "I just haven't been scoring, I haven't been making the 15, 18-footers you need to make to start running up the leaderboard," said Walker who won three times in 2014 and twice last year, but has just three top-10s from 19 events this season. The 2014 US Ryder Cup player made good use of his putter on Thursday, making four birdies over his first nine after starting at 10, and gaining two more strokes at the first and seventh to take a one-shot lead. Fisher birdied the two closing par-fives for a big finish, while Grillo was boosted by back-to-back birdies from the 14th. Grillo, who won the Frys.com Open to start his season, said he gained confidence from his tie for 12th at this month's British Open. "Playing well anywhere in the world, it helps your confidence," Grillo, 23, told reporters. "Bringing that into this tournament, one of the biggest four on the planet, it's a big boost." Day's preparation was disrupted by a bug he caught from his children and an emergency trip to the hospital with his wife, who had a bad allergic reaction on Tuesday night. But the Australian showed no ill effects from his quick study of Baltusrol. "I played good today. Drove it very nicely and hit a lot of good iron shots," Day said. "To be able to go out there and hit it exactly where I'm going and see the shot and what I need to do and actually execute it was exciting for me. Really positive stuff going into the next three rounds." Day's playing competitors Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson did not fare as well. Twice PGA winner McIlroy struggled with his putting and shot a four-over 74 without a single birdie. Mickelson revived Phil Mickelson, who won the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, was also four-over after a bogey on his 11th hole, but revived with three birdies in a five-hole stretch from his 12th to card a 71. "To come out and hit shots like I hit those first 11 holes was very disappointing," said the American, who waged a sensational duel with Stenson at Royal Troon, shooting 65 in finishing runner-up at the Open. "However, I'm proud that I hung in there, fought and got three back coming in. If I go out tomorrow and just play a good round, I think I can shoot mid-60s and get back in it." Stenson's playing competitors, the season's other major winners had mixed results. Masters champion Danny Willett birdied the last for 71, while US Open winner Dustin Johnson stumbled to four bogeys and a pair of double bogeys in his 77. (Reuters)

Walker sets first-round PGA pace with 65, Stenson two back

Top seed Novak Djokovic breezed into the quarter-finals as the Rogers Cup continued pretty much according to script at the Aviva Centre on Thursday. 
 
Djokovic beat Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek 6-2 6-4 in a friendly encounter, during which both players repeatedly hammed it up for the crowd. 
 
Djokovic is the only member of the so-called &quot;big four&quot; competing in Toronto, with last year&#39;s champion Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal all absent from the $4.7 million event. 
 
In a tournament so far devoid of major upsets, the top five seeds advanced to the quarters, with Swiss Stan Wawrinka, Japanese Kei Nishikori, Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Tomas Berdych booking last eight berths. 
 
Only Berdych needed three sets to progress and the fifth seed&#39;s reward is a showdown against Djokovic, who leads their head-to-head by a staggering 24-2 margin. 
 
Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock, 7-6(3) 6-2. 
 
Next up for the two-time grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over the 12th seeded Australian Bernard Tomic. 
 
Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, requiring just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. 
 
&quot;The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit,&quot; Nishikori, who next plays Bulgaria&#39;s Grigor Dimitrov, told reporters. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We&#39;ll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good.&quot; 
 
A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 minor upset of Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. 
 
The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play Raonic in the quarters, after the local favourite dusted off American qualifier Jared Donaldson 6-2 6-3. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m going for the shots,&quot; Wimbledon runner-up Raonic said. 
 
(Reuters)

Novak Djokovic is the only member of the so-called 'big four' who is competing in Toronto

Top seed Novak Djokovic breezed into the quarter-finals as the Rogers Cup continued pretty much according to script at the Aviva Centre on Thursday. Djokovic beat Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek 6-2 6-4 in a friendly encounter, during which both players repeatedly hammed it up for the crowd. Djokovic is the only member of the so-called "big four" competing in Toronto, with last year's champion Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal all absent from the $4.7 million event. In a tournament so far devoid of major upsets, the top five seeds advanced to the quarters, with Swiss Stan Wawrinka, Japanese Kei Nishikori, Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Tomas Berdych booking last eight berths. Only Berdych needed three sets to progress and the fifth seed's reward is a showdown against Djokovic, who leads their head-to-head by a staggering 24-2 margin. Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock, 7-6(3) 6-2. Next up for the two-time grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over the 12th seeded Australian Bernard Tomic. Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, requiring just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. "The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit," Nishikori, who next plays Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, told reporters. "I'm still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We'll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good." A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 minor upset of Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play Raonic in the quarters, after the local favourite dusted off American qualifier Jared Donaldson 6-2 6-3. "I'm going for the shots," Wimbledon runner-up Raonic said. (Reuters)

Djokovic domination continues, enters Toronto quarters

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3) 6-2 triumph. 
 
Wawrinka and Sock held serve throughout the first set to force a tiebreak that was won easily by Wawrinka, who went on to dominate the second set where he charged out to a 4-0 lead, and dropped just five points on serve to take the match. 
 
Next up for the two-times grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied to a 4-6 6-3 6-4 upset win over number 12 seed Bernard Tomic of Australia. 
 
Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, as he needed just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. 
 
&quot;The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit,&quot; said Nishikori.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We&#39;ll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good.&quot; 
 
A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 upset over Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. 
 
The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play either Canadian fourth seed Milos Raonic or American qualifier Jared Donaldson in the last eight. 
 
(Reuters)

Stan Wawrinka prevailed over Jack Sock at the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3), 6-2 triumph

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3) 6-2 triumph. Wawrinka and Sock held serve throughout the first set to force a tiebreak that was won easily by Wawrinka, who went on to dominate the second set where he charged out to a 4-0 lead, and dropped just five points on serve to take the match. Next up for the two-times grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied to a 4-6 6-3 6-4 upset win over number 12 seed Bernard Tomic of Australia. Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, as he needed just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. "The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit," said Nishikori. "I'm still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We'll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good." A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 upset over Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play either Canadian fourth seed Milos Raonic or American qualifier Jared Donaldson in the last eight. (Reuters)

Wawrinka advances to Toronto quarter-finals

Australia&#39;s bowlers ripped through Sri Lanka&#39;s brittle batting lineup to dismiss the home side for 117 early in the middle session on the first day of the opening test at Pallekele today. 
 
Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and off-spinner Nathan Lyon shared six wickets, while Mitchell Starc and Steve O&#39;Keefe picked up two apiece as the hosts were shot out shortly after lunch. 
 
Debutant all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva (24) was the top scorer for Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two test series in New Zealand and England. 
 
Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews had won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat on a dry pitch in the first match of the three-test series. 
 
Any hopes Mathews had of enjoying a strong start were soon shattered, however, after Australia pace duo Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc ensured the tourists took full control with the new ball by reducing the hosts to 18-3 inside 10 overs. 
 
Left-armer Starc, making his comeback after a long injury layoff, sent back Dimuth Karunaratne, with the opening batsman failing to get the umpire&#39;s leg before wicket verdict overturned on review. 
 
The 25-year-old Hazlewood, bowling an impeccable line and length, then dismissed Kusal Mendis and Kaushal Silva and returned for another spell before lunch to lure Dinesh Chandimal into an edge behind to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill. 
 
Left-arm spinner Steve O&#39;Keefe, who was included alongside Lyon, was brought on in the ninth over by Australia captain Steve Smith and he was rewarded when he dismissed Mathews. 
 
Lyon found a lot of turn from the surface and picked up his three wickets from just seven deliveries after the lunch interval as Sri Lanka&#39;s batsman appeared keen to return to the pavilion as quickly as they departed it. 
 
Rangana Herath became Starc&#39;s second victim and Australia&#39;s ninth after Smith successfully overturned the umpire&#39;s &#39;not out&#39; decision for leg before on review. 
 
O&#39;Keefe finished off proceedings when he captured his second wicket of the innings with the removal of Nuwan Pradeep. 
 
Injury-ravaged Sri Lanka, ranked seventh in the world, also handed a debut to left-arm slow bowler Lakshan Sandakan against the world&#39;s top-ranked test side, who have won just one out of their last 15 tests in Asia. 
 
(Reuters)

Debutant all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva was the top scorer for Sri Lanka

Australia's bowlers ripped through Sri Lanka's brittle batting lineup to dismiss the home side for 117 early in the middle session on the first day of the opening test at Pallekele today. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and off-spinner Nathan Lyon shared six wickets, while Mitchell Starc and Steve O'Keefe picked up two apiece as the hosts were shot out shortly after lunch. Debutant all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva (24) was the top scorer for Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two test series in New Zealand and England. Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews had won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat on a dry pitch in the first match of the three-test series. Any hopes Mathews had of enjoying a strong start were soon shattered, however, after Australia pace duo Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc ensured the tourists took full control with the new ball by reducing the hosts to 18-3 inside 10 overs. Left-armer Starc, making his comeback after a long injury layoff, sent back Dimuth Karunaratne, with the opening batsman failing to get the umpire's leg before wicket verdict overturned on review. The 25-year-old Hazlewood, bowling an impeccable line and length, then dismissed Kusal Mendis and Kaushal Silva and returned for another spell before lunch to lure Dinesh Chandimal into an edge behind to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill. Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe, who was included alongside Lyon, was brought on in the ninth over by Australia captain Steve Smith and he was rewarded when he dismissed Mathews. Lyon found a lot of turn from the surface and picked up his three wickets from just seven deliveries after the lunch interval as Sri Lanka's batsman appeared keen to return to the pavilion as quickly as they departed it. Rangana Herath became Starc's second victim and Australia's ninth after Smith successfully overturned the umpire's 'not out' decision for leg before on review. O'Keefe finished off proceedings when he captured his second wicket of the innings with the removal of Nuwan Pradeep. Injury-ravaged Sri Lanka, ranked seventh in the world, also handed a debut to left-arm slow bowler Lakshan Sandakan against the world's top-ranked test side, who have won just one out of their last 15 tests in Asia. (Reuters)

Australia dismiss Sri Lanka for 117 in opener

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and opted to bat on a dry pitch in the first test of the three-match series against Australia at Pallekele today. 
 
The injury-ravaged hosts, ranked seventh in the world, handed debuts to all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva and left-arm slow bowler Lakshan Sandakan. 
 
Mathews side, who lost their last two test series in New Zealand and England, are missing pacemen Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera while Suranga Lakmal was also ruled out from the match due to an ankle complaint. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s obvious, we&#39;ll have a bat,&quot; Mathews said after his counterpart Steve Smith called wrongly at the toss. 
 
&quot;Pitch looks pretty good but it can turn, probably around day two. We would like to put the runs on the board.&nbsp;We&#39;ve got a good set of young players you can look forward to.&quot; 
 
Australia captain Smith had earlier informed that the world&#39;s top-ranked test side, who have won just one out of their last 15 tests in Asia, will go into the match with two slow bowlers in off-spinner Nathan Lyon and left-armer Steve O&#39;Keefe. 
 
Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc was back after a long injury layoff to lead Australia&#39;s pace attack. 
 
Smith, who is yet to lose a test when leading the side, said he would also have batted first had he won the toss. 
 
&quot;Looks like a pretty dry wicket and they&#39;re playing about four spinners so would have had the bat,&quot; said Smith, who is ranked number one among test batsmen in the world.&nbsp;&quot;(Opener David Warner)&#39;s back, which is pretty exciting for us, he is in great form so hopefully he&#39;s got some runs in this match.&nbsp;It&#39;s been a great prep and the boys are ready to go.&quot; 
 
Teams: 
 
Australia: David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (captain), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Steve O&#39;Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon 
 
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (captain), Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan 
 
(Reuters)

All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva and left-arm slow bowler Lakshan Sandakan make their debuts with this match

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and opted to bat on a dry pitch in the first test of the three-match series against Australia at Pallekele today. The injury-ravaged hosts, ranked seventh in the world, handed debuts to all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva and left-arm slow bowler Lakshan Sandakan. Mathews side, who lost their last two test series in New Zealand and England, are missing pacemen Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera while Suranga Lakmal was also ruled out from the match due to an ankle complaint. "It's obvious, we'll have a bat," Mathews said after his counterpart Steve Smith called wrongly at the toss. "Pitch looks pretty good but it can turn, probably around day two. We would like to put the runs on the board. We've got a good set of young players you can look forward to." Australia captain Smith had earlier informed that the world's top-ranked test side, who have won just one out of their last 15 tests in Asia, will go into the match with two slow bowlers in off-spinner Nathan Lyon and left-armer Steve O'Keefe. Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc was back after a long injury layoff to lead Australia's pace attack. Smith, who is yet to lose a test when leading the side, said he would also have batted first had he won the toss. "Looks like a pretty dry wicket and they're playing about four spinners so would have had the bat," said Smith, who is ranked number one among test batsmen in the world. "(Opener David Warner)'s back, which is pretty exciting for us, he is in great form so hopefully he's got some runs in this match. It's been a great prep and the boys are ready to go." Teams: Australia: David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (captain), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Steve O'Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (captain), Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan (Reuters)

Sri Lanka opt to bat against Australia in first test

Severe thunderstorms drenched Baltusrol with heavy rain on Monday, cutting short the first practice session for the 98th PGA Championship and soaking greens that had been fast in afternoon heat. 
 
Sweltering heat greeted players in the early afternoon, but the day ended with standing water puddled across many areas of the course after thunder, lightning and downpours. 
 
PGA of America officials halted play at 4:38 pm (IST) and had spectators seek shelter, several dozen huddling in the massive souvenir tent until a break between storms allowed them a chance to leave. 
 
It was a signal that players could face a lot of extremes in this week&#39;s quest for the Wanamaker Trophy, with forecasts for hot conditions until storms are set to return for the weekend. 
 
World number one Jason Day of Australia will try to defend his first major title, which he won last year at Whistling Straits.&nbsp;&quot;I feel good about my game,&quot; Day said. &quot;I&#39;m hitting a lot of good shots and that has given me confidence. I should be good to go.&quot; 
 
Day was won seven titles in the past year and flirted with major success, sharing 10th at the Masters and eighth at the US Open.&nbsp;His mindset is less about repeating as champion, especially on a different course, than it is about achieving new feats.&nbsp;&quot;I never really look at it as defending,&quot; he said. &quot;I try to win it again. That&#39;s the mentality.&quot; 
 
World number two Dustin Johnson made his major breakthrough last month by winning the US Open at Oakmont.&nbsp;The American also won a WGC event at Firestone and shared ninth at the British Open, enough good finishes to bolster his confidence entering the final major tournament of the year. 
 
&quot;I think the game is in really good shape,&quot; Johnson said. &quot;Do a little practice on the putting in the next few days, but other than that, I`m really confident in the game right now. I feel like everything is going really well.&quot; 
 
Day will play the first two rounds alongside four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the 2014 PGA Championship winner, and Phil Mickelson, the 46-year-old US left-hander who won the last PGA Championship played at Baltusrol in 2005. 
 
Mickelson battled British Open winner Henrik Stenson into the final holes before settling for second to the Swede at Royal Troon two weeks ago. 
 
Johnson will play on Thursday and Friday alongside Stenson and Masters champion Danny Willett of England in the annual threesome of the season&#39;s prior major winners. 
 
Each won his first major this year and none of them wants to see another first-timer take the trophy this week. 
 
(AFP)

World number one Jason Day of Australia will try to defend his first major title, which he won last year at Whistling Straits

Severe thunderstorms drenched Baltusrol with heavy rain on Monday, cutting short the first practice session for the 98th PGA Championship and soaking greens that had been fast in afternoon heat. Sweltering heat greeted players in the early afternoon, but the day ended with standing water puddled across many areas of the course after thunder, lightning and downpours. PGA of America officials halted play at 4:38 pm (IST) and had spectators seek shelter, several dozen huddling in the massive souvenir tent until a break between storms allowed them a chance to leave. It was a signal that players could face a lot of extremes in this week's quest for the Wanamaker Trophy, with forecasts for hot conditions until storms are set to return for the weekend. World number one Jason Day of Australia will try to defend his first major title, which he won last year at Whistling Straits. "I feel good about my game," Day said. "I'm hitting a lot of good shots and that has given me confidence. I should be good to go." Day was won seven titles in the past year and flirted with major success, sharing 10th at the Masters and eighth at the US Open. His mindset is less about repeating as champion, especially on a different course, than it is about achieving new feats. "I never really look at it as defending," he said. "I try to win it again. That's the mentality." World number two Dustin Johnson made his major breakthrough last month by winning the US Open at Oakmont. The American also won a WGC event at Firestone and shared ninth at the British Open, enough good finishes to bolster his confidence entering the final major tournament of the year. "I think the game is in really good shape," Johnson said. "Do a little practice on the putting in the next few days, but other than that, I`m really confident in the game right now. I feel like everything is going really well." Day will play the first two rounds alongside four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the 2014 PGA Championship winner, and Phil Mickelson, the 46-year-old US left-hander who won the last PGA Championship played at Baltusrol in 2005. Mickelson battled British Open winner Henrik Stenson into the final holes before settling for second to the Swede at Royal Troon two weeks ago. Johnson will play on Thursday and Friday alongside Stenson and Masters champion Danny Willett of England in the annual threesome of the season's prior major winners. Each won his first major this year and none of them wants to see another first-timer take the trophy this week. (AFP)

Defending champion Day confident at storm-soaked PGA

Roger Federer has pulled out of the Rio Olympics and will miss the rest of the season, including the US Open, because he needs &quot;more extensive rehabilitation&quot; to prolong his career after knee surgery earlier this year. 
 
Last month he described how &quot;one stupid move&quot; sparked a chain of bad luck - which resulted in left knee surgery in February and sitting out the French Open with a back injury - culminating in yesterday&#39;s decision to end his wretched season. 
 
&quot;I&rsquo;m extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season,&quot; the 17-times grand slam champion said on his Facebook page. 
 
&quot;Considering all options after consulting with my doctors and my team, I have made the very difficult decision to call an end to my 2016 season as I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year. 
 
&quot;The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover. It is tough to miss the rest of the year.&quot; 
 
For much of his career, the former world number one had been blessed with a body that seemed bullet-proof against the aches, pains and injuries suffered by most top athletes. 
 
But one false move by the man known for his gliding footwork, while running a bath for his twin daughters following his Australian Open semi-final loss, means he would have gone a whole season without a title for the first time since 2000. 
 
Now aged 34, Tuesday&#39;s announcement also probably ended the 2012 silver medallist&#39;s hopes of ever winning an Olympic singles title. 
 
&quot;The silver lining is that this experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries,&quot; said Federer, who won an Olympic doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka in 2008. 
 
&quot;The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and the fans remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017.&quot; 
 
Knee trouble 
 
Until May this year, Federer had appeared in 65 successive grand slam tournaments and the last time he was absent from one of the four majors was at the 1999 US Open. 
 
When he reached the last four at Wimbledon, which included winning a five-set thriller in the quarter-finals against Marin Cilic, it appeared as if Federer&#39;s injury woes were finally behind him and his absence from the French Open was a one off. 
 
However, he was clearly rattled when he landed heavily on his left knee after rolling his ankle during the fifth set of his semi-final defeat by Candaian Milos Raonic at Wimbledon. 
 
Although Federer, who was left sprawled face down on the turf following the fall, got up to complete the match, he was worried about the long term effects on his knee. 
 
&quot;I just hope with the slip I had in the fifth, I&#39;m going to be fine. I hope I didn&#39;t hurt myself,&quot; the world number three said at the time. 
 
&quot;Is it (the pain) a three-day thing, is it a 24-hour thing or is it more? I don&#39;t know at this point.&nbsp;With the body that&#39;s been playing up this year, I just hope I&#39;m going to be fine.&quot; 
 
It seems his worst fears were realised on yesterday as he called time on his season after appearing in only seven tournaments and with a 21-7 win-loss record. 
 
(Reuters)

The 17-times grand slam champion said he needed extensive rehabilitation following his knee injury earlier this year

Roger Federer has pulled out of the Rio Olympics and will miss the rest of the season, including the US Open, because he needs "more extensive rehabilitation" to prolong his career after knee surgery earlier this year. Last month he described how "one stupid move" sparked a chain of bad luck - which resulted in left knee surgery in February and sitting out the French Open with a back injury - culminating in yesterday's decision to end his wretched season. "I’m extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season," the 17-times grand slam champion said on his Facebook page. "Considering all options after consulting with my doctors and my team, I have made the very difficult decision to call an end to my 2016 season as I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year. "The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover. It is tough to miss the rest of the year." For much of his career, the former world number one had been blessed with a body that seemed bullet-proof against the aches, pains and injuries suffered by most top athletes. But one false move by the man known for his gliding footwork, while running a bath for his twin daughters following his Australian Open semi-final loss, means he would have gone a whole season without a title for the first time since 2000. Now aged 34, Tuesday's announcement also probably ended the 2012 silver medallist's hopes of ever winning an Olympic singles title. "The silver lining is that this experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries," said Federer, who won an Olympic doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka in 2008. "The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and the fans remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017." Knee trouble Until May this year, Federer had appeared in 65 successive grand slam tournaments and the last time he was absent from one of the four majors was at the 1999 US Open. When he reached the last four at Wimbledon, which included winning a five-set thriller in the quarter-finals against Marin Cilic, it appeared as if Federer's injury woes were finally behind him and his absence from the French Open was a one off. However, he was clearly rattled when he landed heavily on his left knee after rolling his ankle during the fifth set of his semi-final defeat by Candaian Milos Raonic at Wimbledon. Although Federer, who was left sprawled face down on the turf following the fall, got up to complete the match, he was worried about the long term effects on his knee. "I just hope with the slip I had in the fifth, I'm going to be fine. I hope I didn't hurt myself," the world number three said at the time. "Is it (the pain) a three-day thing, is it a 24-hour thing or is it more? I don't know at this point. With the body that's been playing up this year, I just hope I'm going to be fine." It seems his worst fears were realised on yesterday as he called time on his season after appearing in only seven tournaments and with a 21-7 win-loss record. (Reuters)

'I'm extremely disappointed,' Federer to miss Rio, rest of season due to injury

Indian shot putter Inderjeet Singh said on today that he has been notified by the national anti-doping agency (NADA) that he has returned a positive test for banned substances in his A sample.

Inderjeet, who won gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2015, told local television he had been informed of the test late on Monday and that all his earlier tests had been negative.

Navin Agarwal, the director general of NADA, told Reuters an athlete&#39;s A sample had tested positive.

&quot;The athlete has been notified and given the right to get his B Sample tested,&quot; he said, without identifying the athlete. 
 
(Reuters)

National anti-doping agency has returned a positive test for banned substances in Inderjeet's A sample

Indian shot putter Inderjeet Singh said on today that he has been notified by the national anti-doping agency (NADA) that he has returned a positive test for banned substances in his A sample. Inderjeet, who won gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2015, told local television he had been informed of the test late on Monday and that all his earlier tests had been negative. Navin Agarwal, the director general of NADA, told Reuters an athlete's A sample had tested positive. "The athlete has been notified and given the right to get his B Sample tested," he said, without identifying the athlete. (Reuters)

Indian shot putter Inderjeet Singh fails doping test

Former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur were unfazed by opening-day weather delays, cruising into the second round of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Monday. 
 
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, seeded 12th, needed just 59 minutes to get past Poland&#39;s Magda Linette 6-1, 6-2. 
 
The Czech, who won her first North American hardcourt title in Montreal in 2012, didn&#39;t face a break point against the young Pole, who pushed former world number one Venus Williams to three sets in Stanford last week.&nbsp;Kvitova, playing her first tournament since Wimbledon, broke Linette twice in each set and finished her off with an ace. 
 
Former US Open champion Stosur, seeded 13th, had to work a little harder to dispatch Britain&#39;s Heather Watson 7-5, 6-3.&nbsp;After some first-set struggles, however, she broke Watson three times in the second to wrap up the win. 
 
&quot;To get through in straight sets, I&#39;m pretty happy,&quot; the Australian said. &quot;Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren&#39;t a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot.&quot; 
 
A string of rain delays stopped play for a total of four hours.&nbsp;Organisers eventually pushed the scheduled last match of the night, between Canadian Francoise Abanda and Chinese qualifier Zheng Saisai, to today. 
 
The only other seed in action, 17th-seeded Elina Svitolina, advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over American qualifier Jennifer Brady. 
 
The top eight seeds, now led by second-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany after the late injury withdrawal of world number one Serena Williams, have first round byes. 
 
Croatia&#39;s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni booked a second-round meeting with Wimbledon finalist Kerber, with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Japan&#39;s Nao Hibino. 
 
Britain&#39;s Naomi Broady beat Puerto Rico&#39;s Monica Puig 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to line up a clash with third-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza who was installed at the top of the revised draw after Williams pulled out with inflammation in her shoulder. 
 
(AFP)

Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbeldon champion, won her first North American hardcourt title in Montreal back in 2012

Former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur were unfazed by opening-day weather delays, cruising into the second round of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Monday. Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, seeded 12th, needed just 59 minutes to get past Poland's Magda Linette 6-1, 6-2. The Czech, who won her first North American hardcourt title in Montreal in 2012, didn't face a break point against the young Pole, who pushed former world number one Venus Williams to three sets in Stanford last week. Kvitova, playing her first tournament since Wimbledon, broke Linette twice in each set and finished her off with an ace. Former US Open champion Stosur, seeded 13th, had to work a little harder to dispatch Britain's Heather Watson 7-5, 6-3. After some first-set struggles, however, she broke Watson three times in the second to wrap up the win. "To get through in straight sets, I'm pretty happy," the Australian said. "Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren't a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot." A string of rain delays stopped play for a total of four hours. Organisers eventually pushed the scheduled last match of the night, between Canadian Francoise Abanda and Chinese qualifier Zheng Saisai, to today. The only other seed in action, 17th-seeded Elina Svitolina, advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over American qualifier Jennifer Brady. The top eight seeds, now led by second-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany after the late injury withdrawal of world number one Serena Williams, have first round byes. Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni booked a second-round meeting with Wimbledon finalist Kerber, with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Japan's Nao Hibino. Britain's Naomi Broady beat Puerto Rico's Monica Puig 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to line up a clash with third-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza who was installed at the top of the revised draw after Williams pulled out with inflammation in her shoulder. (AFP)

Kvitova, Stosur advance in WTA hardcourt tournament

Ravichandran Ashwin completed a magnificent all-round performance with seven wickets to bowl India to a crushing victory by an innings and 92 runs on the fourth day of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Sunday. 
 
His haul of seven for 83 off 25 overs followed his third Test hundred - 113, is India&#39;s massive first innings total of 566 for eight declared at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. 
 
Resuming their second innings following on at the overnight position of 21 for one, the West Indies were dismissed for 231 in another abject batting display, despite half-centuries by Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite and a ninth-wicket stand of 95 between Brathwaite and Devendra Bishoo (45). 
 
This result was India&#39;s largest margin of victory in a Test match outside of Asia. 
 
&quot;We were really eager to get going in this series,&quot; said a delighted Indian captain Virat Kohli after the match. 
 
&quot;Everything came together nicely, from the batting performance to dismissing the West Indies twice. We went with three seamers because of the amount of grass on the wicket and it worked for us.&quot; 
 
 
&quot;Virat told me I needed to put in a good spell&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Wicketless throughout the first innings and for the first nine overs of his second innings effort, Ashwin scythed through the heart of the home side&#39;s batting in the afternoon session, reaping a five-wicket haul and then finishing off the match with the last two wickets just after tea to give India a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. 
 
He was fortunate to claim his first wicket, opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika adjudged caught at the wicket for a painstaking 31 in over three hours at the crease.&nbsp; 
 
But there was no doubt about the demolition effected thereafter, including dismissing Samuels for his first half-century in 12 Test innings, as six wickets tumbled for 44 runs. 
 
&quot;Virat told me I needed to put in a good spell this afternoon and I&#39;m glad I was able to deliver,&quot; said Ashwin, reflecting on his superb performance with the ball. 
 
&quot;I wasn&#39;t getting the right sort of rhythm yesterday but today was very different.&quot; 
 
Such was the speed of the collapse that India looked on course to complete the win well before the tea interval. 
 
However Brathwaite and Bishoo offered resistance that was entertaining for the few home fans in the stands and more than a little irritating for Virat Kohli and his men who were kept waiting to celebrate a comprehensive win. 
 
Brathwaite finished unbeaten on 51, his third half-century in as many Tests, but with just one wicket for 242 runs so far in his young career, his value as a frontline bowler remains highly questionable. 
 
&quot;We obviously need to bowl a bit better,&quot; said a downcast West Indies captain Jason Holder in the aftermath of the heavy defeat.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I`m not sure what we can expect from the pitch for the next Test in Jamaica. It&#39;s been a bit flat of late but we`ll have to see what our options are when we get there.&quot; 
 
Apart from earning the West Indies a modicum of respect, the ninth-wicket pairing`s defiance also embarrassed the frontline batting which once again failed to cope with India&#39;s potent combination of pace and spin. 
 
Umesh Yadav got his team off to the perfect start in the morning, the fast bowler claiming the important wicket of Darren Bravo without any addition to the overnight score.&nbsp; 
 
Samuels then made the most of a narrow escape when an appeal for a catch to the wicketkeeper off Mohammed Shami was turned down after consideration of the television replays. 
 
Amid growing questions about his place in the side following 11 consecutive Test innings of scores lower than 20, the elegant right-hander stroked 11 fours in an even 50 before being bowled by Ashwin.&nbsp; 
 
His demise came just after Jermaine Blackwood fell for his second duck of the match and Ashwin added the wickets of Roston Chase and captain Jason Holder to turn the match into a formality. 
 
Wrist-spinner Amit Mishra accounted for Shane Dowrich in the midst of the rout before Brathwaite and Bishoo held up the victory celebrations. 
 
Fittingly, it was left to Ashwin to claim the final two wickets in the space of three deliveries and make his team even heavier favourites going into the second Test beginning on Saturday in Jamaica. 
 
(AFP)

This result was India's largest margin of victory in a Test match outside of Asia

Ravichandran Ashwin completed a magnificent all-round performance with seven wickets to bowl India to a crushing victory by an innings and 92 runs on the fourth day of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Sunday. His haul of seven for 83 off 25 overs followed his third Test hundred - 113, is India's massive first innings total of 566 for eight declared at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Resuming their second innings following on at the overnight position of 21 for one, the West Indies were dismissed for 231 in another abject batting display, despite half-centuries by Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite and a ninth-wicket stand of 95 between Brathwaite and Devendra Bishoo (45). This result was India's largest margin of victory in a Test match outside of Asia. "We were really eager to get going in this series," said a delighted Indian captain Virat Kohli after the match. "Everything came together nicely, from the batting performance to dismissing the West Indies twice. We went with three seamers because of the amount of grass on the wicket and it worked for us." "Virat told me I needed to put in a good spell" Wicketless throughout the first innings and for the first nine overs of his second innings effort, Ashwin scythed through the heart of the home side's batting in the afternoon session, reaping a five-wicket haul and then finishing off the match with the last two wickets just after tea to give India a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. He was fortunate to claim his first wicket, opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika adjudged caught at the wicket for a painstaking 31 in over three hours at the crease. But there was no doubt about the demolition effected thereafter, including dismissing Samuels for his first half-century in 12 Test innings, as six wickets tumbled for 44 runs. "Virat told me I needed to put in a good spell this afternoon and I'm glad I was able to deliver," said Ashwin, reflecting on his superb performance with the ball. "I wasn't getting the right sort of rhythm yesterday but today was very different." Such was the speed of the collapse that India looked on course to complete the win well before the tea interval. However Brathwaite and Bishoo offered resistance that was entertaining for the few home fans in the stands and more than a little irritating for Virat Kohli and his men who were kept waiting to celebrate a comprehensive win. Brathwaite finished unbeaten on 51, his third half-century in as many Tests, but with just one wicket for 242 runs so far in his young career, his value as a frontline bowler remains highly questionable. "We obviously need to bowl a bit better," said a downcast West Indies captain Jason Holder in the aftermath of the heavy defeat. "I`m not sure what we can expect from the pitch for the next Test in Jamaica. It's been a bit flat of late but we`ll have to see what our options are when we get there." Apart from earning the West Indies a modicum of respect, the ninth-wicket pairing`s defiance also embarrassed the frontline batting which once again failed to cope with India's potent combination of pace and spin. Umesh Yadav got his team off to the perfect start in the morning, the fast bowler claiming the important wicket of Darren Bravo without any addition to the overnight score. Samuels then made the most of a narrow escape when an appeal for a catch to the wicketkeeper off Mohammed Shami was turned down after consideration of the television replays. Amid growing questions about his place in the side following 11 consecutive Test innings of scores lower than 20, the elegant right-hander stroked 11 fours in an even 50 before being bowled by Ashwin. His demise came just after Jermaine Blackwood fell for his second duck of the match and Ashwin added the wickets of Roston Chase and captain Jason Holder to turn the match into a formality. Wrist-spinner Amit Mishra accounted for Shane Dowrich in the midst of the rout before Brathwaite and Bishoo held up the victory celebrations. Fittingly, it was left to Ashwin to claim the final two wickets in the space of three deliveries and make his team even heavier favourites going into the second Test beginning on Saturday in Jamaica. (AFP)

?Ashwin spins India to crushing 1st Test victory against West Indies

India skipper Virat Kohli, calling on his side to create a winning habit,&nbsp;has admitted that they are looking forward to a series whitewash against West Indies after claiming an emphatic win by an innings and 92 runs against the hosts in the first Test here at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium last evening. 
 
&quot;If we have a chance to win 4-0, then why not. We don&#39;t need to get complacent. If we end up getting a 2-0 lead, it&#39;s not that we&#39;re playing for a draw in the next two tests. We want to create winning habits, good habits. And you know, winning is contagious. As we know, if we learn to win Test matches, then we&#39;ll learn how to win Tests everywhere. We will learn how to play in different situations and we will know exactly what to do when a certain situation is going a certain way,&quot; said Kohli, who scored his maiden double century. 
 
Off-Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was adjudged &#39;Man of the match&#39;, led from the front as he contributed 113 runs in his side&#39;s innings before claiming seven wickets as the Caribbean side were bundled out for 231 in their second innings. 
 
India declared their first innings at 566-8. 
 
Reflecting on India&#39;s strategy, an ecstatic Kohli revealed that his side would not pay attention to their previous laurels and would focus on one game at a time. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s what we need to do. We need to look at every game as a fresh game and execute our plans and win as a team. Everyone is looking to contribute and that`s the most important thing with this team. I certainly feel very positive going forward with the way we have played,&quot; he added. 
 
Describing the win as &#39;perfect&#39;, the 27-year-old swashbuckling batsman credited his side&#39;s bowling department for the massive victory while adding that his side executed the plan really well. 
 
&quot;If you look at it logically, that&#39;s probably the perfect finish, which every team looks for. The seamers usually dominate the first innings when you play away from home. The wicket tires out on day four and five. That&#39;s when the spinners come into play. In the first innings, spinners are taking couple of the breakthrough wickets. In the second innings, fast bowlers are doing this for you and then the spinners will open it up again. I think it was a wonderful partnership bowling by all our bowlers in the two innings. And the batsmen as well,&quot; he added. 
 
India, which is bidding to clinch third consecutive series whitewash against the Caribbean side, have now taken a one-nil lead in the four-match series. 
 
The two sides will play the second match at Sabina Park in Jamaica from July 30. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

'We need to look at every game as a fresh game and execute our plans and win as a team'

India skipper Virat Kohli, calling on his side to create a winning habit, has admitted that they are looking forward to a series whitewash against West Indies after claiming an emphatic win by an innings and 92 runs against the hosts in the first Test here at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium last evening. "If we have a chance to win 4-0, then why not. We don't need to get complacent. If we end up getting a 2-0 lead, it's not that we're playing for a draw in the next two tests. We want to create winning habits, good habits. And you know, winning is contagious. As we know, if we learn to win Test matches, then we'll learn how to win Tests everywhere. We will learn how to play in different situations and we will know exactly what to do when a certain situation is going a certain way," said Kohli, who scored his maiden double century. Off-Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was adjudged 'Man of the match', led from the front as he contributed 113 runs in his side's innings before claiming seven wickets as the Caribbean side were bundled out for 231 in their second innings. India declared their first innings at 566-8. Reflecting on India's strategy, an ecstatic Kohli revealed that his side would not pay attention to their previous laurels and would focus on one game at a time. "That's what we need to do. We need to look at every game as a fresh game and execute our plans and win as a team. Everyone is looking to contribute and that`s the most important thing with this team. I certainly feel very positive going forward with the way we have played," he added. Describing the win as 'perfect', the 27-year-old swashbuckling batsman credited his side's bowling department for the massive victory while adding that his side executed the plan really well. "If you look at it logically, that's probably the perfect finish, which every team looks for. The seamers usually dominate the first innings when you play away from home. The wicket tires out on day four and five. That's when the spinners come into play. In the first innings, spinners are taking couple of the breakthrough wickets. In the second innings, fast bowlers are doing this for you and then the spinners will open it up again. I think it was a wonderful partnership bowling by all our bowlers in the two innings. And the batsmen as well," he added. India, which is bidding to clinch third consecutive series whitewash against the Caribbean side, have now taken a one-nil lead in the four-match series. The two sides will play the second match at Sabina Park in Jamaica from July 30. (ANI)

Indian skipper Kohli calls on teammates not to get complacent post Antigua Test win

Formula One drivers have called for the sport&#39;s rules to be made clearer after several high-profile incidents over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend triggered debate on how they should be applied. 
 
Nico Rosberg was allowed to keep pole position for Sunday&rsquo;s race after stewards deemed he had slowed enough for waved double yellow flags, despite the German going faster in the sector in which the flags were shown on his way to his benchmark time. 
 
Drivers are required to reduce speed significantly and be prepared to change direction or stop under double waved yellow flags, which can be deployed to warn them of marshals, stranded cars, or recovery vehicles on or beside the track. 
 
Other drivers, including team mate Lewis Hamilton who was forced to abort his final crack at pole, slowed down enough to hinder their overall laps. 
 
Stewards&#39; acceptance of Rosberg&rsquo;s argument he had slowed enough, raised questions over just how much drivers were required to reduce speed. 
 
&ldquo;The issue is not that he didn&rsquo;t get a penalty,&rdquo; said reigning triple champion Hamilton, who won the race. 
 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about being prepared to be able to slow down...if there was a marshal back there... None of us want to take out a marshal or a driver.&quot; 
 
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t set a correct example yesterday,&rdquo; Ferrari&rsquo;s four times champion Sebastian Vettel said. 
 
&quot;Next week there will be a go-karting race and there will be a double yellow waved flag somewhere... Then, the way the kids think is, well I don&rsquo;t need to lift much because in Formula One it&rsquo;s okay.&rdquo; 
 
In another incident after qualifying, several drivers, including Red Bull&rsquo;s third-placed Daniel Ricciardo, were at risk of losing their grid slots for not qualifying within 107 per cent of the fastest time in the opening 18-minute phase. 
 
Stewards decided to let some of those drivers keep their positions, while those who hadn&rsquo;t made it past first phase had their times taken away, even though the grid order didn&rsquo;t change. 
 
In Sunday&rsquo;s race, Jenson Button ran foul of tightened radio rules, collecting a drive through penalty when his McLaren team informed him how to get around a hydraulics issue that was causing him brake problems. 
 
&ldquo;The sport is good in so many ways, there are so many improvements coming, but I mean common sense should prevail and we shouldn&rsquo;t get a penalty for stopping an incident,&rdquo; said the former world champion. 
 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shame that the sport is where it is with these regulations.&rdquo; 
 
(Reuters)

Top F1 drivers urge on improvements after several high-profile incidents triggered debates

Formula One drivers have called for the sport's rules to be made clearer after several high-profile incidents over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend triggered debate on how they should be applied. Nico Rosberg was allowed to keep pole position for Sunday’s race after stewards deemed he had slowed enough for waved double yellow flags, despite the German going faster in the sector in which the flags were shown on his way to his benchmark time. Drivers are required to reduce speed significantly and be prepared to change direction or stop under double waved yellow flags, which can be deployed to warn them of marshals, stranded cars, or recovery vehicles on or beside the track. Other drivers, including team mate Lewis Hamilton who was forced to abort his final crack at pole, slowed down enough to hinder their overall laps. Stewards' acceptance of Rosberg’s argument he had slowed enough, raised questions over just how much drivers were required to reduce speed. “The issue is not that he didn’t get a penalty,” said reigning triple champion Hamilton, who won the race. “It’s about being prepared to be able to slow down...if there was a marshal back there... None of us want to take out a marshal or a driver." “We didn’t set a correct example yesterday,” Ferrari’s four times champion Sebastian Vettel said. "Next week there will be a go-karting race and there will be a double yellow waved flag somewhere... Then, the way the kids think is, well I don’t need to lift much because in Formula One it’s okay.” In another incident after qualifying, several drivers, including Red Bull’s third-placed Daniel Ricciardo, were at risk of losing their grid slots for not qualifying within 107 per cent of the fastest time in the opening 18-minute phase. Stewards decided to let some of those drivers keep their positions, while those who hadn’t made it past first phase had their times taken away, even though the grid order didn’t change. In Sunday’s race, Jenson Button ran foul of tightened radio rules, collecting a drive through penalty when his McLaren team informed him how to get around a hydraulics issue that was causing him brake problems. “The sport is good in so many ways, there are so many improvements coming, but I mean common sense should prevail and we shouldn’t get a penalty for stopping an incident,” said the former world champion. “It’s a shame that the sport is where it is with these regulations.” (Reuters)

Hungarian Grand Prix: Formula One drivers call for clearer rules

Britain&#39;s Johanna Konta captured her first WTA title in style on Sunday, beating former world number one Venus Williams 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California. 
 
Konta, ranked 18th in the world and seeded third, appeared on her way to an emphatic victory in her first career final after racing to a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve in the second set. 
 
But Williams, seeking her 50th career title, won six of the next seven games to knot the match at a set apiece. 
 
The 25-year-old Konta, who fired 12 aces to three from Williams, didn&#39;t let the seven-time Grand Slam champion&#39;s resurgence rattle her. 
 
&quot;Quite honestly you&#39;d expect nothing less of a champion that she is,&quot; Konta said. &quot;That&#39;s what great champions do. They raise their level. They definitely don&#39;t give away a match.&quot; 
 
Refreshed after a brief bathroom break, she broke Williams in the third game of the final set, and took a 3-1 lead with her 10th ace of the match. 
 
She broke Williams again to serve for the match at 5-2, and despite a couple of nervy missteps in the final game sealed the victory on her third match point. 
 
&quot;It was quite an incredibly humbling experience,&quot; said Konta, the first Briton to win the tournament since Sue Barker in 1977. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a great validation of the hard work you do put in, and it&#39;s a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at, the length you want to go to become that much more better at your discipline. &quot; 
 
Konta had launched her career-best season with a win over Williams in the first round of the Australian Open, where she went on to reach the semi-finals. 
 
Britain&#39;s top player has since gone from strength to strength, making the second week of both Indian Wells and Miami, and reaching the semi-finals at Eastbourne. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s daily work,&quot; Konta said of her rise. &quot;It&#39;s daily desire to keep getting better.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Johanna Konta, who ranked 18th in the world is the first Briton to win the tournament since Sue Barker in 1977

Britain's Johanna Konta captured her first WTA title in style on Sunday, beating former world number one Venus Williams 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California. Konta, ranked 18th in the world and seeded third, appeared on her way to an emphatic victory in her first career final after racing to a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve in the second set. But Williams, seeking her 50th career title, won six of the next seven games to knot the match at a set apiece. The 25-year-old Konta, who fired 12 aces to three from Williams, didn't let the seven-time Grand Slam champion's resurgence rattle her. "Quite honestly you'd expect nothing less of a champion that she is," Konta said. "That's what great champions do. They raise their level. They definitely don't give away a match." Refreshed after a brief bathroom break, she broke Williams in the third game of the final set, and took a 3-1 lead with her 10th ace of the match. She broke Williams again to serve for the match at 5-2, and despite a couple of nervy missteps in the final game sealed the victory on her third match point. "It was quite an incredibly humbling experience," said Konta, the first Briton to win the tournament since Sue Barker in 1977. "It's a great validation of the hard work you do put in, and it's a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at, the length you want to go to become that much more better at your discipline. " Konta had launched her career-best season with a win over Williams in the first round of the Australian Open, where she went on to reach the semi-finals. Britain's top player has since gone from strength to strength, making the second week of both Indian Wells and Miami, and reaching the semi-finals at Eastbourne. "It's daily work," Konta said of her rise. "It's daily desire to keep getting better." (AFP)

Konta topples Venus for first WTA title

Russian Yulia Efimova, who has been banned from competing at next month&#39;s Rio Olympics by swimming&#39;s international governing body FINA, will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her agent said yesterday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve taken the decision to appeal to CAS. The opponent will be the International Olympic Committee, FINA and the Russian Olympic Committee,&quot; Efimova&#39;s agent Andrei Mitkov told R-Sport. 
 
FINA yesterday banned seven Russians, including 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Efimova, from competing in Rio in the fall-out from Russia&#39;s rampant state-run doping. 
 
FINA was the first sport to impose bans in light of Sunday&#39;s International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision, which ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to individual sports federations to decide whether to accept Russians. 
 
Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both 4x100m freestyle bronze-medal winners with the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics, and Efimova, who won bronze in the 200m breaststroke in London, were among the seven banned. 
 
Efimova had been provisionally suspended by FINA in March after testing positive for the banned drug meldonium, which has been prohibited since January. 
 
FINA lifted Efimova&#39;s suspension in May after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said that athletes could escape a ban because it does not know exactly how long it takes for meldonium to leave the body. 
 
The 24-year-old is also four-time world champion in the breaststroke. 
 
(AFP)

International Swimming Federation yesterday banned seven Russians from competing in Rio Olympics after Russia's state-run doping was exposed

Russian Yulia Efimova, who has been banned from competing at next month's Rio Olympics by swimming's international governing body FINA, will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her agent said yesterday. "We've taken the decision to appeal to CAS. The opponent will be the International Olympic Committee, FINA and the Russian Olympic Committee," Efimova's agent Andrei Mitkov told R-Sport. FINA yesterday banned seven Russians, including 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Efimova, from competing in Rio in the fall-out from Russia's rampant state-run doping. FINA was the first sport to impose bans in light of Sunday's International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision, which ruled against a blanket ban on all Russian competitors in Rio, instead leaving it up to individual sports federations to decide whether to accept Russians. Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, both 4x100m freestyle bronze-medal winners with the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics, and Efimova, who won bronze in the 200m breaststroke in London, were among the seven banned. Efimova had been provisionally suspended by FINA in March after testing positive for the banned drug meldonium, which has been prohibited since January. FINA lifted Efimova's suspension in May after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said that athletes could escape a ban because it does not know exactly how long it takes for meldonium to leave the body. The 24-year-old is also four-time world champion in the breaststroke. (AFP)

Russian swimmer Efimova to appeal Rio ban to Sport Arbitration Court

Ben Barba inspired the Cronulla Sharks to their 15th consecutive victory with a 36-4 hammering of bottom team Newcastle Knights in Australia&#39;s National Rugby League today. 
 
Barba scored two of Cronulla&#39;s eight tries to continue his team&#39;s winning run and maintain a two-point lead over Melbourne Storm after 18 rounds. 
 
He set up two other tries and had another two tries denied by the video referee. 
 
Melbourne kept within reach of the Sharks with a 26-10 win over the Sydney Roosters at home. 
 
The Storm grabbed two late tries, through Tohu Harris and Kevin Proctor, to ease to victory after they were pushed for much of the contest by the lowly Roosters. 
 
Champions North Queensland are in third spot after a commanding 36-0 win over fellow finals contenders Canterbury Bulldogs in Townsville. 
 
The easy win was marred by a hamstring injury to their inspirational skipper Johnathan Thurston, who could miss the next two matches. 
 
Ricky Stuart&#39;s Canberra Raiders fill out the top four after a 26-22 golden point win over the New Zealand Warriors at home.&nbsp;Skipper Jarrod Croker scored the match-winning try in extra time - his third of the game - to seal a fourth consecutive win. 
 
Anthony Griffin enjoyed a triumphant return to Brisbane as Penrith moved into the top eight with a 31-12 win over the Broncos.&nbsp;Griffin was axed two years ago as the Broncos coach making way for the return of Wayne Bennett. 
 
Wests Tigers moved into the post-Robbie Farah era with a 25-12 win over St George Illawarra today. 
 
Tigers coach Jason Taylor made the big call during the week to dump State of Origin hooker Farah to reserve grade and threaten his chances of staying at the club where he has played 247 top grade games. 
 
(AFP)

Barba scored two of Cronulla's eight tries to continue his team's winning run and maintain a two-point lead over Melbourne Storm

Ben Barba inspired the Cronulla Sharks to their 15th consecutive victory with a 36-4 hammering of bottom team Newcastle Knights in Australia's National Rugby League today. Barba scored two of Cronulla's eight tries to continue his team's winning run and maintain a two-point lead over Melbourne Storm after 18 rounds. He set up two other tries and had another two tries denied by the video referee. Melbourne kept within reach of the Sharks with a 26-10 win over the Sydney Roosters at home. The Storm grabbed two late tries, through Tohu Harris and Kevin Proctor, to ease to victory after they were pushed for much of the contest by the lowly Roosters. Champions North Queensland are in third spot after a commanding 36-0 win over fellow finals contenders Canterbury Bulldogs in Townsville. The easy win was marred by a hamstring injury to their inspirational skipper Johnathan Thurston, who could miss the next two matches. Ricky Stuart's Canberra Raiders fill out the top four after a 26-22 golden point win over the New Zealand Warriors at home. Skipper Jarrod Croker scored the match-winning try in extra time - his third of the game - to seal a fourth consecutive win. Anthony Griffin enjoyed a triumphant return to Brisbane as Penrith moved into the top eight with a 31-12 win over the Broncos. Griffin was axed two years ago as the Broncos coach making way for the return of Wayne Bennett. Wests Tigers moved into the post-Robbie Farah era with a 25-12 win over St George Illawarra today. Tigers coach Jason Taylor made the big call during the week to dump State of Origin hooker Farah to reserve grade and threaten his chances of staying at the club where he has played 247 top grade games. (AFP)

Rugby League: Barba stars as Cronulla Sharks stretch winning streak

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt brushed aside concerns surrounding his fitness ahead of next month&#39;s Rio Olympics as he cruised to victory in the 200 metres at the London Anniversary Games. 
 
The six-time Olympic gold medallist showed no signs of rust, winning the race in 19.89 seconds in his return following a pelvic injury, the Mirror reported. 
 
The world&#39;s fastest man will aim to become the first person to win the 100 metre and 200 metre double at three consecutive Games when he will feature in the Rio Olympics.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)

Usain Bolt, the six-time Olympic gold medallist, won the race in 19.89 seconds in his return following a pelvic injury

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt brushed aside concerns surrounding his fitness ahead of next month's Rio Olympics as he cruised to victory in the 200 metres at the London Anniversary Games. The six-time Olympic gold medallist showed no signs of rust, winning the race in 19.89 seconds in his return following a pelvic injury, the Mirror reported. The world's fastest man will aim to become the first person to win the 100 metre and 200 metre double at three consecutive Games when he will feature in the Rio Olympics. (ANI)

Bolt quashes fitness concerns, cruises to 200m victory in London

To those who dip into swimming only when the Olympic Games come around, it may seem odd to hear a pool described as &#39;fast&#39; when it looks much like any other large rectangle filled with water.

And while coaches hammer into their young charges that fast swimmers make fast pools, like swimmers, some pools are faster than others, and even Michael Phelps goes quicker with the application of science.

In 2013, after British swimmers had flopped at the London Games and that year&#39;s world championships, head coach Bill Furniss suggested Sheffield&#39;s Ponds Forge Olympic standard pool was hampering their development because it was too fast.&nbsp;Cue jokey headlines suggesting swimmers were training in the &quot;wrong kind of water&quot; -&nbsp;an echo of the &quot;wrong kind of snow/rain/sunshine&quot; excuses familiar to downtrodden commuters when Britain&#39;s weather halts the trains.

At the international level, however, the biggest waves are the ones given by the swimmers to the crowd as they climb out.&nbsp;Rio&#39;s new 50-metre Olympic pool, where records may be set as dreams and duels play out, should stand out like a gleaming Ferrari among functional family runabouts.

The technology in such a pool, from energy-absorbing lane dividers and wave-swallowing drainage to the depth and temperature, is all designed to help the world&#39;s best swimmers go faster than ever.

&quot;Years and years ago, when pools had gutters on the side and walls, if you were on the outside lane then the waves were splashing back and hitting you,&quot; Britain&#39;s 4x100 mixed medley world gold medallist Chris Walker-Hebborn told Reuters at an Adidas event.

&quot;That was what I perceived as a slow pool back then.&nbsp;Everything we race in now, it (the water) runs off the edge into a drain so you are at no more disadvantage being in lane eight than you are in lane four, other than not being in the middle of the race.&quot;

Beijing&#39;s &#39;Water Cube&#39; was dubbed the fastest pool in the world, when 25 world records were broken at the 2008 Olympics and various factors contributed to that.

 
The now-banned drag-reducing high-tech suits, with Phelps using Speedo&#39;s LZR bodysuit to win eight golds, were a huge factor, but the pool was also wider and significantly deeper than the one used in Athens in 2004.&nbsp;Unlike Athens, it was also indoors.

That uniform three metre depth, now recommended by world body FINA and considered the norm since Beijing, makes the water more buoyant and less turbulent.&nbsp;The temperature of the water,&nbsp;all 3.7 million litres of it,&nbsp;is kept between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. Too warm, and the body can over-relax, Too cold, and muscles may tighten.

 
The Rio Aquatics Stadium, a temporary structure, has had 15,000 strategically positioned holes drilled into it as part of a natural ventilation system.&nbsp;The lighting, the crowd, the acoustics also all help create an atmosphere that crackles with anticipation and plays into the mental side. In Rio, the front-row seats will be just 10 metres from the action.

British swimmer Adam Peaty, who set a 100 metres breaststroke world record of 57.92 seconds in London last year, said the psychological factor of swimmers going fast because they know the pool is state-of-the-art was not to be underestimated.

&quot;It&#39;s more of an idea than a thing; The idea of performing at an Olympics and being one of the best in the world, and that pool is the idea,&quot; Peaty said after this year&#39;s European championships.&nbsp;&quot;It sounds very metaphorical, but every time I see that (London) pool I just want to be the best in the world.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Rio's new 50-metre Olympic pool, where records may be set as dreams and duels play out, should stand out like a gleaming Ferrari

To those who dip into swimming only when the Olympic Games come around, it may seem odd to hear a pool described as 'fast' when it looks much like any other large rectangle filled with water. And while coaches hammer into their young charges that fast swimmers make fast pools, like swimmers, some pools are faster than others, and even Michael Phelps goes quicker with the application of science. In 2013, after British swimmers had flopped at the London Games and that year's world championships, head coach Bill Furniss suggested Sheffield's Ponds Forge Olympic standard pool was hampering their development because it was too fast. Cue jokey headlines suggesting swimmers were training in the "wrong kind of water" - an echo of the "wrong kind of snow/rain/sunshine" excuses familiar to downtrodden commuters when Britain's weather halts the trains. At the international level, however, the biggest waves are the ones given by the swimmers to the crowd as they climb out. Rio's new 50-metre Olympic pool, where records may be set as dreams and duels play out, should stand out like a gleaming Ferrari among functional family runabouts. The technology in such a pool, from energy-absorbing lane dividers and wave-swallowing drainage to the depth and temperature, is all designed to help the world's best swimmers go faster than ever. "Years and years ago, when pools had gutters on the side and walls, if you were on the outside lane then the waves were splashing back and hitting you," Britain's 4x100 mixed medley world gold medallist Chris Walker-Hebborn told Reuters at an Adidas event. "That was what I perceived as a slow pool back then. Everything we race in now, it (the water) runs off the edge into a drain so you are at no more disadvantage being in lane eight than you are in lane four, other than not being in the middle of the race." Beijing's 'Water Cube' was dubbed the fastest pool in the world, when 25 world records were broken at the 2008 Olympics and various factors contributed to that. The now-banned drag-reducing high-tech suits, with Phelps using Speedo's LZR bodysuit to win eight golds, were a huge factor, but the pool was also wider and significantly deeper than the one used in Athens in 2004. Unlike Athens, it was also indoors. That uniform three metre depth, now recommended by world body FINA and considered the norm since Beijing, makes the water more buoyant and less turbulent. The temperature of the water, all 3.7 million litres of it, is kept between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. Too warm, and the body can over-relax, Too cold, and muscles may tighten. The Rio Aquatics Stadium, a temporary structure, has had 15,000 strategically positioned holes drilled into it as part of a natural ventilation system. The lighting, the crowd, the acoustics also all help create an atmosphere that crackles with anticipation and plays into the mental side. In Rio, the front-row seats will be just 10 metres from the action. British swimmer Adam Peaty, who set a 100 metres breaststroke world record of 57.92 seconds in London last year, said the psychological factor of swimmers going fast because they know the pool is state-of-the-art was not to be underestimated. "It's more of an idea than a thing; The idea of performing at an Olympics and being one of the best in the world, and that pool is the idea," Peaty said after this year's European championships. "It sounds very metaphorical, but every time I see that (London) pool I just want to be the best in the world." (Reuters)

Technology in pools makes Olympic athletes swim faster

Top-seeded Venus Williams booked her semi-final berth at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California, on Friday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 17-year-old wild card CiCi Bellis. 
 
Ranked seventh in the world, the 36-year-old Williams needed only an hour to get past the 203rd-ranked Bellis in an all-American clash. 
 
Williams, who captured the most recent of her 49 singles titles in February in Taiwan, next faces another American, Alison Riske, who was leading 6-3, 0-1 when fourth-seeded Coco Vandeweghe retired from their quarter-final with a right ankle injury.&nbsp;Vandeweghe left the court in a wheelchair, pressing an ice pack to her ankle. 
 
Bellis, playing in her first WTA quarter-final was buoyed by an early service break.&nbsp;But former world number one Williams quickly regained the break and broke again with a backhand winner down the line to secure the opening set.&nbsp;It was all Williams in the second set as she moved a step closer to a third Stanford title to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002. 
 
The other semi-final will pit second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia against third-seeded Johanna Konta of Britain.&nbsp;Cibulkova won 11 straight games after trailing 2-5 in the opening set en route to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Japanese fifth seed Misaki Doi.&nbsp;Konta defeated China`s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. 
 
Cibulkova`s victory ensures she will return to the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in more than 18 months.&nbsp;Her 2016 campaign has included two titles and a run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. 
 
&quot;Today was really, really tough. She was playing fast from the first ball, but once I found out what I needed to do to win I was doing the right thing all the way through the match,&quot; said Cibulkova, who won the Stanford title three years ago. &nbsp;&quot;I know the court, I know the balls, I know what I have to do to go all the way here,&quot; she said. 
 
(AFP)

Williams moved a step closer to a third Stanford title, to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002

Top-seeded Venus Williams booked her semi-final berth at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California, on Friday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 17-year-old wild card CiCi Bellis. Ranked seventh in the world, the 36-year-old Williams needed only an hour to get past the 203rd-ranked Bellis in an all-American clash. Williams, who captured the most recent of her 49 singles titles in February in Taiwan, next faces another American, Alison Riske, who was leading 6-3, 0-1 when fourth-seeded Coco Vandeweghe retired from their quarter-final with a right ankle injury. Vandeweghe left the court in a wheelchair, pressing an ice pack to her ankle. Bellis, playing in her first WTA quarter-final was buoyed by an early service break. But former world number one Williams quickly regained the break and broke again with a backhand winner down the line to secure the opening set. It was all Williams in the second set as she moved a step closer to a third Stanford title to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002. The other semi-final will pit second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia against third-seeded Johanna Konta of Britain. Cibulkova won 11 straight games after trailing 2-5 in the opening set en route to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Japanese fifth seed Misaki Doi. Konta defeated China`s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Cibulkova`s victory ensures she will return to the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in more than 18 months. Her 2016 campaign has included two titles and a run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. "Today was really, really tough. She was playing fast from the first ball, but once I found out what I needed to do to win I was doing the right thing all the way through the match," said Cibulkova, who won the Stanford title three years ago. "I know the court, I know the balls, I know what I have to do to go all the way here," she said. (AFP)

Venus Williams beats CiCi Bellis, books Stanford semi-final

Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has signed a new contract that will keep him at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until the end of the 2018 season, the team said today. 
 
The team tweeted video of the 31-year-old German, runner up to Briton Hamilton in the championship for the last two years, signing the contract to race for the team in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. 
 
&quot;We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons,&quot; Mercedes later confirmed in a statement. 
 
&quot;Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team&#39;s success in that time.&quot; 
 
Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grand prix for the team, including five this year. He has helped Mercedes to the manufacturers title for the last two seasons.&nbsp;Three-times Formula One champion Hamilton signed a three-year deal with the team through to the end of the 2018 season in May last year.&nbsp;Rosberg holds a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers standings heading into this weekend&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix, down from an imposing 43 points in May. 
 
The pair have exasperated team bosses with their on-track rivalry at times this season, particularly after they collided on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with the result that Rosberg finished fourth in a damaged car.&nbsp;The team said before the British Grand Prix earlier this month, however, that they would not impose &quot;team orders&quot; on their drivers. 
 
(Reuters)

Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grands prix for the team, including five this year

Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has signed a new contract that will keep him at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until the end of the 2018 season, the team said today. The team tweeted video of the 31-year-old German, runner up to Briton Hamilton in the championship for the last two years, signing the contract to race for the team in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. "We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons," Mercedes later confirmed in a statement. "Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team's success in that time." Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grand prix for the team, including five this year. He has helped Mercedes to the manufacturers title for the last two seasons. Three-times Formula One champion Hamilton signed a three-year deal with the team through to the end of the 2018 season in May last year. Rosberg holds a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers standings heading into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, down from an imposing 43 points in May. The pair have exasperated team bosses with their on-track rivalry at times this season, particularly after they collided on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with the result that Rosberg finished fourth in a damaged car. The team said before the British Grand Prix earlier this month, however, that they would not impose "team orders" on their drivers. (Reuters)

Nico Rosberg signs deal to stay at Mercedes until 2018

World number two Dustin Johnson eagled the final hole to earn a share of the lead with fellow American Luke List after the first round at the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday. 
 
Johnson sank a 12-foot putt at the par-five 18th to cap a roller-coaster afternoon round that also included seven birdies, a bogey and double-bogey at sun-baked Glen Abbey Golf Club outside Toronto.&nbsp;Defending champion Jason Day was also rewarded for his aggressive approach with a 69.&nbsp;Day used his driver liberally and collected four birdies, along with a chip-in eagle. 
 
Leaders Johnson and List headed fellow Americans Kelly Kraft and Chesson Hadley, Spain&#39;s Jon Rahm and Canadian amateur Jared du Toit by one shot.&nbsp;List, ranked 309th in the world, compiled his six birdies with a minimum of fuss, picking up a stroke at each of the four par-five holes.&nbsp; 
 
Du Toit, meanwhile, found himself in lofty company after a round that included an unlikely eagle from 154 yards from a fairway bunker at the par-four 17th.&nbsp;The 21-year-old from British Columbia is currently a college golfer at Arizona State, and would be the first Canadian to win his national open since 1954. 
 
(Reuters)

Defending champion Jason Day was also rewarded for his aggressive approach with a 69

World number two Dustin Johnson eagled the final hole to earn a share of the lead with fellow American Luke List after the first round at the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday. Johnson sank a 12-foot putt at the par-five 18th to cap a roller-coaster afternoon round that also included seven birdies, a bogey and double-bogey at sun-baked Glen Abbey Golf Club outside Toronto. Defending champion Jason Day was also rewarded for his aggressive approach with a 69. Day used his driver liberally and collected four birdies, along with a chip-in eagle. Leaders Johnson and List headed fellow Americans Kelly Kraft and Chesson Hadley, Spain's Jon Rahm and Canadian amateur Jared du Toit by one shot. List, ranked 309th in the world, compiled his six birdies with a minimum of fuss, picking up a stroke at each of the four par-five holes. Du Toit, meanwhile, found himself in lofty company after a round that included an unlikely eagle from 154 yards from a fairway bunker at the par-four 17th. The 21-year-old from British Columbia is currently a college golfer at Arizona State, and would be the first Canadian to win his national open since 1954. (Reuters)

Dustin Johnson fires opening round 66 to share lead in Canadian Open

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One&#39;s decision to tighten radio rules, saying that drivers and teams should be free to say whatever they want to each other during a race. 
 
&quot;All the radio issues we&#39;ve had, I think it&#39;s a joke,&quot; the Ferrari driver told reporters on Thursday during preparations for this weekend&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix. 
 
The governing International Automobile Federation&#39;s (FIA) Formula One race director Charlie Whiting issued a &quot;technical directive&quot; to teams on Wednesday to clarify what they are allowed to tell their drivers over the radio. 
 
According to the document, seen by Reuters, teams can inform a driver about concerns with their vehicle but &quot;any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car&quot;. 
 
The fresh directive also underlined that the radio restrictions will not apply if a car is in the pitlane, whereas earlier they kicked in as soon as the vehicle left the garage. 
 
The clarification came after Nico Rosberg, who had help from Mercedes in getting around gearbox gremlins at this month&#39;s British Grand Prix, was found to be in breach of the rule barring teams from giving drivers assistance over the radio. 
 
A week earlier Force India&#39;s Sergio Perez crashed out on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with brake problems because the team felt the rules prevented them from informing the Mexican of the issue. 
 
German Vettel, 29, said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go, given the technological complexity of modern-day cars, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a big manual and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it,&quot; the four-times world champion said. 
 
Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, brushed off the change, saying it &quot;doesn&rsquo;t make any difference to me&quot; while team-mate Rosberg said he did not have an opinion on it. 
 
(Reuters)

Sebastian Vettel said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go and called for the restrictions to be lifted

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One's decision to tighten radio rules, saying that drivers and teams should be free to say whatever they want to each other during a race. "All the radio issues we've had, I think it's a joke," the Ferrari driver told reporters on Thursday during preparations for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. The governing International Automobile Federation's (FIA) Formula One race director Charlie Whiting issued a "technical directive" to teams on Wednesday to clarify what they are allowed to tell their drivers over the radio. According to the document, seen by Reuters, teams can inform a driver about concerns with their vehicle but "any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car". The fresh directive also underlined that the radio restrictions will not apply if a car is in the pitlane, whereas earlier they kicked in as soon as the vehicle left the garage. The clarification came after Nico Rosberg, who had help from Mercedes in getting around gearbox gremlins at this month's British Grand Prix, was found to be in breach of the rule barring teams from giving drivers assistance over the radio. A week earlier Force India's Sergio Perez crashed out on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with brake problems because the team felt the rules prevented them from informing the Mexican of the issue. German Vettel, 29, said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go, given the technological complexity of modern-day cars, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. "It's not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a big manual and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it," the four-times world champion said. Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, brushed off the change, saying it "doesn’t make any difference to me" while team-mate Rosberg said he did not have an opinion on it. (Reuters)

Vettel slams radio rules as 'joke'

Zimbabwe have appointed Graeme Cremer as captain of a 16-man squad named on Thursday for the two-test series against New Zealand starting next week. 
 
The 29-year-old spinner replaces Brendan Taylor in the role for Zimbabwe&rsquo;s first test since they lost three matches in Bangladesh in late 2014. 
 
Four uncapped players &ndash; Chamu Chibhabha, Prince Masvaure, Peter Moor and Taurai Muzarabani were selected in the squad for the matches in Bulawayo. 
 
The first test begins next Thursday and the second on Aug. 6. 
 
It will be the first test at the Queens Sports Club in almost five years since New Zealand won a one-off match there by 34 runs in November 2011. 
 
New Zealand play Zimbabwe A in a three-day practice match at the Harare Sports Club on Friday before flying to Bulawayo. 
 
Squad 
 
Graeme Cremer (captain), Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Hamilton Masakadza, Prince Masvaure, Peter Moor, Richmond Mutumbami, Taurai Muzarabani, Njabulo Ncube, Donald Tiripano, Sean Williams. 
 
(Reuters)

The 29-year-old spinner replaces Brendan Taylor in the role for Zimbabwe?s first test since they lost three matches in Bangladesh in 2014

Zimbabwe have appointed Graeme Cremer as captain of a 16-man squad named on Thursday for the two-test series against New Zealand starting next week. The 29-year-old spinner replaces Brendan Taylor in the role for Zimbabwe’s first test since they lost three matches in Bangladesh in late 2014. Four uncapped players – Chamu Chibhabha, Prince Masvaure, Peter Moor and Taurai Muzarabani were selected in the squad for the matches in Bulawayo. The first test begins next Thursday and the second on Aug. 6. It will be the first test at the Queens Sports Club in almost five years since New Zealand won a one-off match there by 34 runs in November 2011. New Zealand play Zimbabwe A in a three-day practice match at the Harare Sports Club on Friday before flying to Bulawayo. Squad Graeme Cremer (captain), Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Hamilton Masakadza, Prince Masvaure, Peter Moor, Richmond Mutumbami, Taurai Muzarabani, Njabulo Ncube, Donald Tiripano, Sean Williams. (Reuters)

Cremer named Zimbabwe captain for test return

West Indies vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite has admitted that his side will face an uphill task against overwhelming favourites India and insisted that the hosts will need to produce an all-round performance to begin the four-match series on a winning note. 
 
The 23-year-old opener observed that his side&#39;s batsmen need to be perseverant on sluggish surfaces while bowlers need to be disciplined in terms of line and length to maintain stranglehold over the Virat Kohli-led side in the opening Test starting at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground today. 
 
&quot;I think the main thing with these pitches in the Caribbean is patience and I think once we carry that both facing their pacers and spinners we will make some big targets. You know it`s important for that first innings total,&quot; Brathwaite was quoted as saying by the WICB website. 
 
&quot;Will need that 300 and above and once we do that we put ourselves in a good position to go forward in the game positively. Looking at their batting again it`s not going to be easy but we are accustomed to these conditions so we know once we get our lengths right and we bowl to some specific field. We will be good,&quot; he said. 
 
Brathwaite, however, said he was satisfied with the performance of bowlers and batsmen during the camp session in Barbados last weekend. 
 
He said, &quot;The bowlers got some good spells and the batsmen got some good spells from the bowlers and the assistant bowlers that came and help. Also I think the guys are looking well coming from that camp. I think we are ready for this series&#39;&#39;. 
 
The opener also stated his primary motive will be to provide a solid foundation for his side so that middle order batsmen can capitalise on it to post big totals. 
 
(ANI)

The opener stated his primary motive will be to provide a solid foundation for his side so that middle order batsmen can capitalise on it

West Indies vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite has admitted that his side will face an uphill task against overwhelming favourites India and insisted that the hosts will need to produce an all-round performance to begin the four-match series on a winning note. The 23-year-old opener observed that his side's batsmen need to be perseverant on sluggish surfaces while bowlers need to be disciplined in terms of line and length to maintain stranglehold over the Virat Kohli-led side in the opening Test starting at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground today. "I think the main thing with these pitches in the Caribbean is patience and I think once we carry that both facing their pacers and spinners we will make some big targets. You know it`s important for that first innings total," Brathwaite was quoted as saying by the WICB website. "Will need that 300 and above and once we do that we put ourselves in a good position to go forward in the game positively. Looking at their batting again it`s not going to be easy but we are accustomed to these conditions so we know once we get our lengths right and we bowl to some specific field. We will be good," he said. Brathwaite, however, said he was satisfied with the performance of bowlers and batsmen during the camp session in Barbados last weekend. He said, "The bowlers got some good spells and the batsmen got some good spells from the bowlers and the assistant bowlers that came and help. Also I think the guys are looking well coming from that camp. I think we are ready for this series''. The opener also stated his primary motive will be to provide a solid foundation for his side so that middle order batsmen can capitalise on it to post big totals. (ANI)

It's not going to be easy against India, says West Indies Vice-Captain Brathwaite

Roger Federer will kick off his 20th season as a professional at the Hopman Cup next year, returning to the international team tournament in Perth for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2002. 
 
The 34-year-old Swiss will be partnered at the Perth Arena from Jan. 1-7 by compatriot Belinda Bencic, who was a year old when Federer turned professional in July, 1998. 
 
&quot;I do remember it was a good preparation way back when so I thought it would be nice to do it again,&quot; the 17-times grand slam champion, a Hopman Cup winner with Martina Hingis in 2001, said in a video release. 
 
&quot;I can&#39;t wait to come back because I think it will be the perfect way to start the new season.&quot; 
 
Federer and the then Miroslava Vavrinec lost two of their three group matches at the 2002 Hopman Cup, which was won by Tommy Robredo and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario for Spain. 
 
Earlier this year, Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova teamed up to give Australia their first Hopman Cup triumph since 1999. 
 
(Reuters)

Roger Federer returns to the international team tournament in Perth for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2000

Roger Federer will kick off his 20th season as a professional at the Hopman Cup next year, returning to the international team tournament in Perth for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2002. The 34-year-old Swiss will be partnered at the Perth Arena from Jan. 1-7 by compatriot Belinda Bencic, who was a year old when Federer turned professional in July, 1998. "I do remember it was a good preparation way back when so I thought it would be nice to do it again," the 17-times grand slam champion, a Hopman Cup winner with Martina Hingis in 2001, said in a video release. "I can't wait to come back because I think it will be the perfect way to start the new season." Federer and the then Miroslava Vavrinec lost two of their three group matches at the 2002 Hopman Cup, which was won by Tommy Robredo and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario for Spain. Earlier this year, Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova teamed up to give Australia their first Hopman Cup triumph since 1999. (Reuters)

Federer to open 20th pro season at Hopman Cup

The top seed at the Citi Open in Washington, US player John Isner, produced a dominating display against Australia&#39;s James Duckworth, winning his second round match 6-3, 6-4.&nbsp;The 31 year-old Isner hit 14 aces and lost just three points on his first serve, beating his 24-year-old opponent in just over an hour.&nbsp;Isner has made it through to the final of the Citi Open three times, and will be looking to go seven consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP World Tour title. 
 
France&#39;s Gael Monfils, who made it through the Washington final in 2011, defeated Taiwan&#39;s Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2.&nbsp;It was a strong showing from Monfils, who has barely played over the last two months due to a virus, making 10 aces and did not face a break point.&nbsp;He now goes on to face Croatia&#39;s Borna Coric. 
 
Australian third seed Bernard Tomic beat US player Donald Young 7-6(4), 6-3.&nbsp;He won the game in just under an hour and half, and now goes on to face Ivo Karlovic in the third round.&nbsp;In a match between two young up-and-coming talents, Germany&#39;s 19-year-old Alexander Zverev defeated Taylor Fritz, winning 6-4, 6-2. 
 
(Reuters)

John Isner has made it through the the Citi Open final three times, and looks to go seven consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP title

The top seed at the Citi Open in Washington, US player John Isner, produced a dominating display against Australia's James Duckworth, winning his second round match 6-3, 6-4. The 31 year-old Isner hit 14 aces and lost just three points on his first serve, beating his 24-year-old opponent in just over an hour. Isner has made it through to the final of the Citi Open three times, and will be looking to go seven consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP World Tour title. France's Gael Monfils, who made it through the Washington final in 2011, defeated Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2. It was a strong showing from Monfils, who has barely played over the last two months due to a virus, making 10 aces and did not face a break point. He now goes on to face Croatia's Borna Coric. Australian third seed Bernard Tomic beat US player Donald Young 7-6(4), 6-3. He won the game in just under an hour and half, and now goes on to face Ivo Karlovic in the third round. In a match between two young up-and-coming talents, Germany's 19-year-old Alexander Zverev defeated Taylor Fritz, winning 6-4, 6-2. (Reuters)

Isner, Monfils win at ATP Washington Open

Soccer&#39;s world ruling body FIFA has promised &quot;appropriate steps&quot; after a report on Monday said a dozen positive doping cases in Russian football were among hundreds covered up by Moscow. 
 
However, FIFA did not comment directly on allegations in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who sits on its supervisory FIFA Council, had ordered the cover-up in the cases of the footballers. 
 
The independent WADA report, which followed an investigation led by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, concentrated on allegations of systematic doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 
 
It said that Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping cases from a variety of sports, including soccer, in the run-up to the games. 
 
&quot;FIFA will request from WADA all details concerning the individual cases of doping in Russian football that are referred in the McClaren report,&quot; FIFA said in a statement to Reuters. 
 
&quot;Once FIFA receives this information from WADA, it will take the appropriate next steps.&quot; 
 
The report said that Russian Deputy Sports Minister Yuri Nagornykh had decided which athletes would benefit from a cover-up, known as a SAVE order, although Mutko appeared to make the decision with regard to footballers. 
 
&quot;The (chief investigator) is aware of at least one foreign footballer playing in the Russian League who had that benefit of a SAVE order,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;That SAVE decision was made by Minister Mutko and not Deputy Minister Nagornykh.&quot; 
 
Eleven Russian footballers also benefited from a cover-up after failing a doping test, the report said. 
 
&quot;Email evidence available... shows that the SAVE decision for the football players was the final decision of &#39;VL&#39;. VL is the first name and patronymic name initials of the Minister of Sport, Vitaly Leontiyevich Mutko.&quot; 
 
Mutko, president of the organising committee for the 2018 World Cup which will be hosted by Russia, has not commented since the release of the McLaren report. 
 
However, when the same allegations were made in June by German broadcaster ARD/WDR, he described them as &quot;silly&quot; and said that he and Russia were being smeared as payback for winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup. 
 
Asked bout Mutko&#39;s situation, FIFA said &quot;the Ethics Committee is an independent body of FIFA and only it can decide what actions to take in respect to this issue.&quot; 
 
The ethics committee could not immediately be reached for comment. 
 
(Reuters)

The report said a dozen doping cases in Russian football were among hundreds covered up by Moscow

Soccer's world ruling body FIFA has promised "appropriate steps" after a report on Monday said a dozen positive doping cases in Russian football were among hundreds covered up by Moscow. However, FIFA did not comment directly on allegations in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who sits on its supervisory FIFA Council, had ordered the cover-up in the cases of the footballers. The independent WADA report, which followed an investigation led by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, concentrated on allegations of systematic doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. It said that Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping cases from a variety of sports, including soccer, in the run-up to the games. "FIFA will request from WADA all details concerning the individual cases of doping in Russian football that are referred in the McClaren report," FIFA said in a statement to Reuters. "Once FIFA receives this information from WADA, it will take the appropriate next steps." The report said that Russian Deputy Sports Minister Yuri Nagornykh had decided which athletes would benefit from a cover-up, known as a SAVE order, although Mutko appeared to make the decision with regard to footballers. "The (chief investigator) is aware of at least one foreign footballer playing in the Russian League who had that benefit of a SAVE order," it said. "That SAVE decision was made by Minister Mutko and not Deputy Minister Nagornykh." Eleven Russian footballers also benefited from a cover-up after failing a doping test, the report said. "Email evidence available... shows that the SAVE decision for the football players was the final decision of 'VL'. VL is the first name and patronymic name initials of the Minister of Sport, Vitaly Leontiyevich Mutko." Mutko, president of the organising committee for the 2018 World Cup which will be hosted by Russia, has not commented since the release of the McLaren report. However, when the same allegations were made in June by German broadcaster ARD/WDR, he described them as "silly" and said that he and Russia were being smeared as payback for winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Asked bout Mutko's situation, FIFA said "the Ethics Committee is an independent body of FIFA and only it can decide what actions to take in respect to this issue." The ethics committee could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reuters)

FIFA promises 'appropriate steps' after WADA report on doping in Russia

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday gave a rousing send-off to the Rio-bound contingent at an event in New Delhi. 
 
The show was attended by several dignitaries including IOA President Narayana Ramachandran, Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel. 
 
Goodwill ambassadors for Rio, Indian actor Salman Khan and musician AR Rahman, were also present. 
 
The event marked the unveiling of the official Olympics kit of Team India. 
 
Officials interacted with the Rio-bound athletes and wished them luck in their endeavour. 
 
&quot;The fact that 121 athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, nearly one-third more than what was qualified for the last Olympic Games, that itself is a clear indication that Indian athletes have started to perform and they will perform well,&quot; said Ramachandran. 
 
Also part of the send-off was Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years. She expressed hope of bagging a medal at the mega event. 
 
&quot;Preparations are going very well. Before the qualifiers, our preparation was strong and now my target is to replicate the performance which I have been doing and learnt here,&quot; said Karmakar. 
 
The Indian contingent for Rio is the country&#39;s biggest ever for any Olympic games. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent to the 2012 Olympics in London. 
 
The Summer Olympics this year will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. 
 
(Reuters) 
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121 athletes have qualified for Rio 2016, nearly a third more than the number that qualified for the last Games

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday gave a rousing send-off to the Rio-bound contingent at an event in New Delhi. The show was attended by several dignitaries including IOA President Narayana Ramachandran, Secretary General Rajeev Mehta and Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel. Goodwill ambassadors for Rio, Indian actor Salman Khan and musician AR Rahman, were also present. The event marked the unveiling of the official Olympics kit of Team India. Officials interacted with the Rio-bound athletes and wished them luck in their endeavour. "The fact that 121 athletes have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, nearly one-third more than what was qualified for the last Olympic Games, that itself is a clear indication that Indian athletes have started to perform and they will perform well," said Ramachandran. Also part of the send-off was Dipa Karmakar, the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years. She expressed hope of bagging a medal at the mega event. "Preparations are going very well. Before the qualifiers, our preparation was strong and now my target is to replicate the performance which I have been doing and learnt here," said Karmakar. The Indian contingent for Rio is the country's biggest ever for any Olympic games. The previous highest was 83 that the country sent to the 2012 Olympics in London. The Summer Olympics this year will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. (Reuters)

India?s Rio contingent given rousing send-off in Delhi

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc was sued on Monday by Jimmy &quot;Superfly&quot; Snuka and dozens of other retired male and female wrestlers seeking to hold it responsible for neurological injuries that they claim they suffer from because of having participated in its bouts. 
 
The complaint was filed on behalf of more than 50 plaintiffs who have performed with WWE or its predecessors since the 1970s, including Joseph &quot;Road Warrior Animal&quot; Laurinaitis and Paul &quot;Mr Wonderful&quot; Orndorff. 
 
It accused Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE and Chairman Vince McMahon of intentionally classifying wrestlers as &quot;independent contractors&quot; rather than employees, as a means to avoid liability under applicable worker protection laws. 
 
&quot;WWE placed corporate gain over its wrestlers&#39; health, safety, and financial security, choosing to leave the plaintiffs severely injured and with no recourse to treat their damaged minds and bodies,&quot; the complaint said. 
 
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as improved medical monitoring. 
 
WWE, in a statement, called the lawsuit another attempt to hold it liable by a lawyer who had two earlier lawsuits dismissed and added that &quot;we&#39;re confident this lawsuit will suffer the same fate&quot;. 
 
WWE has won the dismissal of some claims in other lawsuits accusing it of hiding the risks of head trauma from wrestling. 
 
The National Football League and National Hockey League have also been sued by retired players over head injuries. 
 
Monday&#39;s complaint was filed with the federal court in New Haven, Connecticut. 
 
The plaintiffs accused WWE of concealing the risks of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other traumatic brain injuries attributable to wrestling, including through &quot;scripted&quot; moves it choreographed. 
 
Konstantine Kyros, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in an email said WWE&#39;s &quot;exploitative business model&quot; kept his clients from learning their rights under laws such as the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act. 
 
According to the complaint, Laurinaitis, 55; Snuka, 72; and Orndorff, 66, suffer from cognitive difficulties including headaches, dizziness and memory loss, while Snuka and Orndorff also experience confusion, depression and mood swings. 
 
The plaintiffs also include former referees and identical twins Earl and Dave Hebner, 66, who according the complaint have experienced cognitive difficulties. Dave Hebner has also been diagnosed with Parkinson&#39;s disease, the complaint said. 
 
(Reuters)

The complaint accuses WWE of intentionally classifying them as 'independent contractors' rather than employees to avoid liability

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc was sued on Monday by Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and dozens of other retired male and female wrestlers seeking to hold it responsible for neurological injuries that they claim they suffer from because of having participated in its bouts. The complaint was filed on behalf of more than 50 plaintiffs who have performed with WWE or its predecessors since the 1970s, including Joseph "Road Warrior Animal" Laurinaitis and Paul "Mr Wonderful" Orndorff. It accused Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE and Chairman Vince McMahon of intentionally classifying wrestlers as "independent contractors" rather than employees, as a means to avoid liability under applicable worker protection laws. "WWE placed corporate gain over its wrestlers' health, safety, and financial security, choosing to leave the plaintiffs severely injured and with no recourse to treat their damaged minds and bodies," the complaint said. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as improved medical monitoring. WWE, in a statement, called the lawsuit another attempt to hold it liable by a lawyer who had two earlier lawsuits dismissed and added that "we're confident this lawsuit will suffer the same fate". WWE has won the dismissal of some claims in other lawsuits accusing it of hiding the risks of head trauma from wrestling. The National Football League and National Hockey League have also been sued by retired players over head injuries. Monday's complaint was filed with the federal court in New Haven, Connecticut. The plaintiffs accused WWE of concealing the risks of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other traumatic brain injuries attributable to wrestling, including through "scripted" moves it choreographed. Konstantine Kyros, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, in an email said WWE's "exploitative business model" kept his clients from learning their rights under laws such as the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act. According to the complaint, Laurinaitis, 55; Snuka, 72; and Orndorff, 66, suffer from cognitive difficulties including headaches, dizziness and memory loss, while Snuka and Orndorff also experience confusion, depression and mood swings. The plaintiffs also include former referees and identical twins Earl and Dave Hebner, 66, who according the complaint have experienced cognitive difficulties. Dave Hebner has also been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the complaint said. (Reuters)

WWE sued by more than 50 retired wrestlers over neurological injuries

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