■Cricket
South Africa cruises to win
Captain Graeme Smith and Jacques Rudolph hit half centuries and shared a match-winning 137-run stand as South Africa beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in a one-day international on Thursday.
South Africa recovered from eight runs for two wickets in the fourth over to score 174 for three and win with 14.4 overs to spare. Zimbabwe, which has lost seven straight to its African neighbor and 15 of 18, earlier struggled to score 173 for eight after choosing to bat first. The match, played in Southampton, England, meant little for both teams, with South Africa already scheduled to meet England in the tri-series final today.
■ Tennis
Moya, Bjorkman advance
Defending champion Carlos Moya and Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jonas Bjorkman won on Thursday to set up a highly anticipated last-eight matchup in the Swedish Open. Second-seeded Tommy Robredo also won to set up a quarterfinal yesterday with Italy's Filippo Volandri. Moya swept aside teenager Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-4, but should have a tougher match against Bjorkman, who used his home fans to rout Spain's David Ferrer 6-2, 6-1 in one of his best performances on clay in his 12-year career. "I've never been in better shape ... it's so fun to play before a home crowd," said Bjorkman, who won his second Wimbledon doubles championship last weekend.
■ Tennis
Federer reaches quarters
Wimbledon champion Roger Federer stormed into the Swiss Open quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Frenchman Jean-Rene Lisnard on Thursday. The top seed and home favorite, who had never made it beyond the second round in Gstaad, disposed of Lisnard decisively in front of a sell-out 6,000 crowd. Federer will next face Spaniard David Sanchez who knocked out defending champion and seventh seed Alex Corretja.
■ Basketball
Bryant's fate in the balance
A decision on whether to charge Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman will not be announced until next week, a prosecutor's spokeswoman said on Thursday. Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert did not return a phone call, but a statement from his office said he was awaiting more information before making his decision. Bryant, 24, a five-time NBA All-Star, is accused of attacking the woman at a resort on June 30. Officials at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, which is near Vail, say Bryant was a guest there June 30 to July 2. Bryant's attorney has said his client, who was in Colorado for knee surgery at a Vail clinic, is innocent.
■ Soccer
Toefting heads to China
Former Danish international Stig Toefting has signed on to play for one of China's top soccer clubs, a team official said yesterday. Toefting signed the contract with the Tianjin Taida Football Club on Thursday, assistant manager Liu Da said. He refused to give any details. The Tianjin Taida, based in the eastern port city of Tianjin, is part of China's division one soccer league, which comprises the country's 14 best teams. Known for his temperament and the words "No Regret" tattooed across his chest, Toefting joined the Danish squad in 1993. He retired from the team after it was knocked out in the second round of last year's World Cup.
■Golf
Sorenstam pulls out
Annika Sorenstam played six holes then withdrew from the Canadian Women's Open. Sorenstam, the LPGA's top money-winner, has been bothered by a cold since last week's US Open. She teed off at 12:30pm, and was 1-over par through six holes. She walked off the course Thursday after hitting her second shot on the par-4 7th into a greenside bunker. "I'm feeling bad for the fans and the tournament, but my whole body feels ill," Sorenstam said in a statement before leaving Point Grey Golf and Country Club. Sorenstam said she was worn out from both the US Open and the attention she has received since playing in the Colonial on the PGA Tour in May.
■ Boxing
Morales eyes Espades
Once-beaten Erik Morales will fight Guty Espadas in a rematch to headline an October boxing card at Los Angeles' Staples Arena. Morales, the WBC featherweight champion from Mexico, will face countryman Espadas in a WBC 12-round super featherweight elimination bout. Morales beat Espadas two years ago on a close decision by outpunching him in the late rounds of their WBC title fight. Morales is 44-1, with 33 knockouts. Espadas is 37-5, with 23 knockouts. Three other champions are slated for separate bouts on the Oct. 4 card, but only one of those -- IBF junior lightweight champ Carlos Hernandez -- has an opponent lined up. Hernandez will defend his title against Steve Forbes in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds. IBF bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez and WBC light flyweight champion Jorge Arce also are scheduled for the card, with their opponents yet to be decided.
Agencies
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
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