■RUGBY UNION
Fourie, Cooper suspended
South Africa center Jaque Fourie was suspended for four weeks yesterday after being cited for a dangerous tackle during the Tri-Nations Test match between Australia and South Africa. Earlier yesterday, Australia playmaker Quade Cooper was banned for two matches for a spear tackle in the same match won 30-13 by Australia on Saturday. Fourie was the third Springbok in three weeks to be suspended and added to a miserable three-game trip for South Africa, who previously lost twice in New Zealand. Lock Bakkies Botha was banned for nine weeks for headbutting New Zealand halfback Jimmy Cowan, ruling him out of the remainder of rugby’s Tri-Nations tournament, while winger Jean de Villiers was suspended for two weeks for a dangerous tackle on Rene Ranger. Fourie’s ban, which will end on Aug. 22, will include two domestic Currie Cup matches plus a Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand on Aug. 21 in Johannesburg. Fourie was suspended last year for a similar offense. Cooper will miss Saturday’s match against New Zealand in Melbourne and the Aug. 7 Bledisloe Cup Test in Christchurch.
■TENNIS
Murray made top seed in LA
British world No. 4 Andy Murray has been made the top seed for next week’s Los Angeles Open after the late withdrawal of second-ranked Novak Djokovic. Serbian Djokovic pulled out of the ATP Tour event late on Friday night, citing personal reasons, organizers said. Czech Radek Stepanek, the 2007 champion, also withdrew on Friday because of a knee injury. “It’s certainly disappointing to lose players like Novak and Radek,” tournament director Bob Kramer said in a statement. “We were looking forward to Novak making his debut in LA, but we’re very fortunate that Andy Murray, another top-five player, will be able to join us.” Murray, who has been given a wild-card entry, will be making his first appearance at the event held at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Big-serving Sam Querrey of the US, who won last year’s title, has been seeded second, with Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis third and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez fourth.
■BASEBALL
Sheets strains right elbow
The Oakland Athletics placed starting pitcher Ben Sheets on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a strained right elbow. Sheets missed the entire season last year after having surgery on his right elbow. “Its been up and down, but for the past two games its been telling me something and its swelled up pretty good both times,” Sheets told reporters. Sheets, who had lasted six or more innings in his past 14 starts, was 4-9 with a 4.53 ERA in 20 starts this season. Oakland recalled left-handed reliever Cedrick Bowers to take his spot on the roster.
■SOFTBALL
US thrash Japan 8-0
Jessica Mendoza doubled twice and drove in four runs as the US beat Japan 8-0 on Saturday in the World Cup of Softball. Monica Abbott threw a one-hitter for the US, who are yet to allow a run or even an extra-base hit in four straight victories at the World Cup, yielding only nine singles in 26 innings. Kaitlin Cochran homered for the third time in as many days to end the game after six innings because of the mercy rule. Japan (2-2) have been the US’ top rivals in recent years, beating the US in the final at the 2008 Olympics.
■ENGLAND
Surgery sidelines Drogba
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to be sidelined for three weeks after surgery on a groin injury. Drogba, 32, had struggled with the groin problem for much of last season and Friday’s surgery was needed to ensure his injury doesn’t linger in the new campaign. The Ivory Coast star is unlikely to recover in time for the Community Shield clash against Manchester United at Wembley on Aug. 8 and could miss the start of Chelsea’s Premier League title defense as well. Drogba, who hit 37 goals last season to fire Chelsea to the double, was hindered by an arm injury at the World Cup and scored just once in three matches as his country crashed out at the group stage.
■BRAZIL
Menezes named Brazil coach
Mano Menezes was on Saturday named as Brazil’s new coach, succeeding Dunga, who was axed after the team were knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. The Brazilian Football Confederation had said earlier on Saturday that they had offered Corinthians coach Menezes the chance to lead Brazil to the 2014 World Cup, which is being playing on home soil. “I have the honor to inform you that I was approached by the Brazilian Football Confederation to take over the post of national team coach,” 48-year-old Menezes told a news conference in Sao Paulo. “I have come here to officially confirm that I have accepted the offer.” Menezes moved into the frame on Friday after Fluminense refused to release top choice Muricy Ramalho from his contract which runs until December. “I don’t give a damn that I wasn’t No. 1 on the list,” Menezes said. “We have 30, 40, 50 great coaches in Brazil. If I am the No. 2, that’s fine with me.”
■ENGLAND
City snap up Kolarov
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini continued his pre-season spending spree by signing Serbia defender Aleksandar Kolarov from Lazio on Saturday. Mancini had been keen on Kolarov for several months and completed a deal for the highly-rated left-back after Lazio accepted an offer of around £19 million (US$29 million). Kolarov, 24, had already been granted a work permit and put pen to paper on a five-year contract after passing a medical. “I’m very excited to be at a great club like Manchester City. Even the training ground is fantastic, better than Lazio’s,” the Serbian told the club’s official Web site. “I’m coming back early next week to train with the players who aren’t touring America. I want to start as soon as I can, and I can’t wait to meet all the other guys.”
■ENGLAND
Pompey tour ends in farce
With scarcely any sleep, in sweltering heat and after losing their kit, Portsmouth ended a North American pre-season tour on Saturday with a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Major League Soccer’s DC United. Relegated from the Premiership, in administration and placed under a transfer embargo by England’s soccer authorities, Portsmouth could scarcely field a team during their week-long tour of the US and Canada, relying heavily on youngsters with little or no first-team experience. But if anyone thought things could not get any worse they were wrong. Stranded in Chicago by a lightning storm en route from their last game in Edmonton, the players had just four hours’ sleep the night before Saturday’s game with DC United and with no time to train for three days. As if that wasn’t bad enough, 14 bags went missing en route, including the one containing their kit, meaning they had to play Saturday’s game in a strip borrowed from their hosts.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
Jemimah Rodrigues on Thursday hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia to set up a Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there would be a new name on the 50-over trophy tomorrow. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations
Jannik Sinner on Thursday eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. A maiden crown in the French capital would return Sinner to No. 1 in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
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