■ TENNIS
Daniela Hantuchova wins
Second-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia outplayed Russia's Anastasia Rodionova on Thursday to enter the quarter-finals of the WTA Tour's Sunfeast Open. Hantuchova took just 57 minutes to post a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Rodionova in the second round, setting up a quarter-final encounter with eighth-seeded Chan Yung-jan from Taiwan. Hantuchova took an early lead when she forced the first service break in the second game of the opening set. Rodionova broke back in the third game and then held service to draw 2-2 level, but that was all she could do as Hantuchova broke her again in the sixth and eighth games to claim the set.
■ SOCCER
US to play 2010 hosts
The US will make a first-ever trip to South Africa to face the next World Cup hosts in November just ahead of the preliminary draw for the 2010 soccer showdown, US Soccer announced on Thursday. The US men will play South Africa at Johannesburg on Nov. 17, eight days before the draw in Durban decides the World Cup qualifying schedule for 156 nations. South American qualifying will start in October. The match, the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup, will be staged at Ellis Park, the site for one of the semi-final matches in the 2010 World Cup.
■ TENNIS
Srebotnik advances
Fourth-seeded Katarina Srebotnik routed Meghann Shaughnessy of the US 6-2, 6-0 on Thursday, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Slovenia Open. It is the fourth quarter-final birth of the year for Srebotnik, who hasn't won a tournament since 2005. The 26-year-old Slovenian, ranked 22nd, has repeatedly said winning a tournament at home would be her "dream." Srebotnik will next face sixth-seeded Emilie Loit of France, who beat Italian qualifier Nathalie Vierin 6-3, 6-4. Srebotnik leads 3-1 in previous encounters with Loit, who won the WTA Tour tournament in Acapulco earlier this year.
■ CYCLING
Perez wins 18th stage
Luis Perez of Spain won the 18th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Thursday ahead of Cadel Evans of Australia and Franco Pellizotti of Italy. Denis Menchov of Russia retained an overall lead of 2:27 over Evans, with Carlos Sastre third. Perez, 31, who had announced before the stage he was to retire from professional cycling at the end of this season, crossed the finish in 3 hours, 43 minutes, 45 seconds -- 41 seconds ahead of the following pack. The 154km stage began at Talavera de La Reina and included two peaks, Mijares and Navalmoral, before finishing at the medieval walled city of Avila.
■ MOTORSPORT
Pedrosa fastest in practice
Spain's Dani Pedrosa clocked the fastest lap in yesterday's free practice session for the Grand Prix of Japan. Pedrosa, riding a Honda, had the fastest lap of 1 minute, 47.865 seconds in the afternoon session at the 4.8km circuit. He timed 1:48.249 to top the morning session. World championship leader Casey Stoner of Australia had the fifth-fastest lap of 1:48.444 on a Ducati while two-time defending champion Loris Capirossi of Italy was seventh with a time of 1:48.499. France's Randy De Pruniet had the second fastest time in the afternoon session, 0.389 seconds behind Pedrosa.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
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