TENNIS
Wozniacki beats Peng
Danish world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki warmed up for the French Open in style on Saturday with a three-set win over Chinese hope Peng Shuai in the WTA Brussels Open final. Wozniacki, yet to land a Grand Slam, started nervously as Peng landed the first set 6-2, but righted herself to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 and take her 16th career title. The Dane had already gained a boost in the semis with her three-set win over reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. Wozniacki now heads for Paris where she faces Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm in her first round match on the red clay. Peng, ranked No. 31 in the world, had seen off No. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia in her semi, but was unable to capitalize on her strong start as Wozniacki roared back for her fourth title of the season having had treatment to her left thigh in the opening set.
TENNIS
Petkovic takes Strasbourg
Andrea Petkovic of Germany won her second career title on Saturday after her opponent, Marion Bartoli of France, retired while trailing 6-4, 1-0 in the final of the Strasbourg International. The top-seeded Bartoli asked for a medical timeout at 5-4 to have her left thigh strapped, but a few games later she decided to pull out. Bartoli may now be a doubt for the French Open. “I didn’t want to win this way at all,” Petkovic said. “I hope Marion will be fine for the French Open because she plays very well and I think she could play very well in Paris.”
GOLF
Hoey, Elson share lead
Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday for a share of the third-round lead with England’s Jamie Elson in the Madeira Islands Open in Portugal. Elson had a 68 to match Hoey at 9-under 207 at Porto Santo Golf Club, the Seve Ballesteros-designed course that features 150m seaside cliffs. England’s Chris Gane (70), Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth (69) and France’s Francois Delamontagne (71) were two strokes back in the event sanctioned by the European Tour and the developmental European Challenge Tour.
TENNIS
Almagro wins Nice title
Spaniard Nicolas Almagro recovered from a sluggish start to beat Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Nice Open on Saturday. Third seed Almagro made a string of unforced errors and found himself trailing when the towering Hanescu claimed the opening set tiebreak 7-5. World No. 12 Almagro eventually found his range from the baseline and outpowered Hanescu to clinch his 10th ATP title. Clay court specialist Almagro will be seeded 11th at the French Open and will face a qualifier in the first round.
TENNIS
Argentina level Team final
Defending champions Argentina leveled the World Team Cup final 1-1 against Germany on Saturday in the singles after Juan Ignacio Chela beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets. Chela earned a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over Kohlschreiber to make it all square after Germany’s Florian Mayer had earlier sealed a straight-sets 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 win over Juan Monaco. The final will now be decided by the doubles. Germany is bidding to win the cup for the first time since 2005, when they beat Argentina, having also captured the title in 1989, 1994 and 1998. Argentina are playing their seventh final in Dusseldorf having won in 1980, 2002, 2007 and last year.
INDYCAR
Tagliani grabs Indy 500 pole
Canada’s Alex Tagliani edged New Zealand’s Scott Dixon to win pole position for the 100th anniversary edition of the Indianapolis 500 in Saturday’s qualifying. The 38-year-old, who was forced to assemble his own team for Indy on a shoestring budget, completed the fastest four-lap qualifying average around the 2.5 mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval at 227.472mph (366.08kph). “When I heard the team screaming on the radio I was really happy,” Tagliani said. “I’m going to pinch myself tonight.” Dixon, who won the Indy 500 from the pole in 2008, settled for second-best at 227.340mph after running out of fuel in the fourth turn. “It would have been damn close if we had finished that last lap,” Dixon said.
RUGBY SEVENS
Kiwis win IRB sevens title
England’s failure to qualify out of their group in front of a record crowd at Twickenham on Saturday saw New Zealand win the IRB Sevens World Series title with a day remaining of the London event. A crowd of 54,357, a record in the series’ 12-year history, saw England win just one out of their three pool matches. The hosts, fortunate to see off the US 31-21 after Ben Gollings appeared to drop the ball in the act of scoring a try, lost 21-14 to France after conceding a late try to Mathieu Acebes. England had to beat Argentina to secure a quarter-final spot, but were instead held to a 12-12 draw. Meanwhile New Zealand, who will face the Pumas in the last eight, recorded convincing wins over Spain (40-7), Kenya (28-12) and Wales (31-12).
CRICKET
Punjab ousted by Deccan
Shikhar Dhawan cracked an unbeaten 95, while Amit Mishra took a hat-trick as the Deccan Chargers knocked the Kings XI Punjab out of the IPL with an 82-run victory on Saturday. The second match between the Delhi Daredevils and the Pune Warriors was abandoned because of rain. Delhi, who finished last in the 10-team league, were 56-3 off 10.1 overs when play was called off. Left-handed opener Dhawan, who hit one six and 14 fours in his 57-ball knock, put on 131 for the opening wicket with Ravi Teja (60) as Deccan made 198-2, before bowling Punjab out for 116. Skipper Adam Gilchrist top-scored with a 37-ball 51 for Punjab, who put in a below-par batting and fielding performance. The captain, who hit two sixes and six fours, added 61 for the third wicket with Dinesh Karthik (11). Deccan virtually wrapped up the match when Australian paceman Daniel Christian dismissed Gilchrist and Karthik in the space of three balls to reduce Punjab to 84-4 in 11 overs.
BASEBALL
Gary Carter has brain tumors
Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter has been diagnosed with four “very small” brain tumors, the 11-times All-Star said in a statement issued by the New York Mets on Saturday. “Earlier today, I learned that four very small tumors have been found on my brain, following an MRI on Friday at a West Palm Beach facility,” the 57-year-old said. “I am scheduled to be examined further Thursday at Duke Medical Cente, and we will learn more at that time about my diagnosis.” Nicknamed “Kid,” Carter hit .262 with 324 home runs and 1,225 RBIs during a 19-year career in the majors from 1974-1992.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
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