TENNIS
Davis Cup final tied
Serbia and defending champions the Czech Republic were tied 1-1 after the first day of the Davis Cup final on Friday as Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych swept through in straight sets. Djokovic, the world No. 2 and recently crowned ATP World Tour Finals champion, first beat 44th-ranked veteran Radek Stepanek, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 10 minutes. Seventh-ranked Berdych then put the Czechs level with a three-set win over 117th-ranked Dusan Lajovic — 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 54 minutes. Serbia won their only Davis Cup title in 2010, beating France 3-2 in Belgrade. The Czechs, playing their third final in five years, lifted the trophy last year after downing Spain 3-2 in Prague. In yesterday’s doubles, the Czechs were most likely to bet on Berdych and Stepanek, who have lost only one of their 14 Davis Cup doubles rubbers together since teaming up in 2007.
BOXING
Ward retains title
Unbeaten Andre Ward of the US is to retain his World Boxing Association super middleweight crown no matter how he fared in a title fight yesterday after unbeaten challenger Edwin Rodriguez failed to make weight. The 29-year-old Ward will keep the title with a victory or loss after Rodriguez tipped the scales at 170 pounds (77.1kg), two pounds over the weight division limit. That ended the Dominican’s first world title chance before it even began. Ward, who weighed in at 167.8 pounds, entered the fight 26-0 with 14 knockouts, with Rodriguez 24-0 with 16 knockouts. As punishment for weighing too much, Rodriguez surrendered US$100,000 to Ward, boosting his total take from the bout to US$2 million, and would forfeit US$100,000 to California’s boxing commission, leaving him with US$800,000 from the bout in Ontario, California.
GOLF
Scott takes four-stroke lead
Defending champion Adam Scott laid one hand on a second successive Australian Masters trophy yesterday, shooting a five-under 66 to take a commanding four-stroke lead into the final round. Joint leader with compatriot Nathan Holman overnight, the US Masters champion rolled in seven birdies on another breezy day at Royal Melbourne for a 14-under total of 199, well clear of a four-player group that includes former world No. 1 Vijay Singh. World No. 8 Matt Kuchar, warming up for his World Cup title defense with the US next week, was a further stroke adrift after carding a solid four-under 67. World No. 2 Scott, in red-hot form at the end of the best year of his career, remains on track to complete a sweep of Australia’s three marquee tournaments after winning last week’s PGA Championship and with the national Open to come in Sydney
CRICKET
England beat Invitational XI
England beat the Cricket Australia Invitational XI by seven wickets on the final day of their four-day tour match in Sydney yesterday. The tourists were faced with a target of 148 runs for victory after dismissing the home side for 261 amid the constant threat of rain. England lost the wickets of Alastair Cook (21), Michael Carberry (50) and Kevin Pietersen (6) in reaching the target before the onset of heavy rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Ian Bell hit the winning runs to be 33 not out, with Jonathan Trott unbeaten on 38. It was England’s first win on their Australian tour and was their final warmup match before the first Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane on Thursday.
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,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
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