AP, ManchesterAlvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko grabbed two goals each and Sergio Aguero scored on his return from injury as Manchester City swept to a 5-0 win over Blackburn in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday.In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team – Watford.City’s largely second-string lineup took a while...
AFP, MelborneRafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray rose victorious from one of the Australian Open’s most chaotic days Thursday when a rare extreme heat shutdown and then a surprise rainstorm threw the tournament into disarray. After severe temperatures reaching 43.4 Celsius (110.1 Fahrenheit) forced organisers to take the rare step of suspending play on the outside courts and closing the stadium roofs, the big trio were able to play in air-conditioned comfort. So just hours after Maria Sharapova slogged...
Russian star Maria Sharapova said Thursday her intense training after shoulder surgery had paid off after surviving a big scare...
AFP, TokyoJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics, reports said Friday, despite calls for a boycott over Russia’s anti-gay laws. He is also expected to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Games, Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun daily said. Abe’s attendance would put him out of step with ally the United States and with Germany, whose leaders are unlikely to be at...
Top seed Serena Williams set a new record en route to the Australian Open fourth round Friday as Li Na avoided an upset by fighting back from match point to stay alive. On another hot Melbourne day, the world number one and five- time tournament champion powered past Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3 to record her 61st Australian Open win, surpassing the previous mark set by Margaret Court. Asked which had been her favourite matches, Williams, who made her Melbourne debut...
World number one Rafael Nadal powered past Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open in an impressive performance on Saturday. The 13-time Grand Slam champion was too strong for the 25th- seeded Monfils, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in just over two hours on Rod Laver Arena. Nadal will next face Japanese 16th seed Kei Nishikori in the fourth round. Nishikori earlier knocked out American Donald Young in straight sets. The Spanish top seed is bidding...