Tour de France 2011: Cadel Evans pips Alberto Contador to stage four win

Cadel Evans edged out Alberto Contador in a dramatic sprint for the line to win stage four of the Tour de France.

Evans triumphed in a photo finish at the end of the 172.5km rain-affected ride from Lorient to Mur-de-Bretagne.

The Australian withstood a late charge from defending champion Contador of Spain to pick up a second Tour stage win, with Alexandre Vinokourov third.

Thor Hushovd retained the race leader's yellow jersey as Bradley Wiggins finished 11th and Mark Cavendish 150th.

"I'm pretty happy," said Wiggins, who moves up from 10th to sixth in the overall standings.

"It's still early days - these stages are about staying safe and not giving too much away. The real stuff is still to come."

David Millar crossed in 22nd and drops from second to fourth overall, while Geraint Thomas was 29th and falls from fourth to seventh but retains the white jersey for best young rider.

"Those last 500m were hurting, I just had to hold the wheel in front of me," said Thomas. "It was a decent day for the team.

"This stage goes up, down, left right and there was a lot of stress in the bunch, a lot of fighting and it was a hard day with weather.

"I feel good. I've just been getting stuck in every day and doing my job. I'm enjoying it."

The stage came to life when a five-man breakaway began after 9km, with Johnny Hoogerland of the Netherlands leading the escapees over the intermediate sprint.

Cavendish took ninth place as Tyler Farrar - the winner of stage three - led the peloton over the line to take 10 points in the race for the green jersey.

BMC Racing and Omega Pharma-Lotto, riding for Evans and Philippe Gilbert respectively, were leading at the front of the peloton for much of the day, with Garmin-Cervelo - working for Norway's Hushovd - doing a turn in the final 30km.

Evans, like Wiggins earlier in the day, suffered a mechanical problem and had to be paced back to the bunch - an extra effort which may have affected the finale.

The breakaway was caught with little more than 4km remaining before the squads then battled for position at the foot of the final ascent out of Mur-de-Bretagne.

Contador attacked with 1.3km remaining and accelerated again in the finishing straight, but Evans overtook him to snatch victory on the line.

Contador punched the air in celebration, only for the still image of the finish to show it was his rival's success.

"It was so close I couldn't see who won it myself," stated Evans. "It was a really calm start considering the conditions and course. Towards the end it became really nervous.

"I had to change bikes with about 15km to go but my team carried me through and I managed to finish off the job. It was the other guys who won the stage today.

"My job here is to do classification but I'll take this very gladly. I'm so happy with the guys today."

Hushovd added: "I really had to fight, I dug so deep to stay with the climbers. I'm really happy I managed to keep the yellow jersey.

"What the team has done until now is incredible. It's a dream start and it's not stopping. We have to keep on going."

Sania Mirza crashes out of Wimbledon first round

India's Sania Mirza crashed out of the women's singles event of the Wimbledon with a 6-7(4), 6-2, 3-6 first round loss to France's Virginie Razzano here Tuesday.

After losing a closely fought first set in the tie-breaker, the 60th-ranked Indian broke the 96th-ranked Razzano twice in the second to make it a set-all.

Sania's first serve, however, dipped to 48 percent in the final set and was broken twice for her to lose after a two-hour-12-minute battle.

The 24-year-old Hyderabadi's loss levelled the two players 1-1 head-to-head. The last time they faced each other was in 2007 at the hard courts of Los Angeles where Sania won in straight sets.

The Indian has never moved beyond the second round in the singles here.

Sania still has the women's doubles event to back on, where she is partnering Russia's Elena Vesnina.

Sania and Elena are seeded fourth and meet Anna Chakvetadze of Russia and Melanie Oudin of the US in the first round.

Sania and Vesnina were the runners-up at the French Open earlier this month.

Cricket-loving Rwanda becomes 54th member of the Commonwealth

Rwanda became the 54th member of the Commonwealth yesterday and the second nation to join that was not once part of the British Empire.

The Commonwealth summit approved Rwanda’s entry at its two-yearly gathering in Trinidad and Tobago. Britain pushed hard for the admission of the former Francophone country.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Rwanda has made progress towards the Commonwealth’s core values in areas of democratic process, rule of law, good governance, protection of human rights and equality of opportunity.”

After gaining independence in 1962, the French-speaking Rwanda formed close ties with France. But after the 1994 genocide, when France was accused of supporting the Government that was blamed for the deaths of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and Hutus, the country turned to Britain and severed diplomatic ties with France.

The current Tutsi-led Government was set up in 1994 with Paul Kagame, the former leader of the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front, as President.

The rebel group was mostly made up of Tutsis, who grew up in English-speaking Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, after their parents had fled earlier pogroms in the country in the 1950s and 1960s.

When these “Tutsi boys” returned to Rwanda with the rebel forces they took not just the English language, now Rwanda’s third official tongue, but also English sports, including cricket — which endeared the country to many Commonwealth nations.

Henry considered quitting international football

Thierry Henry says the outcry over his hand ball in France’s World Cup playoff against Ireland pushed him to the brink of international retirement.

French sports daily L’Equipe quoted the Barcelona striker in an interview as saying he felt abandoned and deeply upset by the virulent criticism he received from former players and politicians.

Henry’s hand ball before passing for defender William Gallas to score helped give France a 1-1 draw with Ireland and a 2-1 win on aggregate, advancing the team to next year’s tournament in South Africa.

“The day after the match and the next day, I felt alone, really alone,” said Henry, adding that he gave serious thought about quitting the French team. “Oh, yes I did. Friday, when everything had gone too far, I was very worked up.”

After receiving criticism from former players such as former Ireland and Marseille striker Tony Cascarino and French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot, Henry said it was his friends and family who talked him out of retiring from international football.

“Despite everything that happened, the fact I felt abandoned, I will not drop my country,” he said. “I asked myself the question. Without the support of my loved ones, maybe I wouldn’t have thought the same way. Now, I’ve decided - I’ll always fight until the end.

“It’s been very hard, everything started from something that happens in a game and it went too far. I heard some people giving lectures about this, when I said I was sorry, on the pitch and off it.”

Henry received criticism for wildly celebrating Gallas’ goal in front of dejected Irish players.

“I shouldn’t have done that. But honestly, it was uncontrollable ... Yes, I regret that,” he said.

However, Henry dodged the issue of whether he should have immediately told referee Martin Hansson he had handled the ball.

“I was in a no-win situation,” he said, adding that the incident will not overshadow his whole career. “I don’t think that everything I’ve achieved can be tarnished.”

Spain and Czechs through to final

Spain will host the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final in December after both countries won their semi-finals.

Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez beat Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-2 to put Cup holders Spain 3-0 up against Israel in the best-of-five tie.

Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych sealed the Czech Republic's win over Croatia with a 6-1 6-3 6-4 victory over Marin Cilic and Lovro Zovko on Saturday.

And Roger Federer helped Switzerland beat Italy in the World Group play-off.

Stepanek and Berdych's triumph came on the back of singles victories for the pair on Friday when the Czech Republic opened up a 2-0 first-day lead in the semi-final, despite Ivo Karlovic firing a record 78 aces.

Karlovic broke his previous ATP record, but still lost in a gruelling five-set match to Stepanek.

In the second singles rubber, Berdych beat Cilic in four sets.

Earlier, champions Spain had secured a 2-0 lead over Israel thanks to convincing singles wins by Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer.

Ferrero thumped Dudi Sela 6-4 6-2 6-0 after Ferrer thrashed Harel Levy.

Spain went into their semi-final without injured top-10 pair Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco but that mattered little with Ferrer and Ferrero both impressing.

"It certainly wasn't as comfortable a win as it might have looked," said Ferrer, a 6-1 6-4 6-3 winner.

While Spain eased to a 2-0 lead, the Czech Republic only opened up their lead after a marathon day's play.

In total, Stepanek and Karlovic played out 81 games before the first break of serve at 14-14 in the decider.

During that time, Karlovic had sent down 78 aces, 23 more than his previous record in losing in this year's French Open first round to Lleyton Hewitt.

"I did my best, but Stepanek was there all the way," Karlovic said.m "After the loss, the serve record means little."

After sealing the decisive break and serving out for a match that lasted just six minutes shy of six hours, Stepanek said: "Everything is known about Karlovic. He really has a phenomenal serve."

In the second rubber, Cilic - who beat Andy Murray in the US Open - went down 6-3 6-3 3-6 4-6 6-3 to world number 18 Berdych.

Meanwhile, Federer helped Switzerland to a 3-2 win over Italy in Genoa to ensure World Group status for another year.

Federer had only just flown back to Europe following his five-set defeat by Juan Martin Del Potro in Monday's US Open final, but beat Simone Bolelli on Friday and then secured the decisive third point with a 6-3 6-0 6-4 win over Potito Starace on Sunday.

"It was a tough weekend for us and I'm happy I could help Switzerland win," said Federer. "I was able to play very well.

"I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm - everything is hurting."

Other World Group play-off winners were Belgium, Chile, Ecuador, France, India, Serbia and Sweden.

Brazil qualify for World Cup

Brazil qualified for its 19th consecutive World Cup, leaving Argentina to join Portugal and France with difficult paths to reach next year's tournament.

Defending champion Italy and European champion Spain maintained their leads in Europe, while England and Germany won friendlies ahead of qualifiers on Wed-nesday. And in Africa, Cameroon boosted their chances with their first victory in the final round of qualifying.

Luisao put Brazil ahead in the 24th minute at Rosario, Argentina, and Luis Fabiano scored in the 30th and 67th. Jesus Datolo scored in the 65th for Argentina, which will be under pressure to remove coach Diego Maradona.

Brazil lead South American qualifying with 30 points, three ahead of Chile and Paraguay and eight in front of Argentina with three matches remaining. The top-four teams advance to the World Cup while the No. 5 nation goes to a play-off against the No. 4 nation in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Brazil became the seventh nation to join host South Africa in next year's 32-nation field, following Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and the Netherlands.

Argentina lost a home qualifier for the first time since a 5-0 defeat to Colombia in 1993.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the FIFA player of the year, is in danger of missing the World Cup after Portugal needed a last-minute goal by Liedson for a 1-1 draw against Denmark. Nicklas Bendtner gave the Danes the lead in the 41st minute.

Group One

Denmark lead Group One with 17 points, four ahead of Hungary, which lost 2-1 at home to Sweden when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in injury time. Sweden are third with 12 points and Portugal have 10 heading into Wednesday's game against Hungary. The top team qualifies from each of the nine European groups and the best eight second-place teams go to play-offs.

France likely will have to win a play-off for a World Cup berth after a disappointing 1-1 tie with Romania at Saint-Denis.

France looked in control after Thierry Henry's 48th-minute goal, but defender Julien Escude turned the ball past his goalkeeper Hugo Llorisslid while attempting to intercept a cross seven minutes later.

"The objective is to qualify, no matter how we get there. I'm not in the habit of giving up," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "There's still everything to play for, nothing is finished yet. It will go down to the last game."

Les Bleus are second in Group Seven with 14 points, four behind Serbia heading into their meeting at Belgrade on Wednesday.

The Czech Republic played to a 2-2 draw at Slovakia, which could qualify for their first major tournament. Substitute forward Milan Baros headed in his 34th international goal in the 84th minute for the Czechs.

Slovakia heads Group Three with 16 points, two ahead of Northern Ireland. The Czechs are fifth with nine.

At Tblisi, Georgia captain Kakha Kaladze - who plays for AC Milan - headed two own goals in the 57th and 67th, giving Italy a 2-0 victory over Georgia.

Vinokourov back in Astana stable

Alexandre Vinokourov has rejoined his former cycling team Astana for the Tour of Spain, which begins this Saturday.

The Kazakh rider, who won the race in 2006, recently returned from a two-year ban for blood doping at the 2007 Tour de France.

The 35-year-old denies any wrongdoing but both he and Astana were removed from the event two years ago.

An Astana statement said: "Vinokourov has signed a contract with Team Astana until the end of 2010."

Vinokourov spearheads a team which also includes American Chris Horner, Kazakhs Assan Bazayev and Maxim Iglinskiy, Spaniards Jesus Hernandez, Daniel Navarro, Jose Luis Rubiera and Haimar Zubeldia and Swiss Michael Schar.

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has a year left on his Astana contract although he is being linked with a move elsewhere.

Lance Armstrong, meanwhile, has already announced that he will quit Astana to form an American-based team in 2010 in partnership with RadioShack.

India grouped with US in U-21 World Volleyball

Hosts India, ranked tenth in the world, have been drawn in Pool A along with with the mighty United States of America, Tunisia and Belarus in the 16-nation fifth FIVB Mens Under 21 World Volleyball Championships to be held at Pune from July 31 to August 9.

The hosts were among the eight seeded teams for the tournament, which is to be held at the Shiv Chatrapati Sports City in Balewadi.

The other seeded teams in the fray are three-time winners (1993, 2001 and 2007) and defending champions Brazil, currently ranked third, their arch-rivals from South America Argentina (rank 2), top-ranked Iran, last editions losing finalists Russia (rank 4), France (rank 5), China (rank 6) and USA (rank 7).

The draw of lots assigning the preliminary groups were held here last night by the international volleyball federations technical delegate Shanrit Wongprasert in the presence of organising committee chairman and Maharashtra's Finance Minister, DilipValse Patil.

K Murugan, Secretary-General of the Volleyball Federation of India, assured the international volleyball federation (FIVB) representatives that top-class facilities would be offered to the teams during the championship.

Lance Armstrong upbeat after comeback

Lance Armstrong finished 29th in the final standings in his competitive comeback in the Tour Down Under.

The seven-times Tour de France winner was 49 seconds behind overall leader Allan Davis of Australia after the 81km sixth and final stage in Adelaide.

Armstrong, making his comeback after three years, took the lead towards the end but was unable to remain in front.

More than 144,000 people turned out to see the stage which was raced over 18 laps of a 4.5km street circuit.

The American hit the front with little more than a lap remaining but quickly fell back into the peleton, finishing 71st on the stage.

"I can't lie. I felt pretty good today," said the 37-year-old American.

"It was a comfortable circuit and I gave it a little go with a couple of laps left but I needed to be with some more guys. I couldn't stay away from the charging field.

"It helps when you have good legs. I felt a lot better today, actually felt the best day of the entire week so when you feel good and you have good legs, you have to go for it don't you."

Armstrong's next race will be the Tour of California from 14-22 February.

"[This] is a good indication I've done the right work. I still have to fine tune things, get lighter, still get fitter and work on certain aspects of my conditioning but I'm headed in the right way," he said.

"I'd say we're on track if not ahead of schedule. Even if it was a normal year when you're focused on July [and the Tour de France] I wouldn't be riding this well in January."

Davis, twice a runner-up in the Tour Down Under, won three of the tour's first five stages to lead by 25 seconds going into the final stage and finished among the main group to ensure victory. Francesco Chicchi of Italy won the stage in a sprint finish.

"I've finally done it, I can't believe it," said Davis.

"This win is very important to the [Quick Step] team. It's the first ProTour race of the season. With three stages and the overall it has been an unbelievable race."

Tennis: Nadal and Federer edge closer to another re-match

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer each moved to within two wins of their first re-match since the sensational Wimbledon final six months ago, both hastening into the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open on Wednesday.

Nadal, the top-seeded Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion, took only 61 minutes to win 6-1, 6-2 against Karol Beck, the former top 40 Slovakian, and looked as energetically aggressive as ever except for a brief few moments at the start of the second set.

Federer, whose total of 13 Grand Slam titles puts him just one from the all-time record, needed only a little longer, taking 79 minutes in an effective but not always fluent 6-3, 6-3 victory against Andreas Seppi, the world number 34 from Italy.

Nadal's looked marginally the more impressive effort, but Federer was required to play in steadily cooling night-time conditions in unusually low temperatures for this region.

Asked if he felt different about coming into a new season for the first time as world number one and with three big titles to his name, Nadal replied wisely.

"Everybody starts the year with zero," he said.

"But at the same time I have won five Grand Slams, and, I think, 11 Masters Series, and 31 titles altogether and one Olympic gold medal.

"I have all these titles and all these good results over a few years, and that has made me calmer."

Nadal was more upbeat about his performance against Beck, who is trying to fight his way back on to the main tour after dropping out of the top 100.

"It's good if you are winning by this score against a tough opponent: I am pleased that I am playing well and pleased to be in the quarter-finals," Nadal enthused.

"It's warmer today (Wednesday), which is better for the body and better for the tennis and better for everyone."

Talking about his narrow loss to Andy Murray in Sunday's exhibition final in Abu Dhabi, Nadal said that it had helped him.

"Abu Dhabi helped me. I lost a close match as in some moments I lost concentration because I had been outside competition for some time.

"You need more matches to get back into competition but at the same time that match helped me get back into the rhythm and to get good feelings."

Federer might have won a little more quickly had he consolidated his break for 4-2 in the first set, but then missed two points for 5-2 and allowed Seppi to break back.

He also saw his opponent reach break back point for 4-4 in the second set before holding on to that service game; Seppi then tenaciously saved three match points before Federer was able wrap it up at the fourth attempt.

"I hit five times as many balls in this match as in the last one, which is good for me at this stage," said Federer.

"I'm satisfied with my level at the moment.

"To a degree I know where my game is but as the tournament progresses you get tougher opponents and you tend only to play as well as your opponent."

Nadal now faces Gael Monfils, the brilliantly speedy Frenchman who looks capable of pushing into the top ten this year, while Federer must meet Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Switzerland-based top 30 German who had the best year of his career last year.

If both superstars survive, Federer could well have the tougher semi-final, for he should play Murray, who achieved early breaks in both sets against Philipp Petzschner to dominate the match in a 6-2, 6-4 win.

"I go into each match now maybe a bit more focused (than I used to), and when I get on top I'm able to stay on top of opponents for longer without really giving them a chance to get back into it," said Murray.

"Those things come with experience of playing at this level, and it's taken me a few years but I think I'm starting to get better at that."

Federer seemed very well aware that he might experience a tougher draw than Nadal.

"Definitely Murray has caught up, and now it's a matter of him keeping it up and staying healthy," he said generously.

Keothavong wins Auckland opener

British number one Anne Keothavong made a winning start to the season with a straight-sets victory over Mirjana Lucic at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The 25-year-old, who starts the new year ranked a career high of 60th in the world, beat the Croatian 6-4 6-2.

In round two she will play eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro from Spain, who beat France's Nathalie Dechy 6-4 6-0.

Top seed Elena Dementieva came from 5-1 down in the first set to beat little-known Taiwanese Chan Yung-jan 7-5 6-3.

Dementieva, the world number four will play Marina Erakovic in round two after the promising New Zealander snapped an eight-match losing streak with a 7-5 6-4 win over Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain.

Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki crushed Italian qualifier Alberta Brianti 6-1 6-0 in less than an hour.

A memorable Olympics

It was to be China’s time to shine, a year of celebrations with the Olympic spirit touching the hearts and minds of one-fifth of the world’s population as the Olympics headed to Beijing.

Instead, months before the August 8-24 Games, human rights groups disrupted the globally televised torch-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, setting off a chain of worldwide protests.

From Paris and London to San Francisco and Seoul, the Beijing Olympics torch relay became a target for human rights protesters as it meandered across the globe.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) faced mounting criticism and bad press for its decision to award the Games to China, given the country’s human rights record. “We are not an activist organisation,” IOC chief Jacques Rogge said, defending the decision and saying the Games would bring change to China.

The word “boycott” crept into discussions months before the Games but in the end none materialised. Even Iraq, temporarily suspended weeks before the Olympics, managed to send athletes to China. By the time the Olympics started with a record 204 teams from around the world parading in the spectacular Bird’s Nest stadium, both local organisers and the IOC were under intense media scrutiny.

Internet restrictions for foreign media, pro-Tibet protests and Beijing’s air quality grabbed the headlines in the days running up to the Games. However, the dazzling opening ceremony showcasing the might of modern China, which invested an estimated $40 billion to prepare for the Games, set the stage for memorable performances in breathtaking venues.

US swimmer Michael Phelps won a record eight gold medals while Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt captured the 100 and 200 metres sprint double as well as a 4x100m relay gold in world record-breaking time.

Defending Olympic 110 metres hurdles champion Liu Xiang added drama when he hobbled off the track minutes before his first heat, stunning a capacity Bird’s Nest crowd. Team China, though, were unstoppable, topping the medals table with 51 golds, leaving the United States second with 36. Russia were third and Britain fourth .

The IOC saw record television audiences in most major markets and used the YouTube video-sharing website to post Olympic footage online, recording more than 16.5 million hits and unlocking the potential of new media to attract younger viewers. The opening ceremony alone was seen by 1.2 billion people around the world.

Doping concerns led to extensive pre-Games testing by federations and Olympic teams which rooted out some 50 cheats. An additional 5,000 tests were conducted during the Games, nabbing nine athletes, but the Games were spared the embarrassment and unwanted distraction of a major doping scandal.

The spotlight quickly switched to the 2012 Summer Games after the Beijing closing ceremony, with the British capital already struggling with its biggest project, the one-billion-pound Olympic village.

Diarra agrees to join Real Madrid

Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra has agreed a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, subject to passing a medical on Monday.

The 23-year-old is set to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Bernabeu.

Pompey had already accepted Real's bid - reported to be £20m - for Diarra but there was still interest from other clubs, including Manchester City.

Diarra will officially become a Real player when the transfer window reopens on 1 January.

The France international started his career with Le Havre before signing for Chelsea in 2005. He moved to the Gunners on the final day of the August 2007 transfer window but left for Pompey five months later.

"We have always said that we would only allow our players to leave if we received an exceptional bid," a Pompey spokesman told the club's website earlier in the week.

"We could not stand in the way of a move such as this for Lassana.

"It shows how far the club has come under the ownership of Alexandre Gayadamak when Real Madrid come in for one of our players.

"Should the deal be completed, we have already identified possible replacements."

Pompey boss Tony Adams said he will have all of the money from Diarra's sale to sign new players.

"It's a substantial offer. Every penny is mine, and I had money before that, so I am delighted," said Adams on Wednesday.

"Every decision at this club will be through me and when Real Madrid offers a lot of money for one of your players I have a decision to make.

"The lad wants to play for Real Madrid and it's a magnificent offer that will get me some recruitments for Portsmouth."

Diarra came on as a substitute in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Bolton to make his first appearance since 15 November following an ankle injury.

Real are now coached by former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos and want a defensive midfielder because Mali international Mahamadou Diarra is sidelined for the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Saina loses thrilling semifinal against Wang

Saina Nehwal played her heart out but lost to world number six Chen Wang of Hong Kong in an edge-of-the-seat semifinal of the World Super Series Masters Final on Saturday.

The world number 10 Indian used every trick from her arsenal but failed to match the experience of her third seed Hong Kong opponent and went down fighting 15-21 21-14 16-21 to bring down curtains in the prestigious tournament.

An attacking player, Wang rode on her smashes and better net play to wrest the first game as Saina huffed and puffed helplessly all across the court.

However, the 18-year-old Indian raised her game and rallied to pocket the second game 21-14. The third game was a cliff-hanger as the two rivals fought tooth and nail. At one point, Wang opened up a four point lead but Saina narrowed down the gap pocketing two quick points.

Finally, however, it was the Hong Kong girl who had the last laugh as she sealed the match in 42 minutes. Saina became the first Indian to reach the semifinals of
the World Super Series Masters Finals yesterday when she beat Hongyan Pi of France in straight games and later edged out local favourite Mew Choo Wong in a thrilling contest on a single day.

The Beijing quarterfinalist will next play in the Malaysian Super Series and the Korean Super Series in January next year.

Saina wins second game, keeps semi-final hopes alive

Saina Nehwal shrugged off her first match disappointment and thumped fourth-seed Hongyan Pi of France in straight sets to keep her hopes of making the semi-finals alive in the World Super Series Masters Finals, here on Friday.

The world No 10 Indian thrashed the French, ranked three notches higher than her, 21-18, 21-13 in a 34-minute contest.

National champion Saina will next face sixth-seed and world No 11 Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia later today.

The eighteen-year-old shuttler rallied well to leave her opponent huffing and puffing all over the court and indulged in some sharp smashes to gallop her way to sealing the first set 21-18.

In the next game, Hongyan displayed some powerful strokes and matched Saina's smashes well but the Indian ace was in no mood to give an inch. She played close to the nets and raced away with the game 21-13.

Hewitt training six hours a day to crack tennis top 10: reports

Australia's former world number one Lleyton Hewitt is training six hours a day as he bids to recover from hip surgery and make a surprise return to the top 10, according to reports.

The Wimbledon and US Open champion has slumped to 67 in the ATP rankings after an injury-ravaged year and faces a make-or-break 2009 season, starting with next month's Australian Open in Melbourne.

The 27-year-old had surgery for a long-standing hip complaint in August after being knocked out of the Beijing Olympics by Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

"I want to have a crack at trying to get top-10 and get in the Masters Cup for the end of next year," Hewitt told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"But you've got to play a lot of tournaments to be able to do that and that's where it comes back to the hip holding up, and every other body part."

Hewitt said he has been swimming, running, cycling, climbing stairs and stretching, all before picking up his racquet, which he did two weeks ago.

Australia's leading player said he has no doubt his tennis remains competitive provided he can remain injury-free. To do that he is training up to six hours a day, half of that time on court.

"I actually enjoy it. If you're fit you're playing most weeks on tour," he said. "So this is a good opportunity for me not just to look at the Australian summer, but also the 2009 calendar.

"Hopefully, I can get my body in as good a shape as possible to see me right through next year."

Hewitt was restricted to 11 tournaments this year and the hip surgery forced him to skip the US Open, the first major he has missed through injury since the 2005 French Open.

"I tried to go out this year and play the grand slams probably at 70 percent really," Hewitt said.

"It's tough to come back from any kind of surgery and especially with my style of game, with a lot of running, scrambling and getting a lot of balls back.

"I'm trying to strengthen the muscles around the hip again. The last couple of weeks have been getting better and better each day."

Hewitt's first tournament in the new year will be the mixed-teams Hopman Cup in Perth, starting on January 3, followed by the Sydney International ahead of the January 19-February 1 Australian Open.

Bolton 0-2 Chelsea

Nicolas Anelka returned to haunt his former club with the opener as Chelsea returned to winning ways in impressive fashion at the Reebok Stadium.

The Frenchman put Chelsea ahead when he headed home Jose Bosingwa's cross after nine minutes, and Deco wrapped up the points with a superb scissors-kick.

The Blues had chances for a third, but Bolton responded valiantly late on.

Gary Cahill wasted their best chance, though, as Chelsea set a new record of 11 straight top-flight away victories.

It surpassed the record set by Tottenham in 1960 and Chelsea will be encouraged by the omens as Spurs went on to win the league in the 1960-61 season.

And Luiz Felipe Scolari will know that if Chelsea can replicate their away form at Stamford Bridge they will be in with a shout come next May, for this was a fine win that keeps up the pressure on leaders Liverpool, who also won.

The hosts came into the match on the back of four wins in five matches but, with Chelsea unbeaten at Bolton since 1997, the Trotters could have done without Kevin Davies missing a header when unmarked from Gavin McCann's corner.

It was a chance the striker would normally expect to get on target and he was made to pay when, barely a minute later, Chelsea were ahead.

Bosingwa was the creator, the right-back clipping a perfect cross into the area for Anelka to head in off the post to mark his first match against Bolton since his £15m departure with a goal.

Bolton responded but, apart from a Matthew Taylor long-ranger and a series of uncharacteristic flaps at crosses from Petr Cech, rarely threatened.

And on 21 minutes Deco showed the hosts how it is done in emphatic style, the Portuguese playmaker latching on to Michael Ballack's flick with a superb scissors-kick that flew into the corner.

Given the Blues' ruthlessness away from home, the second goal was the last thing Bolton needed. Chelsea were able to soak up pressure and hit the hosts on the break, with Deco guilty of a poor miss when he shot wide when through.

However, Bolton refused to give in and, to their credit, caused the odd moment of panic in the Chelsea box.

Twice the visitors had strong appeals for a penalty waved away, first when John Terry appeared to block Johan Elmander's shot with his arm - though it was by his side - and then when the same player handled Davies's header.

Both would have been harsh, though, and it was Cahill that missed the Trotters' best chance, diving on to Davies's flick-on only for Cech to beat his header away from goal.

It proved the Trotters' final chance and their brave second-half display was, ultimately, to no avail, Chelsea seeing out their first win in three matches.
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Chelsea assistant first-team coach Ray Wilkins:
"It was a great win for us. When we needed to fight, we fought, and when we could we played good football and made some very good chances, so we're delighted.

"We're not too concerned about the record, all we're worried about is silverware so this was all about three points.

"Of course our away form is exceptional but no-one here is worried about our home form. That will come, I'm sure."

Bolton manager Gary Megson:
"You can always take positives out of a game once you sit and analyse it but at this moment in time I'm disappointed - not just with the result, but with the way we played in the first half.

"We always try to push on against teams and take the game to them - get in their face, to use a players' expression - but we just weren't intense enough in the opening half.

"Ultimately, it has cost us because you can't expect to give a team like Chelsea a two-goal lead and get away with it. Yes, we did better in the second half, but by then it was too late."
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Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel (Smolarek 80), Davies, McCann, Nolan, Muamba (Gardner 46), Taylor, Elmander.
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Riga, Shittu, Basham, Obadeyi.

Booked: Davies, Andrew O'Brien.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa (Ivanovic 89), Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Kalou (Ferreira 83), Lampard, Ballack, Deco, Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Sinclair, Mineiro, Stoch, Woods.

Booked: Ballack.

Goals: Anelka 9, Deco 21.

Att: 22,023

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

Alexandre Gaydamak ready to sell Portsmouth

Portsmouth owner Alexandre Gaydamak has put the club up for sale.

The 32-year-old Franco-Russian businessman cited growing business commitments for his decision.

He told the Sunday Mirror: "I have come to realise over a period of time that I can no longer invest the time required to oversee the running of the club."

However, Gaydamak said he will not sell to anyone without a guarantee they will commit to funding a new stadium and training ground for the club.

Gaydamak became co-owner of Portsmouth, alongside then-chairman Milan Mandaric, in January 2006.

He bought out Mandaric at a cost of about £32m to solely take the helm at Fratton Park in July that same year, and set out his strategy to find a new stadium and training facilities for the club.

Gaydamak insists he will now seek assurances that any potential buyer will ensure those ambitions become reality.

He said: "As regards the new stadium and training ground it is sensible to re-evaluate things in the current market, but I stress that it is imperative that they go ahead.

"And until I find a buyer who will give me cast iron assurances that this will be the case, I will remain at the club.

"I have already rejected two offers for the club because I didn't feel the buyers' motives were in the best interests of the club's long-term future.

"Making money from the sale of the club does not interest me. Finding the right buyer is far more important."

Honda drops Formula One, blames auto industry slowdown

Even as U.S. automobile industry leaders were going hat in hand to Congress, Japan's second-largest automobile manufacturer rocked the motor sports world by dropping its decades-long association with Formula One racing.

Japanese media reported that Honda had been spending about $500 million annually on its Formula One program.

Takeo Fukui, president and chief executive of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., on Friday blamed the "quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry, brought on by the subprime problem in the United States, the deepening credit crisis and the sudden contraction of the world economies."

Honda's abrupt abandonment of Formula One has sports marketing industry observers wondering what's next in a motor sports arena where even NASCAR is being pummeled by the global financial crisis that has caused automobile and truck sales to plummet.

"I think it spells big trouble," said William Chipps, senior editor of the Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship Report newsletter. "Auto companies are the lifeblood of motor sports, and their financial troubles will have a profound impact on nearly every motor sports property, both in the U.S. and internationally."

"Honda pulling out of Formula One could portend larger problems at NASCAR as the Big Three put more focus on surviving and less on marketing," Chipps said.

The abrupt departure prompted the Paris-based Federation Internationale de l'Automobile -- the motor sports world's governing body -- to reiterate its concern that "the cost of competing in the World Championship is unsustainable.... In the FIA's view, the global economic downturn has only exacerbated an already critical situation."

The 2009 Formula One season opens March 29 with the Australian Grand Prix. If the Honda racing squad can't find new investors, the circuit would have just eight teams remaining in competition. Teams such as Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes spend $200 million annually on their technologically advanced race cars.

American Honda Motor Co. in Torrance on Friday said in a statement that the Formula One decision should have no impact on its U.S.-based motor sports operations, including the racing operations at its Honda Performance Development subsidiary in Santa Clarita, which has 125 employees:

It is unfortunate that current global economic challenges have necessitated the cessation of Honda’s participation in Formula One racing. However, Honda’s U.S.-based motor sports activities are expected to continue in 2009.

Racing has played an essential role in Honda’s history as a company, and the competition that racing provides has always been a cornerstone of Honda’s corporate values. We race to learn, and we race to win. We plan to continue both of those traditions in 2009 and beyond.

Honda plans to sell its Brackley, England-based Honda Racing F1 Team.

Nick Fry, president of the Honda Racing F1 Team, said in a statement that "we do understand that this decision was one which they felt they had to take in light of the global economic situation." Fry said that the team, which has been preparing a new car for the 2009 season, has a "steely determination" to race "if a new owner can be found."

Honda has had a long but bumpy relationship with Formula One racing. Company founder Soichiro Honda created the first team in 1964. The company subsequently abandoned F1 racing, but began to supply engines to teams during the 1980s and formed its most recent Formula One venture in 2005.

Cristiano Ronaldo wins Golden Ball award

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year on Tuesday, becoming the fourth Manchester United player to take the honour and the first since fellow winger George Best in 1968.

Ronaldo's brilliant scoring form helped him beat Barcelona striker Lionel Messi into second place, while Liverpool forward Fernando Torres was third in the poll results announced overnight by France Football magazine.

Ronaldo dominated the voting, tallying 446 points. Messi had 281 points and Torres had 179.

That gave Ronaldo two points more than Kaka won last year's award with.

Ronaldo was second last year with 277, while Messi was third with 255. Kaka, Milan's Brazilian playmaker, was eighth this time with only 31 points.

Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions last season as United won the Premier League and Champions League trophies.

The 23-year-old Ronaldo adds the Ballon d'Or award to the FIFA Pro World Player of the Year trophy he won in October, and the Professional Footballers Association and the Football Writers awards.

He also becomes the first Premier League player to win since former Liverpool forward Michael Owen in 2001, and the first Portuguese player since winger Luis Figo won it with Real Madrid in 2000.

France Football's award was decided by an annual poll of football journalists with a short list of 30 players.

Following Portugal's disappointing showing at the European Championship in June, Ronaldo underwent an operation to his troublesome right ankle injury in July that then kept him sidelined until September 17.