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text-decoration:none; } img {border:none;} The Sport Review: “Andy
Murray powers through Rafael Nadal to Toronto final” plus 8 more- Andy Murray powers through Rafael Nadal to Toronto final - Christian Klien hoping for Hispania Racing chance - Joe Hart sparkles for Man City at White Hart Lane - Rugby Union: Top 14 opening weekend preview - I would have preferred to stay in Italy, says Mario Balotelli - Arsène Wenger signs new three-year deal with Arsenal - Rafael Benítez’s Inter Milan win the 2010 TIM Cup - Ireland and Slovakia in Euro qualifier venue row - Formula 1: Sauber confident of gaining sponsors for 2011 Andy Murray powers through Rafael Nadal to Toronto final Posted: 14 Aug 2010 04:29 PM PDT The city of Toronto must be counting its lucky stars. Its showpiece tennis event, the Rogers Cup, has whittled down to the top four seeds for the first time in its history. It has already been an exhilarating ride, with Rafael Nadal pushed to three sets by Philipp Kohlschreiber, Andy Murray suffering a bagel between two excellent sets of tennis against Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic looking close to collapse in his first match before sailing through his subsequent rounds, and Roger Federer capping them all with a comeback for the record books against his Wimbledon conqueror Tomas Berdych. So the title could go to any one of them, but for three, a win in Toronto had an added significance. Murray needed to reach the final to keep his No4 ranking, and the winner of the Djokovic and Federer match-up would take the No2 ranking. Only Nadal, almost 4,000 points clear at the top, had nothing to lose. The four men have blanketed the top of the rankings—apart from three weeks at No4 for Juan Martin Del Potro—for the better part of two years. So they have met each other at the business end of tournaments on countless occasions. Take Federer against Murray. They have played 11 times, all on hard courts and, highly significant should they meet in the final, Murray leads by six wins to five. The last three times, though, he was on the losing side. Take Nadal. He has played Djokovic 21 times and beaten him in 14 of them. His stats against Federer are identical. And against Murray, in the first semi-final in Toronto, he was lined up for a 12th meeting. Murray had won just three of their previous matches but, and it was a big but, they were all on hard courts. And so to that 12th encounter. It was an inauspicious opening point for Murray: a double fault. But from that moment, he never looked back. Despite a service percentage hovering at around 45%, he dominated a Nadal who seemed unable to get a footing against this offensive Murray. Typically, the Spaniard finds a rhythm against a counter-punching baseline game, but Murray shed those tactics and went on the attack. He signed off the first set, 6-3, with three aces and an outright one-two winner. It was impressive finishing. Murray continued to pursue Nadal like a terrier in the second set, too. Not only did he match the ground-stroke firepower of the Spaniard, but seemed able to generate more angle and more depth on both wings. He threw in the occasional drop shot to break things up and stepped into the court to receive Nadal's serve. The rallies in the first three games were sometimes reaching 24 or more strokes. That normally sounds the death knell for Nadal's opponents, but the fast, true courts of Toronto allowed Murray to play with confidence and to generate breathtaking pace as soon as an opening appeared. In the third game, after eight minutes of intense hitting from both men, Murray broke through for an early break and held his own serve with ease. But Nadal is not one to back off and with his increasing range of skills, he was able to change his angle of attack. He started to swing his serve wide to the Murray backhand, and followed it into the net to finish. He held his service game with relative ease and then took his attack to the Murray serve. >From 3-1 down, Nadal gradually upped the power on his massive bullwhip forehand, driving it deep to the Murray two-handed backhand, and then into the very corner of the forehand. He picked up drops with drops of his own, and the fist pumps began. The fire was ignited, and he pulled Murray back to lead 4-3. In the eighth game, Murray found himself 15-40 down but turned the tide not with serving but with big forehands to the Nadal backhand. It is a play that often reaps rewards from the Nadal game, and it helped Murray to draw level at 4-4. That resistance under pressure was enough to get the adrenalin coursing through Murray's veins for his second onslaught. He bullied the Nadal serve with bullet-like drives wide to both wings to go 40-0 up. Nadal pulled two points back with a couple of great winners, but Murray took the third break point to serve for the match. He made no mistakes, taking the set 6-4, and scoring a significant and impressive straight-sets win over the best in the world. Murray is now guaranteed to keep his No4 ranking over Robin Soderling, but he will have to wait a little longer to find out who he must beat to retain his Canadian title. Whether it is Federer or Djokovic, he should have few concerns. His record against both men is good. And in this form, he can beat both. Christian Klien hoping for Hispania Racing chance Posted: 14 Aug 2010 12:27 PM PDT Christian Klien is hopeful of driving for Hispania Racing this season despite the team having three other drivers under contract. The former Jaguar and Red Bull man has not given up hope of competing in at least one race for the rookie team who have struggled financially in their debut season. The team's current drivers are Bruno Senna, and Sakon Yamamoto, with the Japanese driver replacing Karun Chandhok for the last two races at Hockenheim and Budapest, and before that replacing Senna at Silverstone. With Yamamoto bringing more funding to the team than Chandhok, it would appear likely that Yamamoto will continue to race for HRT in the second half of the season. Senna claims his contract guarantees him a seat until the end of the season, which if true, leaves Klien with Yamamoto as competition. Klien said: "It’s hard to say. All four drivers in HRT are equally placed. It depends entirely on the team. I will try to be in the car as much as possible to accumulate experience.” As well as his role with HRT, Klien has also driven for Peugeot in the Le Mans series, but with the French team wanting its drivers to concentrate on sports cars and not Formula 1, he will no longer compete for them and will instead focus on gaining a race seat in F1. Klien's only appearances for HRT have come in Friday morning practices at Barcelona and Valencia, but the Austrian is confident of a return to competitive racing in 2011, either with the Spanish team or elsewhere, after revealing he is also speaking to other teams. Joe Hart sparkles for Man City at White Hart Lane Posted: 14 Aug 2010 07:25 AM PDT BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE, 14 August 2010 Tottenham Hotspur 0 Manchester City 0 Joe Hart produced a man of the match performance to help keep a lively Tottenham Hotspur side at bay as the new Premier League season kicked off at White Hart Lane. A series of remarkable stops in a busy first half for the Manchester City goalkeeper was followed by an equally as assured second period. Hart’s agility, coupled with a robust defensive display from Roberto Mancini’s side, ensures City head back to Eastlands with a well earned point. With Ireland international Shay Given relegated to the bench, Hart suggested his team-mate may now seek an exit from the City of Manchester Stadium in order to secure regular first team football. “It’s got nothing to do with me,” Hart, 23, said after the match. “Shay’s his own man. He’s been a great goalkeeper for years and years so he’s free to do as he pleases. I’m sure he wants to play football though.” “It was just an enjoyable day. I love playing football and its great to be involved.” City boss Mancini added that having two stoppers of such quality made for a difficult decision over who should be his No1. “I’m happy because I have two big goalkeepers,” said Mancini. “But I must make a decision and one must go on the bench.” The Italian manager added: “I think that we need to time because we haven’t played together yet. This is difficult for us but I think that next week we can improve.” And Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was quick to praise Hart’s display. “He was in great form,” said Redknapp. “They’ve got two great keepers there and the young kid had a great day today. We made so many chances in the first half, we just couldn’t beat him.” Rugby Union: Top 14 opening weekend preview Posted: 14 Aug 2010 05:42 AM PDT It is incredible to think that the tears of joy shed by Aurelien Rougerie and his Clermont side are now nearly three months old, but the new French champions already begin their title defence this weekend, up against the side whom they defeated at the end of May. Clermont will start their season against Perpginan at Aimé Giral, a ground where they have not won in eight years. They have signed former All Black Sione Lauaki to bolster their back row, and the temperamental number 8 has the potential to make a big impact in the Top 14. Several clubs have shown a lot of ambition over the close season with some major new signings coming to the top flight of French rugby. Toulon will be hoping to improve on their heartbreaking semi final loss last year, and with Carl Hayman and George Smith, they have brought in two world class forwards. In the backs, the loss of Sonny Bill Williams will be a big blow, but a fully fit Felipe Contepomi, as well as new signing Paul Sackey, should offset that to keep them competitive. The team from the South coast open up against Bayonne, another side who have recruited heavily over the summer. Having lost their international starlet Benjamin Fall to Racing, the Basques have gone for a blend of youth and experience with Julien Audy and Benjamin Boyet providing a new half back pairing, and Troy Flavell and Clement Baiocco providing a little more grunt up front. The other player to watch out for is Yoann Huget, a young winger from Agen who showed lots of promise at age group level. The other side to have spent big before the new season are Racing-Métro, who in addition to Fall, signed Argentine star Juan Martin Hernandez, Italian international Mirco Bergamasco and Perpignan scrum half Nicolas Durand, in order to challenge in both the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup. They begin away to Brive, a side who have also seen a lot of changes, but should struggle to make the playoffs. Perennial favourites Toulouse will begin at home to new boys Agen. The most successful team of French rugby have not made many changes over the summer, but the retirement of Jean Baptiste Elissalde will be a huge blow. In contrast, their opponents have brought in several young players, and will hope that veteran fly half Valentin Courrent can lead them to safety. The remaining matches will see Biarritz take on Montpellier, with both sides happy to have kept hold of their star players over the summer, rather than recruiting too heavily. Stade Français will hope to bounce back from last season's disappointment, and their biggest arrival should be former Leinster coach, Michael Cheika. They begin at home to a Bourgoin side who still have huge financial worries and will almost certainly face another relegation battle this season. Finally, last year's surprise package Castres will travel to relegation favourites La Rochelle with new signings Benjamin Kayser and Seremaia Bai to bolster last season's squad. I would have preferred to stay in Italy, says Mario Balotelli Posted: 14 Aug 2010 04:15 AM PDT New Manchester City signing Mario Balotelli has revealed he would have preferred to stay in Italy and continue his career in Serie A. The 20-year-old striker left treble winners Inter Milan to rejoin former coach Roberto Mancini in Manchester for the princely fee of £24 million. But the highly-rated forward now says he would have preferred to continue to play in Italy. “I’m sorry that I’m leaving Inter and Italy because I would have preferred to continue my career in my own country,” Balotelli said on his official website. “I’m going where I hope to find the space I need to play which is very important to me: I need to play, to make mistakes, to learn and to play again. As well as a calm environment around me.” “It’s been a difficult year: I’ve recognised my mistakes, but I think I’ve often been under and receiving end of criticism that at times has irritated me.” He added: “Now all I am thinking about is playing well for my new club and in the Premier League.” Balotelli made his debut for Inter as a 17-year-old in 2007 under the guidance of Mancini. The newly-capped Italian international made 86 appearances, scoring 28 goals. Arsène Wenger signs new three-year deal with Arsenal Posted: 14 Aug 2010 04:00 AM PDT Arsène Wenger has signed a new three-year contract extension to keep the Frenchman at Emirates Stadium until 2014. The Gunners boss, whose previous contract was set to run until the end of this season, has won 11 trophies with the Gunners during his 13 years in north London. "My heart belongs to Arsenal and my desire is to see this team win silverware,” said Wenger. "My commitment and drive are as strong and fresh as ever. Signing a new deal means that I can see this talented group of players reach their potential. Trust me, they are ready to deliver. "With my staff and players we are in front of an exciting challenge and we are looking forward to achieving much success,” added the 60-year-old. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood added: “Arsène is a very talented man and we believe the young, exciting team he has nurtured over the past five years will reward his and the fans' patience with silverware." Wenger’s side kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Rafael Benítez’s Inter Milan win the 2010 TIM Cup Posted: 14 Aug 2010 03:52 AM PDT Rafael Benítez enjoyed his first success with Inter Milan as the reigning Italian champions won the 2010 TIM Cup with a 3-2 penalty victory over their city rivals. The TIM Cup is an annual tournament involving AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus. Each side plays 45 minutes matches and if the scores are level, a penalty shootout decides the winner. A win after 45 minutes is worth three points while a victory on penalties secures two, with the losers in the shoot-out given a consolatory point. In the first match Juventus were beaten by Inter courtesy of a speculative long-range strike from Esteban Cambiasso. The next tie saw AC Milan and Juventus level at the final whistle with Ronaldinho and Diego on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw. The Rossoneri emerged victorious after a narrow 4-2 win on penalties. It meant the final clash was between the two bitter Milan rivals. Massimiliano Allegri, the AC Milan manager, opted to change his team from the side which overcame Juventus in the previous round. Unsurprisingly, a tight and tense unofficial Derby della Madonnina was decided on penalties and it was Inter who secured their sixth TIM Trophy. Ireland and Slovakia in Euro qualifier venue row Posted: 14 Aug 2010 03:30 AM PDT The Slovakian football association has enraged its Irish counterpart by switching the venue of a European Championship qualifying match between the two nations. Slovakian FA officials had originally informed the FAI and UEFA that October’s qualifier would be held in Bratislava, but now they have insisted the match be played 125 miles away in Zilina. The Irish association are furious after members of the FAI specifically travelled to Bratislava to compile a dossier ahead of the match, booking accommodation and transport for the team and officials. “The Slovakian FA, had previously confirmed formally and in writing in that the game would take place in Bratislava but new correspondence received from the SFZ has now stated that they have changed their mind and want to host the game in the city of Zilina,” read an FAI statement. “In response, the Football Association of Ireland has replied to the SFZ and Uefa on behalf of the Irish fans who have already made travel arrangements for the European Championship qualifier, asking them to maintain their original and formally notified statement that they would play the game in Bratislava.” Formula 1: Sauber confident of gaining sponsors for 2011 Posted: 14 Aug 2010 03:08 AM PDT Peter Sauber is confident his team will have commercial partners for the 2011 season following an almost sponsor-less return to the sport. Sauber bought his team back from BMW at the last minute after the German automotive giant withdrew from the sport, but it was too close to the start of the season to attract big-name sponsors amid uncertainty over their ability to compete. Despite the lack of funding Sauber's season has gone reasonably well, with former McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa and rookie Kamui Kobayashi coming good. Kobayashi has finished in the top 10 in four out of the 12 races in his first full season in Formula 1, with both drivers finishing in the top 10 in the last race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Sauber have recently been linked with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and his TELMEX outfit with a view to a title sponsorship deal for 2011—a deal which could also see Mexican GP2 driver Sergio Perez or GP2 championship leader Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado graduate to F1 with the Sauber team. "I believe that we will be at a competitive level,” said Peter Sauber. “There is a good possibility for new partners and we are working very hard on that. "We’re sure we will have more colour on the car next year. I don’t know what basic colour – it depends on the sponsor." Whether it is TELMEX or another company, what is certain is that the Sauber team will move forward and attract new names to the sport. Sauber is also confident his team can compete with the bigger teams next season, even on their current budget. "We will get closer to the other teams. We are already close to Williams, sometimes behind, sometimes in front, and it’s the same with Mercedes," he added. "That clearly shows that it’s possible with limited budget to go forward. The lap times are on a very good level." Sauber are currently eighth in the constructors' championship with 23 points, 17 behind rivals Williams, and 24 behind Force India. Toro Rosso are 13 points behind, with none of the new teams yet to score a championship point. You are subscribed to email updates from The Sport Review To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 -- Posted By Mas Item Arekjowo to Bwinsport | Gila Bola at 8/15/2010 12:05:00 AM -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Gugukluhayat" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/gugukluhayat?hl=en.
