 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Paes-Stepanek knocked out of Cincinnati Masters
Fifth seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were eliminated from the ATP Cincinnati Masters following their defeat to Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Paes and Stepanek lost 1-6, 6-4, 8-10 in the second round of the $4,017,355 hard court event in the run up to the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season.
The Canadian-American combo had also ousted the Indo-Pak pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi earlier in the tournament.
India's challenge is still alive in the women's tournament as Sania Mirza and Cara Black were awarded a bye in the first round.
The fourth seeded Indo-Zimbabwean pair faces Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues and Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova in the $2,567,000 Western and Southern Open.
- NEXT: Farah eases to European 10,000 metres title
Dominant Farah eases to European 10,000 metres title
Britain's Mo Farah put aside his recent fitness problems to claim his fourth European title by comfortably winning the 10,000 metres final on Wednesday.
The double Olympic champion was chased hard down the final straight by Turkish pair Ali Kaya and Polat Kemboi Arikan and compatriot Andy Vernon, but never looked in any real danger.
Vernon, hampered by backmarkers at the start of the final lap, pipped the two Kenyan-born Turks to take silver, Kaya was third and Arikan, the defending champion, finished out of the medals.
It was a welcome win for the 31-year-old Farah in what has been a frustrating season.
"It meant a lot to me," Farah told reporters after adding to his 5,000 and 10,000 metres European golds in Barcelona in 2010 and his 5,000 metres title in Helsinki two years ago.
"I was really ill a few weeks ago but training has gone well.
"Winning the European Championships again really does mean a lot to me. I didn't want to let people down after missing the Commonwealth Games, it hasn't been easy."
On a wet and chilly evening at the Letzigrund, Farah went to the front of the pack just over three laps from the end and never looked like relinquishing his lead.
Britain also won gold in the men's 100 metres and women's 100 metres hurdles.
James Dasaolu held off Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre to win the 100 in 10.06 seconds and Tiffany Porter won the sprint hurdles in 12.76 seconds, three hundredths of a second ahead of Cindy Billaud of France.
Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands, world championship bronze medallist in the heptathlon last year, made a successful switch to the sprints as she won the women's 100 metres in 11.12 seconds ahead of Myriam Soumare of France and Ashleigh Nelson of Britain.
Schippers will also run in the 200 metres and women's 4x100 metres relay.
- NEXT: Woods out of Ryder Cup
Ailing Tiger Woods out of Ryder Cup
Tiger Woods ruled himself out of contention for a wildcard spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team due to lingering back problems on Wednesday and has been told by doctors not to play or practice until his condition improves, the former world number one said.
Woods, who had surgery in March to treat a pinched nerve and has played just eight tournaments this year, asked U.S. captain Tom Watson not to consider him for one of three wildcard picks for the biennial team competition against Europe next month.
Watson will announce his three picks on Sept. 2 to complete his 12-man team to take on holders Europe at Gleneagles in Scotland from Sept. 26-28.
"While I greatly appreciate Tom thinking about me for a possible captain's pick, I must take myself out of consideration," Woods said in a statement.
"I've been told by my doctors and trainer that my back muscles need to be rehabilitated and healed. They've advised me not to play or practise now. I'm extremely disappointed that I won't be ready for the competition.
"The U.S. team and the Ryder Cup mean too much to me not to be able to give it my best. I'll be cheering for the U.S. team. I think we have an outstanding squad going into the matches."
Woods, a 14-times major winner, said on his official website that he planned to return to competition for the Dec. 4-7 World Challenge tournament which he hosts, to be played this year in Orlando, Florida.
"It's an event that's important to me and my foundation, and it will be exciting to be playing again," he said. "I was fortunate that my recent back injury was not related to my surgery and was muscular only."
Woods has struggled for form since recovering from back surgery in late March and missed the cut at last week's PGA Championship, only the fourth missed cut of his professional career in a major.
- NEXT: Dortmund beat Bayern 2-0 to retain German Super Cup
Hungry Dortmund beat Bayern 2-0 to retain German Super Cup
Borussia Dortmund eased past lacklustre Bayern Munich 2-0 with goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to lift the German Super Cup on Wednesday and draw first blood in their rivalry with the Bavarians this season.
With both clubs leaving most of their World Cup winners and big names at home or on the bench, all eyes were on Bayern's new striker Robert Lewandowski.
With Dortmund fans whistling and jeering the club's former forward on his first return to the city since joining their rivals, Armenian Mkhitaryan struck in the 23rd minute, rifling home after a superb passing move.
Bayern, without Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben as well as defender Rafinha among others, were on the back foot for much of the game with keeper Manuel Neuer repeatedly coming to the rescue.
He was without a chance, however, when winger Aubameyang rose high above defender Jerome Boateng to drill in a header in the 62nd minute and celebrate by putting on a Spiderman mask he slipped out of his sock to the delight of the 80,600 crowd.
Dortmund had chances to add to their tally en route to retaining the trophy, with last season's double winners Bayern, who also lost the Super Cup 12 months ago, looking more like a work in progress with the league start just over a week away.
- NEXT: Father of dead driver lashes out at Tony Stewart
NASCAR: Father of dead driver lashes out at Tony Stewart
The father of a race car driver fatally struck by NASCAR's Tony Stewart over the weekend lashed out in a newspaper interview at the three-time champion for not seeing his son standing on the track.
Sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. died on Saturday when Stewart's car hit the 20-year-old as he was walking on the dirt track in Canandaigua, New York, to confront Stewart after his car bumped Ward's.
"Apparently, Tony Stewart was the only one driving out there who didn't see him," Kevin Ward Sr. told the Syracuse Post-Standard on Tuesday.
Noting that his son had never before left his car during a race, he added, "I think the reason he probably got out of that car is who put him into the wall. He was definitely put into the wall."
Investigators are looking into the possibility that Stewart hit the throttle when he approached Ward.
No charges have been filed against Stewart but the investigation will last at least another two weeks, authorities said.