/ 24 March 1998

Ferreira takes Sampras in three

MONDAY, 11.00AM:

SOUTH African Wayne Ferreira put even more pressure on Pete Sampras’s hold on the world tennis number one ranking on Monday.

Ferreira, ranked 36th in the world, defeated the American 0-6 7-6(8-6) 6-3 in the third round of the Lipton championships in Key Biscayne, Florida.

The South African has a 3-3 record against the world number-one, having won all three of their indoor meetings , and losing all three outdoor confrontations.

In the women’s competition, a luckless Joanette Kruger of South Africa was wiped off the court in just 35 minutes by world number one Martina Hingis. The 23rd-ranked South African was mercilessly gunned down 6-0 6-0 in their third-round encounter.

SPORT BRIEFS

ADAMS WORLD’S BEST CHINAMAN BOWLER

PAUL ADAMS needs another five wickets to reach his 50th in Test cricket, but he is already assured of being the world’s best ever chinaman bowler. The most successful chinaman bowler before Adams was Australian Leslie O’Brian Fleetwood-Smith, who took 42 Test wickets at an average of 38 runs each. Adams has now taken 45 Test wickets at an average of little more than 30, which, statistically, makes him the finest exponent of of this type of bowling ever to play test cricket. Adams differs from the others in that the googly is his stock delivery, and the chinaman (the off break) is the variation, instead of the other way around.

DRESSAGE GETS BOOST

AN Australian team will compete in the International African Federation Dressage Cup competition at the Rand Easter Show from March 29-30. The team will compete against SA, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Namibia.

ALL DOWNHILL FOR MOUNTAIN BIKES

THE World Cup Mountain Bike Downhill will be held at Stellenbosch’s Botmaskop route from April 2-5 again, the organisers said on Monday. The Dual World Cup — dual slalom — will also be staged at the venue.

WAPNICK TOP SA SQUASH PLAYER

CRAIG WAPNICK from Gauteng is the top-ranked South African, at 36, on the world squash rankings, released in London oner the weekend by the Professional Squash Association. Meanwhile, SA Open U/19 champion and newly crowned Gauteng champion Gareth Schnehage of Crawford College has been included in the Pro Kennex Elite squash squad announced at the weekend.

Squad:

John Argyle, Lloyd Barcza, Simon Ingersent, Riaan van Tonder, Alex Brink, Gary Wheadon, Michael Marcus.

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