Chinese wildcard Zheng Jie provided an absorbing sub-plot to Williams sister domination on quarterfinal day at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova joined the Wimbledon scrapheap on Monday as the second week began with more shocks.
Unseeded Russian Marat Safin illuminated the evening gloom at Wimbledon on Friday with another electrifying performance to beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi.
Everton missed the chance to confirm a place in next season’s UEFA Cup when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. Nicklas Bendtner headed the only goal after 77 minutes at the Emirates stadium against a stubborn Everton side who needed just a draw to guarantee finishing fifth.
Opportunities to reach an FA Cup final do not come around often, especially for the likes of Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City and Barnsley, who will be battling out this weekend’s semifinals at Wembley. It is the first time since 1908 that only one team from the top flight have reached the semifinals.
Chelsea kept their Premier League title hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Sunday but their performance would have caused few alarms for leaders Manchester United. Ricardo Carvalho’s well-placed header inside the opening six minutes at Stamford Bridge proved sufficient for Avram Grant’s side to close the gap to five points.
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/ 27 December 2007
Champions Manchester United begin the second half of their Premier League title defence at the top of the league on Saturday but manager Alex Ferguson will be hoping for better luck at West Ham United. United were imperious in a 4-0 thrashing of Sunderland on Wednesday to move a point above Arsenal.
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/ 2 November 2007
The career of Martina Hingis ended in disgrace and tears on Thursday when she retired after testing positive for cocaine, an inglorious finale to a story that captivated world tennis for more than a decade. ”I have tested positive but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100% innocent,” the five-times Grand Slam champion told a news conference.
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/ 21 September 2007
Jose Mourinho has spoken of a ”never ending love story” with Chelsea fans in his first public comments since parting company with the club in the early hours of Thursday morning. In a heartfelt letter, the Portuguese coach said he was proud of his achievements since taking over in 2004.
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/ 3 September 2007
England captain Phil Vickery says the defending champions can have a huge impact on the World Cup but must be wary of Pool A opponents South Africa. Four mediocre years since winning the trophy in Australia in 2003 have left England outside the main favourites for the tournament in France which kicks off on Friday.