Italian Filippo Magnini became the second-fastest 100m freestyle swimmer in history on Thursday, winning the coveted title in a blistering 48,12 seconds at the 11th World Swimming Championships. Magnini fended off the formidable challenge of South Africans Roland Schoeman and Ryk Neethling, who finished second and third.
Michael Phelps left failure in his wake on Tuesday, winning his first individual gold medal of the 11th World Swimming Championships in the 200m freestyle. Phelps’s roller-coaster opening day at the meet included failing to qualify in the 400m freestyle and winning a 4x100m freestyle relay gold.
Veteran Laura Wilkinson and youngster Chip Peterson made sure the United States wouldn’t have to wait for the arrival of superstar Michael Phelps to strike gold at the 11th World Swimming Championships. Wilkinson won the women’s 10m platform diving and Peterson captured the men’s 10km open-water swimming title.
Former world number one Kim Clijsters crushed top seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-1, 6-0 at Key Biscayne on Thursday to reach the finals of the ,5-million (about R40,3-million) WTA and ATP Masters Series tournament. Clijsters needed just 62 minutes to end Mauresmo’s hopes of a first title at Key Biscayne.
World number one Roger Federer, seeking his first Miami Masters Series crown, cruised into a semifinal showdown with Andre Agassi, the man who has captured six titles at Key Biscayne, both advancing with straight-set victories on Thursday. Henman, one of the few players boasting a winning record against Federer, couldn’t improve on that on Thursday.
Tennis superman Roger Federer looked like a mere mortal on Monday, but Switzerland’s world number one still found a way to claim a three-set victory over Mariano Zabaleta in the third round of the ATP Masters Series tournament at Key Biscayne. Federer won his 18th straight match but looked far from invincible.
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/ 16 November 2004
Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova defeated an aching Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Monday to win the -million WTA Tour Championships and solidify her status among the game’s elite. The 17-year-old Russian handed the former world number one another disappointing defeat in front of about 10 000 fans.
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/ 11 November 2003
Kim Clijsters won the -million WTA Tour Championships on Monday, dominating France’s Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-0 to defend the title she won in Los Angeles last year. While Clijsters won’t finish the year as world number one, she had the satisfaction of wrapping up 2003 with her ninth title of the year.
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/ 12 November 2002
Kim Clijsters of Belgium did what few could in 2002, defeating world No. 1 Serena Williams 7-5, 6-3 on Monday to capture the prestigious WTA Tour Championships.