Serena Williams stormed back from a set down to triumph 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 over world number one Justine Henin in Miami on Saturday to claim her fourth career title in the ,9-million-dollar Sony Ericsson Open. ”It’s just not in me to give up,” said Williams, who showed a steely resolve in saving two match points in the 10th game of the second set.
Five-times Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has denied using performance-enhancing drugs and vowed to clear his name after a drug test before his retirement last year showed unusually high levels of naturally-occurring hormones.
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The detectives probing Bob Woolmer’s death were facing mounting pressure to deliver results on Saturday, amid signs of disarray at the heart of the murder investigation — and mounting speculation that it might have been due to a tragic accident. On Saturday night, reports from a witness at the hotel in which Woolmer was staying claimed he had been seen drinking a bottle of whisky in the bar.
A hot year is normally associated with a vintage year for wine growers but global warming could, by the end of the century, have adverse effects and already poses a major challenge to vineyards in southern France and California. If nothing is done about global warming, only the coastal regions of California, cooled by the ocean breeze, will be good for cultivating vines by 2100.
Barcelona turned on the style to pull three points clear at the top of the Primera Liga with a 2-1 win over Deportivo Coruna on Saturday. Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho, who has been at the centre of intense media speculation over his future, helped set up goals for Lionel Messi before the break and Samuel Eto’o soon after the restart.
United States farmers plan to cash in on the ethanol fuel boom by planting the largest area to maize in 63 years, potentially yielding a record crop and calming fears that renewable fuels will steal grain needed for food and feed, the federal government said on Friday.
The Cabinet has dismissed suggestions that the government is insensitive to the plight of its employees.
All Blacks winger Doug Howlett became the leading tryscorer in Super 12 or 14 rugby as the Auckland Blues beat the Waikato Chiefs 18-11 in an often-bitter match on Saturday. Howlett’s 61st-minute try was his 58th in 97 matches, carrying him past the record mark of 57 tries previously held by Wallabies wing Joe Roff.
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Sparks are bound to fly when West Indies skipper Brian Lara bats against ace Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a World Cup Super Eights match in Georgetown on Sunday. The pair were involved in an engrossing duel in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2001, with Lara proving why is considered one of the best batsmen against spin.
Stopgap flyhalf Piri Weepu kicked four goals from five attempts as the Wellington Hurricanes beat South Africa’s Bulls 17-9 in a Super 14 rugby match on Saturday. The All Blacks scrumhalf, assigned the number 10 jersey as the Hurricanes voted no confidence in their two specialists in the position, landed all four goals in the first half, including a 48m effort into a swirling breeze.