Top-seeded Andy Roddick and unseeded James Blake won straight-set semifinal matches to advance to the final at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Saturday. Roddick beat 13th-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan 7-6 (4), 6-2, advancing to a final for the 29th time in his career. Blake then beat 10th-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal to reach his fourth career final.
World record-holder Jessica Hardy captured the 100m breaststroke title at the United States Swimming Championships on Saturday, edging 2000 Olympic champion Megan Quann Jendrick. Hardy (18) set the world record of 1:06.20 in the semifinals of the world championships in Montreal last week.
Springbok coach Jake White played down the ecstasy in the aftermath of his team’s nerve-racking Tri-Nations victory over the All Blacks at Newlands on Saturday. While the 49 118 fans crammed into Newlands erupted at the final whistle to celebrate one of the Boks’ finest performances in recent memory, White preferred to remain focussed. After failing to gain a bonus point from their two home matches, the Boks will, in all likelihood, need a rare away victory if they hope to retain the trophy — a point that is not lost on the coac
A black-clad choir, many with tears streaming down their cheeks, sang a mournful song of peace on Saturday at the start of the funeral of southern leader and first vice-president John Garang de Mabior, who was killed last week in a helicopter crash. Several heads of state were in the audience.
The Sharks produced one of their finest second-half displays in years to defeat the Currie Cup champion Blue Bulls 18-14 at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night. The Griffons received a beating in their last qualifying Currie Cup match in the North West stadium on Friday night when they were thrashed 43-0 by the Free State Cheetahs.
Chelsea and Arsenal kick off the new English season on Sunday locked in a familiar war of words over spending power and with lingering bitterness over the Ashley Cole affair still splitting the London rivals. The Community Shield at the Millennium Stadium used to be known as the Charity Shield.
Coach Jose Mourinho has backed Peter Kenyon after the Chelsea chief executive’s comments that the club would comfortably defend their Premiership title this season. Kenyon was accused of arrogance after he said that the wealthy London side had no realistic rivals for the title.
Colin Montgomerie has not given up hope of competing in next week’s United States PGA championships despite sustaining a hand injury that forced him to withdraw from the Johnnie Walker tournament at Gleneagles. The big Scot bruised three fingers in hitting what he called ”one of the worst shots I’ve ever hit”.
Three-time world champion John Godina of the United States failed to make the final of the shot put at the World Athletics Championships on Saturday, and Justin Gatlin confidently started his quest to add the world title to his 100m Olympic gold. The Americans had been hoping for a sweep of medals later on Saturday.
A British plane carrying a robotic underwater vehicle arrived on Saturday as part of an international effort to help rescue seven people trapped aboard a Russian mini-submarine off the Pacific coast. Captain Igor Dygalo said the Super Scorpio was being unloaded for transport to the area where the submarine has been trapped since Thursday.