Murray advances to US Open semi-final

NEW YORK (AFP) - British sixth seed Andy Murray advanced to the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 7-5 victory over 17th-seeded Argentine teen titan Juan Martin Del Potro.
Murray ensured his rise to a career-high fourth in next week's ATP rankings, matching the highest spot any British man has ever held, by halting the South American's 23-match win streak to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Serving to force a fourth-set tie-breaker, Del Potro netted a forehand to give Murray two match points. The South American saved the first with a service winner but sent a backhand wide to end the drama after three hours, 58 minutes.
"I'm very relieved," Murray said. "I had my chances to put it away earlier and let it slip away. It was unbelievable."
The lanky 21-year-old Scotsman booked a Saturday date against the winner of a later match between American Mardy Fish and top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal, the Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion who is 5-0 against Murray.
Murray has won 17 of his past 19 ATP matches, losing only to Nadal in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the semi-finals at Montreal.
After titles this year at Doha, Marseille and Cincinnati to give him six career ATP crowns, Murray has matched Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski as the top-rated Britons in tennis history.
Del Potro, 19, was on an amazing run - no other man had won his first four titles in a row - and reached his first Slam quarter-final after taking Open tuneup crowns in Stuttgart, Kitzbuhel, Los Angeles and Washington.
A victory over Murray would have likely jumped Del Potro, rated 65th at the start of July, into the top 10 on Monday.
Del Potro, the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001, had his left knee repeatedly checked by a trainer during what was a bit of a grudge match.
In their only prior ATP meeting at Rome in May, Del Potro retired in the third set but only after Murray had rebuked him for a comment about Murray's mother, who was cheering her son from the stands.
In Wednesday's third set, Murray sent a backland long to surrender a break and a 5-4 lead to Del Potro, the Argentine ace then holding to claim the set.
Murray began the fourth set by handing Del Potro a break on back-to-back double faults, but the South American lifted Murray level at 2-2 by sending a forehand long to give back the break as fatigue gripped both men.
Murray fought off three break points to hold in the fifth game but gave away a break with a wide backhand in the seventh, only to pull back level 4-4 when Del Potro netted back-to-back forehands to surrender yet another break, setting the stage for the decisive last-game break.
Del Potro netted a forehand to surrender the first break of the second set and give Murray a 6-5 lead but the Scotsman was broken at love to force a tie-breaker.
Murray opened it with two forehand winners. Del Potro followed by netting a backhand and two forehands and two more errant shots handed Murray the set.
Murray captured the opening set by winning the last six points of the tie-breaker, the last coming when Del Potro swatted a forehand beyond the baseline.

by Jim Slater
http://news.yahoo.com

tennis US Open

Panthers QB Matt Moore has broken bone in left leg

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After Carolina Panthers backup quarterback Matt Moore injured his left leg in the final preseason game last week, he had two X-rays and an MRI that revealed no broken bones.
Cleared to practice Wednesday, Moore attempted to push off on his leg and felt something pop. X-rays revealed a broken fibula, and Moore is out indefinitely.
"He had gone out with the trainers and felt good (Tuesday)," general manager Marty Hurney said. "But something happened at practice. Hopefully he'll be back as quick as he can."
While Hurney said Moore will not be placed on injured reserve, the Panthers did re-sign Brett Basanez to the practice squad Wednesday afternoon and released defensive end Angelo Craig. He could serve as the No. 3 QB behind starter Jake Delhomme and backup Josh McCown, who was acquired from Miami a day after Moore was injured.
"Matt won't practice for a while. We're going to have three quarterbacks practice," Hurney said. "Brett knows our system and can step in at any time. That was an obvious move for us to do."
Moore went 2-1 as a starter for the Panthers last season as an undrafted rookie. But he struggled in the preseason, not leading the Panthers to a touchdown, and was expected to drop to third-string behind McCown.

Wed Sep 3, 6:55 PM ET
by http://news.yahoo.com

football

SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had arthroscopic surgery to repair a ligament injury in his left ankle.
The Spurs said Wednesday that the surgery in Los Angeles had gone well and Ginobili will be in a splint and on crutches for three weeks. Then, his rehabilitation schedule will be determined after his ankle is re-evaluated.
The injury hobbled Ginobili during the NBA playoffs, particularly during the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was cleared to play for Argentina in the Olympics, but re-aggravated the injury during a game against the United States.
An MRI taken last week showed no more damage but no improvement, setting up the need for the arthroscopic surgery.
Ginobili averaged 19.5 points last season to lead the Spurs in scoring.

by http://news.yahoo.com

basketball nba

Cannavaro ready for Italy return

Fabio Cannavaro claims he is fit and ready to lead the defending champions as they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Cannavaro was the most valuable player of the 2006 event in Germany as he led the Azzurri to the title, but injury prevented him from playing at this summer's European Championships.
Without the inspirational 34-year-old, Italy lost to eventual tournament winners Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals.
The Real Madrid defender insists he has now completely recovered from the ankle injury which forced him to miss the competition in Austria and Switzerland.
"I am fine. I was already ready for the first game of the season," said Cannavaro, who was an unused substitute in Madrid's 2-1 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.
"I don't want to think that my injury affected the team at the Euros. It's not one person that changes the team."
The Azzurri were also missing World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi at the Euros.
The Italian Football Federation tempted him to come back to the Azzurri helm not long after deciding against renewing Roberto Donadoni's contract.
"Lippi has the same charisma and the same determination as two years ago," said Cannavaro.
"We know that we have to qualify for the next tournament as defending world champions and we will have more responsibility."
Italy travel to Larnaca to meet Cyprus before hosting Georgia four days later at Udinese's Stadio Friuli.

Thursday 4th September 2008

by www.espnstar.com/football

football

LeBron James to be featured in new documentary

CLEVELAND - LeBron James has gone from the gold-medal stand to the silver screen.
The Cavaliers' megastar, fresh off helping the U.S. basketball team win gold at the Beijing Olympics, will be at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend for the debut of "More Than A Game," a documentary chronicling his rise to stardom and how he and four childhood friends overcame long odds to win a national championship in high school.
Combining footage taken during James' career at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron, along with one-on-one interviews by writer/director Kris Belman, home videos, and personal family photographs, the film is about much more than basketball. At its core is a story of friendship, loyalty and love.
"We set out with a goal as kids and we wanted to accomplish that someway, somehow by using basketball as a tool, not knowing that it was going to create other opportunities for us," James said. "We didn't know it was going to create a brotherhood and trust. We grew from kids into young men."
James is expected to be joined by friends and former teammates Dru Joyce III, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis for the premiere.
Like the much-acclaimed 1994 film "Hoop Dreams," which followed two Chicago high school students chasing their dream of becoming pro basketball players, "More Than A Game" focuses on how James and his friends' lives are shaped by basketball.
Their journey began together as 8-year-old boys, winds through years crisscrossing the country playing in AAU tournaments and finishes in their senior season at St. Vincent-St. Mary, a year when James came under scrutiny for accepting a $50,000 sports-utility vehicle as a gift from his mother and his eligibility was briefly stripped by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
At the time, Belman was a film student at Loyola Marymount. He set out to chronicle James and his friends' season as his final school project, a 10-minute documentary. But after gaining the trust of the players and coach Dru Joyce, Belman spent two months filming and eventually teamed with producer Harvey Mason Jr. to the full-length feature.
James hopes the film will inspire youngsters.
"We set out with a goal when we were 8 and we accomplished it when we were 18," he said. "It's a great story and I wanted to get it out to kids that have a dream, that they should continue to go after it, believe in it and live it if they want to accomplish something."

by TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
Tue Sep 2, 6:03 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com

basketball NBA

NEWCASTLE, England (AFP) - Kevin Keegan's future as Newcastle United manager remained in the balance on Wednesday after the English Premier League club admitted that talks are continuing between the warring factions.
The 57-year-old is believed to have made clear his disgust at the club's transfer policy in talks with Newcastle's directors this week and reports on Wednesday claimed the former England coach could walk away from St James' Park.
Newcastle responded by insisting Keegan is still their manager but they revealed he is still discussing the situation with owner Mike Ashley.
"Newcastle United Football Club can confirm that discussions are ongoing between the Board and Kevin Keegan," a statement on Newcastle's website read.
"Both the Club and Kevin would like to reiterate that Kevin remains as manager. He has not resigned nor has he been sacked, as has been confirmed in respective statements made by Kevin and Newcastle United Football Club."
The chief executive of the League Managers' Association, Richard Bevan, admitted Keegan was "in a difficult position".
"It is not ideal having to speak to you on managers' positions so early in the season but I was speaking to Kevin Keegan at length last night," Bevan told BBC radio.
"He has not resigned. "He is in a difficult position - he'll be discussing really important issues with the Newcastle board over the next few days.
"The football club and fans everybody knows are massively important to Kevin and after such heavy coverage and speculation yesterday it was important to make this statement that he has not resigned."
Bevan said he could not confirm that the club's attempts to sell England international striker Michael Owen had been the final straw for Keegan.
The club are also believed to have gone against Keegan's wishes by trying to offload Joey Barton, the midfielder who served a prison sentence this year for assault and is facing a long suspension from the Football Association for another incident.
Other reports said Keegan - whose future at the club was brought into question earlier this year when Dennis Wise was surprisingly appointed director of football in January without him knowing - was disgruntled at Newcastle's failure to make any major signings as the transfer window closed on Monday.
The club's only business on deadline day was the 5.7-million-pound signing of Spanish striker Xisco and the loan signing of midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez, although Keegan had reportedly not expressed an interest in either player.
Keegan's relations with Ashley were also strained in May when the manager said he did not believe Newcastle had the resources to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Many British newspapers said Keegan was on borrowed time, and that he was merely negotiating his compensation package before walking away.
The Magpies currently lie 11th in the table after a mixed start to the new season. They held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, beat Bolton 1-0 but lost 3-0 to Arsenal.

Wed Sep 3, 7:24 AM ET
by http://news.yahoo.com

football

Real Madrid 'refused Man City bid for Van Nistelrooy

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid turned down a "blank cheque" for their Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from Manchester City after selling their Brazilian forward Robinho to the English side, sports daily Marca reported on Wednesday.
Manchester City and its new owner, billionaire Arab businessman Sulaiman Al-Fahim of the UAE, offered an "out of the ordinary" sum for the 32-year-old after sealing their purchase of Robinho on Monday for 42 million euros (61 million dollars), it said.
Al-Fahim, who wants to turn Manchester City into the biggest football club in the world, said on Tuesday he was willing to pay 150 million euros for crosstown rival Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo.
Real Madrid had offered around 85 million euros for Ronaldo over the summer but the 23-year-old player decided to stay with Manchester United for at least another year.
Al-Fahim is also interested in signing FC Barcelona's French international striker Thierry Henry and Valencia's Spanish international striker David Villa, the top-scorer at Euro 2008.
Spanish media reported that he is also interested in Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Liverpool's striker Fernando Torres.
Al-Fahim has not disclosed the amount he is paying for City when he made the purchase on Monday on behalf of the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, of which he is a board member.
The National, an English-language Abu Dhabi daily, earlier on Tuesday estimated the value of the buy-out at 177 million dollars.

Wed Sep 3, 8:05 AM ET
by http://news.yahoo.com

football

Jamie Murray through to final

Jamie Murray will contest a second grand slam final after the Scot and Liezel Huber beat Jill Craybas and Eric Butorac.
Murray and Huber had the upper hand in both sets as they claimed a 6-3 6-4 semi-final victory over Murray's former men's doubles partner Butorac and his American partner.
Murray won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon last year with Jelena Jankovic and will aim to repeat the feat against fifth seeds Cara Black and Leander Paes in Thursday's final.
Murray and Huber reached the last four at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago and at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
"We played a solid match and came through it well." said Murray.
"We made semis here last year and its good to go one better, but we will be looking for another win in the final."

Wednesday 3rd September 2008

by www.espnstar.com/tennis/us-open

tennis

Nadal honoured in Spain

Spain ace Rafael Nadal`s remarkable 2008 was recognised in his homeland on Wednesday when he was named as the winner of the prestigious Prince of Asturias sports award.
The 22-year-old Mallorcan has taken the tennis world by storm this year, winning eight singles titles to date, including Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics, while he has also replaced Roger Federer as world number one.
That success has seen Nadal pip the likes of Spain`s Euro 2008-winning squad, plus Olympic superstars Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva to the award.
Last year`s winner was former seven-times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, while previous holders of the title have been Fernando Alonso, Lance Armstrong, Carl Lewis and Spain's 2006 FIBA World Championship-winning basketball squad.

Wednesday 3rd September 2008
by www.espnstar.com/tennis

tennis

Ballack out for Germany

Michael Ballack has been ruled out of the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Finland.
The German football federation revealed that Ballack is suffering from a bruised foot and will miss the opening games in Group 4.
The federation had earlier suggested the Chelsea midfielder could recover in time for the trip to Helsinki, but Ballack confirmed that he would miss both fixtures.
He told German Channel 2: "The original diagnosis of the Chelsea doctor has been confirmed. It means that I will be out for at least two weeks."
The 32-year-old suffered the knock in Chelsea's opening day victory over Portsmouth on August 17, which caused him to pull out of Germany's 2-0 friendly win over Belgium.
A combination of rest and treatment looked to have solved the problem as Ballack returned for the Blues against Wigan, only for the injury to flare up again and rule him out of the qualifiers.

Wednesday 3rd September 2008

by www.espnstar.com/football

football

England defeats hurt less - Carragher

Jamie Carragher has revealed that an England defeat "never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club."
The Liverpool defender retired from international football in July last year after complaining he was constantly being overlooked as a central defender for the national team.
The 30-year-old missed a penalty in his final game for England as they went out of the 2006 World Cup against Portugal in a shootout and has now revealed: "I would rather miss for England than LFC."
Carragher wrote in 'Carra, My Autobiography', serialised in the Daily Mirror: "Representing your country is the ultimate honour, especially in the World Cup. Not to me.
"Did I care we'd gone out of the tournament? Of course I did. Passionately.
"I've never given less than 100% in any game.
"Despite this, whenever I returned home from disappointing England experiences one unshakeable, overriding thought pushed itself to the forefront of my mind, no matter how much the rest of the nation mourned.
"'At least it wasn't Liverpool,' I'd repeat to myself, over and over.
"The text messages of consolation I received on the coach included one from Kenny Dalglish.
"'I would rather miss for England than LFC,' I wrote back. I confess: defeats wearing an England shirt never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club."

Wednesday 3rd September 2008
by www.espnstar.com/football

football