Murray hopes crushed as Nadal scales new heights July 3, 2008 Britain’s dream of a home-grown Wimbledon champion was rudely awoken last night when second seed Rafael Nadal mercilessly dispatched Andy Murray in straight sets. British No1 Murray looked jaded from Monday’s epic five-set comeback against Richard Gasquet and was no match for Nadal, who swept into the semi finals 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The Scot, playing [...]
Determined Venus looks for revenge July 2, 2008 Venus Williams will be looking to gain sweet revenge on sister Serena should they be paired in Saturday’s singles final at SW19. The four-times champion has suffered defeat to her younger sibling in both their previous final meetings, in 2002 and 2003. But she moved one step closer to securing another family final yesterday with [...]
Murray: I’ve shown I’m as good as Nadal July 2, 2008 British No1 Andy Murray insists he has what it takes to cause a huge upset and knock world No2 Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon today. Murray thrilled Centre Court with a five-set win over Richard Gasquet on Monday, but goes into his first Grand Slam quarter-final as the underdog, having lost his three previous matches [...]
Twelve axed as Johnson lays down the law July 2, 2008 Martin Johnson insists his England side must learn from their two-Test mauling by the All Blacks if they are to compete with the world’s elite. Johnson marked his first day as England team manager by demoting no fewer than 12 senior internationals from his first 32-man elite squad. And he vowed to crack down on [...]
Williams sisters eyeing a family affair as Jankovic crashes to shock defeat July 1, 2008 The Williams sisters are lining up a third singles final showdown after No2 seed Jelena Jankovic joined the list of high-profile casualties at Wimbledon. The Serb, clearly struggling with a knee injury, collapsed to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn to leave the quarter-finals without any of the top four seeds for the [...]
Murray roars into last eight with epic win July 1, 2008 British No1 Andy Murray surged back from a seemingly insurmountable position to beat eighth seed Richard Gasquet and reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. Murray looked finished at two sets and 5-4 down but mounted an epic recovery that enthralled Centre Court and reached its climax almost four hours after play began. The Scot seemed [...]
Chelsea sign Portugal’s Deco July 1, 2008 Chelsea last night completed the £8m signing of Portugal midfielder Deco from Barcelona, as Frank Lampard edged closer to leaving Stamford Bridge for Inter Milan. Deco, 30, has reportedly agreed a two-year contract, and follows his former Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to Chelsea. Scolari built his Portugal team around Deco and the playmaker insists [...]
Gunners ease through November 3, 2005 Arsenal eased their way into the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Sparta Prague. Goals from captain Thierry Henry and two from sub Robin van Persie saw the Gunners through with two games to go. Arsenal dominated from the start and Dennis Bergkamp almost broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, but hit the [...]
The Power Struggle November 3, 2005 The fate of Battersea’s famous structure is still far from certain, reports Robin Marriott To the Chelsea residents on the north side of the Thames, Battersea Power Station stands out like a monument to a bygone era. The four chimneys no longer emit smoke and the days when it generated electricity must seem as distant [...]
England batsmen fail again November 2, 2005 England will do well to avoid defeat in their opening tour match in Pakistan this morning. They will resume on the final day of three on 39 for six — a lead of just 84 runs. Although the tourists’ bowlers performed well on a misbehaving wicket, England suffered a second successive batting collapse. Andrew Strauss, [...]