Today's other sports in brief
Tsonga battles into the last four
TENNIS:Top seed and holder Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to the semi-finals of the Thailand Open in Bangkok after a testing 6-7 6-3 6-4 win over unseeded Swiss Marco Chiudinelli yesterday.
The French world number seven, who squeezed through in a tense opening match a day earlier, recovered after losing a first-set tiebreak to plot his course for the semis, where he will meet Viktor Troicki or John Isner.
Second seed Gilles Simon advanced after breaking through the pain barrier to record a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over hard-hitting Russian Evgeny Korolev.
The Frenchman held his nerve in a battle of back-court slugging, capitalising on a flurry of errors by Korolev to reach the last four for the third time this year.
Korolev blasted his way through the first set but was later drawn into a succession of unforced errors by the world number 10, who was carrying a knee injury and was content to play defensively for most of the match.
Radcliffe to run in New York
ATHLETICS:Triple champion Paula Radcliffe will defend her New York City Marathon title on November 1st.
“I am really excited to be returning to New York this year,” the world record holder said. Radcliffe (35), sidelined with a foot injury earlier this year, withdrew from the marathon at the Berlin world championships.
“The foot’s feeling good,” added Radcliffe. “It’s really settled down a lot, I can actually almost forget about it.”
Treviso look set for Celtic League
RUGBY:Treviso could enter the Celtic League next year after the Italian Rugby Federation said yesterday it was unhappy with economic guarantees offered by the Praetorians franchise.
Italy is being allowed to field two teams in the Irish, Scottish and Welsh domestic league in a bid to boost the national side’s strength, with Rome-based Praetorians and Aironi originally chosen.
The federation said in a statement that Aironi, an amalgamation of northern teams based in Viadana, was ready to compete but that a final decision on the second team would be taken at a later date with Treviso now looking to be the favourites.
Anti-corruption official wanted
RACING:Australia's richest horse-racing state is to appoint an anti-corruption official following recommendations from a judicial inquiry that discovered links between the racing industry and organised crime.
A report commissioned by the Victorian state government last year implicated bookmakers, trainers, jockeys and racetrack identities in engaging in “improper relationships with known criminals”.
The government would invite expressions of interest for the state’s first “Racing Integrity Commissioner”, an ombudsman for the industry with independent powers, a statement on the Victorian premiers website said yesterday.
“The role of the Racing Integrity Commissioner will be crucial to strengthening integrity assurance in the Victorian racing industry,” Racing Minister Rob Hulls said yesterday.
The Gordon Lewis report was launched in wake of the resignation of a former chief executive of Racing Victoria, the state’s racing regulator, who was found to have made more than 600 bets under an assumed identity over four years.
Sharapova to meet Jankovic in final
TENNIS:Former world number one Maria Sharapova overcame a mid-match slump to grind out a 6-3 2-6 6-4 victory over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska at the Pan Pacific Open yesterday, setting up a final against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic.
Seventh seed Jankovic had earlier overpowered China’s Li Na 6-4 6-3 in the day’s first semi-final at the €1.3 million tournament in Tokyo. “It will be a tough final,” Sharapova said. “Jelena is one of the best players in the world and I’ll have to fight for every point.”
Sharapova is chasing her first title since shoulder surgery last October, while Jankovic, who finished 2008 at the top of the world rankings, had too much firepower for Li but was given a good work-out by the 15th seed in preparation for today’s final.
IRFU confirm A Tests against Tonga and Jaguars
RUGBY:The IRFU yesterday confirmed that Ireland A, fresh from the Churchill Cup success last June, will host Tonga and the Argentina Jaguars during the November Test window in Ravenhill and Tallaght Stadium, writes Gerry Thornley.
The full Tongan side will play Ireland A in Belfast on November 13th, two days before Ireland host Australia at Croke Park. As reported in The Irish Times this morning, the Argentinian A side will take part in the first international rugby match to be held in Tallaght Stadium on Friday, November 27th, the night before Ireland host South Africa.
“We are particularly excited about holding the first ever international game in Tallaght,” commented IRFU director of rugby Eddie Wigglesworth, “something that we were conscious of when we selected the venue in terms of game development.” The Tallaght Project, which began in 2001, has exposed over 6,000 children and adults to the game in the area to the point where Tallaght Rugby club has become a focal point in the local community. The game against the Argentina Jaguars continues that legacy by bringing international rugby to Tallaght to be enjoyed by current and prospective rugby players and supporters.”
INTERNATIONALS (in November): Ireland A v Tonga Friday, November 13th, Ravenhill, Belfast (KO TBC); Ireland v Australia Sunday, November 15th, Croke Park, Dublin (3pm); Ireland v Fiji Saturday, November 21st, RDS, Dublin (5.15pm); Ireland A v Argentina Jaguars, Friday, November 27th, Tallaght Stadium, Dublin (KO TBC); Ireland v South Africa Saturday, November 28th, Croke Park, Dublin (2.30).
