A round-up of today's other sports news in brief
Terpstra takes stage three
CYCLING:Niki Terpstra of the Netherlands won stage three of the Dauphine Libere race from Tournus to Saint Etienne yesterday. The Milram team rider beat France's Ludovic Turpin and Russia's Yuri Trofimov in a sprint after they and two other riders went clear of the main field after 30km.
Terpstra is also the new overall race leader. Today’s fourth stage is a 42.40km individual time trial from Bourg-les-Valence to Valence.
Keothavong holds her nerve
TENNIS:British number one Anne Keothavong held her nerve to take a 6-2, 6-2 win over Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson and reach the second round of the Edgbaston Classic yesterday.
Keothavong faced a total of 10 break points but conceded only one as she sealed victory in exactly an hour.
“I was a little bit nervous at the start as it was my first match on grass, so it took me a while to get into it,” Keothavong said.
Fellow British player Naomi Broady was within a couple of points of pulling off a shock against Russian Alla Kudryavtseva.
The 19-year-old qualifier, from Cheshire, is ranked 365 in the world and took the first set 7-5 but lost a tie-break to her opponent, rated 297 places above her.
Broady trailed 5-4 in the final set when rain brought a premature end to play and she will return tomorrow morning to finish. Earlier in the day, Hungary’s Melinda Czink, the 16th seed, was a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Spain’s Arantxa Parra Santonja.
Hutchinson hits form to claim second TT victory
MOTOR CYCLING:Ian Hutchinson insists his days as a one-hit wonder are over after claiming his second Isle of Man Tourist Trophy victory in yesterday's first Supersport race. Hutchinson rode to his maiden TT win in the Supersport class two years ago and doubled his tally after some late drama around the mountain course.
Hutchinson claimed his second TT win of the day in the Royal London 360 Superstock race. He broke the Superstock lap record twice on his way to victory – saving the best until last with a 129.746mph final lap denying Martin his first TT victory.
Martin had led for much of the race but Hutchinson was not to be denied, eventually winning by eight seconds from the Hydrex Honda rider in second and 17 seconds ahead of Keith Amor – who claimed his second podium finish of the day – in third.
Suzuki rider Bruce Anstey had led for almost the entire first Supersport race but, on his final lap of the 37.73-mile circuit, ran out of fuel and was forced to retire. The New Zealander’s loss was Hutchinson’s gain with the Padgett’s rider taking the win by seven seconds ahead of Guy Martin in second and eight clear of Amor in third. Anstey broke the lap record of 126.549mph – set by Martin on lap one – before his fuel fiasco. The Kiwi rider’s retirement – his second in as many days after pulling out of the Dainese Superbike race on Monday – bumped Martin up to second with Amor in third.
Roddick excels on Queen’s grass
TENNIS:Andy Roddick needed just 55 minutes to defeat Kristof Vliegen at the Queens Club yesterday and remind everyone what a class act he is on grass. The American is a four-times champion at Queens and he took no time to make the adjustment from clay as he swept past his Belgian opponent 6-1 6-4 in the second round.
“Coming from clay to grass is one of the happiest days of my year,” said Roddick. “I dont have to make a lot of adjustments to my game to play on this surface.”
It must have been the bright green grass then that lifted Roddick as he swept past Vliegen in the opening set, returning beautifully and passing the Belgian seemingly at will. The second was scrappier but Roddick’s serve was never troubled and he eventually broke for 5-4, thanks to a bad volley from Vliegen, before serving out for the win. “I just wanted to get it done before it had a chance to rain,” smiled the world number six.
Colom Mas suspended by UCI
CYCLING:Antonio Colom Mas of the Katusha team has been suspended after failing a drugs test for the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO), the International Cycling Union (UCI) said yesterday.
“On June 8th, 2009, the UCI advised Spanish rider Antonio Colom Mas that he is provisionally suspended, the UCI said.
The decision to suspend Colom Mas was made in response to a report from a laboratory in Madrid indicating an adverse analytical finding of recombinant EPO in a urine sample collected from him at an out of competition test on April 2nd, 2009.
The 31-year-old, who had won a stage in this years Paris-Nice race, has also been suspended by his team. The suspension remains in force until the Spanish Federation determines whether Mas has committed an anti-doping rule violation under UCI Article 21.
