Other sports stories in brief
Nadal and Murray lose in Rome
MEN'S TENNIS:Rafael Nadal's bid to win a fourth straight Rome Masters title stumbled at the first hurdle when the Spaniard lost 7-5 6-1 to compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero yesterday.
It is only the second time in his last 104 games that the world number two Nadal has lost on clay including his defeat by Roger Federer in the final of last year's Hamburg Masters.
The unseeded Ferrero consistently put the number two seed Nadal under pressure in the first set and the unseeded 2001 champion will now meet Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat Britain's Andy Murray 2-6 5-7 (5-7) yesterday.
An injured Murray received treatment on an apparent groin problem in the first set and struggled with his mobility throughout.
Murray will rue the chance to get more practice on clay before the French Open at Roland Garros.
Swiss get sweet on potatoes
EURO 2008:The Swiss government has agreed to ease restrictions on the importation of potatoes following fears that Euro 2008 soccer fans could face a shortage of French fries.
The decision follows a request by Swiss potato industry association Swisspatat who warned that supplies were running low in the build-up to the June tournament. It is estimated that 3,000 additional tonnes will be needed to make chips for foreign supporters.
Kurten given two-month suspension by FEI
EQUESTRIAN SPORT:Jessica Kürten has been given a two-month suspension by the Federation Equestre Internationale following Castle Forbes Maike's positive result to a banned substance at the five-star show in La Baule last May, reports Margie McLoone.
The horse was selected for random testing following its win in a €22,000 class at the French show and tested positive for Etoricoxib, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prohibited in competition by the FEI who classify it as a medication rather than doping substance.
When the B sample also revealed the presence of the drug in the horse's sample, Kürten could have opted to accept disqualification from the class, loss of prize-money and a small fine. However, denying all knowledge of the drug, the rider appealed the decision to the FEI tribunal while also accusing the organisation of "gross procedural errors" in its handling of the case. Under the procedure of the Tribunal, Kürten had to prove the absence of negligence on her part in ensuring that her horse was free from any prohibited substance in competition which the tribunal found she had not done.
Yesterday evening, Kürten's press contact Martina Bruske said that the rider and her team had not yet had time to study the decision and would wait until the return of her Swiss lawyer before issuing any statement. Should she not appeal she would be suspended from June 7th to August 6th.
Notre Dame to play in Ireland
BASKETBALL:The visit of Notre Dame college basketball team for the Emerald Hoops tournament in Dublin this August marks a major coup for the Irish game, reports Keith Duggan.
The South Bend side are a major force in the American collegiate game and will participate in the weekend showcase along with the senior international teams from Poland, Iceland and Ireland.
Notre Dame has a strong Irish connection and its basketball team includes current Big East Player of the year Luke Harangody as well as the coach of the year in that division, Mike Brey.
Exhibition games will take place in Limerick and Belfast prior to the event.
The visit of Notre Dame marks the beginning of a relationship which Basketball Ireland hope will lead to the annual staging of a Notre Dame NCAA game in Dublin.
The August tournament will be used by the Ireland team as preparation for their European Championship games.
Henin breezes through
WOMEN'S TENNIS:Justine Henin took just 58 minutes to beat Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan 6-0 6-2 and reach the third round of the German Open yesterday.
The world number one from Belgium, playing a tournament on her favourite clay surface for the first time this year, breezed through the first set and stayed in ruthless form in the second, taking two break points out of two to seal an easy win.
"It's good to have a first match like that after not playing on this surface for a year," Henin said at a news conference. "With such a clear victory, keeping up the initiative and playing aggressively - I'm really pleased."
Defending champion Ana Ivanovic had a few more problems in her first match - the top eight seeds received a bye for the first round - before winning 7-6 6-2 against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan.
Karlsson hopes decision pays off
GOLF:Robert Karlsson is hoping his decision not to play The Players Championship in Florida - golf's unofficial fifth major - pays massive dividends for him in Milan this weekend.
Last year at Sawgrass the Ryder Cup Swede hit back from an opening 77 to finish in sixth place, earning €183,815 in the process.
But after confusion over the cut-off point for the world's top 50 to qualify this year Karlsson opted for the Italian Open instead.
The prize-money is nothing like as big - €1.6 million compared to more than €5.7 million - but in terms of making September's Ryder Cup side the Castello di Tolcinasco course might just be the place to be.
The American John Daly, no longer a full member of the US Tour, completes his two-week trip to Europe looking to make amends for last week's missed cut in the Spanish Open.
Italian Costantino Rocca is also competing. There are no Irish in the field this weekend.
