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PARIS: Reigning champion Zhang Jike of China moved to within one victory of retaining his title at the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris on Sunday with a ruthless dismissal of compatriot and world number one Xu Xin.Seeded fourth in the French capital after an inconsistent season, Zhang banished any such concerns about his form to whitewash top-ranked Xu 11-8, 11-2, 11-9, 12-10 and secure his place in Monday's final."My start to the match was important. As Xu Xin is the world number one, I was relaxed out there. It was he who had the pressure on him," said Zhang."Tomorrow will be another match but I have to admit I feel good. I'm aiming for a fourth world title in a row," added the 25-year-old, who's looking to add to his title from two years ago in Rotterdam as well as the 2011 World Cup and the Olympic crown he ...
STOCKHOLM: Sweden battled back from a goal down to grab their ninth world ice hockey title on Sunday with a 5-1 win over unfancied Switzerland.Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin collected two goals and an assist, while goalkeeper Jhonas Enroth made 26 saves to avenge a 3-2 defeat in the preliminary round.The win has also ended the home-ice curse that prevented the championships' hosts from winning the title on their home ice since the Soviet team ...
ROME: World number one Serena Williams swept Belarusian Victoria Azarenka aside 6-1, 6-3 to win her second Rome Open title on Sunday a week before a fresh tilt at the French Open.Williams broke Azarenka's serve three times in a one-sided first set and despite a tighter second set the American prevailed to stretch her career-best winning streak to 24 matches.It was Williams's 51st career title and took her victory tally over Azarenka, who beat the ...
PARIS: China's Li Xiaoxia claimed her maiden world championship title in Paris on Sunday to complete a career grand slam after defeating compatriot Liu Shiwen in an enthralling final.Runner-up to Ding Ning in 2011 and four years earlier to Guo Yue, Li went one step further in the French capital with an 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 13-11 victory at the Bercy Arena.Liu appeared set to extend the match to a deciding game after saving ...
LE MANS: Honda's Dani Pedrosa won the French MotoGP at Le Mans on Sunday from a hobbling Cal Crutchlow to take the lead in the world championship standings.The Spaniard, following up his win in Spain last time out, made light of the tricky early wet conditions to cross the line five seconds clear of Crutchlow.The Briton manfully shrugged off a fracture to his right shin in a crash in qualifying 24 hours earlier to notch ...
PARIS: Carlo Ancelotti has asked to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid, PSG's sporting director Leonardo said Sunday.Ancelotti, who has long been rumoured to be a target for Real, whose current boss Jose Mourinho is tipped to return to Chelsea next season, had a meeting with club bosses earlier on Sunday.A subsequent report on television channel BeInSport, whose Qatari owner Nasser al-Khelaifi is also PSG president, said Ancelotti would be leaving PSG.But Leonardo denied that, ...
VALLOIRE: Giovanni Visconti won the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Sunday after a mountain finish in the snow following a 149km ride from Cesana Torinese to Col du Galibier.The Italian from the Movistar team held off a charge from the depleted peloton, made up of race favourites, to take his maiden Giro stage by 42 seconds from Carlos Betancur and Prezemyslaw Niemiec.Ahead of the second and final rest day, Vincenzo Nibali held onto ...More Articles...
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