Shock defeat to motivate, insists Nadal June 16, 2015 FORMER world No1 Rafael Nadal has vowed to use his shock first-round exit to unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club yesterday as motivation for a tilt at Wimbledon redemption. Fifth seed Nadal failed to convert a break in the final set and succumbed 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, as Dolgopolov claimed a [...]
Murray ready to lock horns with old foe Verdasco June 16, 2015 THREE-TIME Queen’s Club champion Andy Murray booked a second-round clash with Spain’s Fernando Verdasco after starting his grass-court season with a routine victory over Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun at the Aegon Championships yesterday. Top seed Murray dropped a service game in each set but powered through 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 19 minutes against world No63 [...]
Moore grabs Royal Ascot treble as Gleneagles delights O’Brien June 16, 2015 TRAINER Aidan O’Brien hailed Gleneagles as the best miler he has ever worked with after the three-year-old claimed his third Group One victory of the season on the opening day of Royal Ascot. The dual Guineas winner justified his odds-on favouritism in the St James’s Palace Stakes, triumphing by two and a half lengths to [...]
Chelsea close in on season-long loan deal for United reject Falcao June 16, 2015 CHELSEA are set to hand Manchester United reject Falcao the chance to revive his career with the Premier League champions by signing the 29-year-old on a season-long loan. The Blues are believed to be close to clinching a deal for the formerly prolific Monaco and Colombia striker as they prepare to tinker with their attacking [...]
Fifa slam Nobel Peace Centre in handshake row June 16, 2015 EMBATTLED football world governing body Fifa has criticised the Nobel Peace Centre for ending a co-operation agreement over their Handshake for Peace joint initiative. Fifa said it was not given advance notice of the Norway-based organisation’s decision, adding that the move impeded efforts towards fair play, peace and fighting discrimination. The Nobel Peace Centre, which [...]
Sandro facing unclear future June 16, 2015 QUEENS Park Rangers midfielder Sandro was last night facing an uncertain future as the Loftus Road club await the outcome of a Home Office inquiry to determine the Brazilian’s status. QPR have denied that Sandro, who joined the club for £6m from Tottenham in September, has been deported, despite the 26-year-old not holding a work [...]
Hales: Our new style is winning over supporters June 16, 2015 POWER-HITTING opener Alex Hales believes England’s new-found brand of attacking one-day cricket has turned the tide of public opinion in their favour after the dismay of slipping to a humiliating group-stage exit at the World Cup. Despite trailing New Zealand 2-1 in the five-match series heading into today’s penultimate fixture at Trent Bridge, England’s change [...]
France’s bastareaud reveals suicide attempt June 16, 2015 FRANCE centre Mathieu Bastareaud has revealed that he attempted suicide six years ago after lying about being assaulted during the 2009 tour of New Zealand. The 26-year-old Toulon back details in his forthcoming autobiography how heavy drinking led to an attempt on his own life. He said: “I took a big knife and slit my [...]
Royal Ascot 2015: Free Eagle to land another major prize for Dermot Weld June 16, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE PRINCE OF WALES’S AND QUEEN MARY STAKES There are plenty of good trainers in the UK and Ireland, but only a handful have managed to stay at the top of their game for a long period. Dermot Weld is one of them. The first European to win a race in [...]
Go loco when Acapulco scoots away from her rivals June 16, 2015 IF it is Dermot Weld who has changed the travelling habits of European trainers, then Wesley Ward holds the honour of chief U.S. ambassador to Royal Ascot. It was back in 2009 when he took this meeting by storm, becoming the first Stateside trainer to win at this historic event. He took the Windsor Castle [...]