Stosur earns in Moscow first tennis final in eight months
Top seed Samantha Stosur reached her first final in eight months with a comeback 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over fourth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic in the Kremlin Cup semifinals yesterday. The Australian will face another former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in today's final after the Danish third seed beat unseeded Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 in the first semifinal at the Olympic indoor arena. Second seed Andreas Seppi beat Malek Jaziri, the first Tunisian player to reach the last four on the ATP Tour, 6-3 6-1 and will face fourth-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in the men's final. (Reuters )
Tight security as international cricket returns to Pakistan
Top-level security involving more than 5,000 police and para-military officials was in place yesterday as cricket-starved fans in Pakistan finally got to see some live international action for the first time in more than three years. The country has been a no-go area for international athletes since March 2009 when militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, which left six Pakistani policemen and a van driver dead. Yesterday, local officials and security personnel put an elaborate security plan into place for the first of two Twenty20 exhibition matches in which a Pakistan All Star XI took on an International World XI side. Pakistan easily won the match. (Reuters )
Paddy Harrington to replace injured Els in Grand Slam of golf
Ernie Els has pulled out of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf next week in Bermuda because of a minor ankle injury. He will be replaced in the four-man field by Padraig Harrington. Els is the second player to withdraw from the Grand Slam, which is limited to the year's four major champions. PGA champion Rory McIlroy skipped because he is playing a European Tour event next week in China. He was replaced by Keegan Bradley. Els says he recently sprained his left ankle. He says it isn't serious and he should recover quickly, though he has been advised not to play. The 36-hole exhibition, which starts Tuesday at Port Royal Golf Club, pays $600,000 to the winner. (AP )
