Japan

Nishikori rips Raonic to win Japan Open

Tokyo: Kei Nishikori stunned big-serving Milos Raonic 7-6, 3-6, 6-0 with an electrifying display of attacking tennis to become the host country's first Japan Open champion on Sunday. It was the eighth seed's second career title after winning in Delray Beach in 2008 and will elevate the 22-year-old from 17th to 15th in the world rankings. "I'm partying tonight," Nishikori said in a courtside interview as a sellout Tokyo crowd...  

Nico Hulkenberg finishes seventh in Japanese GP

Suzuka: Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh in the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix to bag six points on Sunday. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won the race from second placed Felipe Massa in his Ferrari. Home favourite Kamui Kobayashi came third in his Sauber. Hulkenberg's teammate Paul di Resta finished 12th, exactly where he started from, and could not score points. Currently, British di Resta is 12th in the...  

Red Bull's Vettel wins Japanese GP 2012

Suzuka: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole on Sunday to close within four points of the top of the Formula One championship standings as leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari crashed out of the race at the first turn. Vettel, who also won the previous race in Singapore, is moving within sight of a third straight title " something only previously achieved by Juan-Manuel Fangio...  

Paes-Stepanek pair loses in final of Japan Open

Tokyo: Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek faltered at the final hurdle as they suffered an upset straight-set defeat at the hands of Alexander Peya of Austria and Brazil's Bruno Soares to finish runners-up at the ATP Japan Open here on Sunday. The fourth seeded Austrian-Brazilian pair defeated top seeds Paes and Stepanek 6-3 7-6 (5) in an hour and 46 minutes in the USD 1,280,565 hard court...  

Alonso crashes out of Japanese Grand Prix

Suzuka: Ferrari's Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso crashed out of the Japanese Grand Prix seconds after the start on Sunday. The Spaniard, who led Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel by 29 points with five races remaining after Suzuka, had started in sixth place and was sent spinning into the gravel at the first corner after contact with Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus. Germany's Nico Rosberg also retired his Mercedes while Australian Mark...  

Hamilton admits his mistake at Suzuka qualifying

Suzuka: Lewis Hamilton recognised he had made a wrong decision on Saturday as McLaren's run of four pole positions in a row came to an end at the Japanese Grand Prix. The 2008 Formula One world champion, whose headline-grabbing move to Mercedes in 2013 was announced last week, was referring only to his choice of qualifying setup on a difficult afternoon for his McLaren team. "I chose a direction but...  

Alonso hoping for brighter Suzuka Sunday

Suzuka: Ferrari's Formula One championship leader Fernando Alonso cursed his luck on Saturday after qualifying only sixth for the Japanese Grand Prix while closest title rival Sebastian Vettel put his Red Bull on pole. The Spaniard's final quick lap was wrecked after Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus spun off in the final seconds of qualifying to bring out the yellow warning flags. That forced everyone to slow and left Vettel the unchallenged...  

Paes-Stepanek in final of Japan Open

Tokyo: Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek outplayed Daniele Bracciali and Frantisek Cermak in straight sets to storm into final of the ATP Japan Open on Saturday. The top seeded Indo-Czech pair defeated the Italian-Czech combination scored a comfortable 6-3 6-1 in one hour and three minutes in the semi-finals of the USD 1,280,565 hard court event. Paes has won three titles this season out of which two (Australian Open and...  

Hulkenberg to start 15th, Di Resta 11th in Japan GP

Suzuka: Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg qualified 10th but will start Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix from the 15th position on the grid after being handed a five-place penaltly due to an unscheduled gearbox change. Paul di Resta on Saturday qualified 12th but will move one place up to 11th, just behind Felipe Massa of Ferrari. The two Red Bull cars will line up in the front row with defending champion...  

Andy Murray bows out of Japan Open

Tokyo: Milos Raonic of Canada ousted top-seeded Andy Murray to move into the final of the Japan Open, edging the defending champion 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4) on Saturday. Raonic, seeded 6th and ranked 15th, will meet the winner of the second semi-final later on Saturday between local hope Kei Nishikori and unseeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. Playing under a blazing sun at Ariake Colosseum, the big-hitting Raonic broke Murray...  

Sebastian Vettel takes pole in Japanese GP

Suzaka: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position for the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix by qualifying ahead of teammate Mark Webber on Saturday. Vettel, a two-time winner in Japan, secured his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka and will be in a good position in Sunday's race to further erode the championship lead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. "We had a very smooth qualifying session, nearly perfect" Vettel said. "The...  

Red Bull dominate final Japanese GP practice

Suzuka: Double world champion Sebastian Vettel led a Red Bull one-two in the final practice for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday. The German, who won his second title in Japan last year and will be chasing his fourth successive Suzuka pole later in the day, lapped the classic figure-of-eight circuit in a best time of 1 minute 32.136 seconds. Australian Mark Webber, who was fastest on Friday,...  

Paes-Stepanek in semi-final of Japan Open

Tokyo:Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek overcame a second-set lapse to defeat Andy and Jamie Murray and enter the semifinals of the ATP Japan Open, here on Friday. The top seeded Indo-Czech pair defeated the British brothers pair 6-4 3-6 10-2 in one hour and 17 minutes in the quarterfinals of the USD 1,280,565 hard court event. Paes and Stepanek saved a break chance in the opening set and converted one...  

Hulkenberg 4th fastest in FP2 for Japanese GP

Suzuka: Nico Hulkenberg was fourth fastest in the second practice session for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix while his Sahara Force India teammate Paul Di Resta was eighth in FP1, here on Friday. Hulkenberg timed his fastest lap in 1:32.987 in the second session, in which he completed 30 laps. He stood ninth in FP1 with a timing of 1:35.474. Di Resta's fastest lap in FP1 came 1:35.229, which was good...  

Perez will not trigger Mexican exit: Sauber

Suzaka: Sergio Perez's main Mexican backers will stick with Sauber despite the driver's departure for McLaren at the end of the season, the Swiss team's chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn said on Friday. Perez is backed by Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), the telecoms provider run by Carlos Slim Domit whose father is the world's richest man. Sauber also have several other Mexican sponsors prominent on their Formula One cars, including leading...  

Rosberg helped Hamilton make his mind up

Suzuka: Having got the better of seven times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg is hardly quaking in his racing boots at the prospect of teaming up with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. The two are old friends, teenage team-mates in karting where they dreamed of one day driving together in grands prix, and Rosberg even gave the 2008 world champion the benefit of his advice before Hamilton decided...  

Schumacher crashes in Japanese GP practice

Suzuka: Michael Schumacher crashed out of Japanese Grand Prix practice on Friday, a day after announcing his retirement, while Australian Mark Webber set the pace for Red Bull. Schumacher, a seven times champion and winner six times at Suzuka, went wide into the Spoon corner and lost control with the car slewing sideways into the tyre wall. The 43-year-old German removed the steering wheel, extricated himself from the cockpit, patted...  

Murray sets up date with Raonic in Tokyo semis

Tokyo: Defending champion and top-seeded Andy Murray moved into the semi-finals of the Japan Open with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over seventh-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland on Friday. The US Open champion and Olympic gold medallist will play sixth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada in the semi-finals on Saturday. Raonic outlasted third-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (7) in a match that took nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes....  

Mark Webber fastest in Friday's second practice at Suzuka

Suzuka: Red Bull driver Mark Webber has set the fastest time in Friday's practice ahead of Sunday's Formula One Japanese Grand Prix. Webber edged McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton by 0.214 seconds while Sebastian Vettel was third giving Red Bull two of the three fastest times in the afternoon practice at the Suzuka circuit. Michael Schumacher " who announced on Thursday that he will retire at season's end " finished 10th....  

Button tops first practice for F1 Japanese GP

Suzuka: McLaren driver Jenson Button set the fastest time in Friday's opening practice session for the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix. Button, who won last year's Japanese GP, edged team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.233 seconds with Red Bull driver Mark Webber third in the morning session at the Suzuka circuit. Button has two wins this year in Australia and Belgium, and kept a pulse in his faint title hopes by...