Rome: Czech Tomas Berdych snapped a run of 11 consecutive defeats by world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the Rome Masters before Rafa Nadal was stretched to the limit against David Ferrer on Friday.
Berdych clawed his way back from a 6-2 5-2 deficit to stun the Serbian top seed 2-6 7-5 6-4 and set up a semi-final meeting with Nadal, who for the second week running outlasted compatriot Ferrer in a fierce claycourt scrap.
Nadal won 6-4 4-6 6-2 for his ninth consecutive victory over Ferrer who hit the Mallorcan with every weapon in his locker but still came up short as he did in Madrid last week.
"It was an extremely tough match, David always takes you to the limit," Nadal, looking for his sixth title in eight tournaments since returning from injury, told reporters....
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07:52 AM, May 18, 2013
Madrid: There is no danger Borussia Dortmund will suffer from stage fright in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at Spanish giants Real Madrid, coach Juergen Klopp said on Monday. The Bundesliga side have a healthy 4-1 lead for the clash at Real's Bernabeu arena following their stunning victory in last week's first leg in Germany, when striker Robert Lewandowski scored all of Dortmund's goals. Klopp said his team's performance...
11:29 PM, Apr 29, 2013
Barcelona: Rafa Nadal moved closer to an eighth Barcelona Open title in nine years on Friday when he breezed through two matches to set up a semi-final against Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic. Chasing a fourth title of the year after returning from a seven-month injury layoff in February, Nadal recovered from a slow start on the clay at the Real Club de Tenis to beat Benoit Paire 7-6 6-2...
12:37 AM, Apr 27, 2013
Munich: Mario Gomez has been waiting patiently for his opportunity. It may come in one of the biggest games of the season. Gomez is expected to return to Bayern Munich's starting lineup against Barcelona for the first leg of Champions League semifinals on Tuesday after spending most of the season playing as back-up to Mario Mandzukic. Mandzukic is suspended for the game and Gomez is the logical choice to step...
12:23 AM, Apr 23, 2013
Nyon: It's Spain vs. Germany twice over in the Champions League semifinals. Barcelona play Bayern Munich in a clash of teams ranked by UEFA as the two best in Europe. Bayern hosts the first leg. Real Madrid face Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of their 1998 semifinal, when the Spanish side dethroned the reigning champions. Dortmund are at home first. Friday's draw featured four former European champions who have combined...
04:16 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Nyon: European champions Chelsea will play Basel in the Europa League semifinals, with the first-leg match in Switzerland. Fenerbahce will face Benfica, with the opening leg played in Turkey, after UEFA made the pairings on Friday. Chelsea aim to complete an unlikely double by lifting the second-tier trophy as the reigning Champions League winners. All four semifinalists began the season in the Champions League before being eliminated and dropping into...
04:07 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Barcelona: Paris St Germain's strategy for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, second leg at Barcelona will not depend on whether Lionel Messi features for the La Liga leaders, PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday. The Argentine World Player of the Year strained a hamstring in last week's 2-2 first-leg draw in Paris but trained normally on Tuesday and it looks likely he will be available. The buildup to the clash...
03:29 AM, Apr 10, 2013
Istanbul: Real Madrid reached the Champions League semi-finals for the third straight season on Tuesday despite losing 3-2 at Galatasaray following a second-half resurgence by the Turkish team. Madrid needed a double from Cristiano Ronaldo to advance 5-3 on aggregate, but only after conceding three goals in a 16-minute span to raise Galatasaray's hopes of pulling off what would have been a remarkable comeback. Ronaldo looked to have wrapped up...
02:39 AM, Apr 10, 2013
Istanbul: Didier Drogba and his Galatasaray team-mates have a tough task when they try to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. Drogba, who won the title last season with Chelsea, will take some cheer from his performance in Saturday's domestic championship game against Mersin Idman Yurdu when he scored two second-half goals in a 3-1 win. However, the...
01:30 PM, Apr 08, 2013
Buenos Aires: Carlos Berlocq defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon on Sunday in the deciding singles match to put Argentina into the Davis Cup semifinals. Berlocq won 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to delight the rowdy crowd at Parque Roca, the outdoor clay-court venue on the outskirts of the Argentine capital. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated Juan Monaco 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in Sunday's first singles to force the decider following Argentina's victory in...
08:50 AM, Apr 08, 2013
Boise, Idaho: Even an ankle injury couldn't stop world No. 1 Novak Djokovic from dominating Sam Querrey 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-0 to give Serbia an insurmountable 3-1 lead in this Davis Cup quarterfinal at the Taco Bell Arena on Sunday. At 1-1, 30-40 and a second breakpoint opportunity on Querrey's serve, the world No. 1 twisted his right ankle off a forehand and fell to the ground. Wincing in...
08:21 AM, Apr 08, 2013
PSG must capitalise on their counter-attacking chances in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barca because they will not see much of the ball, said coach Ancelotti. ...
09:21 AM, Apr 02, 2013
After signing star players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham, PSG are anxious for a major Champions League victory that would justify their engorged payroll. ...
11:38 AM, Apr 01, 2013
Haas, who beat world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the quarter-finals, will now play Spain's David Ferrer. ...
02:38 PM, Mar 28, 2013
Third seed Sharapova shrugged off the challenge of Klara Zakopalova, easing to a 6-2 6-2 victory over the Czech to advance to the quarter-finals and inch closer making it fifth time lucky in Florida. ...
11:28 AM, Mar 26, 2013
Barcelona became the first team in Europe's elite club competition to ever overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit. ...
10:03 AM, Mar 13, 2013
Maynor Figueroa, Callum McManaman and Jordi Gomez scored in Wigan's 3-0 win at Goodison Park. ...
09:18 PM, Mar 09, 2013
Assam chased down 198 against Kerala to make their maiden appearance in the final. In another semi-final on Saturday, Delhi beat defending champions Bengal. ...
06:20 PM, Mar 02, 2013
The world number four beat Yulia Putintseva 7-5 6-3. She will now either play Petra Kvitova or Ana Ivanovic. ...
07:17 PM, Feb 20, 2013
The inaugural HIL seems to be a huge hit with citizens of Ranchi as tickets for the semi-finals and final have already been sold out. ...
04:25 PM, Feb 05, 2013
