Murray, Ferrer win at Austrian Open
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Andy Murray and David Ferrer stayed in the race for the year-end ATP finals as both of the leading seeds won their opening matches at the Austrian Open yesterday.
Tournament number one Ferrer, who cannot increase his points unless he reaches the Sunday final at the Stadthalle, opened in the second round after a bye with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of Tobias Kamke.
Second seed Murray, a debutant in the Austrian capital, defeated Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-4.
Ferrer stands provisional ninth in the points race to the World Tour Finals next month in London; Murray is trailing on 10th.
With eighth-placed Canadian Milos Raonic losing his opening match in Moscow due to illness, the sprint to the finish over the season is only tightening for the three remaining spots in the eight-man field.
Ferrer is not one to worry about that just now though — he faces a more immediate task when he plays quarter-final against Croatian serving machine Ivo Karlovic today.
“Even if Milos lost, it doesn’t help my chances,” said the 32-year-old. “Murray is behind me, but not by much. If I lose tomorrow, I’m in exactly the same position as Milos.
“I now can only focus on my next match, a very difficult one.”
Ferrer is playing Vienna for the first time in a decade and earned his first victory form three matches here.
“It’s been a long time, in 2003 here I lost the first of many matches against Roger Federer – and I still have not won one against him.”
Bosch pleads guilty at basketball doping trial
MIAMI, Florida (AFP) — Tony Bosch, a key figure in US baseball’s largest doping scandal, pleaded guilty yesterday to providing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to players who included New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.
Bosch, 51, is the former director of Biogenesis, the south Florida anti-aging clinic pinpointed by authorities as a source of illegal testosterone and human growth hormone.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute testosterone before US District Judge Darrin P Gayle.
He could face up to 10 years in prison, but is likely to get a shorter sentence after co-operating with a Major League Baseball investigation.
Bosch reportedly admitted to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to Rodriguez and at least 12 other Major League Baseball players.
A total of 13 players, including Rodriguez, were suspended in 2013. Rodriguez received an unprecedented 211-game ban, while the other 12 were banned for 50 games.
Rodriguez’s ban was eventually cut to 162 games. He missed all of the 2014 season, but is on course to return in 2015.
Six others face charges in the case, and Bosch is expected to testify against them.
After entering his plea, Bosch was to be freed on bail, but he was required to attend a 24-hour inpatient programme to treat cocaine addiction.
When not in treatment, he will remain on house arrest until he is sentenced on December 18.
Top seeds crash out of Kremlin Cup
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Top seeds Milos Raonic and Dominika Cibulkova both crashed out of the Kremlin Cup ATP and WTA tournament following second-round defeats in Moscow yesterday.
Canada’s Raonic and Slovak Cibulkova both went down in three sets to qualifiers Ricardas Berankis and Vitalia Diatchenko respectively.
Lithuanian Berankis, 24, ousted world number nine Raonic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in one hour 52 minutes to level his record with the Canadian big server at 1-1.
Raonic, who enjoyed an opening-round bye, looked slightly rusty from the outset, while Berankis, 116th in the world, broke twice for a one-set lead after 34 minutes.
In the second set, Raonic picked up steam also breaking his rival’s serve twice to level at one set all after one hour 16 minutes on court.
But in the deciding set Raonic lost his nerve again allowing Berankis to produce the decisive break to advance into the final eight.
“For me the most difficult thing was coming here not in the shape I wanted to be,” Raonic said.
In the women’s event, 2011 champion Cibulkova joined the exodus of seeds falling to Moscow resident Diatchenko, who advanced into the last eight with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory in their first ever meeting.
The opponents traded breaks throughout the opening set but this year’s Australian Open runner-up Cibulkova proved more accurate, earning a 1-0 advantage.
In the second set, Cibulkova, ranked 14th, suddenly produced a catalogue of unforced errors allowing unheralded Diatchenko to break three times to level at one set all.
Diatchenko, who is 140th in the world, broke twice early in the third set for a commanding 4-0 lead and kept it through to face her sixth seeded compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-2.
“I made a few mistakes and she stayed aggressive throughout the match and just put me under pressure,” Cibulkova said after the match.
Romania coach, backroom staff quit national side
BUCHAREST, Romania (AFP) — Romania coach Victor Piturca has quit the national side along with his backroom staff, the Romanian football federation (FRF) confirmed yesterday.
The 58-year-old took over as Romania coach for the third time in 2011 having previously led the national side from 1998-2000 and 2004-09.
The FRF said that Piturca’s “contract was terminated by mutual agreement” without giving further details.
His departure comes with Romania sitting second in Euro 2016 qualifying Group F behind Northern Ireland following their 2-0 victory over Finland on Tuesday.
Local media reported that Piturca was set to move to Saudi outfit Al Ittihad.