James Blake

INDIANAPOLIS, USA, July 24--Top seed James Blake recovered from a shaky start to beat Andy Roddick 4-6 6-4 7-6 in the final of the Indianapolis International Championship on Sunday.
Roddick’s defeat in two hours, three minutes, left the former world number one without a title since winning in Lyon nine months ago but he does return to the world’s top 10, Reuters reported.
Blake, who moves to a career-high fifth in the world, enjoyed his second win a row over second-seeded Roddick whom he also beat at Queen’s Club in London last month.
Blake, who has already won in Sydney and Las Vegas this year, is 2-6 against Roddick after losing the first six matches to his fellow American.
“This is one of the best finals I’ve ever played,“ Blake told reporters. “I had to play like that to beat a champion like Andy.
“I played my best tennis, it’s very satisfying to have done it in the final.“
The winner said he hoped it marked a revival for American tennis after disappointments at the French Open and Wimbledon.
“Andy and I wanted to prove that US tennis is back now,“ Blake said. “We’re on our surface now and we want to do well going into the U.S. Open and hopefully for the rest of the year.
“I like the way that things are going.“
Blake, who lost in the first round last year, improved to 37-15 for the season as he took his record in finals to 6-6.
Roddick, who dropped out of the world’s top 10 for the first time in four years after Wimbledon, served 17 aces and struck 41 winners. But it was not enough to beat a determined Blake who saved 10 of a dozen break points.
“This is the only final besides the 2004 Wimbledon final (which he lost to Roger Federer) that I can say I’ve played my best tennis and lost,“ Roddick told reporters.
“Sure I’m disappointed now, but I’m sure I will look back at this week as a success. Hopefully this is a turning point.“

Honda MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden of the US accelerates through a turn on his way to winning his second US Grand Prix at the Laguna Seca racetrack near Monterey, California, Sunday. (Reuters Photo)

LOS ANGELES, July 24--American Nicky Hayden boosted his championship hopes with a second straight US Grand Prix victory on Sunday while Valentino Rossi’s bid for a sixth MotoGP crown suffered a punishing blow.
Hayden, who earned his maiden career win on the Laguna Seca circuit last year, stalked pole sitter Chris Vermeulen early in the race until passing the Australian on lap 16 before charging home 3.18 seconds ahead of Honda team mate Dani Pedrosa, Reuters reported.
Italy’s Marco Melandri, racing with a broken collar bone, was third also on a Honda.
Five-times 500cc champion Rossi started well from back in 10th position after another disappointing qualifying effort but quickly worked up to sixth midway through the 32 lap race.
But with three laps remaining blue smoke began pouring from the back of the Italian’s Yamaha leaving him out of the points.
Hayden’s second victory of the season gives the American 194 points and a 34-point lead over Pedrosa with six races left.
Rossi, who had arrived in California trailing Hayden by 26 points but riding the momentum of victory at the German Grand Prix, slipped to fourth with 143 points behind Melandri on 150.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, July 24--Brazil striker Adriano said on Sunday he was staying at his Italian club Inter Milan.
Adriano had an unhappy season with Inter last year and was also below par for Brazil in the World Cup, despite scoring two goals, Reuters reported.
“I’m not leaving Inter Milan but I’m happy to hear that other teams want to sign me,“ he told reporters.
“The Inter Milan fans like me a lot and so does the club president. That’s why I’m at Inter today.“
He added he was determined to get back to his best.
“When the Italian championship starts, I want to go back to being the Adriano the fans knew before--The Emperor,“ he said.
Adriano, who imposed a media silence during the part of the World Cup, also commented on his omission from the starting line-up for Brazil’s quarter-final against France. Brazil lost the game 1-0.
“Of course, I wanted to play, no doubt,“ he said. “It was sad because I didn’t have the chance to play France but I respect the coach’s decision.“

PARIS, July 23--Norwegian Thor Hushovd was all smiles again here Sunday three weeks after he began what has been a spectacular Tour de France with victory on the opening prologue, AFP said.
Hushovd, of Credit Agricole, surged to his second stage win of the race on the world famous Champs Elysees after outmuscling his biggest rival--Australian Robbie McEwen--100 meters from the finish line.
Another Australian, Stuart O’Grady of CSC finished third on the stage just ahead of the bunch.
After beating American George Hincapie by less than a second to win the prologue and the yellow jersey, Hushovd’s bid for further stage wins was kept in check by a seemingly unstoppable McEwen in the first week.
However the powerful Norwegian champion also fell victim to an overzealous fan. One was holding a camera and a promotional green hand, which he made contact with on stage one and ended lying on the ground bleeding from a deep cut on his arm.
That compromised Hushovd’s efforts in a first week in which Davitamon’s McEwen won three stages. Spaniard Oscar Freire of Rabobank also got in the mix to claim two stages at the finish line.
After suffering in the Pyrenees and Alps, Hushovd put his defense of the green jersey he won last year on the back burner.
And it was perhaps after saving that precious energy that allowed him to outmuscle McEwen on Sunday.
Hushovd was obviously delighted with a win which left McEwen a surprising three bike lengths behind him.
“For a sprinter to win on the Champs Elysees is exceptional.
It’s the first time I’ve done it and to do it after suffering so much in the Pyrenees and Alps is great,“ said the Norwegian.
Hushovd paid tribute to the teammates who did the groundwork.
“There was a break and then Sebastien Hinault helped to close the gap. After that, McEwen pulled out in front of me, and I took his wheel before pulling well ahead of him.“
Hushovd said that by the end of the Tour, he just kept getting better and better.
“I’m a stage race rider. I go better and better at the end of the Tour de France,“ he added.

MADRID, Spain,
July 24--Real Madrid reserve team striker Roberto Soldado is set to complete a season-long loan deal with Osasuna.
The 21-year-old scored two goals in 11 Primera Liga appearances last season and netted the winner in Real’s 2-1 win over Olympiakos in the Champions League group stage, Reuters reported.
“The idea is to leave and have a good season with a Primera Liga team scoring goals, and to develop as a footballer,“ Soldado told Real’s website.
“The following year I want to return to the Real first team.
I chose Osasuna because it gives me the chance to play in the Champions League.“
Osasuna finished fourth to earn a place in the third qualifying round of Europe’s elite competition.

LONDON, July 24--Ireland winger Damien Duff has passed a medical and joined Newcastle United for five million pounds ($9.24 million) from champions Chelsea, the Premier League club said on Monday.
According to Reuters, the 27-year-old has signed a five-year-contract. Duff joined Chelsea from Blackburn Rovers in 2003 in a 17 million pound ($31.4 million) deal and won two league titles. He played 125 games for the London club, starting 95, and scored 19 goals.

LONDON, July 24--Ireland winger Damien Duff has passed a medical and joined Newcastle United for five million pounds ($9.24 million) from champions Chelsea, the Premier League club said on Monday.
According to Reuters, the 27-year-old has signed a five-year-contract. Duff joined Chelsea from Blackburn Rovers in 2003 in a 17 million pound ($31.4 million) deal and won two league titles. He played 125 games for the London club, starting 95, and scored 19 goals.

HOYLAKE, UK, July 24--Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake has re-established itself on the British Open rota and may host the event again within the next 10 years, Royal & Ancient Chief Executive Peter Dawson said on Monday.
The event, won by Tiger Woods, drew 230,000 spectators to the course, only 9,000 less than the record crowd that watched Woods win the Open at St. Andrews in 2000.
It was the first time the major has been held at Hoylake since Argentine Roberto de Vicenzo won in 1967, reported Reuters.
“I think this will go down as one of the best Opens we have ever staged. It was the second highest attendance--230,000 people and, very encouragingly, 21,000 juniors,“ said Dawson at a news conference.
“We had absolutely no complaints from any of the players and the course has spoken for itself.“
While Dawson denied the R&A had already sealed a contract with Hoylake for future Opens he said that with nine venues on the Open rota and with St. Andrews being used more often than most it was roughly 10 years between courses staging Opens.
Dawson also said that despite growing concern over interruptions from mobile telephones and photographers, the R&A were determined not to introduce similar security controls used at the US Masters and US Open.
Woods and his final round playing partner Sergio Garcia were continually interrupted by amateur photographers, many using mobile phone cameras, on Sunday.
Both players complained about the interruptions and the matter was raised at the R&A’s media conference.
Director of Championships David Hill said they felt electronic screening of spectators before they entered the course was not a step they wanted to take.