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| Gasol gets 3-year extension with Lakers EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Pau Gasol knows he surprised nobody by agreeing to a three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers nearly two seasons before it kicks in.... hosted.ap.org |
Cipriani plays down Stade Français link • I want to stay and win an England recall, says Wasps fly-half• Cheika's future in balance after Melbourne backers pull out Danny Cipriani has dismissed reports linking him with a summer move to Stade Français, insisting he is happy at Wasps and that he wants to regain a regular place in the side to put himself in contention for an England recall.The 22-year-old outside-half, who has not played for England since the 2008 Six Nations, is out of contract at Adams Park at the end of the season. A French website reported that his representatives had held talks with Stade Français, who earlier this year signed from Wasps the England forwards James Haskell and Tom Palmer.Wasps have opened contract talks with Cipriani, who is free to talk to clubs from Friday. While clubs in France will be saddled with a salary cap from next season, it is nearly double the Guinness Premiership's ÂŁ4m and the Stade president, Max Guazzini, is reported to believe that Cipriani would be better suited temperamentally to the French game.Harlequins are also believed to be interested but Cipriani said: "My focus is on my rugby. I am happy at Wasps and we have a squad to move forward. I want to put a string of games together for Wasps after missing a couple of months through injury and if England came calling I would love to be involved."London Irish have secured the England international Armitage brothers, Delon and Steffon, on new contracts. "Signing for the club again was not a difficult decision," said the full-back, Delon, who missed the autumn internationals after a shoulder operation. "The future here is exciting."The Leinster coach, Michael Cheika, is leaving the province at the end of the season to return to Australia but his planned job in charge of the newly formed Super 15 side based in Melbourne, which is due to join the tournament in 2011, is in jeopardy after financial backers pulled out following a dispute with the Australian Rugby Union.A spokesman for the VicSuper15group, Ray Evans, said: "We had Michael lined up to coach the side and Rocky Elsom [the Australia captain] to lead the side, but I am not sure that will happen. The ARU will not provide financial parity so the exercise does not look commercially sound."Cardiff Blues, who have failed to adequately replace Nicky Robinson at outside-half this season, have asked the Ospreys to name their price for the Wales international James Hook, who has been played out of position at centre and full-back this season.Hook, who has another 18 months to run on his contract at the Liberty Stadium, wants to play regularly in the No10 shirt but Dan Biggar is blocking his way. The Ospreys told the Blues to look elsewhere and the Scotland outside-half, Dan Parks, has been lined up as an alternative should Hook not lobby for a move.Danny CiprianiLondon WaspsStade FrancaisRugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Kraner aims for consistency in exercise routine What’s your Routine? bizjournals.com |
Atlanta Falcons TV ratings soaring The Atlanta Falcons followed a drama-filled losing 2007 season with an NFC South Championship in 2008 and a rocky winning campaign in 2009, and metro Atlanta TV viewers remained tuned in throughout the roller coaster ride. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Federer faces Davydenko in last eight • Hewitt unable to contain world No1 who wins 6-2, 6-3, 6-4• Russian pegged back but finally wins 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7, 6-3Roger Federer faces a stern test in the quarter-finals against one of the most in-form players on the men's circuit, Nikolay Davydenko, after breezing past Australia's Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park.The world No1 dispatched the home crowd's favourite in little under two hours on the Rod Laver Arena, dominating his opponent over the three sets as he sent him scampering from side to side before hammering home his winners.Hewitt managed to break Federer twice in the final set, but unperturbed, the Swiss broke back on each occasion before watching Hewitt hammer a forehand return into the net to take his winning streak to 15 matches.Spain's Fernando Verdasco is making a habit of losing gruelling five-set matches at Melbourne Park. Last year it was his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal who knocked him out after the longest match in the tournament's history in the semi-finals; this time around it was the turn of Davydenko, the form player on the men's tour in the past six months.The Russian No9 seed took the first two sets 6-2, 7-5 and seemed set for another routine victory having not lost a set in the tournament so far. It would take Verdasco, who was struggling to find rhythm and a regular first serve, until the third set finally to find his range and he got the crucial break in the third set before making Davydenko sweat it out in the final set after taking the fourth on a tie-break.In the deciding set it was the Russian who showed the greater stamina and he achieved the crucial break in the sixth game before finally clinching victory 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7, 6-3 as a tiring Verdasco's return crashed low into the net. Davydenko has now extended his winning streak to 13 matches.One man who did not require a Herculean effort to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park was the third seed, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who eased into the last eight after another routine win. The 2008 winner needed less than two hours to secure a 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 victory over the world No86 Lukasz Kubot.Djokovic's win followed his 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the previous round as he continued to progress with the minimum of effort. Kubot became the first Polish player to reach the fourth round of a grand slam since Wotjek Fibak at Roland Garros in 1982 after Mikhail Youzhny pulled out on the eve of their third- round match due to a wrist injury.The 27-year-old could not make the most of his fortune, though. The Serbian broke his rival twice in the opening set before clinching it with an ace inside 28 minutes. The second set did not take long either with Djokovic wrapping it up in 33 minutes before Kubot at least provided some resistance.The Pole was level at 5-5 in the third set but disappointingly handed Djokovic the break with a double fault. Djokovic served the match out, completing a comfortable afternoon with a forehand winner.A sterner test awaits Djokovic in the next round where he has been pitted against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who celebrated his first five-set match with a grinding win over Nicolas Almagro today.The 24-year-old Frenchman had managed to avoid the full distance in 37 previous grand slam matches and six Davis Cup hit-outs, but when finally pressed, passed the fourth round test 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7 9-7 in three and a half hours."It was good to win in five sets, first time for me," said Tsonga. "When you win your first five-set match, you're happy,"While Tsonga was happy for the win over 26th-seeded Almagro, a grizzled veteran by comparison with 11 five-set matches to his name, he could well have saved himself the effort.After wrapping up the first two sets with a break in each, Tsonga threw away the third with a double fault after conceding his first break point when trailing 5-4.He then sprayed two unforced errors to concede a tiebreaker in the fourth to give Almagro hope of pulling off a famous theft.The fifth proceeded as the fourth had done, both players slogging out long rallies but unable to break the other's serve, before Almagro was the first to blink when serving to stay in the match at 8-7.Tsonga took a chance with a rush to the net and was rewarded with a match point, then smacked a forehand winner to seal it.Men's day eight resultsN Davydenko (Rus) bt F Verdasco (Sp) 6-2 7-5 4-6 6-7 6-3R Federer (Swi) bt L Hewitt (Aus) 6-2 6-3 6-4N Djokovic (Ser) bt L Kubot (Pol) 6-1 6-2 7-5J-W Tsonga (Fr) bt N Almagro (Sp) 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7 9-7Australian OpenTennisGregg Roughleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |