Rafael Nadal survived a record five-set battle with fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco to set up a classic Australian Open final with arch-rival Roger Federer on Friday.
   Nadal lost his first sets of the tournament but showed incredible resilience to win the epic 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-5 (7/2), 5-7 (1/7) over five hours and 14 minutes, the longest match in the tournament’s history.
   ‘Right now I feel more happy than tired,’ Nadal told the crowd. ‘For sure it’s going to be a tough final. But it was amazing for me to play that match here. It was one of the best matches of my career.’
   On Sunday Nadal will play his seventh Major final against Federer, who can equal the Grand Slam titles record. Nadal beat Federer in both the French Open and Wimbledon finals last year and holds a 4-2 edge in the matches.
   The Open’s previous longest match was Boris Becker’s 1991 win over Omar Camporese, which lasted five hours and 11 minutes.
   Friday’s match also surpassed Nadal’s epic Wimbledon final with Federer last year, (four hours and 48 minutes), and equalled his longest ever match (five hours 14 minutes against Guillermo Coria in the 2005 Rome final).
   In a semi-final of remarkable quality, Verdasco looked to have thrown the first set away when he smashed a routine overhead out on his only break point at 2-2.
   But he saved break points at 5-5 and edged the tie-break, helped by a huge stroke of luck when a ball which was heading out caught the net and bounced in.
   Nadal was rattled but he forced break points at 4-3 in the second and broke for the set when Verdasco went long. With fatigue setting in, both were broken twice in the third before Verdasco sprayed errors to hand over the tie-break.
   Nadal was in the ascendancy and Verdasco was struggling as he twice took treatment to his left lower leg, but he quickly recovered and dominated a rousing tie-break 7-1 in the fourth.
   It was a fight to the finish and Verdasco saved five break points in the decider before crumbling at 4-5 as he netted on the third match point.
   ‘It’s going to be a little bit tough on Sunday. Roger had today off and only three sets in his semi-final so now, for sure, he’s the favourite,’ added Nadal.
   ‘But I’ll try my best.’
   Both Nadal and Verdasco are strapping left-handers from Spain, but their careers have been vastly different.
   While Nadal is seeking his sixth Grand Slam title, Verdasco had never been past the fourth round in a Major before this tournament.
   Nadal added eight titles last year to take his career total to 31, while Verdasco’s only successes have been in Valencia in 2004 and Umag last year.
   Verdasco also has a playboy reputation, reportedly dating tennis stars Ana Ivanovic and Gisela Dulko and being linked with a string of Spanish beauties.
   But he became a sensation in Spain by subduing fierce partisan crowds and Argentina’s Jose Acasuso over five sets to seal the Davis Cup title, with Nadal out injured.

South Africa (288/6) beat Australia (249) by 39 runs
   South Africa followed their Test series win over Australia by replacing them at the top of the one-day rankings, taking the series 4-1 with a 39-run triumph.
   They chose to bat in Perth and were anchored by a calm 97 from 117 balls by Hashim Amla, who shared 118 in 23 overs with AB de Villers, who made 60 off 71.
   JP Duminy hit an unbeaten 60 from 42 with three sixes to take them to 288-6.
   Mike Hussey made 78 and Brad Haddin 63 but debutant seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s 4-50 saw Australia all out for 249.
   It was another resilient performance from the South Africans, and achieved with one of their most inexperienced line-ups.
   There was no Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher or Dale Steyn, and the bowling attack comprised two left-arm debutants, Tsotsobe and 19-year-old Wayne Parnell.
   On a warm afternoon for the day/night encounter at the WACA, the fit-again Nathan Bracken created an early opportunity for Australia, when Herschelle Gibbs came down the wicket to him and skied to the on-side, but substitute Cameron White could not hold the difficult chance running back from mid-on.
   Still intent on the big shots, Gibbs departed in the next over, top-edging to mid-on having come down the wicket again.
   Amla picked up six with a deft upper cut off Ben Hilfenhaus, but Neil McKenzie fell in the first over from James Hopes, also trying to advance down the pitch.
   The big partnership that followed contained only four boundaries, all of them to De Villiers, but helped create a strong platform.
   De Villiers clearly felt the scoring needed to increase, however, and sacrificed his wicket in the 37th over, caught at deep mid-wicket, while Amla fell three short of the first century of the series when he feathered a catch to the keeper attempting another late cut.
   Duminy smashed Mitchell Johnson over mid-on for six as 20 came off the 45th over and added sixes in the next two overs from Bracken as 92 came from the final 10 and a stiff target was posted.
   Ponting made a fast start as usual, with two typically fluent drives through the off-side early in his innings off Tsotsobe.
   But they were to be his only boundaries as the debutant continued with the prize wicket of the Australia captain, who top-edged a short one and wicketkeeper De Villers ran back to pouch the spiralling chance.
   Michael Clarke fell in the next over, attempting to leave one from Morne Morkel, only for the ball to glance off the bat on to the stumps.
   Dashing opener David Warner, having smashed Morkel down the ground for four in the third over, flat-batted the paceman over mid-wicket for six.
   But having reached 22 he was dismissed in the most unfortunate fashion, as Mike Hussey’s straight drive was deflected back on to the timbers by Parnell and a diving Warner was well out of his ground.
   The Hussey brothers consolidated, but the required run-rate still increased to more than seven per over, as no boundary was scored for more than 14 overs.
   Home supporters were hoping for a partnership of the magnitude of the one between Amla and De Villiers, but it ended on 69 when David drove the innocuous-looking off-spin of Duminy straight to short cover.
   That brought in Brad Haddin with 167 needed at a rate of 8.1 per over, but the ever-combative Hussey rode his luck to reach a gritty 50 from 72 balls.
   Hussey moved down the pitch to flick a Duminy full toss for a one-bounce four in the 34th over, only the eighth of the innings, but when drinks were taken at the end of the over, the requirement was 144 from 16 - nine per over.
   Having survived a difficult chance when Botha could not cling on to one running back from cover, Hussey took the batting powerplay with 37 overs gone and 131 still needed.
   With only three men allowed outside the circle, Hussey tried his best to accelerate, launching Tsotsobe over mid-off for six and glancing a full toss behind square for four.
   But the young seamer had the nerve to send down a slower ball, and it completely deceived the left-hander to knock back leg-stump.
   An eventful over costing 19 was completed by a mammoth six over mid-wicket from Haddin that left 108 needed from 66 balls.
   The shrewd Botha bowled Hopes but Haddin’s fourth four recorded his fifth ODI fifty from 39 balls.
   Albie Morkel injured his leg after a collision with Vaughn van Jaarsveld chasing a top edge in the deep but it not dampen South African spirits, which were soon lifted again as the amiable Tsotsobe appealed for a return catch from Johnson almost as an after-thought, replays confirming a clear dismissal.

With nine Grand Slams already in the trophy cabinet, US veteran Serena Williams says all the pressure will be on Russia’s Dinara Safina when the pair clash in the Australian Open final today.
   The American is the bookies’ red-hot favourite to win her fourth Australian title in the Rod Laver Arena, while Safina acknowledges she is the underdog in her search for a first Grand Slam crown.
   Adding spice to the match, the winner will replace Serb Jelena Jankovic as the number one ranked player in the world.
   Williams said she was keen to ‘leave her mark’ and enter the elite group of players with 10 or more majors but felt relaxed going into the 13th Grand Slam decider of her career.
   The 27-year-old has struggled with poor form in the tournament but still did enough to reach the final, becoming the biggest prizewinner in the history of women’s sport on the way.
   ‘I feel like I have nothing to lose,’ the reigning US Open champion said.
   ‘If I win, that would be great. If I lose, I’ll just leave with the confidence that I can get far in a tournament when I’m not playing my best and go home and work even harder for the next time.’
   Williams, who came into the tournament as second seed, said she was desperate to win a fourth title in Melbourne, where she has triumphed in every final she has contested.
   The American has a 5-1 winning record over Safina, seeded third here, whose only previous appearance in a Grand Slam final was a straight sets loss to Ana Ivanovic in last year’s French Open.
   But Williams was wary of Safina, who she said had transformed into an intense, tenacious and incredibly fit player whose loss at Roland Garros would spur her on in Saturday’s final.
   ‘She’s going to be way more hungry for it and want it even more. That’s going to be definitely going for her,’ she said.
   For Safina, a win in the final would allow her to finally energe from elder brother Marat Safin’s shadow.
   It would also create a piece of history, with the siblings becoming the first brother-sister combination to each hold the number one ranking.
   The 22-year-old, who admits her combustible temperament sometimes means she is her own worst enemy on the court, expected her French Open experience would help settle any big-match nerves during Saturday’s final.
   ‘I hope all the experience, all the pressure, I went through in that match will help me for my next match on Saturday,’ she said.
   She has shed seven kilograms (15.5 pounds) in the past six months and will contest the final in the best physical shape of her life, also crediting coach Zeljko Krajan with adding mental steel to her game.
   Her new attitude was on display when she defeated Australia’s Jelena Dokic in front of a fiercely parochial crowd in the quarter-finals, a win she said would not have happened 12 months ago.
   ‘I stayed very tough mentally there, I didn’t panic,’ she said. It made me stronger now.
   ‘I hope (the crowd) are going to be behind me, as I’m underdog coming into the final.’
   While some players concede they feel intimidated against Williams, Safina said she was eager to test herself against the American.
   ‘I can’t talk about the other players, how they feel when they play against her, just myself,’ she said.
   ‘We played three times last year and I beat her once. I’m looking forward to playing against her this time.’

On a roll after notching a sixth consecutive ODI triumph, a confident India will seek to maintain their winning streak when they take on Sri Lanka in the second cricket one-dayer here today.
   Even without explosive opener Virender Sehwag, who was nursing a lower back injury, the Indians were hardly pushed as they beat the Lankans by six wickets in the opening match on a tricky Dambulla pitch.
   The much-touted Murali-Mendis combine failed to work for the Lankans, forcing skipper Mahela Jayawardene to admit that the duo’s magic was somewhat on the wane.
   However, the Indians would do well to remember the humiliation they were subjected to when the two teams squared up the last time around at the R Premadasa stadium.
   Chasing a modest 227, the Indians were sent packing for 103 in under 27 overs with Mendis wrecking the visiting line-up with a four-wicket haul.
   For the hosts, ageing war-horse Sanath Jayasuriya continues to be in good form but opener Tillakaratne Dilshan’s lean patch and middle-order mainstay Kumar Sangakkara’s inconsistent run with the bat have become a major concern.
   Jayawardene, himself battling a batting slump, however, insists that one loss is not reason enough to press the panic button and his teammates would come back hard.
   ‘The way we have been playing of late has changed and we will continue with that. I give credit to our guys because it was not an easy wicket but it probably slowed down later on and so was good to score runs,’ he said.
   Without a fifty in his last 13 one-day internationals, Jayawardene’s return to form would be a prerequisite for Sri Lanka’s prospects of squaring the series in today’s day-nighter.
   The other major difference between the two teams in Dambulla was the runs extracted from the power-plays. While the Indians milked 40, the Sri Lankans could muster only 28 and that too for the loss of two wickets.
   Sri Lankan top order has not performed to expectations and opening partnerships have not been consistent.
   Mutiah Murali and Ajantha Mendis were a shadow of their intimidating past when they bamboozled batsmen. At Dambulla, they conceded almost hundred runs for a solitary scalp.
   Indians relished it but the Lankans were gritting their teeth in disappointment.
   The lack of a good fast bowling option also ails Sri Lankan bowling which banks heavily on Murali and Mendis to provide the breakthroughs.
   Nuwan Kulasekera has shown potential but there has hardly been any back up for him.
   The Indians, however, have no such worries. Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan have become an intimidating pace combine, not just picking up wickets consistently but also keeping a check on the opposition scoring rate.
   In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, who is nursing a hamstring injury, Pragyan Ojha is leading the spin department. He picked up a wicket in Dambulla but how well he would be able to fill in for his temperamental counterpart remains to be seen.
   With both batting and bowling working well for the Indians, Dhoni’s men only have to guard against complacency in their bid to notch up a seventh successive one-day win.
   As Dhoni put it after the Dambulla win, ‘It could have been better.’
   The Lankans, on the other hand, have to rediscover themselves to harbour hopes of preventing India from securing a second successive one-day series triumph in their own backyard.

Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has been ruled out of next month’s two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka due to a knee problem, an official said Friday.
   ‘There are loose bones in his knee which would need keyhole surgery. That will take two to three weeks’ recovery and that means he is out of the Sri Lanka Test series,’ team coach Intikhab Alam told AFP.
   Alam said such injures were common for fast bowlers.
   ‘When such an injury occurs one must not wait and have a quick operation,’ said Alam.
   Akhtar, whose career has been blighted by injury and discipline problems, was dropped from the third and final one-day match against Sri Lanka earlier this month when he was not found 100 percent fit.
   Then-captain Shoaib Malik questioned his commitment and fitness after the second match, but before the third denied he had named Akhtar and instead said he had been talking about all 11 players on the team.
   Sri Lanka return to Pakistan on February 14 to play a three-day side match and two Tests—the final dates of which are yet to be announced.
   Akhtar had operations to his both knees in early 2006, forcing him to sit out Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka and England that year.
   The controversial bowler, 33, was this year awarded a Pakistan Cricket Board contract, only after playing three Twenty20 matches in 2008.
   A hamstring injury forced him to sit out all three one-day matches against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi last November.
   He missed out on a contract last year because of injury and indiscipline.
   In response, Akhtar publicly criticised the PCB, which imposed a five-year ban on him last April.
   The ban was later reduced to 18 months
   with a fine of seven million rupees (100,000 dollars) by the high court in Lahore.
   On appeal, the court later suspended the ban but upheld the fine.
   A subsequent appeal is pending.

Sukhi scored the first hat-trick in the 1st Citycell National Women’s Football Championship as Narayanganj drubbed Sirajganj DSA 9-0 in the opening match of Bramaputra zone in Jamalpur on Friday
   Sukhi scored four goals while Munni and Eti struck two each and Putul netted one goal for the winners.
   In another zonal match at the same venue, Rajbari DSA beat hosts Jamalpur DSA by a solitary goal, scored by Aleya.
   In a Kaptai zone match at the Rangamati stadium, Bangladesh Ansar blanked Cox’s Bazar DSA 5-0. Nubai Ching Marma struck twice, while Mainu Marma, Jahanara and Suinu Marma scored one goal each for Bangladesh Ansar.
   In the day’s other match at the same venue, hosts Rangamati DSA beat Comilla DSA 3-0. Joya Chakma scored two goals, while Rina Das netted the other for Rangamati.
   In a Teesta zone match at the Dinajpur stadium, hosts Dinajpur made a winning start with lone goal victory over Naogaon DSA with Sudha Roy scoring the winner.

Pakistan will tour Bangla-desh to play two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Friday.
   ‘The Pakistan team will leave for the Bangladesh tour on March 7 and play two Twenty20 matches in Dhaka on March 10 and 12, before playing the first three one-day internationals in Dhaka on March 13, 15 and 17,’ the PCB said. The remaining two limited-over internationals will be played in Chittagong on March 20 and 22.
   Pakistan have not played a Test in Bangladesh since 2001.

Dhaka Moham-medan SC moved into the second place in the Citycell B League when they registered a 2-0 win over Farashganj SC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.
   With this win in the lone second phase match, Dhaka Mohammedan raised their tally to 35 points to share the second slot with Sheikh Russell, who are also on 35, while Farashganj remained fifth with 23 points, all playing 17 matches.
   Holders Dhaka Abahani dominate the league table with 41 points, also from 17 outings. Arman Aziz opened the account for Dhaka Mohammedan in the 38th minute while Abdul Baten Komol doubled the margin in the 64th minute.

AWR 7th ITF International Junior Tennis Championship begins at the BKSP Tennis Complex today. A total of 104 boys and 50 girls from 16 countries including Bangladesh are participating in the competition.
   Among the participants, 48 boys and the same number of girls will move into the final round, which will start on February 2. Of them, 34 will be given a direct entry into the final round according to their rankings. Eight players will come from qualifying round while hosts Bangladesh will be given six wildcard entries.
   The tournament will be followed by two more similar competitions in Rajshahi and Dhaka.
   The Bangladesh Tennis Federation revealed the details of the meet at a press conference on Friday. Sanaul Haque, the general secretary of the BTF, Shamimuzzaman, convener of media committee, Rokon Uddin Ahmed, tournament director and Jahurul Islam, the general manager of AWR Developments BD Ltd, spoke at the press conference.

West Indies A (343/2) against England at stumps, day 1
   England’s preparations for the opening Test against West Indies next week were spoiled on Thursday, when Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath plundered hundreds for West Indies-A on the opening day of their tour match.
   England’s bowlers toiled for little reward, as Simmons scored an undefeated 171 and teenaged opener Barath made 131 to lead the A-Team to 343 for two when bad light stopped play four overs early.
   England were left with more questions than answers about their attack, as Simmons and 18-year-old compatriot Barath took advantage of a docile Warner Park pitch.
   Simmons, who has played eight One-day Internationals, has repeatedly been overlooked by the West Indies selectors, and the uncapped Barath is an exciting prospect highly regarded by former West Indies batting superstar Brian Lara.
   England’s bowlers felt the full weight of their bats when the pair from Trinidad and Tobago put on 262 for the second wicket stand.
   James Anderson took the first wicket of hometown boy Kieran Powell in 20 overs that cost 67 runs, and England had to rely on Kevin Pietersen to make their second breakthrough, when he lazily cut to point and was caught in the former England captain’s first over.
   Before Pietersen’s intervention, Simmons, whose uncle Phil played 26 Tests and 143 One-day Internationals for West Indies, reached his hundred from the first ball after tea, when he tickled his 170th ball from Graeme Swann to fine leg for a single.
   Five overs later, England watched Barath raise his bat, when he reached his milestone, lofting Paul Collingwood over long-on for six.
   England have only themselves to blame for their predicament, as Matt Prior put down Simmons on 159 off Anderson, armed with the second new ball.
   The punishment continued for England until the umpires offered the batsmen light, as Simmons was joined by out-of-favour opener Sewnarine Chattergoon and they added 53, unbroken, for the third wicket.
   Brief scores:
   West Indies-A 343 for two (Lendl Simmons 171 not out, Adrian Barath 132, Sewnarine Chattergoon 24 not out) vs England.

Jamal Hossain Mollah, the nineteen-year-old amateur golfer of Bangladesh, extended his overall lead in round three of the City Bank-Dhaka Bank Bangladesh Open 2009.
   Jamal, the overnight leader, shot four under 68 on Friday to take his total to 13 under 203. The local lad, who had returned with scores of 68 and 67 in the first two rounds, is now staring at his maiden title triumph in a professional event.
   Delhi-based professional Shamim Khan (11 under 205), lies second at the moment as he trails the leader by two strokes. Jamal has turned out to be a revelation at the tournament much to the delight of the home supporters at the Kurmitola Golf Club.
   After impressing one and all with his near-flawless performance and positive attitude in first two days, Jamal continued to be in the limelight on day three as he stretched his lead to two strokes, courtesy of a solid round of 68.
   Sanjay Kumar (69, 69, 71) of Lucknow occupies third place at seven under 209 while Gaganjeet Bhullar, Vijay Kumar and Harmeet Kahlon share fourth position at five under 211.
   Harendra Gupta’s total of four under 212 places him seventh. Bangladesh’s Mohammad Siddikur Rahman and Shahid Khan share eighth place along with Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee at three under 213.

Liverpool have been warned that they must beat Chelsea this weekend or abandon their quest for the holy grail of a first English title since 1990.
   Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson up to his familiar psychological tricks?
   No. It was one of Liverpool’s own, Yossi Benayoun, who issued that stark assessment of the position that Rafael Benitez’s squad now find themselves in after stumbling to draws in their last three league matches.
   Dropping six points against Stoke, Everton and Wigan has resulted in Liverpool slipping to third in the table, behind Chelsea on goal difference and two points adrift of leaders United, who have the additional cushion of a game in hand.
   United face a tough clash with Everton at Old Trafford today and a dauntingly intense run of matches at a time when Ferguson’s squad is being stretched by injuries.
   But it is still hard to resist the conclusion that the title is now the champions to lose, and Benayoun does not entirely disagree.
   ‘Chelsea is a very important game for us now,’ the Israeli playmaker admitted. ‘We have to start winning if we want to have a chance of winning the league.
   ‘The games we’ve drawn recently we expected to win and that would have kept us top of the league. But we have made things more difficult for ourselves.’
   The subdued form of Fernando Torres since his comeback from the latest in a string of hamstring injuries has not helped Liverpool’s cause.
   Benitez desperately needs his star striker to rediscover the kind of form that saw him plunder 33 goals last season, his first in English football, although the manager would be quick to point out that Torres was absent when Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in October.
   Chelsea travel north having failed to beat any of their main rivals this season and midfielder Michael Ballack admitted that a draw might be an acceptable outcome to Sunday afternoon’s encounter.
   ‘Both sides will be trying to win because United have a game in hand and it is clear we need to win,’ the Germany captain said.
   ‘But a draw is not a bad result. Anfield is a difficult place to go. Liverpool can be very focused on these big games.’
   Aston Villa’s form—a 1-0 win at Portsmouth in midweek made it six away wins in a row for Martin O’Neill’s side—has piled the pressure on to Arsenal, who needed a stoppage time equaliser to draw at Everton and are now five points adrift of fourth-placed Villa.
   Robin van Persie’s late goal extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run in the league to nine matches and, with West Ham due at the Emirates on Saturday, the Gunners remain confident of breaking back into the top four and ensuring Champions League football next season.
   ‘We are not going to let up until the end of the season,’ midfielder Abou Diaby vowed.
   ‘Villa have been fantastic and are in front of us, but we are really focused on our job and what is most important is what we are doing on the pitch.’
   Villa entertain a Wigan side that clearly missed the dynamism of Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios in Wednesday’s draw with Liverpool.
   Sold to Tottenham for 14 million pounds, Palacios will make his Spurs debut at Bolton on Saturday.
   Elsewhere, Hull will be desperate to end a run of six successive defeats when bottom side West Brom visit the KC Stadium.
   Portsmouth, with just two league wins from 14 matches since Tony Adams took over from Harry Redknapp, also need to halt a downward slide and will hope to take something from their trip to Fulham.
   Further down the table, Middlesbrough can leapfrog Blackburn and escape the relegation zone by beating Sam Allardyce’s side at the Riverside while fellow strugglers Stoke entertain Manchester City in a lunchtime clash on Saturday.
   Newcastle, who have been left reeling by the loss of both Michael Owen and Joey Barton to injury, entertain Sunderland on Sunday in a match neither of the north-east rivals can afford to lose.

Serena and Venus Williams won their eighth Grand Slam doubles title when they beat Ai Sugiyama and Daniela Hantuchova at the Australian Open on Friday, and said they were hungry for more.
   The sisters claimed their third Australian Open doubles trophy after overpowering their opponents 6-3, 6-3 in just 75 minutes.
   The Williams, who also won here in 2001 and 2003, kept intact their record of never having lost a doubles final at a Grand Slam.
   They are now tied with Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez as the third most successful Grand Slam women’s team in the Open era, behind Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver with 21 and Gigi Fernandez/Natasha Zvereva (14).
   ‘I think we complement each other on the court because we’re both extremely positive,’ Venus said.
   ‘We know when the other one moves, what the other one needs to do to compensate for that or to add to it.’
   Serena, who plays Dinara Safina for the singles title on Saturday, added that there was no reason why they couldn’t add to their tally and said they would try and play together at the year’s other three Grand Slams.
   ‘If we keep playing, I think we can just keep getting titles,’ she said.
   ‘We haven’t played so much in the last seven years or eight years.
   ‘If we would have played during that time, we probably would have gotten even more.’
   The sisters were too powerful in every department for Japan’s Sugiyama and Slovakia’s Hantuchova, who were on the back-foot from the moment Sugiyama lost her second service game.
   The Japanese player was under enormous pressure throughout the match and failed to hold her serve at all in the second set.
   The two teams traded early service breaks in the first set, from Venus and Hantuchova, and then games went on serve until 4-3 when Sugiyama was broken for the first time.
   Venus served out the next game to wrap up the first set and put the sisters firmly in control.
   There was a run of five consecutive service breaks at the start of the second set but the Williams sisters always looked more dangerous.
   At 4-3 down Sugiyama was broken again and this time Serena served out the set to love to claim the title.
   ‘We played a great team today,’ Venus said.
   ‘They were very tough. At the end there I think we just maybe wanted it a little more.’

Wembley stadium was on Thursday chosen by UEFA to host the 2011 Champions League final with the same season’s Europa League final, the former UEFA Cup, going to Dublin’s new Lansdowne Road ground.
   London and Dublin were named as venues for the two European showcase matches by UEFA’s Executive Committee meeting in Nyon.
   European football’s governing body also named Munich’s Allianz Arena as the venue for the 2012 Champions League final with Bucharest’s National stadium hosting the 2012 Europa Cup final.
   For the Republic of Ireland this will be the first time the country has staged a major European final with the venue, the new Lansdowne Road, still under construction.
   This year’s Champions League final is in Rome and the UEFA Cup final in Istanbul.
   The decisions mean there will be two European finals held in Germany in the coming years as Hamburg will host the 2010 Europa Cup final.
   The 2012 Champions League final will be held on a Saturday and is expected to generate up to 10 million euros for hotels, bars and restaurants in Munich.
   ‘On behalf of the DFB, I would like to thank UEFA for this decision and it is a big reward for the authorities in the city which met the strict criteria,’ said German Football Federation president Dr Theo Zwanziger.

Serena Williams said she was ‘thrilled’ after becoming the all-time top earner in women’s sport – and then boosted her winnings further by taking the Australian Open doubles title.
   Williams pocketed 150,000 US dollars for the win along with her sister Venus, swelling her career earnings to 22,875,475 dollars and further past the record held by the recently retired golfing great Annika Sorenstam.
   ‘I have a great partner. I don’t have to work too hard out there. Just hit some big serves. Venus hits some big serves. We put the ball away,’ Williams said.
   WTA officials said Williams, 27, had outstripped Sorenstam’s 22,573,192 dollars by reaching the doubles and singles finals here. She stands to earn another 1.3 million US dollars if she beats Russia’s Dinara Safina on Saturday.
   ‘I’m thrilled with the news. I remember earning my first cheque of 240 dollars at Quebec City in 1995 and while I knew that I could have a great career in tennis, I could not have imagined or dreamed of all of this,’ said Williams.
   ‘It’s amazing how much women’s tennis has grown since I joined the Tour 14 years ago. I am very proud to have reached this milestone for me, my family and all women athletes out there. This achievement really shows that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.’
   Williams turned professional at the age of 14 in November 1995 and played her first tournament in Quebec City, Canada.
   In her 14-year career she has won nine Grand Slams, becoming only the sixth woman, other than Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, to match the feat.
   Of the current players, only Serena’s older sister Venus comes close to such an achievement, with seven Grand Slam singles titles to her name.
   Serena was a winner at the US Open in 1999, then won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003 for a calendar Grand Slam.
   She won the Australian Open title again in 2005 and 2007 and also took the US Open title last year.
   In addition, Williams has won two Olympic Gold medals, both playing doubles with Venus, in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008. She holds 32 singles and 14 doubles titles.
   Williams passed the one million dollar mark at the 1999 Roland Garros, later exceeding the 10 million mark in 2002 and the 20 million mark in 2008, both at the WTA Championships.

Runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona edged into the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup thanks to a narrow 3-2 home win over city rivals Espanyol on Thursday.
   Meanwhile, Sevilla dumped out holders Valencia on the away goals rule thanks to a dramatic last-minute strike from French defender Sebastien Squillaci.
   Barcelona will face Real Mallorca in the last four, while Sevilla will take on Athletic Bilbao.
   Barcelona had been held 0-0 in the first leg of their tie against their neighbours, but coach Pep Guardiola displayed his confidence ahead of the return leg by leaving in-form strikers Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o on the bench at the Nou Camp.
   After Jonathan Sorino had spurned a great chance to put the visitors ahead, Barca took the lead in the 35th minute.
   Bojan Krkic tucked the ball into the net after Espanyol goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez had spilled Sylvinho’s speculative shot.
   Bojan made it 2-0 two minutes into the second half when he raced onto Xavi’s pass and lifted the ball over the onrushing Alvarez, with central defender Gerard Pique heading home Dani Alves’s right-wing cross less than 10 minutes later.
   Espanyol pulled a goal back almost immediately when Ferran Corominas’s effort from the edge of the box cannoned off Barca captain Carles Puyol and looped into the net.
   With just over 20 minutes remaining substitute Jose Maria Callejon set up a grandstand finish when he lashed a shot through Barcelona keeper Jose Manuel Pintos’s fingers from 25 yards out.
   Barcelona were rattled, but they managed to keep their opponents at bay before Espanyol substitute Daniel Jarque was sent off for picking up two bookings in injury time.
   Valencia took a 3-2 aggregate lead into the second leg of their quarter-final at Sevilla’s imposing Ramon Sanchez Pijuan stadium, and they quickly extended their advantage when skipper Carlos Marchena nodded home from Joaquin’s eighth-minute corner.
   Mali striker Freddie Kanoute restored parity in the game 10 minutes before half-time, but Valencia looked to be on course for the last four until Squillaci’s last-gap header nudged Sevilla ahead on the away goals rule.
   Bilbao booked their last-four place after coming back from a goal down to beat Sporting Gijon 2-1 on Wednesday.
   With the tie goalless after the first leg, hosts Sporting took a sensational early lead when Carmelo Gonzalez fired a low shot into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the penalty area inside 30 seconds.
   But Igor Gabilondo produced a deft lobbed finish before half-time to tie the score and give the visitors an away goal advantage, with David Lopez making sure of Bilbao’s progress when he headed home a right-wing cross in the second half.
   In Wednesday’s other game, Mallorca secured a 0-0 draw at Real Betis that gave them a 1-0 aggregate victory.

Real Madrid captain Raul is looking for the goal that will take him level with the great Alfredo di Stefano as the club’s all-time leading scorer when Real travel to Numancia today.
   Raul scored his 306th goal last weekend and has the chance to equal di Stefano’s mark and help Real cut Barcelona’s lead at the top to 12 points.
   ‘At the moment maybe it is easier to win a tenth European Cup than the league when you consider that Barca’s form is not dipping,’ explained Raul.
   ‘It’s not impossible to overcome a deficit of 12 points, but if they (Barca) don’t lose points it is not going to be possible to catch them.’ While Raul has iconic status at Real, Dutch winger Roysten Drenthe is finding out how demanding the fans can be after being jeered when he came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna last Sunday. ‘Sunday was the worst day of my career so far,’ confessed the 21-year-old Drenthe.
   ‘I understand the fans to a certain extent because I am not playing to the same level I was before but I am trying.’
   Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is another Dutchman finding the going tough at Madrid and is still waiting for his first Real goal since joining from Ajax for 20 million euros in January.
   Barcelona travel to face Racing Santander on Sunday targeting a ninth consecutive victory to fend off Real, who have put some pressure on with five straight league wins.
   Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently accused Real of using the media to try and unsettle the pacesetters with reports about Lionel Messi switching to Madrid.
   Messi seems unperturbed by the rumours and scored twice in the 4-1 thrashing over Numancia last time out.
   ‘He should be left in peace, so he can focus on training,’ said coach Pep Guardiola.
   ‘He looks better than ever. He’s the owner of his future, he just needs to know that this is his home and we’ll give him whatever help is necessary.’
   Barcelona’s firepower has blown away teams this season and their three-pronged attack of Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry has scored a combined 45 goals - more than the entire Real Madrid team. Barcelona need just two goals to make it 5,000 in the league but they are playing a Racing team that defeated high-flying Sevilla 2-0 last time out.
   Serbian target-man Nikola Zigic has revitalised Racing since rejoining them on loan from Valencia and his 6ft 8in presence could cause Barcelona’s backline a few headaches.
   Valencia slipped to a 3-1 defeat against Real Mallorca prompting coach Unai Emery to admit that he was to blame for the loss rather than the players.
   Valencia sit fourth, four points behind Sevilla, with Emery hoping for a boost when his old side Almeria visit the Mestalla Stadium on Sunday.
   Sevilla, three points behind Real, are at Sporting Gijon and Italian midfielder Enzo Maresco says his team are sometimes too worried about the threat posed by the opposition.
   ‘You have to have respect for your opponents but it is them that have to watch out for us,’ Maresca explained.
   Atletico Madrid have yet to win in 2009 but are still only two points off the final Champions League spot going into Sunday’s home match with Valladolid.
   Atletico coach Javier Aguirre desperately needs a win to ease the growing pressure but Uruguayan forward Diego Forlan says the players must take responsibility for the slump.
   ‘It is the players out there on the pitch,’ said Forlan. He (Aguirre) doesn’t play in the match.’

England coach Fabio Capello admitted on Thursday that he was undecided about whether or not to select David Beckham for next month’s friendly against Spain after watching him play for AC Milan.
   Beckham scored from a trademark free-kick in Milan’s 1-1 draw with Genoa at the San Siro and was given a rousing reception from the club’s fans when he limped off 20 minutes from time with a groin problem.
   Capello was in the crowd but said he was not sure he would call up the 33-year-old former national team skipper for the friendly on February 7 in Seville.
   ‘I still have to decide although I was pleased with the way Beckham played, which I thought was better than in his previous games,’ said Capello at a business awards ceremony here.
   ‘I was at the San Siro to check on his form and before that I sent my assistants. It seems to me that he has fitted in very well at Milan.’
   Beckham is on loan from his club LA Galaxy. As for whether or not Beckham would be in Capello’s plans for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, by which time the midfielder would be 35, the coach said: ‘We have to qualify first and only then will I think about who to select.’

AC Milan and Juventus remain confident in their Italian title chances despite both dropping valuable points in midweek.
   Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Genoa and face a tough trip to the capital to play Lazio on Sunday, with an eight-point defecit to leaders Inter Milan.
   Juventus are only two points better off after they were stunned 2-1 at Udinese, who had not won in their previous 11 matches.
   With a home clash against in-form Cagliari and the red-hot forward Robert Acquafresca to come today, the pressure is on them as much as it is on Milan to try to cling onto Inter’s coat-tails.
   While that defeat dropped Juve to six points off the champions, there is some good news coming out of Turin as coach Claudio Ranieri has seen several top stars return from the treatment table.
   Striker Vincenzo Iaquinta started against Udinese and scored a penalty while French forward David Trezeguet made his first appearance since September when he came on as a substitute for Amauri with 10 minutes left.
   Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was also back between the sticks while Italy pair, centre-back Giorgio Chiellini and midfielder Mauro Camoranesi are also due back soon.
   ‘The result against Udinese has not cost us the championship,’ insisted Buffon.
   ‘For the first time in my Juventus career we were beaten in the Friuli region (in the north east).
   ‘We should have won but it’s normal to lose a game after such a long run of positive results.
   ‘Now we have Cagliari who are the most in-form team in the league and if we win, everything will be back to normal and we’ll have the same chance of finishing top of the pile.
   ‘But most of all the important thing is getting all our players back.’
   Cagliari are pushing for a UEFA Cup finish and have won three of their four matches since the end of the winter break, with their only dropped points coming in a 1-1 draw at the San Siro against Inter.
   The challenge facing Milan is no less daunting as they travel to a Lazio wounded by two straight defeats, including a 4-1 loss at home to Cagliari.
   Milan also insist that their title chances are not over but midfield playmaker Andrea Pirlo acknowledges that both teams on Sunday will be as desperate as each other for three points as Lazio too are still in with a chance of qualifying for Europe.
   ‘On Sunday we will come up against the same difficulties you always face with matches in Rome, against a team such as Lazio and in an atmosphere such as that at the Stadio Olimpico,’ he said.
   ‘They are coming into it off the back of a difficult period and will want to get back on track.
   ‘But we’re going there to win because the only result that we can afford is a victory.’
   One problem for Milan is that new loan signing David Beckham may not be available as he had to be substituted in the second half against Genoa after injuring his groin.
   If he is ruled out, coach Carlo Ancelotti will have to decide whether to replace him with Frenchman Mathieu Flamini or bring Clarence Seedorf back into the midfield and restore Ronaldinho to the starting line up alongside forward Pato, with Kaka dropping back to the hole behind the front pair.
   In recent matches Kaka has played further forward with Seedorf in the hole behind the front two, a system that seemed to be working well.
   Inter host lowly Torino and look in good form having beaten Catania 2-0 away on Wednesday despite playing for an hour with 10 men.
   Their coach Jose Mourinho will also be back on the bench having served a one-match touchline ban.

Cristiano Ronaldo is, as ever, the talk of the Spanish transfer press, with a sprinkling of Lionel Messi for good measure. Sport, the Catalan daily newspaper, reported yesterday that Jorge Mendes, the Manchester United forward’s agent, has signed a long-term agreement with Real Madrid worth about £91 million.
   The deal reportedly includes a penalty clause that would force Ronaldo and his agent to pay
   Real 20 million euros
   (about £18 million) if he does not appear at the Bernabéu at the start of next season.
   The accuracy of the news as reported by Sport is dubious, not least because there would be a slew of highly paid lawyers beating down Mendes’s door if he had signed on behalf of Ronaldo.
   However, Real used a similar tactic in 2000 when they lured Luís Figo from Barcelona.
   Whether such a ‘penalty clause’ would be enforceable is another matter.
   A further wrinkle is that this supposed contract was signed with Ramón Calderón, who resigned as president of Real two weeks ago. Whether it would
   be valid now is anyone’s guess.
   Either way, the Ronaldo-to-Real drumbeats continue unabated.
   The Madrid club’s players are asked to weigh in on Ronaldo daily, with Christoph Metzelder, the Germany defender, saying yesterday that he thought that Messi, the Barcelona and Argentina forward, was better.
   Which may explain why Barcelona are reportedly firing back with big plans of their own.
   Bild, the German newspaper, reported that the Catalan club have earmarked ¤60 million to sign the Bayern Munich duo of Philipp Lahm, the Germany full back, and Franck Ribéry, the France winger. Fanciful numbers, perhaps, but Ribéry is very much on the market.
   ‘I would by no means say it’s certain I will see out my contract at Bayern,’ he said this month.
   ‘Uli Hoeness, the Bayern general manager, limited himself to saying: ‘We have not received a formal offer from Barcelona for Lahm and Ribéry.’

Luiz Felipe Scolari believes the winners of Chelsea’s crucial clash with Liverpool on Sunday will go on to lift the Premier League title.
   Scolari takes his Chelsea team to Anfield this weekend for a match that the Brazilian claims is effectively an eliminator for the right to challenge reigning champions Manchester United.
   United, who host Everton on Saturday, lead the table by two points from Chelsea and Liverpool and have a game in hand, so defeat for either team would be a catastrophic blow.
   Scolari knows the stakes are high but he is convinced the momentum from success in such a vital match can provide the impetus to overhaul United.
   ‘It’s a game that, maybe, will decide the direction to be champions if we win,’ Scolari said. ‘It’ll put us in front of Liverpool or behind, near Manchester or not. ‘How much will it damage us if we lose? 100 per cent because we’ll lose three points.
   ‘It’s a fantastic game and I think, if we create three or four chances and we score some goals, we’ll have a good chance.
   ‘Before the Middlesbrough game we were under pressure, in fourth position and Aston Villa had won.
   ‘Now we are in second position and for our confidence it is very good. We know we are behind Manchester and together with Liverpool, we are not better than these two teams.
   ‘But we played better than before in the last five games, scored more and have shown more heart in the games.’
   After failing to win any of their four matches against the ‘big four’ this season - including a 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool - Scolari knows Chelsea desperately need a statement victory at Anfield.
   The shock of losing 3-0 at Manchester United earlier this month appears to have shaken Chelsea into life and back to back league wins have kept them hot on United’s heels.
   In contrast, Liverpool are in danger of slipping out of the title race after drawing their last three league games. Late goals by Everton and Wigan have cost Rafa Benitez’s team first place and raised questions about the Liverpool manager’s cautious tactics.
   Benitez’s astonishing rant against Ferguson and his post-match talk of unspecified ‘crazy’ incidents during the Wigan match give the impress that he may be cracking up under the pressure of going for the title.
   But Scolari has had to deal with criticism himself this season and he believes the Spaniard will be unaffected by the situation.
   ‘Benitez is a fantastic coach with good players. We’ll need more ‘adaptation’ than in the other games for this match,’ Scolari said.
   ‘I don’t know what’s happened with Benitez. I know when we’ve drawn or lost here, we’ve needed to change something but I don’t know what’s happened there.
   ‘Look at me, I lost 14 points at Stamford Bridge and I’m not a bad coach, because I draw many games here. This is normal because teams in the Premier League are strong.’
   The former Portugal coach even backed Benitez’s rant at Ferguson and made a veiled reference to his belief that, unlike United, Chelsea have suffered from poor refereeing at Stamford Bridge this season.
   ‘It’s one of his ideas and I haven’t spoken to him about it. Maybe I will at the weekend,’ Scolari said. ‘I understand. I understand very well. I understand that,sometimes, when we play there at Stamford Bridge I know what happens.’
   Scolari also admitted he is unlikely to add any new faces before the transfer window shuts and rubbished reports of a bid for Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, who has yet to agree a permanent transfer to Old Trafford.
   ‘I understand the world. It changes. The fans, the players, the coaches need to understand the changes. Now, for two or three years minimum, I agree with this method,’ he said.

Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that Manchester United’s move for Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich ten years ago cost him the chance to sign record-breaker Edwin van der Sar as Peter Schmeichel’s successor.
   Former Netherlands goalkeeper Van der Sar, 38, can break the Football League record for not conceding a goal—set by Reading’s Steve Death in 1978-79 — if he denies Everton for 73 minutes at Old Trafford on Saturday.
   The veteran United stopper broke Petr Cech’s Premier League record by extending his shut-out run to 1031 minutes during the 5-0 win at West Brom on Tuesday, a result which made it eleven successive clean sheets for van der Sar.
   Former Ajax keeper Van der Sar arrived at United from Fulham in June 2005, but Ferguson admits that United could have had him six years earlier had they not moved hastily by signing free transfer Bosnich from Aston Villa.
   Ferguson said: ‘There is no doubt about it, it was a mistake not signing Edwin in 1999.
   ‘I did want him, but at the time, (former chairman) Martin Edwards had done a deal with Mark Bosnich and, unfortunately, it was too late for us because Edwin went to Juventus instead.
   ‘But throughout the 2004-05 season, we were assessing where we should be going in terms of the goalkeeping situation and I left it to our goalkeeping coach, Tony Coton, to get all the information.
   ‘A lot of goalkeepers were a possibility, but van der Sar’s name just came up all the time, so we didn’t hesitate at the end of the season. We did a deal quickly.
   ‘For Edwin, it was a great lift for him, but also for us. He has brought incredible knowledge and patience to the back four, his use of the ball is excellent and he has all the technical attributes you need.’
   Van der Sar recently signed a new one-year deal at Old Trafford. The Dutchman is likely to face competition from England’s Ben Foster and Poland international Tomasz Kuszczak next season, but Ferguson insists the veteran can still produce the goods next term.
   He said: ‘At Edwin’s age, I’m sure he could go on another year. We are playing it that way, so we will see. He is in the twilight of his career, but the form of his life and he has been absolutely fantastic with his performances.’
   United can take a firm grip of top spot in the Premier League by beating Everton 24 hours before Liverpool tackle Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday, but Ferguson has ruled out any complacency at Old Trafford.
   He said: ‘Only one thing is inevitable in this league and that is that it is full of shocks.
   ‘We have lost leagues on the final day and won them on the final day, so we are treating this seriously, no matter who we play.
   ‘David Moyes has done an incredible job at Everton without getting the credit that he deserves. He has never had the resources that you get at a club like United.’

Blackburn on Friday completed the surprise signing of former African player of the year El-Hadji Diouf from Sunderland in a two-million-pound deal.
   Diouf, 28, only moved to Sunderland at the end of last season but was keen to be reunited with Sam Allardyce, the Blackburn manager who brought Diouf when he was in charge of Bolton.
   Allardyce said the signing would enable him to allow Matt Derbyshire to join Greek club Olympiacos on loan until the end of the season.
   The deal was not completed in time for Diouf to be eligible to play for Blackburn at Middlesbrough on Saturday but Allardyce made it clear the forward would go into his first team as soon as possible.
   ‘He can play a few positions, down the right, down the left, as well as along the front,’ Allardyce said. ‘I’m hoping he can come and give me the kind of performances he gave at Bolton.’
   The Blackburn boss added: ‘In the time I spent with him we always finished in the top half of the Premier League, no lower than eighth, and we played in Europe.

Aston Villa’s Danish captain Martin Laursen announced Thursday he was retiring from international football due to his injured knee.
   The 31-year-old Denmark defender has recently undergone surgery on the problem knee and will not be back in action at least until the end of March.
   ‘It’s my decision, and it’s the hardest I’ve ever had to take in my career,’ he said in comments carried on the Danish Football Federation’s website. ‘I’ve done everything to avoid taking this decision because I love playing for the national team and there’s nothing I want more than for the side to qualify for the World Cup.’
   Laursen takes his leave with 51 caps having taken part in Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.
   Before joining Villa in 2004 he spent five seasons in Serie A with Verona, Parma and AC Milan.

The PCB is expected to firmly resist reversing the result of the controversial 2006 Oval Test between England and Pakistan at the ICC board meeting in Perth on January 31 and February 1. The match was initially forfeited by Pakistan, after they refused to take the field following accusations of ball tampering, but the ICC changed the result to a draw at its board meeting in July last year.
   The PCB chairman Ijaz Butt will be travelling to Perth, Saleem Altaf, the board’s chief operating officer, confirmed. ‘The legal opinions were sought from expert lawyers in a bid to strengthen our case. Our stance on The Oval Test result is clear. We believe that the ICC has taken a good decision by declaring the result as a draw and that there is no need to reverse it again.’
   The matter is expected to come up at the meeting after the MCC, the independent governor of cricket’s laws, recommended that the ICC change the result back from a draw to an England win. Soon after the MCC’s suggestion, ICC president David Morgan said reversing the result was inappropriate and indicated the ICC might reconsider the decision.

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United have the edge over Liverpool in the title run in as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side look to pull away at the top of the Premier League table this weekend.
   Ferdinand is hoping that United, currently two points clear with a game in hand over Benitez’s side, will have opened up a significant gap at the top as they eye a third successive title.
   Ferdinand believes that United’s experience of winning the Premier League will help them in the run-in.
   But the England defender is taking nothing for granted. ‘It is easier when you have got experienced players in your camp, the likes of (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes, players who have won the league before,’ said Ferdinand.
   ‘There is the experience in there and maybe that is the edge we have got on the other teams, that we’ve got the experience of older pros who have been there.
   ‘But the important thing is you’ve got to get momentum.
   ‘If you’ve got momentum going into the last few games of the season, then you are in a good position to strike then. That counts a lot.
   ‘We love the pressure of playing in big pressure games but everyone would tell you they’d rather win it by 10-20 points but it doesn’t happen like that. ‘You never get anything easy in life but you’ve got to work hard and we know that.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he will not move into international management when he steps down at Manchester United, dampening hopes he could be persuaded to coach a
   Great Britain football team at the London Olympics in 2012.
   Ferguson has discussed that role with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Lord Coe, chairman of the 2012 organising committee, but has given no indication he would be prepared to take it on.
   In an interview with Inside United magazine, he said he had no plans to follow the lead of Fabio Capello and Marcelo Lippi by swapping a successful coaching career at club level for international management.
   ‘No. I won’t turn to international management,’ Ferguson, who turned 67 on New Year’s Eve, said. ‘When I’ve finished here, I think I deserve a rest. After here, I’m finished.’