Fabregas joins top earners

Cesc Fabrgeas signs new deal - David Beckham & Cristiano Ronaldo lead the way

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has turned his back on Nike in order to sign a lucrative £16 million boot deal with sportswear giant Puma.


The former Arsenal captain has put pen to paper on a five-year contract and has already been spotted watching his new Puma PowerCat 1.12 footwear.



At £3.2 million-a-year, the 24-year-old now has one of the biggest boot deals in history and joins a stable of stars including the likes of Thierry Henry, Nemanja Vidic, Samuel Eto’o and Mario Gomez.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero - who is on a reported £1.25 million-a-year - was also recently unveiled by Puma but the capture of Fabregas is an even greater coup.

After this announcement, GMF has decided to take a look at football's other top-earners when it comes to boot sponsorship deals...




David Beckham, Adidas (£7 million-a-year)

David Beckham will forever by synonymous with Adidas, having signed his first deal with the sportswear manufacturers early on in his playing career.

The former England captain still wears operates in Adidas predators and has a unique deal in which he gets a cut of every boot sold.

Beckham also takes a percentage from the sale of clothing and shinpads he personally endorses.



Cristiano Ronaldo, Nike (£5 million-a-year)

Cristiano Ronaldo signed a whopping £20 million deal with Nike in 2010, and stands to rake in £5 million-a-year.

The Real Madrid forward is an advocate of Nike's Mercurial range and netted an incredible 53 times last season - including 25 times with his right boot and nine with his left.



Lionel Messi, Adidas (£2 million-a-year)

Despite being awarded the Ballon d'Or in consecutive seasons, Lionel Messi fails to boast the world's most lucrative boot contract.

This week the 24-year-old moved into joint second in Barcelona's all-time scoring charts and does the business in Adidas F50s.



Wayne Rooney, Nike (£1 million-a-year)

Wayne Rooney picks up a relatively paltry £1 million-a-year for wearing the Nike Total 90 Laser III but, should he continue his current form, the 25-year-old could be in a strong bargaining position.

The Manchester United hotshot has netted 11 times for club and country this season, and is likely to rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when it comes to end-of-season accolades.

Xavi: "Cesc’s presence is improving my football"

Xavi Hernández has admitted that "I am very happy with Cesc. I think his presence on the field improves my football”.]

Cesc and Xavi are clearly compatible. Cynics had suggested that there was no room for two in the same side, but they have been proven wrong in dramatic style. "I and we are very happy on the pitch. I think we complement each other quite well. I he goes up I stay back and cover for him or vice versa. We have shown that many times this year. I think Cesc makes my football better” said Xavi today.

3-4-3 :
Asked about the system that has been used in recent Liga matches, Xavi said "this system is quite good. Considering we are a team that maintains a lot of possession of the ball, it is a good idea to have an extra man in the middle … It does make it harder in defence, but I think it is better to be balanced towards having a stronger midfield. I think we’ve dominated all of the games so far this season, and
have done so well ".

Not a two-horse race :
Xavi also thinks it is important to note that neither Barça nor Madrid have won all of their games. "I don’t think there are only two teams in this league. The other clubs train very hard, they have quality, strategies, fitness and talent. Saying that is a cruel insult to many good professionals. We are all very close here, and I don’t believe in a bipolar league".

The draw at Mestalla :
Xavi said that anything can happen at Mestalla and that "we could have come back with all three points, but it’s also true that Valencia could have won the game in the first half. It was a very nice, dynamic match, with constant changes of tactics and goals. For example, there was at least one clear penalty on Messi and so, although I don’t like to draw, a point isn’t bad given the circumstances”.

As for referees, Xavi made it clear that "they have a very difficult job. They have to make decisions in a tenth of a second and suffer like we do. They do the best they can, they are human, and also have the right to make mistakes, just like we do”.

Chelsea 'could have signed Fernando Torres for £20m’ says former reserve team manager Brendan Rogers

Chelsea could have saved themselves around £30million on Fernando Torres had they listened to Brendan Rodgers five years ago. 

Rodgers, who takes Swansea City to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, recommended the Spaniard to Chelsea when he worked for them.

Reserve team manager under Jose Mourinho, Rodgers was sent to the Nou Camp in 2006 to run the rule over the 21-year-old Atlético Madrid captain, who scored twice in a 3-1 victory.

In the end, Torres remained in Spain until joining Liverpool a year later, for close to £20million. In January this year, he signed for Chelsea for £50million.

“He’s a wonderful talent, a great striker,” said Rodgers. “I remember going to watch him back in 2006 when he was with Atlético Madrid. I think he was captain at the time. He was outstanding, a real catalyst for that side.”

Asked what his recommendation had been, Rodgers said: “To take him.”

Rodgers has charted Torres’s progress since, but hopes that his goal at Manchester United last weekend is not the sign of things to come. After all, despite his horror miss in front of the Stretford End last weekend and a paltry record of only two goals in 19 games since arriving at Stamford Bridge, he boasts more than 150 goals in senior football.

“I’ve seen him for a number of years now, he’s one of the world’s best strikers. He has obviously had trouble with injury which has affected his form, but you saw last week, just what a talent he is. He scored a great goal and the miss was something that he will want to put right as soon as possible.

“In reality he should have scored, but he did really well just to get into that position. I’m pretty sure that he’s getting back towards where he wants to be. I hope he doesn’t click too quickly.”

Rodgers spent 4½ years at Chelsea before taking charge at Reading and Watford. He joined the revolution at Swansea City at the beginning of last season.

“I suppose I was very lucky during my time at Chelsea. I had a wonderful manager in Jose Mourinho who gave me an opportunity to go and watch some of the best players in the world. Going to the Nou Camp and seeing Torres score twice in a 3-1 win, was a special moment.

“I’m looking forward to going back there because I still have some close friends at the club. We understand the enormity of the task, but we have prepared well, as ever.”

Goals in 23 away games

The 2-2 draw in Valencia meant FC Barcelona equalled the all time Liga record of scoring 23 goals in away fixtures. In ten day’s time, Barça will be able to set an outright record when they travel to Gijón.

► The streak equals that by Real Madrid 50 years ago between game 27 of the 1950/51 season and game 12 of 1952/53.

► Puyol played his 350th league game at Mestalla. He won three balls and made 20 good passes.

► Cesc has become the first Barça midfielder ever to score in the first four games of a league campaign.

► Xavi was the most active player last night with 103 passes.

► Dani Alves, who played as left back and left midfielder, led his team in successful tackles, fourteen.

► Pedro scored his 47th goal for Barça in Valencia, and his 23rd away from home. . Four of those, like the one at Mestalla, were scored in the first quarter of an hour of the match.

► Emery and Guardiola had drawn 2-2 in Valencia before in the 2008/09 season, when a Pablo goal also made it 2-1 before Henry snatched a late equaliser. The game went in a strikingly similar fashion to Wednesday’s game, although Barça scored first in the previous match.

► Valdés (414) is only seven appearances behind Guillermo Amor (421), the player who is currently fifth in the club’s all-time ranking.

► The goalkeeper has played 299 league matches. He could make his 300th appearance against Atlético Madrid, the side against which he made his debut.

► Barça have not finished any games this season in which they have only conceded one goal. They have either kept a clean sheet or conceded two.

Pink ball set for County Championship trial

County Championship cricket will be played using a pink ball under floodlights for the first time after the ECB approached Kent and Glamorgan with a proposal to stage their final match of the season under trial conditions.

Both teams had agreed on the proposal for the match at Canterbury on September 12 and the hours of play 2pm until 9pm - the floodlights will be turned on at 5.30pm but could be used earlier if needed - while players were wearing white clothing. This particular match had been selected because neither side is in the Division Two promotion race.

This is the latest stage in the trials to determine whether Test match cricket could be played in day/night conditions. There have already been various trials, including the annual MCC verses Champion County match which has been staged in Abu Dhabi for the last two seasons and also in Pakistan and West Indian domestic tournaments. They have also been used in county second XI cricket and university matches, while Cricket Australia will trial twilight matches during this season's Sheffield Shield.

Both ICC and MCC, who have led the way in the process, believe floodlit Test cricket can become a reality soon although one of the major sticking points has been the color of the ball. Tests have suggested pink is the best version but there remain concerns over batting during twilight periods.

The other factor that needs to be considered is the impact of dew, with can make the second innings of day/night one-day internationals very difficult, and that was an issue mentioned by Dave Richardson during the ICC's cricket committee meeting in May.

"The venue still needs to have decent lights, somewhere like Lord's, Sydney or Abu Dhabi. You also need to play it at a venue, and time of year, where dew isn't going to come in a seven o'clock," he said. "You can have the best ball in the world but it would be unfair in those conditions."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger bashed in fans’ survey

ARSENAL fans have turned up the heat on under-fire boss Arsene Wenger in a new survey.

The findings of YouGov, a poll of 8,000 fans around the country, will hardly cheer up the Frenchman.

Wenger is one of only threetop-flight bosses — along with Steve Bruce and Steve Kean — to have received less than 5/10 from his own supporters.

The disillusioned Emirates chief received less than 5/10 from his own supporters.

The Gunners have just one point from their first three matches this season — including an 8-2 thrashing at Old Trafford.

And their fans — who predicted a third-placed finish when asked in June — now fear their team will end up in fifth and miss out on Champions League football.

The only good news for Wenger was that one in 10 of the Arsenal faithful asked feel now is the right time to change manager.

And it could be worse Arsene — their next away game is at Blackburn where a staggering 81 per cent of fans want manager Kean sacked.

Fans of the Manchester clubs are unsurprisingly delighted with their starts to the season with both scoring more than 9/10.

There was also a ringing endorsement for Norwich boss Paul Lambert who got 100 per cent from chirpy Canaries.

Arsenal Edge Closer To Signing Italy International

Arsenal could move for Italy international star Riccardo Montolivo in January, after he rejected a new contract offer from Fiorentina.

The attacking midfielder has been unable to agree terms with the club to extend his stay, with his current deal expiring next summer, and quite inevitably has attracted a number of suitors.

“I’m calm about everything,” Montolivo explained to Radio Blu.

“I have a good relationship with the fans, even if I haven’t had the easiest of summers,” added the Italian – having lost the captaincy for his refusal to sign a new contract on Fiorentina’s terms.

“The club are free to do what they believe is right to me. All I can do is to work seriously and then we’ll see what happens.”

However, recent talks are believed to have progressed if the latest reports are to be believed, and Montolivo could yet sign a new contract until 2014.

Yet that doesn’t mean Arsenal are out of the running to sign him.

Fiorentina are so reluctant to lose Montolivo on a free transfer next summer, they are willing to insert a minimum fee release clause into his deal.

That figure is expected to be around the €7m mark (approximately £6.1m), and would be well within the transfer budgets of a host of admiring
managers.

Even Arsene Wenger.

Spain Boss Slams Chelsea Striker Fernando Torres

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque says Chelsea striker Fernando Torres will not regain his place in the national set-up unless he improves his club form.

The 27 year-old former Liverpool ace has scored just one official goal for Chelsea, and was dropped by del Bosque for Spain against Liechtenstein.

Of course, this has happened before.

The difference for Torres this time was that del Bosque has not tended to leave him out of the team unless he switched to a single striker formation, with David Villa the first choice hitman.

Against Liechtenstein, Spain started with two strikers in Villa and Sevilla forward Alvaro Negredo.

Athletic Bilbao target man Fernando Llorente was the backup forward, but Torres didn’t even make the bench.

“Torres is an important player, but those who stand out with their clubs will get the call to the national team – not the o
ther way around,” explained del Bosque.

Can Torres resurrect his club – and international – careeer?

No-goal Fernando Torres to pay if Chelsea flop

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS will tolerate Fernando Torres' goal drought for as long as Chelsea keep winning.

But the £50million striker, 27, faces the axe as soon as it starts costing Premier League points.

Torres has hit one league goal since his record-breaking move from Liverpool in January.

Boss Villas-Boas said: "We have to persist with Fernando and help him to find the net again.

"But it cannot compromise the team. The moment that it does compromise the team, it has to come to an end."

Arsenal Hope To Beat Chelsea To Barcelona Transfer

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is desperate to land Gerard Deulofeu – who is being compared to striker Lionel Messi – before he turns 18 next year.

Players in La Liga are only allowed to sign professional contacts at 18 – which means the Gunners can sign Deulofeu for just £3m.

Chelsea are also interested in signing teenage prodigy Gerard Deulofeu, and have already raided Barcelona this summer with their capture of Oriol Romeu.

However, Arsenal are believed to be substantial favourites due to their favourable record in developing promising Barcelona young talent.

In addition, what the club’s fans would make of yet another player coming in with Barcelona DNA remains to be seen!

Barca too are aiming to protect themselves from paying out an extraordinary sum for a player should they lose them young.

They are insisting on a buyback clause in all transfers – including that of Bojan to AS Roma and Romeu to Chelsea.

While Deulofeu is a great young talent, signing him could prove costly should he develop well and be bought back
before he can have a true impact – making the transfer more of an expensive loan.

In addition, two appearances in the league already for Deulofeu could see him elect to stay at Camp Nou.

Kevin Davies: We’ll make it hell for David De Gea

KEVIN DAVIES has warned jittery Manchester United keeper David De Gea to expect hell at Bolton tomorrow.

And veteran Trotters striker Davies promised to give the rest of United's inexperienced backline a "going over" too.

Spaniard De Gea, 20, has had a shaky start to his Old Trafford career with a host of high-profile errors.

And Bolton skipper Davies, 34, grinned: "I'm sure there'll be a few crosses going in.

"United at home is one we all look forward to and we fancy our chances against anyone here.

"I faced Phil Jones at Blackburn last year and he's a big, strong boy, so I'll be looking to give him a going over."

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists Fabio Capello's criticism of Andy Carroll is unfair

Kenny Dalglish has launched an impassioned defence of Andy Carroll, insisting Liverpool do not share the fears apparently harboured by England manager Fabio Capello over the £35 million striker’s form, fitness and lifestyle. 

The Italian this week suggested Carroll needed to “be careful” to take care of himself away from football,
suggesting the forward’s physique means he needs to “drink less” than other players and intimating that the intensity of his training at club level is not always as high as it is with England.

Capello has long championed Carroll’s cause, handing the 22 year-old his debut against France last year just weeks into his Premier League career. He scored on his second appearance, against Ghana in March.

The England manager had previously described the striker as “one of the most interesting players in Europe”. That Carroll’s star has waned, though, was evident from his absence for the 3-0 victory against Bulgaria last week and his appearance only as a very late substitute in Tuesday’s 1-0 win against Wales.

Combined with his warning over the former Newcastle forward’s extra-curricular activities, it is clear Capello is unimpressed with his attitude.

It is a view that drew a defiant response from Dalglish. The Liverpool manager is keen not to be drawn into an argument with Capello, insisting the Italian’s meaning had been manipulated and stating that Carroll is “appreciative” of the advice of an England manager the striker “has great respect for”. But Dalglish is adamant that discussing the player’s off-field activities is anachronistic and “totally unfair”.

Liverpool’s medical staff are believed to be pleased with the progress Carroll has made this season, with the striker the only player at the club to feature in all the club’s pre-season fixtures. Dalglish has long insisted the only reason the player failed to impress following his move in January is that Liverpool asked him to play before he was fully fit.

“I think it is unfair to discuss Andy,” Dalglish said. “Everyone wants to talk about it but we have said what we have had to say. What we have said is very pertinent and very honest. We know the truth.

“We do not have any problem whatsoever with Andy. We are delighted to have him here and he will be a fantastic asset for us. Last year it was our fault that we played him when we should not have done. Just judge him for what he does on the pitch.

“We have said often enough that Andy was not properly fit last season because of injury but that seems to fall on deaf ears. We have been very pleased with the level of fitness he has achieved this season.

“Andy is wiser than a lot of people who write about it in the press. I don’t think Andy’s lifestyle is anything like what you would like it to be to get stories.”

Carroll will be joined in Dalglish’s squad for tomorrow’s trip to Stoke by new signings Sebastian Coates and Craig Bellamy, a player the Liverpool manager singled out for praise yesterday after he took a substantial pay-cut — as well as agreeing a reduced compensation package with Manchester City — to return to Anfield.

“He’s really enthusiastic to be back and made a lot of sacrifices to come back here, financial and otherwise, because of what the club means to him,” said Dalglish. “We are delighted to have people with that attitude.”

The Scot is certain the 32 year-old, who left Anfield after just a season in 2007 after attacking John Arne Riise with a golf club, will not disrupt the harmonious dressing-room atmosphere Dalglish has done much to foster. “I don’t think it will be a problem,” Dalglish quipped. “He’s given up golf. You wouldn’t want to take the personality away from any players.”

Steven Gerrard will soon return to the Liverpool squad. Dalglish said the midfielder is “not far away” from recovering from the groin injury that has ruled him out since March.

Blackburn Rovers fans urge Venky's to listen to their dissatisfied voices in open letter

Blackburn Rovers supporters have sent an open letter to the club owners, Venky’s, pleading with them to communicate better with fans and to consider replacing Steve Kean as manager. 

Rovers' record under Kean has been less than impressive, bringing six wins, seven draws and 13 defeats in 26 games, stirring discontent on the terraces of Ewood Park.

Yet Venky’s have been consistently supportive of Kean and backed him in the transfer window, bringing in two good signings in Scott Dann and David Goodwillie.

Any positivity engendered by their arrival might dissipate if Rovers slip up on Sunday at Fulham, where Kean used to be assistant manager to Chris Coleman.

“The fans were willing to give Steve Kean a chance and were very open-minded about an appointment of a very inexperienced manager, somebody who had never managed a professional football team in his life,’’ the group of Blackburn season-ticket-holders said in their letter to the Venky’s, claiming to represent 4,000 fans.

Some would like to see Kean replaced by Mark Hughes, the former Blackburn manager who is currently out of work.

“The sense that any game was winnable under Mark Hughes has been replaced by the sense of expecting defeat against any team either home or away that now exists under Kean,’’ continued the letter.

“There are odd team line-ups where under-performing players such as Jason Roberts and Michel Salgado continue to play whereas goalscorers Mauro Formica and David Goodwillie drop to the bench.

"A very real fear for the future is now setting on Rovers fans. Numbers speak louder then words. More than 1,000 season tickets down on last season?”

Aware of the unrest, Venky’s are attempting to be more hands-on at Ewood, and have moved family representatives from India to Lancashire, but supporters want more dialogue.

“There is a growing frustration that the fans don’t believe they have been listened to by the owners,’’ the supporters added.

How much the fans’ letter represents the majority view is unclear, although the sounds of dissatisfaction at Ewood have been heard.

Blackburn fans are not known for any militancy and clearly Venky’s have many questions to answer about the operation of the team and club.

“In all of my years following the Rovers I have never known things to be as bad as they are at the club right now, not even when we were relegated,’’ writes a 21-year-old Blackburn fan in one of a series of individual messages to Venky’s attached to the open letter.

“Back then we had a diehard owner [Jack Walker] who loved Blackburn Rovers and wise heads behind the scenes such as John Williams [the then chairman] who could all steer the club in the right direction.

"It seems there is nothing us fans can do about it, and it hurts.”

The open letter concludes: “As you can tell, we are passionate football fans. We love our club. Some fans are angry, some are depressed about the current situation and some are desperate for change.

"Listen to our words, our chants, our unhappiness.”

A demonstration is being planned by Blackburn fans for the home game against Arsenal on Sept 17.

Pink ball to be used in County cricket on trial basis

London: Pink-coloured ball will be used for the first time in County Championship cricket on trial basis after the ECB approached Kent and Glamorgan with a proposal to use the ball in their final match of the season.

This particular match has been selected because neither side is in the Division Two promotion race.

Both teams have agreed on the proposal for the match, scheduled to be held at Canterbury on September 12.

While it will be a day-night affair, players will wear white clothing.

This is the latest stage in the trials to determine whether Test matches could be played under floodlights.

There have already been various trials, including the annual MCC versus Champion County match which has been staged in Abu Dhabi for the last two seasons and also in Pakistan and West Indian domestic tournaments.


Pink balls have also been used in county second XI cricket and university matches, while Cricket Australia will use them on trial basis during this season`s Sheffield Shield.

"The venue still needs to have decent lights, somewhere like Lord`s, Sydney or Abu Dhabi. You also need to play it at a venue, and time of year, where dew isn`t going to come in a seven o`clock. You can have the best ball in the world but it would be unfair in those conditions," said Dave Richardson, ICC`s general manager, cricket.

Dhoni rues lack of options due to injury-crisis

Southampton: Handed another demoralising defeat by England on a miserable tour, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni bemoaned the injury-crisis that has hit his side, saying that all his plans fall apart due to the lack of options at his disposal.

India went down by seven wickets in the rain-curtailed second ODI and Dhoni said the bowling left a lot to be desired given that the batsmen had done a decent job by posting 187 in the 23-overs-a-side game.

"The bowling department needs to step up a bit. The strength of our bowlers is not speed but it didn`t swing today. Also the variations in pace were not possible because the outfield was wet and the ball came on to the bat nicely," said Dhoni after England comfortably overhauled the 188-run target.

"Presently it is becoming difficult to maneuver them around with just two bowlers. When the frontline bowlers go for runs, it becomes difficult. I tried Ashwin hoping he could upset their scoring but even he went for runs. The first five overs didn`t work out for us," he added.

"Our fast bowlers are not deceptively quick. They are between the 128-132mph speed. If it is not swinging, it`s difficult and a bit tough on them."

Indians stuck to their policy of playing with seven batters even when it meant that Manoj Tiwary was almost straightaway drafted into the playing eleven literally after stepping out of aircraft.


"Our lower order batters can`t score big against this bowling attack. Without six batters it becomes quite difficult to score runs. So if it is a low score, even five bowlers can`t defend it.”

"I thought 187 was a good score. But once they got 60 in first five overs and 100 in the first 10, they never really had to take any risk."

Dhoni once again rued the injuries that have had a disastrous effect on his team`s performances.


"Injuries have been a big concern. We have lost nine players and almost of them feature in the first eleven."

The injury nightmare, however, wouldn`t extend to young Ajinkya Rahane who batted with a runner during his knock of 54 on Tuesday.

"He felt a twist in his leg while turning. It`s a bit of inflammation but as of now, he wouldn`t miss the next game."

US Open 2011: US Open safety concerns Andy Murray & Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray voiced their disapproval after they were among the players sent out to play in damp conditions at the US Open.

Tuesday's entire schedule was lost to rain but after a 90-minute delay on Wednesday play finally began, only for a halt to be called after 16 minutes.

Briton Murray described the courts as "dangerous" and Nadal said he did "not feel protected" by event officials.

All Wednesday's men's matches were later postponed.

Tournament organisers were hopeful that the night session involving all four women's quarter-finals would still take place, but after the players took to the court at 7pm local time they were unable to compete the warm-up before the rain began to fall once again, and play was cancelled for the day.

"It's dangerous, the lines get really slippy," Murray told ESPN. "Players want to play more than anyone, but not when it's dangerous."

Defending champion Nadal said: "Grand Slams is about a lot of money. We're part of the show. They're just working for that, not for us. They know it's still raining and call us onto the court. That's not possible.

"I understand the fans want to see tennis but the health of the players is the most important and we do not feel protected. We want to feel good when we are playing a tournament and we cannot accept these things.

"We have to fight to change things, to have enough power that we don't have to go on court when it's raining. If I have to go on court, I'll
go on court, but I don't think it's fair."

Murray and Nadal are among the eight men waiting to complete their fourth-round matches, leaving them behind the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who are already through to the quarter-finals.

British number one Murray managed just three games of his match against Donald Young on the Grandstand court before the weather intervened, with the American leading 2-1 on serve.

Over on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium, second seed Nadal trailed Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 3-0 when play was halted, while former champion Andy Roddick led fifth seed David Ferrer 3-1.

Top seeds Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki were scheduled to be in quarter-final action during Wednesday's day session.

The night matches on Ashe should have begun with Serena Williams' quarter-final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, followed by Roger Federer against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but the weather put paid to the original order of play.

With rain expected all week, the men's final could take place on the third Monday for the fourth successive year.

"I think if it's up for discussion if the court's playable or not, then it's not playable," said Roddick. "Walking out there it was still misting. The back of the courts were still wet.

"We wanted to make it known we didn't want to be put in that position. I certainly understand they need to put tennis on TV, I understand the business side of it as well, but players need to feel comfortable and safe."

In a statement, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) responded: "All parties, including the players and tournament, want to get the US Open back on schedule. As of 12 noon today, the best information available to us indicated the chance of a two-hour window without rain.

"Unfortunately, not all light rain and mist shows up on radar. We have experienced referees, and they decide if courts are fit for play. Conditions may be not ideal, but still can be safe.

"However, if a player or players feel that conditions are unsafe, we listen to them, as we have always done, and the referee uses that information as part of his/her assessment on whether to continue or halt play."

Real Madrid Star Cristiano Ronaldo Open to Shock Manchester United Return

Cristiano Ronaldo told Special Report that he hasn’t ruled out a return to the Premier League.

The 26-year-old won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League during six years at Manchester United before moving to Real Madrid in 2009 for a world record fee of £80m.

But he told Sky Sports News HD presenter Georgie Thompson that if he does return to English football, he wouldn’t necessarily go back to Old Trafford.

“I don’t close the door [on the Premier League] so maybe in the future I hope so,” he said, “because I know the league, I know the players, I know the atmosphere.

“Why not? I hope so one day but you never know. The team that I like more in England is Manchester but I cannot say that I am going to play there one day because I am very, very happy in Madrid.

“I’ve said a few times that if Madrid want, I can sign for 10 years more until the finish of my career but nobody knows the future. I cannot lie to you and say I will stay here 10 years, that I am not going to come back to Manchester. It is not fair on my part. Let’s see what future God has prepared for me.”

Samir Nasri gave Man City a major fright by collapsing in agony playing for France

SAMIR NASRI gave Manchester City a major scare as he went down in agony with a hand injury playing for France.

The £24million signing was in intense pain soon after coming on as a 75th-minute sub in the 0-0 Euro 2012 qualifying draw with Romania in Bucharest on Tuesday.

And Nasri, 24, jetted back to Manchester without being checked out by Laurent Blanc's medical team — leaving City sweating on the midfielder's fitness.

Some early reports suggested he had broken a metacarpal — which would have meant several weeks on the sidelines for the former Arsenal man.

But back at Carrington it transpired he had fractured a bone in his little finger.

Now City's doctors are confident he will be available for their Champions League bow against Napoli at the Etihad on Wednesday.

He could even be in contention for Saturday's derby against Wigan — but boss Roberto Mancini may choose to rest him anyway.

Nasri completed the game against Romania, which leaves France just one point clear of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the race to reach Euro 2012.

On yer bikes: Fabio Capello plans dramatic England shake-up to avoid Euro 2012 disaster

FABIO CAPELLO plans a dramatic England shake-up to avoid a flop at next summer's Euro 2012 finals.

The Three Lions need just a point against Montenegro next month to qualify.

But boss Capello believes some survivors from last year's World Cup are carrying too much baggage after the disaster in South Africa.

That could spell the end for Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, and possibly James Milner — who all started in Tuesday's insipid 1-0 win over Wales.

Even Rio Ferdinand, who was injured just before the World Cup finals and was not considered fit enough for the Wembley date with Wales, faces a fight for his place.

Of the old guard, left-back Ashley Cole is sure to survive and Steven Ger
rard should be restored when the Liverpool midfielder recovers from his groin injury.

Wayne Rooney is an obvious choice to continue to be the main man in attack and skipper John Terry is favourite to retain the armband.

But the rest of Capello's new England will be built around Gary Cahill, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere when he is fit.

Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck — another who missed Tuesday's game through injury — is sure to be in the reckoning along with his Old Trafford team-mates Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley.

Raul Meireles insists he never wanted to leave Liverpool

RAUL MEIRELES has insisted he never wanted to leave Liverpool.

The Portugal midfielder completed a £12million switch to Chelsea minutes before the transfer window shut last week, reuniting him with former Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas.

There were eerie similarities with Fernando Torres' January transfer between the clubs, with Liverpool reporting in both cases that a transfer request had been received.

That is normally read as a sign that a player is trying to force a move.

But Meireles, 28, said: "When I was in Porto, I knew I wanted to go and the club wanted to sell me — and I made the right choice last year to come to Liverpool.

"This year, though, was different because I knew I didn't want to go.

"I felt Liverpool's new owners didn't want to sell me but when I knew that Chelsea and Andre wanted me, it convinced me."

Luis Suarez, Meireles' old Kop team-mate, has urged Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish NOT to give him a break as he wants to add to his trophy collection this season.

Striker Suarez got one week off in the summer as he led Uruguay to Copa America glory. But he said: "I want to play in all the games I can, with no rest.

"After winning the Copa, I want to win things with Liverpool."

US Open 2011: Andy Murray faces 'incredible task' to win US Open

Andy Murray says he faces an "incredible task" to win his first Grand Slam title at the US Open after being left stranded in the fourth round by two days of rain.

Murray managed only three games of his last-16 match with Donald Young on Wednesday as Flushing Meadows was hit by a second successive day of heavy rain.

They will resume at 1600 BST on Thursday, and the Briton could now have to play four best-of-five-sets matches in four days if he is to win the tournament.

"It's an incredible task now," Murray told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's incredibly difficult anyway with the guys who are at the top of the game but there's not a whole lot we can do.

"The days are quite draining. Today, for example, we were told 4.30pm [to play] so we were warming for 4.30pm, then it was 4.45pm, and it's every 15 minutes until 5.30pm.

"So we're warming up, warming up and they're putting it back, putting it back, and then we get cancelled at 5.45pm.

"So that whole hour - getting in the right frame of mind, warming up, adrenaline going - it's tough."

Top seed Novak Djokovic and five-time champion Roger Federer are already through to the quarter-finals on the other side of the draw.

Murray joined Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick in an emergency meeting with the tournament referee after they played for 15 minutes in their respective matches on slippery courts.

"It was still raining when we went out," said Murray, "and you can't play on a hard court when it's raining because the lines are so slippy.

"They had towels along the back of the court, it was still soaking wet and the balls were going into puddles.

"The referee said it wasn't in play but if you chase down a lob or you're pushed back, it is in play.

"They [referees] stand on the court and say it looks alright, but if you try moving at the speed we're moving at and changing direction, it's completely different. It just didn't make sense.

"It's a huge task for everyone on my side of the draw. We want to get on the court and play but we're not going to go on there if it's unsafe."

Cesc Fabregas: Arsene Wenger convinced Arsenal to lower their asking price for me

ARSENE WENGER convinced the Arsenal board to LOWER Cesc Fabregas' asking price so he could secure a dream return to Barcelona — according to the midfield star. 

Spanish playmaker Fabregas rejoined his old club in a £35million switch last month, though Barca have since admitted his value is closer to twice that figure.

Gunners fans were left fuming at the fee the North Londoners accepted for the 24-year-old, with many claiming it was far lower than his true worth.

But Fabregas' desire to return home to his boyhood club was so great Arsenal boss Wenger stepped in to smooth the deal over.

Fabregas admitted: "Without Arsene I would not be a Barca player now.

"He convinced the owners of Arsenal – who would not sell under any circumstances – to lower the price."

Fabregas moved to London as a 16-year-old in 2003 and made 303 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 57 goals.

And the World Cup winner concedes he owes his whole career to Wenger.

The Spanish international added: "Without Arsene I would not have made my debut by 16, played in the final of the Champions League at 18 and been team captain by 20.

"I would be nothing without him — what he has given me is priceless."

Fabregas won just ONE piece of silverware during his eight-year stay in London — the 2005 FA Cup.

And he maintains that is the one black mark on his Arsenal career.

He said: "In terms of titles, I am bitter about that. Missing out on winning the Premier League about three times — I would have liked to have taken that, but it could not happen."

However, despite winning two trophies during his brief time already at the Nou Camp, Fabregas insists he does not consider himself a first-team starter just yet.

Speaking to El Pais, he said: "It is clear that only players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi could complain about a lack of playing time. If they did complain I w
ould respect that, so I will play when I play.

"I feel I still have much to learn, this team is highly mechanised and there are things I have to catch up on particularly in defence.

"I have never seen a team that is so focused on the attack-defend transition — playing against Barcelona is very complicated but playing at the club is not so easy and that is the challenge.

"I honestly feel that at times I may hinder them, but they are good at fixing it and hiding it — I must adapt to them and learn."

He added: "Their style of play is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life, all you hear is the ball going — tap, tap, tap — I have never seen so much training at this level."

Formula 1: Mark Webber will not concede title to Sebastian Vettel

Mark Webber has refused to concede the title despite trailing Red Bull team-mate and championship leader Sebastian Vettel by 92 points.

On Saturday, the Australian announced a new deal with Red Bull which will keep him at the team until the end of 2012.

"I'm looking forward to taking on Seb - and everyone else - again next year," said Webber in his BBC Sport column.

"But this year isn't over yet. There are still seven races to go and anything can still happen."

Webber, who has been part of the Red Bull set up since 2007, challenged for the title right up until the final race last season, but the six-time race winner has failed to win a single race in 2011.

In contrast, team-mate Vettel has won seven of the 12 races.

Webber's future has been the subject of speculation all summer but the 35-year-old said quitting the sport would have been the wrong decision.

"I've been an integral part of Red Bull since the start and I still enjoy it there," said Webber.

"It would have been a mistake to stop racing. I'm still driving well.

"I had a bit of a slow start to this year because it took me a little while to get on top of the new tyres."

And Webber, who had to weigh up offers from other teams not as competitive as the reigning champions, admitted that once he'd decided on staying with the team, the deal was completed quickly.

"It might look as if it took a long time to sort out, and I was weighing up various possibilities," he said. "But in the end the contract talks were done very quickly."

Gerrard glad of Bellamy return

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has welcomed Craig Bellamy's return to Anfield and admitted he never wanted him to leave in the first place.

In a busy day of transfer activity on deadline day Liverpool swooped to bring Bellamy back to the club, while Raul Meireles left for Chelsea.

"I'm delighted that Craig is back - I didn't want him to leave in the first place," Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo.

"That pace and the fiery character he's got will help us in our push for success this season.

"When he was here before he was popular and one of the hardest working in training. He was always in the gym getting himself in good shape.

"What people need to realise is that Craig is a top professional. He works really hard day in, day out.

"He's very knowledgeable about the game and I know even though he's slightly older than me he will still want to learn and do well here.

"I'm sure he will be desperate to play for Kenny. He will have watched Liverpool from the outside like me in recent months and seen a lot of positive things. He will be excited to come back and we're glad to have him back."

Gerrard also argued the club were right to sell Meireles after he handed in a transfer request as he does not want any unhappy players at Anfield.

"It was a bit of a surprise because of the timing," added Gerrard.

"I don't think Raul had been too happy because he wanted more game time, but the players who have been playing before him have been doing really well .

"He put in a transfer request and I'm sure Kenny and Damien (Comolli) thought if he's going to be unhappy and doesn't want to be here then it was better to move him on.

"It was probably the right decision and we got good money back for him."

US Open 2011: Top seed Caroline Wozniacki beats Svetlana Kuznetsova

Caroline Wozniacki kept her hopes of a first Grand Slam title alive with a brilliant win over Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the US Open quarter-finals.

The world number one was in desperate trouble at a set and 4-1 down but battled back to win 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-1.

It was a magnificent effort and the Dane goes on to face 10th seed Andrea Petkovic of Germany in the last eight.

Three-time champion Serena Williams earlier produced a dominant display to beat Serbia's Ana Ivanovic 6-3 6-4.

But it was the night session encounter that proved the high-point of the women's event so far as the defensive skills of Wozniacki went head-to-head with Kuznetsova's more attacking style.

Wozniacki had won in a final set tie-break when the pair met at the same stage two years ago, but it looked as though the Russian would prevail relatively comfortably this time after she hit back from 5-2 down to take the tie-break and moved 4-1 clear in the second set.

However, Wozniacki showed all the tenacity that has taken her to the top of the rankings, reeling off four games in a row and serving out the set at the second opportunity.

The Dane had made three unforced errors to Kuznetsova's 29 in the second set and her greater fitness and consistency proved the difference as the Russian began to flag, dropping serve at the start of the third as Wozniacki went on to win in three hours and two minutes.

Williams, seeded 28th, was not at her very best in the afternoon session but was never really threatened by Ivanovic, who sent down two double faults in her opening service game as her high ball toss suffered in windy conditions.

"It was crazy," Williams said. "I didn't even go for winners at any point. I just tried to get it over because it was so windy. It was like, 'Wow'. It was definitely tough. It just kind of swirls down there. But, you know, you just ha
ve to win in all kinds of situations."

Ivanovic stayed calm and broke back in the fifth game when Williams made two unforced errors to bring the match back onto serve, but the American stepped up a gear from 3-3 to close out the set.

Williams took an early 2-0 lead in the second and, although Ivanovic occasionally produced the goods, taking the third game with a thunderous ace, a missed backhand volley in the fourth allowed Williams to slam down of her own an ace to seal the game.

The American had only dropped six points on her first serve up until that point, winning 80% of the points behind it, and there was nothing Ivanovic could do to derail the former champion.

"My serve broke down a little more than hers," said Ivanovic. "I still created lots of opportunities and I felt I was stepping up a lot and I just felt that was the biggest difference today.

"As I said even before the match, I think she's the favourite for the tournament."

Williams still found plenty to work on from her performance, saying: "I think there's so much I can do better.

"I think, to be honest, the last two matches I wasn't completely satisfied with the way I played. I felt like I could have played a lot better, so there's a lot I can improve on."

She next faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova after the 20-year-old Russian beat Italian seventh seed Francesca Schiavone 5-7 6-3 6-4, while Germany's Petkovic defeated Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-4.

UEFA uphold ban on Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will serve a two-match Champions League suspension after his appeal against the punishment was rejected by UEFA.

The Frenchman was initially given the suspension in the wake of the Gunners' play-off first leg at home to Udinese on August 16.

However, the club appealed and the sanction was postponed but European football's governing body have reinstated it after turning down the appeal.

Arsenal were also fined 10,000 euros (£8,700) for improper conduct of their officials.

Wenger was originally handed a two-match suspension after being caught relaying messages by telephone from his seat in the stands to the technical area as he was already serving a ban carried over from last season.

"The UEFA Appeals Body has rejected the appeal lodged by Arsenal FC and Arsene Wenger against the two-match suspension handed to the manager in the wake of the English club's UEFA Champions League play-off first leg against Udinese Calcio on 16 August," said a statement from UEFA.

"Wenger will now be suspended from carrying out his duties at Arsenal's next two UEFA competition matches - the UEFA Champions League group stage games against Borussia Dortmund and Olympiacos FC on 13 and 28 September - in accordance with the decision taken by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body on August 22.

"The manager was awarded this suspension for not abiding by an earlier decision of the Control and Disciplinary Body during the Udinese home game
- in which Wenger was serving a one-match ban imposed following Arsenal's final UEFA Champions League game of last season.

"The control and disciplinary body also fined Arsenal 10,000 euros for improper conduct by their officials during the match against the Italian team in north London."

Cesc: Wenger got me Barca move

Cesc Fabregas claims the Arsenal board were determined not to sell him to Barca but were persuaded to drop their asking price by Arsene Wenger.

Fabregas finally sealed a move back to Barcelona last month after a lengthy chase by the Spanish champions.

Wenger has often been accused by the Spanish press of abducting Fabregas from the Barca academy and keeping him away from the club he wanted to return to, yet Fabregas insists that perception is totally wrong.

"That is the wrong picture of him, had it not been for him, I would not now be a Barca player," he told El Pais.

"Without him I would not have made my debut by 16, played in the final of the Champions League at 18 and been team captain by 20.

"Without him I would not be a Barca player now, he convinced the owners of Arsenal, who would not sell under any circumstances, to lower the price."

Whilst admitting that he is forever grateful to Arsenal, he insists that he never gave less than 100 per cent.

"I have everything, I could not have done more, my performances were fine and I played as much as I could,"
he said.

"In terms of titles, I am bitter about that - missing out on winning the Premier League about three times, I would have liked to have taken that, but it could not happen.

"But London will always be my city, I did not make great friends, but friends from the changing room and Wenger, you can look no further I would be nothing without him, no world champion, nothing.

"I talked with him a lot, his words to me will last a liftetime. I could hardly talk when I left, but I did speak with him. But what he has given me is priceless."

Fabregas also revealed that he had offers to leave Arsenal from the age of 18, although he refused to confirm who from.

"Since 18 I was made offers, I am not going to name names but that is the truth of it," he said.

Now back at Barcelona, he insists that he still is not the finished article as a footballer.

"I feel I still have much to learn, this team is highly mechanised and there are things I have to catch up on particularly in defence," he said.

"I have never seen a team that is so focused on the attack-defend transition - playing against Barcelona is very complicated but playing at the club is not so easy and that is the challenge.

"I honestly feel that at times I may hinder them, but they are good at fixing it and hiding it, I must adapt to them and learn."

Fabregas admits that training at Barcelona is something he has never witnessed before.

He said: "It is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life, all you hear is the ball going - tap, tap, tap - I have never seen so much training at this level."

And he admits that he will have to bide his time to play - insisting that only Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi are guaranteed to start.

"It is clear that only players like Xavi, Iniesta and Messi could complain about a lack of playing time, and if they did complain I would respect that, so I will play when I play," Fabregas concluded.

John Terry has backed under-fire Frank Lampard

FOR some fans, the highlight of England's trip to Bulgaria was not a 3-0 win — it was the sight of Frank Lampard sitting on the subs' bench. 

The game in Sofia was the first time in four years Lamps had failed to earn a starting place for a competitive England international.

Those slightly strange people who have gained pleasure in jeering the Chelsea midfielder, both at Wembley and Premier League grounds, will have been dancing in their boozers on Friday when Scott Parker and Gareth Barry were announced as the central midfield pairing.

Yet England captain John Terry yesterday launched a passionate defence of his Stamford Bridge and international team-mate ahead of tonight's Wembley clash with W
ales.

Terry is adamant Lampard, who was restricted to a 10-minute cameo against Bulgaria, still has a future with his country and would never walk away.

The Three Lions skipper said: "Frank will bounce back — 100 per cent. If any fans want to write him off, they do it at their own peril.

"He'll be back in this England side for sure.

"It's a bit of a lack of respect towards Frank, as well, given what he's given to the country.

"I'm privileged to train with him nearly every day and he's one of the best midfielders England have ever seen.

"He'll work as hard as he always does for Chelsea. I certainly hope he won't walk away.

"I've not spoken to him about that. I don't think that's in his mind and it's not in the forefront of mine to have that discussion.

"Frank is probably one of the best professionals I've come across."

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar ruled out of ODI series

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the one-day series with England because of a toe injury.

The 38-year-old missed Saturday's first game at Chester-le-Street - which was abandoned as a no result - with the injury and is facing four weeks out.

Tendulkar, who has hit 99 international centuries, will now have to
wait until England tour India in October for the chance to score a 100th ton.

Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath has been called up as a replacement.

The 31-year-old has a batting average of 15.80 from seven one-day internationals, and has also played two Test matches and one Twenty20 for his country.

The second game in the five-match series is scheduled to take place at The Rose Bowl on Tuesday.

India scored 274-7 in Saturday's opening game and had England struggling at 27-2 in their reply when the rain came, leaving the tourists still searching for their first international win of the tour.

As well as suffering a 4-0 whitewash in the Test series, they were also beaten in the only Twenty20 international at Old Trafford last week.

Injuries have hit India hard during the latter stages of the tour, with Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma already ruled out.

Brazil 1 Ghana 0: match report

Read a full match report of the international friendly between Brazil and Ghana at Craven Cottage on Monday September 5, 2011. 

Tottenham target Leandro Damiao scored his first international goal as Brazil beat 10-man Ghana in a scrappy friendly at Craven Cottage.

English referee Mike Dean handed out eight cards, one of them red, in a feisty encounter that was settled by Damiao's cool 45th minute strike.

The Internacional striker, who Spurs were interested in signing this summer, also finished off a brilliant passage of play started by the excellent Neymar but the linesman flagged the 22-year-old offside just after he had tapped the ball past Ghana stopper Adam Kwarasey.

The result eases the pressure on Brazil manager Mario Menezes, who came under fire for his team's quarter-final exit from the Copa America.

His recall of Ronaldinho, making his first appearance in 10 months, also paid off as the 31-year-old offered glimpses of brilliance and came close to scoring with an outstanding free-kick just before full-time.

A wall of noise from the near-capacity crowd greeted the players as they kicked off at the home of Fulham and it did not stop until long after the final whistle.

Ghana applied the early pressure as Jonathan Mensah headed over the second of two early corners for the Africans.

Brazil's Elias replaced Ganso nine minutes in and he went in to Dean's book 30 seconds later after clattering in to Derek Boateng.

The booking marked the start of an ugly period that saw Dean dish out six cards by half time.

Daniel Opare was the second to see yellow, leaving Neymar in agony with an ugly challenge. Boateng and Fernandinho joined him before Opare was sent off just after the half hour when he was harshly adjudged to have clipped Lucio on the follow through to receive a second yellow.

Shortly before, Brazil thought they had taken the lead when Neymar shimmied past two Ghana defenders, scooped the ball over his marker for Damiao to nip the ball past Kwarasey.

The Brazil support broke in to dance, but the linesman's flag cancelled the brilliant effort out.

Ghana's terrible indiscipline continued as Mensah became the fourth Black Stars player to be booked and Brazil started to take command of the game.

The South Americans took the lead in the last minute of the first half when Fernandinho cut the Ghana defence open and Damiao kept his nerve to slot past the on-rushing stopper.

Damiao should have added his second just after the break but he could not get a foot on Hulk's cross.

Former Fulham favourite John Pantsil put in a brilliant block to deny Marcelo before Anthony Annan was booked for a cynical hack on Neymar and Samuel Inkoom followed suit by barging over the Santos hitman and earning himself a booking.

Ronaldinho, who had perked up after a quiet first half, drew a good save from Kwarasey with 10 minutes left.

AC Milan star Pato came off the bench and saw a well-timed header superbly tipped over by Kwarasey.

The Ghana stopper had to be at his best to tip Ronaldinho's excellent free-kick around his left-hand post as Brazil looked for a second with time running out.

The former Barcelona man whipped over a teasing cross that was hooked away by a Ghana defender in injury time and the Brazilians had to settle for the one-goal victory.

Cesc finding more goals than ever

Since arriving at Barça, Cesc Fàbregas has been hitting the target more regularly than ever before. Apart from his club goals, he also scored a brace for Spain against Chile on Friday night.


It was in the Joan Gamper against Napoli that Cesc first found the net. Since then, he has been one of the most effective players in the squad in terms of goals scored per minute.

Messi provides assists

He didn’t take long to score his first goal for the first team. In Monaco Cesc struck a blinder past Helton to as good as seal the European Supercup title for the side he joined from Arsenal in the summer. Messi laid on a perfect assist and the Catalan didn’t disappoint as the players appeared alongside each other for the first time since playing in the junior ranks at FCB. It was also the Argentinian who laid on Cesc’s first ever goal in la Liga against Villarreal, when he struck home just before the break to stretch his team’s convincing lead.

Goals for Spain too

This Friday in Switzerland, he again demonstrated his goalscoring touch. He scored twice in the friendly with Chile, the first thanks to a wonderful pass from Iniesta to tie the match and he also got his team’s third when he punched on the rebound of a penalty he had taken himself. As luck should have it, the ball landed straight back at his feet and he coolly slotted home.

Change of role

Other than the number on his back, there is not a lot about Cesc to remind us of the man who did so well at Arsenal. At the Emirates, Cesc was the central playmaker for the Gunners, and the out and out strikers were Walcott, Van Persie and Arshavin. But for Barcelona, he is playing a far more offensive role, and with devastating results. Cesc the goalscorer is back!!

US Open 2011: Andy Murray beats Feliciano Lopez in third round

Andy Murray enjoyed a straightforward passage through to the last 16 of the US Open as he swept past Spanish 25th seed Feliciano Lopez.

The Briton had won all five previous meetings with Lopez and proved too good once again, winning 6-1 6-4 6-2.

Murray, 24, dominated throughout in his first night-session match of this year's tournament in New York.

He will play Donald Young in the fourth round on Tuesday, looking to avenge a loss to the American earlier this year.

And despite Young being a wildcard ranked 84th in the world, he is likely to provide a stiffer test for Murray than world number 26, Lopez, managed on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Murray had been taken to the brink by Robin Haase over five dramatic sets in the second round, but Sunday's match could not have provided a starker contrast.

Dressed from head to toe in black for the night match, Murray picked up where he had left off when beating Lopez in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in June.

He grabbed control of the contest by winning the first 14 points, and with that a break, and the Scot made it through the entire first set without dropping a point on serve.

As solidly as Murray was playing, Lopez was clearly at a loss as to how he should handle a player he had struggled against so often in the past.

The Briton was content to roll his first serves in at an average of 107mph, trusting that Lopez did not have the return to do any damage, and when he did earn his only two break points of the match during the second set, the Spaniard made unforced errors both times.

Murray had to wait until 4-4 in the second set to make the decisive break but it came when Lopez offered up a double-fault, and the game was up when he was broken to love at the start of the third.

It was exhibition stuff from Murray in the closing stages, a volleyed forehand pass and a backhand smash among the highlights, and he sealed the victory in under two hours.

Jamie McDonnell beats Stuart Hall to win British bantamweight title

Doncaster's Jamie McDonnell, the European and Commonwealth bantamweight champion, added the British title to his collection after a unanimous points victory over Darlington's Stuart Hall.

Hall, 31, shaded the early rounds of a brilliant fight in Doncaster but McDonnell, 25, dominated from round seven onwards to take the decision.

The three judges ringside scored the fight 115-113, 116-114 and 116-113.

"I'm over the moon, my experience made the difference," said McDonnell.

Hall was the aggressor in the opening five rounds of the fight, landing the bigger punches of the two British fighters, but McDonnell's relentless body shots soon wore down his opponent.

McDonnell was noticeably lighter on his feet from round six onwards and almost floored his opponent a round later when catching Hall off balance with a right-hand uppercut.

Another uppercut in the eighth followed by a right-cross from McDonnell further disheartened Hall who was slipping behind on the judges' scorecards.

Both traded heavy shots in the 10th as Hall came back into the fight as the pace continued at a blistering pace.

Hall was cut in the 11th but still took the round, however, he went into the 12th knowing he needed a stoppage to win the fight.

But it was McDonnell who finished with a flourish as he showed his class and sealed the victory to take his record to 18 wins (seven stoppages), two defeats and one draw from 21 fights.

For Hall it was the first defeat of his 13-fight career.

"The better man won on the night," admitt
ed Hall afterwards.

Theo Walcott: I 8-2 think about it

THEO WALCOTT is relishing the prospect of face-to-face combat with former room-mate Gareth Bale at Wembley tomorrow.

Yet even if Walcott gets the better of his Welsh pal, delivers a stunning performance and helps England stick one foot in the Euro 2012 finals, a major "battering" could be around the corner.


The Arsenal star believes Friday's 3-0 win over Bulgaria was one of his best displays in an England shirt — just five days after he suffered his most humiliating moment on a pitch.

Arsenal were embarrassed 8-2 at Manchester United last Sunday.

Boss Arsene Wenger did not speak to his shell-shocked troops afterwards and due to the international break, he has yet to go through their shambolic performance with them.

Walcott, 22, said: "Missing the World Cup was a massive disappointment for me but Old Trafford was one of the worst games I have ever been involved in. We shouldn't be losing games by that much.

"I am concentrating on Tuesday and then I will be reflecting on Arsenal and probably get a battering from Mr Wenger.

"It was completely dead in the dressing room afterwards. It is hard
to recover from that result and it could hurt a lot of players.

"We have got a couple of players who will lift the spirits, though.

"You have to help the younger players. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut in that game and Carl Jenkinson got sent off, so we will be picking them up. But you are at Arsenal which is a big club and you have to be able to react to those sort of moments.

"We lost 5-1 at Tottenham in the Carling Cup and I just forgot about it. There's no point sitting and sulking about what you could have done better — the better team won on the day.

"A lot of people dropped their heads as soon as that fifth goal, sixth, seventh and eighth went in.

"I wouldn't say we gave up. We tried our best but Manchester United were very strong.

"They scored some great goals. I ended up playing right-back and gave away a penalty.

"Maybe the organisation wasn't quite there either. We're just going to have to catch up now in our results.

"I am not worried about the future at Arsenal.

"We got rid of two great players in Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas but we've brought Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun in to the midfield.

"I'm looking forward to seeing them on Wednesday. When you get new faces in, it tends to get everyone bubbling.

"I think we all have to lift our spirits, we can't dwell on that United result. Hopefully, those new signings will do the job."

Walcott is still enjoying his football despite Arsenal's nightmare start to the new season and was pleased with his contribution as part of Fabio Capello's attacking midfield system in Sofia on Friday night.

He said: "I will be judged on my goals and assists. Hopefully, I will get a chance to play up front as well and I just need to get that goal for England now.

"My goalscoring form has definitely improved. If I am not involved on the wing I tend to come in and try and be like a second striker.

"There is that interchange throughout the whole team now.

"That's where I want to be in the future, up front. Hopefully, if I continue to score goals that is where I can be.

"The balance in the England team is right between experienced and youth.

"Everyone is playing well so no position is guaranteed. If you are playing well the manager will pick you.

"There is a lot of United talent coming through and I think Chris Smalling, who made his debut the other night, was terrific.

"For him to be that vocal behind me was great. Sometimes wingers sleep — sometimes I sleep — but he just sort of woke me up, which was great to see. It makes my job and his job easier."

As for playing against Spurs star Bale, his old team-mate from Southampton, Walcott added: "I look forward to that and it will be a nice little battle — but I've got to be picked first. No one's position is guaranteed.

"Gareth can hopefully start showing his form of last year because we want to see the best players in the Premier League.

"He's good on the pitch but he's poor on his phone as he doesn't answer it. But he's a good lad, the limelight hasn't changed him at all.

"Wales have got a lot of good players. They've lost Craig Bellamy, so I'm sure Gareth can be their main threat. But, hopefully, we can score early and settle the nerves."

Walcott will also be able to give the Three Lions plenty of inside information about Wales skipper Aaron Ramsey, his Gunners team-mate.

The England winger said: "It was nice for him to score a goal for Wales on Friday and it did us a favour too as they beat Montenegro.

"He came back from a horrific injury and for a while didn't quite look the player he was before.

"Now he's starting to get back to what he was and it's great for Arsenal and Wales. But I hope he won't have a good game tomorrow."