Els opens with 67 as he bids to make up for no wins in 2014
Former world number one Ernie Els was without a victory in 2014 but he made a rip-roaring start to the New Year by shooting a five-under 67 in the South African Open first round on Thursday.
Sluggish Serena downs Safarova in Hopman Cup thriller
(Reuters) – The promised “two thousand times better” improvement did not materialize as a sluggish Serena Williams eked out a narrow 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(6) win over Lucie Safarova at the Hopman Cup in Perth on Thursday.
Smart Court serves up instant review for the tennis masses
RAANANA, Israel (Reuters) – Dodgy line calls are the bane of tennis players from professional to amateur but a new system to rival Hawk-Eye will allow club plodders and not just the world’s elite to take a closer look at contentious decisions.
Dallas Cowboys ‘Doomsday Defense’ lineman Jethro Pugh dies at 70
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh, who played in five Super Bowls during his career, has died at the age of 70 of natural causes, the team said on its website.
Sharapova and Ivanovic reach semis in Brisbane
BRISBANE (Reuters) – Ana Ivanovic recovered from an awful start to beat Kaia Kanepi at the Brisbane International on Thursday and remain on track for a glamor meeting with Maria Sharapova.
Rusty Federer scrapes through to win season debut
BRISBANE (Reuters) – Roger Federer avoided an embarrassing start to the new season when he dug himself out of trouble to beat little-known journeyman John Millman 4-6 6-4 6-3 at the Brisbane International on Thursday.
Former Tour champion Wiggins to launch own team
LONDON (Reuters) – Four-times Olympic champion and former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is launching his own professional cycling team with the aim of providing more British gold in Rio.
Kimetto and Kipsang to race London Marathon
LONDON (Reuters) – Dennis Kimetto, who smashed the world record last year, and fellow Kenyan and defending champion Wilson Kipsang, whose mark he beat, will go head-to-head for the first time in a mouth-watering London Marathon in April, organisers sai…
Wozniacki, Venus remain on Auckland collision course
(Reuters) – Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams remained on course for an early season heavyweight showdown after winning their quarter-finals at the Auckland Classic on Thursday.
Raonic starts new year with ace blitz
BRISBANE (Reuters) – There are no real secrets to the success of rising tennis star Milos Raonic. The towering Canadian has a booming serve that is one of the most dangerous weapons in the game.
