SPORTS DIGEST: TennisAndy Murray wasted a match point before being knocked out 5-7 7-6 6-2 by Polish qualifier Jerzy Janowicz in the third round of the ATP Paris Masters yesterday.
Murray lost focus as he served for the match in the second set and was then battered by the hard hitting Janowicz, who ended the contest with a forehand winner and collapsed in joy.
World number three Murray's defeat means that for the first time since the 2010 Paris Masters was won by Swede Robin Soderling, a Masters title will be claimed by a player outside of the Big Four.
As another energy-sapping season draws to and end, world number four Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer opted not to play in the French capital while Serb Novak Djokovic was dumped out of the tournament by American Sam Querrey in the second round on Wednesday.
Janowicz face either the eighth-seeded Serb Janko Tipsarevic, who is looking to secure a World Tour Finals spot, or Argentine Juan Monaco, the ninth seed.
Patel scores 104 as England draw
CricketAll-rounder Samit Patel scored 104 as England drew with India A in their opening tour match in Mumbai.
England were bowled out for 426, a lead of 57, before the hosts replied with 124-4 in their second innings.
Patel’s maiden England century puts him in the frame for the first Test in Ahmedabad, which starts on November 15th.
Captain Alastair Cook, 112 overnight, made 119 and Matt Prior 51, while James Anderson removed both India A openers.
The India selectors declined to pick a specialist spinner for this match but part-time slow left-armer Yuvraj Singh took 5-94.
Meanwhile, the BBC has resolved a dispute to allow it to broadcast from venues during the Test series in India. There were fears that the BBC, and Sky television, would be locked out of stadiums for the four-Test series following an impasse in discussions over fees with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The BBC confirmed that a deal had been concluded.
Dolan beaten by top seed in World Junior Championships
BadmintonJonathan Dolan has bowed out of the World Junior Badminton Championships in Chiba, Japan, after losing to top seed Viktor Axelsen from Denmark in straight sets early yesterday morning.
It was a first major tournament for Dolan, who is currently ranked Irish number two behind Scott Evans. An hour or so earlier, he had paired up with Alannah Stephenson in the third round of the mixed doubles. They lost 12-21, 13-21 to seeded pair Robin Tabeling and Myke Halkema of the Netherlands.
Overall, it has been a good tournament for the young Irish team and its coach Dan Magee, with Joshua Magee also making in past the opening round of the men’s singles, and encouraging performances from Alannah Stephenson and Rachel Darragh in both singles and doubles.
India and Pakistan to play again
CricketIndia and Pakistan will resume bilateral cricket ties with a Twenty20 international in Bangalore on Christmas Day, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said yesterday.
The two teams will play a second T20 match in Ahmedabad before taking part in three one-day internationals in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi, the BCCI said in a statement.
Bilateral cricket between the nuclear-armed neighbours were suspended after the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed.
India blame Pakistan-based militants for the incident.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars in the past 65 years and already fragile relations were further strained since the carnage when gunmen attacked two upmarket hotels, a busy railway terminal and a fashionable cafe in Mumbai.
The last series between the two sides was Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007 although Pakistan travelled to India to play the 50 overs World Cup semi-final in Mohali last year.
