Other sports news in brief
Devvarman hailed as new star
TENNIS: India hailed Somdev Devvarman as their next big tennis hope yesterday, a day after he put the country back into the Davis Cup top tier World Group.
Devvarman came back from two sets down to beat Rik de Voest 3-6 6-7 7-6 6-2 6-4 in four hours and 38 minutes in the first reverse singles to give India a winning 3-1 lead over South Africa in the World Group play-off in Johannesburg.
Junior Australian champion Yuki Bhambri then wrapped up the tie by beating Izak van der Merwe 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the final dead rubber.
India, who last played in the World Group in 1998, had advanced to the play-off after Australia forfeited their Asia-Oceania tie in Chennai, citing security concerns despite the International Tennis Federation determining the venue was safe.
Hatton admits he will fight again
BOXING: Ricky Hatton (30) has admitted he is likely to continue fighting but will not return to the ring until he feels “that fire in the belly” again.
The Mancunian former two-weight world champion has been considering his future since a brutal second-round knock-out defeat by Manny Pacquiao in May.
That defeat was Hatton’s second in four fights as his bid to become the world’s finest pound-for-pound fighter failed for a second time following his previous loss to Floyd Mayweather jr in December 2007.
“I think after a good rest and a good recharge of the batteries I might start getting itchy feet and I’m sure I’ll probably give it another go. But at the minute I’m just going to sit back and have a rest, and what will be will be.”
Sydney chosen despite sharks
TRIATHLON: Sydney has been chosen to host a round of the world championships for the next three years despite renewed concerns about shark attacks.
The Sydney race, part of an eight-event worldwide series, will be held on the same course used for the 2000 Olympics, when the sport was included in the Games for the first time.
The swim leg will again take place in Sydney Harbour despite a recent increase in shark sightings and attacks in local waters but organisers have promised to take extra care of the competitors.
“A helicopter will be in the air during the swim leg, there will be a large number of safety crew on the water surrounding the athletes”, Triathlon Australia chief executive Andrew Hamilton said.
Australia’s Emma Moffatt, the reigning women’s world champion, said she was sticking to the theory of safety in numbers. “I guess you have good chances if there are another 50 or 60 girls in the water,” she said. They can’t eat us all.”
Nadal out of Thailand Open
TENNIS: World number two Rafael Nadal has pulled out of next week’s Thailand Open because of an abdominal injury. He will stay in Spain to receive treatment for what his doctor said was an acute rupture of an abdominal muscle.
Nadal admitted the injury contributed to his US Open semi-final defeat by Argentine Juan Martin del Potro on September 13th. He is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks.
South Korea to make F1 debut
MOTOR SPORT: South Korea will make its Formula One debut in October next year while Canada will return to the calendar subject to contract negotiations, the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said yesterday.
The season, expanded to 19 races for the first time since 2005, will start in Bahrain on March 14th.
Australia shifts to the second slot on March 28th, with Malaysia a week later.
Canada has been pencilled in for a return on June 13th, while South Korea comes in for the first time on October 17th. The championship ends in Brazil on November 14th.
The FIA said the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul would be moved from May 30th to Canadas slot if contract negotiations with the Montreal organisers are not completed.
The races in Australia and Abu Dhabi will start at 5pm local time, Malaysia at 4pm local and Singapore at 8pm.
South Africa and Sri Lanka are all set to spin
CRICKET: South Africa and Sri Lanka are set to play two frontline spinners apiece on what promises to be a turning wicket at Centurion Park for their Champions Trophy opener today.
The hosts, the International Cricket Councils top-ranked one-day team, have off-spinner Johan Botha and left-armer Roelof van der Merwe, while Sri Lanka will counter with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and the unorthodox Ajantha Mendis.
“In the last year-and-a-half, Johan Botha has become one of the best one-day bowlers in the game and he’s an integral part of our team. He and Roelof make a good combination,” South Africa captain Graeme Smith said yesterday.
“Murali has troubled a lot of teams and he has an incredible record, but it will be interesting to see how Sri Lanka fit both him and Mendis into their combination.
“But our record speaks for itself on how we have played spin around the world in the last few years and we have some good ideas about Mendis. Other teams have been very aggressive against him and that seems like a good tactic.”
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said his side had a potent bowling attack that did not rely solely on spin to create problems for batsmen.
“We have two of the best spinners in the game, one of them the best ever (Muralitharan), but we also have good fast bowlers, who are regularly bowling over 140km per hour, and all-rounders.
