Today's other stories in brief
Niland wins in New Delhi
TENNIS:Conor Niland broke new ground by claiming his first singles title at ATP Challenger level on Saturday. Niland achieved the distinction in the final of the €33,228 event in New Delhi, when he registered a straight-forward 6-4 6-4 victory over fellow unseeded Tomas Cakl, from the Czech Republic.
One break in each set proved sufficient for 317-ranked Niland to pick up the 55 ATP world ranking points on offer in the clash against his 355-ranked opponent, who reached the semi-finals of last month's Irish Open Challenger.
The final was the second match that the Limerick native played on Saturday, having earlier despatched number seven seed Brydan Klein of Australia on a 6-4 6-7 (2/7) 6-3 scoreline in the semi-finals.
Niland dumped out top seed Danai Udomchoke, of Thailand, in the quarter-finals.
Prior to the New Delhi event, the Ireland Davis Cup player had only once previously made the semi-finals of a Challenger - in last year's Irish Open.
Portsmouth to sign Kaboul
SOCCER:Portsmouth have struck a deal to sign Tottenham's French central defender Younes Kaboul.
The deal will be some consolation for the FA Cup winners following yesterday's FA Community Shield defeat to Manchester United.
Kaboul, 22, will sign subject to passing a medical today, with the fee thought to be around €8 million for a player who recently turned down Sunderland and was also linked with Aston Villa.
Rider killed in cross-country fall
ANOTHER FATAL fall rocked the world of eventing over the weekend, writes Margie McLoone.
Emma Jonathan, a 23-year-old from Hampshire, died in what is stated to have been a rotational fall at fence 19 on a cross-country course in Gloucestershire.
Jonathan had been competing in the CCI** competition at the Mitsubishi Motors Hartpury horse trials at Hartpury College and was riding her own nine-year-old mare El Nino.
While the other competitions continued as scheduled, the CCI** was abandoned and run instead as a combined training event.
Ireland's Ciaran Glynn finished sixth on Killossery Buddy.
Taylor wins European title without conceding a point
BOXING:The reigning world and European lightweight champion Katie Taylor claimed her third major title at the European Union Championships in Liverpool.
The Bray Boxing club woman beat Cindy Orain of France 11-0 over three rounds to finish on top of the 60-kilo podium at the Greenpark Sports Arena on Merseyside, where she also picked up the "boxer of the tournament" award.
The 21-year-old Wicklow woman, who did not concede a point in the tournament, won the first round 2-0 and stretched her lead to 6-0 at the end of round two, before adding another five points to her total in the final frame.
Ireland have now won medals from eight of the 11 weight categories at the women's and men's European Union Championships in the last two months. Taylor's Bray team-mate Debbie Rogers claimed bronze at the tournament, while Kelly Harrington was beaten in the quarter-finals.
Sri Lanka take control by close
CRICKET:India were 161 for five, leading Sri Lanka by 14 runs, at the close of the third day of the deciding third test in Colombo yesterday.
Sri Lanka grabbed control of the game as they dominated all three sessions, building a healthy 147-run lead as they extended their first innings to 396 and then making deep inroads into the top order.
Rahul Dravid provided the only glimmer of hope for the tourists, looking solid on 46 not out. He was batting with the injured VVS Laxman on 17 at the close.
India started their second innings confidently as Virender Sehwag (34) and Gautam Gambhir (26) added a run-a-ball, 62-run opening stand. But Sri Lanka's pace bowling changed the course of the game thereafter.
Roddick hits top form to reach LA semi-finals
TENNIS:Top seed Andy Roddick produced his best performance of the week to ease past the unseeded German Denis Gremelmayr 6-2 6-2 in the semi-finals of the ATP event in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The American former number one never allowed Gremelmayr to settle as he stormed through the match in just 62 minutes to set up a final against the in-form Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro, who earlier demolished Mardy Fish 6-2 6-1.
Gremelmayr had worn down Russia's double grand slam champion Marat Safin in the previous round but was no match for Roddick, who mixed power with the occasional foray to the net and even a series of deft drop shots.
"I saw early on that he was standing way back, even on my first serve, so that opened up the serve and volley a bit more," Roddick said.
"From the baseline, when I am hitting my short forehand well and coming in, it makes my volley look a lot better, so I think I did that well."
Roddick saved two break points in the first game but once he had figured out his gameplan, he was always in control, breaking in the fourth game and again in the eighth to wrap up the first set.
Roddick said he practised with Del Potro last week and knew what to expect.
"Any forehand in the middle of the court he can hit it both ways," he said. "He is big but he doesn't serve super-huge, so I am going to get a look at some returns. I think I am going to have to play up in the court a bit more."
