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text-decoration:none; } img {border:none;} The Sport Review: “Ljubicic
beats Roddick to claim first Masters title” plus 3 more- Ljubicic beats Roddick to claim first Masters title - Boca Juniors and River Plate washed out by torrential rain - Rivalry burns on for Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras - Alberto Aquilani adds extra flair to the Liverpool midfield Ljubicic beats Roddick to claim first Masters title Posted: 21 Mar 2010 05:15 PM PDT Ivan Ljubicic turned back the clock to win the Indian Wells Masters Series title in straight sets, beating home favourite Andy Roddick in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 7-5 (5). The statistics were against the Croatian coming into the final. Roddick has won more matches than any other man on tour this year and held a 14-2 record in tiebreaks for 2010. Ljubicic, meanwhile, had never won a Masters Series title and was bidding to become the oldest man to win one for the first time. He looked every bit the elder statesman stepping onto court with his bald head slathered in sun cream and adorned with a white sweat band. But his tennis has belied his 31 years in this tournament. The Croatian has been the wily competitor of old, mixing big serves and heavy ground strokes with deft touches around the net and crisp volleying. With Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in his wake, Ljubicic had just one more top ten player to take out to clinch his maiden Masters Series and become the second oldest man to win in Indian Wells, behind Jimmy Connors. There was little to choose between the players in the match. A nervous Roddick faced three break points in the opening game but quickly collected himself and found some big first serves to hold. Ljubicic similarly overturned a 0-40 deficit in the fourth game, putting his big serve to good use as he had done all week. It was his serve which saved him again when a wayward forehand let Roddick back into the game at 5-4. The American earned himself a solitary set point but Ljubicic demonstrated the mental strength that took him to number three in the world in 2006, finding his first serve when it mattered. Roddick opened the tiebreak with a foray into serve-volleying which didn't pay off and he found himself trailing from the outset. The Croatian remained solid on serve and took the tiebreak on his first set point, bringing Roddick into the net with a knifed backhand slice before neatly passing him with a cross-court forehand winner. The American looked as though he had finally managed to break Ljubicic's resolve at 4-4 in the second set when forehand errors started to creep into the Croatian's game. But the 31-year-old's serve came to the rescue again as he banged down a couple more aces to save a brace of break points. Ljubicic took an early lead once again in the tiebreak and quickly worked his way to 5-1. When he double-faulted on championship point and then made an incorrect challenge on Roddick's serve the American crowd started to hope that their man could find a way back into the match. But Ljubicic made no mistake fourth time around, firing down another huge serve out wide that didn't come back. The win completes a remarkable comeback for the Croatian who was languishing at 75 in the world last June. On Monday he will enter the top 20 for the first time since January 2008. - Lord’s could host IPL games as MCC eye franchise - Why tennis players shine at certain tournaments - Andy Murray confident ahead of Nadal clash Boca Juniors and River Plate washed out by torrential rain Posted: 21 Mar 2010 02:46 PM PDT Football fans worldwide tuned in to witness a certain match at Old Trafford on Sunday as Manchester United took on fierce rivals Liverpool. But across the Atlantic a few hours later in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires, a worldwide audience were anticipating Boca Juniors’ clash with their sworn enemies, Club Atlético River Plate. The game, known as the ‘Superclásico’, is always a passionate affair, alive with floods of noise and colour emanating from the stands. The flood in this case, however, was more literal. River Plate went into the game with the advantage in the League, sitting in 11th place, whilst Boca were in lowly 18th. Prior to kick-off, with the pitch looking worse for wear, referee Héctor Baldassi ordered the goal-lines to be repainted as torrential rain continued to fall in the Argentine capital. But despite the treacherous conditions, the match got underway at just after 3pm local time, with Boca having the better of the early exchanges. Nine minutes into the derby Boca were awarded a free kick in their own half. It was played up to Juan Román Riquelme just outside the box, but the 31-year-old lost possession as one of the many puddles that had formed got the better of him. River were able to clear. Following this, the referee swiftly grabbed the ball and decided with the captains, Hugo Ibarra and Marcelo Gallardo, that the game should be suspended. The weather wasn't getting any better and the game was suffering with the ball sticking to the surface. Regardless of when the match is rescheduled for, the Superclásico between these two sides is a must-watch for football fans. The level of football may not be quite up to the standards of a Manchester United — Liverpool encounter, but these clashes are simply a football festival fuelled by passion up in the stands and an intense rivalry down below. In April 2004, The Observer put the Superclásico at the top of their list of “50 sporting things you must do before you die”, saying that “Derby day in Buenos Aires makes the Old firm game between Celtic and Rangers look like a primary school kick-about." - Fans gaining a voice as Premier League clubs crumble - Friday's Forgotten Footballer: Norman Whiteside - Fantastic Fulham march on after historic Juventus win Rivalry burns on for Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras Posted: 21 Mar 2010 09:56 AM PDT It was embarrassing to witness two former stars indulging in a childish spat at a charity event, says Simon Mundie. Fortunately, genuine warmth exists between today’s fiercest rivals. It made for pretty uncomfortable viewing when Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras faced each other on a tennis court last week, for the first time since their US Open final of 2002. It was at the ‘Hit for Haiti’ event in Indian Wells; the aim being to raise cash for victims of the earthquake which devastated the country earlier this year. The cast list was incredible, including the likes of Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and those two great rivals of the 90s, Sampras and Agassi. They were all mic’d up, and the good natured banter was flowing. That is, until the animosity that Agassi and Sampras feel for each other spilled over. It all started when Sampras decided to mimic Agassi’s famous pigeon-toed walk. The crowd lapped it up, and it looked like Agassi was tickled too, until he retorted by accusing Pete of being a stingy tipper, something he famously touched on in his fantastic autobiography Open. Then Pete nearly decapitated Agassi with a wild first serve. He also accused him of ‘getting personal’, to which Agassi replied, “No, everyone knows it already Pete.” The crowd went eerily silent, as if they didn’t know where to look. And then there were the other two players on court, Federer and Nadal, the duo who inherited the mantle of the games greatest rivalry. They both sensed the uneasy atmosphere, Federer joking, “This rivalry is intense, man” during a pause, “I mean, Rafa, start. Do something!” Nadal later pleaded ignorance of the whole incident, conveniently blaming the language barrier. The whole spat has been widely criticised in the media, with many people accusing the American pair of casting a shadow over a charity event by letting their egos get in the way. Agassi and Sampras were always very different characters. Agassi burst on to the tennis scene in dramatic fashion in the late 80s as a brash showman, while Sampras seemed uneasy with all the attention that accompanied his US Open win of 1990. That set the pattern for the remainder of their careers, with Agassi creating as many column inches in the press for his off court antics, while Pete was more than happy for his racket to do the talking, without ever truly shaking off accusations that he was boring. Their contrasting personalities added flavour to their rivalry in much the same way as their on-court styles. Agassi summed it all up perfectly when he said, “I think both of our worst nightmares would be to wake up the next morning and be the other.” There have been other tennis rivalries over the years which have featured players who couldn’t stand each other as people, none more so than Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, who nearly came to blows on a couple of occasions. But it is extremely rare for players to reveal the full extent of their mutual antipathy once their careers have finished. The Agassi-Sampras episode contrasts unfavourably with Roger and Rafa, two champions who exude class and mutual respect. It is inconceivable that they would engage in such a spat; indeed their relationship has been punctuated with moments of genuine warmth. When Federer broke down in tears after losing the 2009 Australian Open final, Nadal took time out from his own celebrations to console him. Nadal and Federer seem to cherish each other and the part they have played in their respective careers. Admittedly it wasn’t always like that, with Federer initially regarding Nadal as an upstart, but he ultimately recognised the Spaniard’s brilliance, particularly after their epic Wimbledon final of 2008. If anything, the Indian Wells incident will enhance the Federer-Nadal rivalry. To have two players in the same era that are so competitive with each other, yet have seemed to remain friends throughout speaks volumes. It is a shame that Sampras and Agassi had to sully their own rivalry with the unsavoury exchanges of last week that no one could have predicted. There was one thing that was unsurprising about this soon to be infamous match though. Sampras found a way to win, just as he did during so many of their epic tussles while their personal animosities weren’t being so publicly aired. Reproduced with permission from betting.betfair.com. © The Sporting Exchange Limited - The complex ATP ranking system explained - Roddick broken as Federer breaks records - Is Roger Federer the best ever? Alberto Aquilani adds extra flair to the Liverpool midfield Posted: 21 Mar 2010 04:22 AM PDT Alberto Aquilani celebrated his first goal in Liverpool colours when the Reds produced a sleek display against Portsmouth last Monday. Against the bottom club, Rafael Benítez opted to field an attacking team with Aquilani and Maxi Rodriguez replacing Lucas and Dirk Kuyt respectively. The Reds reaped the rewards as the pair proved instrumental in securing a 4-1 rout over the south coast club. The sight of the Italian midfielder taking control of proceedings in the centre of the park will have provided much needed solace to the Kopites. The hefty £20 million price tag and the reservations of Benítez to risk the player in high-tempo games had led to many quarters of the media branding the transfer as an expensive flop. However Monday’s encouraging performance will have helped to quell the doubts raised over the Italian’s suitability to the Premier League. Undoubtedly it has taken time for the former Roma player to adjust to the bustling nature of England’s top flight and Benítez has been cautious in deploying his newly-acquired Italian starlet with the 25-year-old often absent from the squad at potentially troublesome away games. It has been a reoccurring theme this season with the Spanish manager preferring to utilise Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva in the centre of midfield with skipper Steven Gerrard present at the top of the quintet. Such a tactic, however, has resulted in Gerrard becoming isolated from the midfield. The defensive midfield duo of Mascherano and Lucas, while displaying an admirable work-rate, struggle to navigate a way through resolute sides who travel to Anfield content to sit back and consequently hit Liverpool on the counter attack. For the Portsmouth encounter, Aquilani offered an extra dimension. He displayed excellent vision, impressive passing ability and innovative flicks as he orchestrated what has been at times a one-dimensional midfield for Rafael Benítez this season. Such was his positive impact that his performance earned him the accolade of man of the match. The Italian will be hoping to recover from illness to leave a similar imprint on Liverpool’s eagerly anticipated visit to Old Trafford this afternoon, where the Merseysiders claimed a historic 4-1 victory over the eventual champions last season. The Italian spoke to LFC.TV after the Portsmouth game and he expressed his delight in finally opening his Liverpool account. "I feel really good because I’ve scored my first goal after a really long time,” said Aquilani. “I’m also really happy because of the result – we needed that. The goal is even more special because I scored it in front of the Kop." "Can I do better? Everyone can do better,” he added. “I think I played well but I have to take it step by step. Today was a good day and now we look to the next game.” - Albert Riera launches scathing attack on Benítez - Fans gaining a voice as Premier League clubs crumble - David Moyes’ Everton set their sights on fourth spot You are subscribed to email updates from The Sport Review To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. 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