Sports

Unstoppable Djokovic eyeing golden finale

(Reuters) – For 15 minutes Novak Djokovic appeared to have a fight on his hands at the on Wednesday, then the Serb dialed up his A game and tore Stanislas Wawrinka to pieces. Such was the perfection of his tennis for most of a 6-3 6-0 thrashing it is hard to argue against him crowning his year as world number one and with a hat-trick of titles at the ATP’s year-ending showpiece. The 27-year-old has […]

Classy Federer on brink of semis, Murray stays afloat

(Reuters) – Roger Federer’s class shone like a beacon over the murky waters of round-robin tennis with a 6-3 6-2 defeat of Kei Nishikori at the ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday before Andy Murray stayed afloat by defeating Milos Raonic. The 33-year-old Swiss maestro, bidding for a seventh title at the ATP’s year-ending shootout, oozed confidence as he racked up his second consecutive victory in Group B. However, Murray’s 6-3 7-5 defeat of big-serving […]

Eagles soar to big win over toothless Panthers

(Reuters) – The Philadelphia Eagles jumped all over a clumsy Carolina Panthers early to provide the platform for a dominant 45-21 triumph on Monday, giving quarterback Mark Sanchez a win in his first Eagles start. The Panthers committed two turnovers on their first three plays from scrimmage via a fumble and interception to set the tone for an inept road display. The defense and special teams units joined the offense in scoring points for the […]

Scott has ‘score to settle’ with McIlroy at Australian Open

(Reuters) – Adam Scott says he has a “score to settle” with Rory McIlroy when they clash at the Australian Open in Sydney in two weeks. Scott missed a chance for a perfect ending to 2013 when he bogeyed the final hole of last year’s Open at Royal Sydney to allow McIlroy to capture the historic Stonehaven Cup when the Northern Irishman holed a 16-foot birdie putt at the same hole. They will return for […]

49ers edge Saints in overtime, Cardinals lose quarterback

(Reuters) – The San Francisco 49ers prevailed in an overtime thriller with New Orleans after Saints quarterback Drew Brees fumbled and the league-leading Arizona Cardinals won again but suffered a costly blow in defeating the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer went down with a knee injury after being sacked in the fourth quarter of their 31-14 win and was carried off the field. Backup Drew Stanton promptly came through with a […]

Pacquiao pace, skills will be too much for Algieri: Roach

(Reuters) – American challenger Chris Algieri represents a younger, hungrier generation of boxers hoping to take down Manny Pacquiao but the world champion’s coach Freddie Roach is confident the Filipino has both the speed and skills to retain his WBO title. Algieri earned his shot at Pacquiao, a winner of world titles in eight different divisions, by climbing off the canvas twice to earn a split decision victory over Russian Ruslan Provodnikov in June, a […]

Browns tame Bengals to claim share of top spot

(Reuters) – The Cleveland Browns maintained their surprising push for a playoff berth with a dominant 24-3 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday to climb into a rare share of first place in the division. The Browns controlled the game on the ground and intercepted Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton three times to join Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North. Cleveland (6-3) has not been in first place this late in the […]

Pistorius’ lawyers oppose verdict, jail sentence appeal

(Reuters) – Oscar Pistorius’ lawyers have formally opposed an appeal by the state against the South African athlete’s culpable homicide verdict and five-year jail sentence handed down last month, prosecutors said on Friday. Pistorius was sentenced in the negligent killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp after the state failed to convince judge Thokozile Masipa that he intended to kill when he fired shots through a locked toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home. Prosecutors appealed […]

Yankees star Alex Rodriguez reportedly admits to doping

(Reuters) – New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with federal agents probing a Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of baseball’s doping scandal, the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday. The admission, if true, represents an about-turn for Rodriguez who has repeatedly denied the use of banned substances from the Miami-area Biogenesis clinic, even as he concluded last week a one-year suspension by Major League Baseball for violating […]

NFL’s Adrian Peterson ready to return to the field, says lawyer

(Reuters) – Adrian Peterson is ready to return to the Minnesota Vikings following his plea deal on child abuse charges and it would be “just horrible” if the NFL compares his case to other instances of domestic violence, his lawyer told Reuters on Wednesday. Peterson, a former NFL most valuable player, pleaded no contest Tuesday to misdemeanor reckless assault to resolve his felony child abuse case involving his 4-year-old son. Rusty Hardin, Peterson’s high-profile lawyer, […]