Cycling: Cavendish wins stage five of Giro d'Italia

World champion Mark Cavendish of Britain won stage five of the Giro d'Italia from Modena to Fano in a bunch sprint on Thursday.Second behind the Sky rider, who claimed the ninth Giro d'Italia stage of his career, was Australian Matt Goss with Italian Daniele Bennati in third.Lithuanian Ramunas Navardauskas continued to lead the race overall for a second day.The Giro d'Italia finishes on May 27 in Milan.

UAE hold off Kazakhstan in A5N Top 5 battle Hosts bounce back after two consecutive losses

The United Arab Emirates staved a frenzied second-half assault to beat Kazakhstan 46-31 and keep alive their hopes of remaining in the Top 5 of the HSBC Asian Five Nations (A5N) rugby clash at The Sevens on Friday.
After trailing 29-nil at half time, Kazakhstan posted 31 points in the second half to close the gap to 10 points in the final 10 minutes before UAE dashed their hopes of an inspirational comeback.

It was a great comeback by the hosts after the battering they received at the hands of Hong Kong and Japan.

The win by UAE is key to their hopes of staying in the HSBC A5N Top 5 in 2013. Kazakhstan will be ruing a chance to take vital away match points and will now face their second must-win match in two weeks when they host Korea next Saturday in Almaty, before closing out their campaign in Hong Kong on May 26.

UAE performance manager Duncan Hall said: “It’s a relief for the guys definitely. We talked that this was definitely a winnable match and we are very luck we kept our noses in front. Kazakhstan is a proud country. They never let down and they showed that today.”

F1: Hamilton stripped of Spanish pole Williams' Venezuelan driver Maldonado promoted

Lewis Hamilton's spectacular but often controversial career suffered a new twist on Saturday when he was stripped of pole for the Spanish Grand Prix because his McLaren team failed to give him enough fuel.
As a result, Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado of Williams will start from pole position for the first time after being promoted from second on the grid while Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, will start from the back.

NBA: Miami's James named MVP winner again Beat Durant, Paul and Bryant in voting

Miami Heat forward LeBron James was named on Saturday as the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player for the 2011-12 season, cementing his place among the game's greatest players.
It was the third time in four years that 'King' James has won the game's most prestigious individual award, elevating him alongside the sport's biggest names.
Only seven other players - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone - have won the trophy at least three times.

Abdul-Jabbar holds the record for six MVP wins, one ahead of Jordan and Russell but James, still just 27 years old, has plenty of time on his side.

RugbyU: New Zealand clinch world sevens crown

New Zealand clinched their 10th IRB world sevens series crown in 13 years on Sunday after downing South Africa 36-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the final leg of the championship at Twickenham.The New Zealanders needed only one more win to be assured of clinching the crown after victories over Russia, Kenya and Argentina on Saturday.

The men in black had looked vulnerable during their win over Argentina, trailing 10-0 before recovering to win 15-10.

Donald surrenders No. 1 spot to McIlroy

England's Luke Donald will surrender golf's World No. 1 ranking to Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy on Monday after a poor showing at the US PGA Heritage tournament.

Donald fired a level-par 71 on Sunday to finish on two-over par 286 for 72 holes, sharing 37th place, 16 strokes behind winner Carl Pettersson of Sweden.

Westwood retains Indonesian Masters title World number three secured his 38th career victory

Lee Westwood played an "exhausting" 32 holes on Sunday to successfully defend his Indonesian Masters title and pick up his first win of the year.The world number three secured his 38th career victory after he returned early in the morning to complete his third round before closing with a final round two-over-par 74 at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.Englishman Westwood's winning total of 16-under-par 272 meant he finished two shots ahead of Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant, with the Indian duo of Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur tied in third place.

The 38-year-old, who finished tied third at the Masters two weeks ago, held an eight-shot lead going into the final round but tiredness began to kick in on his homeward nine as he shot three bogeys.

Play at the Asian Tour event had been abandoned on Saturday due to lightning.

"It was draining out there and I was really feeling it on the back nine. When you are in contention and under pressure, it seems to zap your energy faster," said Westwood.

Meydan launches the Track for golf enthusiasts No membership fees and a real challenge guaranteed for all players

Meydan Golf today launches The Track - a unique new pay-and-play golf course at the world famous Dubai racecourse.Challenging enough for even the best players, it is also extremely welcoming for novices looking to take up the sport and those with limited experience.There is no membership fee at The Track with players simply booking a tee time to take on the brilliant nine-hole course.Bookings for preview play rounds are now being taken, at Dh300 per player. Players in this introductory period can choose to play nine holes or double up to 18 holes at no extra charge.

Permanent rates for 9 and 18 holes will be announced following the preview period.

Tuition packages and one-off lessons will also be available from professional instructors who will tailor sessions to the individual’s needs.

Haya extends patronage of Dubai Ladies Masters Dh2.45m European Tour event is growing in stature

Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has extended her patronage to the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters (ODLM) for another two years, reaffirming her support of the premier women’s golfing event in the region.Promoted and organised by 'golf in DUBAi', the euro 500,000 (Dh2.45 million) Ladies European Tour’s season-ending event has grown in stature and popularity since its inception in 2006, showcasing the talent of the world’s leading players in what is billed as the ‘Ladies Major of the Middle East.’

Princess Haya’s kind gesture of extending her patronage to the 2012 and 2013 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is a fitting recognition to the role played by the event in promoting women’s golf in the region and is part of a long-term Dubai goal to become a solid foothold for sports in the world.

Tiger ready for Quail Hollow with 'fixed' swing Woods has spent past fortnight working on his game

Tiger Woods returns to PGA Tour action at this week's Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, confident he has solved the ball-striking problems which plagued him at this month's Masters.
The former world number one failed to break 72 in any of his four rounds at the year's opening Major, completing his worst performance at Augusta National since he turned professional.
He battled his way to a closing two-over-par 74 for a five-over total of 293, ruing his tendency to allow old habits to creep back into a swing he has grooved with coach Sean Foley over the last two years.

"At the Masters, I was kind of struggling with my ball-striking a little bit," Woods said during a question and answer video session with his fans posted on his website on Monday.

"Sean and I fixed it. It had to do with my posture. My setup wasn't quite right, as well as my takeaway so we worked on that. I just needed to do hundreds of (repetitions). I'm getting dialed in."

Fowler wins maiden PGA title in playoff McIlroy reclaims number one world ranking from Donald

Rickie Fowler delivered on his vast potential by claiming his first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo championship with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff against Briton Rory McIlroy and fellow American D.A. Points at Quail Hollow on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Fowler finally justified his billing as one of the game's top young players when he sank a four-footer for birdie at the 18th hole to claim victory at the Charlotte, North Carolina course.
"It's a good feeling right now," Fowler told reporters after winning in his 67th professional start. "Definitely some relief, satisfaction.

"I definitely knew I was good enough, and it was just getting everything to come together and stay patient."

Despite losing out in the playoff, the finish ensured US Open champion McIlroy, who is also 23, would reclaim the number one world ranking from Luke Donald.

Dubai Ladies Masters raises global media value Alexis Thompson's triumph contributed to phenomenal success

The 2011 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, won by US teenage sensation Alexis Thompson, generated a massive global media exposure giving ‘golf in Dubai’ and ‘Brand Dubai,’ in particular, a massive boost.
Held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein - wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai - the season-ending event of the Ladies European Tour played from December 14 to 17, reached millions of homes of worldwide, producing Global Media Value worth Dh382.5 million – a whopping 466 per cent increase in value since the inaugural edition in 2006.

Donald hopes for duel for top spot with McIlroy

Luke Donald believes golf fans could be in for a treat in the coming months as he and world number one Rory McIlroy battle it out head-to-head for top spot in the world rankings.

Donald and McIlroy have exchanged the position throughout the season but the sense of drama has been lost given the way the rankings changes have come about, with the two players taking advantage of each other's off-weeks.

McIlroy is enjoying his third spell as number one after first climbing to the peak with victory in the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens in March.

Nadal passes knee test in Monte Carlo Djokovic sweeps past Seppi

Rafael Nadal emerged a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Jarkko Nieminen with no obvious discomfort to his troublesome left knee as the Spaniard began his quest for a record eighth title at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Nadal, now 40-1 at the venue where he lost his only match in 2003, won his 38th straight match in the principality as he overcame stubborn resistance from the 48th-ranked Finn, who claimed the Sydney title in January.

Nadal, who required two weeks of knee treatment after failing to play his Miami semi-final match due to knee pain last month, has not lifted a trophy since the French Open 10 months ago.

"I played a really normal match, nothing special - nothing very bad, but nothing very good," said Nadal, who faces Kazakh qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin on Thursday.

Nadal and Djokovic to meet in Monte Carlo final Spaniard notches 41st win in a row

World number one Novak Djokovic will try to deal Rafael Nadal another blow when the world's two top players clash in Sunday's Monte Carlo Masters tennis final, where the Spaniard is chasing an eighth consecutive crown.
Nadal recorded his 41st win in a row in the season's first big claycourt event as he defeated Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3 6-4 in Saturday's semi-finals, while the Serbian battled back from a set down to beat sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Nadal seeking lucky seven on Barcelona clay Spaniard shows no signs of knee problems

Home hero Rafael Nadal will try for lucky seven as the ATP Barcelona Open begins on Monday, with the Spanish king of clay already a champion in six of the last seven editions.

Nadal showed no sign of knee problems amid his storming return to tennis this week at the Monte Carlo Masters and will be hoping to keep up his trademark momentum on his favourite surface as he performs for the Catalan crowds expected to pack the Real Club de Tenis.

Nadal hammers top-seed Djokovic Nadal had lost his previous 7 finals to the Serb

Rafael Nadal won an unprecedented eighth straight title at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-1.
The victory also marked the end of a seven-match losing streak in finals to the Serb world number one, whose last victory over Nadal came in a six-hour Australian Open final.

Nadal's victory was his 42nd in a row at the Mediterranean venue and marks his 47th career trophy and 20th in a Masters 1000 tournament, the first to achieve that honour.

Kvitova puts Czechs through to Fed Cup finals Host either Russia or Serbia in November

Reigning Wimbledon champion and world number three Petra Kvitova put holders Czech Republic through to the Fed Cup final by beating Italy's Francesca Schiavone on Sunday.

Kvitova handed the Czechs an unbeatable 3-0 lead after seeing off Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) in an hour and 47 minutes.

"It was an extremely tough game, Francesca managed to surprise me," the 22-year-old Kvitova told the public Czech TV.

Kvitova took a 3-0 lead in the first set, then lost four straight games and finally came back for a 6-4 win.

In the second, Kvitova had to come back from 3-5 before trashing the 31-year-old Schiavone in the tie-break.

Azarenka, Sharapova lead charge in Stuttgart Petkovic is the top-ranked German for this week's tournament

World number one Victoria Azarenka, second-ranked Maria Sharapova and number three Petra Kvitova begin their French Open build-up on Monday at the star-studded $740,000 Stuttgart tournament.

Belarusian Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, returns to action for the first time since losing her 26-match winning streak to Marion Bartoli in the quarter-finals of the Miami hardcourt event.

That loss came after a breath-taking start to 2012 in which the 22-year-old had captured four titles, including her first Grand Slam crown.

Wimbledon increases total prizemoney to £16.1m Players who crash out earlier in the tournament to benefit most

Wimbledon chiefs have increased the total prize money on offer at the grass-court tournament to £16.1 million ($26m, 19.7 million euros) in a bid to satisfy calls for a fairer distribution of the wealth at grand slams.
There has been growing unrest among players that too much of the prize money on offer at the four Majors went to the top stars, who routinely reach the lucrative later stages, at the expense of the lower ranked competitors.

Late last year there were suggestions that the issue could even prompt strike action which would threaten the stability of the sport.