Sports Digest/Tennis: Ireland safely negotiated the first hurdle in the Fed Cup round-robin series in Antalya, Turkey, yesterday, when they whitewashed Norway, 3-0, reports Pat Roche.
Yvonne Doyle was the big success of the Irish challenge on slow red clay against Ina Sartz. Doyle lost the opening set but, over two and a half hours, she won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in sweltering conditions.
Irish-American Anne Mall made an impressive debut, beating Karoline Bordersen 6-3, 6-3. Karen Nugent joined Mall to win in the doubles 6-1, 7-6.
Ireland face Georgia today.
SQUASH: Ireland's men's team were held 2-2 by Finland in their opening Premier Division Group A match at the European team championships in Amsterdam yesterday while Ireland's women defeated Denmark 3-0.
Liam Kenny was beaten 9-6, 9-4, 7-9, 9-6 by Olli Tuominen but Derek Ryan levelled by coming back from one down to beat Matias Toumi 7-9, 9-4, 9-4, 9-5. Finland went ahead again when Juha Raumolin beat Steve Richardson 10-8, 9-1, 9-4. It was left to Niall Rooney to save Ireland with a 9-4, 9-3, 9-2 victory against Erno Teitti.
Madelaine Perry gave her team a good start beating fellow international circuit player Ellen Petersen 1-9, 9-4, 9-4, 9-6. Aisling Blake defeated Line Hansen 8-10, 9-0, 9-4,9-3 and And Laura Mylotte beat Ditte Nielsen 9-1, 9-5, 9-0.
CYCLING: Mario Cipollini's surprise decision to retire before the Giro d'Italia marks the end of an era in cycling. The 38-year-old Italian, one of the sport's leading sprinters, last raced in the Milan-San Remo classic on March 19th but was expected to make the Giro his swansong after 17 seasons and 189 career victories.
The 2002 world champion announced his decision to retire yesterday after a meeting with his Liquigas team. Cipollini won stages in all three major tours and set the record for the number of career wins in the Giro d'Italia in 2003 when he took his tally to 42.
MOTOR SPORT: Toyota's appeal against Ralf Schumacher's demotion in the San Marino Grand Prix will be heard in Paris next Tuesday, Formula One's governing body said yesterday. The German driver was stripped of his point for eighth place and relegated to 11th for a pitlane incident in Sunday's race at Imola. Compatriot Nick Heidfeld, driving for Williams, was moved up to eighth place instead.
Stewards said Toyota, second behind Renault in the championship, had released Schumacher from his second pitstop before it was safe to do so. Heidfeld said Schumacher had got in front of him at the stop by forcing him to brake hard to avoid a crash.
MOTOR SPORT: Minardi suffered an embarrassing setback to one of their rare Formula One tests when their cars collided at Italy's Mugello circuit yesterday.
"One zigged when he should have zagged," said a team spokesman. "I think (Dutch driver Christijan) Albers came up on (Israeli Chanoch) Nissany, clipped the back of his car and spun them both out."
Albers was in the team's new PS05 car while Nissany, a test driver who has never competed in a grand prix, drove the old PS04B.
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