Federer finds form at finish

Sports Digest: World number one Roger Federer overcame stubborn Serb qualifier Viktor Troicki 7-6, 7-6 to reach the third round of the Japan Open yesterday.

British number one Andy Murray failed to follow suit, the 19-year-old Scot slumping to a 6-3, 7-6 defeat by Czech Jiri Novak in his opening match in Tokyo.

Federer played well within himself in his first match in Japan, but ripped through the first-set tie-break for the loss of just two points. The Swiss failed to overpower his 276th-ranked opponent in the second set as well, until his class gave him the edge in another tea-break.

Murray, who like Federer received a first-round bye, clawed his way back into the second set from 4-1 down, but won just one point in a one-sided tie-break as Novak closed it out in style.

ECB request compensation

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has asked Pakistan to compensate it for the loss of revenues in the cancelled fourth Test at the Oval in August, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said yesterday.

The spokesman said a meeting of the PCB's Ad-Hoc committee would contest the claim. "The Ad-hoc committee has decided to contest the claim legally as the Pakistan board was not responsible for the Test not being completed."

An ECB spokesman said the board would not comment on the report.

The Oval Test was called off at tea on the fourth day after Pakistan refused to continue play in protest against the umpires' decision to change the ball and penalise them five runs for alleged ball-tampering.

Heffernan gets six-day ban

Seamus Heffernan has been been given a six-day ban for careless riding on Ivan Denisovich following a controversial renewal of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. The Irish jockey had originally been found guilty of improper riding and handed 14 days after stewards ruled he had forced Frankie Dettori out wide on Librettist on the home turn in the Group One contest won by Ivan Denisovich's stablemate George Washington.

But he was cleared of that offence at an appeal hearing at the Horseracing Regulatory Authority's London headquarters late Tuesday night.

Heffernan's revised suspension runs from today until October 10th and means he will miss an important meeting at the Curragh featuring the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes.

Munster sign Taranaki centre

Munster have confirmed the signing of Taranaki centre Lifeimi Mafi (24) on a two-year deal pending his release from the New Zealand Rugby Union and the completion of a medical when he arrives in Ireland in a week or so, reports Gerry Thornley. He will be added to Munster's 38-man squad as their "wild card".

Munster had been tracking Rua Tipoki of North Harbour and the Auckland Blues, but that fell through. Mafi has a Tongan passport which means he will not be deemed an overseas player per se, due to an EU ruling which classifies Pacific Islanders and South Africans as part of the Commonwealth. Teams are limited to two overseas players in the European Cup, and Munster have three in Jeremy Manning, Timmy McGann and, until November, Christian Cullen.