Sports Digest/Tennis: French star Amelie Mauresmo refused to even discuss her Wimbledon prospects next week after a shock, second-round defeat by 18-year-old Russian qualifier Vera Douchevina at Eastbourne yesterday.
The number one seed and third-ranked player in the world went down 6-4 6-4 in just 77 minutes on wild and windy Centre Court at Devonshire Park in the Hastings Direct Championship.
The player they used to call the "Nearly Girl" was not even close. "I need a lot of work and it is a really bad day," Mauresmo said. "How do I rate my performance? I won't rate it - just forget it.
"I'll get better. I'll practise some more here tomorrow and then go up to London, but you cannot feel great after a defeat like this."
Douchevina (18), yet another of the talented Russians who are beginning to overwhelm the rest in top professional tennis, never looked back after a bright start and must have known Mauresmo would never recover when she slammed the ball wildly into the stands after dropping the sixth game of the second set.
Former French Open champion Anastasia Myskina posted her third career win despite a bout of flu over Maria Vento-Kabchi from Venezuela to add another Russian success, 6-4 5-7 6-0.
CYCLING: National road race champion David O'Loughlin showed good form on the opening stage of the Tour de Beauce Bell in Canada, riding well throughout the 169 kilometre race in Saint Georges, reports Shane Stokes.
The Navigators Insurance rider marked many of the breakaway attempts during the stage, including the eventual winning move which went clear shortly after the 100km point.
The break opened up a maximum advantage of two and a half minutes. O'Loughlin and his Navigators team-mates drove the move, the Mayo rider having the strength to quickly rejoin the move after a bike change 16km from the finish. He eventually finished 12th, eight seconds behind the stage winner Martin Gilbert of the Volkswagen-Trek team. The main bunch were a further 49 seconds down.
The Tour de Beauce Bell continues today with a 180km stage in Lac-Etchemin.
SWIMMING: The Olympic Council of Ireland have confirmed the selection of an eight-strong team for the European Youths Olympics in Lignano, Italy, from July 1st to 9th.
The team for Italy is: Karl Burdis, Jack Nunn, Niall Wynn, Shane Traill, Shenagh O'Byrne, Orla Ryan, Chelsey Wilson and Fiona Doyle.
MEN'S HOCKEY: Irish coach David Passmore has named his squad for two matches against France in Lille next month.
"We have added some of the younger players in the squad, such as Eugene Magee and Phelie Maguire, as a chance for them to stake a claim," he said.
IRISH SQUAD: A Barbour, J Black, M Black, P Brown (capt), K Burns, S Butler, T Cockram, D Eakins, G Elliott, M Gleghorne, R Gormley, C Henderson, N Henderson, D Hobbs, I Lewers, E Magee, P Maguire, G Shaw.
RUGBY: Former All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu is to undergo surgery on a shoulder injury and will not play again this season, dashing his hopes of completing a comeback after a kidney transplant.
Lomu hurt his left shoulder playing in former England captain Martin Johnson's testimonial match in London on June 4th, his first competitive match in almost two years after receiving a new kidney last July.
The 30-year-old had been named on Tuesday in a 27-man North Harbour squad to play Samoa in Albany on June 22nd, with coach Alan Pollock expecting him to be declared fit for the match.
"Specialists advised that Jonah will undergo surgery on his left shoulder in the next few days," the North Harbour team doctor said yesterday. "He will need a minimum of four months recuperation and rehabilitation following the surgery."
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