Sports digest

Today's other stories in brief

Baghdatis records impressive win

TENNIS:Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus overcame the distraction of a lengthy rain interruption to beat France's Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6 in the final of the Sydney International on Saturday.

Baghdatis, 24, who burst on to the world stage when he made the Australian Open final in 2006, regained his composure after a lapse in concentration to claim his fourth ATP title in the final lead-up event before the first Grand Slam of 2010.

He made a flying start at the Sydney Olympic tennis centre, breaking Gasquet’s opening service game then taking the first set, but lost his way after a 75-minute delay early in the second set.

Gasquet quickly established a 5-2 lead and served for the set but Baghdatis broke back and eventually sealed victory in the tiebreak.

“I’ve just won a tournament, confidence is up, I think everything is positive,” said Baghdatis.

Sainz claims Dakar Rally

DAKAR RALLY: Carlos Sainz claimed his first Dakar Rally victory after finishing second in yesterday's 14th and final stage.

The former World Rally champion finished the race two minutes 12 seconds ahead of Volkswagen team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah, who won the stage from San Rafael to Buenos Aires.

American Mark Miller finished third overall, 32 minutes 51 seconds back, to complete a one-two-three for Volkswagen.

Australia on course for whitewash

CRICKET: Australia are on course for a 3-0 series whitewash against Pakistan after Simon Katich hit his ninth Test century on day four in Hobart.

The left-handed opener made 100 and shared a stand of 191 with skipper Ricky Ponting (89) before the hosts declared their second innings on 219-5. It left Pakistan to chase a victory target of 438 but they lost both openers with only 29 on the board. Shane Watson then took two wickets to reduce them to 103-4 at the close.

Meanwhile left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan and paceman Shahadat Hossain took four wickets each as Bangladesh left India struggling on 213-8 before bad light brought an early end to the opening day of the First Test yesterday.

Sachin Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 76, giving India some hope of recovery.

Favre keeps Super Bowl dream alive

AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Brett Favre kept his Super Bowl dream alive by throwing four touchdown passes to lift the Minnesota Vikings to a comfortable 34-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys in their divisional play-off yesterday.

The Vikings will visit the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game next Sunday.

The 40-year-old Favre threw for 234 yards to continue his outstanding season and the Vikings defensive line was ruthless, sacking Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo six times.

On Saturday, two touchdowns in two minutes at the end of the first half helped the Indianapolis Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 on Saturday and advance to the AFC championship.

Elsewhere, two touchdowns from an explosive Reggie Bush helped the New Orleans Saints to a 45-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, sweeping them into the NFC Championship game.

Verdasco warms up for Australian Open in style

TENNIS: Spain's Fernando Verdasco issued a warning to rivals ahead of the Australian Open with an emphatic 7-5 6-3 win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to clinch the Kooyong Classic on Saturday.

World number nine Verdasco, who pushed defending champion Rafael Nadal to five sets at Melbourne Park last year, broke the 10th-ranked Frenchman late in the first, then twice early in the second to seal the win at the Kooyong Club.

Verdasco played solidly in all three matches at the eight-man invitational, a strong return to form after he was bundled out of the ATP Tour Finals in London in November with three consecutive defeats.

He beat world number eight Roger Soderling of Sweden in straight sets prior to demolishing third-ranked Serb Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-2 on Thursday in a tournament seen as a form guide for the Australian Open which starts today at Melbourne Park. Verdasco, meets Aussie wild card Carsten Ball in the first round.

Armstrong's strong showing

CYCLING:Lance Armstrong provided an early insight into his intentions of winning an eighth Tour de France this year with a strong showing in the Tour Down Under criterium yesterday.

The 38-year-old American, commencing his second season back from retirement, faded to finish in the middle of the pack, but not before leaving a big impression on the 108,000 people who lined the city streets of Adelaide.

A year ago, Armstrong was content to stay in the peloton but the Texan played a more prominent role this time, leading a group of five riders, including former Tour de France winner Oscar Pereiro, on a breakaway.

The group took turns leading the race for nine laps of the looping circuit before two riders fell off, allowing the main bunch to catch up as the specialist sprinters fought out the finish.

“I felt like I tested them a little bit, I felt better than last year and certainly more comfortable in the race,” said Armstrong.