Sports Digest

A round-up of today’s other sport stories in brief

Craig enters canoe slalom reckoning

CANOEING: Ireland’s Hannah Craig moved into the reckoning for qualification in canoe slalom at London 2012 with her 13th place in the women’s K1 at the World Championships in Tacen, Slovenia.

Disappointment at not qualifying for the Beijing Olympics has fired up the Antrim women over the last two years, and she targeted last weekend’s event to prove herself.

Thirteenth place was outside the top-10 spot needed to place her in a final, but if she can maintain or improve this form at next year’s World Championships in Bratislava in Slovakia, she will be bound for London. The top 15 countries qualify, and with more than one competitor from each country competing, there is leeway even beyond 15th.

Craig has been training with Han Bijnen, who formerly coached Eoin Rheinisch. The Dutchman is now based in Northern Ireland as a development coach, a move aided by regional development funding associated with London 2012.

Cipriani trains with MK Dons  

RUGBY: MK Dons boss Karl Robinson has confirmed England rugby union international Danny Cipriani has been training with the club this week.

Cipriani is set to join the Melbourne Rebels next month ahead of the Super 15 season which begins in February and has joined the League One outfit to keep fit. Robinson said, “It has been well documented that Danny was a talented footballer when he was younger and he has certainly held his own.”

Federer pulls out of Davis Cup tie 

TENNIS: Roger Federer of Switzerland pulled out of this weekend’s Davis Cup match against Kazakhstan to get some rest. “I have decided not to join the Davis Cup team to Kazakhstan,” Federer, the winner of a men’s record 16 major tennis titles, said in a statement on his website.

“I need some extra time to relax after the intense weeks in North America so I can finish the year strong.”

Federer was beaten by Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi-finals of the US Open last weekend. The 29-year-old has dropped to number three in the ATP World Tour rankings, while the Serb moved up one spot to number two. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain won the year’s final Grand Slam event.

Federer hasn’t appeared in a Grand Slam final since beating Britains Andy Murray at the Australian Open at the start of the season. Switzerland will play Kazakhstan on an indoor court in Astana for a place in the world group.

O’Brien gets his revenge on Cluskey

TENNIS: Colin O’Brien exacted sweet revenge for an earlier defeat by James Cluskey when the duo squared up yesterday in a novel all-Irish clash in the ITF Futures event in Danderyd, Sweden.

Number seven seed O’Brien blew away unseeded Cluskey on an emphatic 6-3 6-1 scoreline.

On their previous meeting, Swords right-hander Cluskey, who is now ranked at 1,756th, edged Malahide left-hander O’Brien, ranked at 648th, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7/3), in the quarter-finals of last year’s Irish Open, at Fitzwilliam.

Today, O’Brien faces a stiff challenge in his bid to make the quarter-finals, being paired against the number two seed, Finland’s 308-ranked Timo Nieminen.

O’Brien and Cluskey, the top seeds, teamed up to score a 6-4 3-6 10-6 win over Swedish wild cards Visak Arvidsson and Lucas Renard in the first round of the doubles.

Scottish date for Westwood as he allays fitness doubts

GOLF: World number three Lee Westwood, who has been sidelined by injury for six weeks, has eased fears over his fitness for next month’s Ryder Cup.

“I am pretty strong at the moment,” the 37-year-old Englishman told the Golf Channel. “I would be fine playing in all five matches (at the Ryder Cup).

“I haven’t had any pain for three weeks. I’ve made great progress.” A badly swollen right calf and ankle has kept Westwood out since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio in early August.

He plans to compete in a two-day charity event in Scotland early next week before playing 36 holes in one day later in the week to guarantee he can withstand two rounds in a day if called upon by European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.

“I haven’t had a (alcoholic) drink in four weeks,” said Westwood. “I have lost 12 pounds since the British Open (in July).

“I just want to replicate the Ryder Cup with two matches in one day.”

Nadal’s no Spanish “Special One”

TENNIS: Rafa Nadal arrived back in Madrid yesterday after becoming only the seventh man to win all four grand slams and immediately dismissed the idea he was the “Spanish Special One”.

The 24-year-old has been involved in a whirlwind round of public events and television appearances since capturing his maiden US Open title by beating Serb Novak Djokovic in Monday’s final.

Nadal, though, said he could not be classified as Spain’s all-time greatest sportsman.

“I think it’s obvious I’m not,” he said. “It would be tremendously arrogant of me. All athletes have their merits for what they have done in their particular sports.”

He later went to the Bernabeu to see “Special One” Jose Mourinhos Real Madrid take on Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League.