SPORTS DIGEST:TENNIS: Defending champion Roger Federer kicked off the singles action at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London with a 6-2 2-6 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The fourth seed cruised through the opening set at a packed O2 Arena, but Tsonga hit back when Federer’s level dropped in the second and the result looked in doubt until the Swiss star broke to edge a tight decider.
The 30-year-old went into the tournament as the man to beat after back-to-back titles in Basle and Paris, where he beat Tsonga in the final to remain unbeaten since the US Open. The Frenchman, playing at the O2 for the first time, could draw on his magnificent Wimbledon victory over Federer this summer, when he became the first man to beat Federer at a Grand Slam from two sets down.
Magees make their mark in Norway
BADMINTON:Donegal's Chloe Magee and her brother Sam enjoyed a successful weekend at the Norwegian Badminton International, the pair winning the mixed doubles title and Chloe reaching the women's singles final.
Chloe, seeded fourth in the event, beat Malaysian, Icelandic, Finnish and Danish opponents to win through to the final in Oslo where she lost 19-21, 14-21 to Bulgaria’s Linda Zechiri, the tournament’s second seed.
With Sam, though, she was the top seed for the mixed doubles, the Magee taking the title with a 21-17, 21-16 defeat of Denmark’s Rasmus Bonde and Maria Heisboi. Scott Evans, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals of the men’s singles, losing to Belgium’s Yuhan Tan.
Major League set to test for human growth hormone
BASEBALL:Major League Baseball's owners and players are on the verge of a new collective bargaining agreement that for the first time will include blood testing for human growth hormone, according to two people in the league briefed on the matter.
The testing will be a significant step for baseball, allowing it to move ahead of other professional sports leagues, including the NFL, in confronting the troublesome issue of a drug that has long evaded detection.
The bargaining agreement, which could be announced early this week, calls for blood testing to begin in February, when players report to spring training. Players who test positive will face a 50-game suspension, which will be the same as the first-time penalty for a positive steroid test, according to the two people.
HGH is believed to boost lean muscle mass, aid in recovery and improve stamina, but it is illegal to possess in the United States without a prescription.
Although minor elements of the overall agreement still need to be completed, the two people said that a full understanding on HGH testing had been reached and that no further negotiations on that issue were needed.
As such, baseball will be the first of the major North American professional sports to do any type of blood testing for drugs at a league’s highest level though in 2010 the MLB introduced blood testing for HGH on minor league players.
Chavez Jr retains his title in style
BOXING:Julio Cesar Chavez Jr retained his WBC middleweight title after stopping Peter Manfredo in the fifth round at the Reliant Arena in Houston on Saturday.
The winner remains undefeated but Manfredo has retired following the defeat – his final record one of 37 wins, 20 by KO, and seven losses. Chavez dominated the early exchanges of the bout and hurt Manfredo in the fifth and the referee stepped in at 1:52 to end the fight.
Cummins helps Aussies hit back
CRICKET:Half-centuries from Usman Khawaja and Ricky Ponting combined with a six-wicket haul by debutant Pat Cummins gave Australia hope of winning the second Test against South Africa following an enthralling fourth day's play in Johannesburg.
Khawaja (65) and former captain Ponting (54 not out) helped the tourists close on 142 for three in pursuit of 310 as Australia sought to make the highest successful run chase at the New Wanderers stadium and level up the two-match series at 1-1.
Earlier, teenage paceman Cummins claimed impressive figures for six for 79 as South Africa were dismissed for 339 in their second innings following an eventful start to the day.
The hosts started yesterday morning in a strong position on 229 for three – leading by 199 – and with Hashim Amla (89no) and AB de Villiers (70no) at the crease. But Australia took four wickets for the addition of just 37 runs to haul themselves back into the contest.
Telefonica continue to set the pace
SAILING:In what could amount to the final throw of the dice for leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race, the four remaining boats that constitute the fleet started the South Atlantic section of the course that will end in Cape Town early next week.
Spanish entry Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez, holds the overall lead but at around 20 miles, this slim margin could easily yield ground to American Ken Read on Puma in second place.
More than 100 miles astern, the Emirates Team New Zealand crew on Camper, who have been locked into third place for more than a week, will also be watching for a passing lane as the cold but fast sailing conditions of the St Helena high-pressure system take hold.
However, fourth-placed Groupama, skippered by Franck Cammas with Ireland’s Damian Foxall sailing as watch-leader, are fervently hoping that their boat has a speed advantage in the conditions as they battle to overcome a 400-mile deficit. With over 2,000 miles remaining to the finish, this leg has become a race not to be the sole finisher to miss the podium.
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