Sports digest

Today's other stories in brief

Hatton vows to bounce back

BOXING: Ricky Hatton insists he will bounce back a stronger fighter from his first career defeat to Floyd Mayweather when he faces Mexican Juan Lazcano in front of 55,000 fans at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 24th.

The "Hit man" admits he struggled to get over the shock of his knockout loss but says he quickly became intent on learning the lessons and returning to cement his status as an all-time great.

Federer eases past Soderling

TENNIS:Roger Federer continued his trouble-free progress at the Hamburg Masters with a 6-3 6-2 win over Robin Soderling but Nikolay Davydenko and David Ferrer both fell to unseeded players yesterday.

World number one Federer, who beat Rafael Nadal to win the title for the fourth time last year, was barely made to sweat by the unseeded Swede Soderling as he reached the quarter-finals of the clay-court tournament.

Fifth seed David Ferrer lost 7-6 6-2 against his Spanish Davis Cup team-mate Fernando Verdasco before the fourth seeded Russian Davydenko fell 7-5 6-3 to Germany's Nicolas Kiefer in a match that brought the Hamburg crowd to their feet.

In the circumstances third seeded Serb Novak Djokovic could be well satisfied at coming through a bruising match with the Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 6-3.

"Karlovic has one of the most difficult serves to face on any surface," said Djokovic.

Lyons returns with powerful trio

MOTOR SPORT: Frank Lyons returns from Britain to Mondello Park with a trio of powerful Formula 5000 cars for himself, his wife, Judy, and son Michael to compete in the Historic Formula races at the 40th Anniversary of the Co Kildare circuit, writes Brian Foley .

David Kennedy will drive Martin Birrane's Formula 5000 Lola, the car in which he beat Lyons when the two last raced at Mondello. Also in action will be the actual Brabham BT16 in which John Watson recorded the fastest lap at the first Mondello meeting in 1968.

The car is raced in historic events by Nottingham-based Irish driver Ian Gray, whose son Colin is also racing an ex-Watson Brabham BT30 at Mondello. John Keaney, the first race winner at Mondello, will give a demonstration in his TMC-Costin and a racing Ford Sierra Cosworth.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Today: Cork MC, West Cork Classic Retro Trial, Macroom, Co Cork, starts 9.30pm. Saturday: West Cork Classic Retro Trial, Macroom, 10.0am; Co Kildare CC, 4x4 Trial, Dualla, Cashel, Co Tipperary, 11.0am; MEC, Motor Racing, Mondello Park, 12.30pm; Carrick-on-Suir MC, Hillclimb, Bigwood, Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny, 12.30pm. Sunday: West Cork Classic Retro Trial, Macroom, 10.0am; 4x4 Trial, Dualla, Cashel, Co Tipperarty, 11.00am; Mayo District MC, Autocross, The Valley, Swinford, CoMayo, 11.00am; Kerry MC, Autosolo, Tralee Racecourse, 11.30am; MEC, Motor Racing, Mondello Park, 12.15pm.

Pegasus hope to put Czech defeat behind them

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: Pegasus will hope to put the disappointment of missing out on promotion to the European Club Champions Cup last Sunday when they open the defence of their All-Ireland Club Championship title at Lisnagarvey this weekend, writes Mary Hannigan.

A 4-2 defeat to Royal Antwerp in their final game in the Czech Republic left the Belfast club tied for third in the Champions Trophy, missing out on one of the two available promotion slots.

They will, then, turn their attention to retaining the All-Ireland crown they took from Hermes last season with a 3-1 win over the then champions in the final at Belfield, the seventh time in a decade Pegasus had won the competition.

To win through to the semi-finals (May 24th) - the final is on May 25th - they must finish in the top two of their pool this weekend, which is completed by Munster champions Cork Harlequins, Railway Union and Armagh. Hermes are top seeds in Pool B, with Ballymoney, Loreto and Cork Church of Ireland their opposition.

Pool A: Pegasus, Cork Harlequins, Railway Union, Armagh. Pool B: Hermes, Ballymoney, Loreto, Cork Church of Ireland.

FIXTURES: Club Championships (at Lisnagarvey) - Today - Pool A: Pegasus v Armagh, 6.0; Ballymoney v C of I, 8.0. Pool B: Hermes v Loreto, 6.20; Railway v Harlequins, 8.20. Tomorrow — Pool A: Railway v Pegasus, 1.30; Armagh v Harlequins, 4.0. Pool B: Hermes v C of I, 12.30; Loreto v Ballymoney, 3.0. Sunday - Pool A: Armagh v Railway, 11.0; Pegasus v Harlequins, 1.0. Pool B: C of I v Loreto, 12.0; Hermes v Ballymoney, 2.0.

Sharapova battles to victory

TENNIS: Russia's Maria Sharapova battled past Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki to move into the Italian Open quarter-finals with a 6-4 7-6 win yesterday.

American Serena Williams tamed lively Italian wild-card Sara Errani 6-4 6-3 to join Sharapova in the last eight, while title holder Jelena Jankovic strolled past Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-1.

Sharapova produced a remarkable recovery in the second set, winning five consecutive games to haul herself back from 5-1 down. She failed to hold when serving for the match but edged home in the tiebreak.

Williams twice came back from a break down in the first set before taking Erranis serve in the final game with the help of two big smashes and a net-cord winner.

Holders China through to Uber final

BADMINTON: Holders China eased into the final of the Uber Cup women's team tournament with a 3-1 semi-final win over South Korea in Jakarta yesterday.

The Chinese, seeking a sixth Uber Cup crown in succession, will play hosts Indonesia in tomorrow's final after the Indonesians beat Germany, also 3-1.

China's world number one Xie Xingfang beat Hwang Hye-youn 21-9 21-19 and clinched the tie when experienced doubles pair of Zhang Yawen and Wei Yili overcame Kim Min-jung and Ha Jung-eun 21-19 21-8.

Indonesia fought back well after trailing the Germans 1-0.