A roundup of today's other sports news in brief:
Serena shocked
TENNIS: Serena Williams admits she was "shocked" when she heard fellow American Andre Agassi had taken drugs while on the ATP tour and subsequently lied to tour officials.
Agassi last week revealed in his autobiography he had tested positive in 1997 and then duped the ATP into believing he had taken it by accident to escape a ban. Williams said: “I was shocked. It was unfortunate for tennis because players in the last six, seven, eight years have been tested all the time.”
French Open may be moved
TENNIS: The French tennis federation (FFT) is considering moving the French Open from its present home at Roland Garros if its extension project does not get the green light within a year.
The project was agreed on earlier this year and an architect was appointed but the Paris City Council is now getting cold feet, FFT director general Gilbert Ysern said yesterday.
“It seems that the mayor’s entourage has become more hostile to our project – which was not the case when we launched it,” Ysern said.
“Add to that the residents’ opposition and we are now forced to look for other options, including that of leaving the premises.”
Last May, tennis officials said a new centre court equipped with a retractable roof would be used at Roland Garros for the French Open by 2013 or 2014.
Shocking wins Melbourne Cup
RACING: Shocking survived a torrid run to beat off two powerful international rivals and win yesterday's €3.4 million Melbourne Cup.
The four-year-old Shocking (9 to 1) put in an incredible staying performance, running three wide into a stiff breeze for most of the gruelling 3,200 metre handicap to win Australia’s richest and most famous horse race.
Crime Scene (40 to 1), trained by the powerful Godolphin stable, finished second after looking like the winner at the final furlong, while Mourilyan (20 to 1), trained by South African Herman Brown and owned by Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, was third.
Only three horses trained outside of Australia or New Zealand have won the Melbourne Cup, first held in 1861 and being run for the 149th time, and only a brave performance by Shocking prevented another overseas winner.
There were six foreign runners in the final 24-horse field but Changingoftheguard was scratched on veterinary advice hours before the race and Munsef and Basaltico failed to make any impression.
Despite that, yesterday’s race, which drew a crowd of more than 102,000 spectators at Flemington racecourse and was watched by millions more on television, again looked to be at the mercy of the European challengers when the pre-race favourite Alcopop, a former cattle horse, and last year’s winner Viewed, fell too far back in the early stages.
Crime Scene burst to the front in the final straight but Shocking charged home over the last 200 metres to win after a thrilling two-horse sprint to the post.
Boxer banned for swearing
BOXING: Battered heavyweight contender Chris Arreola will have plenty of time to nurse his wounds following defeat at the powerful hands of Vitali Klitschko after boxing chiefs yesterday banned the fighter for swearing.
The American, who dreams of becoming the first heavyweight champion of Mexican heritage, was in an emotional state after his corner had stopped the September 26th fight after the 10th round.
Tears flowed freely as he thanked the crowd and the boxer later relied on some industrial language to express his intent to hit back following the defeat.
World Boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman took a very dim view of the use of a swear word in Arreola’s post-fight interview, however, and yesterday proposed the 28-year-old be banned from competing for six months.
The WBC’s board of governors approved the sanction which will be backdated to the fight night.
Phillies' keep World Series alive with 8-6 victory
BASEBALL: The status of Shane Victorino was unclear after the Philadelphia centre-fielder was struck on the hand by a pitch during Game Five of the World Series. New York starter AJ Burnett hit Victorino with a fastball in the first inning of the Phillies' 8-6 victory that ensured the best-of-seven series will head back to the Bronx with the Yankees leading 3-2.
The 28-year-old Victorino stayed in the game but was replaced in the eighth inning when his right hand started to throb.
“He had X-rays, and it’s not broken,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. “But as the game went on, his finger kept swelling. It was bruised and it started getting bigger.
“He couldn’t grip the ball and he also couldn’t grip the bat. Eventually he had to come out of the game.”
The Phillies would sorely miss Victorino if he was unavailable for Game Six as Philadelphia attempt to prevent New York winning their 27th title.
