Today's other sports stories in brief
Bruno hopes to be his own Senna
MOTOR SPORT: Bruno Senna hopes quickly to shake off the tag of being the nephew of one of the greatest grand prix drivers of all time when he makes his Formula One debut next season.
Senna, whose uncle Ayrton won 41 races and three world titles in a glittering F1 career, has signed for the new Spain-based Campos Meta team for 2010, and is determined to become his own man during the course of his debut season.
“I hope, in a short time, that everybody remembers me for being Bruno, myself, and not for my uncle’s surname,” Senna said at his official presentation in Murcia.
“I’ve learned to live with it, and although it helped me at the beginning to find sponsors and find contacts, to be a driver you need to have a natural talent.”
The 26-year-old cut his teeth in Formula BMW and Formula Three before marking out his undoubted talent by finishing as runner-up in the GP2 series in 2008.
Texaco award for Murphy
SPORTS AWARD: European junior swimming champion Grainne Murphy (16) has been named as the Texaco Young Sportstar of the Year. She won three gold medals at the championships in Prague during the summer, establishing a junior and Irish senior record in the 800 metres freestyle.
That victory came days after she won the 400m individual medley. She also took gold in the 200m individual medley and bronze in the 1,500m freestyle.
Yousuf named Pakistan captain
CRICKET:Mohammad Yousuf will captain Pakistan in New Zealand after Younus Khan asked for a break from international cricket, the national board said yesterday.
“That is why the board has decided to appoint Yousuf as captain and wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal as vice-captain for the Test tour,” a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman said.
Pakistan start the first Test in New Zealand on November 24th.
The change in captaincy comes after Pakistan lost a one-day series to New Zealand in Abu Dhabi this week amid growing criticism of Younus’s poor batting form and local media reports suggesting he had lost the confidence of his team-mates.
He survived a revolt after the Champions Trophy in October when some senior players complained to board chairman Ejaz Butt about his attitude towards them.
Nadal shows return to form with thrilling win in Paris
TENNIS:World number two Rafael Nadal saved five match points before overcoming Nicolas Almagro 3-6 7-6 7-5 in a thrilling, all-Spanish second-round battle at the Paris Masters yesterday.
Nadal, who has been hampered by injury worries and has not won a title since last May, looked rusty at first on the fast indoor court of the Bercy hall, but then recovered and braved the pain from a blister on his right foot.
Almagro, who received treatment on a sore left thigh during the decisive set, fought until the end and twice served for the match but clearly struggled to move around the court in the last few games.
The unseeded Almagro was clearly on top in a one-sided first set but the second was a lot tighter, Almagro saving a set point at 5-4 down before breaking Nadal in the next game to serve for the match.
Nadal then saved five match points with some brilliant winners to capture his opponent’s serve and force a tiebreak, which he won 7-2 before needing treatment for a blister on his right foot.
The pair traded breaks in the decisive set, Almagro serving for the match again at 5-3 before being broken, until Nadal managed the telling break in the eleventh game.
Pain and exhaustion meant Almagro could hardly move when Nadal earned his first match point after three hours and 14 minutes.
Nadal now plays another Spaniard in Tommy Robredo, who beat Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-4.
Hodgson back to ride in Britain
MOTOR CYCLING: Former FIM Superbike World Championship winner Neil Hodgson is to return to race in Britain next season after a 10-year gap.
Hodgson, who has won the world and British Superbike titles on Ducati machinery, has been racing for Honda in the US.
Next season he will race for the Motorpoint Yamaha team in the British Superbike Championship.
Hodgson will be joined in the British series by Tommy Hill, who has signed to ride for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team.
Hodgson said: “I’m back racing, and I am racing to win the title. I have a lot of passion in me to get the job done and want to be successful.”
Hill will race alongside Yukio Kagayama after guesting twice for the Suzuki team in the 2009.
“I’m very happy to be in the Worx Crescent Suzuki team,” said Hill. “I’ve worked with them this year, and so for me going into winter testing with a team that I’ve already worked with is fantastic.”
Phelps fails as records fall
SWIMMING: Michael Phelps failed to record a win in five events after finishing second in the 200 metres medley final at the World Cup short course event in Stockholm last night.
The American, sporting a beard, finished the Eriksdalsbadet course in one minute 53.93 seconds behind South African Darian Townsend who finished in 1:51.79.
“I wanted to be faster than I was this morning and I was,” said Phelps, who said he needed conditioning to get back to his best.
Five world records were broken at the meeting. American Peter Marshall clocked 22.73 seconds in the mens 50m backstroke, Swedens Therese Alshammar won the womens 50m butterfly in 24.46, Chinas Liu Zige won the 200m butterfly in 2:02.50, compatriot Zhao Jing won the 100m individual medley in 58.40 and American Jessica Hardy won the 50m breaststroke in 28.96.
