Federer dazzles to gain Stepanek revenge

Rome, April 30: Roger Federer made short work of Czech Radek Stepanek on Thursday to book his place in the quarter-finals of the ATP Rome Masters claycourt event.

The world number two took just 1hr 8min to secure a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 victory that also brought the second seed revenge for a loss against Stepanek here in the last eight a year ago.

That time Federer struggled to cope with Stepanek's aggressive net play in a 7-6, 7-6 defeat but this time around the Swiss maestro was a transformed player.

He broke Stepanek in the 13th seed's opening service game when the Czech plopped a poor drop shot into the net.

Federer looked to be comfortably serving out the set despite only hitting 33 percent of first serves until he was surprisingly broken in the ninth game when he fired a forehand long.

That, however, seemed to focus the 13-time Grand Slam-winner, who romped through the next six games before a brief blip allowed Stepanek his only game of the second set.

Federer finished off the match with two aces and took an impressive four out of seven break-point opportunities.

The 27-year-old, a finalist here in 2003 and 2006, will face either France's eighth seed Gilles Simon or Mischa Zverev of Germany in the next round.

The Swiss is still looking for his first title of the season in his sixth tournament.

Dementieva, Bartoli advance at Porsche GP

Stuttgart, April 30: Second-seeded Elena Dementieva overcame a slow start to beat Agnes Szavay of Hungary 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Thursday and set up a quarter-final match against Marion Bartoli at the Porsche Grand Prix.

Bartoli, a former Wimbledon runner-up from France, beat seventh-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Dementieva, a Russian who is the Olympic champion, fell behind 4-1 before battling back to win the first set. She cruised through the second, but then needed five match points to end it.

"I really had a slow start, it was tough to come back from 4-1 down," Dementieva said. "I am still finding my feet on clay court. It is my first tournament of the year (on clay) and my footwork needs to improve. It is just important to improve match by match, and make sure I am ready for the French Open."

The Stuttgart tournament, previously played on a hard surface, has become the first indoor clay event on the circuit and is a warm-up for next month's French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year.

Bell hopes his Test career is not over

London, April 30: Ian Bell was left feeling both frustrated and fearful for his England future after being left out of the squad for next week`s first Test against the West Indies at Lord`s.

The 27-year-old Warwickshire batsman believed he`d done all that was asked of him by scoring two early season centuries for his county having been dropped following February`s series opener with the West Indies in Jamaica.

But the selectors left out Bell and Owais Shah, the man who replaced him in the Caribbean, as well as opting against a recall for former England captain Michael Vaughan.
Instead they have opted to play Ravi Bopara at number three, having been impressed by the way the Essex all-rounder made 104 in his last Test appearance, against the West Indies.

"The message I got coming back from the West Indies was to score big hundreds and make sure you hit the ground running, which is what I thought I`d done so I thought I was in a good position, but I now have to keep working and keep scoring runs in county cricket," Bell said.

Should Bopara be given both matches in the upcoming two-Test series with the West Indies in which to make the problematic No 3 position his own, it leaves the likes of Bell with precious few matches in which to impress ahead of the Ashes, which start in July.

"The problem I have now is the way the fixtures are set out," said Bell, dropped by England after averaging just 19.45 in his previous six Tests.

"I have this four-day match with the England Lions (against the tourists), we have a championship match against Yorkshire next week and there is a month of Twenty20 cricket.”

"So there`s not a lot of time and opportunity to go and score big hundreds in four-day cricket and push to get your place back in the Test team," Bell explained.

Early in his career Bell was regarded as one of England`s brightest prospects but he has recently had to confront accusations he does not score runs when they are most needed.

And the view that Bell has a suspect temperament will only gain ground after he was omitted from the first England squad chosen since former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower, renowned for his resilience in his playing days, was appointed on a permanent basis as the team`s head coach.

However, there are three first-class matches that Bell could play in before the first Test against Australia in Cardiff - two County Championship fixtures and an Edgbaston clash between Warwickshire and an England XI.

Even if Bell, who last July made a Test-best 199 against South Africa at Lord`s, cannot force his way back in on his own merits, England`s recent run of injuries suggest he may well get another chance before the Ashes are concluded.

"It`s a long summer and there`s a lot of cricket coming up," said Bell.
"Just because I`m not picked in this Test match now doesn`t mean I won`t be playing in the Ashes and I`ve got to keep believing that I can and believe if I keep scoring the runs then I`ve got a chance of playing.

Age no bar in Twenty20 cricket: Tendulkar

Durban, April 30: Who says Twenty20 is a young man’s game, asks Sachin Tendulkar.

Not only Tendulkar, the other 35-plus players like Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, and Sanath Jayasuriya have outshone the younger lot in the ongoing second edition of the Indian Premier League.

“I don’t know who says that it`s a young man’s game. Clearly, he doesn`t know much about cricket,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying.

“It’s (T20) a cricketers’ game so it really doesn`t matter whether you are young or old. It is a cricketer`s match,” Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar, 36, has been in fine form, scoring 164 runs in four games which include two half-centuries.

The Mumbai Indians skipper though failed during his team`s three-run loss to Kings XI Punjab here Wednesday.

“Our bowlers did extremely well to restrict them to 120. We knew that it was going to be close. We needed a couple of decent partnerships in between which would have taken us to our target. But that didn`t happen.”

“We lost three early wickets and that put a lot of pressure on us. It wasn`t a flat deck to bat on, there was something happening,” Tendulkar said.

“The conditions get tougher in the evening with the ball doing a bit. The wicket is such that the ball was not coming onto the bat. And if the ball starts doing that then it`s always going to be tough to put it away.

Shah Rukh dismisses KKR-for-sale reports

Mumbai, April 30: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday dismissed reports that the beleaguered Indian Premier League franchisee is up for sale.

Shah Rukh said he had made a lot of emotional investment in building the side and was not selling it.

"The amount of love I have invested in it, nobody in this world can afford to buy it," Shah Rukh said after casting his vote today.

News reports earlier claimed the actor wanted to wash his hands of KKR, which has been struggling in the second IPL in South Africa.

According to reports, Shah Rukh was in touch with Nokia, Sahara and the Anil Ambani Group to sell the side he had bought last year for Rs 300 crore.

KKR has been plagued by a slew of controversies which went on to affect its performance on the field as the side managed just one win so far in the second IPL.

Coach John Buchanan`s multiple-captain theory, stripping Sourav Ganguly of captaincy and handing it over to Brendon McCullum, sending Aakash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar back home midway through the tournament and reports of a possible players` revolt against the coach -- all affected the side`s morale.

McCullum himself is going through a bad patch and has decided to step down if the side fails to reach the semifinals.

Shah Rukh was with the team in South Africa before returning home to cast his vote and he plans not to rejoin team unless it starts winning again.

"If my team continues to lose like this, I am not going back to South Africa. I will go only when they play well and win," Shah Rukh said.

Outstanding Raina guides Chennai to victory

Centurion, April 30: Cometh the hour, cometh Raina. Riding high on his blistering knock of 98, Chennai Super Kings thumped defending champions Rajasthan Royals by 38 runs at Super Sport Park here on Thursday.

A blistering innings by Suresh Raina saw Chennai Super Kings shrug off their initial stammer and post a challenging total of 165 runs for the current champions, chasing which Rajasthan were skittled out for 126/9 in just 19.3 overs as Kamran Khan decided not to put on the batting gloves.

In what could be termed as one of the finest innings of IPL season two along with AB de Villiers` magnificent century couple of days back, Raina delighted the crowd and millions watching across the globe with some breathtaking and audacious strokes over covers and all around the park. Raina’s innings of 98 comprised of 5 huge sixes and 10 fours. The knock also became the highest total by an Indian in the IPL-II.

Raina’s onslaught in the game at one stage forced Kamran Khan, Warne’s find of the season, going for 19 runs in four balls. Khan then pulled out of the park with a twisted ankle.

Earlier in the match, Chennai, who were off to a horrendous start, brought themselves back into the match with over fifty runs partnership for the third wicket between Raina and Badrinath. Put into bat, Chennai Super Kings were struggling to get on with the game after losing two big wickets of Mathew Hayden (1) and Parthiv Patel (3) cheaply against some disciplined bowling by Yusuf Pathan.

Yusuf Pathan, the constructor-in-chief for Rajasthan Royals` scintillating victories until now, switched his role into destructor-in-chief as he got rid of the two Chennai openers. But since then the night belonged to Suresh Raina and Chennai Super Kings.

Chasing a challenging total of 165 runs for victory, Royals struggled to keep pace with the required run rate. Barring Ravinder Jadeja, who scored 37 off 33 balls, raised hopes for Rajasthan, all other failed to take off.

Rob Quiney (28), Graeme Smith (2), Swapnil Asnodkar(10) Yusuf Pathan (20) Dimitri Mascarenhas (8), Warne (3), Munaf Patel (0) failed to rise to the occasion as the defending champions crumbled to their first defeat against Chennai Super Kings in IPL-II.

Kwadwo Asamoah - The Next Great Ghana Midfielder?

One Serie A player has exploded in the second half of the season. His name? Kwadwo Asamoah of Udinese. Carlo Garganese believes the 20-year-old has the potential to make it to the very top...

African nations, have possessed an abundance of midfield talent in recent years. Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari have both starred for top Italian clubs Juventus and Inter, respectively, while Chelsea’s Michael Essien can currently claim to be one of the world’s best enforcers.

Going further back, Karim Abdul Razak was one of Africa’s premier midfielders during the 1980s, whereas former Marseille and Torino playmaker Abedi Pele, the ‘African Maradona’, is an undisputed legend of the game.

Could another great Ghanaian midfielder be just about to emerge?

Until a few months ago, Kwadwo Asamoah was a virtual unknown. The 20-year-old had moved to Torino on loan in January 2008 from Swiss side Bellinzona, and then on loan again to Udinese last summer. Until January of this year, Asamoah had yet to make his Serie A debut, and anyone dedicated enough to study squad rosters would probably have written off the youngster as a nonentity.

Asamoah finally made his bow on January 11, as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 home draw with Sampdoria. He has since been a virtual ever-present, starting 13 matches, and scoring one goal – a superb effort during the 3-1 win over Fiorentina a fortnight ago.

In the space of just three months, Asamoah’s transfer value has risen from a five-figure sum to at least €15 million. Every major Italian club, particularly Inter and Juventus, are said to be interested in signing the starlet, while it is surely only a matter of time before Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, and other Premier League giants, start passing over a few admiring glances.

In many ways, Asamoah is the complete modern midfielder. He has explosive pace, everlasting stamina, bull-like strength, and moves tirelessly from box-to-box. Yet, unlike your Essien or Muntari, he also possesses some exciting technical skills. Asamoah dribbles and surges past opponents, passes the ball well, has good awareness, and possesses a sweet left foot. If you had to compare him to a player, you would say he is a mix between Edgar Davids and Manchester United’s Anderson, only less robust and defensive-minded than the former, and not as tactical as the latter.

Juventus and Inter both desperately need a top-class midfielder this summer, and they could do a lot worse than Asamoah. He may only have three months' top-class experience under his belt, but there is no replacement for raw talent, and Asamoah certainly has the makings of a really special player. He is also very versatile, as he is so complete and supple, and could probably fit into any tactical system.

At next summer’s World Cup, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has already vowed that an African nation can make it to the semi-finals. Ivory Coast are perhaps the best equipped to fulfil this prophecy, but one should not rule out Ghana. The Black Stars may be lacking a bit of quality in defence and attack, but in a year’s time their midfield will be able to hold its own against most teams. Essien, Muntari and Asamoah have the potential to form a fearsome trident. Were Mario Balotelli to follow Anthony Baffoe’s advice and pledge his allegiance too, then Ghana really could cause a stir in South Africa.

What are your views on this topic? Is Kwadwo Asamoah Ghana’s next great midfielder? Will he join a big club this summer? Will he help Ghana achieve great things in South Africa? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think

Steven Gerrard back to boost Liverpool's Premier League title push

A persistent groin injury caused Steven Gerrard to miss Liverpool's previous three matches. Photograph: Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

Liverpool's hopes of prising the Premier League title from Manchester United's grip will be boosted by the return of captain Steven Gerrard for Sunday's match at home to Newcastle.

Liverpool's talismanic midfielder missed the club's Champions League exit at Chelsea and the costly 4-4 home draw with Arsenal in the league last week with a groin injury. His return is good news for Liverpool, who are three points behind Manchester United with four games left, but not a pleasant one for Newcastle manager Alan Shearer whose side are fighting to cling on to their Premier League status.

"Steven is doing well and is training with the rest of the team," Rafael Benítez told the club's official website. "I think he will be fit and available for Sunday. It is good news for the team and for him because he can be a key player for us over the remaining games."

Liverpool cannot afford to drop any more points this season to have any hope of preventing Manchester United from equalling their record of 18 top-flight title wins. United travel to relegation battlers Middlesbrough for an early kick-off on Saturday, having edged Arsenal 1-0 in their Champions League semi-final, first leg last night.

It will be a quick turnaround for United, who have a major doubt over Rio Ferdinand after he picked up a rib injury against Arsenal, but Benítez will not be holding out too much hope of an upset and victory will leave Liverpool trailing the Old Trafford club by six points prior to their match with Newcastle on Sunday.