Kuznetsova enters second round at Stuttgart's WTA

Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova booked her place in the second round at Stuttgart's WTA event on Wednesday as the fifth seed was taken to three sets by local heroine Andrea Petkovic.

Having earned herself a match point in the second, the Russian was broken back by the plucky German and eventually lost the second set before going on to win 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 as the game lasted just over two hours.

"It was a game of ups and downs, especially in the second set," said Kuznetsova, ranked ninth in the world. "I was disappointed with my serves and then I blew the chance to win the game early. "I should have taken both the first two sets and then it went to a third."

Kuznetsova plays China's Na Li in the second round on Thursday and said she was looking forward to another tough match as the pair played each other three times last year while Li handed the Russian an early exit from the Olympics.

"It is going to be a tough match, I played her a lot last year," said the Russian who has beaten Li five times in total on the WTA tour to the Chinese player's two wins. "I have to be more focused than I was today and concentrate harder."

Russian compatriot and last year's finalist Nadia Petrova also made it into the second round after beating China's Jie Zheng 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a marathon game which lasted just under two and a half hours.

Sixth-seed Petrova hit 13 aces, but was broken in the second set while her Chinese opponent defended both her break points before the Russian dominated the third set.

O'Shea nets winner in United's win over Arsenal

Manchester United will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Arsenal after the holders failed to fully capitalise on their domination on Wednesday.

An inspired display from Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia ensured that John O'Shea's 17th-minute strike - only his second Champions League goal in his 60th appearance in the competition - was the only reward Sir Alex Ferguson's side reaped from a first leg encounter they comfortably controlled. O'Shea admitted United had not made the most of the chances they created.

"Their keeper made a couple of great saves but from the first-half we could have been a couple more up," the Ireland defender said. "Overall though we have to be happy. We are more than capable of scoring an away goal at the Emirates but it is far from over."

Carlos Tevez's decisive role in the weekend comeback against Tottenham earned him a place in a United starting line-up in which there was no room for either Dimitar Berbatov or Ryan Giggs, who was made to wait until 66 minutes had elapsed before coming on to make his 800th appearance for the club.

Arsenal's defensive problems were eased as former United centreback Mikael Silvestre and teenage leftback Kieran Gibbs both came through late fitness tests, although the opening exchanges hardly inspired confidence in a back four missing both William Gallas and Gael Clichy.

Within two minutes, Darren Fletcher's cross had given Wayne Rooney the chance to force Manuel Almunia into a fine one-handed save and it quickly became apparent that Arsenal would struggle to cope with the tempo of United's opening salvoes.

A superb double save from Almunia denied Tevez just after quarter of an hour had elapsed but the resulting corner saw the holders claim the opener that their efforts deserved. The initial delivery failed to trouble the Arsenal backline but, fatally, Michael Carrick was allowed to pick the ball up beyond the back post and hook it back across goal.

Theo Walcott's attempt to intercept only served to direct the ball into the path of O'Shea and the Ireland defender finished with the aplomb of a seasoned striker, hitting a half-volley into the roof of the net.

Still reeling from that setback, Arsenal were fortunate not to concede a second when Cristiano Ronaldo headed an inviting cross from Tevez straight at Almunia.

But as the first half came to a close, the visitors began to string a few passes together although there were no clear chances to show for their attractive build-up and Almunia had to be quickly off his line to deny Ronaldo after a slipshod passback by Gibbs.

With United's energy levels slipping, chances were thinner on the ground after the interval, but the hosts were still unfortunate not to double their lead with just over 20 minutes left after a piece of brilliance from Ronaldo.

Picking up a loose ball just inside the Gunners' half, the Portuguese winger advanced to within 30 yards of the goal before unleashing a wickedly dipping drive that left Almunia completely stranded but clattered against the bar.

By that stage, Giggs had entered the fray and the frustration of the evening for United was summed up by the fact that only a fractional offside decision prevented the veteran Welsh winger from marking his landmark appearance with a goal.

Champions League: Chelsea hold Barcelona

Chelsea saw mission accomplished after they stood firm against a barrage from Barcelona at the Camp Nou to draw 0-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday leaving the hosts goalless for the first time at home this season in the competition.

As expected Barca took the game to Chelsea and enjoyed the vast majority of the possession but they were unable to find a way through to goal. Petr Cech made a couple of important blocks from Samuel Eto'o and substitute Alexandr Hleb but too often they were restricted to strikes from distance.

Eto'o, who it has been denied is subject to a 40million pound bid from Manchester City, said that there was hope for Barcelona in the second leg because Chelsea could not just lie back in their half the whole time.

Chelsea skipper John Terry conceded that Barcelona had had the majority of the chances but was delighted to have come away with the draw. "We stayed very tight at the back," said Terry, whose missed penalty in last year's final handed victory to Manchester United.

"It was a fantastic performance and to not concede a goal is delightful. "Hopefully going back to the Bridge (Stamford Bridge) we can use that to our advantage."

In the pre-match build-up Xavi Hernandez predicted a battle between Barca's passing game and Chelsea's more physical approach and this proved to be the case after a predictable tense opening in which both teams felt each other out. To deal with the aerial challenge Gerard Pique was preferred at the heart of the Barca defence alongside Rafa Marquez with club captain Carles Puyol surprisingly left on the bench.

For Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink decided to pack the midfield playing John Mikel Obi and dropping striker Nicolas Anelka despite claiming his team would go out and attack. Barca began probing the visitors defence and their quick movement left the Chelsea backline at full stretch.

An interchange between Eto'o and Xavi saw the Cameroon international shoot wide from the edge of the area while Xavi himself and Lionel Messi also tested the Chelsea goal. Chelsea looked to contain Barca with strong challenges but at times they went over the top and both Alex and Michael Ballack were booked mid-way through the first-half.

The game did threaten to boil over with an ugly exchange between Dani Alves and Florent Malouda, and Barca's own enforcer Toure Yaya was booked for complaining after another late tackle from Chelsea.

Before the interval in a rare foray forward Drogba could have given Chelsea the lead when an error from Marquez put him through on goal but he fired straight at the keeper. Barca too went close with Thierry Henry forcing a save from Cech at his near post.

Chelsea continued to defend deeply and while they battled hard it is an ominous task to last out a full 90 minutes against the quality of the Barca attack but that is just what they did. Marquez was carried off for Barcelona after appearing to injure his knee but it mattered little as most of the game was in the other half.

While Ballack did see a header go wide, Alves and Messi both had shots from the edge of the area but too rarely made their domination count. Eto'o should though have done better after outpacing Alex but with just the keeper to beat he took too long with his shot and was crowded out.

In the final stages Barca desperate for a lead to take to Stamford Bridge brought on Bojan Krkic and Hleb but they too could not conjure a goal although the ex-Arsenal player Hleb saw a shot saved well by Cech in injury time.

World number one Safina expects a great year

Freshly crowned world number one Dinara Safina expects another title-rich season that will consolidate her new status and lead her to a Grand Slam win.

Russian Safina replaced Serena Williams at the top of the WTA's official rankings last week and said the first half of her dream was realised, the other being a grand slam victory.

"This year started better than last year," Safina said in an interview arranged by the WTA Tour's sponsor Sony Ericsson before the start of the Stuttgart tournament. Last year Safina won four WTA titles Montreal, Los Angeles, Berlin and Tokyo.

"This year I have already played in a grand slam final so why not even have a better year?" Safina said.

Safina, who lost to Williams in the Australian Open in January and was a losing finalist at the 2008 French Open, said becoming number one had taken a lot of pressure off her game as she chases her first grand slam win.

"Now I can be more relaxed. I made it to the top and I can now focus on the other half of my dream. Before it was all about winning, winning, winning. The pressure was great."

Safina credited her coach Zeljko Krajan for turning her game round last year and helping her reach the top.

"I always felt there was more, something else inside me," she said. "I had the shots but did not know when to use my weapons. I am lucky I found the right person to open my mind. "Now I feel I want to take everything in my hands. Not like waiting for Serena (Williams) to lose."

Button stretches title lead with Bahrain victory

Britain's Jenson Button won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday for the Formula One championship leader's third victory in four races with newcomers Brawn GP this season.

The 29-year-old's success at Sakhir dashed Toyota's hopes of a breakthrough first win after the Japanese manufacturer had started with both their cars on the front row for the first time.

Germany's Sebastian Vettel was second for Red Bull with Toyota's Italian Jarno Trulli finishing third from pole position. Button, with four career wins, now has 31 points to Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello's 19 and Vettel's 18.

Champions Ferrari finally opened their account with 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen finishing sixth for the Italian team's first points of the year.

McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose team could receive a heavy punishment at a hearing in Paris on Wednesday for lying to stewards at the Australian season-opener, took fourth place after an aggressive start.

Barrichello was fifth, ahead of Raikkonen, with Toyota's Timo Glock seventh and Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso taking the final point on a hot afternoon with air temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius.

Glock, lighter on fuel than his team mate, made the quicker start and led for the first 10 laps before pitting and handing over to Trulli.

Button led for the first time in the race on lap 13, allowing Vettel and then Raikkonen to take brief turns at the front when he pitted, but was clearly in control for the final third of the race.

"We're going back to Europe with some very good points. Let's do it again in Barcelona," Button, who had started fourth, said as he took the chequered flag and punched the air in jubilation.

The Spanish Grand prix is next on May 10. BMW-Sauber, who had hoped to be challenging for the title this season, had a dismal afternoon at the circuit that brought them their first pole position last year with Poland's Robert Kubica.

Both cars were lapped just after the halfway mark, with Kubica 18th and Germany's Nick Heidfeld the last finisher in 19th place at the chequered flag. Williams's Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima was the sole retirement.

Fabregas double earns Arsenal victory over Boro

Arsenal will head into their Champions League clash with bitter rivals Manchester United on the back of a 20 game unbeaten run after Cesc Fabregas ended Arsene Wenger's wait for a win over Middlesbrough by scoring twice in Sunday's 2-0 success at the Emirates.

Fabregas's double, his first goals in nearly six months, was enough to maintain Arsenal's bid for third place in the Premier League and piled on more relegation fears for Middlesbrough.

It was Arsenal's first win in six matches against Gareth Southgate's side and Middlesbrough are now facing an increasingly difficult scrap to avoid relegation, with this defeat - their 11th successive loss on the road - leaving them three points adrift of safety.

Arsenal's hopes of catching Chelsea to book an automatic Champions League place next season, remain alive and Wenger will prepare for the crunch semi-final with Manchester United confident of upsetting Old Trafford supremo Sir Alex Ferguson yet again.

United boss Ferguson was in the stands at the Emirates to witness Arsenal's sixth successive home win and Wednesday's match at Old Trafford promises to be yet another epic encounter in a season that has been packed with them.

Southgate, meanwhile, faces United in his next league outing knowing he needs to upset the form book if Boro are to secure a much-needed victory.

There is something about Wenger's side that brings the best out of Southgate and his players. And they were at it again early on at the Emirates, where before Sunday's match they had never lost.

Despite the grim prospect of Championship football next season, Boro are stubbornly clinging to their Premier League status of 11-year standing and, at the start, they produced a fiercely determined performance.

For long periods they frustrated Arsenal, while maintaining a threat on the counter-attack, but the Gunners' class finally told in the 26th minute.

Andrei Arshavin, who has already etched his name into Arsenal folklore in his first season after his stunning four-goal salvo at Liverpool in midweek, broke down the left to tee up Fabregas for a simple finish from ten yards.

Theo Walcott drove narrowly wide soon after but the expected avalanche failed to materialise as the visitors regrouped. And Boro's England international Stewart Downing forced an excellent sprawling save from Manuel Almunia three minutes before half-time with a 20-yard drive.

Middlesbrough came even closer five minutes into the second half through Jeremie Aliadiere. The former Gunner was released by Downing but was denied by an alert Almunia, who saved his shot at his feet.

But just when Boro were enjoying their best spell, Fabregas settled the match with 23 minutes left when he rounded onrushing goalkeeper Brad Jones. The Spain midfielder and Walcott were then substituted in order to keep them fresh for Wednesday's showpiece match.

Evergreen Giggs wins PFA award

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs was voted Player of the Year for the first time by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) on Sunday. Despite making only 12 Premier League starts and scoring a single goal, the evergreen Welshman finally took the prize after 18 years as a professional with United and just short of 800 appearances for the club.

He edged out United team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar and Rio Ferdinand as well as Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. "It's right up there with personal accolades, it's the best to have as it's voted by your fellow players," Giggs, the first Welshman since Mark Hughes in 1991 to win the award, was quoted as saying.

"I've been fortunate to win a lot of trophies, I won the young player award twice, but this is the big one. "It's an exciting season. I think it is going to go right to the wire, there's big game after big game now. That is what you want and need at a club like Manchester United."

The 35-year-old's only Premier League goal of the season came against West Ham United in February, a classy effort after swerving past several defenders. Despite his age, manager Alex Ferguson has continued to call on the veteran during big games and has extended Giggs's contract by one season.

"The manager has been massive in my career from when I first met him when I was 13," Giggs said. "I've been so fortunate to have such a great career in so many great teams, it's not even worth thinking about what it would have been like without the manager."

Giggs, who stopped Ronaldo winning the award for the third consecutive season, is on course for an 11th Premier League winners' medal with United three points clear at the top with a game in hand of their rivals.

He could also add a third Champions League winners' medal to his collection with United facing Arsenal in the semi-final. Aston Villa's Ashley Young was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

Nadal to face Ferrer in repeat Barcelona final

World number one Rafael Nadal beat Russian third seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Saturday to stay on course for a fifth successive title at the Catalan event.

In a repeat of last year's final, the Spanish top seed will play compatriot David Ferrer on Sunday after the fourth seed came back from a set down to defeat fifth-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 7-6.

World number eight Davydenko had three break points early in the match but failed to capitalise and Nadal found his range on the clay in breezy conditions to break twice and take the opening set.

After losing his serve again in the second set, Davydenko failed to convert chances to break back and Nadal sealed victory on the Russian's serve on his first match point with a thumping backhand drive that caught the line.

"It wasn't a great performance but I didn't make too many errors," the 22-year-old Mallorcan said at a news conference. "It was a hard match, even if that is not necessarily reflected in the result."

Nadal has only lost four times on clay since 2005, most recently to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round of last year's Rome Masters. "Tomorrow I will try to play at my best and if I manage that then I am confident of my chances," he said.

Ferrer looked well out of sorts in the opening set against the big-hitting Gonzalez but rediscovered his form to take the second with two breaks of the Chilean's serve. He was broken when serving for the match at 5-3 in the final set but recovered to win the tiebreak 7-5, clinching victory when Gonzalez netted a forehand.

Sunday's final, due to be played at 1400 GMT, could be affected by the heavy showers that are forecast for the Barcelona area.

Federer, Djokovic struggle to unlock Nadal mystery

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic launch their latest attempts to derail Rafael Nadal's non-stop, clay court express at the Rome Masters which gets under way at the Foro Italico on Sunday. Nadal won three successive titles here until last year when he suffered a shock second round loss to Spanish compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero.

With Federer losing to Radek Stepanek in the quarter-finals, Djokovic seized his opportunity to take the title beating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final.

However, if Federer and Djokovic, the world numbers two and three respectively, had been hoping Nadal's early exit in 2008 was to signal a rapid decline, they were in for a devastating wake-up call. Nadal went on to claim a fourth French Open, then took Federer's Wimbledon title and succeeded Djokovic as Australian Open winner in January.

He's the world number one and also added, for good measure, a fifth successive Monte Carlo Masters clay court title last week, beating Djokovic in the final although the Serbian took heart from extending Nadal to three sets.

"It's the story of believing in yourself. I think that's the key to playing him," said Djokovic. "You just have to be focused every single point because you have a player on the other side of the net who doesn't give you any points. He really doesn't care about the result. He just wants to give his best every single point.

"That's why he's very unique and that's why he's the best. So you have to be physically really fit in the first place, because long rallies and long points are waiting for you. That's no secret."

Federer lasted just two matches in Monte Carlo, a serious setback for a man who had reached the final in the previous three years. The Swiss star heads to Italy in a slump and still waiting to celebrate his first title of 2009, but he believes his brief stay on the French Riviera will help him in Rome.

"I haven't served my best throughout the season, so I have to make sure I get my serve back going well for me because I just don't hit the spots when I really want to," said Federer.

The Rome Masters has been hit by a number of withdrawals with Andy Roddick, Gael Monfils, David Nalbandian and Mario Ancic all pulling out.

Nalbandian suffered a hip injury during his third round victory at Barcelona over Nicolas Almagro on Thursday while Monfils has been suffering from knee problems and is unlikely to play much tennis before Roland Garros.

Ancic is still suffering from the effects of the glandular fever that struck him down last season while Roddick is on honeymoon with bride Brooklyn Decker. He is expected to play at the Madrid Masters the week after Rome.

Nadal surges into last eight in Barcelona

World number one Rafael Nadal thrashed unseeded Belgian Christophe Rochus 6-2, 6-0 on Thursday to advance to the Barcelona Open quarter-finals and stay on course for a fifth straight title.

The Spanish top seed broke the Rochus serve twice in the first set and three times in the second on the clay in the Catalan capital and will play David Nalbandian, seeded seven, for a place in the semi-finals.

Argentine Nalbandian became the first player to reach the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spanish 10th seed Nicolas Almagro. He was joined by Radek Stepanek when the Czech beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to set up a clash with Russian third seed Nikolay Davydenko or Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

Last year's losing finalist David Ferrer and 2004 winner Tommy Robredo will meet for a place in the semis after the Spanish pair both came back from a set down to beat Italy's Potito Starace and Russian Igor Andreev respectively.

Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco takes on Czech Tomas Berdych and Chile's Fernando Gonzalez plays Argentine Juan Monaco later on Thursday.

Nadal, who became the first man to win the Monte Carlo Masters five times in a row when he beat Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final, begins his attempt for a fifth consecutive French Open crown next month.

Man United beat Pompey to go 3 points clear

Wayne Rooney scored early as Manchester United cruised to a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth on Wednesday that lifted the defending champions three points clear of Liverpool atop the Premier League.

The England striker tapped in his 18th goal of the season after nine minutes to help ensure United won the first of two games in hand over Liverpool, which slipped off the pace after Tuesday's 4-4 draw with Arsenal.

The Red Devils took until the 82nd minute to score again, with substitute Michael Carrick firing into the far corner after running onto Paul Scholes' precise throughball from the halfway line. The 34-year-old Scholes was making his 600th appearance for United, where he has spent his entire career.

United's labored victory came at a cost, losing two right backs to foot injuries. Captain Gary Neville was forced off just after Rooney's opener and his replacement, John O'Shea, limped off early in the second half.

Alex Ferguson made nine changes from the inexperienced side that lost Sunday's FA Cup semifinal to Everton on penalties. Rooney was among the big names to return, deployed as the lone striker supported by Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo on the flanks.

And it was Giggs, in his 799th appearance, who latched onto Anderson's lofted ball and went past Glen Johnson before squaring to the unmarked Rooney to slot into the net from five meters (yards).

Despite Portsmouth's early enterprise with Nadir Belhadj shooting over before Rooney's goal, the Red Devils were firmly in control of the match.

Anderson was presented with a great opportunity to double United's lead when goalkeeper David James rolled the ball to Hayden Mullins, who wasn't expecting it and miscontrolled. The Brazil midfielder, though, shot just wide of the target.

Belhadj kept out a second in the 30th, blocking O'Shea's header from Giggs' corner with a goal line clearance. While James had to fling his body at Giggs' shot and save Rooney's strike from a tight angle, overall there was a lack of urgency and tempo about United's forward threat.

Giggs was frustrated not to double United's advantage before the break. The Welsh midfielder chipped over the diving James after connecting with a low cross from Ronaldo after the world player of the year burst down the right flank unchecked.

Giggs was denied again at the start of the second half with James saving at his feet after a one-two with Rooney.

But Portsmouth looked brighter after an insipid first-half display. The most dangerous moment came when Glen Johnson rampaged down the right and tried to pick out Peter Crouch in the center, but goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar palmed the ball away from the striker's feet and Jonny Evans cleared. Crouch also came close with a downward header.

But Carrick's late strike after replacing Anderson clinched the three points that leaves Pompey six points above the relegation zone with five matches remaining.

Arshavin hits four as Liverpool held by Arsenal

Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin scored four goals in a pulsating 4-4 draw at Anfield on Tuesday to put a huge dent in Liverpool's Premier League title push.

For the second week running Liverpool shared eight goals, but while their thriller at Chelsea meant they exited the Champions League full of pride, they will rue the two points dropped against the Gunners despite going top of the table.

Liverpool have 71 points and are above Manchester United on goal difference but United have seven games remaining to Liverpool's five, starting at home to Portsmouth on Wednesday. Chelsea are third on 67, with Arsenal fourth on 62.

The lethal Arshavin, Arsenal's record signing, seemed to have won a rip-roaring contest after a quick counter-attack in the 90th minute only for Yossi Benayoun to grab a stoppage-time equaliser for Liverpool with his second goal of the match.

Fernando Torres also struck twice and had a late header cleared off the line as Liverpool threw everything forward. However, crucial mistakes at the back cost them dearly as they strive for a first English title since 1990.

Liverpool, still without injured captain Steven Gerrard, marauded forward from the first whistle with Torres having two early chances to put them ahead and Benayoun bravely denied by Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Arshavin gave Arsenal a shock lead nine minutes before halftime from Cesc Fabregas's pull back. Liverpool came out firing in the second half and within 10 minutes of the restart they were ahead.

First, Torres sent a bullet header into the corner from Dirk Kuyt's cross and Kuyt was again the supplier as he lofted a ball into the area for Benayoun to touch over the line.

At that stage Liverpool looked set to stretch away but they were guilty of some terrible defending. After 67 minutes Arshavin robbed Alvaro Arbeloa of the ball and strode on to thrash a shot past Pepe Reina and he completed his hat-trick three minutes later when Fabio Aurelio's sloppy clearance fell at his feet.

Two minutes later Torres showed a magic touch to work some space and shoot past the despairing dive of Fabianski and the Spaniard was then denied a hat-trick when his glancing header was nodded off the line by young left back Kieran Gibbs.

As Liverpool searched for the winner, Walcott raced upfield and played in Arshavin, who again showed just why Arsenal pursued him for so long when he was at Zenit St Petersburg by walloping another shot past Reina.

Liverpool's title dream appeared to be shattered but there was still time for Benayoun to cap a superb display with a scuffed winner when the ball dropped to him in the area.

Dinara Safina is the new tennis queen, without glamour

Dinara Safina made tennis history for herself and her family when she officially climbed to the world No.1 position in the women's rankings on Monday.

Safina, 22, is at the top for the first time. Her brother Marat Safin led the men's rankings for nine weeks in 2000, making them the first brother-sister act to be number one in the singles rankings.

Safin is playing in the dusk of his career far from the top of the rankings at age 29, but Safina rejects all criticism that he could have done better over the years than the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open title. Successful brothers and sisters are rare in sport.

Zimbabwe's Cara and Byron Black got to the tennis doubles rankings top, there are the skiing acts of Hanni and Andreas Wenzel of Liechtenstein and Janica and Ivica Kostelic of Croatia, and US athletics greats Jackie Joyner-Kersee and AL Joyner both won Olympic gold medals.

Safina's career has seen a remarkable turnaround in the past year.

Ranked just inside the top 20, Safina was on the verge of quitting the sport after poor results in early 2008, but then got her act together with four 2008 titles and her first big finals at the French Open and the Olympics.

She also made the January 2009 decider of the Australian Open, losing a showdown for the trophy and the world number one position to American Serena Williams. Safina attributes the rise to coach Zeljko Krajan, who, she said, made her see tennis in a "positive" way. It has not gone unnoticed that Safina - like Serb Jelena Jankovic last year - is now top without having won a Grand Slam, but she swiftly dismissed any criticism.

"I can win every one of the remaining three Grand Slams of the year. Every one!" she said.

Safina is the 19th number one overall since the rankings were introduced in 1975 as the race for the top has become very tight in recent months with several changes.

"There are many girls in the top 10 who play well. In the past there were only a few, the others were only average," said Safina.

Safina is the second Russian atop the rankings, but considers herself far from the glamour of the other top-ranked star, Maria Sharapova.

"We are totally different, you can't compare us at all," she said. "We are both fighters, we don't like losing." After all, for Safina only the on-court performance counts, not the latest designer dress.

"I have no favourite brand and no favourite designer. I simply wear clothes that suit me. I just want to feel good," she said. That is definitely the case on court and the top ranking adds to the good feeling of the hard-hitting baseliner.

Everton beat Man United, reach FA Cup final

Everton will face Chelsea in the FA Cup final after David Moyes' side secured a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United following a goalless draw at Wembley on Sunday.

Tim Howard, Everton's former United keeper, was the hero as he saved from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand, allowing defender Phil Jagielka to strike the decisive spot-kick. That took Everton to their first final since 1995 and ended United's hopes of completing a clean sweep of honors.

It was the first time Sir Alex Ferguson had experienced defeat at this stage of the competition, but the United manager was furious his side had been denied a second half penalty appeal when Jagielka clipped Danny Welbeck. After winning the League Cup and Club World Cup already this season, United now have to focus on retaining the Premier League and Champions League trophies they won last year.

Ferguson had sprung a major surprise by fielding a side packed with youngsters and fringe players in advance of Wednesday's league clash with Portsmouth. Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs were among those missing, and without their big names United looked a shadow of their usual selves.

Carlos Tevez accepted the responsibility of co-ordinating his inexperienced teenage strike-partners Federico Macheda and Welbeck and orchestrated a series of neat passing moves around the edge of the Everton area. But without Rooney and Ronaldo, United were desperately short of a cutting edge and Everton keeper Tim Howard remained largely untroubled during the opening 45 minutes.

In fact United came closest to scoring when Howard was wrong-footed when team-mate Joleon Lescott deflected Park Ji-Sung's right win cross and both defender and keeper were relieved to see the ball drift narrowly wide of the near post.

Whether Everton were boosted or insulted by the sight of the United team-sheet, they initially showed few signs of being able to exploit their weakened opponents.

Despite boasting an overwhelming advantage in terms of first-team experience, it was David Moyes' side who looked inhibited on the big stage, although a line-up that left lone striker Louis Saha painfully short of support did nothing to encourage their ambition.

Marouane Fellaini attempted to get close to Saha but the Belgian's aerial threat was nullified by Nemanja Vidic and Everton's only half chance of the first half came when United keeper Ben Foster scuffed a clearance.

It was clear Everton needed to inject more purpose and self-belief into their attacking movements. And that is exactly what they did after the restart when they pressed United onto the back-foot and finally brought a meaningful save from Foster when Tim Cahill let fly from 30 yards in the 54th minute.

But instead of building on that momentum, Moyes's side again found themselves overrun as United took charge with Park and Darron Gibson both coming close with well-worked shots.

There best opening, though, was denied by referee Mike Riley who adjudged there had been no infringement when Jagielka appeared to trip Welbeck after the United striker had latched onto a loose ball and rounded Howard.

United were adamant it should have been a penalty - and Ferguson remonstrated angrily from the touch-line. It's likely he would have been even more furious had he known his side would struggle to make another chance of note before the tie drifted into extra-time.

Penalties always looked the most likely outcome once the extra half hour had been signaled, although Everton substitute James Vaughan wasted a good opening when he directed a shot straight at Vidic.

Nadal wins 5th straight Monte Carlo Masters title

World number one Rafael Nadal survived a battling Novak Djokovic to clinch a fifth successive Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday and equaled a century-old record at the Country Club.

Nadal turned on the afterburners at the start of the third set, winning a 13-minute game to set the tone for his 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory. The Spaniard joined New Zealander Anthony Wilding from a century ago, who also won five (non-consecutive) titles at the premier clay event starting in 1908.

Nadal lost his first set since the 2006 final against Roger Federer, but barely noticed as he powered past his third-ranked Serb opponent for the 12th time in 16 meetings, including seven for seven on clay.

"Confidence was important, I had to fight all the time and put the balls inside the lines," said Nadal, who won his 14th Masters title to now stand alongside Federer.

"I needed to play aggressively without mistakes. I was very focused on the moment, that's why I was able to win," said the four-time Roland Garros champion who will now travel to Barcelona to attempt five in a row at the Catalan venue next week. "It is very emotional for me here, winning five in a row. I'm very, very happy."

Nadal has nudged just over the halfway point as he approaches the all-time number of career clay titles with his 23rd crown. Argentine Guillermo Vilas holds the record of 45.

He also drew level with Andy Murray on three trophies this season, adding the principality to his pair at the Australian Open and Indian Wells. The Spaniard's victory was his 29th of the season and leaves him a near-flawless 29-1 at Monte Carlo, where he suffered his only loss in 2003 against Guillermo Coria.

Djokovic, who took treatment for a back muscle tweak in the second set, fought through to the end in style in an encounter lasting for just under three hours on the clay.

"I played a really good match, but I'm disappointed with the loss," said the world number three who advanced closer to Federer in the points standings.

"It was close out there and I was playing the right game. But I was rushing some of the points and trying to end them too quickly. Rafael used his strength and experience on the surface to win again."

Nadal got through the 58-minute set but let his level drop in the second as Djokovic stormed back. Nadal's tenacious staying power proved to be too much as he ran away with the third after claiming the opening marathon game.

Nadal will hope to conserve energy as he builds towards a dream fifth in success in the French Open from next month, a tournament where he has never been beaten. Nadal has lost only 14 clay matches in his career.

Nadal meets Djokovic for fifth Monte Carlo title

World number one Rafael Nadal out-muscled Andy Murray on Saturday with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win which moved him to within one victory of a fifth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title.

The Spanish claycourt king will take on Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic, who recovered to beat Swiss 13th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, the conqueror of Roger Federer, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, to reach his first final in the principality.

Nadal leads Djokovic 11-4 in career meetings, including a Davis Cup victory last month and a 6-0 mark on clay. The world number one has now won 26 matches at the Country Club since his only loss to Guillermo Coria in the third round in 2003.

He has now won 30 consecutive sets at the venue since dropping the second set in the 2006 final to Roger Federer and stands on 20 straight wins on clay dating back to May last year when he fell to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round in Rome.

Scotland's Murray dropped to 2-7 against Nadal, whom he he beat in February's Rotterdam final before losing the title match a month later at Indian Wells. Murray saved a match point in the eighth game of the second set as he hinted it will not be all one-way traffic in future meetings with the Spaniard.

Nadal dug in to win after more than two hours in a tiebreaker on his third opportunity.

"Novak is a tough opponent and he's been playing well," said Nadal. "I'll have to be on my best game in order to beat him. "It's exciting to make another final, this is really my event and I'm really proud of my performance today."

Murray still leads the ATP on 29 wins against just three defeats this season with three titles, the most on the circuit and one more than Nadal to date. Wawrinka lost an early break in the final set, with Djokovic breaking back for 1-2 and securing a 3-2 lead which took him home after the 13th seed saved two match points.

Djokovic now leads their series 6-2 with his only two defeats against Wawrinka coming in 2006. The Serb beat the Swiss in the final of Rome 11 months ago. Djokovic's win helps him fight off a charge from Murray in the rankings chase. with the Scot closing in on the 2008 Australian Open champion, who trails Nadal and Federer in the season standings.

Drogba fires Chelsea into FA Cup final

Didier Drogba fired Chelsea into the FA Cup final as the Ivory Coast striker's late goal clinched a 2-1 win over London rivals Arsenal in Saturday's semi-final.

Guus Hiddink's side fell behind at Wembley when Theo Walcott's 18th minute shot deflected off Ashley Cole's arm and bounced over Petr Cech.

But France winger Florent Malouda equalised in the 33rd minute when he collected Frank Lampard's pass, cut inside Emmanuel Eboue and beat Lukasz Fabianski at his near post.

With extra-time only six minutes away, Drogba sent the 2007 FA Cup winners back to the final when he raced onto Lampard's long pass, rounded Fabianski, who had rashly come off his line, and slotted into the empty net.

Manchester United play Everton in the second semi-final, also at Wembley on Sunday.

Nadal, Murray set up semi-final clash

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray both had to work double shifts Friday before setting up a mouth-watering Monte Carlo Masters semi-final clash. Top seed and world number one Nadal dispatched Nicolas Lapentti, in a match held over due to Thursday's torrential downpours, and then saw off Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic.

Murray, the fourth seed, defeated Italian Fabio Fognini, having held a one-set lead overnight, and then came back in the evening to end the challenge of Russian sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.

Four-time champion Nadal, bidding for a fifth consecutive trophy at the Country Club finished off Ecuador's Lapentti 6-3, 6-0. In late afternoon, he drove home a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ljubicic. Murray has never gone this far on clay and has never won three matches in a row on the surface.

In Saturday's other semi-final, world number three Novak Djokovic will line up against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka who put out Roger Federer in the third round. Djokovic, under pressure from Murray in the world rankings, advanced over Spanish seventh seed Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Wawrinka, the number 13 seed, beat German qualifier Andreas Beck 6-2, 6-4 and will be aiming for revenge against Djokovic after losing to the Serb three times in 2008. Their last meeting came in the final of Rome 11 months ago, Wawrinka's finest week on court.

Djokovic reaches semi-finals at Monte Carlo

Third-seeded Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters for the second consecutive year by beating No. 7 Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday.

Djokovic broke Verdasco, the Australian Open semi-finalist, in the sixth game of the deciding set and closed out the match on serve. Djokovic, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open on clay last year, will meet either No. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka or German qualifier Andreas Beck in the last four.

Earlier, top-ranked Rafael Nadal stretched his winning streak at the Monte Carlo Masters to 24 matches by beating Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 6-3, 6-0 in the third round. The match had been suspended Thursday due to heavy rain, with Lapentti up 1-0 in the first set.

Nadal was to play a second match on Friday, facing Ivan Ljubicic in the quarterfinals. Ljubicic beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 7-5, 7-6 (2).

Each time Nadal has won the Monte Carlo title he has gone on to capture the French Open. The Spaniard has won 18 straight matches on clay since losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round of the Rome Masters in May 2008.

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray overcame a poor start to beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 7-6 (11), 6-4 to reach a quarterfinal on clay for the first time in his career. The match was split over two days after rain halted Thursday's play at the start of the second set with Murray leading 1-0 and Fognini serving at 40-40.

Murray had never advanced past the third round on clay. Murray was playing the eighth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia later Friday. Davydenko beat No. 12 David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Federer defeated at Monte Carlo Masters

Roger Federer was left free to enjoy the rest of his honeymoon on Thursday when he was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters by Swiss compatriot and Olympic gold medal-winning partner Stanislas Wawrinka.

World number two Federer, without a title in 2009 and desperately short of form and confidence, went down 6-4, 7-5 to the 13th seed in the third round.

"I didn't have enough preparation before coming here, but that applies for everyone," said Federer. "It's not an excuse."

Federer, who got married to long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec at the weekend, had originally decided to skip this event, but accepted a late wildcard in the hope of finding his claycourt game in the run-up to the French Open.

He had lost the last three finals here to Rafael Nadal.

"I came to see where I was," the former long-time world number one added. "Now I know that I need to work at training to try to come back more strongly at (the ATP tournament in) Rome (April 27-May 3).

"I'm not too worried because I wasn't expecting much at this tournament. It's not a good result but I didn't expect to dominate everyone here. These two matches have given me information, rather than confidence."

On a day when the start of play was delayed by five hours because of rain, Spain's Fernando Verdasco crushed compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-1 while German Andreas Beck saw off Juan Monaco of Argentina 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Hamburg oust Man City to reach UEFA Cup semis

Ten-man English Premiership side Manchester City bowed out of the UEFA Cup on Thursday, falling short against Hamburg, who advanced to an all-German semi-final against Werder Bremen.

City came from behind to win 2-1 on the night, and Elano twice hit the woodwork, but Paolo Guerrero's opener gave the hosts too much to do after the 3-1 loss in Germany as Hamburg advanced 4-3 on aggregate to delight coach Martin Jol.

The historical omens had appeared to favour Jol, who while in charge of Spurs won six times in as many attempts facing City and was also unbeaten in four clashes against City's former Blackburn boss Mark Hughes. Hughes was sanguine in elimination.

City ended the match down to ten men after skipper Richard Dunne was dismissed ten minutes from time for a second booking.

"We're very disappointed. Now we've got to concentrate on finishing as high in the league as we can," said City midfielder Stephen Ireland, as the club make a last-ditch bid to make next season's revamped Europa League tournament.

Shorn of Craig Bellamy's attacking guile and the width of Shaun Wright-Phillips, City rallied manfully and claimed the equaliser five minutes after Guerrero had shocked them with Hamburg's goal on 12 minutes.

Elano netted from the spot after his snapshot struck Piotr Trochowski on the arm. City came out full of fire after the interval and went in front five minutes after the restart with a neat Felipe Caicedo finish from Ireland's pass. Caicedo then ballooned over from point blank range before having an effort chalked off for offside.

But a third goal would not come in a frantic finale as City bowed out. Aided by a brace from Diego, Bremen drew 3-3 away to Italy's Udinese, to wrap up a 6-4 win overall while the other semi-final will be an all-Ukrainian affair after Dynamo Kiev swamping a poor Paris Saint Germain 3-0 after a goalless draw in France.

PSG goalkeeper Mickael Landreau handed the Ukrainians victory with two glaring errors which led to two of the goals. Shakhtar Donetsk inflicted more Ukrainian punishment on French opposition as they won 2-1 at Marseille with Brazilian pair Fernandinho Luiz Rosa and Adriano on target for a 4-1 aggregate win.

Jol rated Werder Bremen as favourites to reach the final after the latter saw off Udinese. With Udinese trailing 3-1 from the first leg they were forced to attack and Swiss star Gokhan Inler put them ahead on 15 minutes. But Brazil playmaker Diego, a reported target for Juventus, responded with a sublime equaliser on 28 minutes, turning on the ball before firing into the top corner.

Fabio Quagliarella struck twice within eight minutes to level the tie but Diego then headed home just before the hour mark. Although Diego then missed out on a hat-trick when Samir Handanovic saved his penalty on 72 minutes Claudio Pizarro poked home from close range to put the result beyond doubt.

Chelsea survive roller-coaster ride to reach semi-finals

Chelsea survived one of the most dramatic matches in Champions League history to reach the semi-finals with a 4-4 draw against Liverpool in Tuesday's quarter-final second leg for a 7-5 aggregate victory.

Guus Hiddink's side, who will face Barcelona in the last four, came agonisingly close to squandering their 3-1 first leg lead as Liverpool twice pulled within one goal of a remarkable victory at Stamford Bridge.

The great escape looked on when Fabio Aurelio's free-kick and a Xabi Alonso penalty put Liverpool two goals ahead by half-time. Chelsea staged a superb second half revival as an own goal by Jose Reina was followed by strikes from Alex and Frank Lampard to seemingly put the Blues in control.

But Liverpool had no intention of going out quietly and Lucas and Dirk Kuyt struck to set up a nerve-jangling finish. If the Reds scored again they would go through on away goals, but Lampard finally settled the tie with a minute to play.

For the second successive season, Chelsea have knocked their Premier League rivals out of Europe's elite club competition, but the nerves of every Chelsea player and fan inside Stamford Bridge must have been completely shredded before the Blues finally emerged victorious.

Liverpool, who were without injured captain Steven Gerrard, needed the kind of heroic display they produced to turn a three-goal deficit into Champions League final victory against AC Milan in 2005.

They started as if inspired by the spirit of Istanbul and Fernando Torres surged onto Yossi Benayoun's back-heel, only to lose his composure and scuff tamely wide. The Blues were wary of committing too many players forward and Liverpool, dominating possession as a result, took the lead in remarkable fashion after 19 minutes.

There was no apparent danger when Aurelio lined up a free-kick wide on the wing 35 yards from goal. But Petr Cech clearly expected the Brazilian to send in a cross and put just one man in the defensive wall before taking up a position on the far side of his goal.

Aurelio noticed the gaping hole at Cech's near-post and took full advantage with a cheeky low shot that left the Chelsea keeper rooted to the spot.

Hiddink's team looked devoid of any idea how to defend their lead. Liverpool were tormented by Chelsea's corners in the first leg but now it was their turn to cause chaos from set pieces and they scored again in the 28th minute.

Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantelejo ruled that Branislav Ivanovic had pulled down Alonso in the penalty area as the players challenged for another Aurelio free-kick. Ivanovic, Chelsea's two-goal hero from the first leg, was now the villain as Alonso picked himself up to dispatch the penalty past Cech.

The Blues were shell-shocked and Hiddink responded by hauling off Salomon Kalou, with Nicolas Anelka replacing the Ivorian.

Hiddink sent his players out early before the start of the second half and Chelsea, finally attacking with some urgency, punished a blunder by Reina to go back in front on aggregate in the 52nd minute.

Anelka surged away from two defenders on the right wing and whipped in a low cross that Didier Drogba nudged goalwards. Reina got his hand to the ball but the Spaniard's feeble attempted save only succeeded in pushing it into his own net.

Another goal for Liverpool would still force extra-time but Hiddink's team-talk had done its' job. Chelsea were transformed and they scored again in the 57th minute when Alex hammered a ferocious, swerving free-kick past Reina from long-range.

Ashley Cole was booked for obstruction, ruling him out of the semi-final first leg, but Chelsea had the bit between their teeth and Lampard made it three in the 76th minute. Drogba powered away down the left and crossed towards Lampard, who timed his run perfectly to finish from close-range.

That should have been the killer goal but even then Liverpool refused to throw in the towel. When Lucas scored with a low strike that deflected off Michael Essien in the 81st minute, it seemed no more than a consolation. But two minutes later, Chelsea's defence allowed Kuyt yards of space to meet Albert Riera's cross with a close-range header that gave Cech no chance.

Liverpool had to throw caution to the wind now in search of the winning goal and their heroic effort was destined to end in failure as Lampard curled home the equaliser in the 89th minute. At long last, Chelsea could relax.

Mirza books meeting with Venus in Charleston

Sania Mirza booked a second-round clash with second-seeded Venus Williams on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory in the one million-dollar Family Circle Cup.

Sania Mirza beat Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-4 to line up the marquee meeting with Williams, who will be launching her campaign on Wednesday afternoon after enjoying a first-round bye.

Top-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, who rose to a career-high ranking of number three in the world last week, reached the third round with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over American Julie Ditty.

"I don't feel any pressure being the number one seed here," Dementieva said. "Tonight was a good start to the tournament for me. I had never played Julie before so I really didn't want her to get into the match. It's easy to lose your concentration. I really stayed focused tonight."

Third-seeded Vera Zvonareva and number four Nadia Petrova, both of Russia, also reached the third round, as did sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France and seventh-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova.

Zvonareva cruised past Paraguay's Rossana de los Rios 6-3, 6-2.

"I felt pretty good for my first match of the year on clay," said Zvonareva, a finalist here last year. "I didn't expect myself to play my best, and it was a bit of a struggle at times because of the wind, but it was pretty good."

Fourth-seeded Petrova beat Austrian Patricia Mayr 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, Bartoli defeated Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-1, 6-3 and Cibulkova downed Austrian Tamira Paszek 6-4, 6-0.

Hewitt wins first tournament in 2 years

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt ended a two-year title drought on Sunday with a victory over Wayne Odesknik in the final of the US Clay Court Championship.

Australia's Hewitt defeated the American 6-2, 7-5 to claim his 28th ATP title - just his second on clay. Hewitt hadn't won a title since March 2007, when he triumphed in Las Vegas.

Until a winless 2008, Hewitt had won at least one ATP title for 10 straight years.

Hewitt has now won 499-169 matches on the men's tour, and could notch his 500th match win at this week's Monte Carlo Masters, where he has received a wild card entry.

He has drawn a first-round meeting with another former world number one, Russian Marat Safin. Roger Federer and Carlos Moya are the only active players with 500 or more match wins.

Liverpool wary of spirited Chelsea

Guus Hiddink believes Chelsea's unbreakable team spirit will stop Liverpool staging a famous revival in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg.

Although Hiddink's side have one foot in the semi-finals after last week's stunning 3-1 victory at Anfield, Liverpool have developed a habit of upsetting the form book in Europe under Rafael Benitez.

Liverpool's fightback from 3-0 down to win the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan proved how dangerous they can be, but it would take a spectacular meltdown to deny Chelsea a probable last four showdown against Barcelona, 4-0 winners over Bayern Munich in their first leg.

While a less resolute team could crack under the pressure of an early Liverpool goal on Tuesday, Blues boss Hiddink is convinced the squad's togetherness will play a key role in finishing the job at Stamford Bridge.

When Hiddink arrived at Chelsea in February the club's season was in danger of fizzling out, but he quickly won the respect of players who were unconvinced by Scolari's laidback regime.

Now Chelsea look back to their intimidating best and they could still finish the season with a treble. Saturday's 4-3 win over Bolton kept them within four points of Manchester United in the Premier League, while Tuesday's Liverpool showdown is followed by an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Wembley.

Ashley Cole, Chelsea's England left-back, admits the rejuvenating effect provided by Hiddink's no-nonsense style has come at the perfect time.

Hiddink's only concern going into Tuesday's tie is the careless way his side allowed Bolton to come back from 4-0 down to set up a tense finale, with Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech looking especially vulnerable.

After the ruthless way Hiddink targeted and exploited Liverpool's zonal marking system in the first leg, Benitez will be desperate to find a tactical retort. He could do worse than tell his players to test Cech early on.

If Liverpool do claim a famous victory, it is safe to say Fernando Torres will have played a key role.

Torres scored a stunning half-volley as he took his tally for the season to 14 with two goals in Saturday's 4-0 rout of Blackburn and the Spain striker believes the result proved Liverpool have the goal-power to mount a remarkable fightback.

Benitez was able to leave captain Steven Gerrard on the bench against Blackburn as he struggles with a groin injury, but the England midfielder will surely be risked on Tuesday.

Chelsea will have to do without their skipper as John Terry serves a one-match ban after his booking for a foul on Liverpool keeper Jose Reina in the first leg.

Sania-Chuang clinch MPS Group doubles title

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza lifted her first WTA title of the year, teaming up with Chinese Taipei's Chia-Jung Chuang to clinch the women's doubles trophy at the $220,000 MPS Group Championships.

The unseeded duo stunned the top seeded Czech-American combine of Kveta Peschke and Lisa Raymond 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 in a gruelling one and a half hour battle to notch up their first title together.

"This was our second tournament together, so we have had a lot more match practice together. Kveta and Lisa have been playing for a long time and they're really experienced, and we're really happy to have beaten them," an elated Sania said after the win that made her and Chuang richer by $11,000.

For Sania, it was also her eighth career doubles title and her first in more than a year. The Indian last won a doubles title in August 2007 with Italian Mara Santangelo at the New Haven hard-court event in USA.

"We just played the big points better at the end, I think that was the difference," said Sania. In an intriguing battle, Sania and Chuang tested their fancied rivals from the very start, earning as many as seven break points in the opening set.

The unseeded duo converted three of the seven breaks it got and saved four of the six breaks it faced to go one-up in the marathon match. The second set was equally hard-fought but Peschke and Raymond converted a crucial break point to equalise. However, in the nerve-wracking super tie-breaker, it was Sania and Chuang who kept their cool to seal the issue.

The win continues a successful return from injury for Sania. The Hyderabadi, who had been laid low by a wrist injury for most part of the year gone by, earlier won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Mahesh Bhupathi in January.

Macheda magic touch has Fergie purring

Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed Federico Macheda as "something special" after the Italian teenager rescued Manchester United for the second week in a row.

The 17-year-old, who came off the bench to score the winner in a 2-1 victory over Sunderland on Saturday, is proving to be a crucial part of United's attempt to win a third straight Premier League trophy, even though he will not play enough games to qualify for a winner's medal if the champions do retain their title.

The Italian, who claimed a late winner against Aston Villa last week, was on target with his first touch and Ferguson is convinced that the player he took from Lazio's youth ranks two years ago is destined for a long stay at the top.

"He isn't fazed by anything," said the United boss. "I've had a chat with his family this week and he'll be okay. He will keep his feet on the ground." Macheda's 76th-minute winner came when he deflected in a shot by Michael Carrick, sparking a debate over whether it was intentional.

"Everything he touches seems to turn to gold at the moment," Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia said. "He was in the right place to deflect it, but I don't know whether he knew anything about it."

While Sbragia suspected it was a freak goal, Ferguson claimed that Macheda was simply confirming that he's a natural goal poacher. The United manager said: "The boy has got something special about him. I haven't seen the goal again but one of the players told me that he tried it deliberately and sidefooted it in. He's quick thinking and goalscorers have that quality. He's got the instinct."

"I didn't say anything to him when he went on because he knows his role - and that's to penetrate behind their defence." It was an untidy goal that reflected United's performance as they failed to build on a 19th minute lead given them when Paul Scholes headed in Wayne Rooney's cross.

Sunderland showed commendable spirit as they twice went close to an equaliser before Kenwyne Jones, the Trinidad and Tobago international, scored his first goal in two months early in the second-half.

Ferguson soon sent on Cristiano Ronaldo and Macheda in pursuit of a victory they badly needed. And the manager was relieved when the changes proved fruitful. Sunderland have now lost four games in succession but this game strengthened Sbragia's belief that they can get out of trouble at the foot of the table.

Torres helps Liverpool thrash Blackburn

Fernando Torres piled the pressure on Manchester United at the top of the Premier League as Liverpool bounced back from their Champions League agony to beat Blackburn 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday.

Torres scored two goals, the first a magnificent volley, while Denmark defender Daniel Agger marked his return to the side with an equally impressive effort to send Rafa Benitez's side two points above United, who kick off at Sunderland later in the day.

Substitute David Ngog also found the net as Liverpool produced the perfect response after crashing 3-1 at home to Chelsea in Wednesday's Champions League
quarter-final, first leg.

But Benitez's side will travel to London for Tuesday's return leg with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with a glimmer of hope that they can produce a remarkable turnaround against Guus Hiddink's side after this easy victory.

They brushed aside struggling Blackburn without influential captain Steven Gerrard, who has been struggling with a groin problem but could start at Chelsea. This was Liverpool's last home game before Wednesday's 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster which claimed the lives of 96 of the club's supporters.

As well as a minute's silence before the game, Blackburn's former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock laid a wreath in front of the Kop in memory of those who lost their lives at the Liverpool versus Nottingham Forest FA Cup semi-final on 15 April 1989.

Benitez had demanded a reaction from his players following the European capitulation against Chelsea and the Liverpool manager got one as Torres lifted the sombre mood around Anfield with a stunning fifth-minute finish.

The Spain striker controlled a long pass forward by stand-in captain Jamie Carragher on his chest before smashing an unstoppable volley from an acute angle over the head of former England keeper Paul Robinson.

It was a truly breathtaking finish yet Torres's Liverpool fans could not help but feel a slight sense of deja vu. Less than 72 hours earlier Torres had fired his side into an early lead only for Liverpool to self-destruct and leave their Champions League ambitions in tatters.

Would Benitez's side fail to cash in on an early lead again? The answer this time was an emphatic no as Liverpool proved they had learned their lesson from the other night by cementing the points before half time.

Torres, Javier Mascherano, Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun all spurned clear cut chances to score against a poor Blackburn side before the former made it 2-0 in the 34th minute with a move made in Spain.

An in-swinging free-kick by Xabi Alonso found the head of Torres who beat Christopher Samba in the air before powering his effort beyond the outstretched hands of Robinson.

It was all too comfortable for the hosts. Blackburn had arrived on Merseyside with a five-point safety cushion but they are facing an anxious end to the season as they battle to steer clear of relegation.

Sam Allardyce, the Blackburn manager, made the surprising decision to use Samba, who usually plays in defence, up front as a lone striker while South Africa international Benni McCarthy, the club's 11-goal leading scorer, was left kicking his heels on the substitutes bench.

The tactic backfired badly as Blackburn struggled to cause Liverpool, who have now conceded just once in seven hours and fifty seven minutes of league action, any problems. There was a first-half chance for Samba after a rare defensive lapse but keeper Jose Reina was on his toes to snuff out the danger.

Blackburn improved in the second half without managing to hurt Liverpool, who could afford the luxury of bringing Torres off 15 minutes from time. Eight minutes later, Agger found the net with a spectacular 30-yard effort before substitute Ngog capped a fine team performance by making it 4-0 in the dying moments.

Hewitt books semi-final berth in Houston

Australian Lleyton Hewitt reached the semi-finals of the US men's Clay Court Championship on Friday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Hewitt, a former world number one who is battling to come back from left hip surgery, will be vying to advance to his first ATP Tour final in more than two years when he meets Russian Evgeny Korolev on Saturday.

Hewitt served for the match in the eighth game of the second set but was broken as Garcia-Lopez nailed a crosscourt forehand on break point. The Aussie served for the match again in the 10th game, but wasted three match points before sealing it with a forehand winner.

Hewitt dropped his serve in the fifth game of the opening set, but broke Garcia Lopez in the fourth and eighth to pocket the set. Hewitt's last appearance in a final was in Las Vegas in 2007, where he won his 26th career title. His 2008 season without a title saw Hewitt's streak of 10 years with at least one title end.

Korolev advanced with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Argentinian veteran Guillermo Canas. Canas broke Korolev as the Russian served for the match at 5-3 in the third, but Korolev broke back to claim the win.

Bjorn Phau defeated fellow German Tommy Haas 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He'll next face American Wayne Odesnik, a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) winner over compatriot John Isner.

Isner fired 14 aces and won 75 percent of points on his first serve and 70 percent of points on his second serve. He dropped serve just once, but Odesnik was also stingy on his serve, saving four of five break points that he faced as the match went to the third-set tiebreaker.

"He puts a lot of pressure on you to hold serve," Odesnik said. "He takes some pretty big cuts at the ball and if they go in, it's not easy to defend."

Kaka denies talks with Real, says to stay at AC Milan

AC Milan's Kaka has denied holding talks with Real Madrid and said he wants to stay with the Serie A club.

Spanish media said prospective Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had agreed with Milan to sign Kaka in the off-season, having failed to attain the Brazilian when he was in charge at the Bernabeu.

"I think in recent days too many people have talked, now I'll speak," Kaka told Thursday's Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I have not had contact with Real, no one has tried to contact me and I think I have already made myself clear ... my wish is to stay at Milan."

Asked whether that would mean he would stay at the San Siro for life, Kaka said: "For the fifth time, it seems so to me."

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani, who almost sold Kaka to Manchester City in January for a record fee, earlier said the former world player of the year was not for sale.

Kaka, who has been troubled by a foot injury in recent weeks, also said he would be happy to play under Massimiliano Allegri, amid media speculation the Cagliari boss may replace current coach Carlo Ancelotti.

One foot in semis for Chelsea but Liverpool not out yet

Chelsea may be overwhelming favourites to reach the Champions League semi-finals after their stunning 3-1 win at Liverpool on Wednesday, but no-one from either side is conceding the tie is over yet.

Chelsea recovered after a Fernando Torres goal had put Liverpool ahead in the sixth minute, stunning the five-times European champions with two headers from Branislav Ivanovic and a hammer-blow third from Didier Drogba. The result even amazed Chelsea's temporary coach Guus Hiddink, who won the tactical battle with Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez, a master tactician himself, especially in Europe.

"It was very surprising to have scored three, we didn't expect it. But remember it is only halftime, Liverpool have pulled off some remarkable comebacks in the past," said Hiddink, who pulled off a masterstroke of his own by designating Michael Essien to patrol Steven Gerrard and negated the Liverpool skipper's usual influence.

Shackling Gerrard was key to victory -- but so was deploying Ivanovic as the target man from two set-piece corners. The Serbian defender had not scored for Chelsea since arriving in January last year. But the Liverpool defence twice failed to pick him up and he punished them both times with two carbon-copy goals, one in each half.

The second after 62 minutes put Chelsea 2-1 ahead and Liverpool, looking unrecognisable from the side that beat Real Madrid 4-0 at Anfield in the last round a month ago, were shattered when they conceded a third from Drogba five minutes later. "It is going to be tough, and we have to go there and score three but we can do that," a defiant Benitez said afterwards. "The tie is not over yet."

Even though Chelsea do look set for a semi-final against Barcelona, Liverpool's players are seeking inspiration from their own glorious European history as defender Alvaro Arbeloa told Liverpool's website on Thursday. The Spaniard said he hopes the side can recreate their heroics from the 2005 Champions League final, when they overturned a 3-0 half-time deficit to draw 3-3 with AC Milan in Istanbul and win the trophy on penalties.

"We can do it -- why not? We believe we can. We have to go there and fight, try to get one goal and then think about another. Liverpool won a Champions League final by scoring three goals in 45 minutes, so why can't we get three in 90? I think we have to remember Istanbul and believe. We know it's going to be difficult to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but it's not over."

Meanwhile, Brazilian Lucas Leiva says Liverpool have already shown they can score goals away from home, as they proved by beating Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford last month. "We know it will be really difficult but it's not impossible," Lucas told the website.

"Chelsea came here and scored three, and we have the quality to do the same there. We need the perfect performance." Chelsea skipper John Terry will miss the second leg after being booked for a barging into Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. The Blues will miss Terry enormously but, with three away goals in the bank, next week's match might be a rare one in which they could afford to be without him.

Sania-Chuang enter quarter-finals in Florida

Sania Mirza and her Chinese Taipei partner Chia-Jung Chuang reached the doubles quarter-finals of the $220,000 MPS Group Championships, but not before some late scares.

The Indo-Taipei pair had to fight it out in a marathon three-setter to down Melinda Czink of Hungary and Lilia Osterloh of America 6-0 3-6 10-5 in the first round.

However, Sania-Chuang duo's route to the last four won't be a cakewalk as fourth seeded pair of Bethanie Mattek-Sands of America and Nadia Petrova of Russia awaits them in the next round.

Sania's campaign in the singles already came to a premature end with a straight sets defeat at the hands of seventh seed Alona Bondarenko in the opening round.

United fail to gain advantage after draw with Porto

Manchester United are in danger of losing their grip on the Champions League after the holders were held to a 2-2 draw by Porto in Tuesday's quarter-final first leg. Sir Alex Ferguson's side looked to have earned a barely deserved victory when Carlos Tevez stabbed United into the lead with five minutes to play at Old Trafford.

But Porto substitute Mariano equalised four minutes later to give the visitors just reward for an impressive display and leave United almost certainly needing to become the first English side to win at Porto's stadium next week.

Jesualdo Ferreira's side had gone ahead early in the first half through Cristian Rodriguez and could have been further in front before a calamitous mistake from Bruno Alves set up Wayne Rooney's equaliser.

Not for the first time in recent weeks, United looked nervous in defence and short of urgency in attack. Now they face a testing trip to the Dragao Stadium next Wednesday knowing only a victory or an extremely high-scoring draw will keep alive their hopes of retaining the Champions League trophy.

After staging a dramatic late fightback to beat Aston Villa on Sunday, Ferguson had expected the momentum from Federico Macheda's winner to give his players enough adrenaline to ignore their aching limbs as they returned to action 48 hours later.

He couldn't have been more wrong. Although they enjoying a record-breaking run of cleansheets earlier this season, United's defence has sprung a few leaks in recent weeks.

They looked no more secure in the opening minutes here. Lisandro Lopez, Porto's Argentine striker, almost took advantage as he sprinted past Jonny Evans and forced Edwin van der Sar into a sprawling save.

Porto attacked United's soft centre again in the fourth minute and this time they were able to punish another sloppy piece of defending.

When Cristiano Ronaldo lost the ball, Lucho Gonzalez crossed towards Rodriguez, but Evans should have cleared easily. Instead he scuffed only as far as Rodriguez, who drove a fine low strike past van der Sar into the far corner.

United had been far too careless in possession but they sparked into life when Ronaldo met John O'Shea's cross with a header that Helton pushed away for a corner. That hardly amounted to a ceaseless assault however, which made Alves's spectacular implosion in the 15th minute so hard to understand.

Under no pressure at all, the Porto defender passed back to Helton without looking. Alves hadn't noticed Rooney lurking behind him and the United striker gratefully seized the gift before clipping a deft finish past Helton.

Despite that lifeline, there was still no sign that United had found their rhythm. While United laboured, Porto looked impressive whenever they went forward and van der Sar was at full stretch to turn over a long-range shot from Raul Meireles.

After watching such a lacklustre effort from his players, Ferguson must have been tempted to give them the full 'hairdryer' treatment at half-time.

United responded at last and Rooney produced a superb chip from 30 yards that Helton just managed to tip over. From the resulting corner Vidic headed goalwards but Helton made a brilliant stop to deny the Serbian.

The Portuguese champions kept their nerve and Lisandro's skimming strike needed an alert stop from van der Sar before Aly Cissokho tested the United keeper from long-range.

This was no way for United to celebrate their 100th home game in the European Cup and Ferguson made his last two changes, opting to leave Italian sensation Marcheda on the bench and send on Tevez and Gary Neville instead.

Tevez made an instant impact. In the 85th minute Rooney flicked on Neville's throw and Tevez showed great determination to turn the ball home from close-range. But Porto refused to accept defeat and staged the kind of dramatic finale that United have made their tradmark.

Lisandro swept over an 89th minute cross that O'Shea could only help on to Mariano and the Porto substitute stabbed his shot over van der Sar. It was no more than Porto deserved.