Hewitt begins US hardcourt season on winning note

WASHINGTON: Former world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt launched his American hardcourt season by defeating Donald Young 7-5, 6-2 in the first round of the $1.4 million Washington Classic on Monday.
Hewitt, playing for the first time since reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals, broke Young’s serve five times in a row and six times overall to overwhelm the 20-year-old American.
Despite the cozy straight-sets victory, Hewitt had trouble shaking off the rust. He landed just 39 percent of his first serves and was broken three times by the 20-year-old Young, formerly the world’s top-ranked junior.
Young, ranked 162nd, was successful on just 36 percent of his first serves.
The 28-year-old Hewitt, tournament champion in 2004 but unseeded this year, will play 15th seed Dudi Sela of Israel in the second round.
In other matches, Russian Mikhail Youzhny needed one hour and 40 minutes to oust American Robert Kendrick 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, while Philipp Petzschner of Germany beat Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Top seed and three-time former champion Andy Roddick will play his opening match on Wednesday against either Benjamin Becker of Germany or American Robby Ginepri

Alonso completes Real Madrid move

MADRID: Midfielder Xabi Alonso completed his transfer to big-spending Real Madrid from Liverpool on Wednesday.
Alonso passed his routine medical to become Madrid's eighth signing in a euro254 million ($365 million) spending spree since Florentino Perez returned to the club presidency in June.

Hockey probables announced for World Cup qualifiers

KARACHI: While Pakistan hockey hierarchy dropped controversial centre-half Mohmmad Saqlain on Wednesday, penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas has been called up for World Cup qualifiers camp

Former captain refuses to retire

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey star and former captain Muhammad Saqlain has refused to accept the advise of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to retire from the game. “It is unfair on part of the PHF to impose its decision on me to call it a day. I am shocked to know the PHF is going to give me a warm send-off,” he told media Wednesday after his name was not included in a list of 31 players named for the World Cup 2010 qualifying rounds.He questioned how the PHF could force a player to wind up his career. “It is a wrong precedent set by the PHF. I am fully fit and my fitness can be judged by conducting a fitness test any time any place,” he added. 30-year old Lahore born Saqlain is a veteran of 301 international matches and has represented the country in eight editions of Champions Trophy, two World Cups, one Olympics, three Asia Cups, two Commonwealth Games and nine Sultan Azlan Shah Cups since his debut in 1999.

Boo-boys no bother for Ponting

LEEDS: Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he had “loved every minute” of the drawn third Ashes Test at Edgbaston despite being booed by some England supporters as he went into bat.It was not the first time in this Ashes series, where England are 1-0 up with two to play, that Ponting has been jeered by crowds. So concerned are home officials, according to the London Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, that England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Giles Clarke has written a message in the match programme for the fourth Test here at Headingley, which starts on Friday, urging fans to respect all players. But Ponting, writing in the Daily Telegraph, didn’t appear too concerned by the boos, which he was ‘half-expecting’. He labelled the Barmy Army, the much criticised and vocal England supporters’ group as “the best sporting crowd in the world”. Ponting added: “There is never anything untoward. It is always good, light-hearted stuff, and when England have a sniff of winning the volume goes up tenfold. They add a lot to the whole experience of the Ashes. The Edgbaston crowd were not the first to boo me this summer – but they were the loudest. Which makes sense, because Edgbaston is famous for being the bullring of English cricket. Whenever I walk out of the changing rooms I’m half-expecting it. I’m thinking: ‘Right, let’s get it out of the way, get the booing done, and then I’ll start building my innings.” The Daily Telegraph also said that Clarke would remind spectators that Ponting, the third-highest run scorer in Test history, has “earned the respect and courtesy” of the crowd and that the game “may never see his like again”.