Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Murray grinds down Ferrer, Federer shines
LONDON (Reuters) – Brick by brick, Andy Murray chiseled his
way through a Spanish wall to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals
while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic simply demolished
outclassed opponents on Wednesday to set up a mouth-watering
first meeting on grass. Murray endured an afternoon of hard
labor against David Ferrer, eventually edging a step closer to
becoming Britain’s first male singles finalist at the
grasscourt slam since 1938 with a grinding 6-7 7-6 6-4 7-6
victory.
After 40 years, first U.S. basketball loss still stings
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Four decades after the United States
suffered its first basketball defeat in Olympic competition to
the then Soviet Union in a game between Cold War adversaries,
some members of the U.S. team said they remain bitter. In an
era when American professionals could not participate in the
Olympics, the U.S. team of mostly college players had rallied
in 1972 to lead 50-49 as time ran out.
Dodgers place outfielder Ethier on disabled list
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Williams has nothing to lose in semi-final
LONDON (Reuters) – Serena Williams hit top gear in deposing
champion Petra Kvitova and ominously for her Wimbledon
semi-final opponent Victoria Azarenka the four-times champion
says she has nothing to lose in the last-four clash on
Thursday. Williams, who banged down 13 aces in her
quarter-final rout of Kvitova, faces the Australian Open
champion and world number two in what is likely to be a
decibel-busting clash between two of the game’s great grunters.
Greipel takes Tour stage as Cavendish crashes
ROUEN, France (Reuters) – German Andre Greipel won the
fourth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday after world
champion Mark Cavendish crashed close to the finish and was
unable to contest the final sprint. Cavendish fell off his bike
in a big pile-up with less than three km left and crossed the
line long after Greipel had outsprinted Italian Alessandro
Petacchi.
Nationals blast Bumgarner in win over Giants
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Wild make splash with Parise, Suter signings
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Games prove tempting target for ad ambush
LONDON (Reuters) – What do Danish footballer Nicklas
Bendtner’s underpants and contact lens worn by British sprinter
Linford Christie have in common? They featured in memorable
unauthorized marketing stunts at major sports tournaments.
Sponsors channel billions of dollars into events like this
month’s Olympics in London, but rival companies come up with
all manner of wheezes to try to publicize their brand for free
in so-called ambush marketing.
Senna hoping for a wet British GP debut
LONDON (Reuters) – Bruno Senna will celebrate a number of
firsts at Silverstone this Sunday but probably not the one he
wants more than any other. The Brazilian, nephew of the late
triple champion Ayrton, will start a British Formula One Grand
Prix for the first time and also become the first Senna to
drive a Williams in the team’s home race.
High jumper Friedrich gets place in Germany team
BERLIN (Reuters) – High jumper Ariane Friedrich has been
included in Germany’s Olympic team despite a 14-month injury
layoff which has disrupted her training. The 28-year-old was
given a wild card by the German Olympic Association (DOSB) on
Wednesday after failing to reach the qualifying standard of
1.95 meters.
