Pardew sets Newcastle's sights on Europe

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has urged his team, currently fifth in the Premier League, to seize a rare opportunity for the north-east club and qualify for European competition.

Contrasting fortunes for continental elite

Korea Republic became the first Asian team to win through to London 2012 but it was a very different story for two teams with strong Olympic pedigree - Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Northampton succeed in spinner search

Northamptonshire have concluded their search for a left-arm spinner by bringing in Con de Lange, a 31-year-old South African who qualifies as a UK resident from his time living in Scotland

Zambia's class of '93 finally rest in peace

Nearly two decades after suffering an unimaginable tragedy, Zambian football experienced a new high, with their first continental title forged on a unique brand of spirit and togetherness.

RSL gain ascendency in the west

Real Salt Lake edged out Montreal Impact 1-0 to move three points clear at the top of the Western Conference, although both San Jose and Colorado behind them have played a game less.

Venus defeats Jankovic in Charleston, 7-5, 6-0

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)â€"Venus Williams looked strong in powering past Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-0 at the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday.
 
Williams won 12 of the last 14 games to take the matchup of two former world No. 1s trying to rediscover their old form. Williams had fallen to 87th in the world after missing more than six months because of a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease.
 
Williams returned last week and won four matches in the Sony Ericsson Open before falling to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. This, though, may have been Willilams’ best showing as she evened her career record to 6-6 against Jankovic.

Williams fell behind Jankovic 3-1 before taking control. Williams cracked her serves all match long, topping out at 120 mph, and hit the lines for winners throughout.
 
Williams broke Jankovic’s serve seven times on way to her second win this week.
 
“I didn’t serve well and against Venus, you have to serve well,” said Jankovic, the seventh seed.
 
Williams’ serve got stronger as the match progressed. She appeared out of sorts following a 30-minute rain delay and quickly lost the first game back to move behind 3-1.
 
Jankovic was still up 5-4 and was two points from the set, but mistakesâ€"a double fault and a wide forehandâ€"opened the door for Williams as she won the final nine games of the match.
 
Williams, the 2004 champion here, will meet Anastasia Rodionova for a spot in the quarterfinals. Two more wins by Williams could bring the matchup the Family Circle most wants to seeâ€"Venus playing little sister Serena in the semifinals.
 
Serena Williams, the 2008 Family Circle champion seeded fifth here, was off Wednesday. She meets Marina Erakovic in Thursday’s third round.
 
Other winners Wednesday were third-seeded Marion Bartoli, who beat Russian Vera Dushevina in three tough sets, sixth seeded Sabine Lisicki, ninth-seeded Lucie Sararova, 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova and 14th-seeded Polona Hercog.
 
Bartoli acknowledged she’s got work to do if she hopes to go even further at Roland Garros this year. Still, she was pleased that she had the mental strength to prevail in the 3 hour, 4 minute match.
 
“It was great to put up a fight and get the win out there,” said Bartoli, the highest seed in action at Family Circle Tennis Center.
 
Second-seed and 2010 Family Circle champion Samantha Stosur had the day off. The scheduled top seed, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, withdrew from the tournament this past Sunday after taking the Sony Ericsson Open final in Key Biscayne, Fla., last weekend.
 
Bartoli, the 27-year-old French woman, has had her share of big victories in the past. She beat then top-ranked Justine Henin at Wimbledon in 2007 and No. 1 Jankovic at the Australian Open in 2009. Just last week, Bartoli ended the 26-match win streak of current world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in Key Biscayne.
 
Bartoli has long been one of the WTA’s fittest players. She’s added an improved mental strength to her game, too.
 
Bartoli she didn’t enter her match against Azarenka with the goal of stopping the streak or proving to the people she could trade ground strokes with the world’s best. “I have the same motivation no matter what,” Bartoli said. “That’s to play my best and win.”

Asian heavyweights bounce back in style

FIFA.com reviews the midweek AFC Champions League action with some of the continent's elite bouncing back to form after an indifferent start, most notably former winners Gamba Osaka and Jeonbuk Motors.

Hard work, good genes behind Papa rise

Schalke youngster Kyriakos Papadopoulos may have inherited his talent from his parents, although, as he exclusively reveals to FIFA.com, he also worked tirelessly to make the grade.

Rampant Real reach last four

Real Madrid comfortably marched into a semi-final encounter against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League with a 5-2 win over APOEL Nicosia in the second leg of their last-eight tie.

Deonarine on probationary return - Gibson

Narsingh Deonarine's recall to the West Indies Test team to face Australia is a temporary solution to the absence of Marlon Samuels and has arrived despite continued reservations about his fitness, the coach Ottis Gibson has candidly admitted

Final day of shooting for ‘Rush’- Hunt’s wedding

As many of Formula One’s fans know, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard is filming the movie Rush which recants the tale of iconic 70′s legends James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The last time F1′s fans got excited, for a minute, was when Sylvester Stallone started poking around the paddock and hinted at making a movie about Formula

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Mourinho relishing Bayern clash

Jose Mourinho says the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich will be a major challenge with the Real Madrid coach also stating Barcelona will see off his former club Chelsea and reach the final.

Pirates join leaders, Stars stay in race

Orlando Pirates claimed a 1-0 win over AmaZulu to join Mamelodi Sundowns at the South African Premiership summit, while Free State Stars stayed in the title hunt with a 2-1 win over Bloemfontein Celtic.

Nervy Blues withstand Benfica challenge

Despite a man advantage for 50-plus minutes, Chelsea were made to work for their progression to the Champions League semi-finals as they endured a nervy second leg before sealing a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica.

Memorable Matches Of 2012

ATPWorldTour.com reviews five storylines from the first quarter of the 2012 season, with the third instalment where we take a look at some of the best and most memorable matches of the year.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Sluggish Blues withstand Benfica challenge

Despite a man advantage for 50-plus minutes, Chelsea were made to work for their progression through to the Champions League semi-finals as they endured a nervy second leg before sealing a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica.

Britain without Murray, Ward for Davis Cup

James Ward will miss Great Britain's Euro-Africa Zonal Davis Cup tie against Belgium in Scotland with a back injury. With world No. 4 Andy Murray deciding to skip the tie, Britain will now be a decided underdog. Ward won two matches for Britain against the Slovak Republic in February, when Murray also opted out. Ward will be replaced by 253rd-ranked Josh Goodall on a team that also includes Dan Evans, Colin Fleming, and Ross Hutchins. Belgium is lead by No. 59 Olivier Rochus and No. 68 Steve Darcis.

Hill urges caution in F1′s heading to Bahrain

Damon Hill may not be your favorite former Formula 1 champion, but at least the guy offers a counter to the powers that be and Bernie Ecclestone. Today, he’s again in that role as he urges caution ahead of F1 going into Bahrain in a few weeks: “What we must put above all else is

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Bartoli holds off Dushevina at Family Circle Cup

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)â€"Third-seeded Marion Bartoli hung on for a 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 victory over Vera Dushevina at the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday.

Bartoli breezed through the opening set and was quickly up a break in the second set before Dushevina rallied to win in a tiebreaker, 7-3. Bartoli finally pulled ahead in the third, winning consecutive games to move in front 5-3. Dushevina hit a backhand wide on match point as Bartoli screamed ``Yes!''

The match lasted 3 hours, 4 minutes. Bartoli was the highest seeded player in action.

Unseeded American Venus Williams faces another former No. 1 in the world in Jelena Jankovic on Wednesday night.

Fifth seeded Serena Williams goes for a spot in the quarterfinals against Marina Erakovic of New Zealand on Thursday.

Argentina's Del Potro: Croatia can beat anyone

The Argentine Davis Cup team is wary of Croatia ahead of their clash this coming weekend in Buenos Aires on clay. Croatia is lead by Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic, while Juan Martin Del Potro, David Nalbandian, and Juan Monaco head Argentina. "They can beat anyone," Del Potro told reporters. "I don’t think there is a big difference. I’ve known Cilic for 12 years and at Indian Wells and Miami he improved and remains very dangerous."

While Del Potro and Nalbandian will play singles on Friday, Monaco, who just reached the semis of Miami, could step in on Sunday. Nalbandian said that the courts are playing fast.

Isner, Forget agree: John more than two shots

John Isner tells USTA.com that he agrees with French Davis Cup Captain Guy Forget that he is "more than just a forehand and serve." Isner will lead the U.S team against France on clay this coming weekend in Monte Carlo.

"It shows that I am gaining a little bit more respect," the 11th-ranked Isner said. "I am more than just a serve but it all does start with my serve and after that my forehand. They are still my biggest weapons and I am still going to utilize them as best as possible. But again, I am always working on my game in general."

U.S. captain Jim Courier is confident that Isnerâ€"who upset Roger Federer on indoor clay in Davis Cup in Februaryâ€"can take down the likes of No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 13 Gilles Simon.

"If he has time to set up and put some power behind the ball, as I think I said maybe in December, he's the most destructive force in tennis," Courier said. "He's unplayable against if he does what he does very well. You just don't have the conversation at all. It's one-way traffic."

Hard work and good genes behind Papa rise

Schalke youngster Kyriakos Papadopoulos may have inherited his talent from his parents, although, as he exclusively reveals to FIFA.com, he also worked tirelessly to make the grade.

Rooney eyes Charlton record

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is near eclipsing Dennis Viollet and George Best in goals scored for the Red Devils, however, has his eyes on reaching Sir Bobby Charlton's record.

Vettel has no regrets about calling Karthikeyan an ‘idiot’

You didn’t think the Sebastian Vettel-Narain Karthikeyan scrum was over yet, did you? Sure, Karthikeyan has called for peace, telling Autosport : “I think everyone has to calm down now. I think we have to deal with it in a mature way and forget about it.” He added that he wants to focus on himself

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Australians close out comfortable win

Australia's batsmen were briefly discomforted by spin for a second time before rolling to an eight-wicket victory over the WICB President's XI in the three-day tour match at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados

Radwanska ends trial with coach: 'He did not pass'

KRAKOW, Poland (AP)â€"Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland has dismissed Croat coach Borna Vikic, three days after winning the Sony Ericsson Open.
 
Vikic had been coaching the fourth-ranked Radwanska and her sister Urszula since January on a trial basis. Radwanska said Tuesday that “he did not pass.”

She didn’t say who will replace him.
 
On Saturday, Radwanska defeated Maria Sharapova 7-5, 6-4 in the Sony Ericsson Open final in Key Biscane, Fla.

Ojha, Pollard suffocate Super Kings

Pragyan Ojha made a seamless transition from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai Indians, taking two wickets in his first two overs for his new side to pull back defending champions Chennai Super Kings just when they were threatening to break free

Cassano allowed to resume career

AC Milan striker Antonio Cassano has been given the formal all-clear to return to action after spending more than five months on the sidelines due to illness.

 

Swann hits out at 'witch hunt'

Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a "witch hunt" against Andrew Strauss following England's four Test defeats this year and the captain's poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.

Ronaldo, a phenomenon in every sense

FIFA.com looks back on the astonishing career of Ronaldo, the specialist striker who experienced two FIFA World Cup triumphs, won three FIFA World Player awards and turned out for some of the world's greatest clubs.

Development Committee to play key role

On Tuesday 27 March, the Development Committee met for the first time at FIFA’s headquarters. FIFA.com outlines the crucial part the Committee will play in football development – one of FIFA’s top priorities.

Swansea mourn Chinaglia

Swansea City have expressed their sadness at the death of former Italy international Giorgio Chinaglia, who was found dead yesterday, after the striker began his career with the Welsh club.

Czechs opt for clay in Davis Cup tie with Serbia

PRAGUE (AP)â€"The Czech Republic hopes an indoor clay court and home support will help it advance to the semifinals of the Davis Cup despite not having No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
 
Djokovic, who won his third Sony Ericsson Open title on Sunday, is opting to rest before he opens his clay court season at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters on April 14.

The Czechs, who usually play at home on fast indoor hard courts, are counting on the slow clay court to be an advantage. The seventh-ranked Tomas Berdych and 24th-ranked Radek Stepanek will lead the Czech team.
 
Janko Tipsarevic, who this week reached his highest ranking at No. 8, and 27th-ranked Viktor Troicki will play for Serbia.

Netherlands secure slim lead on bowlers' day

Day one of the Afghanistan-Netherlands Intercontinental Cup clash in Sharjah belonged to the bowlers. Twenty-one wickets fell and Netherlands, driven by a career-best 6 for 43 from Mudassar Bukhari, secured a four-run first-innings lead

Maybe you can get your girlfriend to go to Singapore GP: Katy Perry’s playing

I suppose this is a bit of an entertainment coup for Formula 1 and the Singapore Grand Prix. Pop star Katy Perry — well, I think to think of her as the former Mrs. Russell Brand — will be performing on race night at the late September race. Since I won’t be able to write

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Heynckes hopeful of Robben extension

Jupp Heynckes has said he expects Arjen Robben to sign a contract extension with Bayern Munich in the next few games, with just over a year left on his contract.

Hummels: Bayern game may decide title

Next week's mouth-watering clash between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich could decide the title according to the current champions' centre-back Mats Hummels, with the Bavarians visiting the holders on 11 April.

Juve pressure Milan with Napoli win

Juventus reduced the gap between them and leaders AC Milan down to two points with a convincing 3-0 win over Napoli, scoring through Leonardo Bonucci, Arturo Vidal, and Fabio Quagliarella.

Ajax hit Heracles for six

Ajax scored five goals in the second half to complete a 6-0 hammering of Heracles in the Eredivisie and send a strong message to the other five teams competing for the championship.

Quartet close gap on AZ

AZ Alkmaar's lead atop the Eredivisie standings has been reduced to just one point, with chasers PSV Eindhoven claiming a 2-0 win over VVV-Venlo and FC Twente beating Roda JC.

Newey and Mansell receive honours from the Queen

Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to motorsport by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. Newey's Red Bull cars have won the constructors' title for the past two seasons and he has previously designed machines that have taken titles for Williams and McLaren. Former Formula One driver Nigel Mansell, who won the 1992 world championship in the Newey-designed Williams FW14B, was also in attendance at the ceremony. Mansell received a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) from Her Majesty the Queen for services to children and young people in his role as president of charity UK Youth.

Katy Perry joins Singapore entertainment line-up

Race organisers have released further news of their off-track entertainment line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix. Global superstar Katy Perry will headline the Padang stage on Sunday September 22 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, with admission free to all three-day race ticket holders. Perry's two albums have generated a string of number one hit singles and multi-platinum sales over the last four years. She has recently concluded her 'California Dreams Tour' and has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. Her hits include 'I Kissed a Girl', 'Teenage Dream' and 'Firework'.

Quartet stay in close chase of AZ

AZ Alkmaar's lead atop the Eredivisie standing has been reduced to just one point, with chasers PSV Einhoven claiming a 2-0 win over VVV-Venlo and FC Twente beating Roda JC.

Klopp applauds Stuttgart fightback

Following last night's 4-4 draw with Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has applauded the Swabian side's fightback, saying they were "the strongest side" to visit the Westfalenstadion this season.

Gyan at the double for Al-Ain

Asamoah Gyan scored twice as Al-Ain extended their lead at the top of the UAE League with a 3-0 victory over Bani Yas while Al Wahda moved up the table.

Zwanziger: I'm very happy

Dr Theo Zwanziger, Chairman of the Task Force Revision of Statutes, spoke to FIFA.com about the key decisions made at today’s FIFA Executive Committee meeting.

Passes, records and relief

The incredible move that led to a Manchester United goal, the phenomenal prolificacy of Real Madrid and Shane Smeltz making A-League history feature in FIFA.com’s latest stats review, along with Liedson ending a long drought.