Justine Henin-Hardenne Defeats Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-2, 7-5, to Advance at French Open Defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne celebrated her 24th birthday Thursday with a second-round victory at the French Open, overcoming three set points in the second set to beat Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 7-5.
Yakimova, a 19-year-old Belarussian, was on the verge of forcing a third set serving at 5-4, 40-love. Henin-Hardenne won the next nine points
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Tottenham have had a £3.5m bid for West Brom defender Curtis Davies turned down by Baggies boss Bryan Robson.
Robson believes the England Under-21 international has a pivotal role to play for West Brom next season as they aim to bounce back to the Premiership.
"We''ve turned down an offer from Tottenham for Curtis. He is not for sale," Robson told the club''s website.
"If we can keep all the boys together and bring in a couple of new players, we have a good chance next season."
Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace has backed his manager''s decision. He said: "We have made it clear since the day we knew which division we will be playing in next season that it is our intention to strengthen the squad - not take it apart."
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England's team doctor says Wayne Rooney is making a "perfect recovery" from his broken foot and has every chance of playing at this summer's World Cup.
The 20-year-old Manchester United striker will have a scan on the injury on Thursday to check its progress.
However, Dr Leif Sward told The Sun: "Everything points to a perfect recovery. I have the highest hopes for Rooney and the World Cup.
"I hope I can give a perfect answer after the next MRI scan on Thursday."
Rooney's World Cup place was put in doubt when he suffered the broken bone playing for United at Chelsea on 29 April - and initial reports said he would be out for at least six weeks.
Since then, he has spent time in an oxygen chamber to encourage the bone to heal more quickly and has been named in England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson's 23-man World Cup squad.
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Thierry Henry is set to end months of speculation over his future by signing a new contract at Arsenal, inspired by their Champions League final display.
Henry, whose contract runs out next year, had been linked with a move to Champions League winners Barcelona.
"I hope to stay as long as I can keep running. I couldn't leave the fans. They're like family," he told The Sun.
"I love Barcelona, but on Wednesday Arsenal showed they had heart. I hope to finalise details today."
Gunners captain Henry, 28, joined from Juventus in August 1999 and has gone on to become the club's record goalscorer.
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England will be allowed to replace Wayne Rooney in their World Cup squad up until 24 hours before their opening match against Paraguay on 10 June.
Fifa confirmed that their regulations allow for a player to be substituted provided the governing body is supplied with evidence of serious injury.
If a replacement is called up Rooney would take no part in the tournament.
Eriksson has to name his 23-man squad for Germany on 15 May, but will announce a provisional squad on 8 May.
A Fifa spokesman told BBC Sport: "It's the same as any other Fifa competition.
"With a medical report, players who are on the official list, as of 15 May can be replaced up to 24 hours prior to each team's first match." Full Article
Luiz Felipe Scolari has been offered the job of England manager and is discussing terms with the Football Assocation, the BBC has learned.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick was in Lisbon on Wednesday to thrash out a deal with Portugal's Brazilian coach.
"We were speaking to Felipe as part of the process of recruiting the next coach and that process continues," said Barwick after flying back to London.
Scolari, 57, is out of contract after the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
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Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time on Tuesday when Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saved a last-minute Juan Ramon Riquelme penalty.
Lehmann's heroics secured a 0-0 second leg draw against Villarreal in Spain to send the north London club through 1-0 on aggregate.
Villarreal were awarded the penalty when Jose Mari went down under a Gael Clichy challenge in the 89th minute but Lehmann dived to his left to block.
Villarreal, playing their first season in the competition, made all the running in a ragged match but wasted their chances in front of goal.
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Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix for his and Ferrari's first victory of the Formula One season on Sunday.
It was the seven-time world champion's 85th career success, and seventh at Ferrari's home circuit, but he was harried all the way by Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso.
It was a reversal of last year's nose-to-tail thriller, Alonso having won in 2005 with Schumacher failing to find a way past.
This time the German held on to win by two seconds.
Schumacher's last victory was at the six-car U.S. Grand Prix last June, a race that turned into a fiasco when all the Michelin teams pulled out before the start.
His last real win was the Japanese Grand Prix in October 2004, a season he dominated with 13 victories.
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Olympic officials are getting a progress report today on how London is gearing up for the 2012 Games.
A 16-strong co-ordination commission of the International Olympic Committee is in town to check on the capital's progress.
They are expected to visit several sporting and transport venues but not the new Wembley Stadium, which will not be ready for this year's FA Cup Final.
They will see building work at the Dome. Full Article
The two teams playing in the World Cup final in Germany on 9 July will use a specially produced "golden ball".
A giant model of the football, with six of the 14 panels coloured gold, was unveiled in Berlin by the head of the World Cup organising committee.
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer said it was a great idea to create a special ball for the match.
The ball for the other 63 games will be black and white for the first time since the 1994 tournament.
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Prince Edward has formally closed the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, bringing to an end 11 days of competition involving 4,500 athletes.
Prime minister Tony Blair was also at the ceremony to witness Melbourne hand over the Commonwealth Games flag to 2010 host, New Delhi.
Performers at the colourful ceremony included Dame Edna Everage, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai and John Farnham.
A spectacular firework display provided a rousing finale.
Melbourne 2006 chairman Ron Walker said the 18th Commonwealth Games had been a success.
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Snowkiting is the latest adrenaline sport to hit the slopes in Europe. Sky News' interpid snow queen Rebecca Burgess gives it a try in Austria.
Have you ever dreamt of skiing effortlessly up a mountain without the help of lifts?
Then the latest craze to hit the snow-covered mountains of Europe will sweep you off your feet.
Snowkiting is the perfect sport for skiers and snowboarders in search of fun, flying and fear.
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Ronaldo has frequently mentioned his desire to end his career back in Brazil - specifically with Flamengo of Rio, the club he supported as a boy.
There has recently been speculation that this might happen sooner rather than later.
But if he does move back to his home town, Ronaldo will - as he is surely already aware - find himself in the land that time forgot.
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Michaela Breeze won Wales' first gold of the Commonwealth Games when she put in a record-breaking sequence of lifts to win the women's 63kg weightlifting.
The 26-year-old, a silver medallist in Manchester four years ago, pushed Canada's Christine Girard and Miel McGerrigle into silver and bronze.
She set three Games marks in the snatch and one in the clean-and-jerk for a 220kg total, eight ahead of Girard.
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World number one Roger Federer won his third straight Indian Wells ATP Masters Series title with a 7-5 6-3 6-0 victory over American James Blake.
Federer rebounded from his three-set defeat by Rafael Nadal in the final at Dubai and kept intact his record of never losing in back-to-back finals.
Blake sent a shiver of excitement around the 16,100-seat stadium when he broke twice in the opening set to take a 4-1 lead over Federer, who has held the top ranking for 111 straight weeks.
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Evgeni Plushenko was well into his Olympic victory lap, waving his flowers and wrapping himself in the Russian flag, before the silver and bronze medalists even climbed off the podium.
These were Plushenko's games. Everyone else just filled out the field, mere subjects to figure skating's new king.
Plushenko, the silver medalist four years ago in Salt Lake City, skated safely but just strong enough to add his name to the Russian/Soviet dynasty that now has won the men's individual gold medal in five straight Olympics.
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David Bentley hit a hat-trick for Blackburn in a dramatic 4-3 win over Manchester United on Wednesday while leaders Chelsea were held 1-1 at Aston Villa.
United had Rio Ferdinand sent off two minutes from time while Liverpool, in third spot, conceded a late goal at Anfield allowing 10-man Birmingham to draw 1-1.
Chelsea, who led through Dutch winger Arjen Robben's early goal, were pegged back but extended their lead to 15 points despite a second successive league draw.
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