The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- McIlroy, Scott and Mickelson down to play in Lion City
- London looks ahead after Olympic summer of love
- Murray ends the drought
| McIlroy, Scott and Mickelson down to play in Lion City Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT SINGAPORE: World number one Rory McIlroy will headline this year's Barclays Singapore Open along with three-time winner Adam Scott and American star Phil Mickelson, organisers said yesterday. McIlroy, who won his second Major title at the PGA Championship last month, adds significant celebrity power to the US$6mil event which is yet to announce next year's title sponsor. The Northern Irishman, as well as four-time Major champion Mickelson, will also play a prominent role in the famous Ryder Cup team tournament taking place in Chicago later this month. The Nov 8-11 Singapore Open, touted as "Asia's Major", started in 1961 but is competing in an increasingly crowded market. In May, British bank Barclays decided not to extend its current contract, which expires this year. Last month, Asian Tour chief executive Mike Kerr told AFP he was in talks to bring an "iconic" tournament at a "similar level" to the Majors to Asia within three to five years, but did not reveal in which country. McIlroy underlined his top ranking on Sunday when held off an elite field to claim his second consecutive win on the US PGA Tour play-off series, putting him in pole position for the series champion's US$10mil bonus. The 23-year-old will play in Singapore as part of an Asian swing that will also take him to the BMW Masters in Shanghai and a one-day matchplay face-off against Tiger Woods elsewhere in China. Australia's Scott, the world No. 5, can burnish his season after a heart-breaking outing at the British Open, where he threw away a four-shot lead with four holes to play to hand victory to Ernie Els. He will feel at home in Singapore after winning a record three titles in 2005, 2006 and 2010, and finishing third in 2007 and equal third in 2009. Left-hander Mickelson is seeking his first win at Sentosa Golf Club after competing in the last five Singapore Opens. His best finish was in 2008, when he placed ninth. A field of 156 will compete for the US$1mil winner's cheque at an event which is also known for its weather delays. Last year, Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano beat Filipino Juvic Pagunsan in a play-off which had to be completed early on the Monday morning after a series of tropical storms. — AFP |
| London looks ahead after Olympic summer of love Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:02 PM PDT LONDON: Tears mingled with cheers on the streets of London on Monday as thousands of Britons hailed their Olympic and Paralympic heroes but also pondered the future after a glorious summer. A sea of flags and Mexican waves transformed the capital for the victory parade, which ended at Buckingham Palace with a noisy and colourful flyby by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows aerobatic team. But as a fleet of street-cleaners moved in afterwards, many spectators wondered whether London's new-found optimism would be swept up with the rubbish. "I wasn't looking forward to it beforehand, in a typical English way I was moaning about it and thought it looked like too much hard work," said Juliet Holden, whose law firm sponsored Paralympic T42 200m winner Richard Whitehead. "But since it's started, it's been amazing. London changed. It's got a real sense of community. It's going to be a let-down after today." London mayor Boris Johnson highlighted the renewed sense of togetherness, writing in the Daily Telegraph that it was "as though the city has been crop-dusted with serotonin". The medallists snaked their way past St Paul's Cathedral, theatreland, Trafalgar Square and along The Mall in 21 floats, passing on the way some of the iconic locations which served as memorable backdrops for Olympic events. Almost all of those in attendance were waving Union Jack flags while others decorated buggies, pubs, city offices, churches and theatres in an unashamed display of patriotism. A seller of the Big Issue, a homeless charity magazine, was dressed from head to foot in red, white and blue while a traditional city gent had the flag sticking out the top of his bowler hat. A giant banner hanging from third floor of an office on the Strand read "So Proud", summing up the feeling on the streets. Lizzy Muggeridge, 38, cheered on the athletes dressed in the nurse's costume which she wore while performing in the Olympic opening ceremony on July 27. "I was in two minds whether to wear the outfit but I just saw someone else wearing one so I don't feel as silly," she explained. "It remains to be seen whether this feeling will last. I've never been particularly patriotic but it was nice how everyone got together, it was inspirational. But then again it could all fade away," she added. Cyclist Victoria Pendleton got the collective bottom lip wobbling with her teary response to supporters. Crowds seven-deep lined the street along the two-mile (four kilometre) route with a host of different languages and regional accents adding to the collective din. Hard-hatted builders hung off scaffolding while less fortunate fans mounted traffic lights and others clambered on top of the city's famous red telephone boxes to snatch a better view. Police and volunteers kept the crowd amused by orchestrating mass performances of the Mobot, the celebration made famous by double-gold medalist Mo Farah, before a slow-motion Mexican wave of noise heralded the approach of the floats. — AFP |
| Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:01 PM PDT HISTORY-MAKING Andy Murray ended Britain's 76-year wait for a men's Grand Slam champion when he beat 2011 winner Novak Djokovic 7-6 (12-10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in an epic US Open final on Monday. Murray became Britain's first major champion since Fred Perry claimed his third American title in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started and Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected US president. In a roller-coaster final, which witnessed a 54-shot rally, numerous 30-stroke exchanges, as well as a record-setting tie-breaker, the 25-year-old Murray held his nerve in a knife-edge final set. The Olympic champion led 3-0 in the decider, dropped serve but broke again for 5-2 when Djokovic called a medical time-out. But Murray wasn't to be denied, taking the historic crown when Djokovic went long with a forehand on a second match point in what was, at four hours and 54 minutes, the second-longest US Open final of all time. Murray insisted it was a huge relief to finally have captured a major and put an end to the questions over whether or not he would do it. "Most press conferences I would do I would get asked a question along those sort of lines, and it does build pressure a little bit," he said. "You try not to think about it much when you're playing, but when I was serving for the match, I realized how important that moment was for British tennis. It's something that hasn't happened for a long time. "And, yeah, I'm obviously proud that I managed to achieve it, and don't have to get asked that stupid question again." Murray paid tribute to coach Ivan Lendl, who lost three finals in New York from 1982-1984 before clinching three titles in a row from 1985-1987. "He was one of the greatest," Murray said. "He has helped me through the tough times." "Murray had lost all of his four previous Grand Slam finals - to Roger Federer at the US Open in 2008, the 2010 Australian Open and this year's Wimbledon, as well as to Djokovic in Australia in 2011. But cheered on by fellow Scots, Sir Sean Connery and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, he survived a thrilling fightback by Djokovic, a five-time major winner who had defeated Murray in an epic five-setter in the Australian Open semi-finals in January. Djokovic had spent five hours fewer than Murray on the court in reaching his fourth US Open final, but fitness wasn't an issue in the opening exchanges. It was a battle to see who could master the vicious wind that suddenly whipped up inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as play got underway. Both players were broken in the first two games before Murray nipped ahead 3-2 with a break courtesy of Djokovic's third double fault in just three service games. Murray went to 4-2 despite Djokovic slamming a 54-shot rally. The Serb retrieved the break for 4-4 before serving two love games going into the tie-break.The 24-minute tie-breaker, a record for a men's championship match at the tournament, featured a 30-shot rally and a 33-shot exchange before Murray took it on a sixth set point after a marathon 87-minute set. Murray, sensing his place in the history books, raced to a 4-0 and 5-2 lead in the second set before Australian Open winner Djokovic, a five-time Grand Slam champion, clawed back to 5-5. But the Scot held for 6-5 and carved out two set points later. Djokovic saved one but handed the second set with a misguided forehand which sailed away. But the World No.2 wasn't going down without a fight. A year ago, he came back from two sets and two match points down to beat Federer in New York but this time Murray prevailed and won. — AFP |
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