IN BRIEF (Page 23)
Soccer
Ronaldo will be fit for season opener: coach
MILAN: Ronaldo will be fit to play in AC Milan's first game of the Serie A season against Genoa on August 26, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday.
The Brazilian striker pulled a hamstring towards the end of the previous campaign and has yet to feature in pre-season.
The 30-year-old Ronaldo will miss Thursday's friendly at Real Betis although attacking colleague Alberto Gilardino is back after knee surgery.
"Ronaldo will be available for the first match of the championship," Ancelotti told a news conference dominated by questions about Brazilians.
New signing Alexandre Pato, who according to media reports cost 22 million euros ($30 million) from Internacional, cannot feature for Milan until January under the terms of the deal but Ancelotti has already been impressed by the 17-year-old forward.
Tennis
Davydenko upset by betting controversy
MONTREAL: Russian Nikolay Davydenko said on Wednesday he was worried his reputation would suffer after becoming embroiled in a betting controversy.
Davydenko retired because of a foot injury early in the third set of his match with Martin Vasallo Arguello of Argentina at the ATP event in Sopot last week, only to discover the next day the match was at the centre of a betting scandal.
"It's so surprising," a bemused Davydenko told reporters in Montreal, where he beat Finn Jarkko Nieminen in the second round of the Masters Series tournament.
"Like, who can know that I can be injured and (would) retire in my match? I am disappointed, because I'm a top player and people are talking (about it) not only in Russia, in my country, (but) also talking everywhere in the world.
"It is pretty tough for me, I get more pressure now. Mentally, it's pretty tough."
British betting exchange Betfair, which allows clients to bet against each other and act both as gambler and bookmaker, voided all bets on the match.
Fans sing praises as Federer celebrates birthday win
MONTREAL: Roger Federer had little to sing about as he struggled against the tree-top serve of Ivo Karlovic before carving out a place in the third round of the ATP Montreal Masters.
But the challenging Wednesday win, by a score of 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/3), as the Swiss turned 26 still served as an opportunity for local fans.
They tried mightily to start the birthday celebrations early, interrupting the tense second set with a sing-along of the Quebecois version of "Happy Birthday" before Federer was later presented with a cake on court.
"I enjoy it, of course," said the Swiss, playing for the first time since lifting a fifth straight Wimbledon title four weeks ago.
"At the same time, I'm struggling to get a ball back against this guy and they're singing happy birthday.
"Are they seeing the same match as me," he said with a smile, four years after last celebrating a birthday here with a win over Tommy Robredo.
BASEBALL
Bacsik has no regrets about the pitch
WASHINGTON: Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik was perhaps the only person in San Francisco's AT&T Park to miss Barry Bonds's historic 756th home run.
The journeyman left-hander threw a high fastball to Bonds on a 3-2 pitch and when the San Francisco Giants slugger made contact, Bacsik did not even turn around.
He stared straight ahead, looked down briefly and grabbed the back of his neck.
"I knew it was gone," Bacsik told Reuters on Wednesday in a telephone interview. "With his power, his stroke, he crushed it. There was no reason for me to look at it.
"I was disappointed they took the lead. I was pitching to win the game. I was also pitching not to give up a home run to Barry. But then again I didn't want to give up a home run to anybody on that team.
"After it's over and we come back to win the game (8-6) I can look on it with fond memories.
"It was a fastball," the 29-year-old Bacsik said. "I was supposed to be going down and away with it for a strike. And I threw it up. Middle. Barry doesn't miss many of those. And he definitely didn't miss that one."
(China Daily 08/10/2007 page23)
