IN BRIEF (Page 23)
Tennis
Federer, Henin top US Open seedings
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut: World No 1s Roger Federer and Justine Henin were on Monday named as the top seeds for the US Open, which starts in New York next week.
Swiss Federer will be bidding for his fourth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows, while Belgian Henin is hoping to repeat her 2003 triumph.
Organisers kept in line with the world rankings, with Spain's Rafael Nadal seeded two, Novak Djokovic of Serbia at three and Russian Nikolay Davydenko fourth.
Three other former champions are seeded in the men's event with American Andy Roddick fifth, 2001 winner Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 16th and 2000 champion Marat Safin of Russia at 25.
Defending women's champion Maria Sharapova of Russia is seeded second behind Henin, with Serb Jelena Jankovic third and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 winner, fourth.
Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is 12th while her sister Serena, who has not played since Wimbledon, is eighth.
Soccer
Salas called up by Chile for European tour
SANTIAGO: Chile striker Marcelo Salas received a surprise call-up on Monday for next month's European tour after nearly two years out of the national team.
Salas, 32, who stopped playing altogether for the first six months of this year, was one of 13 home-based players named by new coach Marcelo Bielsa for the matches against Switzerland and Austria.
Chile's all-time leading scorer with 35 goals, Salas was last picked away for a World Cup qualifier to Brazil in September 2005 but missed the game through injury.
The former Lazio and Juventus striker's career has been plagued by injury in recent years.
Camacho reappointed as Benfica coach
LISBON: Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho has been reappointed as Benfica coach and will be officially presented at a news conference on Tuesday, a club source said on Monday.
Camacho arrived at Tires airport near Lisbon on Monday after the Portuguese club sacked Fernando Santos earlier in the day following a 1-1 draw at Leixoes in its opening match of season.
In a statement Benfica said the club had reached an agreement with Santos to end his two-year contract.
Goal will help me settle, says Torres
MADRID: Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has said scoring his first league goal for the club in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday will help him settle in more quickly at Anfield.
"Scoring goals will give me the confidence to help me adapt in England but I've still got a long way to go," the former Atletico Madrid player told reporters on his arrival at Spain's training camp ahead of their friendly against Greece on Wednesday.
"I've only just arrived and the whole style of play is very different in England but when you score everything is calmer and I just hope the goals keep on coming. English football is much more physical and I still need time to adjust."
NFL
Vick agrees plea deal in dog-fighting case
RICHMOND, Virginia: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick agreed on Monday to plead guilty in a dog-fighting case that threatens to wreck the career of one of US football's most dynamic stars.
A strong-armed quarterback and breakaway runner, the 27-year-old Vick is accused of helping to run an interstate dog-fighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" from 2001 through April 2007.
Dogfighting, in which two dogs bred to fight are placed in a pit to attack each other for spectators' entertainment and gambling, is illegal in the United States.
Prosecutors charged that dogs sometimes fought to the death and some losing or underperforming dogs had been shot, drowned, hanged, electrocuted or killed by being slammed to the ground.
Vick had initially denied direct involvement in pit bull fights that an indictment said took place on his property in Virginia. He accepted the deal after associates agreed to cooperate with prosecutors under their own plea deals.
(China Daily 08/22/2007 page23)
