Fiorentina hold Inter as Udinese, Napoli fly high

ROME: Fiorentina and Inter Milan played out a 0-0 stalemate in the big top-of-the-table clash in Italy's Serie A on Wednesday as Udinese and Napoli pulled clear at the head of the standings.

IN BRIEF (Page 22)

Phillies beat Rays to win World Series

PHILADELPHIA: The Philadelphia Phillies ended their long wait for a World Series title with a short burst of baseball on Wednesday as they clinched the crown by completing a rain-suspended 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yao Ming boosts Rockets to quick NBA start

HOUSTON: China's Yao Ming scored 21 points with 10 rebounds on Wednesday to help lift the Houston Rockets to an 81-71 victory over Memphis in the National Basketball Association season opener for both teams.

Score board

Baseball

Boston rally to sink LeBron-led Cavs

BOSTON: The Boston Celtics capped a night of celebration by opening the defence of their NBA crown with a rousing 90-85 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Phillies, Rays managers offer different spins on Series

PHILADELPHIA: The World Series was heading into its decisive final moments on Wednesday in a unique, three-inning showdown with the score tied at 2-2 after Monday's Game Five suspension due to heavy rain.

Stars come out as Roddick races ahead

PARIS: The shiniest stars will come out today at the Paris Masters when Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray will all be in action - but Tuesday belonged to Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro and Novak Djokovic as they raced into the last 16.

Karlsson unfazed by hazy Euro crown prospects

VALDERRAMA, Spain: Robert Karlsson goes into this week's order of merit showdown at the Volvo Masters looking down at his rivals in a philosophical mood over his chances of being crowned European No 1 on Sunday.

Top shot

Tennis

Capitals shrug off Ovechkin absence

WASHINGTON: The Washington Capitals overcame the absence of league MVP Alex Ovechkin to edge the Nashville Predators 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.

Liu Xiang may need psychological help - coach

World 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang may need psychological help to deal with the memory of his dramatic exit from the Beijing Olympics, according to China's head athletics coach.