Roger Federer beat home favorite Philipp Kohlschreiber in tennis’s Gerry Weber Open final today, extending his unbeaten streak on grass to 59 matches while Rafael Nadal claimed the Artois Championship in London.

Top-ranked Federer, who has now claimed the title five times in six years, defeated Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-4 in the Wimbledon warm-up event in Halle, Germany.`That was very special,” Federer told the BBC after taking his 55th career title. “I never lost my serve in this tournament, that had never happened to me.” The victory comes a week after the Swiss was outclassed by No. 2-ranked Nadal in the final of the French Open, the only clay-court Grand Slam tournament. Federer excels on grass, having won five straight Wimbledon titles. Federer, who pulled out of the Gerry Weber Open last year because of fatigue, has won 24 straight matches at the event.

Spain’s Nadal, runner-up to Federer at Wimbledon the past two years, prepared for this season’s event by taking his maiden grass-court title. He beat Serbia’s Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 at the Queen’s Club in London. Nadal rallied from 3-0 down in the first set to take it in a tie-break, then established a 2-0 lead in the second set. Djokovic broke back in the next game and after another break, served for the set at 5-4. Nadal responded by breaking back and taking the next two games to take the title.

Elsewhere, Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko won his third title of the year at the Warsaw Open. He beat Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-3, 6-3 in the final while Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine claimed a maiden WTA title, defeating Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 7-6 (7-4) in the DFS Classic in Birmingham.

Defending champions Punjab took a sweet revenge and stunned favourites Services by a solitary goal to lift the 62nd Santosh Trophy national football championship title at the Bakshi stadium here on Sunday. Punjab, who lost to Services in the quarterfinal league stages of the tournament, displayed an all-round performance and broke Services’ heart in the 54th minute of the match when substitute Balraj Singh converted a spot kick after a Services defender handled the ball inside the box. Down by a goal, Services, who qualified for the Santosh Trophy final after a hiatus of 39 years, went all out in search of the elusive equaliser but a determined Punjab defence came in their way on all occasions.

Punjab was undoubtedly the better side on display and their striking trio of Amandeep Singh, Balraj and Balwant Singh, now and then posed serious threats to Services goal. The title holders could have won the encounter by a bigger margin but Services skipper and custodian Robikanta Singh ensured that his team remains in the hunt till the end. Services too had several chances to level the scores but Punjab goalkeeper Karanjit Singh came in their way on every occasion. Services paid the price for relying heavily on their star striker Sochungmi Raleng who was no where near to his lethal best today as Punjab defenders gave him little opportunity to break free.

Shoaib Akhtar’s five-year ban has been reduced to 18 months by the PCB-appointed appellate tribunal, but he will have to pay a fine of Rs 7 million (approx US$105,000). The Pakistan board had, on April 1, banned him on various disciplinary grounds.”The tribunal has taken the decision [to reduce Shoaib's ban] with a clear conscience and under no pressure from either the board or anyone else,” Justice (retd) Aftab Farrukh, the head of the three-man tribunal, said in Karachi, adding that it was an unanimous decision.

Explaining the tribunal’s verdict, Farrukh said: “We also took into consideration the past record of Shoaib and that he had publicly apologised for his behaviour and past deeds. He has promised to reform himself and we have also recommended to the board that he should be given proper counselling.”Another member of the tribunal, Naveed Chaudhry, was pushing for the complete removal of the ban, with the provision of higher fine, but was overruled. “I wanted him [Shoaib] to play but pay a hefty fine of 20 million, but the other two members thought otherwise.” The third member, former Test cricketer Haseeb Ashan, did not attend the meeting, but gave his consent over telephone. Meanwhile, Shoaib’s lawyer, Abid Hasan Minto, said that he may pursue a further appeal against the reduced ban. “We will take a decision after going through the long and detailed order of the tribunal.”

Is it right for Shoaib Akhtar to have got his ban reduced? Do leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy made a remarkable comeback through the super-tie breaker of their semifinal match to enter the summit clash of the euro 713,000 Gerry Weber Open here.
After pocketing the first set, the fourth seed Indo-Czech pair lost the second set without getting on board but eventually pulled off a 6-4 0-6 10-4 win against Ivan Lubicic and Robin Soderling in one hour and 30 minutes. Paes-Dlouhy saved five breakpoints in the second set but failed to save another three to allow their opponents to push the result through the super tie-breaker. They held their nerves in the decider and win six points on their serve and four on the service returns to storm into the final match. They face winners of the other semifinal match between Mikhail Youzhny/Mischa Zverev and Christopher Kas/Phillip Petzschner.

Meanwhile,top-seeded Roger Federer handled German Nicolas Kiefer in Saturday’s semifinals to advance to Sunday’s final. The Swiss grass-court king taught Kiefer a lesson in the art of grass court tennis. It took Federer just 22 minutes to win the first set. Federer broke in the second and sixth games to win the opening set. In the second set, Federer saved four break points in the sixth game and then broke in the ninth game before serving it out. Federer goes into the final without losing serve this week, holding all 39 games and will face German Philipp Kohlschreiber in Sunday’s championship.

Catch Roger Federer Vs Nicolas Kiefer in the finals of the Gerry Webber tournament today on Neo Sports from 18.30 onwards

Ancient history favours Pakistan, but more modern events give India the edge going into Saturday’s encounter. Pakistan have usually fared better in ODI finals between these traditional rivals, winning five of the seven tournaments where the two sides met in the title clash - but the last of those was in 1999. India have had the upper hand in recent matches, winning five of their last seven games and with their rampaging top-order firing, have steamrollered their way to the final. A victory on Saturday would add to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s growing reputation as an ODI captain, having already tasted success at home against Pakistan and in the CB series in Australia.

On the other hand, Shoaib Malik is yet to win a ODI series against significant opposition since beating Sri Lanka last May. His side’s 12-game winning streak was emphatically snapped by a 140-run defeat in the league match against India, prompting a stinging and public rebuke from PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf. While this is a battle between arch-rivals, the frequency of matches between the two sides has taken the edge off this game. As Shahid Afridi said, “some of the jadoo (magic) has gone out of the atmosphere and build-up.” A win here, though, will be the perfect tonic ahead of the Asia Cup.

India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Ishant Sharma

Pakistan: (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shoaib Malik (capt), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9, Umar Gul, 10 Wahab Riaz / Sohail Khan, 11 Iftikhar Anjum.

Catch the Kitply cup final live on Neo Cricket on Saturday the 14th of June at 14.30 IST.

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The Boston Celtics pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in National Basketball Association history, rallying from a 24-point hole Thursday to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 in the NBA Finals.

Paul Pierce scored 20 points and Ray Allen added 19 to spark an astonishing victory that put Boston ahead three games to one in the best-of-seven series, a lead no team in NBA Finals history has ever squandered to lose a title. “We sucked it up,” Pierce said. “I said, ‘Don’t look at the score. We just have to go out and compete and see where it is at the end of the day.’ I know what it is to dig deep and get the win.”

The Celtics would win their first championship since 1986, and stretch their record total to 17, with a victory in game five here Sunday after they trailed 45-21 in the second quarter and 70-50 midway into the third quarter. “It’s a great position to be in. We’re thrilled with the win and it’s a great comeback, but we still have to win one game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s a great comeback but you don’t get anything for it.” The Celtics took their first lead of the game at 84-83 on Eddie House’s jumper with 4:07 remaining. Allen sank a reverse layup and Kevin Garnett followed to cap an 8-0 run that gave Boston an 88-83 edge.

NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant hit two baskets to pull the Lakers within 89-87 but James Posey, who came off the bench to score 18 points, sank a 3-pointer from the left side to stretch Boston’s lead to 92-87. The Lakers trimmed the gap to 94-91 on a Gasol dunk with 40 seconds to play but Allen answered with a driving layup past Sasha Vujacic to put the Celtics ahead 96-91 with 16 seconds remaining. Bryant, who made only 6-of-19 shots, missed a final attempt and the Lakers’ giveaway was complete, snapping their home playoff win streak at nine games.

In all probability game 5 should see the Celtics win their 17th title so make sure you don’t miss it. The Lakers Vs Celtics game 5 won’t be shown live in India but will be telecast as a same day delay at 14.00 IST on Monday the 16th of June on ESPN.

Multi-millionaire England and Manchester United football star Wayne Rooney tied the knot on Thursday with girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin under driving rain on the Italian Riviera. The intimate ceremony in the fairytale Villa Durazzo in Santa Margherita Ligure, overlooking the Mediterranean near Genoa, was followed by a reception at a nearby abbey, La Cervara, built by Benedictine monks in 1361. The 17th-century Villa Durazzo was also the setting for British rock star Rod Stewart’s wedding to third wife Penny Lancaster in June last year. Burly British security guards stood watch outside the gates of the villa to keep hordes of reporters and cameramen at bay as the wedding party pulled up in black Mercedes with tinted windows.

The newlyweds, both 22, reportedly put up five million pounds (6.3 million euros, 9.7 million dollars) for their nuptials, half of it covered by selling exclusive picture rights to the celebrity magazine OK! Rooney and his wife, now an occasional newspaper columnist, have been an item since at least 2003 when they were only 17. They have been dubbed “Wayleen” by the British tabloid press. The festivities were to continue into the night aboard a yacht off Genoa, reportedly complete with fireworks.

Rooney was able to marry in June because England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals currently taking place in Austria and Switzerland.

Roger Federer returned to winning ways when he saw off Michael Berrer 6-4 6-2 in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open.

The Swiss star, whom Rafael Nadal had manhandled 6-1 6-3 6-0 in the final of the French Open, revealed he was glad to be back on the surface he has now won 55 straight matches on. “It was easier than expected, especially towards the end,” he said after destroying his opponent in 61 minutes. “My reaction was good, my movement was good and my service was excellent. I even tried out a few things when I was up 30-0 or 40-0. I am very happy with my performance. It feels good to be back on grass.” ( Read- I am actually really happy that Nadal isn’t playing in this tournament.)

Meanwhile, defending Gerry Weber Open champion Tomas Berdych crashed out of the tournament following a 6-2 7-5 loss against Robin Soderling. The Swede easily took the first set before winning the last eight points of the contest to kick his opponent out. “He served extremely well and my return did not work,” third-seeded Berdych said. “I was not in the match today. I did not move well. It was very difficult after losing the first set. He played very solid.” Elsewhere, second seed James Blake came from one set and one break down to edge Germany’s Benjamin Becker 4-6 7-5 6-3. In two all-German battles, Philipp Kohlschreiber also defeated Tommy Haas 7-5 5-7 7-6 (7/5) and Andreas Beck toppled fellow German Mischa Zverev 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-1.

Indian ace Leander Paes Made has made it to the semifinals of the doubles event partnering Czech Luca Dlouhy. The duo swept aside local favourites Tommy Haas and Michael Berrer 6-3, 6-4.

The Gerry Webber tennis tournament is being shown live on Neo Sports from the 13th to the 15th of June. The semifinals are on the 14th of June from 17.30 IST onwards and the final is on 15th June and starts at 18.30 IST

Robert Kubica has promised he will be “giving it everything” in his bid to become Formula One world champion this season

Robert Kubica surprisingly finds himself leading the way after seven grands prix and his maiden win in Sunday’s race in Canada. Lewis Hamilton’s farcical shunt into Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane played into Kubica’s hands, allowing him to claim victory. The 23-year-old is now four points clear of McLaren star Hamilton and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, with reigning world champion Raikkonen seven points adrift.

Kubica, though, knows that winning a race is one thing, but the title is something completely different with such an accomplished trio hunting him down. “I did not expect to be leading the championship after seven races, as our car is not the fastest on the grid,” remarked Kubica. “However, we have total reliability. We were still experiencing a few problems in this area last year, but since then we’ve made huge improvements. “Added to which, the pit crew has done a great job, as has everybody in the team. “I have collected points regularly so far this year, but of course I don’t know if that is going to continue. “I will focus on the grands prix one at a time and try to take maximum points in every situation. “Of course, consistency is an important factor, and I hope we are also able to make further improvements to the car. Then we can achieve good things.”Whatever happens, we have to do all we can to make the best of the situation.

Kubica, whose breakthrough win was at a circuit where he survived an horrendous smash last year, conceded to no nerves over the closing laps as he sensed victory. The laid-back Pole added: “I just concentrated totally on not making any mistakes over the final 15 laps. “They were the longest, but also the most relaxed laps of my Formula One career so far, as I had no pressure and only needed to bring the car home.”

Do you think Robert Kubica can go all the way and win the Formula one title? Drop us a line and let us know what you think.

Just three days after claiming his record fourth French Open title in Paris, Rafael Nadal made an impressive transition to grass by defeating former Wimbledon semifinalist Jonas Bjorkman at The Artois Championships. Nadal, who is attempting to become the first player to win Roland Garros and at The Queen’s Club in the same year, took just 65 minutes to register a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Bjorkman to reach the third round.

“Happy to be here another year,” said Nadal. “Always is a pleasure to play on grass. Well, for sure the first day, the sensation is a little bit strange. For the first day, was good for me. Important thing, I gonna have another match tomorrow. For sure this tournament is very important. If I can have a very good result here, is going to be very important for me.” The top seed will now meet rising Japanese star Kei Nishikori for a place in the quarterfinals after he overcame Olivier Patience in straight sets. “He won a tournament in Delray Beach this year, beating very good players,” said Nadal of Nishikori. “Probably one of the next stars, the next top 10s. I’m sure tomorrow going to be a tough match, very tough.”

Meanwhile, second seed Novak Djokovic also made a quick adjustment to grass with a 6-2, 7-6(7) victory over Croatia’s Roko Karanusic, and No. 10 seed Fernando Gonzalez booked his place in the third round after defeating former World No. 1 Marat Safin in straight sets.

Only matches from the quarter finals onward will be aired in India. You can catch the first two quarter finals of the Artois Championships live on ESPN on the 13th of June from 17.00 IST onwards. We will update you on the T.V schedule for the semi finals and finals.

Sania Mirza’s comeback from injury ended in agony but Sunitha Rao’s dream run continued as she advanced to the quarterfinals of the USD 200,000 WTA DFS Classic in Birmingham on Wednesday.

Sania, seeded sixth, went down 3-6 0-6 to New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic.The sixth seeded Indian, who had been laid low by a wrist injury that needed to be operated upon in the US, went down in just an hour. It was heartbreak for Sania, who was handed a bye in the first round here, as she never found her footing in the match and was outplayed by her Kiwi opponent in all departments of the game, marking a disappointing start to her build-up for the Wimbledon Grand Slam Championship later this month. In the doubles event Sania has teamed up with American Bethanie Mattek in the doubles, and the fourth-seeded pair will be up against Natalie Grandin of South Africa and American Raquel Kops-Jones in the opening round.

However, Sunitha, a qualifier, continued her winning run as she rallied to beat local challenger Naomi Cavaday 4-6 6-3 6-1. The US-based Indian will take on the winner of the match between sixth seed Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko and Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual in the last-eight stage.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett must bounce back from horrible shooting performances if the Boston Celtics are to keep the Los Angeles Lakers from leveling the National Basketball Association Finals.

The Lakers dropped the first two games in Boston but can pull even in the best-of-seven championship series with a victory in game four here Thursday after shutting down the Celtics’ top scorers in a 108-102 game three triumph. “We’re a pretty confident bunch,” Lakers star Kobe Bryant said. “It’s just about doing what we’ve got to do to win. You just go out there, do the things you’ve been taught and control the things you can.”

The Lakers have won 15 in a row at home and are 9-0 at home in this year’s playoffs, one victory shy of matching the one-season NBA home playoff win streak record, while the Celtics are only 2-8 on the road in the playoffs. “This is where they are comfortable. They have a lot of confidence playing in this building and we have to somehow, some way diffuse that,” Garnett said.

A Boston victory would put the Celtics on the verge of their first NBA crown since 1986 and record 17th overall while the Lakers could move halfway to a 15th NBA crown and their first since 2002.

Game four of the NBA finals between Lakers and Celtics will be telecast as a same day delay on ESPN at 14.00 IST. For those of you who want to catch the game live, you can log on to NBA.com and catch the game live.