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Laura Robson thrashes Venus Williams in Rome Britain’s Laura Robson secured her place in the second round of WTA Rome with a straight sets 6-3 6-2 victory over Venus Williams. With clay dust swirling around the tree-lined Foro Italico courts, the American former world number one suffered a...

Kristoff wins again in Norway Alexander Kristoff won his second stage in a row at the Tour of Norway, beating Edvald Boasson Hagen again in stage two. Race leader Kristoff, who claimed stage one of his home tour on Wednesday, shaded a sprint finish in driving rain in Skien, having cut across...

Tomic ******'s Madrid hearing suspended until October The hearing in Madrid on Tuesday at which John Tomic, ****** and coach of Australian world tennis number 52 Bernard Tomic, was due to answer a charge of causing criminal injury has been postponed until October. The hearing could not take...

Cavendish takes 100th win, Uran replaces Wiggins as Sky's leader Britain's Mark Cavendish secured his 100th professional win in a sodden stage 12 as Bradley Wiggins lost more than three minutes to end any lingering hopes of winning the Giro d'Italia. In heavy rain in northern Italy, Wiggins...

Nadal getting close to the place he wants to be When Rafa Nadal returned to action in February after seven months out with a knee injury he never thought that just over three months later he would have another five titles in the bag, including two more Masters triumphs. The Spaniard, a former...

Farrar claims overdue stage win in Tour of California Tyler Farrar broke a long barren streak to win stage four of the Tour of California in Santa Barbara. The American from Garmin-Sharp beat Ken Hanson (Optum/Kelly Benefit) and Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) to the line in a bunch...

Wiggins suffering from chest infection in Italy A chest infection was the latest setback to hit Britain's pre-race favourite Bradley Wiggins on the Giro d'Italia on Wednesday. Tour de France champion Wiggins, finished the 11th stage in the main pack behind winner Ramunas Navardauskas to stay...

Serena eyeing Paris after second straight Madrid title Serena Williams went from winning the Madrid Open to losing in the first round at Roland Garros last year and she is hoping history does not repeat itself after crushing Maria Sharapova to defend her title in Spain on Sunday. Williams has...

Nadal cruises to Madrid Masters title Rafael Nadal won his fifth title in seven events and third in the Spanish capital with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Stanislas Wawrinka at the Madrid Masters. Since his return from seven months on the sidelines with injury Nadal has played seven tournaments...

Kristoff claims opening stage in Norway Katusha's Alexander Kristoff won the opening stage of the Glava Tour of Norway in a sprint from Norwegian compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen. Team Sky rider Boasson Hagen finished ahead of IAM rider Sebastien Hinault in a frantic end to the 190km stage from...

Serena subdues Sharapova to defend Madrid title World number one Serena Williams racked up the 50th title of her illustrious 18-year career when she thumped Maria Sharapova 6-1 6-4 to defend her Madrid Open crown. Williams' victory, her fourth tournament success of 2013 and only the seventh on...

Venezuelan Ubeto tests positive for high-risk **** Venezuelan Miguel Ubeto Aponte has been provisionally suspended after a positive test for a **** the World Anti-Doping Agency has warned poses serious health risks. Ubeto, who joined Lampre this year, returned a sample that showed traces of...

Navardauskas wins stage 11 as Nibali retains lead Lithuania's Ramunas Navardauskas restored some pride to the Garmin-Sharp squad of faltering defending champion Ryder Hesjedal with a strong solo win in stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia. Navardauskas dropped fellow escapee Daniel Oss (BMC) on the...

Wawrinka beats Berdych to reach Madrid final Stanislas Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych 6-3 4-6 6-4 to set up a Madrid Masters final with clay specialist Rafael Nadal. It was an impressive scalp for the Wawrinka, ranked nine places lower than Berdych, who reeled off four straight games to...

Georges leaves Giro after positive test Frenchman Sylvain Georges of Ag2R-La Mondiale has withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia after testing positive for the stimulant Heptaminol. Georges, 28, returned the positive test for an "adverse analytical finding" for Heptaminol in a ***** sample collected...

Nadal reaches seventh straight final Rafa Nadal is one win away from a fifth title since his return from injury after the Spanish world number five thumped compatriot Pablo Andujar 6-0 6-4 on Saturday to set up a Madrid Open final against Stanislas Wawrinka. With his customary strapping on the...

Sagan sprints to stage three win in Tour of California Peter Sagan won stage three of the Tour of California in a sprint finish, with Janier Acevedo retaining overall control. Sagan won in the 177.5km stage from Palmdale to Santa Clarita by about half a bike length from Michael Matthews...

Tomic pulls out of Rome Masters before ******'s hearing Australian Bernard Tomic, whose ****** and coach John is due to appear in a Madrid court on Tuesday to answer a charge of causing criminal injury, has pulled out of this week's Rome Masters, the ATP said on Saturday. John Tomic has been...

Wiggins loses time as team-mate Uran wins It was a bittersweet day for Team Sky in the Friulian mountains as Bradley Wiggins lost more time to his rivals after Colombian team-mate Rigoberto Uran soloed to a stage 10 victory in the first summit finish of the Giro d'Italia. Uran attacked on the...

'Boring' Serena to face Sharapova in Madrid final Serena Williams' tactic of staying in her hotel room and being "boring" appears to be paying off after the world number one swept past Sara Errani on Saturday to set up a Madrid Open final against rival Maria Sharapova. Chasing a 50th career...

Brailsford welcomes Purnell into fold Sir Dave Brailsford believes the pieces are very much coming together for British Cycling's assault on the Rio Olympics after welcoming Professor Tony Purnell into his team. Purnell, a former team principal of the Jaguar Formula One team and ex-technical...

Murray's clay season 'going in the right direction' Andy Murray complained he has been failing to take his chances but said his clay season was "going in the right direction" following the failure of his latest bid for a maiden title on his least favoured surface. Murray lost 7-6 6-4 to Czech...

Wiggins: I descended like a girl! Pre-race favourite Bradley Wiggins reviews a nightmarish first week of the Giro d'Italia and says he "descended like a girl". The Briton lies fourth overall, 1:16 adrift of leader Vincenzo Nibali of Italy who took the pink jersey after Saturday's individual...

Nadal pushed before reaching Madrid semis Rafael Nadal recovered from accidentally striking himself in the face with his racket to see off Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 4-6 7-6 6-0 in the Madrid Masters quarter-finals. World number four Ferrer, ranked one place above Nadal following the...

Reade sets sights on golden 2013 after Argentina victory Two-time Olympian Shanaze Reade has set her sights high this summer after continuing her fine early season form by winning round two of the UCI BMX Supercross in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Reade, a three-time senior world BMX...

Serena 'bagelled' for first time in five years in Madrid win Top seed and world number one Serena Williams was pushed all the way by unseeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues before triumphing 6-3 0-6 7-5 to make the semi-finals at the Madrid Open. The defending champion at the clay event...

Westra wins Tour of California stage one Dutchman Lieuwe Westra won the opening stage of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California in searing heat, holding off Franciso Mancebo in a two-up sprint in Escondido. The Vacansoleil-DCM rider made his move in 100 degree heat five kilometres from the finish...

Scrappy Murray battles past Simon in Madrid Third seed Andy Murray was made to work incredibly hard before booking his place in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters with a 2-6 6-4 7-6(6) win over Gilles Simon. The Scot, who will return to number two in the world next week after Roger...

Unpredictable Giro testing team directors As the Giro d'Italia enters its second week, cycling's top directors have been reminded just how different the race is from the Tour de France. "It's so unpredictable," Rod Ellingworth, Team Sky's performance manager who is helping oversee Tour de...

Practice court beckons for Federer after Madrid defeat Roger Federer vowed to get straight back on the practice court after the world number two was dumped out in the third round of the Madrid Open by Japan's Kei Nishikori on Thursday. Defending champion at the clay Masters event in the...

Federer crashes out of Madrid, Nadal through Defending champion Roger Federer crashed out of the Madrid Masters with a 6-4 1-6 6-2 defeat to 14th seed Kei Nishikori in the third round. Federer’s loss means that Andy Murray will return to world number two when the new rankings are released on...

Wiggins struggles as Hesjedal loses time on rainy Giro Pre-race favourite Bradley Wiggins endured another difficult day on a rain-lashed ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia although defending champion Ryder Hesjedal suffered most, dropping to 11th overall. Britain's Wiggins, who crashed on a...

Kittel wins Tour de Picardie, Txurruka wins in Asturias Marcel Kittel won the Tour de Picardie in stunning style as he won the third and final stage of the race in Soissons. rgos-Shimano rider Kittel, who also won the opening stage and came second on stage two, sprinted to victory ahead of...

Serena through to last eight in Madrid A laid-back Serena Williams breezed into the Madrid Open quarter-finals when she barely broke sweat in a 6-3 6-1 destruction of Maria Kirilenko. The world number one and top seed, defending champion at the premier clay event in the Spanish capital, needed...

Belkov soloes to win in rainy Florence as Hesjedal falters Defending champion Ryder Hesjedal dropped out of the top 10 after losing more than a minute to his rivals on stage nine of the Giro, won by Maxim Belkov. Canada's Hesjedal crossed the line in Florence after another rain-soaked stage...

Vinci, Makarova among completed field for Aegon Classic The player field has been announced for the Aegon Classic, staged on the grass courts of the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham from June 9-16. Joining the previously-named British number one Laura Robson, British number two Heather...

Lulic strike wins Coppa Italia for Lazio Coppa Italia, Stadio Olimpico – Roma 0 Lazio 1 (Lulic 71) Lazio denied Roma a record 10th Coppa Italia win after triumphing 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Senad Lulic at the Stadio Olimpico. The Bosnian scored the only goal of a disappointing...

Robson squanders big chance against Ivanovic British teenager Laura Robson failed to build on her fine win against fourth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round when she lost 5-7 6-2 7-6 to former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the night session. Seeded 16th, Ivanovic...

BMC hire Julich as consultant despite doping confession Former rider Bobby Julich, who left a coaching position with Team Sky last year after admitting doping during his professional career, has joined BMC as a consultant, the Swiss-based cycling team said on Sunday. "Bobby Julich has been...

Nibali takes Giro lead as puncture slows Wiggins New Giro d'Italia race leader Vincenzo Nibali took an important step towards possible victory on Saturday by limiting his losses to favourite Bradley Wiggins in a time trial won by Wiggins's British compatriot Alex Dowsett. Movistar rider...

Nadal eases through Madrid Open opener Rafael Nadal avoided a similar fate to beaten world number one Novak Djokovic when he dismissed French young *** Benoit Paire 6-3 6-4 to claim a place in the third round of the Madrid Open. Serb Djokovic fell to another promising youngster, Bulgaria's...

Wiggins's terrible luck continues in Giro Bradley Wiggins had his time trial efforts hampered by having to change bikes in stage eight. The incident less than 20km into the stage cost Wiggins far more time than the 10 seconds by which he finished second to compatriot Alex Dowsett, and robbed...

Azarenka loses cool on way to Madrid Open exit Victoria Azarenka lost her temper and was docked a point for smashing her racquet on the way to a surprise 1-6 6-2 6-3 defeat by unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the Madrid Open second round. The Belarusian world number three, runner-up in...

Coquard wins in Picardie, Txurruka wins in Asturias France's Bryan Coquard won the second stage of the Tour de Picardie and took over the leader's jersey. Europcar star Coquard beat Germany's stage one winner Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) and Britain's Andrew Fenn (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) in...

Bulgarians hail "phenomenal" Dimitrov after Djokovic win Grigor Dimitrov has been hailed as Bulgaria's new sports hero by local media after the 21-year-old pulled off a stunning upset over world tennis number one Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open on Tuesday. Dimitrov, the youngest of the six...

Robson splits with coach Krajan British number one Laura Robson has split with coach Zeljko Krajan after nine months. Robson initially worked well with the Croatian, rising to world number 38 in April, but she suffered six first-round defeats in 2013. The Australian-born Briton made the...

Dowsett upsets Wiggins as Nibali takes pink Britain's Alex Dowsett beat compatriot Bradley Wiggins in a 55km individual time trial as Italian Vincenzo Nibali moved into the maglia rosa after stage eight of the Giro d'Italia. The cycling world expected one Briton to top the podium in Saltara...

Singapore to host WTA Finals from 2014-2018 Singapore will host the glittering annual finale of the women's tennis season from 2014 until 2018. The Southeast Asian city-state beat Tianjin in China and Mexico's Monterrey for the right to stage the S$6 million WTA Championships after Turkey's...

Kittel wins opening stage of Tour de Picardie Germany’s Marcel Kittel came through to win the opening stage of the Tour de Picardie from Guise to Flixecourt, outsprinting the French trio of Bryan Coquard, Erwann Corbel and Benjamin Giraud to the line. Dutch cyclist Danny Van Poppel finished...

Wiggins loses time as Hansen wins in Pescara Bradley Wiggins crashed in wet conditions in the hilly Abruzzo region as Australian Adam Hansen soloed to victory in stage seven of the Giro d'Italia. Team Sky's Wiggins dropped out of the top twenty in the overall standings after crossing the line...