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News -- 2008 
Venus takes Doha 11 November
WTA (tennis): They were the last two to qualify and after a tough week they were the last two standing. Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva, the No.7 and No.8 seeds at the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2008, went unbeaten in their respective round robin groups and won tight semifinals to set up the unlikely - at least on paper - title match. And while Zvonareva's form was strong it wasn't enough to flip a decidedly lopsided head-to-head trend, as she began strongly but eventually fell for the sixth straight time to Williams, 67(5) 60 62.
Both Williams and Zvonareva were surprise packages in round robin play, going 3-0 in their respective groups. Williams opened with a straight set win over No.2 seed Dinara Safina before notching three set wins over No.5 seed Elena Dementieva and No.3 seed Serena Williams; Zvonareva beat No.6 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets before taking out No.4 seed Ana Ivanovic and No.1 seed Jelena Jankovic in three-setters. Both were tested in the semifinals but again emerged victorious, with Zvonareva outlasting Dementieva, 76(7) 36 63, and Williams beating Jankovic, 62 26 63.
More at the WTA site
Plus the doubles…
Cara Black and Liezel Huber qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2008 doubles event months before any of the other teams, and in the heat of battle they seemed to be even further ahead of their competition, cruising through both of their matches at the season-ending event to take home the title. Seeded No.1, they first crushed Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the semifinals, 61 63, then in the final they beat Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs in a slightly closer straight-setter, 61 75.
"Even though the score seemed easy in the first set, it was just one or two points' difference, and it could have been much tighter," Huber said. "They definitely played stronger in the second set. Every time we go out there we expect the best from the other team, and they really did play a great match today."
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Gilmore up for award?
ASP (surfing): Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and current No. 2 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, is currently battling the rest of the ASP Top 17 at the 2008 Movistar Classic Mancora Peru pres. by Rip Curl, but her home country of Australia is busy honoring her. Gilmore was most recently listed as a finalist in the prestigious Australian Sports Performer of the Year Awards.
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Prendergast stars in San Remo campaign 6 November
Netball Australia: Popular Australian Diamonds defender, Julie Prendergast is promoting a healthy lifestyle message to millions of Australia`s young netballers in her new role as San Remo pasta ambassador.
The 21-year-old is the new `face` of a national San Remo television campaign and says she is keen to encourage families to enjoy pasta as part of a healthy diet.
"San Remo pasta has always been part on my family," she said. "It is a real privilege to work with San Remo to encourage young people to adopt healthy, balanced eating habits and also help to ensure we have a healthy nation of children."
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Bibby talks up chances of playing
WNBL: If anyone knows about injury it's Jess Bibby.
She was told basketball was not an option when a back injury forced her out of the game for more than three years in 2001.
Since her WNBL debut in 1996 she has rolled her ankle once. But that rolled ankle kept her out of basketball for three months.
So it's understandable that when the Canberra Capitals guard was told she had a niggling shoulder injury, all she could do was smile.
Despite not participating in training this week, Bibby is confident of taking to the court against the Townsville Fire tomorrow night and the Logan Thunder on Sunday.
''It feels okay and I seem to be able to move it fine but the question is whether it will be able to stand up against contact,'' Bibby said.
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Williams win through in Doha
San Diego Tribune (tennis): Venus and Serena Williams won contrasting round-robin matches at the Sony Ericsson Championships on Wednesday and next face a familiar opponent: each other.
Venus endured a struggle against Elena Dementieva 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to win her second match, and Serena romped past Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-1 in her first at the season-ending WTA Tour championships.
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Back-to-back titles for Gilmore
ASP tour (surfing): Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and defending event champion, collected her second consecutive win in Peru today, defeating Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, to claim the Movistar Classic Mancora Peru presented by Rip Curl as well as the ratings lead on the ASP Women’s World Tour.
Event No. 6 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Movistar Classic Mancora Peru pres. by Rip Curl relocated from the primary venue in Mancora this morning to Piscina, an hour and a half south, where swell was running in the three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) range.
After building momentum throughout the day, Gilmore peaked in the Final, posting the highest heat total of the event, a 16.10 out of a possible 20, with brilliant flair and power on her backhand, to claim her second consecutive event title in Peru.
“I am so stoked right now,” Gilmore said. “I love coming to Peru. The waves are always really fun and the people are so passionate about their surfing. I came here confident that I could get a result and to come out on top is just fantastic.”
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Sthalekar top of the world
SMH (cricket): It wasn't until Lisa Sthalekar's father Haren took her to a match between Australia and England at North Sydney Oval nearly 20 years ago that she realised that women played cricket.
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NZ cricket awards
Cricinfo: Nicola Browne was given the Ruth Martin Cup as the best batsman in women's cricket…
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WNBL preview 23 October
WNBL (basketball): Round 4 has been named the Pink Ribbon Round in support of Pink Ribbon Day on Monday, 27 October. All teams will auction or raffle an autographed pink team singlet, and the Dandenong Rangers will play in a pink uniform. Half the proceeds from the pink singlets will go to the ADF WNBL’s main charity, the Cancer Council.
It’s a big week for the League with seven games in the round and you can see the Rangers’ in pink when they host Adelaide Lightning in the ABC TV Game of the Week.
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Gerrard to lead against NZ
Netball Australia: Less than a week remains until arch-rivals the Australian Netball Diamonds and the New Zealand Silver Ferns battle out the Holden Netball Test Series in front of home crowds in Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Diamonds head into camp this afternoon in preparation for the final two test matches and in the absence of Diamonds captain Sharelle McMahon, defender Mo’onia Gerrard will take the role of acting on court captain for the series.
When McMahon was ruled out for the entire 2008 international series, the captaincy was to be rotated between Natalie von Bertouch, Catherine Cox and Gerrard. With Cox missing the two test series against England, von Bertouch stepped up to the position again after the tour of New Zealand, with Gerrard to have the role against the Silver Ferns in Australia.
“As a senior member of the team, I am excited about the opportunity and challenge to be the acting captain and to step up to this leadership role,” Gerrard explained.
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Generali Linz update
(Tennis) The only seed left to play their first round match, Flavia Pennetta, had the quickest win of the day, crushing Agnes Szavay in just 54 minutes, 61 62.
Pennetta, who just reached a new career-high ranking of No. 14 this week, is the No. 7 seed and will take on Dominika Cibulkova in the second round.
Also moving into the second round were Sybille Bammer, a 75 63 winner against Francesca Schiavone, and qualifier Petra Kvitova, who beat Austrian wildcard Tamira Paszek, 63 63.
In the only second round matches of the day, No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska cruised past Kaia Kanepi, 62 64, while No.8 seed Alizé Cornet won a see-saw night match against Maria Kirilenko, 16 62 61. Cornet had fallen in the first round of her last three tournaments - at Stuttgart, Moscow and Zürich -- but has now won back-to-back matches to reach her first quarterfinal since August.
This year´s four best doubles teams were also in action. Cara Black and Liezel Huber, seeded No. 1 this week and playing their first round match, moved past Renata Voracova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in a match tie-break victory, 61 46 107.
Also contesting the first round, No. 3 seeds Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs won through in straight sets, while No. 4 seeds the Bondarenko sisters were ousted by Jill Craybas and Tamarine Tanasugarn. No. 2 seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama played their quarterfinal, taking out Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez handily, 62 63.
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Cox to miss netball final 21 October
Netball Australia: Australian Netball Diamonds goal shooter Catherine Cox has been ruled out of the final two Holden Netball Test matches against New Zealand.
After missing the recent series against England with an ankle injury, Cox was expected to return for the Diamonds matches against the Silver Ferns. However, recent scans to her ankle have indicated a partial tear to the deltoid ligament.
Cox will now seek further advice from her specialist in the coming week.
Plus…
Netball Australia: The Silver Ferns without injured skipper Julie Seymour, has thrashed England by 39 goals in the 3rd and deciding Test of the New World International Netball Series in Palmerston North, 61-22 in a stunning form reversal.
Just three days earlier, the Silver Ferns had struggled to overcome England in Dunedin, going down by two goals.
Seymour, sidelined with an achilles injury, was replaced at centre by Laura Langman with Irene van Dyk taking up her regular position at goal shooter and Maria Tutaia at goal attack.
The Silver Ferns led 14-8 at the first break through superior goal percentage and despite some outstanding play from England defenders, Sonia Mkoloma and Geva Mentor.
New Zealand scored 14 unanswered goals in the second quarter to deny England any realistic winning chance and led 36-10 at half time.
England coach, Sue Hawkins tried valiantly to lift the side with wholesale changes but the Ferns stormed ahead 50-16 into the last term.
With the win assured, Ferns coach, Ruth Aitken introduced Paula Griffin at goal attack and the experienced Leana de Bruin at goal defence.
More at Netball Australia
Big field for Hawaii classic
LPGA (golf): Rolex Rankings' number one Lorena Ochoa and number two Annika Sorenstam highlight a field of 132 players competing this week at the inaugural $1.5 million Kapalua LPGA Classic at the Kapalua Resort's Bay Course. The Kapalua LPGA Classic marks the fourth of six inaugural tournaments on the 2008 LPGA Tour schedule.
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Venus wins 25th anniversary title 19 October
Zurich Open (tennis): Venus Williams has won the 25th - and probably last - Zurich Open title. In a high-quality final she beat Flavia Pennetta 7-6(1) 6-2, receiving her trophy in an emotional prize-giving ceremony that concludes a great quarter-century for women's tennis in Zurich.
The first set was very close, neither player breaking serve, and both players hitting some great shots. But once it went into the tiebreak, Williams won the first six points and Pennetta suddenly looked tired.
Though she fought gamely in the second set, the title had effectively been decided, and the American went on to win on her second match point as a Pennetta backhand went wide.
A total of 5785 spectators witnessed the final final of the TENNIS.com Zurich Open in the Hallenstadion. At the closing ceremony, the long-standing tournament director Beat Ritschard, with tears in his eyes, thanked everyone for their support. Williams herself said: “I hope to have another chance to play in Zurich one day.”
Plus…
World's best pair claim doubles title
Switzerland's Patty Schnyder and her German partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld were beaten 6-1 7-6(3) in the final by the world's best pair, Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
The TENNIS.com Zurich Open thereby becomes the ninth title won by Black and Huber this year - including the US Open - and they have long since secured the year-end No 1 ranking. “I got very nervous on match point,” admitted Huber, “so I just imagined it was match point in a Grand Slam final, and somehow that calmed me down.”
Zurich Open
Upset in Beachley Classic
ASP: Clean surf in the two-to-three foot (1 metre) range is pushing through at Manly today, and event organizers at the Beachley Classic have called the final day of competition on, with a champion being crowned by day’s end. The Quarterfinals are scheduled to begin at 9:15am.
“We have clean little waves coming in here this morning and it looks like this is going to be the best we’ll get so we’ll be running the Quarterfinals as soon as possible this morning,” Matt Wilson, Beachley Classic Contest Organizer, said. “We have some really dynamic match-ups ahead and we’re looking forward to an exciting day of competition.”
Tyler Wright (AUS), 14, Oakley Trials winner and wildcard into the Beachley Classic, scored the upset of the season last Saturday, eliminating reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, in Round 3. Wright will now face veteran Jacqueline Silva (BRA), 29, in Quarterfinal 2.
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Sthalekar named best 17 October
Cricket Australia: Australian star Lisa Sthalekar has been named the leading all-rounder in women's cricket at the launch of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women's Player Rankings in Mumbai on Thursday.
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