Roddick off to a winning start in Shanghai

SHANGHAI -- Andy Roddick rallied to beat Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 Monday in the first round of the Shanghai Masters.The 10th-seeded Roddick won the first set easily, but Lu picked up his game in the second, rushing the net repeatedly and hitting 15 winners to eight for the American.

The former U.S. Open champion then broke Lu twice in the third set to close out the match Roddick was beaten by Lu in five sets in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, the last time the two players met. But the Taiwanese player made too many mistakes Monday, committing 50 unforced errors, including seven double-faults."He plays so high risk," Roddick said. "Overall, I thought it was pretty good, save four games."

The 29-year-old Roddick has struggled to regain his form this season, losing in the third round at Wimbledon and pulling out of the French Open because of injury. His ranking has slipped to No. 15. 

Somdev loses in first round of Shanghai Masters

Somdev Devvarman's lean patch continued as he made another first round exit from the ATP Shanghai Masters after losing in straight sets to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, in Shanghai today. The 84th ranked Indian lost 4-6 3-6 in an hour and 27 minutes in his opening match of the USD 3,240,00 hard court tournament. 

Now the head-to-head record of the two players stand 2-2 in four meetings this season. Since Atlanta event in July, Somdev has competed in seven tournaments, including Davis Cup tie against Japan, and has won only two matches.In the doubles event, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes are seeded fourth and have got a first round bye. Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-haq Quershi are seeded seventh and they also have got a first round bye.

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Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi donated eye before death

 

 Former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who died of a lung ailment in Delhi on Thursday, was laid to rest at his ancestral palace on Friday with thousands thronging the burial site to pay their last respects leading to chaotic scenes. Pataudi, who was 70 when he breathed his last at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, was buried next to the grave of his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi -- the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal.
 
As distraught family members, bid final goodbye to the man who was fondly called 'Tiger', there was chaos at the Pataudi Palace's sprawling campus with close to 15,000 people converging at the burial site to catch a glimpse of the proceedings. 

 Maradona loses cool and kicks out at fan in Dubai

 A video posted on YouTube showed Argentina’s 1986 World Cup winning captain attempting to pose for a pre-match photo-shoot in front of a banner hanging on the wire mesh separating fans from the pitch.After shooing away some over-enthusiastic supporters who tried to approach him, Maradona appeared to grow annoyed at a fan who persistently lifted the banner from behind.

Eventually he kicked the fan’s hand away with a touch that was light but, in an Arab culture that holds feet to be dirty, could have caused offence.Maradona apologised to the fan according to local media. Al- Wasl went on to win the game against promoted Emirates 3-0 in the second round of the Etisalat Cup.

 Tennis: Tired Federer to skip Shanghai Masters

  World number three Roger Federer has pulled out of next month's Shanghai Masters to rest and recover after a grueling summer, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said on Friday. "After consultation with my team, I've unfortunately decided to pull out of the Shanghai Masters in order to take some necessary time to rest and recuperate after a long summer," the Swiss maestro was quoted as saying on the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com).

"I have some nagging injuries that I need to address and I look forward to returning to the ATP World Tour as soon as possible."The 16-times grand slam champion suffered a five-set loss to U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows before arriving in Australia to aid Switzerland's return to the Davis Cup World Group.