For nearly six hours on Wednesday, play at the Rogers Cup was disrupted by pounding rain, lightning and thunder. Then Gilles Simon went out and made more noise than all of it combined.
France’s Simon eliminated world No. 1 Roger Federer 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 at the $2.6-million tournament on Wednesday. “That’s just unbelievable for me to win against him,” Simon said. Federer, who won the tournament in 2004 and ‘06, became the first top seed to lose in his first match at the Rogers Cup since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.
OAKVILLE, Ont. - Somebody carrying a Canadian passport is bound to win the country’s national golf championship eventually.
Only two men have accomplished that feat since 1914 and neither of them is still alive to tell the players of today how they did it.
LOS ANGELES - Swimmer Jessica Hardy’s trip to the Beijing Olympics could be in jeopardy after testing positive for a banned substance, according to a person familiar with the test results.
Hardy’s “A” sample from the recent U.S. Olympic trials tested positive, the person told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the banned substance was a stimulant but did not provide any other details.
MONTREAL - He’s by no means a superstitious guy, so star Canadian kayaker Adam van Koeverden doesn’t believe in the so-called “flag-bearer jinx” that supposedly casts a dark cloud over the athlete chosen to lead his country into the Olympic Games.
“Alex Baumann carried the flag in 1984 and he won two golds, so I can deal with that jinx,” van Koeverden said Wednesday during a news conference to announce he would be Canada’s flag-bearer for the Beijing Olympics.
BALTIMORE - A pitching duel between A.J. Burnett and Jeremy Guthrie ended without a clear winner.
The game between Toronto and the Baltimore Orioles was suspended by rain Wednesday night with the Blue Jays leading 2-1 in the sixth inning.
The Detroit Tigers were nearly perfect, from the pitching of Armando Galarraga right down to the torrid offence.
Galarraga carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, Miguel Cabrera drove in three runs and the Tigers beat Kansas City 7-1 Wednesday, capping off a series in which they hit .355 and outscored their opponent 33-6.
TORONTO - It’s been almost a year since David Beckham sat in his tailored suit on the sidelines of BMO Field, watching as his Los Angeles Galaxy played Toronto FC to a scoreless draw.
The buzz of anticipation in the air that night fizzled into disappointment for Becks fans as the former England captain sat out the game with an ankle injury.
CARSON, Calif. - Jelena Jankovic opened her bid to gain the No. 1 ranking with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over American Vania King in the East West Bank Classic on Wednesday night.
The top-seeded Serbian could knock countrywoman Ana Ivanovic from the top spot by winning the tournament, her first since injuring her right knee at Wimbledon. King pressed Jankovic throughout the first set before the Serb took control in the second.
EDMONTON - Canadian auto racing legend Paul Tracy will run his first practice lap Thursday in a car he’s never been in before in his first open-wheel race in almost four months as part of a one-shot attempt to determine his IndyCar future.
In other words, Tracy said Wednesday, no pressure. “We all want to do well, our expectations are to do well, but I haven’t set any type of goal on myself that we have to win the race,” Tracy told a news conference in advance of Saturday’s Rexall Edmonton Indy (5 p.m. ET) at the City Centre Airport. “We’re just going to take it step by step every day. From my standpoint, this is my opportunity to get back in the (IndyCar) series.”
SALTILLO, Mexico - The Dominican Republic defeated Canada 3-1 Wednesday at the NORCECA junior women’s volleyball championship.
Set scores were 27-29, 25-16, 25-15, 25-17. Canada fell to 1-1 in the preliminary round.
ALPE D’HUEZ, France - Carlos Sastre won Wednesday’s 17th stage of the Tour de France, the hardest ride this year up three huge Alpine climbs, to take the overall lead from CSC teammate Franck Schleck.
Sastre took the yellow jersey by speeding ahead of the main title contenders in the final ascent of the 210.5-kilometre ride from Embrun to L’Alpe d’Huez. “I suffered a lot on the way to the summit, but I take great pleasure in capturing the jersey,” Sastre said through a translator. “A pure climber has to take advantage of his opportunities, and this was mine.”
ALPE D’HUEZ, France - The King of the Mountains and white jersey for best young rider at the Tour de France were probably determined Wednesday.
Bernhard Kohl kept the polka dot jersey given to the best climber after the final stage in the Alps and Andy Schleck increased his lead in the white jersey standings to one minute 58 seconds over Roman Kreuziger.
TORONTO - Time is running out for the federal government to indicate whether it supports Ontario’s bid for Toronto to host the 2015 Pan Am Games, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday.
The formal deadline for bids is Jan. 31, 2009, and the Pan American Sports Organization says it wants informal presentations in October. However, McGuinty said the “real” deadline is much sooner. “It’s time for the feds to make up their mind,” he said.
TROON, Scotland - Greg Norman used last week’s British Open as a warmup and almost made history. The warmup over, he is now setting his sights on the Senior British Open.
Leading the tournament at Royal Birkdale with nine holes to play, the 53-year-old Australian was on course to become the oldest winner of a major, but finished six shots behind Padraig Harrington in a tie for third.
CALGARY - There are many moments of truth for Kyle Shewfelt these days.
Like the kid playing street hockey thinking “Game 7, Stanley Cup final, this goal wins it,” Shewfelt often imagines himself in Beijing on the mat for the men’s Olympic gymnastics floor final. “In training, I have to simulate the competition, so I call my coach over and say to myself ‘this is the one. It counts. It matters,”‘ he said.
VANCOUVER - The seats were empty and the ice wasn’t up to par but members of Canada’s short-track speedskating team liked what they saw as they held their first training camp at the venue where they will compete during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Besides spending time on the ice at the Pacific Coliseum, the skaters checked out the building’s facilities and got a chance to find their way around Vancouver.
LINZ/OTTENSHEIM, Austria - Two Canadian crews advanced after their repechage races Wednesday at the World Rowing Championships.
Poland won the race in 5:53.94, but Canada’s lightweight men’s eight (5:55.32) overtook Australia (5:57.37) in the final 500 metres to take the next qualifying spot in the 2000-metre race.
from: ckwstv.com
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