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MADRID (AP)—The Spanish tennis federation says it plans to sue Canal Plus France for using its logo in a video that poked fun at Rafael Nadal.In the video skit on Les Guignols (The Puppets) satirical program, a life-size cartoon figure of Nadal is shown urinating into a gas tank before racing off and being pulled over by traffic police for speeding.A message of “Spanish athletes. They don’t win by chance” flashes across the screen, surrounded by the logos of the tennis federation and other Spanish sports groups.The video came hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued a two-year ban against Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador for doping. [more]
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)—Philipp Kohlschreiber has pulled out of Germany’s Davis Cup match against Argentina this weekend because of illness.The German tennis federation says Kohlschreiber has a stomach flu and won’t be able to play in the best-of-five series in Bamberg. Kohlschreiber is ranked No. 31 and is Germany’s No. 2 player after Florian Mayer at No. 21.Kohlschreiber’s absence could mean that veteran Tommy Haas gets the chance to play singles.Captain Patrik Kuehnen still has not said who will replace Kohlschreiber. [more]
PARIS (AP)—American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands finished off Kristina Barrois of Germany with her 10th ace Wednesday to secure a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win and reach the second round of the Open GDF Suez.Barrois rallied from a 4-1 deficit to force a first-set tiebreaker. But Mattek-Sands won six straight points to take the first set before breaking Barrois twice in the second.Roberta Vinci of Italy, Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic and Monica Niculescu of Romania also advanced.The seventh-seeded Vinci beat Simona Halep of Romania 6-4, 6-4.Niculescu outlasted Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in an erratic match that saw 14 service breaks.Zakopalova cruised past French wild card Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-1 by winning eight straight games to take the first set and a 5-0 lead in the second. [more]
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