ireland.com - The Irish Times

Bartoli never dies
Women's Singles : Belief, conviction and 007 gave Marion Bartoli wings yesterday. The 22-year-old, the third-ranked player in France, soared on Centre Court, came back from 6-1 down and set about breaking the calculating but occasionally fragile heart of the French Open champion and world number one, Justine Henin. p

Edberg looking to stand out
European Open : The muddy spectator walkways outside the ropes at The K Club are about a zillion miles from a fashion ramp. p

Waterford and Limerick decider takes pride of place
GAA : The biggest weekend of the GAA's summer takes place over the next two days with 14 senior championship fixtures to be decided. Pride of place goes to the two provincial finals tomorrow with most attention focused on the Munster hurling final in Thurles, which brings together Limerick and Waterford for the first time at this level since the GAA's golden jubilee year in 1934. p

Gaelic Games

Piano man can jazz it up for Sligo
Galway v Sligo: Keith Duggan talks to Sligo midfielder Kieran Quinn ahead of tomorrow's Connacht final against Galway. p
Red-hot Waterford must keep their cool
Limerick v Waterford - Analysis : Great credit is due to Richie Bennis and the Limerick management for the way they've used their extra man - the crowd - by forging a sense of unity and passion with the fans and using that synergy to drive the team forward. p
Bennis road the way up to Limerick
Limerick v Waterford : Tom Humphries talks to a manager whose passion for hurling and joy in living have worked a transformation in his county's fortunes. p
Limerick v Waterford - Match Preview
Enter a parallel universe where Tipperary have held on to one of their various leads and qualified for tomorrow's Guinness Munster hurling final. p
Connacht SFC Final - Match Preview
This is a match that all of Sligo is positively desperate to win. The county's reappearance in the Connacht showpiece has been something of a surprise after some woebegone performances in recent years. p
All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers - Match Previews
Limerick v Louth : Limerick's footballers are very much in the shadows on the weekend of the Munster hurling final, although they can reflect on the fact they've reached as many provincial deciders themselves this decade. p

Soccer

Tevez move to United inches closer
Transfer News : West Ham United striker Carlos Tevez has agreed personal terms with Manchester United, according to his representatives. p
Transfer Talk
Sunderland are expected to sign the West Bromwich Albion and Ireland defender Paul McShane next week, and the 21-year-old may be followed to Wearside by Wigan's Leighton Baines and Southampton's Chris Baird as the manager, Roy Keane, seeks to construct a new defence for the Premiership. p
FAI 'on course' for Lansdowne Road funding
FAI chief executive John Delaney will tell delegates at the organisation's agm in Kerry this morning that it remains on course to have generated half of its €60 million contribution to the Lansdowne Road redevelopment project by the end of this year. p
Drogheda's final surge is well rewarded
UCD 0 Drogheda United 1 : Never an easy time here for visiting sides. Paul Doolin will testify to that as the Drogheda boss had orchestrated such nights during his stint at Belfield. p
Waterford raise their game to spring surprise
Waterford United 2 St Patrick's Athletic 1 : League leaders St Patrick's Athletic were quietly confident of taking full points from second-from-bottom Waterford United at the RSC last night but, not for the first time this season, the erratic Blues raised their game against top opposition. p
Robertson sees much to enjoy
Derry City 4 Sligo Rovers 1 : Derry City's new boss, John Robertson watched his new charges totally outplay Sligo Rovers and the Candystripes could have won by an even greater margin. p
Rovers take time to spark
Longford Town 0 Shamrock Rovers 3 : A David Tyrell goal just before the break set Shamrock Rovers on the way to a most convincing win over bottom-of-the-table Longford Town at Flancare Park last night and keeps Pat Scully's side in the hunt for the title. p

Wimbledon

Roddick blows a Gasquet
Men's Singles : What a day like yesterday offered was an opportunity to finally pluck a winning name from the final eight, other than Roger Federer. Few could do it. p
Wimbledon Diary
A Dubliner who happens to get the offer of a pair of tickets for the women's final may have quite an expensive day ahead. p
Niland's fine run is brought to a halt
Tennis : With three victories over players ranked above him en route to yesterday's semi-final at the Shelbourne Irish Open it had proved to be a week to savour for Conor Niland at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, but India's Rohan Bopanna brought a halt to the 25-year-old Limerick man's hopes of reaching today's final, beating him 6-4, 6-4. p

Rugby

Row over Springbok squad clouds duo's home farewell
Tri-Nations : The final home appearance of two of Australia's greatest players has been overshadowed by a bitter off-field row with the visiting South Africans. p

Golf

Game on as quality rises to top
European Open : No more doomsayers or portents of gloom around? So far, it's turned out just fine; and, maybe, those players who stayed away will turn out to be the real losers. p
Bright spark in 'horrific' conditions
John O'Sullivan hears why Colin Montgomerie is playing with renewed confidence. p
K Club Diary
The good folk of Appleby jewellers are unlikely to have to take out too much insurance against a competitor winning the a100,000 diamond on offer for any golfer who finishes 12 under for the par fives over the four rounds at the Kappa Smurfit European Open. p
Kilpatrick's heroics take Ireland into final
Golf Digest : Ireland snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at Western Gailes on the rugged Ayrshire coast last night to book a place in today's final of the European Amateur Team Championship against France. p

Racing

George to prove star credentials
Eclipse Stakes : George Washington can prove his star credentials by overturning Derby hero Authorized in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown today. p

Other

The season it all came together
Cycling: Shane Stokes shares Stephen Roche's memories of that wonderful year when he shook off his injury worries to claim a magnificent hat-trick of major races. p
London gears up for start of most open Tour in recent times
Cycling : Floyd Landis is still in limbo as regards charges he used doping products during the race but runner-up, and thus possible 2006 Tour victor, Oscar Pereiro is in London for today's start of the 2007 race. p
Dubliner with clear vision for a clean sport
Doping : Seán Kenny talks to the International Cycling Union president, Pat McQuaid, who knows, after all the doping revelations, this year's Tour de France is of vital importance to the sport's image. p
Remaining three Irish crews make their exit from Henley
Rowing : Irish crews had little luck at Henley Royal Regatta yesterday, and all three remaining clubs made their exit. p
Hamilton has high hopes
Motor Sport : Lewis Hamilton opened what he hopes will be the greatest weekend of his career so far with the highly competitive lap time of one minute 21.1 seconds in the first practice session for tomorrow's British grand prix, a race he is aiming to win for the McLaren-Mercedes team at his first attempt. p
Dirty work at the chicane
Motor Sport : The circuit is buzzing with talk of spying and tampering, but is it all just a puff of smoke, asks Paddy Agnew . p
Edwards's loss of faith no godsend
On Athletics : Probably the last thing athletics needed at the moment was another fallen idol, someone who through success and unyielding dedication provided hope and inspiration across the sport, only to be revealed as not everything he or she was made out to be. p
Bray have Malahide in sights
Cricket : The quarter-finals of the Bob Kerr All-Ireland Senior Cup this weekend sees two all-Leinster matches. At Malahide, the home team take on The Hills for whom Ireland's Jeremy Bray will be hoping to impress while a few miles south, Railway Union host Phoenix at Park Avenue. p
Swiss made cuckoo clock - and Federer
Sideline Cut : Not even the weather can dampen the ardour of the English crowd for Roger Federer, the Swiss genius who is playing not so much against mankind this July as against the history books. p
Cragg hints at return to form in Paris
Sports Digest : Alistair Cragg last night hinted he could yet impact on next month's World Championships with an impressive fifth-place finish over 3,000 metres at the Paris Golden League meeting - his time of 7:40.31 his quickest in three years, reports Ian O'Riordan . p

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