Bell and Morgan build England's lead

Ian Bell carried England into a strong position on the fourth morning at the Rose Bowl as they reached 291 for 5 at lunch which represented a lead of 107. Nightwatchman James Anderson hit a brisk 27 then Eoin Morgan settled in alongside Bell in a steady partnership against a Sri Lanka side that was looking less interested with each passing over.
On the first uninterrupted opening session of the Test, Bell reached his fifth consecutive half century from 74 balls. The late cut to third man was one of his favourite strokes while his cover driving continued to be eye catching. He was rarely in trouble and also dispatched a limping Dilhara Fernando through the covers with elegant timing.
Anderson actually dominated the early scoring in a perfect display of how a nightwatchman should bat having survived his primary role so that the game doesn't seize up. Two boundaries came in the first over of the day and he peppered the off side off a combination of front and back foot. He had just slotted Chanaka Welegedara for consecutive fours when the bowler dragged his length back to find the edge. Morgan took time to play himself in against some fairly gentle bowling but collected his first boundary with a strong square cut then drilled a superb straight drive off Thisara Perera. The visitors carried the air of a team already resigned to watching the weather for a route to safety and it was odd to see a half fit Fernando jog in off half a run up.
Rangana Herath had bowled just four of the 71 overs when he was finally recalled to the attack shortly before lunch then there was some gentle medium pace from Mahela Jayawardene, who bowled for the first time in a Test since August 2009, ahead of the new ball. England, though, won't mind if Sri Lanka take the new ball as it is often easier to scorer more quickly.

Page has turned for McDowell

Graeme McDowell believes it is time to get on with the rest of his career a year after he made his major breakthrough by winning the US Open.
Up until last year's edition of the year's second major at Pebble Beach, the Ulsterman had been better known as a top amateur and US collegiate champion who had failed to fully fulfill his potential.
After his stunning come from behind win in California, though, he was propelled into golfing stardom and he responded with last day Ryder Cup heroics for Europe, a playoff win over Tiger Woods and a spot in the top 10.
It was all stirring stuff and the personable McDowell lapped it up, but there was a price to pay and he duly paid it as his golf game suffered from the saturation he was experiencing both on and off the course.
"It was such a busy end to 2010 that 2011 seemed to just be there all of a sudden on my doorstep and I was in Hawaii and in the Middle East, and those four weeks that came right after the Middle East, there's no doubt I came back after those four weeks and I wasn't the same guy." he said.
"I wasn't swinging it the same way. I wasn't feeling the same way.
"Sometimes a run of momentum and adrenaline sort of has to hit a brick wall, as I guess I hit my brick wall. I've been trying to get over that wall ever since.
"At some point, those kind of runs, I guess, inevitably have to come to an end, especially if you're playing as much golf as I was."
Still, the 31 year old who was brought up playing golf on the famed links of Portrush believes that the last few weeks have shown that he has gotten back that edge and focus to his game that has been missing.
There have been no more tournament wins but strong, if inconsistent, performances at the Players Championship, the British PGA and the Welsh Open have brought him into the US Open with a renewed feeling of optimism.And the fact that he has now finally handed back the US Open trophy he has been displaying to all and sundry over the last year provides him with a fitting symbol that the page is turning. "If anything, I feel like the glare is off me this week," he said. "I feel like I've done it. "I've spent the last just under 12 months looking back at Pebble. I spent the last six months reflecting on 2010.
"And I mean, somehow having arrived here this week, I feel like I've done it now.
"I'm back yeah, my US Open trophy is back here with the USGA. I've handed it back and I'm ready to sort of get on with the rest of my career now."
McDowell says he is delighted with his draw for the first two rounds, which sees him set of in the company of British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and US Amateur champion Peter Uihlein.

Maradona sues Chinese firms over online game

Argentine football icon Diego Maradona is suing popular Chinese web portal Sina and an Internet company for using his name and image to promote an online game, state media said Wednesday.
Maradona is seeking 20 million yuan ($3 million) in compensation from Sina and The9 Limited which designed the game "Winning Goal", the Global Times quoted an official from the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Court as saying. "The case was accepted yesterday (Monday)," said Chen Shi, a spokesman for the court.
Officials at the court in the Chinese capital would not respond to AFP requests for comment and calls to The9 went unanswered.
A Sina spokeswoman who declined to be named said the matter "is a legal procedure. We cannot comment."
The9 and Sina launched the game last June claiming Maradona was a celebrity spokesman, the report said.
But Maradona says he never gave permission to the Chinese companies to use his image, the official Xinhua news agency said earlier this month, citing a statement from the football legend.
The9 apologised and said they had been tricked by a Chinese football agent who told them Maradona had signed an endorsement contract, Xinhua said.
"I do not accept the apology from The9 Limited, and I will continue to protect my legitimate interests through legal procedures," Maradona said in the statement.
Maradona is extremely popular among China's legions of football fans, with state media hailing the World Cup-winning former captain the "King of Football" during a vist to Beijing last November.

Defending champ Serena seeded No. 8 at Wimbledon

Defending champion Serena Williams was bumped up to No. 8 in the seedings  18 places above her world ranking - for Wimbledon on Wednesday, a position that will allow her to avoid playing the highest-ranked players until at least the quarterfinals.
Williams won her 13th Grand Slam title last year at the All England Club, but then stepped on broken glass, eventually leading to blood clots on her lungs, and was out of action for nearly a year. She returned to competitive tennis on Tuesday at Eastbourne, coming back from a set down to beat Tsvetana Pironkova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Wimbledon starts Monday.
The draw is scheduled for Friday. On the men's side, defending champion Rafael Nadal was seeded No. 1, followed by Novak Djokovic at No. 2, Roger Federer at No. 3 and Andy Murray at No. 4  in line with their rankings. Federer and Nadal have combined for the past eight titles at the All England Club.
For Federer, it's the first time he's been outside the top two seedings at Wimbledon since 2003, the year he won the first of five straight titles at the grass court Grand Slam. Since Serena's injury, she has dropped to No. 26 in the WTA rankings. If Wimbledon organizers had seeded her according to her ranking, the four-time Wimbledon champion could have come up against a top player in the third round.
Her sister Venus, a five-time Wimbledon champion, was seeded No. 24. She has dropped to 33rd in the rankings since missing most of this season with a hip injury. She also returned to action this week in Eastbourne.
"The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee, a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw," Wimbledon organizers said.
"The only changes this year are Serena Williams and Venus Williams moving to 8 and 24, respectively. This reflects the balance between their proven records and also their lack of competitive play in the past 12 months." The sisters have combined to win nine of the last 11 titles at the All England Club.
At the top of the women's seeding list is top ranked Caroline Wozniacki. She is followed by Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters at No. 2, Vera Zvonareva at No. 3 and French Open champion Li Na at No. 4.

BFF announces rates of ticket for Argentina-Nigeria match

Bangladesh Football Federation on Wednesday officially announced the rates of different types of tickets for the high profile FIFA international friendly match between former world champions Argentina and African Super Eagles Nigeria scheduled for September 6 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
Addressing a press conference at the BFF Bhaban, a beaming BFF President Kazi M Salahuddin reconfirmed the high voltage match for the first time in Bangladesh and also officially declared the rates of different categories of tickets for the match.
"This is a great day for Bangladesh football, if we are able to arrange the match successfully then the door would be open for us to arrange further big international matches here, our venue may also be recognized as FIFA international venue," said the BFF boss. "We are well prepared to welcome Argentina and Nigeria in Dhaka and are delighted to declare the rate of tickets, we want to clear it that the mass interest for the match is very much in our mind but we have some limitations in seating capacity," he further said.
The historic showdown in Dhaka between Argentina and Nigeria has been named as "Beximco Football Fest." The Beximco Group will bear the entire expenses of the match. Some 25,000 tickets will be released for galleries, VIPs, special enclosures, corporate and hospitality boxes with gallery tickets estimated at 21,900.
As per the ticketing modalities, the Corporate (70% seats of the Western Gallery) and Corporate Hospitality Box and VIP Enclosures tickets will be available for sale from June 20, 2011 on first come first serve basis. Western Gallery tickets are priced at Taka 10,600 each while the 24-seat 12 Corporate Hospitality Boxes will cost Tk 1,500,000 each.
The general tickets for members of the public will be on sale from July 15 with a price of Tk 7,500 each for the Eastern Galley having 8810 seating capacity while Tk 10,000 each for Western Gallery with a seating capacity of 11,700. The 234 President Box tickets will cost Tk 50,000 each, 486 Special Enclosure Tk 15,000 each and 235 Special Hospitality Box Tk 30,000 each. The 540 VIP Gallery tickets (Upper) Tk 20,000 each and the 1354 VIP Gallery(Lower) Tk15,000 each.
A special arrangement has been made for sports federations, national award winning footballers, members of Swadhin Bangla Football Team and District Football Associations. They may buy the VIP Gallery Lower tickets at Tk 5,000 each. A presentation on ticket price was made by Anwarul Huq Helal on behalf of BFF at the press conference where BFF members were also present.

Beckham happy to be Olympic spectator

David Beckham insisted Monday he was content to be a spectator at next year's London Olympics if there was no role for him in the controversial Great Britain football team at the Games.
"Football will be a massive part of the Olympics and it will be really exciting to see that," said the former Manchester United star, who now plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. "This is the first time I will have been to an Olympics and I'll probably be there with my children. "Football has been a part of my life for many years and to be a part of that would be incredible. "We'll see what role I'll play in the build up or at the Olympics, but I'll be there as a fan.
"I want to watch athletes like Jessica Ennis and Tom Daley, young athletes who are going to inspire so many young children around the world.
"For myself to be able to take my sons to an Olympics in our country makes me proud. Hopefully my daughter will be there as well," he added.
Victoria Beckham is due to give birth to the couple's first daughter next month.
Beckham was speaking at a sponsor's event to announce that Gabriella Roseje, an 18 year old from Bermondsey in London, is the first successful nominee for the Olympic torch relay.
The former England captain, one of the world's best known sporting celebrities, helped secure the Games for London at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Singapore in 2007. "When I was asked to be part of the Olympic bid, I was very sceptical at first because I'd never competed in the Olympics, I'm a football player," the 36 year old midfielder explained.

Smith, Poulton ease Australia to win

Australia Women eased to a six wicket win over New Zealand Women with 18.3 overs to spare in the second encounter of the reconvened Rose Bowl series in Brisbane. The eight-match limited-overs series, which was called off mid-way following the Christchurch earthquake in February, now stands at 3-2 in favour of Australia. With just one game left to play New Zealand can, at most, draw the series, meaning Australia who currently hold the trophy have retained the Rose Bowl title.
Choosing to field, Australia rocked the visitors early, with Clea Smith claiming Lucy Doolan and Suzie Bates for ducks. Debutant opener Frances Mackay was patient to the point of being overcautious in her knock of 36 from 77 balls, but turned out to be New Zealand's top scorer, as Australia knocked wickets over at regular wickets. Smith snagged two more, to finish with 4 for 32, while offspinner Lisa Sthalekar troubled the lower middle order with figures of 3 for 37.
Chasing 182, Australia lost Meg Lanning cheaply. A 106-run stand between Player-of-the-Match Shelley Nitschke (she had earlier claimed two wickets at a miserly economy rate of 2.40 in her ten) and Leah Poulton followed, almost sealing the match.
The hosts suffered a hiccup, losing three wickets on 122, but Jess Cameron counterattacked with 37 off 29, to see Australia home comfortably.
Australia captain Jodie Fields her team showed positive intent from the outset. "We wanted to play some smart, positive cricket," she said.
"The plan was to get out on the field early and to get rid of some of those nerves and cobwebs, and I think we showed our intent right from the start. "The wicket was slightly slow but the outfield was probably quicker than we thought it was going to be."The final game is on June 16 at the same venue.

Pakistan ready to host Bangladesh

Pakistani football said Tuesday it was confident next month's home World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh will go ahead, promising tight security for the match.
After the first leg of their Asian zone qualifier for the 2014 World Cup in Dhaka on June 29, the two sides were scheduled to meet in Lahore on July 3.
But arrangements ran into trouble after Bangladesh asked FIFA, the game's ruling body, to relocate the match due to security fears.
FIFA has apparently rejected the request in a move welcomed by Pakistan Football Federation  secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi.
"We hosted Palestine and Malaysia earlier this year and both the teams returned happy, so we have proper security arrangements in place and we are confident that the match will go ahead," Lodhi told.
Pakistan has not hosted any major sporting event since militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight people and wounding seven visiting players and their assistant coach.
"FIFA knows of our security arrangements made for the Palestine and Malaysian teams so they have no problems and we assure Bangladesh that they will be well looked after," said Lodhi.
Bangladesh Football Federation chief Kazi Salahuddin told AFP Tuesday that FIFA turned down its request to host both games against Pakistan.
"FIFA rejected our request. So our national team will go to Pakistan play the match on July 3," he said, adding that he had not been told where the game will be played.
Team coach Robert Rubcic did not want to travel to the troubled country, Salahuddin said, but the team's appeal to FIFA fell on deaf ears.
The 2009 attack on Sri Lanka's cricketers forced Pakistan to play their home cricket ties on neutral grounds in England, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Only the Afghanistan cricket team has since toured Pakistan.Efforts by the Pakistan Cricket Board to host Sri Lanka later this year were also dashed after militants attacked a naval base last month and carried out other high-profile strikes following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Sri Lanka Cricket refused to send its team, instead offering their grounds to play the three Tests, five one day and a Twenty20 match series.

Jamaica top group, Guatemala advance

Jamaica finished the first round of the Gold Cup on top of Group B after a 1-0 victory over Honduras on Monday, with both teams advancing to the quarter-finals along with Guatemala.
Guatemala booked their berth with a 4-0 victory over Grenada, which was enough to put them through as one of the best two third-placed teams in group play.
Ryan Johnson got the goal for Jamaica with some help from Honduran keeper Noel Valladares.
Johnson's powerful shot hit the crossbar and then Valladares' back before landing in the net.
"It's one of the strangest goals, but it's a goal," said Johnson, who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. "The best thing was getting the clean sheet. We haven't been scored on so far and I'm really happy about that."
"I dove for the ball and I could not get it," Valladares said. "It hit me in the back and went in." Johnson had a chance to double the score from the penalty spot in the 71st, but Valladares saved his attempt.
The victory gave Jamaica the maximum nine points from their three group matches.
In the quarter-finals of the regional championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean they'll face the second-place team from Group C, which will be decided when the group stage concludes on Tuesday.
Honduras finished second in Group B-ahead of Guatemala on goal difference-and will face Costa Rica, runners-up to Mexico in Group A.
Guatemala needed to win by three goals to be assured of advancing.
In the end they had one to spare after goals from Jose Del Aguila, Marco Pappa, Carlos Ruiz and Carlos Gallardo."More than anything, this was a psychological and mental game," Guatemala manager Ever Hugo Almeida said. "We had to score a specific number of goals. We needed three goals, but we had to take it goal by goal. We were able to manage the game and get the result we wanted."
Del Aguila opened the scoring in the 15th with a shot that bounced off the inside of the right post and past keeper Shemel Louison.
Pappa doubled the lead in the 21st minute with a hard-struck shot that Louison couldn't deflect.
In the 53rd minute, Ruiz volleyed in a rebound of Jairo Arreola's attempt off the crossbar and Gallardo completed the scoring five minutes later.

Queen's champ Murray in mood for Wimbledon glory

Andy Murray has set his sights on Wimbledon glory after winning his second Queen's title with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 victory over Jo Wilfried Tsonga. Murray became the first Briton for 97 years to win the Wimbledon warm up event twice thanks to a gutsy comeback against Tsonga and the world number four will be among the favourites when the All England Club tournament gets underway next week.

The 24 year old has endured three painful defeats in Grand Slam finals, including the Australian Open this year, but he believes he is in the perfect form to finally end his long wait to win a major. "I'm going to Wimbledon with the feeling I'm going to win the tournament. I don't think you can go in with any other attitude," Murray said. "I feel like I am playing good tennis but I will need to improve in the next week because I have to play my best throughout the tournament to win it."I will be switched on from my first match. I'll really look forward to the challenge because Wimbledon is one of the most important tournaments of the year, if not the most important." Murray underlined his sky high confidence in the third set of the final against Tsonga when he hit a remarkable between the legs forehand winner from an acute angle near the net. The British number one admitted it was the kind of spectacular shot he loves to play and he refused to apologise for a piece of show-boating some saw as a sign of arrogance. "I enjoyed hitting them, it was good fun," Murray said. "You don't get a chance to do that very often and it just came off.

Usmanov slams Arsenal board

Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov has slammed the Arsenal board for the Premier League club's failure to win a major trophy in any of the past six seasons. Usmanov, 57, who is not a Gunners director despite owning 30 percent of the club's parent company, said too many board members were blinded by their own self interest and said he did not wish to serve on such a board. "If the role of a board member is to oversee a trophyless period, while making significant personal profits and asking fans to pay inflation busting ticket price increases then, no, I would not want to be on the board," Usmanov told the News of the World. "If instead it is to try to deliver sustained success, to increase your personal investment in the club, to help develop the commercial position and to ensure the fans have a say in the running of the club then, yes, I think I certainly have something to contribute. "In terms of doing things differently, let me give you a very clear example. Arsenal has all of its major commercial contracts coming up for renewal in the next couple of years. "It's no secret that to maximise the value of those you want to have success on the field and be winning trophies. To do that you need to invest now in building a winning team. This is simple commercial logic. Whether it comes to pass, we shall see." Arsenal suffered a dramatic slump following their English League Cup semi final defeat by Birmingham in February, with their bids for the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League all declining after that defeat. Usmanov urged Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger be given the funds to bring in experienced players in key positions to bolser the Gunners' crop of promising young talents. "There is a widely held view among most commentators  and one that I agree with that the club needs to stiffen the defensive spine of the team, with a dominant keeper, strong centre halves and a powerful defensive midfielder in the mould of Claude Makelele," he said.

Australian racing industry grappling with drug and alcohol abuse among apprentice jockeys

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has been practiced over the centuries. One of the principal forms of horse racing, which is popular in many parts of the world, is Thoroughbred racing. Harness racing for Standardbred horses is also popular in Australia, New Zealand, the eastern United States and more popular than Thoroughbred racing in Canada and parts of Europe.

The Australian horse racing industry is in panic mode as it grapples with a drug and alcohol abuse epidemic among apprentice jockeys. Australian racing industry grappling with drug and alcohol abuse among apprentice jockeys. Josh Adams top apprentice is serving a seven month ban due to drugs. Source: News Limited. The Australian horse racing industry is in panic mode as it grapples with a drug and alcohol abuse epidemic among apprentice jockeys. Melbourne Cup Marvels: Best winners of the past 15 years.  A growing number of young riders have spiralled out of control, with one leading Sydney trainer claiming four out of 10 apprentices use recreational drugs. The issue is said to be at "panic stations" following the latest suspension of Sydney star apprentice Josh Adams for seven months because of drugs And he isn't alone. Recently, drugs shattered the career of Jamie Quinnell, while the promising Mitch Beadman  and Daniel Ganderton walked away from riding to sort out drinking issues. Beadman and Ganderton never tested positive, but regularly drew stewards' ire for well chronicled wayward behaviour. Ganderton, who quit riding, said he never took drugs but "wasted thousands on alcohol." Racing New South Wales boss Peter V'landys said drug use among some apprentices was a major concern. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. He said the governing body was educating young jockeys about the dangers of using drugs. Top apprentices can earn up to $500,000 a year and some are prone to reckless spending on alcohol, luxury cars, holidays and pokies.

Shock semi finalist Ward living dream at Queen's

British wildcard James Ward admits he is living the dream at Queen's after the world number 216 continued his remarkable run by reaching the semi finals with two dramatic wins on Friday.
Ward started the day with a prolonged wait to finish his third round match at the Wimbledon warm-up event and ended it looking forward to a semi-final against fifth seed Jo Wilfried Tsonga after beating defending champion Sam Querrey and then France's Adrian Mannarino.
The 24 year old son of a London taxi driver has spent most of his career playing at unglamourous venues in low-key Futures and Challenger tournaments.
But Ward has been finally been able to savour a moment in the spotlight this week and he hopes the fairytale isn't over yet.
"It's the best week of my career so far. Hopefully it doesn't stop here," he said. "I'm delighted at how it's gone so far. I'm looking forward to playing the next match against Tsonga.
"I've been playing futures tournaments and some challengers as well where there are not big crowds.
"This is why you're working, you're trying hard to get to these tournaments and get to these opportunities. This week I made the most of it.
"It does come into your mind what an opportunity this is. I'm not going to lie. It's always in your mind.
"But you have to try to put it to one side and concentrate on the tennis and do what I've been doing, and that gave me the chance to get to the semis."
After a 90 minute rain delay, he resumed his match with Querrey at one-set all following a suspension for bad light the previous evening.
Ward had been on top when play was called off, but he refused to surrender the momentum and broke late in the first set to clinch a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
There was no time to celebrate that success as Ward, who beat fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round, returned to court just hours later to face Mannarino. He looked set for an easy win as he took the first set and served for the match in the second. But his nerve briefly cracked as Mannarino broke back to force a tie break.
Ward had an incredible seven match points in the breaker but wasted them all as Mannarino set up a final set decider.

Jamaica advance in Gold Cup

Demar Phillips scored twice in the second half to lift Jamaica to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Guatemala on Friday, a victory that secured Jamaica's spot in the Gold Cup quarter-finals. In the night's second Group B match, Carlos Costly scored three times and Jerry Bengston twice as Honduras rallied from an early deficit to thump Grenada 7-1 and boost their chances of advancing.
Honduras now have four points and are second to Jamaica in the group. A point would be enough for them to reach the knockout stage, but Honduras could win the group with a victory over leaders Jamaica on Monday.
In a game featuring little in the way of offensive fireworks, Phillips broke through for Jamaica in the 65th minute, collecting a ball from Keammar Daley and dribbling toward the left side of the penalty area.
He beat defender Jonathan Lopez then slotted a shot past Guatemalan keeper Ricard Jerez.
Phillips added the insurance goal in the 78th minute. By then, Guatemala had been reduced to 10 men when Cristian Noriega received a second yellow card for a foul on Dane Richards in the 70th minute.
The victory gave Jamaica a maximum six points from their first two matches in the North and Central America and Caribbean regional championship.
The winners of the tournament earn a spot in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
The second match of the night was, in contrast, a goal festival. Clive Murray gave Grenada their first ever Gold Cup goal as he put the Spice Boys ahead in the 19th minute. Honduras soon took control, however, as Costly and Bengston combined for three goals in 10 minutes to put them 3-1 up.
Bengston equalised in the 26th minute and Costly put Honduras ahead a minute later. Bengston's second goal made it 3-1 in the 36th.
Costly struck again in the 66th and 71st, Walter Martinez scored with three minutes remaining and Alfredo Mejia scored Honduras' final goal in the 90th minute.
For Honduras, it was a welcome show of attacking power after a 0-0 draw with Guatemala.
The tournament continues on Saturday with Group C action in Tampa, Florida.
The United States will take on Panama, both going into the contest with three points, and Canada will face Guadeloupe.
While Mexico have booked their quarter-final berth in Group A with two convincing wins, the team remained in turmoil on Friday, a day after Mexican football authorities provisionally suspended five players who tested positive for banned drug clenbuterol in a May 21 test during a pre-tournament training camp.
CONCACAF have said Mexico's opening 5-0 victory over El Salvador would stand even though news of the positive tests had not yet come through, but the governing body for the region had yet to decide whether Mexico could call up players to replace those it had pulled out of the tournament.
Mexican officials sent the five players involved to Los Angeles for further tests. Federation officials say they believe the players inadvertently ingested the banned drug in contaminated meat.

Tennis: Murray faces Tsonga in final

Britain’s Andy Murray will face Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the final at Queen’s after an imperious 6-3, 6-1 victory over four-time champion Andy Roddick in the semi finals on Saturday. He'll play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday's final. The Frenchman ended unseeded Briton James Ward's run with a 6-3, 7-6 (7) victory in the other semifinal.Murray, seeded second, was in sublime form as he demolished one of the top grass-court players of the last decade and French fifth seed Tsonga joined him in the final with a 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) win against British wildcard James Ward. This was arguably the most complete performance of Murray’s career and the victory was especially sweet for the world number four as it went some way to avenging his 2009 Wimbledon semi-final defeat against Roddick. Murray had won six of his nine meetings with Roddick but the loss at Wimbledon still rankles with the Scot. The 24-year-old will have taken extra delight from the way he totally overwhelmed third seed Roddick here and he will now be heavy favourite to win this Wimbledon warm-up event for the second time.
As ever, Murray was looking to use the drop shot at every opportunity and he caught Roddick with two exquisite efforts to move 4-1 ahead. Murray’s serve was in good working order and, with his sliced backhand causing the American no end of problems, Roddick began to wear an increasingly exasperated expression as the first set ended with another Murray ace.Roddick’s formidable record on grass, he had won 32 of his previous 37 matches at Queen’s, as well as reaching three Wimbledon finals underlined Murray’s achievement in dominating so completely. The American was going for a record fifth Queen’s title, but there was no let up from Murray at the start of the second set and he broke again in the first game. A Roddick double fault gifted the break point and Murray was quick to seize the opportunity with a superb return that his opponent could only volley into the net. Murray was toying with Roddick now, drawing him in with low slices and then passing at will, and his place in the final was secured when he broke for a 4-1 lead and then converted his third match point.