The day in sports: 28th April
1. World No. 1 Park wins North Texas LPGA Shootout
World number one Park In-Bee drained a birdie putt at the final hole to win the inaugural North Texas LPGA Shootout, holding off Spain’s Carlota Ciganda by one stroke.
Park claimed the sixth LPGA title of her career and her third this year, a run of success that saw her rise to number one in the world this month — one week after her major victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
The South Korean played steady golf, posting four birdies without a bogey, her four-under 67 at Las Colinas giving her a 13-under total of 271.
2. Spurs sweep depleted Lakers out of playoffs
Tony Parker led five San Antonio players in double figures as the Spurs beat the depleted and dispirited Los Angeles Lakers 103-82 to knock them out of the NBA playoffs.
Parker scored 23 points as San Antonio completed a four-game sweep in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series — the first time the Lakers had been swept in a first-round series since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in the 1983-84 season.
3. Retired NBA legend Jordan marries Prieto
Retired NBA legend Michael Jordan married model Yvette Prieto at a ceremony in Florida on Saturday with a lavish reception at a luxury golf community, People magazine reports.
Jordan, 50, led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles during his playing days and his name remains one of the top brands in sports marketing. He now owns the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Prieto, 35, met Jordan at a Miami club in 2008 and they have dated for five years. The couple became engaged in 2011 and applied for a marriage license last month at the county courthouse in Palm Beach, Florida.
People reported that about 500 people attended the wedding ceremony in an Episcopal church and another 1,500 joined the couple for a reception at the Bear’s Club, a golf course community in nearby Jupiter.
4. Gareth Bale wins PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards
Gareth Bale has been announced as the winner of the Professional Football Association’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.
The 23-year-old Tottenham star, who was fighting for the award alongside Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez, becomes only the third player to win both awards in the same season. Cristiano Ronaldo was the last footballer who won both the prizes in 2007, and the other one was Andy Gray who won both the awards in 1977.
5. Haye names Charr as comeback opponent
Controversial boxer David Haye will take on German Manuel Charr in his comeback fight on June 29, the Briton announced on Sunday.
Lebanon-born Charr, who also has Syrian heritage, has twice already called out Haye as both men lost a world title fight to one of the dominant Klitschko brothers over the last 18-months.
And the 28-year-old has got his wish as Haymaker Boxing released a statement saying: “Former WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye will go head-to-head with next opponent Manuel Charr at a press conference this Wednesday, after agreeing a deal to fight the top 10-ranked contender on June 29 in Manchester.
6. Nadal wins record eighth title in Barcelona
Rafael Nadal extended his record number of Barcelona titles to eight as he brushed off a slow start to beat Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday.
Last weekend’s Monte Carlo runner-up regained his accustomed position on an ATP winner’s podium with his fourth title of 2013 and his third on clay for the year.
He rallied from two breaks down on a day of drizzle and heavy conditions, beating Almagro for the tenth time without defeat.
7. Sharapova brushes off Li to win Stuttgart
Defending French Open champion Maria Sharapova claimed the Stuttgart WTA title on Sunday, beating China’s Li Na 6-4, 6-3 in just over 90 minutes to get her clay-court season off to a winning start.
Having been taken to three-sets in all of her previous three matches here en route to the final, Sharapova saved her best tennis until last to defeat the Chinese in straight sets.
She broke Li twice in the first, but the Chinese managed to reply with a break of her own before Sharapova used the first of her three set points to take the first set.
The 26-year-old world number two then turned up the heat in the second set, breaking Li twice, while holding her own serve without due concern and her aggressive style paid off as she wrapped up victory in an hour and a half.
8. Lee Chong Wei claims second India Open title while Thai Ratchanok clinches maiden Super Series title
World No.1 and top seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia claimed his second India Open Super Series title in three years, beating Japanese sixth seed Kenichi Tago in the men’s singles final here at the Siri Fort Sports Complex Sunday.
Lee wasn’t in the best of form this time around but managed to do what was required to win.
Lee, who won here in 2011 and lost the final last year, won his 13th consecutive match 21-15, 18-21, 21-17 in as many meetings against the World No.9. This was only the third time Tago stretched Lee to the decider in 13 meetings.
Thai girl Ratchanok Intanon, seeded third, clinched her maiden Super Series title at the $200,000 India Open by beating German second seed Juliane Schenk in the women’s singles final at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here Sunday.
Ratchanok, who has reached Super Series finals twice before, in China Open and All England, won 22-20, 21-14 in 44 minutes against the German
It was Ratchanok’s sixth consecutive meeting with the German. Ratchanok now leads the head-to-head 6-3.
9. IPL 6: DD vs PWI and CSK vs KKR
When two teams languishing at the bottom of the totem pole battle it out for the wooden spoon, it won’t take a famous astrologer to predict that the quality of cricket won’t be of the highest standard. Unfortunately, that is how it panned out, when Delhi Daredevils played Pune Warriors India. A few sparks of brilliance were invariably offset by players from both teams losing the plot. In the end, Delhi Daredevils won the game by a margin of fifteen runs.
Chennai Super Kings trumped the Kolkata Knight Riders by 14 runs in a high-scoring encounter. Credit to the defending champions for making a match of it and not giving up till the last ball. It’s going to be an uphill climb for them from this point onwards.
10. Van Persie returns to frustrate Arsenal
Robin van Persie returned to frustrate Arsenal as the Manchester United striker rescued a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, while Reading and QPR were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday after playing out a 0-0 draw.
Van Persie was making his first appearance back at Arsenal since last year’s £24 million ($37 million, 28 million euros) transfer to United and he was given a hostile reception from home supporters.
But after Theo Walcott gave Arsenal a second minute lead, the Dutch forward silenced the boo-boys when he fired home from the penalty spot after being fouled by Bacary Sagna in the 44th minute.
11. Reading, QPR relegated from Premier League
Reading and QPR were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday after the strugglers played out a 0-0 draw at the Madejski Stadium which ended their survival hopes.
A win for either side would have kept alive their slender chances of staying up at least until Aston Villa’s clash with Sunderland on Monday.
You can check the rest of the ‘Day in Sports’ series here.
And you can also have a look at the Sportskeeda calendar.
(Images courtesy Getty, AFP and IANS)