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Dementieva through as other seeds tumble

Agence France-Presse

Top seed Elena Dementieva beat local favourite Marina Erakovic to grab a quarter-final spot in the ASB Classic here Wednesday as other seeds tumbled out of the women's tournament.

The world number four and Olympic champion beat the New Zealander 6-2, 6-3 as five of the eight seeds fell in second round matches.

Erakovic's already slim chances of beating Dementieva were further hampered by abdominal and neck strains and she required an extended medical break at 3-4 down in the second set.

Dementieva's victory sets up a quarter-final clash with fifth-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer on Thursday.

The Russian said the match against Erakovic had been difficult because of the overwhelming crowd support for her opponent.

"I think we had a good fight in the first set and I played a little better than yesterday and this is what I need, just to improve and keep playing better tennis in every round," she said afterwards.

Second seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark also had a smooth passage into the last eight with a 6-4, 7-5 win over American veteran Jill Craybas.

But most of the seeded players fell by the wayside in defeats to less fancied opponents.

Fourth-seeded Canadian Alexsandra Wozniak went down 7-5, 6-2 to Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita and Romanian Edina Gallovits scored a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 shock win over third seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain.

Other players to go down included Czech sixth seed Nicole Vaidisova, Russian seventh seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Spanish eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro.

Pavlyuchenkova, 17, the tournament's youngest player, was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai, who was runner-up in the tournament last year.

Source:
http://sport.id.msn.com

United stay on course for quadruple

Agence France-Presse

Sir Alex Ferguson may have said it was "not realistic" for Manchester United to win a unique European and domestic quadruple but he still believes his squad can compete on four fronts.

United opened their FA Cup campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Championship strugglers Southampton at St Mary's here Sunday.

Goals from youngsters Danny Welbeck and Darron (attn eds: correct) Gibson either side of a controversial Nani penalty maintained Ferguson's proud record of having never lost a third round tie in his 22-year reign at Old Trafford.

United, well placed in their quest for a third successive Premier League title, are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League and face Derby in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

No team have ever won all four trophies in the same season but Ferguson said: "I think we have a good enough squad to compete in every competition, as long as we do not pick up any injuries. That is the most important thing.

"Cup football is a knockout situation so you never know what is going to happen," the 67-year-old Scot added.

"We have some good young players at the club and these games are an opportunity for them to get some experience under their belts.

"Players like Welbeck and Gibson have shown today they have the confidence and the right temperament."

United's next FA Cup opponents are Tottenham, whose manager Harry Redknapp was in charge of Portsmouth when the holders defeated Ferguson's men in a quarter-final at Old Trafford last season.

"It's a mouth-watering game. Matches between us are always very competitive and we beat them at the same stage last season.

"Their manager Harry Redknapp was in charge at Portsmouth when they knocked us out in the quarter-finals so hopefully we can get our own back."

Ferguson was able to rest star winger Cristiano Ronaldo while England striker Wayne Rooney was left on the bench until the final 27 minutes.

Teenager Welbeck was not even born when Ferguson lifted the first of his five FA Cups in 1990 but the 18-year-old showed he has ability beyond his years by opening the scoring in the 20th minute.

John O'Shea headed against the underside of the crossbar from Ryan Giggs's corner and Welbeck was quickest to react and nod the rebound into an empty net.

Southampton's hopes of an upset were all but ended eight minutes before half-time when striker Matt Paterson was shown a straight red card for a wreckless two-foot lunge on Nemanja Vidic.

Nani doubled United's lead from the penalty spot three minutes into the second half after referee Mike Riley harshly adjudged David McGoldrick to have handled the Portugal international's free-kick.

Victory was secured nine minutes from time when substitute Gibson applied the finish to Rooney's pinpoint cross to register his first United goal.

Ferguson singled out Welbeck for praise, saying: "Danny did fine. We know about his temperament, he has got quality and is learning all the time."

Southampton, who upset the odds to beat United in the 1976 FA Cup final, are now second from bottom in the second-tier Championship.

They were always likely to struggle against a United team, which also featured Edwin van der Sar, Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov, Anderson and Gary Neville.

Saints manager Jan Poortvliet said his side had been on the wrong end of several bad decisions by Riley.

"Their first goal was offside, in my opinion, it was not a sending-off and it was not a penalty," the Dutchman insisted.

Source:
http://sport.id.msn.com

Secrets of Getting Internet Traffic to Your Blog

By: Raman Kumar Sharma

Everybody has a blog. No matter the topic or conversation someone has got it covered. From online diaries in the mid nineties to becoming one of the foundations of the internet, blogging along with video and social bookmarking is changing not only how we get our information but also the manner in which online business is conducted.

This is why it would be a good idea for you incorporate blogging into your overall internet marketing plan. What blogging can do very effectively is to build your target markets and bring you a steady flow of internet traffic and customers.

You can also submit to blog directories or just ask your readers to give you feedback on something you posted (the search engines view comments as updating content on your blog). For more resources please login on to www.rss-announcers.com. No matter which technique you choose, blogging offers a new way to connect with your readers. Simple, unfiltered and a perfect fit for today's internet blogging is a smart resource to have in your internet marketing online tool kit.

Blogs are free and easy to run. Just go to Blogger or Wordpress.com, signup and start posting. Try to start out posting on a daily basis or at least a three to four times a week then use these tips to get traffic to your blog

Free RSS Feed

Rich Site Summary also known as Really Simple Syndication is the process of delivering constantly updated content to your blog by pacing a block of code (known as a feed) on your webpages. In our fast paced information age, RSS fits absolutely. It allows your visitors to stay up to date on any new information you've added to your blog without necessarily having to visit every page on your blog. Instead they view a window that list the headlines followed by a quick summary of what each article is about.

Having a free RSS feed accomplishes two things besides getting more site traffic. First since the content is updated frequently it keeps the search engines coming back to your site and crawling for the new information. Second it can increase your visibility among your blog visitors. This is important because while they may not visit your blog everyday, providing a feed to your subscribers is a good way to for them to stay in touch.

Network

A blog network is a compilation of blogs under a sole domain or company name. Some web visitors take comfort in clicking a link that takes them to different bloggers who cover the same topic. This is also an excellent way to get free advertisement and free web traffic to your site since people who visit the network will invariably be exposed to your blog.

Email Marketing List

In a recent survey, 100% of online users say they communicate using email. Yoi can also go to www.feed-reader-links.com. This is a good way to send messages to your opt in email list with links going back to your blog web site. Let them know you've posted a new article or video on your blog. Use snippets or summaries to entice people to click on the link and get further information. The more times people on your list see your blog the more they will get to know you and give a second look to some products or services you maybe offering.

In addition you can gain more viewers to your blog by giving away a subscription along with free report. Advertise in ezine publications that target your niche as well as forums and classified ad sites like US Free Ads.

Source:
http://www.articlecompilation.com

Sainz takes second Dakar stage win

By Pablo Elizalde

Carlos Sainz has taken his second stage victory of the 2009 Dakar to consolidate himself in the lead of the event after four days.

The Spaniard, however, was followed closely by his main rival so far, Nasser Al-Attiyah, who finished just six seconds behind the former world rally champion.

Sainz, winner of the second stage last Sunday with his Volkswagen Touareg, completed today's 459-km special from Jacobacci to Neuquen in 3h:42.57, just six seconds ahead of BMW driver Al-Attiyah.

The Spaniard and the Qatari have won two stages each so far, and the Volkswagen drivers is three minutes and 46 seconds ahead in the overall standings.

Sainz could have won by a bigger margin, but he was slowed down by a slow puncture late in the stage.

"We began going pretty fast, and then we reached Nasser and he realised we were behind and start to attack a lot and we continued both at the very good pace," said Sainz at the end of the day.

"Then I overtook him outside the track but I started to lose pressure in one of the tyres and I had to stop to inflate it because it was a slow puncture.

"It kept losing pressure until the end of the stage and I think I was left with just half a kilo of pressure and we won by five or six seconds. It's a shame."

Al-Attiyah, meanwhile, admitted he was not disappointed to lose out to Sainz in today's stage.

"Tomorrow he will start in front of us, and with the dunes it is much better for me," the Qatari added.

Mitsubishi's Luc Alphand took third place today, over a minute behind Sainz, with Mark Miller in fourth in a Volkswagen and Joan Roma in fifth in the second Mitsubishi.

Volkswagen's Giniel de Villiers kept third place in the standings despite crossing the finish line in sixth today.

Reigning champion Stephane Peterhansel finished down in eighth and lost nearly seven minutes to Sainz.

Stage 4 results:

Pos  Driver           Car           Time
1.  Sainz            Volkswagen    3h42:57
2.  Al Attiyah       BMW            +  0:6
3.  Alphand          Mitsubishi     + 2:24
4.  Miller           Volkswagen     + 4:20
5.  Roma             Mitsubishi     + 5:38
6.  De Villiers      Volkswagen     + 5:48
7.  Terranova        BMW            + 6:49
8.  Peterhansel      Mitsubishi     + 6:54
9.  Chicherit        BMW            + 10:31
10.  Gordon           Hummer         + 12:13

Overall standings after stage 4:

Pos  Driver          Car            Time
1.  Sainz           Volkswagen     12h47:45
2.  Al Attiyah      BMW             +  3:46
3.  De Villiers     Volkswagen      + 11:33
4.  Peterhansel     Mitsubishi      + 15:41
5.  Roma            Mitsubishi      + 20:00
6.  Miller          Volkswagen      + 20:05
7.  Terranova       BMW             + 24:30
8.  Alphand         Mitsubishi      + 41:11
9.  Gordon          Hummer          + 46:45
10.  Holowczyc       Nissan          + 47:39

Source:
http://www.autosport.com

Kawasaki poised to quit MotoGP

By Simon Strang and Toby Moody

Kawasaki is poised to withdraw from the MotoGP World Championship with immediate effect, autosport.com has learned.

According to sources, the Japanese manufacturer is set to make an announcement regarding its plans for 2009 on Monday, January 5, when it is expected to confirm details of its withdrawal from the premier motorcycle racing class.

It remains unclear why Kawasaki is quitting, though both the global economic crisis and a lack of results are likely to have been factors in the decision.

The news is a blow to MotoGP's organisers, who will have the number of factory teams reduced to four at a time when the rival World Superbike Championship has gained another two in Aprilia and BMW.

Kawasaki's imminent withdrawal will leave Marco Melandri and John Hopkins without a ride for next season. Melandri had hoped to revive his career with the team after a catastrophic season with the factory Ducati squad in 2008.

"I have to wait and hear some words, as at the moment I hear nothing," Melandri told autosport.com.

"If it is true, then I can only hope that when I wake up on January 1st it is all a nightmare."

Kawasaki returned to the premier MotoGP class in 2003 with bold plans to become regular contenders, but has so far failed to record a victory in the premier class.

The closest the team came were three second places in three years with Randy de Puniet (Motegi 2007), Shinya Nakano (Assen 2006) and Olivier Jacque (Shanghai 2005).

Kawasaki secured big-money signing John Hopkins from Suzuki at the beginning of 2008 and it was hoped that this would trigger an upturn in results. But the American was hampered by injuries and both he and teammate Anthony West struggled with the inconsistent handling of the ZX-RR.

In the end, fifth places for Hopkins (at Estoril) and West (at Brno) were the best the team could manage.

Nevertheless, Kawasaki was set to enter 2009 with optimism, having landed former GP-winner Melandri, alongside the fired-up Hopkins to lead the development of the ZZ-XR in the new one-make tyre era.

Kawasaki's withdrawal will be the fourth time a Japanese manufacturer has pulled out of a major motorsport category in recent weeks. Honda announced in early December that it was quitting Formula One, while Subaru and Suzuki confirmed later in the month that they were stopping their programmes in the World Rally Championship.

Source:
http://www.autosport.com

Bridgestone begins 2009 preparations with encouraging Valencia test

Less than 24 hours after Casey Stoner took victory in the final race of the 2008 season, Bridgestone’s preparations for the 2009 season got underway with a test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

Bridgestone will be the sole tyre supplier to the MotoGP championship from 2009 and the Valencia test marked the first occasion to evaluate new specification tyres with all teams and riders for next year. A total of 18 MotoGP riders participated in the test on Monday with some riders joining new teams and others enjoying their first taste of MotoGP machinery.

In accordance with the agreed tyre restrictions for this test, Bridgestone supplied a total of 12 slick tyres to each rider, consisting of two different front and rear specifications.

The introduction of the sole tyre supply regulation for next season will see a reduction in the total number of tyres available for each rider during the race weekend, so tyres will have to operate within a wider working range with a greater level of durability. Bridgestone has also reduced the maximum level of grip of the tyres in a concerted effort to assist the sport’s governing body in its drive for improved safety through reduced cornering speeds.

Monday’s session was held in hot and sunny conditions with Casey Stoner resuming where he left off on Sunday, topping the timesheets with a best lap time of 1m32.464s using the new Ducati GP9 machine. Tuesday’s session was curtailed by intermittent rain and by 14.00 no riders had ventured out on track.

Bridgestone will now use the data collated from this session in order to prepare tyres for the next test session which will take place at the end of November in Jerez.

Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager, Race Tyre Development
“I am really very satisfied with the first trials of our new specification slick tyres which we were able to carry out in the dry conditions on Monday. Considering it is the first time that we are producing MotoGP tyres for everybody in a sole tyre supply situation, I think we have made a good start. We have used the foundation of our 2008 tyres for these new specs but made some important alterations to ensure that the tyres have a wide operating window and can work well for all teams and riders. We have reduced the overall grip level of the tyres in order to accomplish this and the feedback from the riders has been encouraging. The track conditions on Monday were excellent and the lap times were also very competitive as a result. The most important thing for us is to know that our tyres are durable because this will be one of the most fundamental things for us next season. Some riders put up to 40 laps on the same set of tyres with great consistency which was particularly impressive. Unfortunately the conditions today have not been as good, but the information obtained from yesterday’s session will be instrumental for us to hone the tyre specs over the winter period. This new situation as the only tyre manufacturer will be a new challenge for us, but I am sure we are up to the job and can live up to the trust that the teams, manufacturers and riders have shown in us and our capabilities.”

Source:
http://www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Pramac lose Alice backing, Canepa to Onde

Onde 2000 look set to expand to two Ducatis in 2009 to accommodate Niccolo Canepa, who jumps from the scaled down Pramac team.

A shortfall of funds could force the Pramac Ducati team to scale down their efforts to just one bike for Mika Kallio in 2009, with Niccolo Canepa being quickly transferred over to the Onde 2000 team instead.

Spanish publication AS is reporting that Italian telecommunications company Alice has decided to pull its sponsorship of the satellite Ducati team, leaving them with only enough money to run a single bike for 250GP graduate Kallio.

Another blow to the series in the week that saw Kawasaki poised to withdraw their manufacturer effort, Ducati have nonetheless moved quickly to maintain their five-strong effort in 2009.

Indeed, despite the threat of being frozen out, Ducati test rider Canepa will continue to make his MotoGP debut this year after being shifted over to the sister GFH-run Onde 2000 team alongside series returnee Sete Gibernau.

Onde 2000 were apparently already considering a second bike alongside Gibernau, but AS claim it was originally being earmarked for Suzuki World Superbike exile Fonsi Nieto, relative of GFH owners Pablo and Gelete Nieto.

Nonetheless, it is Canepa who will assume the bike, which is getting its title sponsorship from a large Spanish property development company, to keep the official entry at 19, pending Kawasaki's expected announcement.

Source:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com