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Federer beats Nadal in straight sets in Miami Open final

Apr 2, 2017; Key Biscayne, FL, USA; Roger Federer of Switzerland kisses the Butch Buchholz trophy after his match against Rafael Nadal of Spain (not pictured) in the men’s singles championship of the 2017 Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Roger Federer clinched his 91st career title when he beat rival Rafa Nadal 6-3 6-4 in the Miami Open final on Sunday.

Federer, peerless this year after returning from a six-month injury absence, broke once in each set for his fourth consecutive victory over Nadal, though the Spaniard still leads their career head-to-head record at 23-14, due entirely to his superiority on clay.

Federer, now a three-time Miami winner, leads 10-9 on hardcourt.

The 35-year-old Swiss, showing no sign of losing his edge, improved to 19-1 this year, winning the Australian Open in five sets over Nadal, and BNP Paribas Open in straight sets over fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

His only loss was at the hands of Russian Evgeny Donskoy in the second round in Dubai.

“What a start to the year. I can’t believe it. For me the dream continues,” said Federer, who still has a ways to go to match his career-best 35-1 start in 2005.

The result left Nadal a five-times Miami runner-up, after previous final defeats in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

“Every three years I am here in this position but always with the smaller trophy,” he observed. “Hopefully I will not have to wait three more years to be in that position fighting again for a title.

“I have to say congratulations to Roger. Amazing start of the season, one of the best comebacks on the tour ever after a long injury.”

Fourth seed Federer, in his 24th career final against Nadal, started slowly, struggling to hold serve in the very first game, but he staved off two break points and settled into a good serving rhythm.

International Sports, News, Sports

Coe apologizes after IAAF suffers cyber attack

Published: 03 April 2017

By Brian Homewood | ZURICH

The governing body of global athletics (IAAF) said on Monday it had suffered a cyber attack which it believes has compromised information about athletes’ medical records.

An IAAF statement said the hacking group known as Fancy Bear was believed to be behind the attack in February and that it targeted information concerning applications by athletics for Therapeutic Use Exemptions.

The IAAF said it had contacted athletes who had applied for TUEs since 2012 and its president, Sebastian Coe, apologized.

“Our first priority is to the athletes who have provided the IAAF with information that they believed would be secure and confidential,” he said in the statement. “They have our sincerest apologies and our total commitment to continue to do everything in our power to remedy the situation.”

TUEs are issued by sports federations and national anti-doping organizations to allow athletes to take certain banned substances for verified medical needs.

The IAAF said that data on athlete TUEs was “collected from a file server and stored on a newly created file”.

“The attack by Fancy Bear, also known as APT28, was detected during a proactive investigation carried out by cyber incident response (CIR) firm Context Information Security,” the IAAF said

It was not known if the information was stolen from the network, the IAAF said, but the incident was “a strong indication of the attackers’ interest and intent, and shows they had access and means to obtain content from this file at will”.

The attack was uncovered after British company Context Information Security conducted a investigation of the IAAF’s systems at the request of the athletics body.

Context Information Security said in a separate statement that it was a “sophisticated intrusion” and that “the IAAF have understood the importance and impact of the attack and have provided us comprehensive assistance.”

Fancy Bear, widely believed to be from Russia, could not immediately be reached for comment.

International Sports, Sports

Kia Race to the MVP Ladder: Russell Westbrook, James Harden on the clock for final MVP statments

MVP frontrunners have about two weeks to make their lasting cases for the award

Sekou Smith NBA.com

@SekouSmithNBA

Mar 31, 2017 11:56 AM ET

How will James Harden and Russell Westbrook separate themselves from the other down the stretch?

Time is of the essence in any race.

And in the case of this season’s crowded chase for the KIA MVP, the time between now and the end of the NBA regular season — some two weeks — couldn’t be more crucial for all involved.

The Maurice Podoloff Trophy could be won, or lost, based on what transpires between now and April 12.

For projected frontrunners Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, that means there are two weeks to make competing arguments as to why they are deserving of the most prestigious individual award the game has to offer.

That means each and every matchup, no matter the level of competition, could have a significant impact on who fits where when the dust settles on what has been a remarkable season for the deepest field in the MVP race we’ve seen in years.

That also means every triple-double, every clutch shot, every dramatic win, plays a part in this process. They’ll serve as closing arguments, if you will, for cases these superstars have been making all season.

Westbrook authored one of his finest efforts earlier this week, posting the highest scoring triple-double (57 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) in league history in Wednesday’s overtime win over Orlando.

It was a performance that had it all, the numbers, the dramatics and Westbrook, of course, playing hero for a Thunder team that never seems to let up.

1:59

Russell Westbrook sets an NBA record with a 57-point triple-double against the Thunder.

“You just got to want it more than other people,” Westbrook said after the game. “I think for me, every night I don’t think about getting tired. I just go out and keep going, keep going.”

Westbrook’s unwavering belief in himself, and the relentlessness that’s always been a staple of his game, is what’s fueling his campaign on a nightly basis down the stretch of this season.

Whether he acknowledges it or not, and for the most part this season he has refused to indulge, no matter how many times he’s baited, he was made for the chase.

“He never believes that he’s ever out of it or we’re ever out of it, and he plays with an incredible competitive spirit,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “He just plays with unbelievable spirit all the time. He’s got a huge heart, he’s a huge competitor and he finds ways to make things happen.”

1:00

Take a closer look at the numbers to know in this week’s Race to the MVP Ladder.

Westbrook will get another chance to make a compelling statement tonight if he can produce a fifth straight triple-double (and his 39 of the season) against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena (8 ET, ESPN).

Harden has his own opportunity tonight in Oakland (10:30 ET, ESPN), where he’ll face a streaking Warriors team that has won nine straight games and is raging towards the playoffs (and Kevin Durant’s return from injury to join then in their championship hunt).

Two weeks is all that remains, a limited amount of opportunities to make a defining statement in one of the most compelling competitions in all of sports.

And you better believe, time, as always, is of the essence.

Now to this week’s KIA Race to the MVP Ladder:

***

1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week: No. 2

Westbrook has a chance to get his fifth straight triple-double tonight when the Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs. And you know he’s licking his chops at the opportunity. He’s locked in on Oscar Robertson’s NBA record of 41 triple-doubles this season, with 38 and counting following the highest scoring triple-double in league history in Wednesday’s win over Orlando (33.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 11.0 assists in his last five games).