Froome steps up pace
CYCLING Chris Froome took his rivals by surprise with a powerful performance in the 14th stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The British cyclist produced a late surge to overhaul Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde, his rivals in the overall standings. Froome finished 10th and moved up to third in the standings. Contador retained the red jersey with Valverde second. The 200km stage, from Santander to La Camperona, was won by Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal.
South Africa win Harare trophy
CRICKET South Africa beat Australia by six wickets to win the Zimbabwe Triangular Series in Harare. The Australians’ total of 217 for nine, in which Dale Steyn took four wickets for 34, included a half-century from Aaron Finch. Despite losing opener Quinton de Kock for seven, South Africa battled solidly, with 51 from Hashim Amla and a rapid unbeaten 57 by AB de Villiers. Faf du Plessis hit 96 in 99 balls as his side won with 55 balls remaining.
Friedsam wins in China
TENNIS Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, the fourth seed, won the Suzhou Ladies Open in China, beating Duan Ying-Ying 6-1 6-3 in the final. China’s Peng Shuai and Eugenie Bouchard, who both struggled with humid conditions at the US Open in New York last week, have pulled out of the Hong Kong Open, organisers said.
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Pitch perfect at 49
BASEBALL Masahiro Yamamoto pitched five scoreless innings in Chunichi Dragons’ 5-0 win against Hanshin Tigers to become Japanese professional baseball’s oldest winning pitcher at the age of 49 years and 25 days.
Turner takes his bow
ATHLETICS British hurdler Andy Turner came third in the final race of his career at the Great North CityGames. The 33-year-old finished behind Dayron Robles and William Sharman in the 110m hurdles in Gateshead. Christine Ohuruogu was fastest in the all-British women’s 500m race, more than half a second ahead of Lynsey Sharp and Eilidh Child. Greg Rutherford won the men’s long jump with a final leap of 7.92m.
Fragapane in contention
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WOMEN’S SPORT Gymnast Claudia Fragapane, who won four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, is a contender for the August sportswoman of the month award on Sky Sports’ Sportswomen programme. She is competing against Jazz Carlin, Jo Pavey, Fara Williams, Emily Scarratt and Fran Halsall. The winner will be announced on Sky Sports News HQ at 11.30am on Tuesday.
Storm motors into lead
GOLF Graeme Storm picked up a £147,000 BMW for a hole in one as he took the lead at the Omega European Masters. Storm’s ace came at the 217-yard 11th during a third-round 64 at Crans-sur-Sierre. He moved to 16 under par, a shot clear of fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who carded a 63. On the Ladies European Tour, Dewi Claire Schreefel is two shots clear at the Helsingborg Open.
Super League race is on
RUGBY LEAGUE The race for the top-four places in Super League intensifies today with key games at Castleford and Huddersfield. Defeats last week for leaders St Helens and Leeds opened up the table and Castleford, who are fourth, can move up to second if they beat Wakefield. Huddersfield, fifth and a point behind Castleford, take on Hull.
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English pair in last four
SQUASH The final of the China Open could be an all-English affair. Peter Barker, inset, set up a semi-final against Holland’s Laurens Jan Anjema by beating the Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad. Top seed James Willstrop faces fifth seed Omar Mosaad in the last four in Shanghai.