The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Funeral held for slain S. African champion Sanders

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 08:10 AM PDT

Funeral held for slain S. African champion Sanders

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 1 – Former world heavyweight boxing champion Corrie Sanders, shot dead in a robbery, was laid to rest at a funeral in South Africa today with friends saying he was a gentle man who gave his life to save others.

Sanders, 46 (pictures), was shot in the arm and the stomach when robbers raided a restaurant near Brits, in North West Province, where he and other family members were attending a birthday party for his nephew nine days ago.

Relatives said Sanders used his body to shield his daughter when the robbers started shooting.

"He was a gentle giant – a guy who was dangerous in the ring but harmless outside of it," boxing promoter Nick Durandt told reporters after the funeral held at a church in Pretoria and attended by hundreds of mourners.

Police last week arrested three suspects – all Zimbabwean citizens – who appeared before a court in Brits, 80 km northwest of Johannesburg, today to face charges of murder and armed robbery, SAPA news agency said.

Southpaw Sanders, nicknamed "The Sniper" because of his fierce and quick left, won the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight title in 2003 with a surprise knockout of Ukraine's Vladimir Klitschko. He lost only four of his 46 professional fights. – Reuters

Berdych eases past Paire in Tokyo opener

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 07:20 AM PDT

TOKYO, Oct 1 – Former champion Tomas Berdych eased his way into the second round of the Japan Open with a 6-1 7-6 victory over France's Benoit Paire today.

US Open champion Andy Murray opens the defence of his Tokyo title against Frenchman Gael Monfils today.

Second seed Berdych (picture) almost inflicted the dreaded 'bagel' on Paire in the first set until the Frenchman finally held serve in the sixth game but the Czech was pushed in the second.

Berdych, who beat Juan Martin del Potro to win the 2008 Tokyo title, took the second set on a tiebreak 8-6 to close out the match in blazing sunshine.

"I was actually surprised at how the first set went," Berdych told reporters. "He made me work harder in the second set.

"I'm taking anything for granted," added Berdych, who defeated Roger Federer in his run to last month's US Open semi-finals.

"I hope if I can continue to play like this it will qualify me for London."

The Czech is currently seventh in race to make the elite eight-man World Tour Finals having qualified for the season-ending shootout the past two years.

"I'm going match-by-match," said world number six Berdych, seeking his second title of the year this week after winning in Montpellier in February.

"I have nice memories here. I like coming back to Tokyo. It was one of the biggest tournaments I won in the past. It gives me positive thinking."

Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka was given a fright by Japanese wildcard Hiroki Moriya before the seventh seed came through 7-5 4-6 6-4.

Lukas Lacko of Slovakia thrashed Spain's Alberto Ramos 6-0 6-2 to set up a clash with either Murray or Monfils.

Serbia's Viktor Troicki was a man in a hurry, firing 12 aces in a 6-2 6-3 win over Dutchman Robin Haase that took just 64 minutes. – Reuters

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Isnin, 1 Oktober 2012