International sports
Swimming - Thorpe to focus on sprints
Ian Thorpe is planning to sacrifice an almost guaranteed gold medal in his favourite middle-distance event at next year's Commonwealth Games to pursue his dream of becoming a specialist sprinter.
The Australian told reporters he was dropping the 400 metres freestyle from his schedule to concentrate his efforts on the 100m and 200m.
Thorpe holds the world record for 400m and is unbeaten over the distance since 1997 and would have been a near-certainty to win in Melbourne in the absence of his main rival Grant Hackett, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.
The 23-year-old also holds the 200m world record and is unbeaten in that event for five years but says he wants to focus his attention on the 100m after finishing third in the blue-riband sprint at last year's Athens Olympics.
Tennis - ATP to scrap third set in doubles
The organisers of men's tennis will scrap the third set for doubles and replace it with a tiebreak from next year to speed up play, the ATP said yesterday. The new-look format will consist of a first-to-10 tiebreak and there will also be no advantage played in the first two sets with games decided by the first point after deuce.
ATP officials announced their decision despite fierce objection from doubles players. Several specialist doubles players filed a lawsuit against the ATP in September seeking an injunction to stop the ATP from implementing changes to scoring rules and qualifying methods.
Players involved in the suit include American twins Bob and Mike Bryan.
Golf - Woods retains D. Phoenix title
Tiger Woods beat Japan's Kaname Yokoo in a play-off to successfully defend his title at the $1.7 million Dunlop Phoenix tournament yesterday in Japan.
Woods picked up the $350,000 first prize after birdying the fourth extra hole, the par-five 18th. Yokoo hit his second shot into the trees and could only make par after missing a 12-foot putt.
Woods carded three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey for a closing two-over 72. Yokoo had six birdies and five bogeys in a rollercoaster 69. Woods and Yokoo finished on eight-under 272, two shots ahead of American Jim Furyk (73) on a cold, overcast and occasionally wet day.