Sports round-up

Darts: Former World Championship semi-finalist James Wade avoided an upset as he claimed a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Finland’s Petri Korte late Monday. Wade looked to be cruising when he moved into a 2-0 lead, but Korte fought back and missed a double to level the match at 2-2 as the favourite wobbled. But the 28-year-old rediscovered his form in time to close out the match. “If you give people a chance they will take the chances now,” Wade said afterwards. “Fair play to him he did finish very well.”

Boxing: Andre Berto will try to avenge the only loss of his career when he faces Victor Ortiz in an all-American welterweight fight on February 11 at Las Vegas. Ortiz won a unanimous decision over Berto last April in a fight that saw Berto knocked down in the first round, Ortiz flattened in the next and both fighters sent to the canvas in round six. Ortiz took the WBC welterweight title but lost it to Floyd Mayweather in a controversial fourth-round knockout while Ortiz was distracted while talking to the referee.

Sailing: The Team Korea outfit taking part in the America’s Cup World Series have parted company with their British skipper Chris Draper. No explanation was given for the move which was announced on the team’s website, but it will revive rumours that they are in financial difficulties. Team Korea have been in fine form so far in the series which allows teams and their sailors to prepare for the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series. They currently are in equal fourth place in the overall standings.

Basket, NBA: Bismack Biyombo, a teen forward from Congo, signed with the NBA Charlotte Bobcats yesterday after buying out his contract with Spain’s Fuenlabrada. The Bobcats said Biyombo had signed a rookie contract and that they would pay half of the $1.5 million buyout fee that Biyombo was required to pay the Spanish side so he could play in the NBA this season. The 19-year-old African uses the buyout clause to erase the remaining two years on his contract to join Charlotte ahead of Sunday’s start of the NBA season.