Tennis: Top seed Sabine Lisicki moved swiftly into the second round of the Auckland Classic with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the French wildcard Virginie Razzano. But the German, the world number 15, had problems with her serve that will be of concern as she builds up to the Australian Open, managing a 41 per cent first-serve success rate in the first set before improving in the second.
Rugby Union: Owen Farrell was labelled a “top-class” kicker after scoring all of England champions Saracens’ points in a 15-15 draw with Gloucester – a match watched by acting England coach Stuart Lancaster on Sunday. Uncapped fly-half Farrell’s performance was the latest in a string of impressive displays from the 20-year-old. It was also particularly timely given Lancaster, one of whose assistants is Farrell’s father Andy, is due to announce his squad for the defence of England’s Six Nations title on January 11.
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Horse Racing: Tony McCoy (picture) will have a “quiet week” as he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained in a fall at Taunton on Friday. The champion jockey broke his ribs when the Nicky Henderson-trained Laudatory came to grief at the last in the Steve Logan Memorial County Contractors Handicap Hurdle. After undergoing further tests in hospital, McCoy’s personal assistant Gee Armytage confirmed he will be spending the next few days recuperating.
Basket, NBA: One night after missing an uncontested layup to equalise in the last seconds, Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points to lead Denver Nuggets over the LA Lakers 99-90 on Sunday. Ty Lawson added 17 points while Nene contributed 13 for the Nuggets, who improved to 3-2 while the Lakers fell to 3-3. The Lakers won 92-89 on Saturday at home when Gallinari botched his golden opportunity in the dying moments, but Denver took a measure of revenge on home hardwood.
Cricket: Spinner Nathan Lyon has received the backing of the Australian team ahead of his showdown with India’s big-name batsmen in the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting today. Lyon, 24, faces a daunting task against India’s spin-savvy batsmen, headed by Sachin Tendulkar, searching for his 100th international century. Lyon was preferred to fit-again paceman Ryan Harris in an unchanged Australian team for the Sydney Test.