Tennis: John Isner moved a step closer to a hat-trick of wins at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships as he set up a semi-final against Lleyton Hewitt. Both players came through in typical fashion, Isner winning his battle against fellow big server Ivo Karlovic in two tie-breaks while Hewitt battled past Jan Hernych in three sets and two hours. Isner and Karlovic combined for 37 aces and not a single break point as the American won 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/3).
Cricket: Sacked coach Mickey Arthur is planning legal action against Cricket Australia, according to a report. The Weekend Australian claims Arthur has engaged law firm Harmers Lawyers to contest a compensation claim on his behalf after he was axed just over two weeks before the start of the Ashes. The newspaper reported that Arthur had been offered a cash settlement by CA and that he received no notice of termination despite having a three-month notice clause in his contract.
Basketball, NBA: The Brooklyn Nets officially acquired Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics on Friday as part of a nine-player blockbuster trade that puts them on the short list of NBA title contenders. The rebuilding Celtics, who also agreed to part ways with Jason Terry and D.J. White, will receive Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Mar-Shon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Boston were additionally given the right to swap first-round picks in 2017 as part of a trade that was agreed to in principle at last month’s NBA Draft.
Motor Racing: A rare Mercedes race car became the most expensive car ever sold at auction when an anonymous bidder bought it for 19.6 million pounds at a sale in Britain on Friday. The 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 in which five-time Formula 1 World Champion driver Juan Manuel Fangio won two grands prix, also became the most expensive Mercedes-Benz ever sold, auction house Bonhams said. The previous auction record was held by a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, which sold for $16.39m in 2011.
Rugby Union: New Zealand’s World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw made a low-key return to action from a self-imposed sabbatical yesterday but remained unsure whether he would play any Super Rugby this season. The 32-year-old McCaw had invoked a clause in his New Zealand Rugby Union contract to take a break from the sport and had not played a match since the All Blacks lost to England at Twickenham last December. Yesterday, the openside flanker helped his local side Christchurch to a 22-5 victory over University in a regional club competition.