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Tennis: Jamie Murray (picture) earned family bragging rights when he and his doubles partner defeated younger brother Andy at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Doubles specialist Jamie Murray and Australian John Peers edged Scotsman Andy Murray and Indian Leander Paes 6-4 7-6. Andy, who is third in the singles world ranking, likes to play doubles occasionally but does not particularly enjoy playing his brother, whose livelihood depends on doubles. “It’s not ideal, not a situation I want to be in all of the time,” Andy told reporters after the brothers met competitively for the first time.
Golf: Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata flirted with the first 62 at a major before settling for a record-tying 63 in the second round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits yesterday. Needing a birdie at the tricky 18th to etch his name into golf’s history books, Iwata hit an ideal drive but then left his approach 30 yards short of the elevated green from where he got up and down for a par. That gave the 34-year-old a superb nine-under round at Whistling Straits, and a four-under total of 140 in the fourth and final major championship of the year. Iwata became the 25th player to shoot a 63 at a major.
Snooker: Snooker’s Shoot-Out event will be televised by ITV4 for the next three years. The one-frame knockout tournament was first staged in 2011 and it is among the most thrilling events on the calendar, with high drama ensured by a shot clock and matches lasting a maximum of ten minutes. From this season it will be shown on free-to-air television for the first time, thanks to a new three-year deal between World Snooker and ITV. The 2016 event will run from February 12 to 14, with 64 players battling for the £32,000 top prize. Michael White lifted the trophy last season after beating Xiao Guodong by potting four balls in the last 40 seconds of an incredible final.
Cricket: Steve Smith will take over as Australia’s Test captain following the imminent retirement of Michael Clarke. Clarke is stepping down and retiring from international cricket at the end of the current Ashes series in England. Cricket Australia has also confirmed David Warner will serve as vice-captain. The announcement comes after Smith, 26, was also named as skipper for the upcoming one-day internationals in Ireland and England. Smith, one of the world’s leading batsmen, will also captain the Twenty20 side in the absence of the injured Aaron Finch.
Badminton: Top seed and defending champion Chen Long survived a mammoth second-game tussle to advance to the semi-finals of the World Championships with a 21-18 30-29 victory over Danish seventh seed Viktor Axelson yesterday. The Chinese world number one needed 65 minutes to finally subdue his gutsy opponent as his equivalent in the women’s draw, Spaniard Caro-lina Marin, enjoyed her best performance of the week on the adjacent court to advance to the last four.