Novak Djokovic beat defending champion and Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1 to win the US Open men's final at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

Djokovic outplayed Nadal to show why he really is the hottest player in the game right now. The world number one produced a masterful display of tactics and precision then regained his composure after failing to serve out the match in the third set to seal victory after four hours and 10 minutes.


Nadal, who was the undisputed king of tennis 12 months ago when he completed his collection of Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows, was again left searching for answers after a season inwhich he has lost six finals, including Wimbledon, and the number one ranking to Djokovic.

No matter how hard he tried, Nadal could not find a way to get on top of the Serbian, who played at an
extraordinary high-level despitewindy conditions at Arthur Ashe  Stadium. To his credit, Nadal fought back gamely to win the third set in atiebreaker after Djokovic came  within two points of wrapping up the championship on his own serve.

There were signs of concern for the  Serbian when he called for the trainer to treat his aching back at the start of the fourth set but he  recovered and broke Nadal's opening serve to regain control. After consolidating his lead by holding his next two service games, he broke Nadal's serve again, for the 11th time in the match, the served out victory, collapsing on the court in celebration after smashing a winner past his opponent.

Both players produced some incredible tennis, including some epic rallies that had the center court crowd roaring at the top of the lungs, but it was Djokovic who won all the key moments. This is Djokovic's first US Open title and the third Grand Slam title of the year after victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Djokovic produced a masterful display of tactics and precision in windy conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium to seal the victory after more than four hours against thesame man who beat him in last  year's final.

For Nadal, who lost his number one ranking to Djokovic when he was beaten in the Wimbledon final in July, it was his sixth loss to the Serbian this year, all in finals.

Djokovic is the sixth man in history to win three Grand Slam titles in a year after Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

A see-sawing third set that lasted 84 minutes was eventually decided in a tiebreaker, which Nadal won 7-3.

Both players were broken three times in the set, which featured some extraordinary rallies that captivated the center court crowd.

Djokovic snatched the early break but could not hold his advantage then he served for the match in the
12th game after breaking Nadal to lead 6-5.  He got to within two points of the championship but Nadal broke him to force a tiebreaker. The Spaniard raced to a 5-1 lead. Djokovic pulled two back to give himself a chance but gifted it to Nadal with an error. The second set started like the first, with Nadal holding and then breaking Djokovic for a 2-0 lead as the world's top two players began engaging in longer, tension-packed rallies.

After a titanic, 17-minute game over eight deuces marked by brilliant shot-making from both players, Djokovic finally broke back by saving himself with a defensive lob that hit the baseline, leading to Nadal failing to resist the sixth break point when he slashed an overhead into the net.

Looking dispirited, Nadal continued to have trouble landing his first serve. Djokovic took advantage to reach double break point at 15-40, then took a 3-2 lead when the Spaniard double faulted. The Spaniard lifted himself back up, breaking Djokovic with a massive backhand passing shot up the line to draw level 4-4.

But for the third straight time in the match, Djokovic answered a service break with one of his own, this time taking advantage of a string of errors, with the game finishing on a mis-hit backhand by Nadal that allowed the Serb to serve out the second set. In the opening set, Djokovic overcame an early service break that
put him behind 2-0 to win 6-2.

Djokovic won the first set 6-2. Both players had difficulty holding serve, with Djokovic doing a better job in windy conditions that topped 15 miles per hour at Arthur Ashe Stadium, winning the last six games of the opening set after falling behind 2-0. Nadal took the early lead by breaking Djokovic in his first service game. The Spaniard scored on a sizzling run-around forehand winner that brushed the lines in the corner and got a 2-0 lead when the Serb made two straight backhand errors.

Second-seeded Nadal failed to consolidate his advantage when Djokovic broke right back in the next game. The Spaniard fell behind 0-4 and saved two break points before sending a forehand long to bring the set back on serve. Nadal kept the pressure on top- seeded Djokovic's serve again in the fourth game but the Serb fought off three break points to hold, then broke the Spaniard for a 3-2 lead by belting an inside-out forehand winner.

Djokovic ended deep-hitting rallies twice with drop-shot winners on his way to breaking Nadal for a third straight time for a 5-2 lead before holding at love in the next game to clinch the first set. 

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Rafa Nadal, his form and confidence rising with each match, powered past Britain's Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-2 at the US Open to set up a rematch of last year's final with Novak Djokovic.

The second-seeded Spaniard was brilliant from the baseline and the net, and proved too steady against an out-of-sorts Murray, who shouted at himself and whacked his leg with his racket as his frustrations boiled over in the first two sets.

In the fourth set, Nadal again unsteadied the volatile Murray, giving himself a chance to avenge a string of stinging losses to Djokovic this year.

Nadal beat Djokovic in last year's final but the Serb, who advanced with a thrilling five-set win over Roger Federer on Saturday, has beaten the Spaniard in five finals this year, including Wimbledon, to replace him as world number one.

"This year I'm not having a lot of luck against him. I have played him already in five finals and I lost all of them," 10-time Grand Slam winner Nadal told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. "So hopefully, New York will help me this time."

Murray was out of step in the opening sets but flashed his great retrieving skills and athletic volleying to keep himself in the match. By the end he was undone by a rash of unforced errors, peppering the net with routine shots.

The Briton, a three-time Grand Slam finalist who was hoping to end a 75-year drought for a British men's Grand Slam winner, cracked 44 winners, 13 more than Nadal, but his 55 unforced errors was more than twice his opponent's total.

The Spaniard looked set to take charge early in the match, grabbing 0-30 leads in Murray's first two service games, but the Scotsman fought him off, leaving his feet to put everything into his strokes to keep the first set on serve before wilting under Nadal's constant pressure in the seventh game.

Unforced errors crept into Murray's game and the Briton yelled at himself after one glaring mistake before sending a forehand long to lose his serve and fall behind 4-3.

Nadal served out to claim the set 6-4 and stepped up his attack in the next set, breaking the Briton twice to take a two set lead, with Murray banging himself with his racket for not cashing in on three break points along the way.

Murray tried another tact in the third set, changing pace more often and engaging the hard-working Spaniard in longer rallies before seizing opportunities to go on the offensive.

Nadal and Murray traded service breaks early in the third set before the Briton broke in the eighth game and held serve to hand the Spaniard his first lost set of the tournament.

After fighting off two break points, Murray finally yielded the critical service break in the fourth game when he sailed a forehand long to fall behind 3-1.

The fight seemed to seep out of Murray, who had a tough four-set match against American John Isner on Friday, and Nadal broke the Briton again in the eighth game to end the three-hour 24-minute match.

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India retained the number one spot in the latest test rankings relased Monday but lost two rating points following two drawn Tests against the lower-ranked West Indies in a series that they eventually won 1-0.

The third and the final Test in Dominica ended in a draw Sunday.
India lost two ratings points as it drew matches against a side that was six places below it. The rankings during a bilateral series are calculated keeping in mind the corresponding rating of the two opponents.

Thus, the West Indies gained two points despite losing the series and remain in the seventh position. They are now just two ratings points behind Pakistan.

In the individual rankings, Harbhajan Singh is up one place to seventh in the bowlers chart. The off-spinner had a successful third Test with figures of 57-21-101-6 and in the process passed the 400-wicket mark. He pushed Man of the Series Ishant Sharma to eighth place.

West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who finished with match figures of
36.8-4-122-6 gained two places to 16th, a position he holds jointly with South African spinner Paul Harris.

The top three remain unchanged with Dale Steyn of South Africa still leading the way ahead of England's Graeme Swann in second position and James Anderson in third.

The top five Test batsmen also remain unchanged. Jacques Kallis leads the table followed by Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Alastair Cook.

There is also no change in the top five players among Test all-rounders with Kallis at the top followed by New Zealand's Daniel Vettori.

ICC Test Rankings:

RANK	Team	Rating
1	India	126
2	South Africa	117
3	England	116
4	Sri Lanka	107
5	Australia	107
6	Pakistan	88
7	West Indies	88
8	New Zealand	78
9	Bangladesh	7

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Andy Roddick considers himself a serious Wimbledon contender and an impressive victory on Wednesday showed he might be right.

It would be some surprise if the men's champion comes from outside the established top four in the world rankings - Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

However, Roddick has reached three previous Wimbledon finals and his 6-4 6-3 6-4 demolition of Victor Hanescu on Centre Court eased him through to the third round on Wednesday.

With 15 aces, no double faults and not a single loss of serve, there is clearly one significant part of the American's game which requires little work.

Next up for Roddick will be Spain's Feliciano Lopez, who was a four-set winner over Germany's Rainer Schuttler.

Roddick hit the target with 65% of first serves, and anything around that mark makes him a tough opponent.

A slight change of grip has lifted his percentages out of the 50s, and should he serve consistently well he might just be the player who prevents the top four occupying the semi-final slots.

A possible quarter-final with Murray lies ahead, and he beat the Briton in the semi-finals two years ago.

The serve, the weapon which has defined his career, is working just fine in Roddick's opinion, after he banished a bad habit.

"I think it's back to where it was as opposed to me changing anything I've done for a decade," he said. "That would probably explain why my shoulder was beat up, too.

"If you change something, are hitting something different than a way you have before, even without knowing, sometimes have you to go back to basics. I never had to do that on my serve before.

"But is that all it was? I don't know. But I feel good with where it's at right now."

To be watched by his parents, Jerry and Blanche, was a treat for the 28-year-old.

"This is the first time they've seen me play here," said the finalist of 2004, 2005 and 2009.

"I think today was the first time they ever sat in a box in my entire career.

"They picked a good court to debut that on. I think they're having fun. They're having a good time."

Roddick should be confident heading into his clash with Lopez, having beaten the same opponent in the first round at Queen's Club a fortnight ago, albeit in a deciding set.

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Venus hails inspirational Serena

Reigning Wimbledon champion Serena Williams was hailed as an inspiration by sister Venus as she prepared to continue an emotional title defence.

Williams is playing only her second tournament since recovering from a serious foot injury and blood clots on the lungs, which left her in fear of her life.

The 13-time grand slam champion broke down in tears after beating Aravane Rezai 6-3 3-6 6-1 in the first round on Tuesday.

Williams faces the Romanian Simona Halep on Court Two at mid-day, with Venus in awe of her strength of character.

"I think she showed (against Rezai) that once you're a champion, you're always a champion as long as you're always willing to believe in yourself," said Venus.

"I think she a good role model for anyone. It means a lot to her to be back.

"I don't think anybody else will ever understand what she's been through.

"As a family we always stayed positive. When times get tough, we always laugh. She stayed positive and I think a lot of people could have got negative."

Venus Williams has also been sidelined for most of the year, with a hip injury, but she navigated through a "perfect storm" to beat veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm and reach the third round.

While rain fell outside, Williams and Date-Krumm entertained the Duchess of Cornwall and the Centre Court crowd under the closed roof with some breathtaking tennis.

Date-Krumm took the first set on a tie-break but only after Williams had battled from 5-1 down and saved a total of seven set points.

Williams moved a break up early in the second set to draw level in the match before prevailing in a hard-fought third to clinch a 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 8-6 victory in nearly three hours.

The American had only played four matches since January after suffering the injury at the Australian Open and was relieved to find a way past the 40-year-old.

"I thought she played unbelievable. I thought she had some luck on her side. This is a great surface for her too," said Williams.

"It was a perfect storm for her to try to get a win. Thankfully I had some answers."

Vera Zvonareva, last year's beaten finalist, overcame Russian compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-1 7-6 (7/5) and she will meet Tsvetana Pironkova, who beat Petra Martic 6-1 6-4.

Fourth seed Victoria Azarenka cruised into the third round with a 6-0 6-3 victory over Iveta Benesova and will now face Daniela Hantuchova.

British number three Anne Keothavong crashed to a 6-2 6-1 defeat to eighth seed Petra Kvitova, who will now play Roberta Vinci.

Eleventh seed Andrea Petkovic was last on court as darkness fell but teed up a third round meeting with Ksenia Pervak after beating Canadian Stephanie Dubois 6-3 4-6 6-3.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki and French Open champion Li Na are both in action today while title favourite Maria Sharapova meets British 17-year-old Laura Robson on Court One.

Elena Baltacha, the British number one, tackles 20th seed Shuai Peng from China.

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Holywood's most famous son is the new darling of golf, as much for his charm and modesty as his precocious talent, says Jim White.

Rory McIlroy, aged nine, on his local golf course

To celebrate Rory McIlroy's towering accomplishment in winning the US Open championship on Sunday, the BBC in Northern Ireland unearthed some footage it had recorded back in 1998. It shows a
nine-year-old boy playing on his home course at Holywood, just under the flight path to Belfast airport.

 Looking at the film of the little golfer, standing barely taller than his clubs, it is clear that some things have not changed in the dozen years since. Even then, he was in possession of the perfect swing, a gorgeous amalgam of art and function, a thing of such simplicity and grace it is enough to make the average weekend hacker weep at their own hopelessness.


And when he was asked about his recent victory in the World Under-10s Championship, the boy exhibited exactly the same smiling self-deprecation he did on tearing up the records in Maryland over the weekend: "Yeah," he said, "it was nice".


The only thing that appeared different was that back then he had a close-cropped haircut. Of the Harpo Marx curls falling in an unruly tumble from beneath his cap, there was no sign. This is the thing about Rory McIlroy: whatever the seismic scale of his achievements, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman remains seemingly unchanged, essentially still the little boy who melted the hearts of everyone who came into contact with him on the junior circuit.


And how they are falling for him now in America. There the lad has been adopted as Wee-Mac and is being feted like few before. They love his insouciance and his charm; in a sporting world defined by carefully manufactured heroes (some of whom, in the case of Tiger Woods, turn out to have been constructed on falsehood), they love his natural, unaffected ease.


But most of all, they love him because he is a winner. A winner, moreover, who overcame the bitter disappointment of blowing victory at the US Masters just two months ago, through the jovially disingenuous approach of dismissing it as "one of those things".


So how did it happen? How did the UK, which is not renowned for its production of prodigies, come up with such an extraordinary sporting talent, now being spoken of as having the potential to become the finest of all time, even greater than Tiger Woods?


His emergence is particularly surprising since he appears to have managed it largely on his own, learning the game on a course in suburban Belfast unencumbered by expensive coaches or psycho-babble-spouting swing gurus or mobile-phone juggling agents.


The start of Wimbledon fortnight, showpiece of a sport in which we have spent £250 million in five years in the vain pursuit of unearthing a British contender, is as good a time as any to examine the McIlroy formula.

In a sense, McIlroy was born to swing. His dad, Gerry, was the barman at the Holywood course's nineteenth hole, and Rory was there from the age of two, picking up a club and seeing what he could do. Interestingly, Gerry never pushed him. Unlike Tiger's dad Earl, or Richard, the Williams sisters' pop, or Anthony Hamilton, father of Lewis, there was no early sense of the parental desire to lead a champion's life vicariously.


McIlroy was never shoved on by aggressively demanding folks; he says he was the one who forced his dad out on his days off to give him an opponent. He was the one who set up a little range in the family kitchen, where he could practise chipping into the opened washing machine. As soon as he was old enough, he was out on the course on his own. He has always been someone, he says, who relishes his own company.


Sure, he put in the 10,000 hours of practice as a child that it's reckoned are necessary to become a winner. But the important thing was that he immediately displayed the aptitude, winning every junior title at an age not even the uber-prodigy Woods had matched. As the Lawn Tennis Association will be demonstrating on a daily basis at Wimbledon, without talent, no amount of hot-housing will produce a champion.


McIlroy, too, had from the start the natural resources to cope with this most mentally demanding game, never letting the stress of singular combat diminish him. He has never been lonely on the course, not with himself for company. Nor has he ever been remotely fearful of reputation or occasion.


He was obsessed by the game from the moment he picked up a club. He described himself as a youngster as being "a Woods anorak", who studied the former world number one's career with forensic detail, analysing precisely what the American had done to become a champion (though probably not his approach to married life). School work never had such a tenacious grip on his attention. The only use he had for maths was to work out his handicap, while he spent most English lessons at Sullivan Upper School practising his autograph.


From the outset, he knew that he was gifted, destined, marked. There is a difference, as Rafael Nadal has long shown, between arrogance and certainty. McIlroy always knew he would make it to the select group of UK major winners – it was just a matter of time.


And he needed no prop to rely on to get there; when he first made it to the circuit, he used his dad as his caddie, but he fired the old man when he was 17. He says he didn't want their personal relationship to be frayed by the pressures of competition. Even the apparently preternaturally composed McIlroy can sometimes, it seems, lose it in private.


Now he has arrived, his elevation has been hugely welcomed by the golfing world. This was a business damaged by the priapic self-destruction of Woods. That the game's one practitioner whose reach extended beyond the 18th hole was exposed as morally suspect was a blow from which many thought golf would not recover.


Until this weekend, Woods's presence was still reckoned by many to be essential to sell the sport, even with his tarnished reputation. Now it has another global superstar. And this one displays none of the aggressively marketed edges that always made Woods a less than convincing cheerleader.


This is the difference between McIlroy and other modern sporting heroes: he remains himself. He has had none of his charm excised by the corporate machine, in the manner of Lewis Hamilton; none of his boyish edges smothered, like Wayne Rooney; none of his natural character hidden, like Andy Murray.


And counter-intuitively, in a world awash with image consultants and media advisers, that makes him an even bigger draw. When he spurned the traditional demand on the US Open champion of an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, preferring to head straight back home to Holywood to celebrate with friends and family, he will have done nothing to still the rush of corporations anxious to attach themselves to his growing celebrity.


Hitching the corporate flag to McIlroy would be money well spent; that he has overnight put himself in a position to become the biggest name in sport was demonstrated at Wimbledon yesterday afternoon, when the first question Rafael Nadal was asked after winning his match was about McIlroy's US Open performance. "In my opinion he played a perfect round of golf," said Nadal. "Rory is perfect."


Every paper chimed with Nadal. Glory Rory Hallelujah yelled the headlines. McIlroy has arrived: he is now just a first name. And, as he heads back to the shores of Belfast Lough to a homecoming that may well turn liquid at the bar of the Holywood Club, where he is still a playing member, the most impressive thing about him is that he will hardly notice.

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Rafael Nadal clinched a record-tying sixth French Open tennis title by beating Roger Federer today, a victory that preserves the Spaniard’s No. 1 ranking.
The left-hander sank to his knees after retaining his crown by defeating the Swiss 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1 in Paris. His victory ties him with Sweden ’s Bjorn Borg, who wonsix Roland Garros trophies from 1974 to 1981. Nadal received the Coupe des Mousquetaires from two-time champion Jim Courier .
“This is a very, very special moment for me,” Nadal said in an interview at the side of the main Court Philippe Chatrier. “I’ve won against the best player of all time. It’s a very emotional moment for me.”
Federer, a 16-time major champion, last beatNadal in a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2007. Today’s win extended Nadal’s head-to-head record against the right-hander to 17-8.
“He beat me again,” Federer said at the trophy ceremony. “Of course I’m sad, but I’m proud with how I’ve played in the past two weeks.”
Nadal, also the reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, had started the season witha shot at becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam tennis titles at the same time. Instead, he exited the Australian Open after a ruptured thigh muscle hampered his movement in a quarterfinal loss to Spain ’s David Ferrer .

Soderling Defeat
The second-ranked Novak Djokovic won his second major title in Melbourne and went onto defeat Nadal in four tournament finals. Nadal’s loss to Djokovic on the clay courts of Madrid last month was the Spaniard’s first onthe slow surface since Robin Soderling of Sweden handed him his only defeat at Roland Garros in the fourth round in 2009, the year Federer won his lone French Open trophy.
No. 3 seed Federer beat Djokovic in four sets in the semifinals, preventing the Serb from tying John McEnroe’s record of 42 consecutive wins from the start of a season, set in 1984. Djokovic would have been the new No. 1, replacing Nadal, if he had made his first French Open final or if Nadal had losttoday.
Full of Doubts
Top-seed Nadal was full of doubts in the firstweek of Roland Garros , repeatedly telling reporters that his play wasn’t good enough to win his 10th major title. The Spaniard started the tournament playing his first five-set match at Roland Garros, needing more than four hours to beat John Isner of the U.S. Afterwards, he said he was feeling “anxious” and “nervous” and had been unable to transfer his practice form into his matches. He said he regained his confidence after defeating Soderling in the quarterfinals.

Federer last won a major at the 2010 Australian Open, where his defeat of Britain’s Andy Murray extended his men’s Grand Slam singles title record to 16 trophies. Nadal has now beaten Federer in four French Open finals. Before today, the two last met in a major final at the 2009 Australian Open, which was won by Nadal and reduced Federer to tears at the trophy ceremony.
Federer lost in the quarterfinals in Paris last year to Soderling, ending his record streak of23 straight Grand Slam semifinals. He lost to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, which was the six-time champion’s earliest loss at the All England Club since 2002. Djokovic defeated Federer in the semifinals of the U.S. Open, saving twomatch points. The Serb also beat Federer in the last four in Melbourne in January on the way to his second Australian Open title.
Today’s match was the 19th tournament final between the third-ranked Federer and Nadal. Only Ivan Lendl and McEnroe have played more finals against each other since tennis turned professional in 1968. It was the eighth time Nadal and Federer had met in a Grand Slam final, extending their record for the most meetings between two players in a major final.

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Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer eyeing French Open glory

Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer eyeing French Open glory.

French Open men's final - Rafael Nadal v Roger Federer
Venue: Roland Garros, Paris
Date: 5 June from 1400 BST

Rafael Nadal reaches final after defeating Andy Murray in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal will have to contain a rampant Roger Federer if he is to secure a record-equalling sixth French Open title on Sunday, and keep hold of his world number one ranking.

The Spaniard, who turned 25 on Friday, has won 44 matches and suffered only one defeat in seven years at Roland Garros, and one more victory will bring him a 10th GrandSlam title and draw him level with Bjorn Borgas the tournament's most dominant man.

"For me, seriously, I don't think about that," said Nadal. "[I have] a lot of respect for the great Bjorn but I am focused on trying to play well. For me, it's much more important to win Roland Garros than equal Bjorn."

The weather forecast is not good for Sundayand interruptions are possible, but Nadal rejected any suggestion that heavier conditions would favour him.

"I don't have the power to control the weather," he said. "So if it rains, I'm going to think it's an advantage for me; if the sun shines, I'm going to think it's an advantage for me. I have to think positive all the time because I cannot control that."

head-to-head
Nadal Federer
Record - 16 8
Age - 25 29
Pro since - 2001 1998
Height - 6ft 1in 6ft 1in
Weight - 13st 6lb 13st 4lb
Ranking - 1 3
ATP titles - 45 67
Slams - 9 16
Earnings - $40.1m $62.5m

Having beaten the 29-year-old Swiss in all four previous meetings at the French Open, including the finals of 2006, 2007 and 2008, Nadal would seem to be a prohibitive favourite once again, but Federer has been so impressive in Paris this year that a 17th Grand Slam title appears possible.

His victory over Novak Djokovic in the semis, ending the Serbian's six-month, 43-match unbeaten run, has already been hailed as one of his best ever.

"Honestly, I feel very well," said Federer. "I think I move very well, I'm never stressed. If there is a ball that you miss, it's just because the other one played it very well, and not because I made a mistake or I played bad tennis on the return, or on my serve.

"That's why I'm very happy at the moment with my game. Is it my best? I don't know."

Sunday will be the eighth time Nadal and Federer have met in a Grand Slam final, two more than any other pairing, but it will be the first time since Nadal's victory in the 2009 Australian Open and Federer's first Slam final anywhere since Australia in 2010.

Last year, Federer made an unusually early exit at the quarter-final stage of both the French Open and Wimbledon, but asked whether he ever doubted he could get back to a Grand Slam final, the world number three responded: "No, not really. I was very close in the US Open [semi-finals] and then I'm playing a final here against Rafa.


PREVIOUS MEETINGS
2011
*. Madrid - Nadal
*. Miami - Nadal

2010
*. ATP World Tour Finals - Federer
*. Madrid - Nadal

2009
*. Madrid - Federer*. Australian Open - Nadal

2008
*. Wimbledon - Nadal
*. French Open - Nadal
*. Hamburg - Nadal
*. Monaco - Nadal

2007
*. China - Federer
*. Wimbledon - Federer
*. French Open - Nadal
*. Hamburg - Federer
*. Monaco - Nadal

2006
*. China - Federer
*. Wimbledon - Federer
*. French Open - Nadal
*. Rome - Nadal
*. Monaco - Nadal
*. Dubai - Nadal

2005
*. French Open - Nadal
*. Miami - Federer

2004
*. Miami - Nadal

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Which woman had the weight of China on her shoulders? It was not easy to tell in this French Open final, not with Francesca Schiavone looking edgier and misfiring more often than Li Na.

But Li, not Schiavone, was the veteran trying to become the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title, and though that might have been too much to bear for a less strong-minded woman, Li handled the occasion, on the whole, with remarkable poise.

After losing in her first Grand Slam final at this year's Australian Open, Li drew on that experience and kept her temper and baseline power under control and, in the end, the only thing she lost command of washer balance. After Schiavone's final one-handed backhand had landed long, Li fell to the clay on her back, dropped her racket and covered her eyes with both hands.

"Of course I was nervous, but I didn't want to show opponent," Li said after her 6-4, 7-6 (0) victory.
China is clearly no longer a future tennis power. Li and her compatriot Zheng Jie wereonce considered a platform generation: capable of laying the foundation for the next generation of singles champions to come. But Li ended up becoming that champion herself at an age - 29 - when many a modernplayer has long since peaked.

But then such breakthroughs are fast becoming the rule at Roland Garros. Schiavone won her first Grand Slam title herelast year when she, too, was 29.

"This year she grow up so much, and she played today really well," Schiavone said of Li in her postmatch remarks to the crowd.
She then turned to Li and said, "Enjoy this moment; it's fantastic."

Schiavone made some history of her own last year, becoming the first Italian woman towin a Grand Slam singles title. But China, the world's most populous nation, carries a symbolic and demographic weight all its own.

Chinese women have won Grand Slam doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but singles is where the prestigeresides in the modern game. And though tennis is not yet a sport for the masses in China, a mass audience there watched her victory: it was shortly after 11 p.m. in China when she won.

Li, who is also the first person from Asia to win a Grand Slam singles title, was a legitimate underdog in this final. Clay, at leastuntil now, was her least favorite surface, andit has long been the surface on which Schiavone can best express her range of shots and talents. Until this year, Li had neverbeen past the fourth round at Roland Garros,but there is a dearth of proven talent at the top of the women's game for the moment.

Serena Williams has not played in nearly a year because of health problems. Her sister Venus Williams has not played since January because of an injury.

Justine Henin, the Belgian star who was the finest clay court player of this generation, retired this year because of a major elbow injury, and Kim Clijsters, who beat Li in the Australian Open and likes clay, was unable to play any preliminary tournaments on clay after being injured in a freakish accident while dancing at a wedding. (Clijsters was defeated here in the second round.)

To her credit, Li has taken advantage of the instability, and though she struggled with her game and results after the Australian Open, she recovered her form in time for Roland Garros with the help of her new coach, Michael Mortensen, a Dane who has refined some of her technique and, above all,pushed the concept of keeping tennis in perspective.

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Federer stops Djokovic win streak at 41

Roger Federer ending Novak Djokovic's perfect season and 43-match winning streak, beating the second-seeded Serb 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the French Open semifinals on Friday.

Federer will face five-time champion Rafael Nadal in the final. Nadal defeated Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

Roger Federer is one victory away from a second French Open championship. He'll face Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final.

Dusk was descending, wind was swirling and full-throated chants of"Ro-ger! Ro-ger!" from 15,000 or so fans finally were hushing as Roger Federer stepped to the baseline to serve -- one point from returning to the French Open final and one point from ending Novak Djokovic's 43-match winning streak.

Federer rocked back, unfurled his body and whipped an ace, his 18th Friday, to seal a 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) victory over Djokovic, then roared and wagged his right index finger, as if telling the world, "I'm still No. 1!"

So what if the official ranking says otherwise? This was Federer showing he's still got what it takes.

• OPEN SOURCE: Game-by-game analysis
He'll go for a 17th Grand Slam title, and second at Roland Garros, in Sunday's final against longtime nemesis and five-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, who eliminated Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to improve to 44-1 at the clay-court major tournament.

By summoning all of the strokes and resolve required to win a taut, tense contest with a lot on the line, Federer also managed to do what no one else had in quite some time: defeat Djokovic, who entered the day 41-0 in2011 and unbeaten since losing to -- guess who? -- Federer in late November.
"I wasn't here to spoil the party," said the third-seeded Federer, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the 2009 French Open. "Almost feels, somewhat, like I've won the tournament, which is not the case. Silverware is still out there to be won, and I'm looking forward to the match with Rafa."

It'll be their fifth meeting -- and fourth final --in Paris since 2005. Nadal is 4-0 in those matches, part of his 16-8 overall lead head-to-head.

A sixth French Open title would tie Nadal with Bjorn Borg for the most in history.

"I don't think about that," said Nadal, who turned 25 Friday. "A lot of respect for the great Bjorn, but I ... focus on (trying) to play well. For me, is much more important win Roland Garros than equal Bjorn."

Djokovic is the only other player to have beaten Federer more than eight times, including a 3-0 mark this season before Friday. Long considered one of the top talents in tennis, Djokovic credited a handful of factors with helping him excel recently: more maturity; confidence from helping Serbia win its first Davis Cup title in December; a gluten-free diet he now refuses to discuss in any detail. He won his second major title at the Australian Open in January and arrived in Paris as a co-favorite with Nadal, thanks in part to having beaten the Spaniard in two tournament finals on clay in May.

"It had to end somewhere," said the second-seeded Djokovic, who would have clinched the No. 1 ranking with a victory over Federer and will move up anyway if Nadal loses Sunday. "Best five months of my life, my tennis career. I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period."

Nadal's victory over the fourth-seeded Murray was far more compelling and competitive than a typical straight-set sweep,yet still paled in comparison to what Federer and Djokovic produced later. Because Nadal-Murray lasted more than three hours - and because the tournament pushed back the start of the men's semifinals from 1 p.m. to 2p.m. to accommodate TV - Federer and Djokovic didn't set foot on Court Philippe Chatrier until early evening. It was nearly 6 p.m. when the first point was played, and the heavy gray clouds clustered overhead limited the light.

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An inspired India on Saturday night regained the coveted World Cup after 28 years as they suppressed Sri Lanka with a six-wicket victory in a nerve-wrecking final to script a glorious new chapter in their cricketing history.

Scorecard

Chasing 275 for a historic win, the Indians held their nerves as they rode on Gautam Gambhir's 97 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 91 to overhaul the target with 10 balls to spare and send the cricket-crazy nation into a frenzy. The vociferous, jam-packed crowd at the Wankhede stadium erupted in wild celebrations as Dhoni hit the winning six runs to give India their biggest cricketing moment and crown themselves the ODI world champions, in addition to being the number one Test team.

Sachins proudest Moment

The World Cup title triumph, coming as it did after more than two decades, was doubly special for Sachin Tendulkar since it was the only silverware missing from his collection. It was also a fitting farewell to coach Gary Kirsten, for whom it was the last day in office as the Indian coach. It was a momentous Saturday night marked by high emotion and poignant scenes as India, for long the game's financial power, stamped their supremacy on the field as well, eight years after Sourav Ganguly's team had made an abortive attempt to scale the pinnacle.

The players, many of them with tears in their eyes, rushed to the ground to hug each other as Dhoni finished it off in style by hitting a six, as fire crackers lit up the evening sky to mark the moment. The highlight of the Lankan innings was Mahela Jayawardene's rollicking 103 as Sri Lanka capitalised on the batting powerplay to post a decent 274 for six. Electing to bat after winning the toss, Jayawardene used his vast experience to good effect and anchored the Lankan innings together. The islanders, desperate to regain the coveted cup after nearly 15 years, lost wickets at regular intervals against the Indians, who were spurred on by a vociferous jam-packed crowd.

The Indian bowlers were disciplined in the first half of the innings but conceded as many as 63 runs in the batting powerplay to undo all the good work. Apart from Jayawardene's 88-ball knock, captain Kumar Sangakkara (48) Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) and Nuwan Kulasekara (32) were the other notable performers. The Indian innings began on a disastrous note as the destructive Virender Sehwag was dismissed in the very second ball of the innings with paceman Lasith Malinga scalping the prized wicket. Sehwag was hit on the pads by an incoming delivery by Malinga as he went for a flick. Umpire Aleem Dar ruled him out before he asked for review but television replays showed that the ball would have hit the stumps.

Tendulkar, playing in what probably is his last World Cup game, entertained his home crowd with a couple of delightful boundaries while Gambhir also looked for runs at the other end. The Indians suffered a huge jolt went Malinga struck again by dismissing the champion batsman as he snicked an away-going delivery and captain Sangakkara latched on to a low catch. A hushed silence descended on the Wankhede stadium as he started his walk back to the pavilion.

Gambhir drove Kulasekara for a boundary in the extra cover region to notch up 4000 ODI runs while Virat Kohli also pulled the bowler to the boundary in the same over. Gambhir was lucky to get a reprieve in spinner Suraj Randiv's first over when Kulasekara dropped him at the long off region. The third-wicket pair of Gambhir and Kohli put on 83 runs before Dilshan broke the partnership by taking a brilliant acrobatic return catch. The out-of-form Dhoni came ahead of Yuvraj to keep the left-right combination going and was immediately given two 'lives' by the Lankans -- first Sangakkara messing up a stumping chance off Muralitharan and then Dilshan dropping a return catch as he collided with non-striker Gambhir.

 Dhoni, however, made the most of the Sri Lankan lapses to rediscover his form which had deserted him in the mega event. Dhoni and Gambhir scored at a brisk pace to keep India in the hunt. The pair stitched 109 runs for the fourth wicket before Gambhir paid the price for a horrendous stroke, just three runs short of what would have been a well-deserved century. Gambhir made room to cut the ball but missed it completely to see his stumps dislodged. Earlier, both the Indian new ball bowlers bowled a tidy line and length and did not allow the Sri Lankan openers to get off to a flying start while the fielding was also sharp. Pace spearhead Zaheer's first three overs were maidens and that put some pressure on the two Lankan openers who were not being able to capitalise on the powerplay overs.

Dilshan broke the stranglehold by hitting the first boundary of the innings in the 5th over by pulling Sreesanth to the square leg fence. In the same over, he produced a delightful cut to the point for his second boundary. Tharanga looked completely out of sorts at the other end as he found it difficult to find the gaps as Zaheer bowled a searching length right through his opening spell. Zaheer drew first blood in his fourth over by evicting Tharanga with an outgoing delivery and Virender Sehwag holding on to diving catch at first slip much to the delight of a capacity crowd at the stadium. Tharanga scored just two runs off 20 balls.

The Lankans could manage just 31 runs in the first ten overs, their lowest in the tournament. That was largely because of Zaheer's excellent first spell of 5-3-6-1. Dilshan and Sangakkara put on 43 runs for the second wicket before Harbhajan Singh struck for his team by getting rid of Dilshan (33), who scored 500 runs in the tournament. Dilshan went for a sweep but the ball hit his gloves and lobbed onto his stumps to trigger off wild celebrations in the galleries. Sangakkara and Jayawardene then took upon themselves the task of rebuilding the innings and the duo scored at a decent pace to steer the team to a comfortable position.

Yuvraj Singh, who had a dream tournament with both the bat and the ball, was introduced into the attack in the 22nd over but the two experienced batsmen were not really troubled by his left arm spin. It was Yuvraj who finally broke the 62-run third wicket partnership which was assuming dangerous proportions by dismissing Sangakkara who tried to cut a wide ball outside the off stump but only succeeded in edging the ball to Dhoni behind the stump. His knock of 48 came off 67 balls and contained five boundaries. It was left to the well-settled Jayawardene to hold the innings together and he found an able ally in Thilan Samaraweera to take the Sri Lankan total close to the 180 mark. Yuvraj was again instrumental in breaking the fourth- wicket partnership by accounting for Samaraweera.

Umpire Simon Taufel turned down the leg before appeal but the Indians went for the referral and television replays showed that the ball would have hit the stumps. New batsman Chamara Kapugedera did not survive long as he offered a simple catch to Suresh Raina at extra cover off a slower delivery from Zaheer, leaving the visitors in a spot of bother at 182 for five. Jayawardene and Nuwan Kulasekara then teamed up ensure that Sri Lanka had a competitive total on the board as they went about accumulating runs in the batting powerplay, which was taken in the last five overs.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)
TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

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Scorecard
India extended its unbeaten streak in World Cups over Pakistan to five matches as MS Dhoni's team defeated Shahid Afridi's boys by 29 runs in the second semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup at Mohali tonight to set up a final clash with Sri Lanka on April 2.

Chasing a target of 261, Pakistan was never in the hunt as they lost wickets at regular intervals even as only Misbah-ul-Haq scored a half-century and they were eventually bowled out for 231 in 49.5 overs.
Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez got Pakistan's run chase of 261 off to a steady start without taking too many risks, before the wicket keeper-batsman chased a full Zaheer Khan delivery outside off stump as he tried to play his favourite shot, the square drive. Instead, he only succeeded in slicing a catch to Yuvraj Singh at point to give India a much-needed breakthrough in the ninth over courtesy its most consistent bowler after Pakistan's openers had got 44 runs on the board.
Hafeez and Asad Shafiq then took on the task of getting Pakistan back on track and were hardly troubled by either Munaf Patel or Ashish Nehra ( a surprise inclusion in place of R Ashwin), who despite keeping the runs in check didn't look threatening enough to take a wicket. In fact, if it weren't for a brain freeze moment on Hafeez's part, who looked comfortable and had scored 43 including seven hits to the fence despite hardly taking any risks, chose to play a paddle sweep off Munaf and only managed to get an edge to Dhoni behind the stumps as both Pakistan's openers gifted away their wickets.
The onus then fell on Shafiq, who rotated the strike and looked good in the middle, and the experienced Younis Khan to get Pakistan back on track, but Yuvraj made up for his failure with the bat by dismissing both the batsmen in consecutive overs to shift the advantage back India's way. While Yuvraj clean bowled Shafiq (30) with a straight ball, he had Younis caught at cover by Suresh Raina with Pakistan 106 for 4 in the 26th over. Yuvraj (2-57) played the role of the fifth bowler and while he was a tad expensive, he did the job that was asked of him.
Younis has been a consistent performer against India, but in this crunch match he failed to get going and continued his poor form in the 2011 World Cup as he failed to rotate the strike and struggled to a painstaking 32-ball 13. Umar Akmal then tried his best to get Pakistan back into the match even as the required rate started to climb thanks to the slow going on the part of Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq. Umar did hit two massive sixes in his 24-ball 29 before he played all over an Harbhajan Singh arm ball to be clean bowled, and then Munaf, who impressed as the match went on, got into the act too as he cleaned up Abdul Razzaq with an excellent slower ball to leave Pakistan gasping at 150 for 6 in the 37th over.
The final nail in the coffin was delivered when Afridi (19 in 17 balls) gave an easy catch to Virender Sehwag at cover off a high Harbhajan full toss with Pakistan 184 for 7 in the 42nd over. Nehra, who mixed things nicely up towards the end of the match then had Riaz caught at cover and then trapped Umar Gul LBW, the decision of which was upheld on review. Misbah, who was last man out for 56 caught at midwicket by Virat Kohli, did his best to get Pakistan back into the match in the batting power play, but it was too little and too late for Afridi's team and they really have themselves to blame for leaving the batting power play so inexplicably late in their innings and letting the match get out of their grasp in the middle overs. Misbah did try to increase his scoring run rate in the end, but his slow and tedious going early in his innings all but ensured Pakistan would have a mountain to climb. All of India's bowlers took two wickets each, but Nehra (2-33), Munaf (2-40) and Harbhajan (2-43) did well.
Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar didn't get to his 100th international century, and probably that was for the best, because this innings was far from being the in-control knocks that he has played for most of his career. Even then, Tendulkar top-scored with 85 in India's total of 260 for 9, but had the butter-fingers of Misbah-ul-aq, Younis and the Akmal brothers to score those many runs in the first place, and, in the final analysis, it would come back to haunt Pakistan.
Tendulkar was on 27 when Misbah dropped a catch at short-mid wicket off Afridi; and when on 45, Younis dropped a straightforward chance at mid-off with Afridi again being the unfortunate bowler. The Indian batting legend had earlier been adjudged out LBW by umpire Ian Gould off Saeed Ajmal when he was on 23, but the decision was overturned on review, as the ball would have just missed the leg stump; and off the very next ball the third umpire ruled Tendulkar not out following a stumping appeal by Kamran Akmal.
Tendulkar did hit some of his trademark boundaries in his knock, but for the most part it was a patchy and chancy innings, and at times it appeared he wasn't really enjoying being out in the middle. Tendulkar though rotated the strike and strung together partnerships of some accord with Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli for the second and third wickets even as he brought up yet another half-century, this one off 67 balls when he hit an Afridi delivery over extra cover for a boundary. He was then to be given two more reprieves when Kamran failed to hold on to an edge off an Afridi delivery, and then again on 81 when the wicket-keeper's younger brother Umar failed to hold on to a catch at short mid-wicket despite leaping and getting both his hands to a checked drive off Mohammad Hafeez.
Indian captain MS Dhoni earlier won the toss and elected to bat and the Indian innings got off to an electrifying start courtesy Sehwag, who hit five boundaries off the third over of the match bowled by Pakistan's spearhead Umar Gul, who leaked 41 runs in his first four overs. Sehwag's breezy 25-ball 38, which contained nine hits to the fence, was brought to an end by the impressive Riaz, who trapped the Indian opener plumb in front with a short of length delivery. Sehwag challenged umpire Simon Taufel's decision without consulting Tendulkar, and it turned out to be an unnecessary review in the end.
Tendulkar and Gambhir then added 68 runs for the second wicket at almost a run a ball, with the southpaw looking more at ease than his senior partner, who found the going tough, especially against Ajmal. But, just when it looked as though Gambhir (27) and Tendulkar would take India to a position of strength, the former was stumped by Kamran off a flighted Hafeez delivery with the score 116 for 2 in the 19th over. Virat Kohli, who had an excellent start to the 2011 World Cup, has struggled for runs in recent matches, and that trend continued in the semi-finals where he looked ill at ease before Riaz had him caught by Umar at backward point and the left-arm pacer gave Pakistan more reason to celebrate off the very next delivery when he castled Yuvraj Singh with a full swinging delivery as India's in-form batsman walked back to the pavilion for a first-ball duck even as the co-hosts slipped to 141 for 4 from 116 for 2.
Dhoni had said before the match that his form wasn't a concern, but the manner in which he struggled during his 42-ball 25 belied the confidence the skipper had in his own form. In all, Dhoni played 25 dot balls in his innings, an apt reflection of his struggles at the crease, and the two boundaries he hit were edged through the vacant slip region. At the other end, meanwhile, Tendulkar continued to lead a charmed life, before he was finally caught by Afridi off Ajmal with the score 187 for 5 in 37 overs. Tendulkar's 115-ball 85 contained 11 boundaries, but also included a massive 71 dot balls.
Riaz (5-46) then returned to dismiss Dhoni and Zaheer as he picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in one-day internationals even as Suresh Raina played a lone hand in the lower middle-order with a 39-ball 36 that gave the Indian innings some impetus in the batting power play in which India scored 43 runs for the loss of Harbhajan Singh's wicket who was stumped off Ajmal. While Riaz impressed, Gul struggled in his second spell as well and eventually Pakistan spearhead's failed for the first time in the World Cup, albeit in an important match, and had figures of 8-0-69-0. Afridi failed to take any wickets, but Hafeez (1-34) was the most economical of Pakistan's bowlers and kept things in the middle overs.
But, in the end, India did enough to maintain their dominance over Pakistan in World Cups and give the full house in Mohali a lot to cheer about. All eyes will now be focused at the Wankhede Stadium on April 2, where either India or Sri Lanka will win their second World Cup title.

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Scorecard

Sri Lanka reached the World Cup final with a five-wicket win against New Zealand on Tuesday as veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said goodbye to his home crowd.

Sri Lanka, set a modest 218 to win, wobbled in the middle before reaching their target in 47.5 overs with Tillakaratne Dilshan (73) and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (54) setting the foundation at a packed R Premadasa stadium.

Muralitharan took his 534th wicket off his last ball on home soil as New Zealand were bowled out for a below-par score of 217 in 48.5 overs.

Muralitharan, who last year retired from Tests after finishing as the highest wicket-taker with 800, now aims to win his second title -- after being part of the 1996 Cup winning squad -- in Saturday's final in Mumbai.

Sri Lanka, cruising along at 160-1, lost four wickets in the space of 25 runs to raise fears of an unlikely defeat before Thilan Samaraweera (23 not out) and Angelo Mathews (14 not out) guided them home with an unbroken 35-run stand.

The victory took Sri Lanka into their second successive World Cup final, after finishing runners-up to Australia in 2007, as a capacity 35,000 celebrated with firecrackers.

Sri Lanka play the winners of Wednesday's semifinal between India and Pakistan in Mohali.

New Zealand, who for the sixth time failed in a World Cup semi-final, seemed to be succumbing like England did during their 10-wicket quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, but they staged a brave rearguard action.

It was 34-year-old Dilshan who was once again in rampaging mood, taking the co-hosts to 40 by the eighth over in the company of Upul Tharanga who fell after scoring a 31-ball 30 with four boundaries and a six.

Dilshan then found an equally aggressive and in-form partner in captain Sangakkara as they added 120 for the second wicket, before Dilshan played straight into the hands of Jesse Ryder off Tim Southee.

Dilshan hit 10 boundaries and a six during his 93-ball knock.

Sri Lanka then lost Mahela Jayawardene (one) and Sangakkara in the space of eight runs and then Chamara Silva (13) before the team held their nerve.

Dilshan also became the top run-getter of the tournament with 467.

It was Ajantha Mendis (3-35) and Lasith Malinga (3-55), along with Muralitharan (2-42), who kept New Zealand under control after Daniel Vettori won the toss and opted to bat.

Scott Styris, who top scored with 57, added 77 for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor (36) but the Sri Lankan bowlers never allowed them to run away with a big total, dismissing the Kiwis in 48.5 overs.

Styris and Kane Williamson (22) added 42 in the batting powerplay but New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for just 56 runs.

Sri Lanka once again dismissed hard-hitting Brendon McCullum through a spinner when left-armer Rangana Herath bowled him in the eighth over for 13.

Martin Guptill (39) and Jesse Ryder (19) took the total to 69 before Muralitharan had the big left-hander caught off a quickish delivery.

Soon it became 84-3 when Malinga bowled Guptill with a ferocious yorker after the opener had hit three boundaries off 65 balls.

Styris hit five boundaries during his 77-ball knock.

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BANGALORE: This was a game both India and England deserved to lose but in the end it was a tie. If the Indians seemed listless while defending a more than healthy 338, the English after being in a position to spoil the Indian party on a pitch on which the expected demons did not surface, suddenly seemed to have invoked the devil himself. In the end what transpired was the fourth ever tie in the history of the World Cup.

Scorecard | Photos | Points Table 

The match swayed like a pendulum. The Indian total of 338, set up by a record fifth World Cup ton from Sachin Tendulkar, looked good enough at the break, more so as the hosts had gone in with two spinners. England captain Andrew Strauss had different ideas as he set about all but obfuscating Tendulkar's knock with his maiden World Cup ton.

Then came the batting Powerplay. Suddenly from an impregnable 280/2 from 43 overs, when Strauss (158, 145b, 18x4, 1x6) and Bell (69, 71b, 4x4, 1x6) were going strong with a 170-run stand off 156 balls, things turned upside down. Zaheer Khan, hit around in his first two spells and held back by Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Powerplay, got two in two, sending back Bell and Strauss to open up the game again.

Suddenly the Indians were pumped up, as the English middle and late order collapsed. But then two sixes, one each by Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan, both off Piyush Chawla's final over, the penultimate one of the innings, again changed the game. Fifteen had come from that over leaving 14 required from the last to be bowled by Munaf Patel. With number 10 Ajmal Shazad on strike, the match looked to be in India's grasp, but the drama wasn't over by any means. A solid six and some hurriedly run singles brought the equation to two runs off the ball. They got one and the Bangalore crowd, some of whom had left early seeing India's chances all but gone, got what they expected least. A tie!

Before that, the Indians had got most things right. Having decided to play with two spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Chawla, it was important that Dhoni won the toss and allowed his spinners the second use of the pitch. That part went along the script as did the batting, with the top-order firing for the second match in succession. It was even better that the middle-order too got a chance to show their wares and they didn't do too badly either.

Only Tim Bresnan stood up and got noticed among English bowlers. Having dismissed the fortuitous as well as dangerous-looking Sehwag off his fifth ball, Bresnan came back at the death, to keep the Indians from running away to a total in excess of 350. His final analysis of 10-1-48-5 was true reflection of his showing on the afternoon.

No other English bowler went under five an over, with James Anderson in real danger of going for twice that. Every Indian batsman got stuck into him. Tendulkar and Gambhir used his wayward line and length to full effect. That Tendulkar (120, 115b, 10x4, 5x6) picked boundaries even off his better deliveries, ensured that it was not to be Anderson's day.

Once Sehwag (35, 26b, 6x4) had gone, poking at Bresnan for wicketkeeper Matt Prior to bring off a fine one-handed catch diving to his right, the right-left pair of Tendulkar and Gambhir (51, 61b, 5x4) took charge. Without looking in any sort of hurry, the master-blaster milked the bowlers before assaulting them.

The innings wasn't just about Tendulkar and Gambhir though, even if their 134-run second wicket stand set it up. There was also Yuvraj Singh, rightly promoted ahead of Kohli seeing that it was the 30th over, and Dhoni, whose 25-ball 31 went almost unnoticed. Yuvraj (58, 50b, 9x4) wasn't at his fluent best but who knows this knock could well be the launching pad for more to come.

Warne predicted it 8 hours ago 

Shane Warne was bang on target when before the start of the match he Tweeted saying "Looking forward to the game between India and England today. My prediction... a tie." And the cracker of a contest which saw 676 runs being scored did actually end up in a tie, making Warne's prediction come true.

Read more: World Cup: India-England thriller ends in a tie - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/news/World-Cup-India-England-thriller-ends-in-a-tie/articleshow/7585674.cms#ixzz1FCirImrX

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