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20 Tuesday,June 10, 2003 TIMES SPORT The Times of India, New Delhi

FRENCH FRIES AFP Becks is Milan’s prime target London: Champions League winners Speculation has been rife over Beck- Monday it has signed Brazilian de- AC Milan have revealed that they have ham’s future with United revealing fender Cafu on a two-year contract. made England captain David Beckham they have received several enquiries Cafu, the captain of Brazil’s World their top transfer target. regarding the player with Barcelona, Cup champion side, will move to the The 28-year-old midfielder now Real and European champions Milanese team after a long and suc- looks certain to leave Manchester AC Milan all reportedly interested in cessful stint at AS Roma. The contract United after the English Premiership signing him for a fee in the region of with Milan will run through June champions confirmed that they had $50 million. 2005, the club said on its Web site. “firm interest” from clubs in Spain “Manchester United can confirm The 33-year-old Cafu, whose full name and Italy. that clubs from Italy and Spain have is Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, Barcelona presidential candidate expressed a firm interest in signing joined Roma in 1997 and anchored the Joan Laporta has expressed his desire David Beckham,” United confirmed. club’s defense when it won the Italian to take Beckham to the Nou Camp if “David’s advisers SFX have also league in 2001. He began to play pro- he is elected on June 15. been approached by clubs independ- fessionally for Sao Paulo in the Brazil- Now Milan vice-chairman Adriano ently and we are in regular and close ian league in 1990. In Milan, Cafu will Galliani has told the Sun newspaper: contact with them regarding the sta- bolster a backline that already in- “Beckham is our primary target. We tus on those discussions, which are on- cludes such defensive stalwarts as cap- are pursuing our objective and will do going.” tain Paolo Maldini and Alessandro everything in our power to get him.” Milan signs Cafu: AC Milan said on Nesta.Agencies

The women’s champion, Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium addresses fans at Brussels’ City Hall on Sunday. Verkerk misses the for me,” Verkerk said. Verk- compatriot Justine Henin- know, that’s always great.” ladyluck: A chagrinned erk was ranked No. 170 at Hardenne but bounced back Martin Verkerk shook his the start of last year. He’ll be on Sunday to earn her first Disorder on the court: A head when told a Dutch su- a career-best No. 15 this title in the male streaker wearing noth- permodel cheered for him week, and with a 125-mph women’s doubles.And she did ing but balls and from the front row during the he’ll be a threat at it on her 20th birthday. “To sneakers ran onto centre final.He never Wimbledon, even though he have it on my birthday makes court during the French Open noticed her. “Something has never played on grass. it even more special,” Clijsters final on Sunday.Runner-up good about today, and I said. She and Japan’s Ai Martin Verkerk said the Kim’s comeback: Kim Cli- Sugiyama beat two-time de- don’t see it,” Verkerk jsters left Roland Garros with naked prankster made him said.Not much went right fending champions Virginia smile and relax a bit - though a championship trophy after Ruano Pascual and Paola yesterday for the Dutchman, all. She lost the women’s sin- not enough to prevent his who lost to Juan Carlos Fer- Suarez. “It’s my first Grand loss to . gles final Saturday to Belgian Slam title,” Clijsters said. “You rero 6-1 6-3 6-2 in the most “I found it real funny,” said lopsided men’s final at AFP Verkerk. “I was smiling.” Fer- Roland Garros since 1978. rero wasn’t. “I was a bit an- “My serve was not good noyed,” the Spaniard said. “It enough, my strokes were not was a bit bothering.” The good enough, my depth was man rushed onto the court not good enough, my volleys during a second-set were not good enough,” he changeover, shed his clothes said. “But it all had to do and hurdled the net before with Ferrero.” Although it two security guards dragged ended in defeat, the tourna- him off the court. The man, ment was still the best of who was middle-aged wore a Verkerk’s career. When he trio of tennis balls strung to- arrived to play at Roland gether as partial cover but left Garros for the first time, he his backside bare. Scrawled had never won a Grand across his back in big black Slam match. He departed letters was an advertisement with a check for for a website.Tournament or- US$491,000, more than ganisers said it was believed doubling his career earnings to be the first appearance by in seven years as a pro. “It Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero (L) with the French Open tro- a streaker at the French has been an amazing week phy in front of the Arc de Triomphe in on Sunday. Open. Roland Garros feels the J-force Paris: The French Open felt the full ef- race is still ranked three behind Lleyton solved into tears afterwards. fect of the J-force as Juan Carlos Ferrero Hewitt and Andre Agassi on the ATP en- Henin-Hardenne dedicated her win to and Justine try system. her late mother Francoise, who encour- Henin conquered In the case of Henin-Hardenne the 21- aged her to take up the game and who Roland Garros year-old put Belgium on the map with died of cancer in 1995. and snapped up her country’s first ever Grand Slam vic- And she received a heroine’s welcome the men’s and tory. Belgian fans were seeing double af- when she arrived back i n Brussels cen- women’s singles ter Kim Clijsters, whom Henin-Hardenne tral square on Sunday afternoon after crowns. had sent packing 6-0 6-4 in the singles fi- humbling Clijsters. The champions nal, then captured the doubles on her On learning that her compatriot and were laughing all 20th birthday along with Ai Sugiyama of Fed Cup teammate had won the doubles the way to the Japan. Henin-Hardenne was jubilant. bank after respectively pocketing While Ferrero is the king of clay after “Kim and I are very proud to be chil- $983,000 and $967,000 — but far more im- scoring his 28th victory for just two loss- dren of Belgium. Our success is yours. portantly breaking their respective es on the game’s most gruelling surface, Your encouragement helps us to Grand Slam ducks. Henin’s win was a boon for all those who progress,” said Henin-Hardenne. In the case of the 23-year-old Ferrero had had enough of the Williams Show — While Ferrero and Henin-Hardenne the coronation was the culmination of a outgoing champion Serena Williams and parcelled out the major honours, beaten tremendous claycourt season and sweet elder sister Venus having both featured men’s finalist Verkerk played a starring relief after being beaten last year by in the last four women’s Grand Slam fi- role as the shock of the tournament. compatriot Albert Costa while suffering nals. Henin-Hardenne, previously seen The 24-year-old had never won a sin- from an ankle injury. Ferrero swept as a lightweight in the face of the raw gle Grand Slam match in his life having away the bad memories of that final by power of the Williams and the likes of preferred the good life to one spent on squashing Dutch Martin Verkerk 6-1 6-3 Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, threw the training court. But he came from 6-2. off that image in clubbing Serena in nowhere with his huge serve to knock “I will keep working until I am num- three sets in her semifinal. The loss, de- out German 11th seed Rainer Schuttler ber one in the world,” said Ferrero, who priving her of a fifth straight Slam and 1998 champion Carlos Moya of while he now tops the ATP champions crown, hurt Serena so much she dis- Spain on the way to the final.AFP THE SPORTING WORLD AT A GLANCE

AFP

Argentine forward Javier Saviola (2nd R) celebrates his goal with teammates during the Kirin Cup match against Japan at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka. Argentina beat Japan 4-1. ATHLETICS 208-7 (45.0 overs); Yorkshire: 186-9 (45.0 IAAF Grand Prix II, Tula, Russia: Men’s: Long overs). Kent beat Yorkshire by 22 runs. Points: Jump: 1 Denis Sinyavskiy (Rus) 7.99m, 2 An- Kent 4, Yorkshire 0. drey Bragin (Rus) 7.98, 3 Kirill Sosunov (Rus) Essex: 220 (44.2 overs); Surrey: 221-7 (42.5 7.92. Hammer Throw: 1 Ivan Tikhon (Blr) overs). Surrey beat Essex by 3 wickets. Points: 81.04m, 2 Sergey Kirmasov (Rus) 78.84, 3 Surrey 4, Essex 0. Yuriy Voronkin (Rus) 78.69. Women’s: 100m Gloucestershire: 307-8 (45.0 overs); Warwick- Final: 1 Marina Kislova (Rus) 11.21secs, 2 shire: 229 (40.2 overs). Gloucestershire beat Anzhela Kravchenko (Ukr) 11.36, 3 Olga Fyo- Warwickshire by 78 runs. Points: Gloucester- dorova (Rus) 11.42. 100m Hurdles: 1 Natalya shire 4, Warwickshire 0. Shekhodanova (Rus) 12.88secs, 2 Svetlana Glamorgan: 215-9 (39.0 overs); Worcester- Laukhova (Rus) 12.89, 3 Natalya Kresova (Rus) shire: 184 (36.2 overs). Glamorgan beat 13.01. 800m: 1 Natalya Khrushchelyova (Rus) Worcestershire by 31 runs. Points: Glamorgan 1min:58.05secs, 2 Larisa Chzhao (Rus) 4, Worcestershire 0. 1:58.71, 3 Tatyana Yegorova (Rus) 2:00.57. National Cricket League Division Two: Sussex: 1500m: 1 Yelena Zadorozhnaya (Rus) 161-7 (39.0 overs); Middlesex: 133 (33.2 4mins:03.58secs, 2 Olga Yegorova (Rus) overs). Sussex beat Middlesex by 49 runs 4:06.22, 3 Tatyana Tomashova (Rus) 4:06.28. (D/L). Points: Sussex 4, Middlesex 0. : 1 (Rus) 14.45, 2 Ye- Somerset: 143 (32.3 overs); Northampton- lena Ivanova (Rus) 14.25, 3 Yelena Oleynikova shire: 131-3 (27.3 overs). Northamptonshire (Rus) 14.21. High Jump: 1 Marina Kuptsova beat Somerset by 7 wickets (D/L).Points: (Rus) 1.98m, 2 Anna Chicherova (Rus) 1.96, 2 Northamptonshire 4, Somerset 0. Viktoriya Seryogina (Rus) 1.96. Hammer Nottinghamshire: 100-6 (17.0 overs); Lan- Throw: 1 Olga Kuzenkova (Rus) 71.38m, 2 Alla cashire: 114-3 (15.3 overs). Lancashire beat Davydova (Rus) 68.47, 3 Gulfiya Khanafeyeva Nottinghamshire by 7 wickets( D/L). Points: (Rus) 67.19. Shot Put: 1 Irina Korzhanenko Lancashire 4, Nottinghamshire 0. (Rus) 19.28m, 2 Svetlana Krivelyova (Rus) Hampshire: 203-5 (45.0 overs); Durham: 196- 19.27, 3 Nadezhda Ostapchuk (Blr) 18.94. 8 (45.0 overs). Hampshire beat Durham by 7 BASKETBALL runs. Points: Hampshire 4, Durham 0. NBA League: Play-off Finals, best of seven. FOOTBALL San Antonio Spurs 84 New Jersey Nets 79 International Match: Venezuela 2 Honduras (San Antonio leads series 2-1). 1, Japan 1 Argentina 4, South Korea 0 Uruguay CRICKET 2. National Cricket League Division One: Kent: Under-18 International: Spain 0 England 2.

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