Sports News in Brief
Tour lead
GREENSBORO, North Carolina - Carl Pettersson, coming off his best finish in a major, fired an eight-under 62 on Thursday to seize a one-shot lead after the first round of the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship. Pettersson, a Swede who became an American citizen in the off-season, tied for third at the 94th PGA Championship on Sunday and did not skip a beat in his opening round at the Sedgefield Country Club.
Heat on Rovers
LONDON - Blackburn midfielder David Dunn admits Rovers boss Steve Kean and his players are under intense pressure from the club's Indian owners Venky's to secure an immediate return to the Premier League. Rovers will play their first match in English football's second tier since 1999 when they travel to Ipswich on Saturday and long-serving star Dunn knows Venky's won't tolerate a repeat of the chaotic campaign that ended with relegation from the top flight in May.
In last 4
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Four-time champion Roger Federer has defeated Australia's Bernard Tomic to earn a spot in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday. Federer was barely troubled by Tomic as he cruised to a 6-2 6-4 third round win to move into the last eight on a day when Olympic champion Andy Murray was sent crashing out of the tournament. Murray was shocked by French lucky loser Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-4 to end the defence of his Cincinnati title.
Assaidi deal
LONDON - Liverpool agreed a deal to sign Morocco winger Oussama Assaidi from Dutch club Heerenveen for an undisclosed fee on Thursday. Assaidi has to pass a medical before the transfer can be rubber-stamped, but if it is completed successfully he will become new boss Brendan Rodgers' third signing since he took over from Kenny Dalglish in June.
Modric move
LONDON - Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas insists the constant speculation over Luka Modric's potential transfer to Real Madrid has not distracted him from preparing for his first Premier League match in charge of the north London club. Villas-Boas has had to deal with Real's disruptive pursuit of Modric ever since taking over from Harry Redknapp early in the close-season and the Croatia midfielder's future is still not resolved.
Fight back
LONDON - JP Duminy and Vernon Philander led South Africa's recovery from 4-54 to 7-262 at stumps on the first day of the third Test against England at Lord's on Thursday. While the score, particularly the number of wickets lost, would have been uncomfortable for South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who won the toss and batted, the situation could have been so much worse. Fast bowler Steven Finn (3-68) rocked the tourists with a pre-lunch burst of 3-3 in seven legitimate deliveries on his Middlesex home ground while James Anderson took 3-57. But come the close Philander was 46 not out, having shared a seventh-wicket stand of 72 with Duminy, who gave it away on 61.