Spain wins Davis Cup

Rafael Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro 16 64 61 76(0) at Seville's Olympic Stadium on Sunday to hand Spain their fifth Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title. The classic contest lasted 4 hours 8 minutes.
Nadal was completely dominated at the start of the match as del Potro raced out of the blocks and won seven straight games to take a set and a break lead, but the world No. 2 snatched a crucial game at the start of the second set that swung the momentum.
When Nadal broke again to win the second set it looked like he was on his way to a comfortable victory. He walked through the third set and went a break up at the start of the fourth, but then del Potro, lifted by the Argentine fans, staged a remarkable comeback.
In an enthralling fourth set, which swung one way and then the other on more than a few occasions, del Potro served to take the match into a decider, only for Nadal to break back. A few moments later the Spaniard found himself serving for it, but this time del Potro broke back.
The rubber headed into a tiebreak and Nadal immediately took control, never looking back. He was utterly ruthless and completed the perfect 'golden' breaker with a winning forehand, a shot which sealed Spain's crown of Davis Cup champion for the fifth time.

Taken from Davis Cup official site

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Contador wins his third Tour de France

Alberto Contador won his third Tour de France, winning a largely ceremonial final stage Sunday from Longjumeau to Paris.

Contador, who was sipping a glass of champagne en route to the Champs-Elysees and held up three fingers to signal his probable third Tour win, extended his lead over nearest challenger Andy Schleck to 39 seconds in Saturday's time trial.

Contador was poised to join Greg LeMond, Louison Bobet and Philippe Thys as a three-time Tour champions. Lance Armstrong is the most successful Tour rider with seven consecutive wins, between 1999 and 2005.

Go Spain!

Carlos Sastre wins the Tour de France!

Carlos Sastre closed in on victory in the Tour de France by retaining the overall lead after Saturday's time trial, the next-to-last stage of the three-week race.
Sastre led his top rivals by slightly more than a minute after the 20th stage from Cerilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond, which was won by Stefan Schumacher. Pre-race favorite Cadel Evans couldn't overcome his deficit of 1:34 to Sastre entering the stage despite being considered a superior time trialer.
Overall, after more than 84 hours of racing since the July 5 start, Sastre led Evans by 1:05, while Bernhard Kohl was third, 1:20 behind.
Today's final stage — an 88.8-mile ride from Etampes to the Champs-Elysées in Paris — is mostly a ceremonial ride that won't change the overall standings. Traditionally, attacks on the leader are frowned upon and any breakaway attempts by a rival are easy to counter on the flat course.
Sastre is poised to become the third Spaniard in a row to win cycling's premier race. Alberto Contador won last year and Oscar Pereiro inherited the 2006 title that Floyd Landis lost in a doping scandal.

Carlos Sastre wins the yellow jersey!

Carlos Sastre (born 22 April 1975 in Madrid) won the 17th stage of the Tour de France, which ended at the summit finish of L'Alpe d'Huez, and took the overall lead in the race. The Spaniard went clear on the final ascent to take the last of three Alpine stages.
It started at Embrun and covered 210.5 kilometers, including the climbs of the Galibier and the Croix de Fer. Today's stage is one of the most celebrated mountain tests in the tour and includes 21 hairpin bends on the final ascent.
It was the last chance for climbing specialists to improve their overall standing in this year's race.
Sastre crossed the finish line in 6 hours, 7 minutes, 58 seconds, followed 2 minutes 3 seconds later by Samuel Sánchez and Andy Schleck. Then came Alejandro Valverde and Frank Schleck, 2:13 off the lead, with Cadel Evans in a group 2 seconds further back.

Stage 17 result
1. Carlos Sastre (ESP) CSC 6hr 07min 58sec
2. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) EUS - at 2min 03sec
3. Andy Schleck (LUX) CSC at 2min 03sec
4. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) GCE - at 2min 13sec
5. Frank Schleck (LUX) CSC - at 2min 13sec

General classification after stage 17
1. Carlos Sastre (ESP) CSC
2. Frank Schleck (LUX) CSC +1min 24sec
3. Bernhard Kohl (AUT) GST +1min 33sec
4. Cadel Evans (AUS) SIL +1min 34sec
5. Denis Menchov (RUS) RAB +2min 39sec

The final decision will be reached next saturday in the stage against the clock.

And now Rafa at Wimbledon!

Rafa Nadal ended Roger Federer's five-year reign as king of Wimbledon on Sunday with a 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 victory in one of the most dramatic finals seen at the All England Club.
The 22-year-old Nadal survived an incredible Federer fightback to become the first Spaniard to win the grasscourt grand slam since Manuel Santana in 1966. He is also the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.
Nadal, beaten by Federer in the last two finals here, took the opening set with a single service break and then stormed back from 1-4 down in the second to snatch a two-set lead and leave the world number one reeling.
An 81-minute rain break seemed to help five-times champion Federer and he returned to snatch the third set on a tiebreak. He then saved two match points before taking another tiebreak to square the match at two sets all.
With light fading fast Nadal broke Federer at 7-7 in the fifth before claiming victory when Federer netted a forehand.
(taken from National Post)