Sports News – May 1st Weekend Recap
Super Saver reigns supreme in the slop
It was a sloppy track on the occasion of the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby, and when 20 horses had all covered 1.25 miles of real estate at Churchill Downs, Super Saver came out on top. Calvin Borel - the rural Louisiana legend who has established himself as one of the greatest jockeys in the sport of kings - has now won three of his past four Kentucky Derby mounts, having already won with Street Sense and then last year with Mine That Bird. Borel guided Super Saver to victory this past Saturday on a muddy mess, but he still followed his patented strategy of guiding his horse to the rail when the final turn approached. Runner-up Ice Box tried to make a bold push on the outside, but the rail normally offers the best path for Kentucky Derby winners … at least when Calvin Borel is the man at the controls.
Nadal wins landmark Masters 1000 title in Rome
Sports betting enthusiasts might not have known what to expect from Rafael Nadal two months ago, but now, it’s a very safe bet that the Spaniard - who will turn just 24 years old this year - has once again established himself as the man to beat for the remainder of the clay-court tennis season. On Sunday, Nadal put the finishing touches on an historic championship, as the lefty outlasted countryman David Ferrer, 7-5, 6-2, to win the Rome Masters 1000 event. The win marked Nadal’s 17th Masters 1000 (formerly known as the Masters Series) crown, tying him with Andre Agassi for the most in tennis history. It’s true that the “Masters” event is relatively recent in the sport’s evolution, but the achievement still points to Nadal’s amazing consistency. The best clay-court competitor since Bjorn Borg has now won five of the last six Rome titles, in addition to having won each of the last six Monte Carlo Masters.
Henin triumphs in Stuttgart for first title since return
If one great tennis champion had a fantastic week on the men’s side, another decorated performer capped off a similarly glorious week in the world of women’s tennis. Justine Henin, who returned to the court this year after a self-imposed tennis hiatus, won the first WTA Tour title of her new tennis life. On Sunday afternoon, Henin disposed of Australia’s Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix event in Stuttgart, Germany. Stosur - who reached the semifinals of last year’s French Open, produced another strong run in a clay-court tournament, and she took the second set from Henin in appreciably decisive fashion. However, Henin once again showed why she’s won seven major championships in her career. The diminutive but muscular Belgian, despite playing with a broken finger on her left hand, regrouped to take the third set and enter the winner’s circle. Henin - who has been unseeded in every event she has played in 2010 - earned enough ranking points to crack the top 20 with the French Open just a few weeks away. This performance will ensure that Henin is one of the top three favorites to win at Roland Garros.
