towfer’z BLOG

Rafael Nadal claimed his first Australian Open title and denied Roger Federer his 14th grand slam title after another epic five-set victory, 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2 in Melbourne on Sunday.

As expected, it proved a titanic struggle between the two leading players in world tennis, who were meeting for the first time since Nadal took Federer’s Wimbledon title last July in another five-set classic.

Nadal, who played the longest match in Australian Open history to beat Fernando Verdasco in his semifinal, was expected to show signs of tiredness, but it was Federer who wilted in the decider.

He dropped his service as Nadal led 4-1 and faltered again when serving at 2-5 down, saving three match points but eventually succumbing as he hit a forehand long.

It left Nadal the winner after four hours 23 minutes of seesaw action to claim his sixth grand slam title and cement his position as world number one.

Boxing superstar Oscar de la Hoya has agreed to pay a penalty of $3 million for every pound or a fraction thereof in excess of the welterweight limit of his bout versus Manny Pacquiao in December. This was revealed to Fightnews by Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal after talking with fight promoter Bob Arum Saturday morning, Manila time. De la Hoya will be fighting for the first time in the 147-lb class since stopping Arturo Gatti in the fifth round seven years ago Las Vegas. As for the weight penalty, Pacquiao had a similar pact with Mexican rival Erik Morales in their rematch which was pegged at $500,000 per excess pound. De la Hoya and Pacquiao will meet in a 12-round non-title bout on December 6 at the MGM Grand Garden also in Las Vegas. Both fighters agreed to use a 8-ounce gloves for the intriguing match-up. Pacquiao, the current lightweght champion who started his career as a skinny 106-lb fighter will skip two weight divisions in fighting Dela Hoya, a one-time world middleweight champion. Meantime, Gacal said Pacquiao plans to leave between September 12 and 15 for his training camp at the Wild Card Gym of famed trainer Freddie Roach.

Maria Sharapova, world number 3 on tennis, has been ousted in the second round at Wimbledon by 154th-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva. Kudryavtseva recovered an early break in the second set to beat the 2004 champion 6-2, 6-4 on Court 1 on Thursday.

“Battle of the Davids”

David Archuleta looks like the ideal winner — a young boy with a big voice, who has a video clip that shows how he sang for Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson, and who sang “America,” a performance that practically shouts, “Vote for ME, America!” But then there’s David Cook — a pure rocker who once in a while shows his mellow side (but still rocks it), a fantastic performer, and for whom Randy Jackson gave his first standing ovation of the season.

David Cook already has a chart-topping single under his belt (his rendition of “Always Be My Baby” sends shivers up my spine) and a fanbase that includes both women and men (a very crucial demographic), but David Archuleta has the “lip biting pa-humble” effect that appeals to tweens, teens, even to mothers and grandmothers.

With Mercado now out, it’s gonna be a David vs. David battle in American Idol.

Which David is your pick?