Sports News

Coming up in today's round up of Czech sports news, Jiri Novak fights back from a set down to win his first round match at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, but an injured Daja Bedanova looks doubtful for the Fed Cup. The women's junior basketball team demolishes Romania at the European Championships, and Czech football international Karel Poborsky has high hopes at his new club Sparta.

Sports News

Top seed Novak advances as rain blights Mercedes Cup

Jiri Novak, photo: CTK

Starting with tennis, and Jiri Novak fought back from a set down to secure a 3-6 6-0 6-2 first round win over Spanish qualifier Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo on Wednesday, at the rain-drenched ATP Mercedes Cup tournament in Stuttgart. But while Novak goes through to the second round, compatriots Bohdan Ulihrach and Jan Hernych are on their way home. Ulihrach was beaten 6-4 6-2 by eighth-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo, while Hernych was dispatched 6-0 6-2 by home favourite Alexander Popp. The weather forecast for Thursday's matches is far from promising - journalists have already nicknamed the tournament 'Wimbledon.'

Vacek out of Croatia Open

Meanwhile the weather might have been better a few hundred miles to the south in the Croatian town of Umag, but that proved little help to another Czech tennis hopeful Jan Vacek. He was beaten 6-0 6-2 by Nicolas Massu of Chile in the first round of the Croatia Open.

Injured Bedanova doubtful for Fed Cup

Turning to women's tennis, and it remains unclear whether Daja Bedanova will be fit for the forthcoming Fed Cup world group matches. The Czech team is currently in training in the Moravian town of Prerov, but it's not certain whether the 19-year-old is ready to join them. Bedanova injured her back at Wimbledon and is still complaining of back pains. The player arrived at the training centre on Wednesday, but she's still under constant medical supervision.

Women's junior basketball team demolish Romania 117:53

Away from tennis, and the women's junior basketball team demolished Romania 117:53 on Wednesday, in their last Group B match of the European Championships in Slovenia. The Czech team finish the group in second place, and meet Poland in Friday's quarter-final.

Poborsky has high hopes with new club Sparta

Not much football news to report in the summer break, but Czech international Karel Poborsky has high hopes for his new club Sparta Prague when the season resumes in a few weeks' time. The 30-year-old player, speaking after his team's 4:0 defeat over Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday, told Mlada Fronta Dnes that the first two months with Sparta had convinced him he'd made the right choice after leaving the Italian club Lazio in May. Poborsky, who played for Viktoria Zizkov and Slavia in the early 1990s, was snapped up Manchester United after his impressive performance at Euro 96. But it wasn't a happy marriage, and Poborsky accepted a transfer to Benfica, before moving on to Lazio. Now he's back home, and says he's finally found true happiness with Sparta.