Sports News

By Vladimir Tax

Yes, it's the sports now and let's begin with football:

Sparta Prague remain unbeaten in the Champions League after drawing 2-2 with Spartak Moscow in their fifth group H match on Tuesday. With Sparta looking tired initially, and much less aggressive than in previous matches, the Russians opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Sparta equalised in the 29th minute, only to fall behind again 5 minutes later. The Czech champions required an injury time strike to claim a point from the match.

Sparta face Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich next Wednesday in their final first group phase match. Both teams have already secured their places among the last 16 in the Champions League, and the result will only influence the seedings in the next round of Europe's premier club competition.

Quickly to tennis:

At the Luxembourg Open women's tournament on Wednesday, the Czech player Kveta Hrdlickova had a good result, overpowering Lubomira Bacheva of Bulgaria 7-6 6-3.

Czech men, though, have had mixed fortunes at the Swiss indoor ATP tournament. In the first round matches, Leos Friedl lost to the Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-3 6-7 6-2, and Michal Tabara was defeated by the fifth-seed from Sweden, Thomas Enqvist, 7-5 6-3.

There was better luck for some of the other Czechs - Bohdan Ulihrach went through 6-4 3-6 6-3 against Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador. Jan Vacek - who claimed his first senior ATP title in Brazil in September - triumphed over the Spaniard David Sanchez 6-3 7-6. Vacek next faces the 34-year-old Swede Magnus Gustafsson, competing in his final ATP event before retiring from tennis.

In another result, Max Mirnyi of Belarus beat the Czech Jiri Novak 6-0 7-6 at the ATP Open in St. Petersburg.