Sports News

In Sports News this Monday: Czech tennis players Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek are through to the fourth round, though Lucie Šafářová has been knocked out; Czech football captain Tomáš Rosický has been speaking about the mysterious injury that has kept him out since January; Bundesliga star David Jarolím is sent off after grabbing an opponent by the genitals; and the first 11 runners to cross the finish line in the Prague Half Marathon are all from Kenya.

Berdych and Štěpánek into fourth round at Miami Open

Radek Štěpánek, photo: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0

Both Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek have made it through to the fourth round of tennis’s Miami Open. Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero broke Berdych’s first service, but from then on things went smoothly for the Czech, who won 6-1 6-3. He now faces Dmitry Tursunov of Russia. Štěpánek, meanwhile, overcame Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-3 7-6 to set up a meeting with America’s James Blake. But Tomáš Berdych’s girlfriend Lucie Šafářová is out of the Miami Open: she lost 2-6 1-6 to fourth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

No quick return in sight, says Rosický

Czech football captain Tomáš Rosický says he won’t be back on the field in the immediate future, as he continues to struggle with a mysterious injury that has kept him out of action since the end of January. Rosický told the daily Sport his hamstring was somehow stuck, putting a greater burden on the rest of his body. Twice he has started running training and twice the problem has flared up again. The midfield maestro said he had been spending so much time on the exercise bike he could sign up for the Race of Peace, a now defunct cycle race which was a kind of Eastern Bloc equivalent of the Tour de France.

Jarolím sent off after grabbing opponent by privates

Marek Strestik, Milan Barsos, David Jarolim, photo: CTK

Bundesliga star David Jarolím was sent off in a game for Hamburg against Bielefeld after grabbing an opponent by the genitals. The Czech midfielder said he lashed out after Bielefeld’s Markus Schuler called him an “effing Czech”. Jarolím said he had meant to hit Schuler in the stomach but his hand slipped. He also said he was proud to be Czech, but still shouldn’t have allowed himself to be provoked. Meanwhile, Schuler said it had hurt, as every man knows, but he said it wouldn’t threaten his plans to have a family.

David Jarolím’s international colleague Marek Matějovský was also dismissed at the weekend, after receiving two yellow cards for Reading in an English Premier League match against Blackburn on Saturday.

First eleven runners in Prague Half Marathon all from Kenya

Eliah Karanja, photo: CTK

The streets of the Czech capital played host to the tenth annual Prague Half Marathon on Saturday, though Charles Bridge was not on the route this time because of extensive renovation work. Incredibly, the first 11 runners to cross the finish line were all from Kenya, with Eliah Karanja winning in a time of 1:02:08. First in the women’s race was Asha Gigi of Ethiopia. Almost 6,000 people took part in the Prague Half Marathon.