Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Friday, April 18
Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Friday: - - - - MOTOR RACING Chinese Formula One Grand Prix (to 20) Hamilton leads second practice in China SHANGHAI - Lewis Hamilton overcame problems with his car's handling to return Mercedes to the top of the timesheets in the second practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday.(MOTOR RACING-PRIX/PRACTICE (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved, by Abhishek Takle, 600 words) - - - - SOCCER La Liga Atletico Madrid v Elche (1830) Atletico can go six points clear with win at home to Elche MADRID - Surprise La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid can extend the gap over second-placed Real Madrid, whose visit to Real Valladolid has been moved to May 7, with a home win over struggling Elche. (SOCCER-SPAIN/ (PIX), expect by 2030 GMT/4:30 PM ET, by Iain Rogers, 500 words) - - Ligue 1 St Etienne v Stade Rennes (1830) Copy on merit - - We'll also bring you all the latest news from across Europe ahead of a busy weekend of domestic soccer as title races and relegation battles go down to the wire including coverage of the Premier League and English Championship (second tier), La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. - - - - TENNIS ATP: Monte Carlo Masters, Monaco (to 20) Nadal out before Federer and Djokovic play at Monte Carlo Top seed Rafa Nadal was knocked out in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals by Spanish compatriot David Ferrer with Roger Federer due to play later on Friday against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga while holder Novak Djokovic meets unheralded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. (TENNIS-MEN/MASTERS (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved with updates to follow, 400 words) - - GOLF PGA Tour: RBC Heritage (to 20) American trio take two-shot lead into second round American co-leaders Matt Kuchar, Scott Langley and William McGirt take a two-shot lead into the second round of the RBC Heritage in South Carolina where Masters runner-up Jordan Spieth is three shots off the pace. (GOLF-PGA, expect from 1930 GMT/3:30 PM ET, 400 words) - - - - Malaysian Open (to 20) Westwood moves clear in Malaysia, Larrazabal dives for cover KUALA LUMPUR - Lee Westwood surged four shots clear at the halfway stage of the European Tour's Malaysian Open on Friday after an eventful second round in which Spain's Pablo Larrazabal was forced to dive into a lake to avoid a swarm of hornets. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/, moved, 300 words) - - - - NHL Top-seeded Bruins open Stanley Cup bid versus Red Wings The top-seeded Boston Bruins open their playoff campaign versus the Detroit Red Wings while the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks look to take 2-0 leads in their best-of-seven series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars, respectively, in the three games on the schedule. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 475 words) - - - - BASEBALL Cards visit Nats with hopes of keeping pace in NL Central The St. Louis Cardinals, last year's World Series runner-up, look to close in on the NHL-Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers when they visit the Washington Nationals in one of 15 games on the Major League Baseball schedule. (BASEBALL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 975 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0001 GMT/8:01 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - (Duty Editor: Ken Ferris)
