Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday, Jan 29
Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday: - - - - TENNIS Australian Open, Melbourne (to Feb 1) Murray books fourth final, Serena to face Sharapova MELBOURNE - After three heart-breaking trips to the final, Andy Murray secured another shot at Australian Open glory by overhauling Tomas Berdych on Thursday after women's top seed Serena Williams set up a blockbuster title-decider with Maria Sharapova. (TENNIS-OPEN/ (PIX) (WRAPUP 1), moved, by Ian Ransom) - - - - SOCCER Asian Cup (to 31) Asian Cup finalists gunning for breakthrough win SYDNEY - The first Asian Cup held in Australia has already exceeded expectations and now the stars have aligned to produce what promises to be a classic final. (SOCCER-ASIA/ (PREVIEW), moved, by Julian Linden, 400 words) - - See also: SOCCER-ASIA/SOUTH KOREA (FACTBOX), SOCCER-ASIA/AUSTRALIA (FACTBOX) and SOCCER-ASIA/CHAMPIONS (FACTBOX) - - King's Cup Getafe v Villarreal (1900) Athletic Club v Malaga (2100) Sevilla v Espanyol (2100) Villarreal seek to set up Barca clash BARCELONA - Villarreal aim to continue their strong form and beat Getafe, who they lead 1-0 from the first leg, and book a King's Cup semi-final with Barcelona. Later Sevilla look to turnaround a 3-1 first leg defeat against Espanyol in front of their own fans. (SOCCER-SPAIN/CUP (PIX) expect by 2100 GMT/4 PM ET, by Tim Hanlon, 300 words) - - English Premier League Chelsea and Manchester City prepare for title showdown LONDON - It is hard to imagine two more different characters than Jose Mourinho and Manuel Pellegrini, so it is no surprise that the Chelsea manager and his Manchester City counterpart seem to rub each other up the wrong way. Their simmering rivalry is set for another chapter in Saturday's top-of-the-table Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge, with a potentially pivotal three points on offer. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/ (PREVIEW), moved, by Toby Davis, 400 words) - - African Nations Cup Guinea and Mali face lottery to determine quarter-final place MALABO - A rare drawing of lots will be conducted at a Malabo hotel to determine if Guinea or Mali advances to the quarter-finals after they finished level at the end of the first round. (SOCCER-NATIONS/DRAW, expect by 1530 GMT/10:30 AM ET, 200 words) - - - - NFL Seahawks, Patriots set for Super Bowl clash PHOENIX - We look ahead to Sunday's Super Bowl clash between the New England Patriots and defending champion Seattle Seahawks with a multi-part package that will include an overall preview of the National Football League's championship game, profiles on both teams, list of past winners, storylines to look for and players to watch. (NFL-SUPER/ (PREVIEW, PIX), expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, by Steve Keating, 700 words) SEE ALSO: (NFL-SUPER/SEAHAWKS-PROFILE, expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 400 words) (NFL-SUPER/PATRIOTS-PROFILE, expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 400 words) (NFL-SUPER/SEAHAWKS (FACTBOX), expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 700 words) (NFL-SUPER/PATRIOTS (FACTBOX), expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 700 words) (NFL-SUPER/WINNERS, expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 450 words) (NFL-SUPER/STORYLINES, expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 400 words) (NFL-SUPER/PLAYERS, expect by 0100 GMT/8 PM ET, 400 words) - - Seahawks, Patriots discuss Super Bowl preparations PHOENIX - Members of the New England Patriots and defending NFL champion Seattle Seahawks discuss their preparations ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. (NFL-SUPER/ (PIX), expect by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, by Steve Keating and Frank Pingue, 400 words) - - - - GOLF Reed targets majors, and a top-10 habit SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - Already established as one of the best players in the game, American Patrick Reed has set his sights on making a bigger splash at the majors this year while also improving his consistency week-by-week. (GOLF-PGA/REED (INTERVIEW, PIX), expect by 1900 GMT/2 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 500 words) - - PGA Tour: Waste Management Phoenix Open, Scottsdale, Arizona (to Feb. 1) Woods and Mickelson set to launch title bids SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - Former world number one Tiger Woods makes his first start on the 2014-15 PGA Tour while fellow American Phil Mickelson launches his bid for a fourth victory at the TPC Scottsdale in the opening round of this year's event. (GOLF-PGA/ (PIX), expect first story by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 400 words) - - European Tour: Dubai Desert Classic (to Feb. 1) McIlroy shoots 66 despite Dubai driving radar being off DUBAI - Rory McIlroy's driving radar malfunctioned early in his opening round at the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday but he showed why he is the world's number one golfer by recovering to shoot a 66. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/, moved, by Bernie McGuire, 400 words) - - - - ALPINE SKIING World's top skiers set to descend on Beaver Creek We look ahead to the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships that will be held Feb. 2-15 in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colorado, where Lindsey Vonn hopes to lead an American assault on the podium, with a six-part package including previews on the men's and women's events and a look at Asia and Europe's medal chances. (ALPINESKIING-WORLDS (PREVIEW), expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, 700 words) SEE ALSO: (ALPINESKIING-WORLDS/WOMEN, expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, 400 words) (ALPINESKIING-WORLDS/MEN, expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, 400 words) (ALPINESKIING-WORLDS/ (FACTBOX), expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, 185 words) (ALPINESKIING-WORLDS/EUROPE, expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, by Francois Thomazeau, 550 words) (ALPINESKIING-WORLDS/ASIA, expect by 0000 GMT/7 PM ET, by Andrew Both, 600 words) - - - - BASKETBALL Euroleague holders Maccabi face record winners Real Madrid BELGRADE - Euroleague champions Maccabi Tel Aviv clash with the premier club basketball competition's record eight-time winners Real Madrid in a repeat of last season's final, while 2012 and 2013 victors Olympiakos Piraeus visit Anadolu Efes Istanbul. (BASKETBALL-EUROLEAGUE/WRAPUP; expect by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, By Zoran Milosavljevic, 400 words) - - - - (Europe desk editor: Pritha Sarkar)
