Home favourite Marion Bartoli shook off some first-set rustiness to defeat Croatian Petra Martic 7-5, 6-1 here on Thursday and take her place in the WTA Paris Open quarter-finals.

After breaks of serve were exchanged three times in the first eight games, Bartoli broke for a 6-5 lead when Martic put a forehand long and took the first set when the stretching Croatian could only find the net with a forehand.

An under-strength Siena stunned Napoli 2-1 on Thursday to take a decisive step towards a first ever Italian Cup final.

Brazilian Reginaldo and Gaetano D'Agostino scored the goals to give Siena a semi-final, first leg victory although they may live to rue Emanuele Pesoli's late own goal.

Manchester United star Ryan Giggs has signed a one-year contract extension, the English Premier League champions announced Friday.

The deal means 38-year-old former Wales midfielder Giggs, who has only ever played professionally for United, is set to take part in a 22nd season for the Old Trafford club, having made his debut as a teenager in 1991.

Bayern Munich's Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger's season took another bad turn with news he will likely be out for several weeks with right ankle ligament damage.

Having only just returned to league action following surgery on a broken collarbone, the 27-year-old turned his ankle after 17 minutes of Wednesday's German Cup 2-0 victory over Stuttgart.

Fabio Capello resigned as manager of England on Wednesday following the Football Association's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy, the FA confirmed.

In a remarkable twist to one of the most dramatic days in English football history, Capello's resignation was confirmed just hours after his likely successor -- Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp -- was cleared of tax evasion charges.

Dirk Nowitzki helped the Dallas Mavericks put an end to two slumps at once.

Nowitzki scored 25 points and the Mavericks snapped a three-game skid by beating the undermanned Denver Nuggets 105-95 on Wednesday night. It was also Dallas' first victory in five tries against the Nuggets.

A superb performance from Cesc Fabregas guided Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Valencia here on Wednesday in their Spanish Cup second leg clash and a place in the final as they won 3-1 on aggregate.

The former Arsenal captain - who achieved his dream move back to the club where he started as a youngster last summer - scored a goal and set up Xavi for the second to round off a show stealing performance.

Juventus have one foot in the Italian Cup final after Martin Caceres scored a brace to hand them a 2-1 win over AC Milan in the semifinal, first leg at the San Siro on Wednesday.

Italian youth international Stephan El Shaarawy replied for the hosts but it wasn't enough.

Second-division Greuther Fuerth joined Bayern Munich, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the German Cup after they shocked Bundesliga side Hoffenheim 1-0 on Wednesday.

Bayern are chasing their 16th German Cup title and are into Saturday's draw for the last four after their 2-0 quarter-final win at VfB Stuttgart with France wing Franck Ribery scoring the opening goal.

Madrid striker Jose Callejon says he is confident under-fire coach Jose Mourinho will stay on at the Spanish giants beyond the end of the season.

Spain's sports media reported last month that Mourinho was fed up with bad relations in the dressing room and repeated losses to Barcelona and wants to leave at the end of the season.