BARCELONA (AFP) ― Top seed Rafael Nadal extended his current clay court win streak to 31 matches as the Spaniard overcame an early run of breaks to post a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Santiago Giraldo on Thursday at the ATP Barcelona Open.Nadal is bidding for a sixth title at his “home” event in seven editions after missing 2010 due to treatment on a knee injury.He moved into the quarterfinals in less th

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na said Friday she’s well prepared to pursue her second world title in Russia next week after an extra month of training on home ice.“I hope I can compete as well as I’ve done in my practices,”Kim told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, before departing for Moscow, the venue for this year’s World Figure Skating Championships.“The key is not

How could anyone have ever thought the 2011 Formula One season was going to be a walkover for any driver? Yes, Red Bull’s championship leader Sebastian Vettel has the fastest package. But with the introduction of the Pirelli tires, Drag Reduction System and KERS, the 2011 F1 Grand race is not all about speed ― it is about strategic wisdom, big brains, big guts. And these are far more complicated t

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na will go for her second world title next week in Moscow, the new venue for the rescheduled World Figure Skating Championships.The International Skating Union will run the season’s final competition from April 24-May 1. The event had been scheduled for March 20-27 in Tokyo, but was postponed after a devastating earthquake hit Japan earlier in March.Kim will leave

The World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting peace through the traditional Korean martial art, is looking for new volunteers for this year’s program. The World Taekwondo Federation, the sport’s governing body, established the Peace Corps in 2008 to provide more opportunities for youths in developing countries. A volunteer teaches Sri Lankan participants during th

Afshin Ghotbi’s place in the history of South Korean soccer folklore is assured; he was, after all, a member of the national team’s coaching staff at the 2002 World Cup, the first of three stints with the Taeguk Warriors. He would argue that there is much more to come in the future whether in Korea or Japan, his current place of employment.That has been temporarily put on hold as his new career in

The finals of this year’s Korean Basketball League are now set with the KCC Egis facing Dongbu Promy in a best-of-seven series, which starts Saturday.The Jeonju-based KCC beat ET-land Elephants 105-95 in the playoffs Monday to set up a final showdown against the Wonju-based side.With another MVP-caliber performance by Ha Seung-jin, the third-seeded Egis took a third straight win against the second

The U.S. Masters golf championship offers a spectacular trophy and a grand prize for the winner, but there is one more thing -- the green jacket -- that makes the tournament special. It has been coveted by the world’s top golfers for more than 70 years and no Asian golfer has ever won it. Korea’s top golfer Choi Kyung-ju, better known as K.J. Choi, attempted to become the first Asian to don the gr

PyeongChang, a South Korean alpine town bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics, made a presentation Thursday in front of members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and world sports leaders at an international sports meeting in London.PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, held its presentation after its rivals ― Germany’s Munich and France’s Annecy ― at the ongoing SportAccord Con

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) ― Yang Yong-eun used a hybrid to take down Tiger Woods and win the PGA Championship. Now he’s got even more hybrids in his bag and his sights set on a Masters title.Fellow countryman Choi Kyung-ju also has some new hybrids of his own, along with a share of third place with Yang after the first round of the Masters.The two Korean players shot 67s on Thursday, the second straig