Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain steers his car into the first turn during the first free practice session for the Formula One's US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Friday. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time in opening free practice. Vettel clocked a best lap of one minute 38.125 seconds around the 5.516km track. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was second fastest in 1:39.543. Alonso had the third best time in 1:40.337. — AP Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette
MANILA — Coming from a heart-breaking defeat last Sunday against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, the league-leading Talk N Text Tropang Texters had all the right motivations to vent their fury on their next opponent. They did so Friday, pummeling the Meralco Bolts, 109-98, to assure themselves of a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup played at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. The win kept TNT in the solo lead with an 8-2 win-loss card, half a game ahead of San Mig Coffee Mixers (7-2), who earlier demolished the Barako Bull Energy Cola, 93-73. The win was extra memorable for TNT head coach Norman Black who recorded his 500th game as a coach in the PBA, thus joining an elite group comprising Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, San Tim Cone, and Yeng Guiao. Jayson Castro led a balanced TNT attack with 23 points. Five other Texters scored in double digits with Kelly Williams finishing with 19 points and six rebounds, Ranidel de Ocampo with 16 points, Ryan Reyes 12, Jared Dillinger 11, and Larry Fonacier 10. Aside from their crippling defense, the Texters shot a torrid 56.3 percent from the field. The Bolts absorbed their fourth defeat in nine games and stayed at solo fourth in the standings. Sol Mercado top scored for Meralco with 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also had six assists. But Mercado had little support from Meralco top gunner Macmac Cardona who bled for just four points due to TNT's suffocating defense. Cardona averaged 14.5t points a game. In the first game of the double-header, the San Mig Coffee Mixers showed little mercy on the short-handed Barako Bull Energy Cola who lost Josh Urbiztondo before the game after the Barako Bull starting point guard suffered a hamstring injury. Center Rico Villanueva last week tore his ACL to sideline him perhaps for the rest of the conference.
