Marin Wins Despite Fall

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World number one Carolina Marin will undergo physiotherapy ahead of her quarter final appearance at the world championships, after rolling her ankle on Thursday during her third-round win over Taiwan`s Pai Yu Po in Jakarta.

The injury-prone Spaniard fell to the ground in pain after an awkward stumble in the first set, with several tense minutes passing before she gingerly returned to the court.

Marin went on to defeat the unseeded Pai 21-11, 18-21, 21-17 but it was an unsettling experience for the top seed, who nearly missed the world championships entirely due to a separate injury.

"I just tried to not think about my ankle, because I was so scared, because maybe I could not play," she told reporters after the match.

"I have a physiotherapist here, so he is going to treat me now."

It was a case of history repeating itself for the defending champion, who sustained an injury to the same ankle in last year`s world championships in Copenhagen, which she went on to win.

Elsewhere, men`s number four seed Kento Momota of Japan breezed into the quarter finals with a straightforward 21-15, 21-16 win over Vietnam`s Nguyen Tien Minh.

But the 20-year-old shuttler`s campaign for a maiden world crown is about to hit a major hurdle, with a quarter final showdown against world number one Chen Long almost inevitable.

Denmark`s mixed doubles pair Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen suffered a dramatic loss to Indonesia`s Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto, with the fifth seeds falling 22-20, 19-21, 23-21 to their lesser ranked opponents.

Chen, number-two seed Jan O. Jorgensen, five-time world champion Lin Dan and Malaysian superstar Lee Chong Wei are among the bigger names fighting for a quarter final slot later Thursday.

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Ding Wins Chengdu Championship

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Ding Junhui secured his third ranking title in a row with a 10-9 victory over Marco Fu in the final of the International Championship in Chengdu.

Hong Kong's Fu led 9-8 but Ding won the last two frames, compiling a break of 91 in the decider.

China's Ding, 26, also won the Shanghai Masters in September and the Indian Open in October.

He is the first man since Scotland's Stephen Hendry in 1993 to win three consecutive ranking events.

The match between Ding and Fu was also the third consecutive all-Asian ranking final.

Ding beat fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong in Shanghai and overcame India's Aditya Mehta in New Delhi. Ding, who moves up to a career-high third in the world rankings, has won £257,000 in prize money over a six-week period and joins Peter Ebdon and John Parrott on nine ranking wins.

Fu, 35, is also enjoying a profitable season having won the Australian Goldfields Open to regain a place in the top 16 of the world rankings.

The next ranking event is the UK Championship in York, which starts on 26 November and will be shown live on the BBC. England's Mark Selby is the defending champion.

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Marca Claim Real Bale Deal Done

Reports in the Spanish press claim that Gareth Bale has agreed a six-year deal with Real Madrid - despite Tottenham steadfastly insisting their winger is not for sale at any price.

Sports daily Marca, which is well known for its close allegiance to Real, also claims that Bale will be paid 10m Euros (£8.6m) a season and has already told Spurs he wants to leave.

However, this is in stark contrast to Andre Villas-Boas' stance - the Tottenham manager re-iterating the club's position as recently as Tuesday morning.

Speaking at a press conference in Hong Kong ahead of the Asia Trophy, Villas-Boas said: "On Gareth, I want to repeat what I was telling you last season and what I was telling you from the beginning of (pre-season) so I cannot extend myself.

"He is a player that we are willing to continue to have, he's a Tottenham player, he's one of the most fantastic players in the world at the moment and we are counting on him for the future."

Bale has never given any indication that he wants to leave White Hart Lane and, speaking two weeks ago following a pre-season friendly, the Welshman spoke of his desire to push Tottenham towards Champions League qualification.

"I think everyone at the club wants us to finish in the top four, the club wants to be in the top four, and we need to go one better this season and finish in the top four," he said.

Bale won both the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year following a superb last season.

And former teammate Ledley King is convinced Bale will be part of Spurs' push for the Champions League next season.

"The season he had last year was a big part of our achievements, and he knows we'll be looking to do the same this season," he told Sky Sports News.

"I know Gareth's happy, he's come back in good spirits and I'm hoping he's going to have a good season again."

King also believes the 24-year-old will take the speculation over his future in his stride.

"I think you get used to it as a player," he added. "The kind of player he's grown to be, it's something that you have to deal with.

"He's a good lad, he's got a good head on his shoulders and he knows the main thing for him is just to concentrate on his football and the rest will take care of itself."

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