Former champion Petra Kvitova swept into her second Wimbledon final with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 victory over fellow Czech and close friend Lucie Safarova on Thursday.

Kvitova won her only Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2011 and the sixth seed is one more victory away from lifting the Venus Rosewater dish for the second time after seeing off 23rd seed Safarova with 24 winners and eight aces in 80 minutes on Centre Court.

So far none of Argentina's opponents has been able to stop Lionel Messi.

Perhaps Belgium has what it takes. But even if doesn't, the Red Devils present a fresh challenge for Argentina at this World Cup.

Galatasaray has confirmed it is in talks with former Italy coach Cesare Prandelli about taking over as manager of the Istanbul club.

Prandelli resigned from Italy immediately after the Azzurri's loss to Uruguay in the World Cup, which consigned his team to a disappointing group stage exit.

The euphoria in football-mad Colombia is deafening, and wonderfully contagious, ahead of Friday's do-or-die World Cup match against host Brazil.

Never before has the star-crossed nation made the quarterfinals. Some are even waxing poetic about World Cup unity accelerating the pace of 18-month-old peace talks to end a half-century of conflict that has claimed some 220,000 lives.

President Barack Obama commended the U.S. men's football team Wednesday for making their country proud in the World Cup tournament in Brazil, during an Oval Office phone call with two of the team's most celebrated players.

Obama called goalkeeper Tim Howard and team captain Clint Dempsey the day after the U.S. team came tantalizingly close to victory before being knocked out of the competition by Belgium. Praising Howard and Dempsey for their leadership and the team's performance, Obama said this year was the first time the U.S. team had the entire nation truly focused on the contest.

Roger Federer says Wimbledon's tighter enforcement of its all-white clothing policy for players is "too strict."

There have been complaints this year from some players over the more stringent regulations that include undergarments, the amount of colored trim on shirts and shorts and headbands and wristbands.

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah will not call up Kevin-Prince Boateng in the future after their World Cup bust-up.

Back home after Ghana's elimination, Appiah said Wednesday he will now only select players who are "disciplined, committed and ready to die for the country."

Andy Murray's reign as Wimbledon champion came to a stunning end as Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov clinched a sensational 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 victory in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Murray had hoped to become the first British man to successfully defend the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936, but the Scot was completely out-classed in a two-hour masterclass from 11th seed Dimitrov on Centre Court.

Eugenie Bouchard moved a step closer to being crowned the queen of Wimbledon as the Canadian glamor girl booked a semifinal showdown with Simona Halep on Wednesday.

Bouchard's royalty-obsessed mother named the 20-year-old after the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's second son, while her sister is named after Beatrice, Andrew's elder daughter.

A free kick that provided one of the most comical moments of the World Cup when Germany's Thomas Mueller stumbled before stepping over the ball was a rehearsed trick that went wrong.

Germany earned a free kick in the 88th minute of second-round match against Algeria on Monday.