Alberto Contador, a two-time winner of the Tour de France who was stripped of a third title for using a banned substance, says cycling needs to take something positive from the Lance Armstrong scandal and move forward.

Contador spoke to reporters on Sunday on the eve of the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.

The African Cup of Nations returned to something more like its normal order on Sunday when sunshine, empty stands, reckless yet eye-catching football and politics were all thrown in at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Seydou Keita ensured Mali was the first team to win at the tournament then called attention to his conflict-torn country by wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a slogan calling for peace.

David Ferrer beat Japan's Kei Nishikori to reach his third straight Australian Open quarterfinal Sunday, but he then insisted he didn't deserve to be counted among the sport's "Big Four".

Ferrer, who will usurp celebrated fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal as world number four after the Open, baulks at talk that he belongs to the exclusive group alongside Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Second seed Maria Sharapova raced into the Australian Open quarterfinals on Sunday as she beat unseeded Belgian Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets.

The world number two, a finalist at Melbourne Park last year, blitzed to a 6-1, 6-0 win and will next face fellow Russia's 19th seed Ekaterina Makarova, whom she beat in the last eight in 2012.

QPR manager Harry Redknapp admitted his side need to show more quality and composure if they are to win their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Redknapp's team remain bottom of the table after being forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in Saturday's London derby at his former club West Ham.

Atlanta Hawks guard Lou Williams will miss the rest of the NBA season after tearing a ligament in his right knee, the team said Saturday.

Williams was hurt in Atlanta's loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The Hawks said after the game he had sprained his knee, but further tests revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has praised the immediate impact of the partnership between Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, who both scored in the 5-0 win over Norwich City.

Sturridge, 23, arrived from Chelsea in a £12 million deal ($19.6 million, 14.8 million euros) earlier this month and is just the seventh player in Liverpool history to score in each of his first three games for the club.

An injury-time strike from substitute Imanol Agirretxe condemned 10-man Barcelona to a 3-2 defeat at Real Sociedad on Saturday, their first of a record-breaking La Liga season.

Lionel Messi matched another landmark by scoring in a 10th consecutive La Liga game to put Barca ahead after six minutes with Pedro Rodriguez doubling the lead.

French teenager Paul Pogba scored a sensational brace to inspire depleted Juventus to a 4-0 rout of Udinese which helped the Serie A champions extend their lead over Lazio on Saturday.

Juve started their 21st match of the campaign with a three-point lead on both Napoli and Lazio but missing key midfielders Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal due to recent injuries.

Shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong wants to return to competitive sport, but says the driving force behind his belated doping confession was the well-being of his five children.

"The biggest hope and intention was the well-being of my children," Armstrong told talk show host Oprah Winfrey in the second segment of their televised interview that aired on Friday.