Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday announced that Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor has returned to the club on a permanent basis after signing from Manchester City.

Adebayor, 28, spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane from City and scored 18 goals in 37 appearances to finish the campaign as the London club's leading scorer.

Two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and top-20 players Kaia Kanepi and Flavia Pennetta have pulled out of the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Tennis Association did not give reasons for the three withdrawals Monday.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson criticized his own players for failing to utilize Robin van Persie's talents after they crashed to a surprise 1-0 defeat at Everton.

Van Persie made his eagerly-anticipated United debut as a 68th minute substitute with his new side trailing to Marouane Fellaini's second half goal at Goodison Park on Monday.

Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff will be out for between six weeks and three months after damaging his right knee, the club said on Monday, in the latest problem to hit the injury-prone player.

The 26-year-old limped off in the 12th minute of Lyon's 4-1 victory against Troyes on Saturday and was later diagnosed with a right knee sprain and internal lateral ligament damage.

Maria Sharapova is going into the candy business.

The four-time Grand Slam title winner launched her Sugarpova brand of 12 types of sweets on Monday.

China's Li Na earned her first title since winning the French Open 15 months ago, beating Germany's Angelique Kerber 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 to claim the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Li rallied from a crushing first-set loss with some superb serving as she won 80 percent of her first-serve points in a dominating third set.

Endurance athlete Diana Nyad forged ahead in the Straits of Florida with renewed vigor Sunday in pursuit of a record 103-mile (166-kilometer), unassisted swim in open waters without the aid of a shark cage.

The 62-year-old Los Angeles woman was said to be comfortable, confident and steady at around 50 strokes per minute after a harrowing Saturday night of painful jellyfish encounters — despite an improved bodysuit that she had hoped would offer better protection.

The Asian Football Confederation said Sunday it had extended the provisional suspension of scandal-tainted former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam by 20 days.

It comes with the Qatari currently serving a three-month ban from football imposed by the ethics committee of governing body FIFA on July 26 pending the outcome of a probe into AFC finances.

The Spanish league season kicks-off this weekend with Barcelona star Lionel Messi insisting it is not just a battle between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"With Cristiano I have absolutely no problem. All that is said about us is to do with the press who want us to have our own personal battle but I have never competed with him or fought him," said the 25 year-old current holder of the FIFA Ballon d'Or. "I just try to do my job in the best way possible to win trophies for my national team and Barcelona", he continued after scoring in Argentina's 3-1 win over Germany on Wednesday night.

World No. 1 Roger Federer moved closer to a fifth ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters crown as the Swiss star crushed American Mardy Fish 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to reach the semifinals.

Federer, seeking his sixth title of the year, was in regal form on Friday as he beat Fish for the eighth time in nine meetings. The American has lost 17 of 20 sets in the one-sided rivalry.