Davydenko No 3 RUSSIAN Nikolay Davydenko capped his best-ever season by winning his first Masters Series title in Paris. The fourth seed swept aside Slovakia's lacklustre Dominik Hrbaty 6-1 6-2 6-2 in just an hour and 38 minutes. Davydenko, 25, has dropped only one set in the tournament, which had been hit by several big-name withdrawals. The Russian has won five titles this term and now goes to the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, which begins on 12 November, in fine form. The win lifts Davydenko to third in the world rankings behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and he said he now wanted to lift his game to a new level. "Last year I finished in the top five and for me this year it was important to stay in the top 10," said Davydenko. "But after winning here in Paris and reaching the top three, for me this is great and the season is still not finished. "Next year I want to play good tennis to fight with Federer and Nadal to be playing in the finals of Masters Series events and winning Grand Slams. Hrbaty admitted he had been out-classed. "Everything happened so quickly and he was so fast," he said. "I was always one step behind. Even when I made him move he got there. It wasn't easy. If he plays like this even Federer would find it difficult to beat him. He doesn't make many mistakes and serves at 210-215km/h all the time and his return is solid." One more FLOYD Mayweather outclassed Carlos Baldomir to win the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas before announcing he plans to retire after one more fight. Two of the three judges gave the 29-year-old Mayweather all 12 rounds, and the third awarded him 10. "One more fight, then that's it for me," said an emotional Mayweather. "Every time I fight, it's blood, sweat, and tears because I love the sport." The Michigan native could meet the legendary Oscar de la Hoya next year. "I believe De la Hoya will want to fight me after tonight," said Mayweather, who cited wear and tear on his body and the desire to leave on top as the main reasons for his decision. "If he wants to make the fight, he knows where to find me." Mayweather became a four-weight champion when he beat Zab Judah for the IBF event in April but gave it up in order to meet Baldomir. He remains unbeaten after 37 professional contests, including 17 world title fights. Baldomir, 35, was never floored by his opponent, who is widely accepted as being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But his face was bloodied from the first round on and he took punch after punch from his much faster and more skilled opponent. The Argentine admitted he was unable to reproduce the form that had also seen him beat Judah for the title and then Arturo Gatti in his one defence in July. The defeat could mean the end of Baldomir's career and he is set to make a decision on his future soon. Twice a winner LATVIA's Jelena Prokopcuka has become the first woman to win two consecutive New York City marathons for 11 years. Prokopcuka pulled away in the final four miles to run two hours 25 minutes, beating Ukraine's Tatiana Hladyr and Kenya's Catherine Ndereba third. Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos won the men's race in 2:09.58 from Kenya's Stephen Kiogora and Paul Tergat. Seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong achieved his goal of finishing in under three hours. Armstrong, who was paced for most of the race by retired greats Alberto Salazar, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Hicham Al-Guerrouj, recorded two hours 59 minutes 37 seconds. "It was amazing," the 35-year-old said. "It would have been three and a half hours without them. "That was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I've ever done," he added. "In 20 years of pro sports, endurance sports, from triathlons to cycling, all the Tours, even the worst days in the Tours, nothing was as hard as that, and nothing left me feeling the way I feel now in terms of just sheer fatigue and soreness. Armstrong said he did not think he would run another marathon, but added: "I reserve the right to change my mind in a month." Dos Santos, who became the first Brazilian to win in New York, mirrored Prokopcuka in his style of victory, breaking away at 19 miles from a pack that included four major marathon champions. Prokopcuka was the first woman to win twice in a row in New York since Kenyan Tegla Loroupe in 1994-95. Radcliffe honoured WORLD marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe has become the first Briton to win the Abebe Bikila award. The honour is given by the New York Road Runners to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to distance running. "The name 'Bikila' represents so much in distance running and it is a huge privilege to join the list of winners," said the 32-year-old Radcliffe. Bikila, who died in 1973, was a double Olympic marathon champion for Ethiopia. Jail threat SPRINT coach Trevor Graham could face up to 15 years in jail after being charged with hindering a US government investigation into steroids in sport. Graham, whose stars included disgraced Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin, was indicted on three counts of making false statements to federal agents. He has been summoned to appear in court for arraignment on 16 November. If convicted of all three counts, Graham could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. Drogba still in Chelsea CHELSEA striker Didier Drogba has signed a new four-year deal running until 2010. The 28-year-old joined the club for �24m in July 2004 and has been in fine form this season with 10 goals in 15 games to his credit. The Ivory Coast international told Chelsea's television station: "I am not playing well just because I wanted to sign a new contract. I'm playing well as I feel good and I am happy to train with my friends." There were doubts cast over Drogba's first-team chances at Chelsea when manager Jose Mourinho landed striker Andriy Shevchenko in the summer. But Drogba has risen to the challenge while Shevchenko has struggled for form. Drogba scored a last-gasp equaliser against Barcelona in a Champions League match on Tuesday as well as netting the winner when the two clubs met in the reverse group game. His collection of goals so far during the campaign also saw him grab an exquisite winner when Liverpool visited Stamford Bridge. Drogba has been linked with possible moves to either Italian side AC Milan and Lyon of France but Mourinho believes the signing of a new deal will put any speculation to bed. "It is good for Chelsea. Didier deserves a big contract. Now he can go to Milan for shopping and no-one can say he goes to sign a contract. His friend from Lyon can call and people don't say he is calling to sign him. It's fantastic." Trial in Paris BRITISH pursuit champion David Millar will stand trial in Paris charged with breaking French anti-doping laws. The Scot will join seven other members of his former French team Cofidis charged with "acquiring and holding banned substances". Miller, 29, was banned for two years after confessing to the use of blood booster erythropoietin in 2004 but returned to action in June this year. An inquiry into Cofidis followed and will form the basis of the case. Three other three defendants, a cycling technician, a pharmacist and a former Cofidis physio, also face charges. These stem from their alleged role in supplying the riders with performance-enhancing drugs. The defendants each face up to five years in prison if found guilty. Other riders to stand trial are Frenchmen Robert Sassone, Mederic Clain and Philippe Gaumont, Daniel Majewski of Poland and Italian Massimiliano Lelli. Millar returned to competition in this year's Tour de France after serving his ban and is now riding for the Saunier team.
