Milan - Spectator numbers are on the rise in the Serie A in the first half of the season with an average of 24,825 fans attending matches each weekend, up 2,395 on last year and 5,633 ahead of the 2006/2007 season.

AC Milan top the fan table with an average home attendance of 60,067 spectators, followed by city rivals Inter on 51,637. AS Roma attracted an average of 41 225 while Napoli managed 38,658 and Lazio 36,407.

Melbourne - Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro pulled off a major giant-killing act on Thursday with a stunning 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 upset of seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in the second round of the Australian Open.

The win, which included a 63-minute final set, marked the biggest career victory for the 20 year-old ranked 46th, whose total career prize money amounts to 348,000 dollars.

Multi-millionairess Williams, winner of 39 singles titles and 22 million dollars, served for victory in the third set leading 5-3.

London - Manchester City have failed in efforts to sign Thierry Henry, David Villa and Gianluigi Buffon, three of the biggest stars in world football, according to reports on Thursday.

City were rebuffed in a 91-million-pound (126.1 million dollars) bid for AC Milan's Brazilian forward Kaka this week, but according to reports in the British media, he is only the latest in a string of huge offers that have gone awry.

When manager Mark Hughes was told by the club's Abu Dhabi-based owners he could effectively make an offer for any player in world football, he highlighted the Valencia duo of Villa and David Silva.

Seoul - The K

London, jan. 22: Manchester City is targeting Chelsea's unsettled 15-million-pound striker Didier Drogba.

According to The Sun, the club is now looking at alternatives after failing to get Brazilian striker Kaka and having communication problems with another Brazilian striker Robinho. . Drogba has come on to the radar. But if City makes a move, Chelsea boss Phil Scolari will want Robinho as part of the deal.

Ivory Coast star Drogba, 31 in March, has been axed from the squad for Chelsea's last two games and believes the manager wants to get rid of him.

Melbourne, Jan. 22 : Defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has spoken out against the bookies' decision to rate Andy Murray, the world's fourth-ranked player, as equal favourite for the tournament alongside Roger Federer.

Djokovic, who eased through his second-round match against Jeremy Chardy in straight sets, believes that the three leading contenders for the title are the same players who won grand slam events last year: himself, Federer, and Rafael Nadal.