Murray edges closer to London

Tennis: Andy Murray was made to work hard yesterday before claiming a straight-sets victory over Teymuraz Gabashvili to reach the second round of the Shanghai Masters.

The 27-year-old Scot, seeded 11th here, triumphed with a 6-1 7-5 win as he moved closer to qualifying for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Only the top eight in the standings at the end of the regular season are guaranteed a place in London.

Bianchi ‘critical but stable’ say family

Formula One: Formula One driver Jules Bianchi remains in a “critical but stable” condition after suffering one of the most devastating brain injuries following his crash during Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

“Jules remains in the intensive care unit of the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi,” a family statement read.

“He has suffered a diffuse axonal injury and is in a critical but stable condition.”

Fletcher on brink of Scotland team

Football: Scotland assistant boss Mark McGhee yesterday claimed Steven Fletcher may have played himself into the side that will face Georgia on Saturday.

“He has arrived feeling great about himself. Could that sway minds in terms of selection? Absolutely,” said McGhee.

“Gordon (Strachan) will consider all sorts of criteria when picking his team but how a player is doing at any particular time is vital to that.

UCI make major paperwork error

Olympics: Para-cycling could be missing from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after the sport’s world governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) failed submit its its paperwork in time.

A statement from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said: “The UCI only submitted its application late last week. As a result there was insufficient time for it to be assessed in time. The IPC management team will now assess the application.”