Sports in brief - 2011-02-24

Lithuanian basketball teams Lietuvos Rytas and Zalgiris Kaunas have both won their latest Euroleague round of 16 matches to remain alive in Europe’s elite club basketball competition. Needing to win to have any chance of advancing to the final eight, Zalgiris defeated group leaders Fenerbahce Ulker 85-84 in overtime at home on Feb. 16. An evening later, Lietuvos Rytas was also playing at home, defeating Unicaja 70-65 to move to third in their group. Zalgiris need to win their remaining two games against Power E. Valencia at home on Feb. 24 and against Olympiacos on the road on March 3. Lietuvos Rytas need to win at least one of their two remaining games, playing Panathanaikos on the road on Feb. 23 and Caja Laboral at home on March 3.

Estonian Kaia Kanepi has again been the pick of Baltic tennis players over the week February 14-20. Kanepi made it through to the round of 16 at the esteemed Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before falling to Serb Jelena Jankovic, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. Latvian Anastasija Sevastova fell to Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in the second round of the same tournament. In Marseille, Latvian Ernests Gulbis failed to make it past the first round of the Open 13 in his first match back from injury, while Lithuania’s Richard Berankis fell in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championship in Memphis, USA, going down 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to eventual champion Andy Roddick of the USA.

Young Estonian cyclist Tanel Kangert has finished 17th overall in the five day Tour of Oman. Riding in a strong field, the young Estonian impressed for Pro Team Astana, finishing just 05:41 behind eventual winner Robert Gesink of the Netherlands. Kangert also finished fourth overall in the youth standings.

Latvian defenseman Oskars Bartulis was to return to the ice for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, reports LETA. Bartulis was the team’s reserve defenseman for the past 17 regular season games and did not play. The Latvian defender was included on the team’s roster after defenseman Sean O’Donnell suffered a knee injury and is expected to be out of action for about two weeks. Bartulis has played in 12 games for the Flyers this season. In the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings at the moment, the Flyers are in first place with 83 points in 59 games played.