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21 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2015 FOOTBALL TENNIS TENNIS Mark Gatt continues positive run at senior tour LAST week Mark participated in a Grade 1 tournament held at the British Indoor cham- pionships in Dudley, in the UK. He had a good and fruitful tournament reaching the quarterfinals in both the singles and men's doubles. In his last 16 match in singles he played James Thomas of Great Britain. Mark had the better start winning the first set 6/4. James won the second set 6/4 and was leading 3/1 in the final set. Mark didn't give up and won four straight games to lead 5/3. Mark held serve at 5/4 to win the match 6/4 4/6 6/4. In the doubles Mark and his partner for the week Paul Livesi won 7/5 6/2 after Mark had to serve to stay in the first set at 4/5. In the doubles quarterfinals Mark faced the number 1 seeds Timur Shadiev and Mark Hadley who played exceptionally well to win 6/1 6/2 in the quarterfinals. In the singles quarterfinals Mark lost to An- thony Perkings of Great Britain 6/3 6/2. His results in this tournament have enabled Mark to rise another 15 places in singles to no 45 in the ITF seniors world rankings and six places in doubles to no 16 in the ITF seniors world rankings. Thanks also to his good week in La Magna, in Spain he is also ranked no 16 in mixed doubles 035. In a statement Mark thanked his sponsors Living Well of the Hilton for their continuous support. British indoor championships (from left) Mark Hadley, Mark Gatt, Timur Shadiev and Paul Livesi USA face tough Italy trip THE Americans, who won in Ar- gentina at the weekend to move in the World Group play-offs, were handed arguably the toughest pos- sible draw when the balls were picked out on Tuesday. Italy won the trophy as recently as 2013 and are almost certain to choose a slow claycourt on which to play the tie in April. USA's hopes may rest largely on whether world number one Ser- ena Williams is available to play or not. Last year's semi-finalists Aus- tralia will have to win in the Neth- erlands to retain their place in the top flight, while Poland and Can- ada, both of whom lost their first- round ties at the weekend, will en- tertain Switzerland and Romania respectively. In the World Group II play-offs, Belarus, who ended Great Britain's hope of promotion at the weekend, will head to Japan in a bid to secure their place in the second tier of the competition in 2016. If they lose, Belarus will return to Europe/Africa Zone I next year where they could again meet Great Britain. That fate could also await five- time winners Spain, who head to Argentina on April 18-19. USA's hopes may rest largely on whether world number one Serena Williams is available to play or not Premier League in record £5.14billion TV rights deal The Premier League has announced its British television rights for the 2016-19 seasons with Sky and BT Sport paying a combined £5.14billion to show games THE new deals will see even more money f lood in to the top f light, with the broadcasters paying more than £10million to screen each game. It leaves the rest of club football across the world far behind in terms of domestic television income com- pared to the Premier League - which also still has the lucrative overseas deals to negotiate. Sky has held on to five of the seven packages totalling 126 matches in- cluding the new Friday night slot for 10 games, while BT Sport has two packages making up 42 matches. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: "Premier League clubs deliver competitive and compelling football to fans in stadiums and on television, driving interest levels to new heights. "Last season saw record levels of attendance with the highest top- f light crowds since 1949-50, as well as increased viewing figures across all our UK rights holders. "Both Sky Sports and BT Sport have done a tremendous job in bringing the game to the fans as well as providing the revenue that allows clubs to invest in football, facilities, youth development and their communities. "It is an endorsement of what the Barclays Premier League delivers that these broadcast partnerships have been extended and enhanced today. We are grateful for the con- tinued belief that Sky Sports and BT Sport have in the Premier League and our clubs, both as a sporting competition and organisations to work with." Sky will pay £4.176billion for the lion's share of the rights including the Sunday evening ' jewel in the crown' package, while BT Sport will pay £960million. BT Sport will have the Saturday evening package, how- ever, instead of the Saturday lunch- time slot. Scudamore said the Premier League was confident the rights sale would not be de-railed by Vir- gin Media's ongoing complaint with the broadcast regulator Ofcom. He said: "Although we have had a successful outcome for this process, following on from the highlights' award, there is still the ongoing Of- com investigation to be concluded. We remain confident that the Pre- mier League's live UK broadcast- ing rights are sold in a way that is compatible with both UK and EU competition law as well as being of great benefit to the whole of English football." He added: "This outcome provides a degree of certainty so clubs can continue to invest and run them- selves in a sustainable manner; it also allows us to start planning how the Premier League can continue to support the rest of the football pyr- amid from the grassroots upwards. "This structure also allows us to strike a balance between match-at- tending fans and those who choose to watch on television. Keeping grounds full is a priority for the Premier League and our clubs, and I am sure the f lexible ticketing poli- cies that have helped keep attend- ances so high will continue to de- velop."