opening game before converrting his second

LONDON -- Despite a ruling damaging to his already tarnished image, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone won a multimillion-dollar case at Londons High Court Thursday relating to the sale of F1 in 2005. The case was dismissed but the judge said it had nevertheless been a corrupt deal and questioned Ecclestones honesty. "Even ... making allowances for the lapse of time and Mr Ecclestones age, I am afraid that I find it impossible to regard him as a reliable or truthful witness," judge Guy Newey said. A former F1 shareholder, German media company Constantin Medien, had sued Ecclestone and other defendants for up to $144 million, claiming F1 was undervalued at the time of the sale to investment group CVC Capital Partners. The 83-year-old Ecclestone was accused of entering into a "corrupt agreement" with German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky to facilitate the sale of Formula One Group to a buyer chosen by him. The High Court said the deal was corrupt, but ruled that Constantin Medien did not lose out as a result. "No loss to Constantin has been shown to have been caused by the corrupt arrangement with Dr Gribkowsky," the judge said in his conclusions. "That fact is fatal to the claim." During the trial, which ran from October to December last year, Constantin Mediens lawyers said that payments totalling about 27 million pounds ($45 million) were made to Gribkowsky at the instigation of Ecclestone. Gribkowsky, who was in charge of selling German bank BayernLBs 47-per cent stake in F1 to CVC, has already been found guilty of corruption, tax evasion and breach of trust and is serving an 8 1/2-year prison sentence. Ecclestone acknowledged during Gribkowskys trial that he made the payment to avoid being reported by the banker to authorities over his tax affairs. "The payments were a bribe. They were made because Mr Ecclestone had entered into a corrupt agreement with Dr Gribkowsky in May 2005 under which Dr Gribkowsky was to be rewarded for facilitating the sale of BLBs shares in the Formula One group to a buyer acceptable to Mr Ecclestone," the judge said. Constantin said it would appeal the decision. "The judge ruled against Constantin essentially on technical grounds -- including extremely complicated questions of German law which is the governing law in the case -- and Constantin will be appealing those findings," said lawyer Keith Oliver, head of commercial fraud litigation at Peters and Peters Solicitors. Ecclestone is also facing trial in Germany. He is charged with bribery and incitement to breach of trust connected with the payment to Gribkowsky. The trial will begin on April 24 and is set to run until Sept. 16. Bribery convictions can result in prison sentences ranging from three months to 10 years in Germany. Ecclestone said earlier this month he is expecting the case to be thrown out before the trial starts. Ecclestone has stepped down as a member of F1s holding company board of directors pending the outcome of the trial but continues running the sport. Scarpe Paul George Italia . Cabrera is hitting .218 with three homers and 16 RBI in 80 games this season. The Padres recalled second baseman Brooks Conrad from Triple-A El Paso to replace Cabrera on the roster. Scarpe Nike Tn Scontate . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-kyrie-irving-outlet.html . Armstrong was given the rank of "Chevalier" -- or Knight -- in the "Legion dHonneur" in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories. Air Max 97 In Saldo . -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game. Nike Vapormax Scontate . "I was so nervous," Hadley said Sunday after winning the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour victory. "I did not eat well last night. PARIS -- Novak Djokovic won his 15th straight match and Roger Federer avenged last weeks loss to Juan Martin del Potro, setting up a semifinal match between the two at the Paris Masters. Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4, while Federer defeated Del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 Friday. Top-seeded Rafael Nadal also moved into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Richard Gasquet of France and will next play either defending champion David Ferrer or Tomas Berdych. Federer earned his first victory over a top-10 player since January, when he outlasted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. "Thats definitely good for my confidence, because those are the kind of wins I need right now," Federer said. "Im happy now I won against a top-10 again, especially just before London where I will have to play against three top-10 players in a row." The eight quarterfinalists at the Paris Masters are the same eight who have qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next week. Federer lost to del Potro in last weekends Swiss Indoors final, but the 17-time Grand Slam champion played nearly flawless tennis in the first set, making 17 winners and only four unforced errors. Del Potro fought back in the second set, saving a break point in the opening game before converrting his second break chance at 5-4 to level the match when the fifth-seeded Swiss netted a forehand.dddddddddddd In the deciding set, Del Potro sent a forehand into the net to drop serve at 3-3 and Federer won the match when the Argentine hit a forehand long. Djokovic, who saved all six break points he faced, won 13 of 19 points at the net. "Coming to the net is one of the improvements that I had recently," Djokovic said. "It didnt click so fast, trust me. I had to work and put in many, many hours on the practice court that you guys dont see." Wawrinka lost five-setters against Djokovic at the Australian Open and the U.S. Open this year. "When he plays that good its very difficult, especially on this surface where hes the best, I believe," Wawrinka said. Nadal improved his record against Gasquet to 12-0 despite a crowd cheering loudly for the only Frenchman left in the draw. The Spaniard, who is seeking a record sixth Masters title in a single season, broke for a 4-3 lead with a crosscourt backhand return winner. Gasquet struggled with his one-handed backhand against Nadals powerful groundstrokes. The U.S. Open champion went a set up when Gasquet made a backhand error. Nadal took a 4-0 lead in the second set and finished off Gasquet by whipping a forehand winner down the line. ' ' '