The day in sports: 22nd April

1. Van Persie treble fires United to 20th title:

Robin van Persie hit a first-half hat-trick as Manchester United cantered to an unprecedented 20th English league title with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Aston Villa on Monday.

Van Persie, United’s number 20, was the man who brought United their 20th top-flight crown, netting inside 90 seconds and then scoring a breath-taking volley before completing his hat-trick 12 minutes before half-time.

2. IPL 6: Hussey upstages Watson as Chennai beat Rajasthan

Michael Hussey overshadowed Shane Watson’s special effort and helped Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here Monday.

Watson (101 runs off 61 balls) struck the first hundred of this IPL and propelled his team to 185 for four, before Hussey’s 88 off 51 balls proved crucial in his team overcoming the stiff target in the 40th over.

3. Bulls beat Nets to level playoff series:

Determined defense and a gritty performance from injured Joakim Noah helped the Chicago Bulls notch a 90-82 victory over the Brooklyn Nets that evened their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Bulls bounced back from a disappointing game-one defeat to knot the best-of-seven first-round series at one game apiece, with game three back in Chicago on Thursday.

4. Paul’s last-second shot lifts Clippers:

Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers is hugged by Blake Griffin after Paul’s game winning shot with a tenth of a second left against the Memphis Grizzlies during Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 22, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers won 93-91.

5. Italy’s Vinci seals Fed Cup final against Russia

Roberta Vinci secured Italy’s fifth Fed Cup final appearance in eight years on Monday after battling past Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic to give the hosts an unassailable lead on the red clay of Palermo.

Vinci’s 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win over Safarova handed Italy a 3-1 lead ahead of the dead doubles rubber to be played Monday afternoon. Italy will now meet Russia, winners Sunday over Slovakia, in the final on November 2-3.

6. Vancouver run shows support for Boston Marathon victims

In an event where the spirit of the Boston Marathon bombing victims weighed heavily, Kenya’s Paul Kimugul won the Vancouver Sun Run Sunday, while Natasha Fraser successfully defended her women’s crown.

With the 10-km run coming six days after the Boston bombings that killed three and injured more than 160, security was noticeably heightened for the Vancouver event but the race featuring more than 48,000 participants came off without incident, reports Xinhua.

7. Marquez becomes youngest MotoGP winner:

Spain’s Marc Marquez won the Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday, becoming the youngest rider to win a race in the sport’s elite MotoGP series.

The 20-year-old Catalonian, last year’s Moto2 world champion, triumphed over his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa, with Yamaha factory rider Jorge Lorenzo in third.

8. Sato first Japanese to win IndyCar race:

Takuma Sato grabbed a slice of IndyCar history, becoming the first Japanese driver to win a race in the US open-wheel series, at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

You can check the rest of the ‘Day in Sports’ series here.And you can also have a look at the SportsKeeda calendar.

(Images courtesy: AFP, IANS and Getty)