Gilmore eyes No.1 ranking

WORLD champion Stephanie Gilmore is out to maximise her rivals’ failure after reaching the semi-finals of the World Surf League event in Bali.

Gilmore will be one of three Australians in the last four after she eliminated American Courtney Conlogue at Keramas yesterday.

With the four top-ranked surfers, Caroline Marks, Malia Manuel, Conlogue and Carissa Moore, all out, a win for Gilmore in Bali would put her in the world No.1 spot. “It’s a great place to capitalise,” she said

CRICKET SOUTH African tearaway quick Kagiso Rabada is the one player Australian captain Aaron Finch wishes he could draft into his World Cup squad.

In the highlight of the World Cup captain’s day in London all 10 skippers were asked by a school kid for the one player they would love access to.

Rabada, 23, is fresh from taking 25 wickets in the Indian Premier League.

“One player I’d love to play with is Rabada. He provides so much with the ball and his energy, he’s a superstar,” Finch said. THE French Open draw has dealt Australians Ash Barty and Ajla Tomljanovic contrasting fates as Rafael Nadal was shunted onto an inviting pathway to a potential record 12th Roland Garros title.

Seeded eighth and nursing slight right arm soreness, Barty will start against American Jess Pegula after landing in the same quarter of the draw as Serena Williams and top seed Naomi Osaka. But Tomljanovic has drawn defending champion and third seed Simona Halep in the first round. FORMER champion Lance Armstrong has said he “wouldn’t change a thing” about the doping that led to him being stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles.

“We did what we had to do to win. It wasn’t legal, but I wouldn’t change a thing: whether it’s losing a bunch of money, going from hero to zero,” said Armstrong in an interview to be aired next week on NBCSN.

“Primarily, I wouldn’t change the lessons that I’ve learned. I don’t learn all the lessons if I don’t act that way.” TIGER Woods confirmed he will play next week’s Memorial Tournament as he aims to rediscover his best form ahead of next month’s US Open, tournament organisers said.

Woods, who bagged a 15th major title at the Masters last month, was brought back down to earth with a bump last week after missing the cut at the US PGA Championship.

“Just don’t feel well and just not able to do it,” he said, but added: “There’s no reason why I can’t get up to speed again and crank it back up.”