Sports news and briefs

Tine Baun has won her ninth national title, taking her to within four of Camilla Martin’s record. It took the world number five just 26 minutes to beat Sandra-Maria Jensen. While she has won All England twice, Baun, 32, will be looking to improve a disappointing Olympic record this summer in London.

The fallout has continued following confirmation that Caroline Wozniacki has sacked her Spanish coach Ricardo Sanchez after just two months in  the job. Sanchez has told media that the player was reluctant to make the necessary changes to her game that many believe is currently too defensive to win a grand slam. “[She and her father] became nervous when we didn’t start getting great results right away,” he told Spanish sports newspaper Marca. “She’s got to be more aggressive in her play. I tried to help her, but they would not let me. Wozniacki should be a racehorse, not a workhorse.”

 Following a dismal 2011, Søren Hansen returned to form last weekend at the Qatar Masters, where he shot a final round 66 to finish fifth equal, ahead of rivals Anders Hansen (12th) and Bjørn (25th). Søren Hansen, who played in the 2008 Ryder Cup, is currently the world number 256.   

Denmark will be taking a strong team to the World Ice Hockey Championships in Finland and Sweden this May, after it was confirmed that most of its key North American-based players have missed out on the NHL playoffs. They include Frans Nielsen (New York Islanders, this season’s stats: nine goals, 16 assists), Lars Eller (Montreal Canadiens, ten goals, ten assists), and Mikkel Bodker (Phoenix Coyotes, seven goals, nine assists). Only Jannik Hansen (Vancouver Canucks, 13 goals, 13 assists) is likely to be involved in the playoffs. Last year, Bodker was the only Danish NHL participant at the world championships.