Sports news and briefs

Danish cyclist Jakob Fuglsang, 27, has pulled out of the Giro d’Italia, a race scheduled to start, for the first time ever, in his home country. The first stage time trial will take place in Herning on Saturday, followed by two more stages, also in Jutland. Fuglsang, who was set to lead the RadioShack Nissan team, blamed injuries. The tour ends on May 27 on more familiar territory – in Milan, Italy. 

Move over Caroline Wozniacki because the country’s top male tennis player, Frederik Nielsen, has finally tasted success – well, almost. In the doubles at an ATP challenger tournament in Taiwan, Nielsen and Kiwi partner Dan King-Turner knocked out the top and fourth seeds on their way to the final, only to lose to the second seeds 7-6, 5-7, 6-7. Nielsen is ranked 122 in the world at doubles and 286 at singles.

Denmark has been named as a participant in FIFA’s second round of Goal Line Technology testing. A press release released by the sport’s governing body stated that GoalRef’s system – one of two on FIFA’s shortlist – will be tested in “two separate matches” that could either be two “Superliga matches” or “one league fixture” and an “international friendly match”.

FC Copenhagen and AC Horsens will contest the DBU Cup Final on May 17 at Parken – FCK’s home ground. The Lions defeated SønderjyskE 4-4 on aggregate. Following a 1-0 first leg home win, they scored a late penalty to advance, although SønderjyskE did hit the bar in the 89th minute. Horsens also left it late, scoring in the 86th minute to advance 3-2 with a 1-0 home win.  

AG København on Saturday advanced to handball’s Champions League Final 4 thanks to a 62-59 aggregate defeat of defending champions FC Barcelona Intersport. A 33-36 defeat in Spain followed a 29-23 win for the men in Copenhagen eight days earlier. AGK will now meet Atletico Madrid, THW Kiel, and Füchse Berlin in the finals, which will be contested in Cologne on May 26 and 27.

Piotr Wozniacki has told media that his daughter’s main focus in 2012 is the Olympics and grand slams - not ranking points. Turning down an invitation to defend her Brussels Open crown, Wozniacki will play fewer tournaments in her clay season build-up to late May’s French Open, which began last week with a second round 1-6, 2-6 defeat to Angelique Kerber in Stuttgart – the same player who beat her in Farum.