Page 1045 - Sports
Aussie football sensation Sam Kerr nominated for women's Ballon d'Or
Australian striker Sam Kerr was on Tuesday nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or award, the first time one of football's top honours will have a women's category.
Halep, Osaka nominated for WTA Player of the Year
World Number one Simona Halep and Japan's Naomi Osaka are among the players nominated for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Player of the Year award.Spain's Garbine Muguruza, who had won the prize last year, failed to make it to the nominees' list this time.Other nominees for the prize are Angelique Kerber (Germany), Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic and Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark).American tennis ace Serena Williams has been nominated for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award along with Belinda Bencic (Switzerland), Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA), and Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia).While nominees for the Most Improved Player of the Year award features Kiki Bertens (Netherland), Julia Goerges (Germany), Daria Kasatkina (Russia), Elise Mertens (Belgium), Wang Qiang (China), and Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Belarus), the contenders for WTA Newcomer of the Year award are Amanda Anisimova (USA), Danielle Collins (USA), Mihaela Buzarnescu (Romania), Sofia Kenin (USA), and Aryna Sabalenka ...
Finch, Khawaja defy Pakistan in first Test
Australian openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja batted solidly against Pakistan's spinners to take their team to 137 without loss at lunch on the third day of the first Test in Dubai on Tuesday. Khawaja was unbeaten on 68 and debutant Finch was unbeaten on 59 at the break, both having survived some anxious moments against a threatening Yasir Shah on a Dubai stadium pitch which has started to take spin. Pakistan had looked for early wickets after Australia resumed at 30-0 but both Finch and Khawaja thwarted all such attempts as they added another 107 runs without being separated. Australia trail Pakistan's first innings total of 482 by 345 runs with all their wickets intact. Finch looked confident as he punched two boundaries and a six off Yasir before sweeping off-spinner Bilal Asif for a boundary to reach his half-century. He has so far hit five boundaries and a six, while Khawaja has six boundaries to his credit. Khawaja lived dangerously in the fourth over of the day when ...
Federer warns Kyrgios over work ethic after Shanghai strop
Roger Federer warned temperamental Australian Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday that he would never fulfil his potential without the work ethic to go with his talent. The 23-year-old Kyrgios made another contentious exit from the Shanghai Masters on Monday after a running argument with the chair umpire who suggested his efforts were "borderline". The 38th-ranked Kyrgios was on the end of a surprise first-round loss to the American qualifier Bradley Klahn, the world number 104 winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. It is the third time in as many Shanghai appearances that Kyrgios has departed the Masters 1000 event under a cloud. Speaking in Shanghai, where Federer is the top seed and reigning champion, the 37-year-old Swiss great called Kyrgios "a great player". But he also sounded a note of caution. "I think it's really up to him where he wants to go and what his potential really holds," said the 20-time Grand Slam winner. "We don't really know and I don't think he really knows exactly what his potential ...
Tip-top Federer 'where I want to be' for Shanghai defence
Roger Federer warned Novak Djokovic and his other Shanghai Masters rivals on Tuesday that he was in prime condition even as another long season approaches its climax. The 37-year-old Swiss has been carefully managing his schedule in recent years, cutting out the clay-court segment of the season since 2017 to wring the most out of his ageing body. It appears to be working and the 20-time Grand Slam winner opens his defence of the Shanghai Masters this week in ominously good shape. The world number two played in a victorious Laver Cup campaign in Chicago two weeks ago, following his surprise last-16 defeat to the Australian John Millman at the US Open. "The good thing is after feeling good in practice I played a good Laver Cup, have had also some rest after the US Open," said Federer. The Swiss great's prime threats in Shanghai are likely to come from world number three Djokovic -- who is in fine form -- and fourth-ranked Juan Martin del Potro. World number one Rafael Nadal, beaten by ..
Federer stresses importance of integrity in tennis
Swiss player Roger Federer on Tuesday highlighted the importance of maintaining integrity within tennis, a few days after Spain's Fernando Verdasco caused a controversy after shouting at a ball boy.
Dakar to host 2022 Youth Olympic Games
The fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, Senegal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in Buenos Aires, which is hosting the 2018 edition.
WTA rankings: Naomi Osaka cruises into top 5
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka has leapfrogged two points to claim the fourth position in the recently-announced Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.The 20-year-old became the second Japanese player, after Kimiko Date, to break into the top five of the tennis world rankings.While Kiki Bertens of Netherlands moved one point ahead to attain the tenth spot, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia slipped five points to finish on number eighteen.The top three spots in the list remained unchanged with Simona Halep (Romania), Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark), and Angelique Kerber (Germany) maintaining their first, second and third position, respectively.In the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings, Spanish player Rafael Nadal maintained his top rank followed by Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.South Africa's Kevin Anderson moved one point up to claim the eighth position while Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili leapt eleven places to attain the 23rd rank in ...
AIFF to probe Jamshedpur FC player's age discrepancy issue
The All India Football Federation Tuesday said its players' status committee will investigate the allegations of age "discrepancy" against Jamshedpur FC's Gourav Mukhi, who has been declared the youngest scorer of the ongoing Indian Super League. The Indian Super League claimed that Mukhi, at 16, was the youngest ever to score in the tournament's history when he found the net against Bengaluru FC on Sunday. The debate over the forward's age began instantly, thanks to his moustache and well-built physique. "We will pass on the matter to the relevant committees - the players status committee first or the disciplinary committee to look into the discrepancy regarding his age," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das told PTI Tuesday. "The discrepancy is regarding his passport which shows that he is 2002 born and a statement he issued in 2015 which stated that he is 1999 born," Das added. The player was caught for age-fraud in 2015 during a national championship, after which the AIFF suspended ..
Youth Olympics: Jeremy Lalrinnunga earns India's maiden gold
Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga scripted history as he won India's first ever gold medal in the Men's 62kg Group A weightlifting event at the ongoing Youth Olympic Games here.Lalrinnunga lifted a total of 274kg (snatch of 124kg and clean and jerk of 150kg) to finish on top in the Argentine capital last night.The silver medal went to Toptas Caner of Turkey, who lifted 263kg (snatch of 122kg + clean and jerk of 141kg), while Villar Manjarres Estiven Jose of Colombia won the bronze with a combined lift of 260kg (snatch of 115kg + clean and jerk of 143kg).The medal is India's fourth in the ongoing edition of the tournament.Earlier, Tushar Mane (10m Air Rifle), Mehuli Ghosh (10m Air Rifle) and Thangjam Tababi Devi (44kg Judo) had each won silver medals for India.
Ex-Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden fractures spine
Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden is recovering in hospital after a surfing accident left him with serious neck and spine injuries.
Cannavaro says China title race 'will go to last game'
- Fabio Cannavaro expects the Chinese Super League (CSL) title race between his side Guangzhou Evergrande and leaders Shanghai SIPG to go to "the last minute of the last game". A four-horse race a couple of months ago has been reduced to a straight fight between the two sides after Shandong Luneng and Beijing Guoan fell away. Heading into the international break and with five games left, the expensive Brazilian duo of Hulk and Oscar at SIPG are top, four points clear of Cannavaro's reigning champions. Luneng and Guoan are six points further back, a gap that they are unlikely to bridge. Adding spice to what is being touted by some as the most exciting title race since the CSL was formed in 2004, SIPG will travel to Evergrande on November 3. Each side will have just two matches left after that. After seeing his team -- who have lifted seven consecutive CSL crowns -- win 3-0 at Hebei China Fortune on Saturday, Cannavaro said: "I've been in the football world for so many years now. "I .
Ronaldo's not easy to replace, says Juve sporting director
Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici said Monday it was not easy to replace a player of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo as he also dismissed a return to Italy for Manchester United's French World Cup winner Paul Pogba. Ronaldo, 33, joined Juventus from Real Madrid last summer for 100 million euros (USD 115 million). The Spanish club have lost three and drawn one of their last four matches and are currently fourth in La Liga. "Ronaldo is probably the best player in the history of the game so he isn't easy to replace," Paratici told journalists at the Manlio Scopigno ceremony at Rieti in central Italy after receiving a "Manager of the Year" award. Paratici revealed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had been keen from the outset to join Juventus. "We talked about it initially, and straight away we got the feeling he wanted to join us, which was a huge advantage," he said. "Real Madrid had a gentleman's agreement with him, the ownership kicked things off and negotiations began."
Barred rival to boxing chief Rakhimov launches appeal
The only rival to Gafur Rakhimov for the presidency of world boxing said Monday he had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the AIBA's decision to bar him from the election. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) disqualified former Kazakh boxer Serik Konakbayev because he failed to submit the required nomination forms from 20 federations by the September 23 deadline. Rakhimov is therefore the only candidate eligible for the election on November 3 and under the AIBA constitution he would be elected by acclaim. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said last week it was "freezing contacts" with AIBA. Without naming Rakhimov, it expressed concerns with the AIBA election process and has threatened to remove boxing from the Olympic Games. Rakhimov has denied US Treasury claims that he is linked to "transnational criminal organisations". Konakbayev argues that his nomination forms should have been accepted because they arrived at the AIBA's headquarters in the ...
Indian contingent departs for World Wrestling Championship
A strong 30-member team, led by Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and Asian Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia will represent India at the World Wrestling Championships to be held in Budapest, Hungary from October 20 to 28.The members of the teams, who were given a send-off here today, will leave for Budapest on Tuesday morning where they will have a pre-tournament conditioning camp ahead of the main event.They will be accompanied by other officials, including coaches and support staff. The WFI has selected 10 members each in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling categories.The burden of India's medal hunt at the worlds will be on the shoulders of Bajrang (65kg), the country's best bet in the freestyle category, while the nation will look forward to better performances from Sakshi (62kg) and Commonwealth Games gold Pooja Dhanda (57kg) medallist, the spearheads of India's campaign in women wrestling.Interestingly, Ritu is the only Phogat sister to feature in the squad as Asian ...
Homecoming for Sindhu, Marin to ply trade for Pune in PBL season 4
World Champion Carolina Marin and Olympic silver medallist P. V. Sindhu were expectedly the most sought after Icon Players as the two 2018 world championship finalists were picked by Pune 7 Aces and defending champions Hyderabad Hunters respectively in the players' auction for the fourth edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) here on Monday.With no retention or Right to Match (RTM) card at disposal, the players' auction was always going to be a keen contest for teams to get the combination right while looking for that one Icon Player who can inspire them to glory.Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto became the highest paid non-Icon Player with the Delhi Dashers splurging INR 70 lakh for his services. The Delhi outfit won a tense battle with two other teams to acquire the World No. 11, paying more than double his base price (INR 30 lakh).Among the Indians, rising doubles star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy was the top draw, with Ahmedabad Smash Masters outbidding the Hyderabad Hunters to secure .
Kavanaugh vows to be impartial 'team player' on US Supreme Court
New US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh insists he has "no bitterness" over his bruising nomination process as he vowed to be a "team player." "The Supreme Court is a team of nine. And I will always be a team player on the team of nine... The senate confirmation process was contentious and emotional. That process is over," he said at a White House ceremony Monday to mark his promotion following an official swearing-in over the weekend. "My focus now is to be the best justice I can be. I take this office with gratitude and no bitterness.
Para Asian Games: Sandeep, Raju, Jadhav add 3 golds to swell India's tally
Indian para athletes dished out commendable performances to bag 11 medals, including three golds, on the second day of the 2018 Para Asian Games here on Monday.
Roma's De Rossi sustains left foot fracture
Roma Italian midfielder Daniele De Rossi broke a toe in his left foot, sources inside the Serie A football club said on Monday.
Injured Argentine int'l keeper Franco Armani to miss upcoming friendlies
River Plate goalkeeper Franco Armani has pulled a muscle in his right leg and will miss two upcoming Argentine national team friendlies versus Iraq and Brazil this month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the medical staff of his football club said.