Page 1058 - Sports
Natasha, Vishwakarma enter Fenesta Nationals final for first time
Siddharth Vishwakarma unleashed his power-packed game to dominate Nitin Sinha while Natasha Palha made a remarkable turn around to knock out top seed Zeel Desai as the two players entered their maiden final at the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championships here on Friday. Left-handed Vishwakarma overpowered talented Sinha 6-3 6-2 in the men's singles semifinal, in which he stood out with his feisty ground strokes. To his credit, Sinha tried to slow down the game but there was no stopping Vishwakarma, who overpowered his rival with ease. Vishwakarma, who belongs to Varanasi and trains under Kamlesh Shukla in Lucknow, has only recently recovered from a throat infection that made him bed-ridden for six months. "I could not play for eight months after getting my tooth removed. The infection spread, not allowing me to play. I was confident at least to make the finals here, if not win it. I am pleased with the consistency with which I played in this tournament," Vishwakarma said. Talking ...
Del Potro eases past Krajinovic to enter China Open semis
Argentinas Juan Martin del Potro beat Filip Krajinovic of Serbia in straight sets on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing.
Steady Tvesa holds off competitors, wins 3rd title of the season on Hero WPG Tour
Tvesa Malik played a flawless second nine in the final round to win the 15th Leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour here Friday. Tvesa had two birdies, the first on the 17th and another on eighth, the penultimate hole, besides one bogey on the 14th at the Gary Player layout at the DLF Golf and Country Club. The win also makes Tvesa one of the main Indian challengers for the Hero Women's Indian Open to be held at the same course in two weeks time. Tvesa played extremely steady golf in the crucial stages for the second time in three days. The win also made her only the second player this season to win three titles on the Hero WPGT. With all the players starting from the tenth tee this week, Tvesa held a three-shot lead over Gaurika Bishnoi and was four ahead of amateur Diksha Dagar when they came to the second nine. At the start of the second nine, it was Smriti Mehra who was her closest rival, just one shot behind. Tvesa had one birdie and eight pars for 35 while Smriti had a ...
ISL-5: Chennaiyin wary of attack-minded FC Goa (Preview)
FC Goa will have scores to settle with Chennaiyin FC after being knocked out during the play-offs last season. The semi-final battle was enthralling and more of the same is expected when the teams meet in their second Indian Super League clash at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
Wozniacki in China Open tennis semis
Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki booked her place in the semi-final of the China Open on Friday with an easy victory over the Czech Republics Katerina Siniakova.
Real Madrid holds final training ahead of Alaves clash
Real Madrid held on Friday its final training session on the eve of its La Liga game against Alaves.
PKL-6: Holders Patna Pirates to open account against Tamil Thalaivas
Defending champions Patna Pirates will take on home team Tamil Thalaivas in the first clash of the season six of Pro Kabaddi which will see 12 captains unveil the coveted trophy here.
The battle will only get harder: Osaka
World number six Naomi Osaka, who has advanced into the semi-final of the ongoing China Open after defeating Zhang Shuai of China in their quarter-final clash, has said that her journey ahead would only "get harder".Reflecting on her Chinese opponent, the 20-year-old admitted that it was really hard defeating her on the court."I'm just thinking one match at a time, and it can only get harder from here. She (Zhang Shuai) is such an incredible player and it was really hard to play against her here," WTA quoted Osaka, as saying.The recently-crowned US Open champion had handed a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 defeat to Shuai after battling hard in their round of eight clash which lasted one hour and 33 minutes.With the victory, Osaka has become the first Japanese tennis player to reach the semi-final of the China Open since its inception in 2004.She will now take on Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia to cement her spot in the final of the tournament on October 6.
First Test: India in driver's seat against West Indies on Day 2 (Roundup)
India put themselves in the driver's seat in the first cricket Test through a good all-round display as the West Indies were reeling at 94/6 in their first innings at stumps on the second day in response to a mammoth 649 for nine declared.
HC junks PIL against player selection process for Pro Kabaddi League
The Delhi High Court Friday declined to entertain a PIL challenging the process of selecting players for the sixth season of the Pro-Kabaddi League scheduled to start from October 7, saying it was not going to supervise the selection process. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao dismissed the plea moved by some kabaddi players who were selected neither for the recent Asian Games nor the league. They had alleged in the petition that selections were being made by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and the organisers of the tournament in an arbitrary manner. They had sought directions to Star India, which has the broadcast rights, Mashal Sports, the organiser, and AKFI to carry out fair selection of players for the tournament. The petition also urged the court to direct the Sports Ministry to frame proper guidelines for fair and transparent selection of players in Indian teams for all games, including kabaddi. The petitioners have also referred to the ..
Rain washes out Group 'C' matches in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Rain played spoilsport washing out matches Friday in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group 'C' League here. While two games (Assam Vs Services and Jharkhand Vs Tripura) were abandoned without a ball being bowled, the Bengal-Haryana match, a reduced fixture, was called off with the former at 69 for 6 chasing 141 for victory in 21 overs. Bengal made 140 for nine in 21 overs after being sent in to bat, riding on captain Manoj Tiwary's 60 not out. All the teams got two points each due to the abandonment. Brief scores: Bengal140 for nine in 21 overs (Manoj Tiwary 60 not out (43b, 4x4, 2x6), VivekSingh 30) VsHaryana 69 for six in 14 overs. Rain stopped play. Points: Bengal 2 ; Haryana 2.
Killing it! Hamilton laps up Suzuka's 'insane' speed
World champion Lewis Hamilton wore the expression of a child in a candy store after utterly dominating Friday's free practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. Leading Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 50 points with five races left this season, Hamilton underlined his purple patch of form by pushing his Mercedes more than 0.8 seconds quicker than the German in the afternoon session with a breath-taking lap. "Suzuka has to be one of my favourite circuits, if not the favourite," said the Briton, who has won five of the last six races to close in on a fifth Formula One title. "Every time we come to Suzuka, the cars just get faster and faster. It's incredible -- they don't make tracks like this anymore." Hamilton took his 70th chequered flag in controversial circumstances at Sochi last weekend when Mercedes ordered team mate Valtteri Bottas to let him pass. But there was no charity on display on Friday as Hamilton dominated both sessions, his afternoon lap of one minute, 28.217 seconds knocking ..
Cricket: Warne backs 'Bodyline' skipper, slams Waugh
Australian great Shane Warne has endorsed one of the most controversial figures in cricketing history, while also renewing his decades-old feud with former captain Steve Waugh. Warne, Test cricket's second-most prolific wicket-taker with 708 scalps, revealed his admiration for Douglas Jardine, who led England's "Bodyline" tour, in his new book "No Spin" published this week. Warne said he believed Jardine was among the best captains ever to have played the game. "Douglas Jardine, of course, for what he achieved against Bradman and having the courage to change the game's parameters," Warne wrote. Jardine, an upper class Englishman, is generally regarded as a villain in Australian cricketing circles. His tactics of instructing fast bowlers, led by Harold Larwood, to aim at batsmen's bodies -- in a bid to curb run machine Donald Bradman -- provoked anger amongst the host nation at the time. Jardine's tactics worked and England won the series 4-1 but Australians regarded it as unsporting .
Indians to the fore: Thomas shoots day's best of 64 in Singapore
Rayhan Thomas brought home the day's best card of 6-under 64 in the 120-player field as Indians shone in the second round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships at the New Tanjong Golf Course here Friday. Thomas' 64 was also the best-ever by an Indian at AAC event in 10 years. Three of the day's six best cards were from the Indians. Besides Thomas, two other Indians shot 4-under 66 each to ensure three Indians in the Top-15 of the elite event, which sends the winner to the Masters and The Open next year. Five of the six Indians made the cut. Left-handed Kartik Sharma, who plays at the DLF, had a bogeyfree 66 to be the best Indian at 3-under 137 and Tied-12th. Thomas (74-64), who improved his first round by 10 shots, is 2-under 138 alongside Yuvraj Sandhu (72-66), whose coach Jesse Grewal also trains Shubhankar Sharma and Ajeetesh Sandhu. Both Thomas and Sandhu, who plans to turn pro immediately after this week, are Tied-15th. While Kartik is five behind co-leaders Cheng Jin (67), ..
EB to face Malaysia Premier League sides in pre-season friendlies
Kolkata giants East Bengal will play two pre-season friendlies against Malayasia Premier League second tier teams UiTMFC and UiTMFC in Kuala Lumpur, the club announced Friday. East Bengal, who were dethroned by arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in the Calcutta Football League this season, have travelled to Kuala Lumpur under new coach Alejandro Menendez for a training camp ahead of the the I-League, that is expected to start at the end of this month. The Red and Golds will first lock horns with UiTMFC Sunday followed by UiTMFC on October 10. The team will be training at the MSN Sports Complex in Malaysia till October 22 and organisers are trying to arrange a few more matches during their stay, according to a media release. Bengaluru FC was the last I-League club to have an overseas pre-season camp when they travelled to China in 2014 under Ashley Westwood. The Red-and-Gold brigade finished third in CFL Premier Division A, trailing champions Mohun Bagan by six points. Spaniard Menendez then ...
Nike 'deeply concerned' and Juventus shares drop amid Ronaldo rape
US sportswear giant Nike says it is "deeply concerned" by rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo and shares in Italian champions Juventus fell over five percent on the Italian stock exchange on Friday. Ronaldo's coach at Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri, said the striker is "doing well" and is "ready to play" when the Turin giants travel to Udinese in Serie A on Saturday. But the player's relationship with Nike, which is rumoured to be worth $1 billion dollars (869 million euros), is under scrutiny after police in Las Vegas announced this week they were reopening an investigation into allegations made by a former model, Kathryn Mayorga, relating to an incident in 2009. "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation," a Nike spokesman told AFP. According to Forbes magazine, Ronaldo is one of only three athletes to have been given a lifetime deal with Nike, joining an elite club that also includes NBA icons LeBron James and ...
Maiden Test ton for Jadeja, No.24 for Kohli; India poised for big win
Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja ravaged a clueless West Indian attack with strokeful hundreds as India headed towards a demolishing win with another near-perfect performance on day two of the first cricket Test here. The hosts piled up 649/9 in their first innings before reducing West Indies to 94 for six in 29 overs when stumps were drawn for the day. After Prithvi Shaw's pehnomenal ton on debut on day one, skipper Kohli (139) and Jadeja (100 not out) made hundreds as India put up a mammoth 649 for nine in their first innings before declaring at tea. It was a maiden Test ton for Jadeja, who had to wait for almost six years to reach three figures in the five-day format. In response, the West Indies were in all sorts of trouble, first against pacer Mohammad Shami before the spinners cleaned up the middle order. They trail India by 555 runs and the hosts will fancy themselves to bowl them out twice by day three. Shami bowled a fiery opening spell of four overs, conceding just five runs .
Will pick Messi over Ronaldo, says Brazilian legend Pele
Football legend Pele on Friday picked Argentina's star striker Lionel Messi over Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo to play for his team.
I am getting scared of people's expectations: Swapna
Winning the first ever Asian Games heptathlon gold medal changed her life as she became a star but Swapna Barman Friday said she sometimes get nervous and scared of the people's high expectations. An unknown face before the Asian Games, the Jalpaiguri heptathlete became a star overnight after she battled toothache and back pain to become the first Indian to win a heptathlon gold in Jakarta in August. "Life has changed but I have not changed. People's approach has changed. I sometimes feel I am dreaming or sleeping," Swapna said at the India Today's East Conclave 2018 here. "I am scared now. Earlier my parents and coach wanted me to win, to do well. Now, all my countrymen want me to win an Olympic medal. That expectation makes me nervous ... thinking what if I can't deliver," she said. Swapna achieved a career-best aggregate of 6026 points but for her to be on the Olympics podium she has to raise the bar to 6700-plus. That will certainly be a tough job. The qualifying mark for Rio 2016
Nothing special about hitting sixes anymore, says Ricardo Powell
There are one off performances which tend to grab eyeballs and the image of Ricardo Powell hitting sixes at will during the 1999 tri-series final between India and West Indies in Singapore was one such knock. He is best known for a match-winning 124 off 93 balls against India that had an incredible eight sixes -- not a very common sight during the 50-over games in the 90's. Now 39 and a chief selector of United States national cricket team, Powell feels that hitting sixes for fun is the new normal. "When I played, not many had that kind of game -- only a few like Lance Klusener, Andrew Flintoff, Virender Sehwag. Now if you look at the game, especially the shorter versions, you have tons of people doing that. There is nothing special about hitting anymore," Powell, who played 109 ODIs and two Tests between 1999 and 2005, told PTI on the sidelines of the first Test. The size of the bat has also made hitting sixes easier, he feels. "Look at the bat sizes too. I played with the blade ...