Page 1370 - Sports
Djokovic leads Nadal as Wimbledon semi-final halted for night
Novak Djokovic led Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (11/9) in their Wimbledon semi-final when it was halted for the night today. Djokovic, the three-time champion, saved three set points in the third set which finished two minutes past the 11 pm (2200GMT) tournament curfew. The match will resume Saturday. Earlier Kevin Anderson became the first South African man in 97 years to reach the Wimbledon final after beating John Isner 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 26-24 in six hours and 36 minutes. It was the second longest singles match ever played at a Grand Slam.
Anderson edges Isner 26-24 in 5th for 1st Wimbledon final
Kevin Anderson won the longest Centre Court match in history and earned a chance to try to collect his first Grand Slam championship, edging John Isner 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24 at Wimbledon in a marathon between two big servers that lasted more than six-and-a-half hours. The fifth set alone lasted nearly 3 hours as the semifinal became a test of endurance more than skill. Anderson finally earned the must-have, go-ahead service break with the help of a point in which the right-hander tumbled to his backside, scrambled back to his feet and hit a shot lefty. Only one match at the All England Club has been longer: Isner's 2010 first-round victory over Nicolas Mahut, which went more than 11 hours over three days and finished 70-68 in the fifth. That was played over on Court 18, which now bears a plaque commemorating the record-setter. Anderson, a 32-year-old from South Africa, eliminated eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in a 13-11 fifth set in the quarterfinals on ..
Sonowal congratulates Hima Das for achievement
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday congratulated athlete Hima Das for bringing laurels to the country by winning India's first ever track gold in the 400-metre final at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Mixed fortunes for Indian athletes at World U20 Championships
Indian athletes enjoyed mixed fortunes at the IAAF World U20 Championships at the Ratina Stadium here on Friday.
Prince William boosts morale of English team post-FIFA defeat
Prince William boosted the morale of the English team after being defeated by Croatia.The Duke of Cambridge took to Kensington Palace's official Twitter handle to cheer up the team in their hour of distress.According to People magazine, he supported England during their world cup matches against Sweden and Colombia from the same handle.He tweeted, "I know how disappointed @england must feel right now but I couldn't be more proud of this team and you should hold your heads high. You've had an incredible #WorldCup, made history, and gave us fans something to believe in. We know there is more to come from this @england team. W"England's FIFA World Cup journey ended after facing a crushing a defeat in the hands of Croatia by 2 to 1 on Wednesday in the semi-final match.
28 countries to compete in World Junior Squash in Chennai
Players from 28 countries, including hosts India, will vie for honours in the World Junior Squash Championship to be held here from July 18 to 29. The Egyptian contingent led by Marwan Tarek and Rowan Reda Araby, top seeds in the men's and women's sections respectively, will be the players to watch out for. Matches will be held in team and individual events in both men and women sections. The cream of junior talent from 28 countries, including India, will be on view with the participation of a total of 171 playeres -- 116 men and 55 women, Tournament Director Cyrus Poncha told reporters here. In all, 13 Indian plaers, of whom four have featured in the world junior tournament previously, have been chosen with an eye on the future, he added. In the men's team event, Pakistan is the defending champion and is expected to face a huge challenge from the formidable Egyptian squad, Poncha said. The Indian team had finished sixth in the previous edition in Poland in 2016 and would
60 Nigerians brought to Russia for World Cup ask for help
About 60 Nigerian men who say they entered Russia on the pretext of being World Cup fans camped outside their country's embassy in Moscow today asking for help. Sofiya Dukhovnaya, an activist with the anti-human trafficking group Alternativa, told The Associated Press the men arrived in Russia using a legal loophole posing as World Cup fans. An agency in Nigeria sold them World Cup fan identification cards that allowed them to enter Russia without a visa and promised them work. But it was clear that the men were not in Russia for the soccer because they didn't know which matches their national team was playing or even how many players were on the team, according to Dukhovnaya. Once in Russia, the men realized they had been lied to. There were no jobs lined up for them, their return tickets turned out to be fake and they very quickly ran out of money and couldn't afford food and shelter. "They were hoping to find work and improve their lives," Dukhovnaya said. Alternativa said the ...
Kamalraj, Silwal in final round
Kangaraj Kamalraj and Sahil Silwal today made it to the finals of the men's triple jump and javelin throw events respectively on the fourth day of the IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships here. Kamalraj cleared 15.98m in his first jump to cross the automatic qualification mark of 15.80 and qualify for the final round. He finished second in Group A qualification round and third overall. Silwal, on the other hand, entered the final of men's javelin throw event finishing fifth overall in the qualification round with an effort of 73.22m. In men's hammer throw final, Ashish Jakhar finished sixth with a throw of 74.59m. India's men 4x100m relay team finished seventh and last in heat number 3 with a time of 41.11 secs.
FIFA asks TV producers to cut down on fan close-ups over sexism fears
FIFA said today it had asked TV producers to reduce the number of close-up shots of spectators at the World Cup final to avoid any "suggestions of sexual connotations". The feed supplied by FIFA and used by TV stations around the world shows spectators in the stands to complement the coverage of the matches in Russia. The cameras sometimes zoom in on female spectators. FIFA said it had issued guidance to TV producers for the two remaining matches of the tournament -- tomorrow's third-place playoff between England and Belgium and Sunday's France v Croatia final. "We prefer that the coverage avoids exaggerated or extended duration close-ups that could lead to suggestions of sexual connotations or gender bias," a FIFA spokesman said.
Croatian president 'can't wait' for World Cup final
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said today she could not wait for the World Cup final against France, as officials worked overtime to meet the huge demands from fans needing passports. Zlatko Dalic's side reached Sunday's final after beating England 2-1 in extra-time in Moscow on Wednesday, sparking wild scenes of excitement both in the Luzhniki Stadium and in Croatia. "I feel extremely excited, I don't know how I will wait until Sunday," said Grabar-Kitarovic, who is going to attend the game. "Regardless of Sunday's result, which I believe will be a victory, we are winners." She said the current set of players had surpassed the achievements of the team that finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France. Police in Zagreb said they would be working extra hours to process passports from fans wanting to attend the match. The Croatian Football Federation has asked FIFA for extra tickets but at the moment they are only available on the black market. Grabar-Kitarovic said she ..
Racer Pissay joins Sherco TVS Rally Factory team
The Sherco TVS Rally Factory team announced that Aishwarya Pissay will be part of the four-member squad for the upcoming Baja Aragon motor rally.
Matuidi hails France coach Deschamps
France midfielder Blaise Matuidi has praised French coach Didier Deschamps for moulding a team "in his own image" as the former world and European champions prepare for Sunday's FIFA World Cup final against Croatia.
Wimbledon player Farah banned over gambling charge
Colombia's Robert Farah, who played at Wimbledon this year, was today banned for three months and fined USD 5,000 after promoting a gambling website on social media, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) announced. However, the 31-year-old, a runner-up at the Australian Open this year in men's doubles with compatriot Juan Sebastian Cabal, had his punishment suspended on the basis that no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) are committed within the three months. The TIU said that in February, Farah posted a tweet endorsing an online betting company, in contravention of anti-corruption rules. "When contacted by the Tennis Integrity Unit, Farah removed the post, apologised for his error and co-operated fully with the investigation," said a TIU statement. Farah, 31, is currently ranked 16 in doubles. He and Cabal were seeded six at Wimbledon but were knocked out in the third round.
German legend Lahm says Loew must change coaching style
German national coach Joachim Loew remains under attack after the 2014 world champions' embarrassing group stage exit at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Sharma fighting to make cut at Scottish Open
Shubhankar Sharma was fighting hard to make the cut as he had an even par for the second through 14 holes and 2-under for the tournament at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. Playing for the first time in Scotland, Sharma was struggling to find his form with the putter and make the weekend rounds. Sharma had two birdies and two bogeys on second day. He birdied sixth and 14th and bogeyed fourth and eighth. After a 68 in the first round, he even through 15 holes in the second to be 2-under for the tournament. With low scoring on first day with 96 sub-par scores and the Friday morning wave taking advantage of the perfect conditions, the cut looked set for 3-under. So, Sharma would need to get a birdie of two in the remaining four holes, which includes the Par-5 16th, which he birdied on first day. Earlier, SSP Chawrasia, who shot 71 in the first round, opened bogey-birdie-bogey and then saw a series of 13 pars before finishing birdie-birdie. It was too little too late as he
Elevanil wins gold in junior shooting meet
Young Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan today claimed the women's air rifle gold medal in the 28th Meeting of Shooting Hopes junior international championship in Plzen, Czech Republic. The 18-year-old shot 250.8 in the final to get the better of Italy's Nicole Gabrielli (249.7) by 1.1 point. She had also topped the qualification with 628.0. Aleksandra Szutko of Poland won the bronze with 228.2. The other Indian shooter in the final, Shreya Agrawal finished fourth with 206.6. Also, the Indian junior men swept the three medals in the 25-metre sports pistol, with Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu winning the gold with 586, one point ahead of Vijayveer Sidhu. Udhayveer Sidhu bagged the bronze medal with 582. "It feels great but more importantly it was important to maintain the consistency of points. I am happy, that I could score as planned. These are important exposure tournaments for Asian Games and my goal is to do well there," Elavenil said after her win. Among other notable results for India on
Pant shines in India A's incredible comeback win
Rishabh Pant shone with a counter-attacking 71-ball 67 as India 'A' completed an incredible five-wicket victory over West Indies 'A' in the second unofficial Test, coming back from a precarious position to clinch the series 1-0 here today. Having conceded a first-innings lead of 110 runs at the The Cooper Associates County Ground, India 'A' eventually chased down a target of 321 with plenty to spare. Hanuma Vihari top-scored with 68 and shared a vital partnership of 136 runs for the third wicket with Karun Nair (55) to help India 'A' to 214. While Pant finished the job, the foundation was laid by Vihari and captain Nair yesterday. It ensured India 'A' did not crumble despite losing two quick wickets inside the first five overs of play on the fourth and final morning. Three quick wickets for seven runs pegged India 'A' back but Pant, throwing caution to the wind, launched into the opposition attack with some explosive strokes, so typical of him, to propel his side's chase. The Delhi ...
England's Southgate cites Germany blueprint as model for success
England manager Gareth Southgate hopes his team can ride the momentum generated by their run to the World Cup semi-finals and follow the path Germany took to the top of international football. Southgate and his players have been hailed back home after reaching the last four for the first time since 1990, and for bringing together a nation bitterly divided over Brexit. "They see a team that leaves everything on the pitch, which they have, and played with style. I think the public have enjoyed it," Southgate said before Saturday's third place play-off against Belgium. "They've got to know the players a little bit better and realised the perception is different from the reality. I feel there'll be an affinity and something we can build on." He used the example of the feel-good aspect of Germany's performance at the 2006 finals, where the hosts -- with a young team like the current England crop -- won over a nation despite losing to Italy in the semi-finals. "The youth and enthusiasm of ..
Taylor appointed to England selector role
James Taylor has been appointed as an England selector, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Friday. Former England international Taylor was forced to retire due to a heart condition two years ago and he now completes a panel headed by national selector Ed Smith and also featuring England head coach Trevor Bayliss. The appointment of Taylor completes a restructure of the panel that started when Smith replaced fellow former England batsman James Whitaker in April. "I'm thrilled to be taking up this role with the ECB and once again supporting the England set-up," said Taylor. "This is an important role and it's a huge honour to be appointed. "I have always been deeply passionate about the game and will bring all of my energy and experience -- from the Lions (England A), domestic cricket and the international Test and white-ball game -- to this task. "I'm excited to be given the opportunity to work alongside Ed Smith and can't wait to get started." Taylor was diagnosed with ...
No wholesale changes this time against Belgium: England coach Southgate
England coach Gareth Southgate will not make wholesale changes to his team when England play Belgium in Saturday's third place play-off at the 2018 World Cup.