Page 1419 - Sports
World Cup: Russia beat Spain to enter QF
Hosts Russia stunned pre-tournament favourites Spain 4-2 (1-1) via penalty shootouts here on Sunday to enter the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018.
'We're the Messi and Ronaldo of tennis' Federer relishes Nadal rivalry
Roger Federer marked the 10th anniversary of his epic Wimbledon final loss to Rafael Nadal by claiming his rivalry with the Spaniard is the equal of the battle between football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Federer will start his bid for a ninth Wimbledon title against Serbia's Dusan Lajovic on Centre Court tomorrow. But, on the eve of the Swiss star's 20th Wimbledon, the defending champion's mind drifted back to the evening he was dethroned by Nadal in a classic final widely regarded as the greatest match ever played. Federer had beaten Nadal in two previous Wimbledon finals before the Spaniard knocked him off his perch in 2008 with a five-set thriller lasting almost five hours and late into the evening in front of an enthralled global audience of millions. It was the match that cemented Federer and Nadal as the giants of their generation and accelerated the sport's resurgence as a multi-million pound industry. Nadal's triumph -- his first at Wimbledon -- fuelled an .
Asian Games '18: Over 500 athletes to represent India
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has reportedly cleared 514 athletes for the upcoming 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, a source said on Sunday.An official announcement is yet to be made by the association, however, there is a possibility that a few more names could be added to the list, an IOA official told ANI.The 18th Asian Games - a pan-Asian multi-sport event - is scheduled to be held from August 18 to September 2 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.Hanoi, Vietnam was the original host of the game, but they later withdrew their name due to financial constraints.In the last edition in Incheon, 541 players represented India in different games. In total, India won 57 medals including 11 Gold, 9 Silver and 37 Bronze in the last Asian Games.
Belgium favourites against combative Japan (Preview)
Belgium, boasting one of the most talented squads in the FIFA World Cup, will be overwhelming favourites to go past Japan, the lone Asian side in the pre-quarterfinals, when the two sides clash here on Monday.
Manika, Sathiyan guide Smashers to UTT title
India's golden girl Manika Batra and G Sathiyan stamped their class, guiding Dabang Smashers to the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis title with a 11-7 win over Falcons TTC in the final here tonight. Manika and Sathiyan's power-packed performances helped the Smashers topple defending champions Falcons TTC and also pocket a whopping Rs 1 crore prize money in front of a full house. Riding on a brilliant start that saw the Smashers jump to a solid 7-2 lead after just three matches, captain Sathiyan recorded a thumping 2-1 victory over Alvaro Robles to bring the contest to a premature end. Sathiyan won the first set handsomely and led 5-0 in the second. But Spain's Robles pulled back to draw level and make it 1-1. World No. 44 Sathiyan, however, had the last laugh, winning the third and the crucial 11th game point to seal the victory for the Smashers. Earlier, 23-year-old Manika led the charge, downing World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm 3-0 (11-8, 11-10, 11-9). The 2018 Commonwealth Games double-gold ..
Wounded Murray pulls out of Wimbledon
Andy Murray has withdrawn from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament after the two-time champion decided he wasn't fit enough to compete at the All England Club. Murray has only just returned to action after 11 months on the sidelines due to a hip injury that needed surgery in January. "It's with regret I'm withdrawing from Wimbledon," Murray said in a statement on Sunday. "I've made significant progress in practice and matches over the last 10 days but, after lengthy discussions with my team and with a heavy heart, we've decided that playing best-of-five-set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process." Murray was due to play France's Benoit Paire in the first round on Tuesday, but he had admitted on Sunday morning that there was a chance he could pull out if his body didn't feel right. Just hours later, Murray dropped his bombshell, ending his hopes of adding another Wimbledon crown to those he collected in 2013 and 2016. The 31-year-old Scot had played just three ...
Belgium's time to shine at World Cup, says Hazard
Eden Hazard says Belgium have a new level of maturity as they prepare to take on Japan, eyeing a World Cup quarter-final spot against Brazil or Mexico. A so-called "golden generation" of Belgian stars are running out of time to win a major title but Hazard said they have a chance to make their rich talents count in Russia. "This is our time to shine, definitely. We have top players and we play as a group, especially after the win over England," said the Chelsea star. "It's in our hands, we need to give everything and see what happens. "I am also a lot stronger than four years ago in Brazil. That was the first major tournament for many of us, knockout matches have a lot to do with experience and can be complicated. "We have the same level of maturity across the team, which will make a difference this time." With Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and Lionel Messi's Argentina -- both in the same half of the draw -- out of the tournament, Hazard wants Belgium to reach the final for the first ..
Verstappen wins in Austria as Vettel grabs lead in standings
Max Verstappen made the most of a rare Mercedes double retirement on Sunday by claiming his first win this year, and Red Bull's first at "home", in an incident-packed Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutch tyro grabbed victory after both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas pulled up with power and gearbox failures respectively as their team's run of four straight Austrian wins came to an abrupt end at the Red Bull Ring where the track temperature was 48 celsius degrees (118 Fahrenheit). "It's amazing to win in a Red Bull at the Red Bull Ring," said Verstappen, who was supported by an "Orange army" of more than 20,000 fans. "Very hard to manage the tyres, lot of blistering, but we manged to hang on," he said. "It was amazing to win here with so many Dutch fans." The double-retirement was a first for McLaren since the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which Verstappen won on his Red Bull debut after Hamilton collided with team-mate Nico Rosberg on the opening lap. Hamilton was unhappy before his late ...
India falter in shoot-off again to lose second straight CT final to Australia
World Champions Australia defeated India 3-1 via shoot-off after both teams were locked at 1-1 in regulation time to clinch their second consecutive Champions Trophy hockey title here today. It was a keenly-contested battle between the two finalists of last edition but once again Australia came out on top in the shoot-out to clinch their 15th Champions Trophy title. India, however, had to contend with a consecutive runners-up finish after failing to get past the Kookaburras in what was the 37th and final edition of the tournament. Australia took the lead in the 24th minute through a penalty corner conversion by Blake Govers, but India drew parity in the 42nd minute through a field strike by young Vivek Sagar Prasad. A 1-1 scoreline was what the teams could manage in the regulation time and like last year, the final went into the shoot-off. Australia came out on top in the battle of nerves, courtesy goalkeeper Tyler Lovell, who evicted three saves to turn out to be the hero. Hosts ...
Manika outsmarts 30th-ranked Matilda in UTT final
India's golden girl Manika Batra put Dabang Smashers in command with a fluent 3-0 victory over World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis here today. Yoshida Masaki extended Smashers lead with a 2-1 victory against Sanil Shetty as they led 5-1 after the first two matches. The team that earns 11 points first will be crowned champions. The 23-year-old Manika downed Ekholm 11-8, 11-10, 11-9 for another winning start for Smashers, like she has done all season. The 2018 Commonwealth Games double gold medallist dominated her Swedish opponent, who got a yellow card for venting her frustration by smashing the ball on a couple of occasions. It was the second time Manika, ranked World No. 80, had upstaged the higher-ranked Matilda. She won 2-1 in the league match last month which the Smashers had won 17-4. The winners will earn Rs 1 crore while the runners-up will be richer by Rs 75 lakh.
Argentina's goalkeeper mourns World Cup elimination, thanks fans
Argentina goalkeeper Willy Caballero on Sunday mourned his country's elimination by France 4-3 from the 2018 FIFA World Cup knockout round.
Suri, Nitin in joint lead at Commonwealth Chess
Local favourite Grandmaster Vaibhav Suri along with International Master S Nitin led the table with six points after round seven at the Commonwealth Chess Championship here today. Playing with black pieces in Caro-Kann defence game which lasted 73 moves, Vaibhav signed the peace treaty with top seed Deep Sengupta to take his tally to six points while S Nitin set aside his sixth round debacle against Vaibhav to beat national sub junior champion Sankalp Gupta in 49 moves arrived out of French defence game. With just two rounds to come in the Rs. 10 lakh championship, national champion M R Lalith Babu, Sankalp Gupta, Debashis Das, P Karthikeyan and Nubairshah Shaikh share the second spot on five and half points apiece. Lalith Babu defeated former national champion G Akash while Debashis got better off International Master K Ratnakaran. Karthikeyan defeated International Master Kobese Watu of South Africa while Nubairshah put it across state mate Sammed Shete. In the women's section that .
Muguruza brushes off discussing Serena's seeding at Wimbledon
Spanish tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza brushed off questions on Sunday about the decision by Wimbledon organizers to give the 25th-seed spot to the United States legend Serena Williams, despite her being ranked world No.181.
Champion Muguruza does not see Serena as a seed of doubt
All eyes will be on Serena Williams when Wimbledon gets underway on Monday as the seven-time champion bids to win her first Grand Slam crown since becoming a mother. Williams' two-year reign as Wimbledon champion ended 12 months ago when she missed the grass-court Grand Slam while she prepared for the September birth of her first child. In the American's absence, Spain's Garbine Muguruza won Wimbledon for the first time with a final victory over Serena's sister Venus. Winning Wimbledon for the eighth time on the event's 150th anniversary would be another memorable moment for Serena on the Centre Court she regards as a second home. But Williams has made only a tentative return to action following complications during daughter Alexis Olympia's birth. The 36-year-old lost to Venus at Indian Wells in March and suffered a dismal first round exit against Naomi Osaka in Miami. Williams played her first Grand Slam for over a year at the French Open last month, reaching the fourth round before
Over 500 athletes cleared for Asiad by IOA but contingent to be smaller than last edition
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has cleared 514 athletes for the upcoming Asian Games but the contingent is likely to be smaller than the last edition in Incheon, where 541 players competed. The IOA is expected to release the list tomorrow but there is a possibility that a few more names could be added to the list. "We have approved approximately 514 athletes and we are working out the final list," an IOA official told PTI. "There is possibility that a few more are added tomorrow before the final list is out. But in all probability the number will be less than the last edition," the official added. The IOA had fixed June 30 deadline to all the National Sports Federations to send their final list. This time, the IOA had set strict criteria to clear the country's participants -- top six performance of the last Asian Games in individual events and top eight in team events. This led to teams like football and handball to be left out. Athletics, which sends the largest contingent, ...
Shubhankar shoots 68 in final round in France
India's new golfing sensation Shubhankar Sharma rolled in four birdies in a span of six holes in the middle of the fourth and final round at the HNA Open de France here today. Shubhankar, who opened the week with 76 and then repaired with 69-71 on next two days, finished with a round of three-under 68 to complete the week in even par 284. Shubhankar, whose last two events outside of PGA Tour and WGC produced tied 14th in Volvo China and tied seventh at Hero Indian Open, was also hit by two double bogeys, one each on first and second days. He was tied 27th when he finished but with a lot of players yet to finish, his final position is likely to be inside top 25. The 21-year-old Sweden's Marcus Kinhult maintained his two-shot advantage heading into the final round. Both Kinhult and his playing partner, Ryder Cup player Chris Wood, signed for four-under par rounds of 67. Kinhult was 10-under through three rounds and Wood was eight-under. The pair will have three of the world's top ...
Aditi Ashok falls to 68th after disappointing third round
Aditi Ashok endured one of her roughest days as a professional golfer when she went 9-over 81 in the third round of KPMG Women's PGA Championship here. Lying T-21 at the midway stage of the year's third Major for women, Aditi dropped to T-68 after 54 holes. It was Aditi's worst round of the year and the first time she shot in the 80s this season. So Yeon Ryu rolled in a 15-footer on the 18th hole to take a three-stroke lead into the final round. Ryu and Henderson were paired together and shared the 36-hole lead with Sung Hyun Park. While Park and Henderson found early momentum, it took Ryu a little bit longer to find her rhythm. Henderson pulled away with four birdies over her first 11 holes and extended her lead to two ahead of Ryu. But Henderson's putter grew cold over the closing stretch and missed a series of birdie and par putts. Ryu capitalised with back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to take a two-stroke lead of her own and that became three at the end. Ryu was ...
Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of T20I series vs England
Krunal Pandya, Axar Patel and Deepak Chahar have been named as replacements for injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the T20I and ODI series against England, starting July 3 in Manchester, the BCCI announced on Sunday.
S. Korean captain Ki Sung-yueng hints at international retirement
South Korea captain Ki Sung-yueng on Sunday hinted at international football retirement following his country's early exit at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Bhullar settles for second place after Janewattananond's brilliance at Queen's Cup
Gaganjeet Bhullar could not match Jazz Janewattananond's sensational play on the final day as the Thai golfer came up with a streak of five birdies to win the Queens Cup presented by Bangchak here today. Bhullar and Jazz began tied for first at 15-under and both turned in 1-over. Both birdied the 10th, and then the situation changed as Jazz birdied the next four while Bhullar just could not find the same touch. He also bogeyed the 15th. The Indian saved two good pars before a closing birdie and a card of 71 which gave him sole second as Jazz parred last four to finish at 19-under and four clear of Bhullar. American Sihwan Kim (70) and Pavit Tangkamolprasert (71) of Thailand shared third place on 270 Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club. The 30-year-old Bhullar, whose last win was Macao last year, missed his ninth Asian Tour win. He came close at the Maekyung Open in Korea in May but settled for a share of second place after he was defeated in the play-off and this was his second ...