Page 1434 - Sports
How change in Balaji's approach helped him and Vishnu secure Wimbledon main draw spot
In any sport, after a stage, skills demand support of right attitude and mental toughness for results at the big stage and close friends Vishnu Vardhan and N Sriram Balaji have followed it to realise their immediate goal -- a maiden Grand Slam appearance at the Wimbledon Championships. Vardhan and Balaji topple the top-seeded pair of Denys Molchanov of Ukraine and Igor Zelenay of Slovakia 6-3 6-4 in the final qualifying round on Wednesday to secure their spot in the men's doubles main draw. In the last 14 months, Vardhan and Balaji have made seven finals on the ATP Challenger circuit and won five of them but struggled to make a mark in a few ATP 250 events they played. They needed to graduate to the next level and have now taken a long stride forward with their performance this week. "It's been incredible since last year when both me and Bala decided that we will focus more on the doubles and immediately got some Challenger wins. We were eying to play the Wimbledon qualifying and did .
Gaurika retains lead in 8th leg of Hero women's golf
Golfer Gaurika Bishnoi saw her lead being reduced from three shots to one after a second round of even par 72 on the second day of the eighth leg of the Hero womens Pro Tour at the Clover Greens here on Thursday.
Juventus sign Portugal right-back Cancelo from Valencia
Juventus have announced the signing of Valencia CF's Portuguese right-back João Cancelo on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of 40.4 million euros ($46.78 million).
Arjun Sharma secures breakthrough win with one-shot triumph
Arjun Sharma of Greater Noida secured his breakthrough win with a one-shot triumph at the PGTI Feeder Tour event played at the Rambagh Golf Club here today. Sharma (66-67-69), the overnight leader by one shot, kept his composure to nail a decisive 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole to record a wire-to-wire victory in spectacular fashion. The 25-year-old Sharma, who hails from the Jaypee Greens Golf Course in Greater Noida, totalled eight-under-202 for the week as a result of his final round of one-under-69. Bikramjit Singh Sandhu (66-71-66) registered the day's best score of four-under-66 to claim his second runner-up finish of the season at seven-under-203. Sharma, who also had a top-10 at last week's Feeder Tour event in Karnal, has now climbed from 15th to fifth position in the PGTI Feeder Tour Order of Merit. Sharma said, It's great to have my first win after enduring a particularly tough 2017 season on the PGTI. My driving and putting were the highlights of my performance this .
Brazil-Argentina mad Kolkata heaves a sigh of relief
Football-drunk Kolkata is upbeat and relieved with Brazil following Argentina into the pre-quarter finals after a shaky start in the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Saina loses in Malaysia Open pre-quarters
India's Saina Nehwal fell to Japanese second seed Akane Yamaguchi in straight games in the second round of the Malaysia Open badminton championships here on Thursday.
Argentina team trains before World Cup clash with France
Argentina practiced at the national team's training camp in the Russian town of Bronnitsy on Thursday, two days ahead of their FIFA World Cup second-round game against France.
Rooney flies to US, fuelling D.C. United rumours
Everton veteran striker Wayne Rooney on Thursday posted a picture of himself flying to the United States, further fuelling reports that a move to join Major League Soccer (MLS) side D.C. United is on the cards.
India look to make a few changes in second T20I vs Ireland (Preview)
Fresh from a 76-run win in the opening match, India will look to ring in a few changes as they attempt to finish off their assignments in Ireland on a winning note during the second and final T20 International here on Friday.
Shuttler Aparna Balan cries foul after Asian Games snub
Experienced shuttler Aparna Balan today cried foul after being left out of India's squad for the Asian Games, saying she and her women's doubles partner Sruthi KP were "deliberately ignored" despite their consistent performances at the selection tournaments. Badminton Association of India (BAI) had organised two All India senior ranking tournaments in Bangalore and Hyderabad to allow the domestic players a chance to make it to the Asian Games squad. "We were ignored again from Asian Games team after performing well in selection tournaments. We are continuously and deliberately ignored and neglected by some of the persons in the selection committee (sic)," Balan wrote in her facebook page. "This is not the first time I am ignored from the team. Being nine-time National Champion I was excluded from 2014 Asian Games and Commonwealth team. "I am a nine-time national champion and have been representing our nation almost for past 12 years with due merit. For the past few years I am ...
Maharashtra announces rewards for CWG medallists from state
The Maharashtra government has approved hefty rewards for seven athletes from the state who won medals at the Commonwealth Games held in Australia in April this year. A government resolution said that Tejaswini Sawant, Heena Sidhu (both shooting), Rahul Aware (wrestling), Madhurika Patkar, Pooja Sahasrabudhe, Sanil Shetty (all three table tennis) and Chirag Shetty (badminton) will get Rs 50 lakh each. All seven bagged gold medals. Besides, Tejaswini, Sidhu and Chirag Shetty, who also bagged silver medals, will get another Rs 30 lakh each, the GR said. Tejaswini won the Gold in 50 Meters Rifle 3P event and a silver in 50 Meter Rifle Prone event. Sidhu too bagged the Gold in 25 Meter Pistol Shooting while she earned a silver in 10 Meter Air Pistol. Chirag Shetty won the Silver in doubles apart from his Gold in the mixed team event. Paddler Sanil Shetty, who also won a bronze in men's doubles apart from his Gold in men's team event, will be rewarded with another Rs 20 lakh,
Ex-Russia coach visits squad's training session
Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who helmed the Russian football team for four years, on Thursday paid a visit to his former pupils and cheered them ahead of their upcoming clash against Spain in the World Cup knockout stage.
Birthday boy De Bruyne to party with Manchester City mates
Kevin De Bruyne jokingly says he has invited some Manchester City teammates to his birthday party. De Bruyne turned 27 on Thursday, the day his Belgium team plays England at the World Cup in Kaliningrad. In a tweet , De Bruyne says he invited some of his club teammates to his party. The tweet includes a picture of Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Fabian Delph and Kyle Walker, all fellow Manchester City players who are on England's squad. Whether they meet on the pitch remains to be seen. Both teams already are qualified for the round of 16, and Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has said it would be "unprofessional" to use players who have yellow cards. De Bruyne is one of those players. A second yellow card would mean missing Belgium's next match.
Argentina, France hope to reach potential in World Cup clash
France and Argentina took different paths to the knockout stage but have much in common at this World Cup. Both teams are filled with big-name players, both like to play an entertaining style and both have failed to impress so far. Forty years after their last meeting at soccer's biggest tournament, the former champions meet on Saturday in Kazan for a spot in the quarterfinals, needing their best players to come to the fore. With its armada of star players, France qualified unbeaten from its group but has yet to find the right rhythm in Russia. In three matches, coach Didier Deschamps' team has lacked ambition and intensity. The poor form of striker Antoine Griezmann has been a major concern. Argentina had a shakier path to the knockout stage, and coach Jorge Sampaoli has been heavily criticized.
Gaurika cards modest even-par 72 but still maintains lead by one shot
Gaurika Bishnoi carded a modest even par 72 that reduced her lead from three shots to one at the end of the second day of the eighth leg Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour. The second day belonged to Trisha Sunil, who played a fine back nine enroute to 3-under 69 that saw her leap to second place, one shot behind Gaurika at Clover Greens here. Gaurika (69-72) is three-under 141, while Trisha (73-69) is two-under 142. Amandeep Drall (72-71) dropped from sole second to third at one-under 143. Smriti Mehra (74-70) and Suchitra Ramesh (74-70) were tied at fourth place at even par 144. Gaurika, who showed great form on the first day, opened well with a birdie on second but then ran into some problems in the middle of the front nine with bogeys on sixth and eighth. Two birdies against one bogey on the back nine meant she finished with an even par 72. Trisha opened and closed the day with a birdie and had three more in between against two bogeys in the round. That helped her improve from sole fourth
Team ready for World Cup match against Uruguay: Bruno Alaves
Portugal's centre back Bruno Alaves expressed confidence ahead of his side's upcoming knockout-round duel against Uruguay in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Tag of World Cup favourites won't affect Brazil, says coach Tite
Brazil coach Tite says he and his footballers will embrace the rising expectations placed on them as they prepare for the knockout stage of the World Cup in Russia.
Portugal squad trains ahead of World Cup tie vs Uruguay
Portugal's national team on Thursday went through a training session in preparation for their 2018 FIFA World Cup second-round match against Uruguay.
Spanish king to attend his country's World Cup game against Russia
Spanish King Felipe VI will arrive here to attend a FIFA World Cup match between Spain and Russia on Sunday at the Luzhniki Stadium.
'HAHAHA' - schadenfreude sweeps web after German downfall
The internet turned cruel for Germany fans on Thursday as online mockery swept the globe following the defending champions' shock World Cup elimination. A stream of memes and jokes flooded social media after a stunning 2-0 defeat to South Korea condemned Die Mannschaft to their earliest exit in 80 years. "Don't mention the VAR," was a common refrain, while Brazilian media gleefully took their revenge for Brazil's 7-1 humiliation by Germany at the last World Cup in 2014. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." read a tweet from Fox Sports Brasil that ran to 272 characters. In dramatic scenes in Kazan, Kim Young-gwon's stoppage-time opener was ruled legitimate after intervention from the Video Assistant Referee, before Son Heung-min added the second goal minutes later. "Germany's fastest exit from Russia since 1943," posted one user, while another tweeted a picture of Germany towels reserving all the seats on an empty plane. Mexico fans were particularly delighted after South Korea's last-gasp win ...