Page 1575 - Sports
Dimitrov downs mystery man at Roland Garros, Venus, Kyrgios out
Fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov reached the French Open second round on Sunday, even if he wasn't exactly sure who he was facing, while Venus Williams was defeated and Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios limped out. Dimitrov had been drawn to face experienced Viktor Troicki in the tournament opener on Philippe Chatrier Court. However, just before he was due to go on court, Troicki withdrew with a back injury, allowing Egyptian world number 182 Mohamed Safwat to make his Grand Slam debut. In the process, he became the first Egyptian since Tamer El Sawy at the 1996 US Open to feature in a major. "I was warming up and my coach said, 'hey look' and we saw up on the board that I was playing a different opponent," said 27-year-old Dimitrov, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, after his 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7/1) win. "I didn't expect that." Safwat, 27, had lost in the final round of qualifying in what was his eighth futile attempt to make the main draw of the majors. But Safwat, one of eight lucky losers ..
French Open: China's Wang beats Venus Williams in first round
China's Wang Qiang avenged her two previous losses to Venus Williams by beating the American veteran 6-4, 7-5 in the women's first round of the French Open on Sunday.
Sting claims corruption in cricket; ICC demands complete footage
A sting operation has claimed to unearth 'pitch-fixing' and 'spot-fixing' in Test matches featuring heavyweights like India and Australia but the ICC said its investigation into the allegations is being hampered by the channel's refusal to share evidence. The sting has been carried out by the Al Jazeera channel and the matches in question are India vs Sri Lanka (Galle, July 26-29, 2017), India vs Australia (Ranchi, March 16-20, 2017) and India vs England (Chennai, December 16-20, 2016). The first and third Tests mentioned were won by India while the Ranchi encounter ended in a draw. The charges -- pitch could have been doctored at the behest of fixers (India vs Sri Lanka), and involvement of some Australian and England players in spot-fixing the other two games. However, no Indian player's name has cropped up in any wrongdoing. The ICC said it is investigating but also stated that the channel has not cooperated in the matter. "We have been in ongoing dialogue with the broadcaster ..
Carreño Busta advances to 2nd round of French Open
Spain's Pablo Carreño Busta, the 10th seed, on Sunday rallied from a set down to defeat qualifier Jozef Kovalik of Slovakia 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) in the first round of the French Open.
Sri Lanka Cricket suspends two caught in pitch-fixing sting
Sri Lanka Cricket on Sunday suspended a player and a groundsman who allegedly agreed to tamper with the pitch to alter the result of an upcoming Test against England, as police launched an investigation into the claims. The Sri Lankan board (SLC) said it had suspended the curator of the Galle International Stadium as well as a professional player, who were featured in an Al Jazeera documentary on corruption in cricket. The board also lodged a complaint with the local police, who launched a criminal investigation into the scandal exposed by the Doha-based television network. "Sri Lanka Cricket decided to suspend with immediate effect the alleged individuals involved in the said incident against whom the ICC is carrying out investigations," the board said. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Saturday it was investigating allegations involving the two Sri Lankans and a former Indian player, urging "all evidence and supporting material" to be shared with the ...
Redemption for 'hero' Ricciardo at Monaco
Daniel Ricciardo overcame chronic power problems to claim an emotional, cherished and redemptive triumph for Red Bull in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. Two years after being deprived of victory by a bungled late pit stop in 2016, the big-smiling Australian led from pole to flag, on the way resisting pressure from Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari. It was the Australian's first Monaco victory, his second this season and the seventh of his career. "You have done an amazing job there - you are our hero!," said team chief Christian Horner. "I don't know how you did that. Unbelievable. Payback!" Ricciardo, whose engine power was reduced early in the race, came home 7.3 seconds clear of Vettel after 78 largely processional laps with championship leader Lewis Hamilton finishing third for Mercedes, all the leading drivers struggling with tyre wear. Hamilton's lead was trimmed from 17 to 14 points in the title race. Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of fellow Finn Valtteri ...
ICC says TV channel not co-operating on corruption probe
The ICC today claimed Al Jazeera is not co-operating enough into its investigation on the spot-fixing allegations made by the TV channel involving national teams of India, Australia and England. Test matches featuring heavyweights India, Australia and England could have been among those influenced by match-fixers in the last two years, the channel's sting operation has alleged. We have been in ongoing dialogue with the broadcaster which has refused our continual requests to cooperate and share information which has hampered our investigation to date," the ICC said in its latest statement. "The content of the programme, is of course useful to the investigation, but I would now urge the production team to provide us with all un-edited and unseen evidence they are in possession of, to enable us to expedite a thorough investigation," it said further. The governing body of cricket reiterated that it is taking the allegations very seriously, having watched the entire sting operation which ..
IPL: Yusuf, Williamson help Hyderabad post 178/6 vs Chennai
Yusuf Pathan's unbeaten 45 runs off 25 balls along with skipper Kane Williamson's 47 helped Sunrisers Hyderabad post a competitive 178/6 against Chennai Super Kings in the summit clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.
Punjab Police edges out Customs
Punjab Police defeated Customs 53-51 today in the men's section of 53rd All India Basketball Championship being held here. Gurdit Singh, Ranbir Singh and Dilpreet Singh (with 10 points each) played well for the Punjab team, while Surya scored 21 points for the losers. In another match, ASC defeated Coimbatore District Baskerball Association 85-54 as Rinku led the way with 14 points. Meanwhile, a strong Indian Air Force team beat Arise Steels 89-59 as Joginder Saharan starred with 26 points and Indian Railway defeated Income Tax 89-68. In the women's section, South West Railways beat Arise Steels 78-59 and KSEB thrashed CDBA 79-20.
IPL: Hyderabad post 178/6 against Chennai in final
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) posted 178/6 in 20 overs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
PCB initiates inquiry against Raza for appearance in fixing video
The Pakistan Cricket Board today initiated investigations into a video in which Test player Hasan Raza is seen sitting with an Indian origin player, who is discussing alleged spot-fixing deals with an undercover reporter. The PCB said that its Anti Corruption Unit are in "process of reviewing reports regarding the alleged involvement of cricketer Raza in corrupt conduct". "Appropriate action, if any, will be taken after collecting and reviewing all relevant evidence," read the PCB statement, stating that till such time no further comments would be made on the issue. The PCB's statement came after Raza is seen in a video, part of an alleged spot-fixing sting operation by Al-Jazeera channel. The Pakistani batsman, who is the youngest player to have played Test cricket, is seen sitting in the same room in which former Indian domestic cricketer -- Robin Morris from Mumbai talks about facilitating spot-fixing in T20 tournaments. Raza told PTI that he was not part of any spot-fixing ...
Williamson, Pathan push SRH to 178/6
Kane Williamson missed out on yet another fifty in a highly successful season as Sunrisers Hyderabad piled on a challenging score of 178 or 6 after a slow start in the Indian Premier League final here tonight. Williamson led his side from the front once again to notch up 47 in 36 balls, hitting two sixes and five fours before Yusuf Pathan scored a breezy unbeaten 45, inclusive of four fours and two sixes in 25 balls, to take the team close to 180. Carlos Brathwaite (21 in 11) came up with the much needed big hits towards the end. SRH had scored 139 for 7 when the two teams had met earlier at this ground in Qualifier 1 on May 22. Super Kings kept a tight rein on the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen initially while also taking a wicket through a run-out. The first four overs saw only one boundary being hit a turn to fine leg for four by Dhawan off Lungi Ngidi. Super Kings also struck an early blow when Shreevats Goswami was run out. The fall of the early wicket and a maiden over bowled to ..
Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers ...
Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad here today. Sunrisers Hyderabad Innings: Sreevats Goswami run out (Sharma/Dhoni) 5 Shikhar Dhawan b Jadeja 26 Kane Williamson st Dhoni b Sharma 47 Shakib Al Hasan c Raina b Bravo 23 Yusuf Pathan not out 45 Deepak Hooda c sub (DR Shorey) b Ngidi 3 Carlos Brathwaite c Rayudu b Thakur 21 Extras: (LB-1, NB-1, W-6) 8 Total: (for 6 wickets in 20 overs) 178 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-64, 3-101, 4-133, 5-144, 6-178 Bowling: Chahar 4-0-25-0, Ngidi 4-1-26-1, Thakur 3-0-31-1, Sharma 3-0-25-1, Bravo 4-0-46-1, Jadeja 2-0-24-1.
Root and Bayliss slam 'outrageous' claims of England 'fixing' in India
England captain Joe Root and coach Trevor Bayliss both described allegations their side fixed aspects of a Test against India at Chennai in 2016 as "outrageous". After England's nine-wicket defeat by Pakistan in the first Test at Lord's on Sunday, Root was asked to comment on the allegations made in a programme about spot-fixing to be broadcast later Sunday by the Al Jazeera television channel. "I am aware that there is a documentary and it is outrageous that our players have been accused," Root told the BBC. The Yorkshireman was now more concerned with ensuring England bounce back strongly in next week's second Test of a two-match series at his Headingley home ground. "It's not anything for the guys to worry about, we have to focus on winning at Headingley." In a separate post-match press conference, Root said the allegations were "ridiculous". "All the players have been briefed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), and been told there's absolutely nothing to worry ...
Shubhankar tied 38th, Lahiri 56th at Fort Worth Invitational golf
India's Shubhankar Sharma shot a fine four-under 66 to make a smart upward move in the third round of the Fort Worth Invitational golf tournament at the Colonial late here. The 21-year-old is now three-under 207 for 54 holes and it lying tied 38th, a sharp rise from his overnight tied 60th place. Senior colleague, Anirban Lahiri, who also started the third round at one-over, recovered well with three birdies over the last five holes and ended the day at two-under 68 and a total of one-under 209 in tied 56th place, which was still four places better than his previous tied 60th spot. Shubhankar had five birdies against one bogey but missed a few other opportunities. He was, however, sounding confident ahead of the final day. Justin Rose, the 2013 US Open winner and Olympic gold medallist in 2016, carded four-under 66 and moved to 14-under to take a four-shot lead over a resurgent Emilian Grillo (69) and 2017 US Open champion, Brooks Koepka (67). Grillo and Koepka are at 10-under, while .
Dos Santos brothers report to Mexican national football team
Brothers Giovani and Jonathan Dos Santos, who play for Major League Soccer (MLS) club LA Galaxy, have reported to the Mexican national football team.
2nd Division League: Ozone, Hindustan play out a 2-2 draw
Ozone FC and Hindustan FC played out a 2-2 draw in their second 2nd Division League final round fixture here on Sunday.
3 India Tests under scanner in pitch-fixing sting; BCCI, CA to wait and watch
Test matches featuring heavyweights India and Australia could have been among those influenced by match-fixers in the last two years, a sting operation has alleged but the two Boards have decided to wait for the completion of an ongoing ICC probe before acting on the sensational claims. The sting has been carried out by Al Jazeera channel and the matches in question are India vs Sri Lanka (Galle, July 26-29, 2017), India vs Australia (Ranchi, March 16-20, 2017) and India vs England (Chennai, December 16-20, 2016). The first and third Tests mentioned were won by India while the Ranchi encounter ended in a draw. The allegations -- pitch could have been doctored at the behest of fixers (India vs Sri Lanka), and involvement of some Australian and England players in spot-fixing the other two games. However, no Indian player's name has cropped up in any wrongdoing. The Indian connection to the latest scandal is former Mumbai cricketer Robin Morris, who is now alleged to be a match-fixer. .
Kyrgios pulls out of French Open due to injury
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from the French Open on Sunday after failing to recover from an elbow injury.
Argentina team takes time out for Champions League final
Argentine national football team players took time out from their World Cup practice this weekend to watch the Champions League final, which ended with Real Madrid beating Liverpool.