Page 1604 - Sports
Rome Masters: Nadal beats Djokovic to reach final
World number two Rafael Nadal booked his spot in the finals of the Rome Masters defeating his long-time rival and Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic in the last-four clash here on Saturday.Nadal beat Djokovic 7-6, 6-3 to move a step ahead for his eighth title in Rome.The Spaniard will now face either Marin Cilic or Alexander Zverev in the final match.Nadal had earlier stormed into the semi-finals after rebounding strongly from a set down and clinch a convincing 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Fabio Fognini of Italy in a thrilling last-eight match that lasted two hours and 14 minutes.Eleventh seed Djokovic, on the other hand, also rallied from a set down to register a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Japan's Kei Nishikori to cement a spot in the last-four.It should be noted that Nadal and Djokovic have faced each 50 times, which is the maximum number of times any two players have faced each other in the Open Era.On a related note, Nadal, who recently notched his 11th Barcelona and Monte Carlo Masters
Clash of Royals: RR knock out RCB
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Saturday knocked out the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from this year's Indian Premier League (IPL), defeating the latter by 30 runs in a must-win game for both teams.The home team won the toss and elected to bat first, posting 164 in their 20 overs.Opener Rahul Tripathi scored 80*, and was well-supported by captain Ajinkya Rahane (33).Heinrich Klaasen scored a quick 32 to take Rajasthan Royals to 164/5.Umesh Yadav picked up three wickets for RCB.In response, RCB lost skipper Virat Kohli in the third over.AB de Villiers scored 53 from 35 balls, however, couldn't take his side home.Shreyas Gopal, who picked up four wickets, was declared the Player of the Match.Rajasthan Royals will now need Delhi Daredevils to beat Mumbai Indians to have any chance to progress into the quarter-finals.
Indian boxers to train in Italy, Ireland for Asian Games
India's top boxers began their preparation for the upcoming Asian Games in right earnest, with the star-studded women's team leaving for Italy late on Friday night.The men's team too will set off for Ireland on Sunday, in what will be an immaculately planned itinerary for the best results in Jakarta in August.The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has drawn out a three-month calendar that will see its boxers not only get extensive training in foreign camps but also participate in key tournaments to be battle ready for the big continental games.The women pugilists will be training at the elite Olympic Performance Training Centre, alongside top women boxers from Finland, Romania, Italy and Montenegro who are already preparing there for the EUBC Women's European Boxing Championships.The squad is led by India's most accomplished boxer, MC Mary Kom (48 kg), with Monika (48 kg), Sarjubala Devi and Pinki Rani (both 51 kg), Meena Maisnam (54 kg), two time Asian Championship silver medallist ...
U12 Tennis National: Pune's Dhamne, Delhi's Dabas win
Pune-lad Manas Dhamne and Delhi girl Tejaswi Dabas emerged champions in the boys and girls section of the 12th Ramesh Desai Memorial Sub junior Tennis Nationals for Boys and Girls under 12 which was played here. In the Boys under 12 section, fourth seeded Manas Dhamne used good court craft to oust Rohan Agarwal of West Bengal 6-2, 6-4 and win the title, a media release issued here said. In the Girls under 12 finals, sixth seeded Tejasvi Dabas outplayed third seeded Chandni Srinivasan of Gujarat 6-0, 6-1, it added. Harsh Fogaat and Rushil Khosla, the top seeds, struggled to get past Manas Dhamne and Pranav Rethin to claim the doubles title 7-6(4), 2-6, 10-4. In the Girls doubles, top seeded Shruti Ahlawat and Maliksha Kuramu ousted Nirali Padniya and Saumya Ronde 6-0, 6-1 to claim the title. Results: final Round: Girls under 12: Tejasvi Dabas(Del)(6) bt Chandni Srinivasan (Guj)(3)6-0, 6-1; Boys under 12: Manas Dhamne(Mah)(4) bt Rohan Agarwal(WB)(10)6-2, 6-4; Final Round: ..
IPL: KKR bowlers keep runs in check as Sunrisers post 172/9
Shikhar Dhawan cracked a fifty but Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowlers pulled things back in the middle overs to restrict table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to 172/9 in 20 overs in a crunch Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.
Chess: Rozum shots into lead in round five
Ivan Rozum of Russia shot into the lead with five points from as many rounds by defeating fellow Grandmaster Deep Sengupta in the 3rd International Grandmaster Chess Tournament here at Newtown School on Friday.
Nadal beats Djokovic to reach 10th Rome Masters final
Rafael Nadal closed in on an eighth Rome Masters title as he dismissed old rival Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 today to reach the final for a record-extending 10th time. The last-four success will give the Spanish top seed added confidence ahead of the French Open, where he has won a record 10 titles. Nadal, still unbeaten in semi-finals at the Foro Italico, unleashed a trademark clay-court attack after winning a tight first set lasting well over an hour. "I need to be able to play my best tomorrow," Nadal said of a Sunday final against either defending champion Alexander Zverev or Croatian Marin Cilic. "I'm very happy with my game. It all worked for me, the tactics, the shots." The 31-year-old world number two cut the deficit in his head-to-head series with Djokovic to 26-25, after their 51st meeting since first facing off in 2006. But the Serb complained afterwards about poor scheduling which affected his preparation, playing a late-afternoon quarter-final on Friday before returning
We played a perfect game: Rahane
Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane today said that his side played a "perfect" game in their 30-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match here today. Rahane said his side played as a unit and praised opening batsman Rahul Tripathi (80 not out) and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (4/16) for playing key roles in the win. "I am happy and every captain and team management wants that in difficult situations team members should stand up and perform. It was a perfect night for us where we played as a team," Rahane said after the match. "We know Rahul is a quality player and we back him. We know he can play under pressure. He did not play well in his last few innings but he has tremendous talent. I think he will go up from here. His innings and also the little cameo from Heinrich Klaasen (32 off 21 balls) in middle overs where it is difficult to bat were magnificent efforts." Talking about Gopal, Rahane said, "He really bowled well. He was bowling with good momentum. With ...
Buffon bids tearful farewell to Juventus
Italy great Gianluigi Buffon played his final game for Juventus today before tearfully exiting after a trophy-laden 17-year career in a 2-1 win over already relegated Verona. Buffon -- who had captained Juventus to a seventh straight Serie A title and fourth consecutive Italian Cup triumph this season -- took his final bow midway through the second half. It was the 656th game for the evergreen 40-year-old who arrived in Turin in 2001 from Parma for a then world record 52 million euros fee. The goalkeeper and captain was substituted by coach Massimiliano Allegri are 63 minutes to take an ovation before 40,000 emotional Juventus fans many with their eyes brimming with tears. Juventus were two goals up thanks to Daniele Rugani after 49 minutes and Miralem Pjanic three minutes later when Buffon came off the pitch. He hugged all his teammates, on the field and on the bench, and then left the sidelines. Goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio made his Serie A debut between the posts but Alessio Cerci ...
Ukranian GM grabs sole lead in chess meet
Ukrainian Adam Tukhaev defeated overnight leader Ivan Rosum of Russia to snatch the lead with 5.5 points in the 6th round of the LIC 3rd Kolkata International Grandmaster Chess Tournament here today. Exciting battles proved to be the order of the day, as top-seed Nigel Short and Kolkata Grandmasters Sandipan Chanda and Deep Sengupta showed their fighting prowess with crucial victories over their respective opponents, as eight players followed the leader with five points apiece. For all his controlled play in the tournament so far, Rozum with black conducted the game with uncharacteristic dynamism on the top board, and it became a struggle from an irregular variation in the Caro-Kann defence. After Tukhaev's exchange sacrifice did not seem to yield any advantage, as Rozum blundered his rook on the 43rd move to hand the game over to white. In an event dominated by strategic chess on the top boards so far, Short decided to hunt down Vietnamese Grandmaster Tran Tuan's king in the ...
SRH bowlers restrict KKR to 172/9 after brisk start
Young medium pacer Prasidh Krishna's three wickets in the last over was the highlight of Kolkata Knight Riders' fine comeback as they restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 172 for nine in their Indian Premier League match here tonight. Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored for the hosts with 50 off 39 balls, while skipper Kane Williamson blazed away to 36 in just 17, hitting three sixes in the process. But KKR, who need a win in their crucial last league game to make the play-offs on their own, staged a fightback as SRH managed just 45 runs in the last 7.1 overs after Williamson's dismissal. The hosts, who have already qualified for the play-offs, were past the 100-run mark in the 11th over. The 22-year-old Prasidh was the most successful bowler, returning exceptional figures of 4/30 in four overs. Despite the last collapse, Sunrisers have still got to their highest score batting first at home this season. The Sunrisers were off to a brisk start as Dhawan and Shreevats Goswami (35) added 79 ...
Buffon bids farewell to Juventus in 2-1 win over Hellas Verona
Juventus' iconic Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon played his last game with the Serie A champions on Saturday, defeating the already relegated Hellas Verona 2-1.
Controversy over sexist Argentine manual put to rest: World Cup organisers
The CEO of the Local Organising Committee for the 2018 World Cup in Russia said that the Argentine football federation (AFA) had apologised for a sexist chapter included in a manual given out to players, staff and journalists and that the controversy had been put to rest.
Nadal beats Djokovic, to seek 8th Italian Open title in final
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, the World No. 2, beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Saturday, and is to seek his eighth Italian Open title in the final.
Indian pugilists to train in Italy, Ireland for Asiad
Eyeing a strong show at the upcoming Asian Games, the Indian men and women boxers will be training in Ireland and Italy respectively, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) announced on Saturday.
Golfer Catlin on track at Asia-Pacific Classic
John Catlin of the United States is on course to win his maiden Asian Tour title after carding a three-under-par 69 to stay in the lead at the $300,000 Asia-Pacific Classic golf tournament here.
Needed to strengthen middle order in coming IPL seasons: Kohli
A dejected Virat Kohli vowed to come back with a stronger middle order in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season after his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was shown the door from the ongoing edition with a 30-run loss to Rajasthan Royals here on Saturday.
Mary Kom-led Indian boxers to train in Italy, Ireland for Asian Games
The legendary M C Mary Kom will lead a star-studded Indian women's boxing team's training stint in Italy as part of preparation for the upcoming Asian Games. India's top boxers began their preparation for the Asiad in earnest, with the women's team leaving for Italy last night and the men's squad setting off for Ireland tomorrow. The Boxing Federation of India has drawn out a three-month calendar that will see its boxers get extensive training in foreign camps, besides participation in key tournaments to be battle ready for the big continental games. The women pugilists will be training at the elite Olympic Performance Training Centre, alongside top women boxers from Finland, Romania, Italy and Montenegro who are already preparing there for the EUBC Women's European Boxing Championships. The squad is led by India's most accomplished boxer, Mary Kom (48 kg), with Monika (48 kg), Sarjubala Devi and Pinki Rani (both 51 kg), Meena Maisnam (54 kg). Also in the team are two-time Asian ...
Lahiri cards 67 despite missing putts in Round 2, lies 20th
India's Anirban Lahiri shot a four-under 67 in the second round to make the cut comfortably in tied 20th place at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championships golf tournament here. Marc Leishman, who had his best PGA Tour career round on the first day at 10-under 61, added a 5-under 66 and broke Tiger Woods' 36-hole record, while World No 3 Jordan Spieth, the highest world ranked star, was eight shots behind. Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion and two-time AT&T Byron Nelson winner, missed the cut at 1-under. The second round 67 was Lahiri's best since a similar score in the third round of the Genesis Open in February earlier this year. Curiously, Lahiri has had only four rounds in 60s in 10 starts in 2018 and this was his fifth. Lahiri had five birdies and one bogey, right at the finish line on 18th, which left a bitter taste. His last four holes alone could have had him at least three shots better, if not four. A tenth tee starter, Lahiri missed a 14-footer for birdie on sixth, .
Ronaldo voted Man United's best-ever EPL player
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted Manchester United's greatest English Premier League (EPL) player by the supporters of the former European champions, a report said.