Page 1619 - Sports
Svitolina off the mark in Rome, Sharapova battles through rain
Defending champion Elina Svitolina eased into the third round of the WTA Italian Open as three-time winner Maria Sharapova needed a marathon three sets to get past Australian Ashleigh Barty. Svitolina, the fourth seed, received a first round bye and dropped just three games in a dominant 6-1 6-2 victory over 35th-ranked Petra Martic last night. The 23-year-old Ukrainian won the biggest clay court title of her career last year at the Foro Italico. And she continued where she left off despite the rainy conditions, needing just over an hour to peg back her Croatian rival. By contrast, Sharapova needed two and a half hours to master 18th-ranked Barty 7-5 3-6 6-2 in their first round match. "It was tough, tough conditions," said 40th-ranked Sharapova, who reached the quarter-finals in Madrid last week. "It felt like I was playing three different matches. "There was a long wait and the way the court played, the way she played, the shadows, the little bit of a breeze out there. So, a lot ...
Peru skipper Guerrero hits out at doping ban 'injustice'
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has hit out the "injustice" of a 14-month doping ban that has ended his dream of appearing at the World Cup in Russia. "I'm a victim of injustice," said Guerrero here yesterday, a day after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland increased a six-month ban for testing positive for traces of cocaine to 14 months. "I didn't expect it, I'm sad I won't be playing. They've taken my dream away from me." Guerrero, who plays as a striker for Brazilian giants Flamengo, had been included in Peru's preliminary 25-man World Cup squad announced on Sunday. But less than a week after he attended a CAS hearing in Lausanne hoping to totally annul a six-month suspension, world sport's top arbitration court increased his sentence to 14 months. Not only is Guerrero ruled out of the World Cup, but the emblematic skipper will be sidelined until January 2019. "I'm sad but I've come here to face things, because there have been a lot of rumours. I'm a victim of ...
Atletico coach Simeone expects great Europa League final against Marseille
Atletico Madrid's Argentine head coach Diego Simeone on Tuesday said he expects a great Europa League final against Olympique de Marseille here on Wednesday.
Sharapova kicks off Italian Open with victory over Barty
Three-time Italian Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia on Tuesday battled past Australia's 16th-seeded Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, in the first round of this year's tourney here.
KKR defeat RR, now one win away from play offs
Kolkata Knight Riders are now just one win away from qualifying for Indian Premier League's playoffs after they defeated Rajasthan Royals by six wickets, at Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday.The KKR chased down the target of 143 with two overs to spare and six wickets in hand. Dinesh Karthik-led team started off brilliantly as their opener Sunil Narine (21) hammered 20 runs in the first over itself, hitting two sixes and two fours.However, it could not take his bamboozling knock further as he felled to a Ben Stokes delivery in the second over.Chris Lynn (45) then took the reins of the innings after the departure of Narine.Though he did not get much support from the other end as Robina Uthappa (4), too, did not stay for long in the middle for long, the Australian batsman, first with Nitish Rana and then with Karthik, took the team past 100 in the 14th over.He, however, could not finish the game as he too got out to Stokes delivery in the 16th over.But, by that time, KKR was at
IPL: KKR edge closer to playoffs with easy win against Royals
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sharpened their chances of a playoff berth with a convincing six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.
Kuldeep sets up KKR's 6-wicket win over RR
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav starred with an impressive four-wicket spell as he set up Kolkata Knight Riders to a comfortable six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here today. Kuldeep (4/20) flummoxed Rajasthan Royals batsmen with his wrist spin as the visitors were bowled out for 142 from 19 overs after being sent into bat. KKR chased down the small target with two overs to spare with Chris Lynn top-scoring with a 42-ball 45 while skipper Dinesh Karthik remaining not out on 41 off 31 deliveries. Karthik took his side home with a six as KKR reached 145 for 4 in 18 overs. Sunil Narine played a typical but brief explosive innings of 21 off just seven balls at the top of the innings to lay the foundation of the successful run chase. Except for Narine, all the KKR batsmen chose to bat in business like fashion, shunning extravagance and looking for loose deliveries for boundaries. With the win, KKR kept themselves in the hunt for a play-offs ...
Pakistan beat Ireland by 5 wickets in historic Test
Ireland started their Test journey with a five-wicket loss to Pakistan, who rode on sedate knocks from debutant Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam to eventually romp home without much hiccups on the final day of the historic Test here on Tuesday.
Basilashvili beats Baldi, to face Djokovic in Italian Open 2nd round
Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili on Tuesday defeated Filippo Baldi of Italy 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Italian Open here.
River Plate beat San Lorenzo, finish 8th in Superliga
River Plate beat San Lorenzo 2-0 in the last round of Superliga Argentina, finishing a disappointing 8th in the standings, 13 points behind champions Boca Juniors.
Moscow makes 'exception', issues visa to reporter who revealed doping programme
Moscow bowed to pressure from Berlin on Tuesday and granted a Russia World Cup entry visa to a German reporter who broke the story on its alleged state-sponsored doping programme. Hajo Seppelt became a pariah in Moscow after his documentaries on cheating among Russian athletes led to the country being banned from last winter's Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. Seppelt was denied a visa to enter Russia last Friday, a decision the German government labelled on Monday as "wrong". But talks between Berlin and Moscow have since prompted a change of heart from the World Cup hosts and Seppelt will now be allowed to enter Russia after government officials "made an exception to the rule". "His visit for the World Cup is now possible because we made an exception to the rule," said a Russian embassy spokesman. "His exclusion was stipulated specifically for the FIFA World Cup." FIFA, football's world ruling body, used the occasion to stress the importance of media freedoms to President Vladimir ...
Cornet escapes ban for three doping test no shows
French tennis player Alize Cornet has escaped a possible ban for missing three doping tests, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed today. One of Cornet's lawyers, Alexis Gramblat, had earlier told AFP that an independent tribunal "found that on the third occasion, the tester had not made every reasonable effort to find her". The information was confirmed by an ITF press release. The ITF has 21 days to appeal. After that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and French Anti-Doping Agency have another 21 days to appeal if they so wish. Gramblat said Cornet, 28, was "delighted" and will be able to play in the Strasbourg tournament next week and, above all, at the French Open, which starts on May 27. He explained that when the tester rang the bell at Cornet's block of flats in Cannes on October 24, "Alize could hear nothing because her intercom was broken". Gramblat said the tester waited and when other residents emerged she could have found out which was Cornet's door, gone ..
Imam-ul-Haq sees Pakistan to victory over Test debutants Ireland
Pakistan debutant Imam-ul-Haq saw his side to victory as Ireland's first match in men's Test cricket ended in a gallant last-day defeat by five wickets at Malahide today. Pakistan, set a seemingly modest 160 to win, after earlier making Ireland follow-on, collapsed to 14 for three before lunch on the fifth day. But 22-year-old left-handed opener Imam, the nephew of Pakistan selection chief and former Test batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, responded to the pressure with 74 not out -- his maiden fifty at this level. Together with Babar Azam, who made 59 after being dropped on nine, he kept Ireland at bay during a fourth-wicket stand of 126. Imam hit the winning runs as grey clouds threatening rain hung over Malahide. Victory was a good way for Pakistan to prepare for the first of a two-Test series against England at Lord's starting on May 24. Just four balls into their chase, Pakistan saw Azhar Ali edge Tim Murtagh to Paul Stirling at first slip. Haris Sohail (seven) fell next, well taken in the .
IPL: Kuldeep four-for helps KKR restrict Royals to 142
Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav scalped four wickets to help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) recover from a Powerplay blitz by Rajasthan Royals (RR) openers and skittle them out for 142 in 19 overs in a crunch Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.
Kuldeep stars as KKR bowl out RR for 142
Kuldeep Yadav's magical four-wicket spell flummoxed Rajasthan Royals as Kolkata Knight Riders brilliantly turned it around with a superb bowling show to bundle out the visitors for 142 in their IPL fixture here today. Sent in, RR were looking ominous at 59 for no loss after four overs, already their highest inside the powerplay, before the home side triggered a batting collapse on the visitors in the middle overs by taking six wickets for 31 runs. With none of their middle-order batsmen showing any fight, it would have been worse for RR but No. 8 Jaydev Unadkat struck 26 from 18 balls (3x4, 1x6) before Prasidh Krishna dismissed him to end the innings in the 19th over. The India chinaman spinner had a nightmarish outing in their last game here, leaking 43 runs in three overs against Mumbai Indians but it was a different evening today as he turned it around with the season's best show of 4/20. Shouldering extra responsibility in the absence of an injured Piyush Chawla (side strain), ...
Vantika upsets two-time national champion Karthikeyan in chess meet
Teenaged Women International Master Vantika Agarwal of Delhi provided the biggest sensation of the ongoing Kolkata International Grandmaster Open Chess tournament when she defeated two-time national champion and Grandmaster Murali Karthikeyan of ONGC in the second round at the Newtown School here.
WIM Vantika shocks GM Karthikeyan in Kolkata Open chess
Women International Master Vantika Agarwal of Delhi sprang the biggest surprise of the day defeating two-time national champion and Grandmaster Murali Karthikeyan of ONGC in the second round of the LIC Kolkata International Grandmaster Open Chess tournament here today. The other big upset of the round came from a player at the opposite end of the age spectrum as 55-year-old veteran International Master D V Prasad of Indian Oil Corporation defeated GM Deepan Chakkravarthy of Integral Coach Factory. The top seeded Nigel Short, however, didn't break any sweat as he made short work of Women International Master Vaishali in just 21 moves to keep a full score. Thus, he kept his evening free enough to attend to his other passion of Cricket by leaving for Kolkata Knight Riders' clash against Rajasthan Royals late in the evening. 29 players have a full score of two points from as many rounds, as the battle intensified with seven more rounds left. Former World Junior champion GM Abhijeet Gupta .
Atletico's Griezmann praises coach Simeone, excited for Europa League final
Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann on Tuesday said he owed a lot to his Argentine head coach Diego Simeone, stressing his role in developing the club and the footballers.
Dublin, May 15 (AFP) Completed scoreboard on the fifth day of a one-off Test between Ireland and Pakistan at Malahide today:
Completed scoreboard on the fifth day of a one-off Test between Ireland and Pakistan at Malahide today: Pakistan 1st Innings 310-9 dec Ireland 1st Innings 130 Ireland 2nd Innings (following-on, overnight: 319-7) E. Joyce run out (Faheem Ashraf) 43 W. Porterfield c Sarfraz Ahmed b Mohammad Amir 32 A. Balbirnie lbw b Mohammad Abbas 0 N. O'Brien b Mohammad Amir 18 P. Stirling lbw b Mohammad Abbas 11 K. O'Brien c Haris Sohail b Mohammad Abbas 118 G. Wilson c Haris Sohail b Mohammad Amir 12 S. Thompson b Shadab Khan 53 T. Kane b Mohammad Abbas 14 B. Rankin b Mohammad Abbas 6 T. Murtagh not out 5 Extras (B-1, LB-20, NB-2, W-4) 27 Total (all out, 129.3 overs) 339 Fall of wickets: 1-69, 2-69, 3-94, 4-95, 5-127, 6-157, 7-271, 8-321, 9-332, 10-339 Bowling: Amir 29.2-9-63-3; Abbas 28.3-10-66-5; Rahat 23-3-75-0; Faheem 18-3-51-0; Shadab 30.4-7-63-1 Pakistan 2nd Innings (target: 160) Azhar Ali c Stirling b Murtagh 2 Imam-ul-Haq not out 74 Haris Sohail c Joyce b Rankin 7 Asad Shafiq b ...
England recall Buttler for first Test vs Pakistan
England selectors on Tuesday gave a surprise recall to explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to the Test squad for the first Test against Pakistan at Lords, starting on May 24.