Page 1637 - Sports
Lajovic stuns Del Potro at Madrid Open, reaches 1st Masters 1000 quarters
Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic rallied from a set down to upset Argentine world No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in third-round action at the Madrid Open and book a place in the quarter-finals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event for the first time.
Nadal tops Schwartzman at Madrid Open, breaks McEnroe's record
Spanish world No. 1 Rafael Nadal defeated Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-fought baseline battle here to advance to the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.
Kvitova beats Kasatkina, moves to semis of Madrid Open
Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova eliminated Russian Daria Kasatkina in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open 6-2, 6-0 and progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Constant public scrutiny of my personal life uncomfortable: Virat Kohli (IANS Interview)
From the time he was dating actress Anushka Sharma to his wedding in Italy and even now -- months after the two tied the knot -- prying paparazzi and public scrutiny of Virat Kohli's life has not stopped. India's cricket captain and the icon of the country's youth says it can get uncomfortable, but he is learning to deal with it.
Nadal, Thiem to resume clay-court rivalry in Madrid quarterfinals
World number one Rafael Nadal and Austria's Dominic Thiem will renew their clay-court rivalry when they lock horns in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open here on Friday.Yesterday, the Spaniard tennis maestro snapped John McEnroe's 49-set winning streak on the carpet in 1984 during the third round of the men's singles event in Madrid Arena.Nadal eased past Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 to not only book his place in the last-eight of the tournament but also clinched his 21st consecutive win on clay.The top-seed has now improved his consecutive sets won on clay streak to 50 and now, he will face Thiem, who produced a spirited performance to sweep aside Croatia's Borna Coric 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.Nadal, who headed into the tournament on the back of 11th Barcelona Open title and 11th Madrid Open title, is bidding to make it to the semifinals of the Madrid Masters for the sixth straight year.Nadal and Thiem had previously met each other eight times, with the Spanish star clinching
Gary Kirsten Cricket scouts 6 finalists in Delhi for personalised training
The one-day talent scout conducted by Gary Kirsten Cricket in the national capital saw the selection of six promising candidates for further training.Held at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, the talent hunt was overseen by former Indian coach Kirsten, his head coach Ryan Van Niekerk and his team of assistant coaches.This is the third of the nation-wide talent scout planned by Gary Kirsten Cricket-- online private cricket coaching and academy-- in the months of April and May.The hunt was held in Mumbai (April 23rd and 24th) followed by Bangalore (April 28 and 29) and will continue in Chennai (May 14-15) and Pune (May 21).Six players from each city will be invited to Pune for a weekend training programme in July at the newly-launched Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy.Following this, three players out of 36, will be given a scholarship for a two-month residential High-Performance Camp worth Rs 2 lakh each.India's World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten will be exchanging notes with his team on the .
Lahiri opens with solid 69 to be T-27th; Dustin in six-way lead
Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri shot a solid 3-under 69 to be Tied-27th even as the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass yielded a lot of low scores on the opening day of the PLAYERS Championships here. While six players including the World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 and shared the lead with five others, another six players were a shot behind at T-7th. However, despite a lot of low scores, some big names struggled and that lot included Phil Mickelson (79), Jordan Spieth (75), Rickie Fowler (74) and Justin Thomas (73) among others. Amidst this Tiger Woods (72) salvaged his round with a closing eagle on the ninth and he was Tied-69th. The leaderboard was crowded with low scores as 14 others shot 4-under to be T-13 and another dozen players, including, Lahiri, carded 3-under to be T-27th. Lahiri, who exited last year with a disastrous 10 on the final Par-4 18th in the second round, got some revenge with a birdie on it. He had six birdies against three bogeys and was ...
Lacklustre Man Utd seal second with stalemate at West Ham
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho refused to criticise his side despite another display lacking inspiration in attacking areas as they sealed second place in the Premier League with a 0-0 draw at West Ham on Thursday. In a game of precious few clear-cut chances, Luke Shaw hit the post and Paul Pogba headed wide with United's best opening. A third blank in their last five league games for United means local rivals Manchester City can seal another Premier League record by winning the league by at least 19 points if they win at Southampton on the last day of the season on Sunday. "We are the second best team in the Premier League, a fantastic competition with lots of good teams," said Mourinho. "We came second. I am not totally happy (because) that is not my nature, but since the moment we felt it was impossible to finish first, we had the target to finish second and it is done today." In United's first game since legendary former manager Alex Ferguson had to have emergency surgery
Serena signs on for WTA in San Jose
Former world number one Serena Williams will open her summer hardcourt season at the WTA tournament in San Jose, California, July 30-August 5. "I am looking forward to opening my summer season at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic and competing in the new venue," Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, said in a statement posted on the tournament website. "This tournament plays an historic role in women's tennis, and as a California native the fans in the Bay Area have always been incredibly supportive." The tournament formerly known as the Bank of the West Classic and held in Stanford, California, is moving to the campus of San Jose State University this year. Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and defending champion and US Open finalist Madison Keys have also committed to play in the event that is part of the build up to the US Open. On Wednesday, the 36-year-old Williams pulled out of next week's Italian Open in Rome, a tournament she has won four times. That followed .
Clock ticking on Hamburg's Bundesliga future
Fallen German giants Hamburg could be relegated from the Bundesliga's top-flight for the first time in their history on Saturday. A clock in their Volksparkstadion proudly displays how long Hamburg have been in the Bundesliga -- they are the only ever-presents since the division was founded in 1963. The now mighty Bayern Munich were only a second-division club back then. But Hamburg's proud record is now in serious danger. Lying second from bottom after taking just 28 points from 33 games, the club must beat Borussia Moenchengladbach at home on the final day of the season and hope Wolfsburg, who are one place and two points above them, lose at home to already-relegated Cologne. "In mathematical terms, the chance is low, but in football, an awful lot is possible," Hamburg coach Christian Titz said defiantly. "Lots of people in Hamburg will be Cologne fans on Saturday. "The problem is, we could do our homework, get the win and still it might not be enough." So desperate are Hamburg fans
Nadal breaks McEnroe record with 50th consecutive set win
Rafael Nadal won his 50th consecutive set on clay on Thursday to break John McEnroe's 34-year record and beat Diego Schwartzman at the Madrid Open. Nadal's comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory moves him into the quarter-finals in the Spanish capital and means he sets a new Open era best for the longest streak of victorious sets on a single surface. McEnroe's 49-set winning streak on carpet in 1984 included him clinching the Madrid Indoor Open title and Nadal may well be about to follow suit. He will play Austria's Dominic Thiem on Friday for a place in the last four. Nadal had insisted before the match this latest milestone had barely crossed his mind but if nothing else, it is testament to the 31-year-old's relentless consistency over the past 12 months. The run includes tournament triumphs in Barcelona, Monte Carlo and last year's French Open, where he will be the clear favourite later this month to claim a 17th major crown. Schwartzman, ranked 16th in the world, briefly threatened a ...
Barca visit in-form Levante with unbeaten season on the line
Barcelona may have navigated their way past Real Madrid and Villarreal this week but their first ever unbeaten La Liga season is not quite over the line yet. Ernesto Valverde's side visit Levante on Sunday, whose lowly position of 16th betrays a late surge in form, which has included four consecutive victories and only one defeat in their last 10 games. Barca are clear favourites. They held on for a 2-2 draw at home to Real on Sunday, even after Sergi Roberto was sent off at the end of the first half, before thrashing sixth-placed Villarreal 5-1 on Wednesday. But if those two games have caused any fatigue, or even complacency, among Spain's league and cup winners, Levante could be primed to take advantage. When Paco Lopez replaced Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz as coach at the start of March, Levante had won only one of their last 22 games. Since he took charge, only Atletico Madrid have played them and tasted victory. "It was important to change the dynamics but I don't know what changed so .
Rohit Thakur to represent India in Roland Garros e-Series in Paris
Mumbai's Rohit Thakur will represent India in Roland Garros e-Series- the eSports counterpart of the French Open to be held in Paris.The tournament is organised by BNP Paribas in association with the FFT.The unique format of the qualification for the tournament makes the achievement of Thakur a remarkable one.For the first time, the qualifier for an international tournament was held on a demo version of a game.Surprisingly, none of the participants had played Tennis World Tour - the game in question - before, but it didn't stop tennis fans from different parts of the country to fly in for a chance to represent their country on the hallowed grounds of Roland-Garros.The full version of Tennis World Tour game will be released on May 22.Thakur was ecstatic with his splendid victory and said that it is a proud moment for him to represent India at the global finale in Paris."I am good in real-life sports and I try to bring that to the virtual world. I was waiting for a tennis game to be in .
IPL: Pant's ton in vain as Sunrisers thrash Daredevils by 9 wickets
Rishabh Pant's valiant century went in vain as Sunrisers Hyderabad made light work of Delhi Daredevils' challenging 187/5 to romp home by nine wickets and consolidate their stay at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table.
Dhawan, Williamson take Sunrsiers to IPL plays-off after Pant special
Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson shared an unbeaten 176-run stand to overshadow a breathtaking hundred from Rishbah Pant as Sunrisers Hyderabad sailed into the Indian Premier League play-offs with a commanding nine-wicket victory over Delhi Daredevils here tonight. Delhi's 187 for five was a challenging target but Dhawan (92 not out off 50 balls) and captain Williamson (83 not out off 53) ensured Sunrisers sauntered home in 18.5 overs. The experienced duo was a delight to watch as it completed the chase with utmost calm. Sunrisers' brilliant performance came after Pant's maiden IPL hundred, an epic 128 not out off 63 balls which was not enough to arrest his team's slide. With just six points from 11 games, Delhi are now certain to make another early exit from the tournament. Sunrisers, who lead the table with 18 points from 11 games, showed tonight that they could not just defend small totals but also chase down stiff targets. Dhawan, due for a big score, rose to the occasion with .
Rooney agrees 'deal in principle' to move to MLS: reports
Wayne Rooney has agreed a "deal in principle" to join Major League Soccer side DC United from Premier League club Everton, reports said today. It has been suggested a ?12.5 million ($17 million) deal has been agreed that could see the 32-year-old leave his boyhood club just 12 months after rejoining them from Manchester United. Reports say Rooney has been offered a contract until the end of the 2020 season, although the MLS transfer window does not open until July. DC United are currently rock-bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference table with five points from seven games. Earlier this week, Everton manager Sam Allardyce said he wanted England's and Manchester United's record goalscorer to see out the final year of his contract next season. "There have been rumours about Wayne going abroad, China or America. It would have to be massive for him to want leave Everton," the Toffees boss told talkSPORT. Allardyce and Rooney have had their differences and the player's show of dissent when ...
'It's not easy to say goodbye' says Wenger as Arsenal exit looms
Arsene Wenger admits his long goodbye from Arsenal has been a bittersweet experience as he prepares to finally say farewell on Sunday. The Frenchman will take charge of Arsenal for the last time as his 22-year reign comes to an end with the Gunners' Premier League clash at Huddersfield this weekend. The 68-year-old has been on a prolonged farewell tour since Arsenal announced on April 20 that he had agreed to part ways with the north London club following another troubled season. Wenger has tried to stay focused on football, but he conceded it hasn't always been easy amid all the nostalgia triggered by his impending departure. "I enjoyed some aspects of it, yes - and not all," Wenger said during his final pre-match press conference at Arsenal's training base on Thursday. "It was not always easy to cut slowly with what you do everyday and always you want to do it as well as you can and you don't want to forget to thank people who deserve it. "There are some people here who I employed ..
Pliskova stuns top seed Halep in Madrid Open quarters
Czech sixth seed Karolina Pliskova on Thursday stunned world No.1 Simona Halep 6-4, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open, halting the Romanian's winning streak in the tournament at 15 matches.
Footballers' union warns FIFA plans could harm players
The professional footballers' union (FIFPro) today expressed their concern over the impact on the health of their members should FIFA plan to add or enlarge international tournaments. "In the light of the current discussions, it would be remiss if FIFPro did not explore the impact of these proposals on players," Bobby Barnes, president of FIFPro Europe, said in a meeting in Serbia. Gianni Infantino, the president of world football's governing body, is pushing to revamp the Club World Cup, boosting it from seven clubs to 24 in a four-year format rather than retaining it as an annual event. At the same time, he is working to create a biennial tournament for countries, the Global Nations League, grouping eight teams including the winners of international competitions in each of FIFA's regional confederations. Infantino has said a group of investors has guaranteed up to $25 billion (20.9 billion euros) for these two competitions. Barnes, a former striker who played in the English and ...
Athletic Bilbao head coach Ziganda to leave at season-end
Basque football club Athletic Bilbao president Josu Urrutia announced on Thursday that head coach Jose 'Cuco' Angel Ziganda will depart at the end of the season, a move that was widely expected after the team's poor performance in the La Liga.