Page 1919 - Sports
NZ Open: Todd, Kodai, Nisbet take lead
American golfer Jarin Todd fired a nine-under-par 62 to share the first round honours with Japans Tatsuya Kodai and Australias Daniel Nisbet at the New Zealand Open here on Thursday.
Delhi Dynamos target hat-trick of wins at home
Delhi Dynamos FC will look to extend their winning run at home when they lock horns with FC Pune City in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) here tomorrow. Having fallen out of the race for the top four early in the season, Dynamos can now only hope to end on a high when they welcome FC Pune City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Delhi are unbeaten in their last five games and have won back-to-back against ATK and Mumbai City FC at home. Portugal will be looking to complete a hat-trick against FC Pune City, who have already made it to the playoffs. "The mood in the team is very good after the wins. But now we need to play again to win," Portugal said about his team's recent form at the pre-match media interaction. The Spanish tactician put the onus on the opposition saying his team will be under no pressure. "We'll be playing to be happy. Pune needs to win the game," he said. In the reverse fixture between the two teams, which was Delhi's first game of the season, Portugals men ...
Zverev in Mexico Open quarters
Germany's Alexander Zverev beat his compatriot Peter Gojowczyk in straight sets to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Mexico Open here.
Next goal is to prepare back-up for WC: Bowling coach Arun
His significant contribution in creating a pool of quality speedsters cannot be ignored and India's bowling coach Bharat Arun is already focussed on his next goal -- preparing the talented back-up pacers keeping an eye on the 2019 World Cup in England. The team management have already got their core pacers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah as far as the limited overs format is concerned. Arun, along with head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli, will be looking to at least have three more back-up options in place. "Yes, the Sri Lanka T20 Tri-series will give us ample opportunity to test the bench strength of our pace bowling unit. We have two world class operators in Bhuvi and Bumrah but we have also created a good pool. The pacers (Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat) who are going to Sri Lanka will be looking forward to grabbing the opportunity," Arun told PTI. "Since we have a long season ahead, we have to be ready for any injury or fitness issues. ...
I-League:We've proven we belong here, says Neroca FC coach
At the start of the season no one would have held out a candle saying Neroca FC will be vying for the I-League title,but it has been one of those seasons where fancied teams are playing catch up to unexpected pacesetters.The team according to coach Gift Raikhan has 'proven we belong here' in the top tier of Indian Football."As a new team in the League, we took it as a challenge to put up our best front. I think we have justified our promotion to the I-League. We have proven we belong here," Gift mentioned in one breath.Any new journey will bring its own set of challenges, but what counts is how you respond to them. Gift's boys stood up tall and how. "What we did in the 2nd division is in the past. The I-League is a different ball game. You have to live in the present and take each day as it comes.""Yes it is the top tier but you can't let yourselves be bogged down by the occasion. Then you are doomed from the start," he cautioned.With nine wins and four draws from their 17 matches so .
No team can be taken lightly in hockey WC: India coach
As the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced the schedule for the 2018 hockey World Cup, India head coach Sjoerd Marijne emphasised on the importance of winning every single match."It is the World Cup and every team will come with the intention of winning. So, we can never say we are in a favorable pool or a tough pool. We need to respect every opponent and World Rankings don't matter in a World Cup. We need to focus on ourselves and ensure we win every single match if we want to win the Cup," stated Marijne.India is grouped in Pool C with South Africa, Canada and Olympic Silver Medalists Belgium for the World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16.India will start the tournament with their opening match against South Africa on November 28 and will play their second match on December 2 against Belgium.The hosts will play Canada, against whom they had lost 2-3 in the Hockey World League Semi Final in London last year, in their last Pool C match on ...
BCCI's refusal leaves Pakistan tournament in doubt
The BCCI's refusal to send its team to the Asia Emerging Nations Cup scheduled in Pakistan this April has put a question mark on the tournament's organisation in the country. An official in the Pakistan Cricket Board said that since India was not willing to send its team to Pakistan, the Asia Emerging Nations Cup could be shifted to either Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. "We agreed to host the event in April this year on the understanding that all nations would participate in it," he said. PCB chairman Najam Sethi told the media in Dubai that as head of the Asian Cricket Council, he would soon be calling a meeting of the ACC in Colombo to take final decisions on the Asia Emerging Nations Cup and Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India in September. He said Pakistans participation in the Asia Cup in India was also subject to conditions. India has steadfastly refused to play Pakistan in a bilateral series since the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. And even in the ICC and ACC forums, it has been ..
Tanwar wins trial, makes case for CWG selection
World youth bronze-medallist Naman Tanwar today upstaged Asian silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan in the heavyweight (91kg) category trials to strengthen his case for selection in India's boxing squad for next month's Commonwealth Games. Tanwar, who took to boxing for weight management, got the better of his decorated rival in the trial held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had decided to conduct trials for only the 91kg and 52kg categories and selected the rest of the six male boxers for CWG on the basis of a points system put in place before the national championships last year. Both Tanwar and Olympian Sangwan had claimed bronze medals at the India Open in January. The 20-year-old Tanwar had earlier claimed a gold medal and the Best Boxer award at the Galym Zharylgapov Tournament in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Even though Tanwar won today's trial, his selection for CWG would be confirmed only after India's World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash ...
Sawhney, Sardana grab final qualification spots
Golfers Aman Sawhney Handicap Category A (0-17) and Manav Sardana - Handicap Category B (18-24) qualified for the National Finals of Mercedes Trophy 2018 on day 3 of the Gurugram leg qualifier here. Aman and Manav clinched the final two qualification spots available from the leg by carding a nett. score of 70.6 and 72 respectively. The Mercedes Trophy 2018 has so far seen 37 qualifiers including today who will be competing in the National Finals to be played at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune from 4 to 6 April. The best Gross Winner of the day was Kumar Binit with an excellent round of 78 and there were a host of other prizes on offer to be won on the day. Prominent winners included Phulbag Singh Sodi who won the Ballantines Long Drive Challenge with a mammoth drive of 320 yards. Rakesh Singh won the Mercedes-Benz Closest to Pin contest on hole no. 5 by landing the ball at 8.7 ft. from the pin. In the Mercedes Benz Closest to Pin in Two Shots, Nikhil Agarwal landed the ball at 0.7 ...
Golfers Sawhney, Sardana qualify for national finals
Aman Sawhney and Manav Sardana have qualified for the national finals of the Mercedes Trophy golf meet, it was announced on Thursday.
ICC to televise WC Qualifer matches for first time ever
The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 will be televised to fans for the first-time ever, across five continents in 200 territories, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said"Ten matches will be broadcast around the globe, significantly building on the four live-streamed match coverage previously seen at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in 2014 as the ICC continues to build its long-term partnerships with various broadcast partners to widen the reach of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier," the ICC statement read.Fans can also watch online or via their mobile devices with the majority of broadcast partners simulcasting live ICC event coverage.Commentary of the 19 camera coverage will come from a stellar seven person commentary panel - Ian Bishop, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Lisa Sthalekar, Deep Dasgupta, Fazeer Mohammed, Mark Butcher and Dirk Nannes.Reflecting on the same, West Indies legend Ian Bishop said,"The phenomenal rise of Afghanistan as a cricketing stronghold in such a short .
Fabio Fognini reaches Brazil Open quarterfinals Fabio Fognini
Second-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy beat Joao Domingues of Portugal 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the Brazil Open quarterfinals. Fognini will face Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 winner over eighth-seeded Federico Delbonis of Argentina. Third-seeded defending champion Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and fifth-seeded Leonardo Mayer of Argentina set up another quarterfinal in the clay-court event. Cuevas beat Austria's Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 7-6 (4), and Mayer topped Argentine countryman Carlos Berlocq 7-5, 6-4.
Thiem sets showdown with del Potro
Third-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem powered into the quarter-finals of the Mexican Open in Acapulco on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over rising Canadian star Denis Shapovalov. Thiem, the 2016 champion in Acapulco, didn't face a break point in his 75 minutes on court against the 18-year-old Canadian as he set up a last-eight clash with former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. "I'm very happy because everybody knows how good he can play and how dangerous he is," Thiem said of Shapovalov. "I was really on from the first point. Today was almost perfect." Argentina's del Potro, the sixth seed, needed three sets to get past Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Second-seeded German Alexandr Zverev had to battle through the first set en route to a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory over compatriot Peter Gojowczyk. "The first set was very tough, but I played with confidence and after winning the tie-break I was able to do things better," Zverev said. South Korean Chung Hyeon, a surprise ...
Di Maria double sinks Marseille to soften Neymar blow
Angel Di Maria grabbed two goals as Paris Saint-Germain downed fierce rivals Marseille 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the French Cup semi-finals, hours after the club confirmed Neymar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot. The Argentina international replaced the injured Neymar in the starting line-up at the Parc des Princes and struck the opening goal in first-half stoppage time. Di Maria added a second shortly after the interval before Edinson Cavani wrapped up a second 3-0 victory over Marseille in four days, following Sunday's home league win that came at a heavy cost. PSG announced shortly before kick-off that Neymar, the world's most expensive player, would travel to Brazil for an operation at the end of the week after suffering a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The club said that Rodrigo Lasmar, the surgeon with the Brazilian national squad, will perform the surgery, with Neymar expected to miss between six to eight weeks, according to his ...
Del Potro beats Ferrer to reach Mexico Open quarters
Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro defeated Spain's David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in an epic battle to move to the quarter-finals of the Mexico Open tennis tournament here.
Para swimmer Karmakar suspended for 3 years on sexual harassment charges
Veteran para swimmer Prasanta Karmakar was on Thursday slapped with a three-year suspension by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for alleged harassing of female swimmers during the National Para Swimming Championship in Jaipur last year.
Murray plans return as recovery from injury quickens
Tennis star Andy Murray is likely to return to court ahead of the grass-root season as the Briton is recovering quickly from a hip injury.He could make a comeback at Queen's Club on June 18, ahead of the Wimbledon.Murray is back in the gym, where he has been working out on the exercise bike and a vertical climber, reports the Guardian.The former world number one is also picking up the weights besides easing back into regular pilates sessions.The 30-year-old has not played a competitive match since Wimbledon last year.Murray sustained the right hip injury in 2017 and has not played competitively since slumping to a tough five-setter defeat to American Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals at the Wimbledon.He aborted his comebacks plans at the US Open last summer and also pulled out of the Australian Open the Brisbane international.The grass-court season starts at the beginning of June, before Wimbledon begins on July 2.
No room for complacency, says Sjoerd Marijne
Handed a relatively easy draw in the World Cup, the Indian hockey team head coach Sjoerd Marijne emphasised on the importance of winning every single match and not be complacent about their opponents. The hosts have been clubbed with Olympic silver medallists Belgium, Canada and South Africa in a favourable Pool C. "It is the World Cup and every team will come with the intention of winning. So, we can never say we are in a favourable pool or a tough pool. We need to respect every opponent and World Rankings dont matter in a World Cup," said Marijne. "We need to focus on ourselves and ensure we win every single match if we want to win the Cup," he added. India will start their campaign against South Africa on November 28 and play their second match on December 2 against Belgium. The hosts will play Canada, against whom they had lost 2-3 in the Hockey World League semifinal in London last year, in their final Pool C match on December 8. "Belgium is one of the strongest teams in the ...
Vinesh enters final of Asian Wrestling Championship
Vinesh Phogat assured herself and India of at least a silver medal at the Asian Wrestling Championship as the Commonwealth Games gold medallist entered the final of the 50kg category with win over Japan's Yuki Irie. The 2014 CWG champion earned the win by taking a bigger point as she locked the score 4-4 with her move. The Asian Games bronze medal winner will now fight out with China's Chun Lei for the gold medal. Another Indian woman wrestler, who is in medal contention is Sangeeta, who will fight for a bronze with Korea's Jieun UM in the 59kg category. Sangeeta had lost her quarter-final 5-15 to Uzbekistan's Nabira Esenbaeva. Lalita though had no luck going her way as she was outplayed 0-5 in the 55kg quarterfinal against Mongolia's Davaachimeg Eekhembayar. Meanwhile, India's two Greco-Roman wrestlers have already won bronze medals. Harpreet Singh grabbed bronze in the 82kg when he outclassed Uzbekistan's Khashimbekov 11-3, winning on technical superiority. Rajendra Kumar had won ...
Griezmann sets sights on Barca after Leganes quadruple
Antoine Griezmann made it back-to-back hat-tricks by putting four goals past Leganes and now Atletico Madrid's star striker has Barcelona in his sights. Atletico and their French maestro go up against the La Liga leaders on Sunday and will arrive brimming with confidence after subjecting Leganes to a 4-0 demolition, with Griezmann again the star of the show. His quadruple, fired off in 32 minutes either side of half-time, means he now has seven goals in two games following last weekend's treble against Sevilla, and 12 in his last nine. For comparison, Lionel Messi has hit five goals in the same period. Atletico have also cut the gap at the top of La Liga to four points, before Barcelona play their game in hand at Las Palmas on Thursday. Leganes stay 14th. But Griezmann will be the player in focus before the weekend, his form handed extra pertinence given Barca were forced last month to deny they had already struck a deal to sign the 26-year-old. "I've never scored at Camp Nou. I want .