Page 2091 - Sports
Anand to meet Carlsen in round nine of Tata Masters
World rapid champion Viswanathan Anand will take on long-time nemesis and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the ninth round of the Tata Steel Masters here. With two wins, five draws and one loss, Anand is sharing the sixth spot in the 14-player, 13-round tournament and the Indian ace will look for a good finish in the last five rounds of this marathon event. Anand had lost his world chess champion crown to Carlsen. Anish Giri of Holland, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Carlsen share the top spot on 5.5 points apiece while Wesley So of United States and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia follow the three leaders a half point behind. Anand is next on 4.5 points and giving him company is Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine. In the remaining five, Anand has three white games and the most important one will be in the next round. Thereafter, Anand has white games lined up against Yifan Hou of China and Wesley So while his two black games will be against Gawain Jones of England and
Bopanna-Babos pair in Aus Open mixed doubles quarterfinals
India's Rohan Bopanna and his Hungarian partner Timea Babos entered the quarterfinals of the Australian Open mixed doubles event with a straight-set win, here today. The fifth-seeded pairing of Bopanna and Babos beat USA's Vania King and Croatia's Franko Skugor 6-4 6-4 at the Melbourne Park. The match, which lasted a little over an hour, saw Bopanna and Babos break in the third game of the opening set to take a 2-1 lead. In the fifth game of the second set, Bopanna and Babos broke Skugor's and made it 3-2. The Indo-Hungarian pair sent down eight aces compared to their opponents' five. Bopanna and Babos had dispatched the unseeded Australian pairing of Whittington and Perez 6-2 6-4 in the previous round. They will face the unseeded pair of Juan Sebastian Cabal from Colombia and Abigail Spears from the USA in the quarterfinals tomorrow. Bopanna now remains the only Indian in title contention at the Australian Open. Leander Paes, Purav Raja, Divij Sharan and Bopanna ...
India's Blind cricket team asks for recognition
After winning the Blind Cricket World Cup for India, players have asked the Ministry of Sports to give recognition to the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI).The Indian team arrived home on Monday after defeating Pakistan by two wickets to lift their second Blind Cricket World Cup title in Sharjah. They said that though they have earned fame for the country, they have not got recognition or attention.The Indian blind cricket team was formed in 1998 and is currently being managed by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), an independent entity backed by the Samarthanam Trust, a non-profit organisation.Mahantesh G K, president of CABI, told ANI, "The Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) should be recognised by the Ministry of Sports. Our sports minister, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, had no basic courtesy to come and meet us and wish us before we left [for the UAE]. I hope now he will answer with recognition."He added, "Our boys are really ...
Hamburg appoint Hollerbach as head coach
Hamburg have appointed Bernd Hollerbach as their new head coach, the struggling Bundesliga football club has said.
Barca confirm defender Vermaelen's injury
FC Barcelona has said central defender Thomas Vermaelen will be out of action for two to three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in his left leg during his football club's 5-0 win at Betis.
Kenya's Kipsang aims to defend Tokyo marathon title
Defending Champion Wilson Kipsang of Kenya aims to run faster and break the world record on his return to the Tokyo marathon on February 25.
Edmund stuns World no. 3 to reach Australian Open semis
Britain tennis player Kyle Edmund stunned third seed Grigor Dimitrov to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open here at the Melbourne Park on Tuesday.Edmund, who was playing in the last eight of a major for the first time, defeated Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 6,-4.Ranked 49 and unseeded Edmund will either play World no. 1 Rafael Nadal or sixth seed Marin Cilic on Thursday for a place in the finals.In women's singles, Elise Mertens of Belgium defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals.
Eibar held 1-1 by last-place Malaga in La Liga
Eighth-place Eibar had to come from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw with Malaga, the worst team in Spanish La Liga here.
Las Palmas defender joins Italy's Sassuolo
Spain's Las Palmas announced it has reached an agreement with Serie A side Sassuolo on the loan of defender Mauricio Lemos to the Italian football club.
Cagliari signs Colombian striker
Italian Serie A club Cagliari announced it has officially signed Colombian forward Damir Ceter to a contract, securing his services till 2022.
India open against New Zealand in 2nd leg of 4-nation hockey
India would be aiming to put behind the disappointment of a first-leg final loss when they open their campaign against hosts New Zealand in the second leg of the Four Nations Invitational Hockey Tournament, here tomorrow. In the first leg of the tournament, India got off to a good start with 6-0 win against Japan but lost 0-2 to Belgium in the following match. Winning 3-1 against hosts New Zealand, who had beaten Belgium 5-4 in their first match, put the Manpreet Singh-led Indian team in the final. India topped the pool table with a total of nine goals, having conceded only three in the pool stage while Belgium scored ten goals but conceded six. "As a team we have made progress match after match. We had four young players make their debut and even scored in matches which is good," said chief coach Sjoerd Marijne about the team's performance in the first leg. "We came close to beating Olympic Silver Medallist Belgium which gives us a lot of confidence going into an ...
Beleaguered India eye consolatory win, avoid whitewash
Faced with the prospect of a humiliating whitewash, a desperate India would be aiming to make the right selections against an unrelenting South Africa in the third and final Test, starting here tomorrow. The hosts have already sealed the series win, after winning the first Test in Cape Town by 72 runs and the second Test in Centurion by 135 runs. This was the first overseas Test series loss for India under Virat Kohli (discounting the 2014 loss in Australia as MS Dhoni was full-time captain back then). The tour has also also ended India's streak of nine consecutive series' wins since 2015. The side, however, will not lose its no.1 Test ranking despite even if the rubber ends 0-3. As if responding to the severe criticism of selections so far, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set to return to the side, after mysteriously sitting out the previous Test. Jasprit Bumrah, a surprise selection in both the previous Tests, is expected to be left out. While all five pacers bowled in the nets on
Mischa Zverev's heavy fine for 'poor performance'
Mischa Zverev today became the first player to be heavily fined for retiring from his first round match at the Australian Open under new rules aimed at limiting early injury withdrawals. The German, seeded 32, withdrew from his opening match with South Korea's Chung Hyeon last week during the second set and has been fined USD 45,000 for what is termed "a poor first round performance." That was almost all of his prize money of around USD 47,000. Under the new rules "any player who competes in the first round main draw singles and retires or performs below professional standards, may now be subject to a fine up to (the equivalent) first round prize money in 2018". With tens of thousands of dollars at stake just for playing in round one, early injury pull-outs have often caused suspicion at Grand Slams, particularly at last year's Wimbledon. Eight players retired from the opening round at the All- England Club, including the opponents of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic ...
Sanchez move brings the smile back to Chilean football
Chileans welcomed the end of the Alexis Sanchez transfer saga after he announced he had become a Manchester United player and commentators expressed pride at his huge salary. Top newspapers revelled in the fact that Alexis' move to the Red Devils, on a reported 500,000 pounds (USD 695,000, 567,000 euros) weekly pre-tax pay packet, makes him the best- paid Chilean footballer in history. "The Enviable Gold of Alexis" headlined La Tercera, trumpeting that the 29-year-old "has become the best paid Chilean player in history, with the highest salary in the Premier League and the fourth highest in the world." "Yep, Red definitely suits you," said Chile's Football Association in a tweet. Chile's national side are known as "La Roja" -- the Red. "The red of Chile and the red of Manchester United, one heart, one passion," said Alejandro Cortes, one of many excited fans on Twitter. United will be Alexis' fourth European club, after Udinese, Barcelona and Arsenal. A native of ...
S. Korean advance team goes to North for pre-Olympic events
A team of South Korean officials travelled to North Korea today to check logistics for joint events ahead of next month's Winter Olympics in the South, as the rivals exchanged rare visits to each other amid signs of warming ties. The head of the North's popular girl band triggered a media frenzy during her two-day visit to South Korea this week to check potential venues for North Korean artistic performances during the Olympics, and another delegation from the North is coming this week to see accommodation facilities and the Olympic main stadium. The Koreas are pressing ahead with a flurry of reconciliation efforts after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un abruptly expressed his wiliness to send an Olympic delegation. While some see Kim's outreach as a ploy to weaken U.S.- led international pressure and sanctions, Seoul wants better inter-Korean ties and sees improved ties as a path toward talks to help ease the North Korean nuclear standoff. South Korea's presidential ...
Back to drawing board for ailing Djokovic
It's back to the drawing board for ailing 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic with his immediate playing future uncertain after an injury-ravaged exit from the Australian Open. The former world No.1 cut a disconsolate figure as he played to the bitter end in an agonising defeat to South Korean young gun Chung Hyeon in Monday's fourth round, ending his chance, for now, of a seventh Australian title. The 30-year-old Serb leaves Australia to reassess his options after a persistent right serving elbow injury flared along with a hip injury. Djokovic was playing his first tournament in six months after opting against elbow surgery to ease his way back to the game. But it all spectacularly unravelled on Rod Laver Arena as he winced in pain through his physical ordeal as Chung claimed his greatest win. The question now for Djokovic is whether this setback is temporary or more signs of a painful, irreversible decline. "It's frustrating, of course, when you have that much ..
Root to miss T20 tri-series, Stokes delays return
Joe Root today pulled out of England's Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand, as Ben Stokes confirmed his return to international cricket would be delayed by a court appearance. Test captain Root, who has played in all five Ashes matches and the first three ODIs against Australia this month, will return to England before playing in the one-day international series against New Zealand in late February. Root said he did not like missing games but made a decision to "have a little break". His replacement has not yet been named. "I came into this tour wanting to play everything. I love playing for England and I don't like missing games of cricket," the 27-year-old Yorkshire batsman said in a statement. "I had a long chat with (coach) Trevor Bayliss about things and there's obviously a big summer ahead and a lot of cricket still to be played. "It's going to be really important to make sure that I'm available for all of that." Stokes is due in court to face ...
Nadal eyes Australian Open semis berth
World number one Rafael Nadal will continue his quest for second Australian Open title as he faces Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals in the opening night match on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.If Nadal beats Cilic, it will be the Spaniard's second successive Australian Open semi-final. He lost to second seed Roger Federer in title clash last year.The sixteen-time Grand Slam winner has a 5-1 career win record against Cilic, who won the US Open in 2014 and was a finalist at Wimbledon last year.In another men's singles quarter-finals Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov will face Kyle Edmund.Meanwhile, in women's singles second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who could return to the No. 1 ranking with a win here, will play Carla Suarez Navarro.
I League: Churchill Brothers defeat Indian Arrows
Churchill Brothers registered their third straight win in the I-League as they inflicted a painful 2-0 defeat on Indian Arrows at the Tilak Maidan, Vasco.With this win the Churchill Brothers have leapfrogged the Arrows into the seventh place in the table.The Goan side scored two late-late goals with the opener scored by Dawda Ceesay (88') and Israil Gurung (90'+2') adding another as it sealed all three points for the Red Machines.Churchill had a golden opportunity in the 14th minute when their left-back Denechandram Meetei floated in a brilliant diagonal long ball into the Arrows box. Arrows centre-back Anwar couldn't reach the ball as it went over his head and into the path of an unmarked Koffi Mehac who was lurking down the right of the penalty box.But the Cote D'Ivoire-based forward fluffed his line when he had only the keeper to beat. Churchill suffered an early blow when Uttam Rai who was having a good game went off injured in the 28th minute and had to be replaced by Israil ...
Here're the venues for ICC Women's World Twenty20 2018
Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia were on Monday announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the venues for this year's ICC Women's World Twenty20, which will be staged from November 9 to 24.Hosts Windies will defend the title they won with an eight-wicket victory over Australia in Kolkata in 2016.Stafanie Taylor, who was named the captain of the ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year 2017, won the player of the series award in India and is expected to once again lead the Windies in front of a passionate home crowd.The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies through a bidding process and have been ratified by the ICC. The preliminary round matches will be held at the Guyana National Stadium and Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia, while Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda will stage the two semi-finals and the final.ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said, "We are delighted to have Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and St Lucia on board as hosts for the .