Page 2104 - Sports
2016's Million-dollar-buy Negi drops price ahead of IPL 2018 auction
A couple of years back all-rounder Pawan Negi turned into an overnight sensation when he fetched a mind-boggling deal of Rs 8.5 crore, making him the most expensive uncapped buy in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).
Third straight under par round by Shubhankar in Abu Dhabi
Young Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma fired a third successive under-par round to be Tied- 44th after the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA here today. Sharma, winner of Joburg Open in December, has now shot rounds of 71-70-70 to be five-under 211. He is the lone Indian in the field, which includes World No.1 Dustin Johnson and former World No. 1 Rory McIlroy. EurAsia Cup team-mates Ross Fisher (65) and Thomas Pieters (67) share the lead after an enthralling third round and four-time Major winner McIlroy is just a shot off the pace. McIlroy (65) was third, while Johnson (68) was Tied-12th. Sharma had three birdies in first seven holes and then bogeyed eighth. He dropped two further shots on 14th and 15th before closing the day with a superb eagle on 18th, which he birdied in the first two rounds. The big-hitting Belgian Pieters had powered into a one shot lead with a flawless 65 on Friday, but had to add four front-nine birdies when play ...
Back at home, Blasters seek revenge against Goa
Kerala Blasters would to look avenge their humiliating defeat in the first leg when they take on FC Goa in an Indian Super League match here tomorrow. Kerala Blasters had a poor start to their campaign winning just one of their first seven matches that led to the sacking of head coach Rene Meleusteen. Former England goalkeeper David James, who was the marquee-cum-coach of the Blasters in 2014 has managed to provide hope to the team with seven points from the four matches that he has been in-charge. They bagged seven points from the first three games that James was in the technical dug-out but were pegged back by Jamshedpur FC in their last game. Now, they have a chance to make further progress and also avenge their 2-5 defeat in Goa. "We might have the same players but we are now a different team to when we last met. We had a very good trip around India. I was delighted with what I saw, even in defeat. There were a lot of positives," said James. It will not be easy for ...
Kapur still best Indian in weather-hit Singapore Open
Shiv Kapur navigated his way carefully for an even par score through 10 holes to provisionally lie at Tied-13th place as play was once again disrupted by weather at the SMBC Singapore Open here today. Kapur, five-under through 36 holes, had one birdie and one bogey in his 10 holes on the third day, when play was stopped. Jyoti Randhawa, who completed 15 holes of his second played another 15 on an extremely long day and was three-under for the tournament in Tied-23rd. At one stage, Randhawa went into shared lead as he found six birdies in his next nine holes but was derailed by a bogey on seventh and a double on ninth, the closing hole for him. In the third round, Randhawa was one-over through 15 holes. The other Indians to make the cut, Gaganjeet Bhullar was four-over through 11 and slipped to T-44th, while Arjun Atwal (74) was T-50 and S Chikkarangappa, four-over through 16, was T-57. Thai players Danthai Boonma and Chapchai Nirat currently lead the field. Only six ...
Wasim tops PGTI Final Qualifying Stage
Delhis Wasim Khan (74-71-71-73) won the Professional Golf Tour of India's (PGTI) Final Qualifying Stage at the Kensville Golf & Country Club here on Saturday.
FedExpress steams on as Sharapova grinds to halt
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic kept up their relentless march towards a semi-final meeting at the Australian Open today as Maria Sharapova suffered a crushing defeat by Angelique Kerber. The two greats of the game -- who have won 11 Australian Opens between them -- could meet in the last four if they maintain their winning ways. Defending champion Federer was never troubled by France's Richard Gasquet, who has failed to take a set off him since 2011, as he steamed into the last 16 with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win. "The second set was tight, the match was close and I had to focus to the very end," said the Swiss 19-time Grand Slam winner, who next plays little-known Hungarian Marton Fucsovics for a place in the quarter-finals. He added: "So far, so good." Djokovic was equally convincing in his 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 rout of Spanish 21st seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, although there was concern when he sought a medical timeout for treatment to his lower back. "It was straight sets but I had ..
Wasim Khan wins the PGTI Qualifying School 2018
Delhi golfer Wasim Khan returned with a card of one-over 73 to win the PGTI's Final Qualifying Stage for the 2018 season at the Kensville Golf & Country Club here today. Wasim (74-71-71-73) ended with a tournament tally of one-over-289 which helped him post a one-shot victory. Australia's Kunal Bhasin (75-67-75-73) finished second at two-over-290 after he too shot a final round of 73. At the end of round four, the top 38 players earned their cards for the 2018 PGTI season as the cut in the final round went at 13-over-301. The top 38 included six amateurs. There were also eight foreigners among the 38 players who earned their full cards. The foreigners included three Bangladeshis, two South Africans, one Australian, one American and one Nepali. Wasim, who started the final day with a one-shot lead, had a quiet last round but still managed to emerge triumphant by one shot. The 26-year-old Khan, who had previously won one title at the junior level, had an early bogey on .
Selin, Herman win DKS ITF Juniors
Selin Ovunc of Turkey came back from behind to down Ukraine's Diana Khodan 5-7 7-5 6-1 to clinch the girls singles U-18 crown at the 26th DKS ITF Juniors 2018 here. Left-handed Louis Herman of Belgium, seeded eighth, stole the show winning the boys singles U-18 stunning top seed Yassir Kilani of Morocco 6-4 7-5 at the Dakshin Kalikata Sansad clay courts. Second seed Selin seemed to be comfortable at the beginning as she broke Diana's serve twice in a row to grab a 5-2 lead. From there, Diana won five games in a row to pocket the opening set. Selin looked a little down mentally at the beginning of the second set as she began with a drop of serve but regained her confidence from the fourth game and eventually leveled the match. In the decider, it was more of a clean sweep by the second seed to win the title. The boys and girls doubles titles were bagged by Louis Herman and Gauthier Onclin of Belgium and Julie Belgraver and Isabelle Haverlag of Netherlands respectively.
Bekele confirmed to run London Marathon
Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele has confirmed that he is running the 2018 London Marathon, joining Britain's Mo Farah and Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge on the start line on Sunday, April 22, organisers said here on Saturday.
Kerala eye top-four slot, face Goa in ISL (Preview)
Kerala Blasters will look to overtaking fourth-placed FC Goa in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) table when they meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Sunday.
Federer through to Australian Open final-16 with win over Gasquet
Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer on Saturday beat France's Richard Gasquet 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in the third round of the Australian Open.
Ovunc, Herman win ITF juniors tennis meet
Selin Ovunc of Turkey, seeded second in the girls singles under-18 draw, made a remarkable comeback to lift the title at the 26th ITF Juniors tennis championships held at the red clay courts of the Dakshin Kalikata Sansad on Saturday.
Djokovic overcomes injury scare, defeats Viñolas at Australian Open
Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Saturday overcame an injury scare to defeat Spain's Albert Ramos Viñolas 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open.
India need to get basics right in order to win away: Manoj Prabhakar
Scathing in his criticism about India's poor show in South Africa, former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar on Saturday said the struggling tourists need to bat and bowl well in the first 20 overs of an innings if they are to win abroad.
N. Korea to send 22 athletes in 3 sports to PyeongChang Winter Olympics: IOC
North Korea will send 22 athletes to compete in three sports at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games in South Korea, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Saturday.
Shame to exclude Rahane, Bhuvi: Prabhakar
Former allrounder Manoj Prabhakar today slammed India's team selection in the ongoing Test series, saying it is a shame to pick players for a Test match based on their form in limited over cricket. India excluded Ajinkya Rahane in the first two Tests, while dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar in favour of Ishant Sharma in the second Test, despite his three-wicket burst on the opening day at Cape Town. Bhuvneshwar had ripped apart the South African top-order to reduce the home side to 12/3 after they opted to bat in the opening Test in Cape Town but Indian batting meekly surrendered chasing 208. But a bold Virat Kohli picked Ishant in place of Bhuvneshwar, while ignoring Rahane in both the Tests in favour of Rohit Sharma, who had been in rampaging form in limited over cricket in the run-up to the Test series. "This is a shame. If you start picking Test side on T20I or ODIs form, then you're gone. It's a specialist job to play new ball in Test matches," Prabhakar told reporters at ..
Neroca ride on Turkovic's heroics to pip Aizawl
Neroca FC rode on Nedo Turkovic's late strike as they rallied from a goal down to beat defending champions Aizawl FC 2-1 in a thrilling I-League match here today. In a game with an abundance of chances for both sides, Turkovic headed home the match-winner in the 85th minute after his Neroca team-mate Felix Chidi (65th) had cancelled out Aizwal defender Kareem Omolaja's 39th minute goal. With today's win at the packed Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, I- League debutants leapfrogged East Bengal in the league table to occupy the second spot with 21 points from 10 matches. The home side dominated the first half with a flurry of chances but they were to be blamed themselves for not scoring more goals. Neroca came back strongly in the second session to notch up two goals and continue their nine-match unbeaten streak. Aizawl's head coach Paulo Menezes made two changes in the playing XI as Lalramhmunmawia and Yugo Kobayashi started in place of suspended Afghan defender Masih Saighani and ..
India defeat Pak to win Blind Cricket World Cup
Defending Champions India thrashed Pakistan by two wickets to win the finals of the fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE on Saturday.Earlier, Pakistan set a target of 308 in the given 40 overs.India achieved the target in 38.2 overs.
Griezmann 'to join Barcelona after World Cup' - report
Barcelona and Antoine Griezmann have reached an agreement for the France striker to switch from Atletico Madrid to the Catalan giants at the end of the season, Spanish daily Sport reported today. "The Atletico Madrid forward has agreed to join Barcelona and will be under (coach) Ernesto Valverde's orders next season," Sport said. The Catalan daily also points out that while Griezmann currently has a buyout clause of 200 million euros ($240 million), that figure drops by half on July 1. Barcelona have been scrambling to add high-quality players to their squad since Paris Saint Germain lured Brazilian star Neymar to France in a world record signing in August. Philippe Coutinho joined from Liverpool this month in 180-million-euro ($220 million) deal. The newspaper says it believes Griezmann's transfer would take place after this summer's World Cup in Russia, where he will have a key role for France, who are among the favourites. Another Catalan daily, Mundo Deportivo, ...
Barcelona deny Griezmann signing rumours
Barcelona on Saturday issued an official statement denying reports that suggested Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann will move to Camp Nou in the summer.