Page 2198 - Sports
Losing only one game at World Blitz is huge achievement: Anand
Chess ace Viswanathan Anand termed losing just one game at the World Blitz Championship in Riyadh as a huge achievement after capturing the title at the World Rapid event. "It is a fantastic feeling to finish on the podium in the Rapid and Blitz. Because they are both very different formats. Losing just one game is a huge achievement in such an event," he told PTI after his third place finish behind Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin. "One is 15 minutes plus 10 seconds, which is much slower, similar to a half-an-hour game. The second one is three minutes and two seconds, which is the equivalent, of let's say a five-seven minute game. So very different rhythms. Doing well in one doesn't meant doing well in the other as well," he added. Anand has endured a tough year which included an early exit in the Chess World Cup in Georgia and finishing last in the recent London Chess Classic, before the turnaround towards the end of 2017. The legend said he had peaked on the last ..
I need more time to get to full fitness: Saina
Recovering from an ankle injury, star India shuttler Saina Nehwal said she will look to get back to her full fitness during the three weeks break after the India Open next month. "I had this ankle injury before this tournament, so I am playing a match after three weeks, there was this ankle inflammation. In the morning when I was practicing there was some pain. Ankle injury is tough because the lunges depend on the ankles," Saina said. "I will get more time, 2-3 weeks after India open. After the World Championship there was not enough time when I joined Gopi sir, there were too many tournaments and after that I had this injury. It is still not upto the mark. There is a lot of speed still required, I need to be in best shape to play against the best," she added. The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist shuttler said she was doing the training part but would need to strengthen herself while playing. "You need to play with this, you can't rest and heal it. So, I'll need ..
Sao Paulo eyeing permanent deal for Hebei China Fortune midfielder Hernanes
Sao Paulo are seeking to secure Hebei China Fortune loanee Hernanes on a permanent deal, according to the Brazilian club's football director Ricardo Rocha.
Anderson defeats Bautista Agut, earns tennis title in Abu Dhabi
South Africa's Kevin Anderson defeated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) to win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship here.
Jelena stuns Serena in Abu Dhabi
Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko defeated American Serena Williams 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship here.
Sassuolo snatches 1-1 draw against Roma
Roma was held to a 1-1 draw by Sassuolo in a Serie A 19th round match at the Olimpico stadium here.
Chelsea routs Stoke City, Liverpool rallies against Leicester
English Premier League defending champion Chelsea routed Stoke City 5-0, while Liverpool had to rally from one goal down to earn a 2-1 win over Leicester City.
Paraguay midfielder Ortigoza joins Rosario Central
Paraguay international midfielder Nestor Ortigoza has joined Rosario Central on an 18-month loan deal, the Argentine club said.
Indian youngsters' chance to shine at big stage
Indian youngsters, led by Yuki Bhambri, will look to exploit the familiar home conditions and start the new season on a high even as Wimbledon finalist and world number six Marin Cilic will start as favourite at the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra, beginning here tomorrow. It will be easier said than done for the home players since there can't be drastic progress in their game overnight but Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan did enjoy stupendous success against top players in 2017, raising hopes of a strong show here. Only these two Indians are featuring in the singles draw at the event, which moved out of Chennai due to financial issues. Much more is expected from the doubles draw, which will have four Indian pairs competing. Bhambri has enjoyed an unbeaten run on tennis courts at Balewadi Sports Complex since October 2015. The 25-year-old has won 10 matches here on the trot, pocketing two Challenger titles but the level of opponents will be completely different at the ...
ISL 2017: Off-colour Blasters to take on Bengaluru
Kerala Blasters FC will take on Bengaluru FC on Sunday, in what has been billed as the third Southern Derby in the Hero Indian Super League.As it stands, every game has become crucial so both teams would be hoping to get a right result but there is a little bit of pride at stake here.Acknowledging the importance of the game, Kerala Blasters coach Rene Meulensteen said, "Well, we have to treat this match as one with a little bit of a special edge. It has a derby feel to it. That's good. I have heard the fans talk about it so we are looking forward to the game."For Bengaluru, a win will take them to the second spot in the league standings with 15 points. On the other hand, Meulensteen's side will be searching for only their second win of the season.Last season's runners-up, Kerala Blasters have found it hard to get going this time around in the ISL so far. With just one win and four draws from their six games, they have only picked up seven points and are placed eighth.The availability .
New techniques behind India's badminton success: Tian Houwei
Indian badminton is experiencing a golden period and the reason behind the spiralling success is the zeal of young players to experiment with new techniques, feels World Number 22 Tian Houwei. "Indian players earlier had no technique. But now things have changed. The young players are coming up with different techniques, they are taking badminton one step ahead," Tian, a former World No. 6, told PTI. The 25-year-old from China, who had clinched the silver at the All England Championship last year, believes focus on fitness also helped a turn around in fortune for India in the sport. "A lot of new players are emerging from India who are playing very good matches. Every time they get down to play they pay attention to their fitness," he said. "They learn something new from each game and work on it. They change their weakness into strengths." Asked about the decline of China's dominance in world badminton, Tian said it is just a phase. "It is very normal. Like in India there
New Zealand wary of Gayle revival as series sweep beckons
New Zealand were today wary of Chris Gayle coming into form in the second Twenty20 as they eyed a series sweep against the West Indies. The home side have already tucked away victories in the two Tests, three one-dayers and the first of three Twenty20 matches. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said "it would be great" to pull off a series sweep in the Twenty20 in Mount Maunganui on Monday, but the Gayle factor was lurking in the background. The West Indies talisman was in devastating form in early December when he smashed a record 18 sixes in an unbeaten innings of 146 off 69 balls in the Bangladesh league. But he has failed to fire so far in New Zealand, with scores of 22 and four in the two ODIs he played and 12 in the first Twenty20. "He's a fantastic player, probably the best T20 record in the game and can take the game away at any time," Williamson said on his return to the New Zealand squad after sitting out the last three games. "If he gets away on you in 10 ...
Agar ready for another spin tilt at England in Sydney
Ashton Agar said today he was ready for another crack at England after being called into Australia's squad as the second spinning option for this week's final Ashes Test in Sydney. Whether Agar plays alongside first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon depends on the state of the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch, which in the past has earned a reputation as a turning wicket. Agar shot to Test fame when he made a record score of 98 while batting at number 11 against England at Trent Bridge in July 2013. However Agar, 24, has played only three Tests since then after he managed just two wickets at 124 in two matches in that series more than four years ago. He played in both Tests against Bangladesh this year and said he was ready to take on England if he got his chance in Thursday's Sydney Test. "I feel better coming into a Test match now. It doesn't feel too fresh or too out of the blue," Agar told reporters. "Playing the one-dayers in India (this year) was a pretty whirlwind experience. .
Qatar Open kicks off 2018 season without big stars
One of the season's traditional curtain-raisers, the Qatar Open, begins tomorrow but with the late withdrawal of Novak Djokovic the tournament is shorn of its usual A-list headline acts. Djokovic, the champion in Doha for the past two years, pulled out on Saturday because of continuing problems with a niggling elbow injury. His absence was bad news personally -- placing doubts over his participation in January's Australian Open -- and potentially also for the tournament, which in the past few seasons has earned a growing reputation. Last year the Serbian superstar beat Britain's Andy Murray, then world number one, in a thrilling, three-set final in front of a sell-out Doha crowd which included members of Bayern Munich's football team, in Qatar for winter training, and Paris Saint-Germain chief, Nasser al-Khelaifi. The year before, Djokovic destroyed Rafa Nadal in the final, dropping just three games against the Spaniard in a breathtaking display to take the title, an ...
Ibrahimovic ruled out for a month - Mourinho
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out of action for a month, but he hopes to have Romelu Lukaku back soon following his head injury. Ibrahimovic went off at half-time in United's Boxing Day draw against Burnley, but Mourinho did not divulge the nature of the injury that will keep the former Paris Saint-Germain star sidelined throughout January. "Zlatan one month out," Mourinho told BT Sport following Saturday's 0-0 draw against Southampton. Ibrahimovic had only recently got back into the United team after missing the first half of the season while he recovered from a serious knee injury suffered in April. With Ibrahimovic out for a prolonged period, Mourinho could have done without Belgian forward Lukaku being stretchered off in the first half against Southampton after a clash of heads with Wesley Hoedt. He lay prone on the pitch barely moving while he was treated by medical staff for five minutes. Lukaku remained conscious ...
Pune City floor NE United, move to 2nd spot in ISL
FC Pune City routed NorthEast United FC 5-0 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium here on Saturday to jump to the second spot in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL).
PBL: Awadhe pip NE Warriors 4-3
Awadhe Warriors defeated North Eastern Warriors 4-3 in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) contest at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Saturday.
Anand third in World Blitz Chess; Carlsen wins the title
Two days after he won the World Rapid Chess Championship, Indian chess Grand Master (GM) and five time World Champion Viswanathan Anand on Saturday established again that he is a force to reckon with third position at the King Salman FIDE World Blitz Championship at Riyadh.
Neroca hold East Bengal at draw with last minute goal
Neroca FC played out a 1-1 draw against East Bengal with a last minute goal through Nedo Turkovic in the penultimate fixture of Hero I-League, here at the Khuman Lampak main Stadium on Saturday.While Katsumi Yusa drew the first blood for the visitors in the 12th minute, Turkovic lit up the stadium in the 89th minute, having smacked the equaliser for the Gift Raikhan-coached team to split the pie with the table-toppers East Bengal.Both teams started on a cautious note and put in more effort to hold their own half. The moment of rejoicing came in the 11th minute for the visitors when Trinidad and Tobago-born striker Willis Deon Plaza went through the right side of the box and unleashed a defence-scathing pass to the Japanese midfielder Katsumi who did no mistake to volley it home to silent the strong crowd.The first half belonged to East Bengal, who outplayed the hosts by adopting an aggressive approach.Though Neroca FC had a few good chances, they lacked the finesse inside the ...
Maharashtra Open: Nagal, Gunneswaran advance to round 2
India's Sumit Nagal and Prajnesh Gunneswaran advanced into the second round of qualifiers of the Maharashtra Open after winning their respective matches here at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium on Saturday.It was the Indian duo - Jayesh Pungliya and Gunneswaran - who started off the qualifiers as they faced each other in the opening game.Gunneswaran outclassed Pungliya to win the match in straight sets 6-4, 6-1.The match saw Gunneswaran take advantage of his experience to secure the first set by winning points on his first service. In the second set, Gunneswaran did not give the youngster any chance of making a comeback as the former wrapped up the match in straight sets.Meanwhile, Spain's Adrian Menendez-Maceiras also advanced to the second round of Qualifiers as he beat India's Shahbaaz Khan 6-2, 6-0 in straight sets.In the second all-Indian match of the qualifiers, 20-year-old Sumit Nagal secured a victory in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 against the experienced Divij Sharan.Nagal started ...