Page 2247 - Sports
Spaniard Georgina wins first tennis title in Asia
Spain's second seed Georgina Garcia -Perez won a straight set battle against No. 4 seed Katy Dunne to claim the singles title in the USD 25,000 NECC-ITF women's tennis championship here today. Georgina, ranked 238 on WTA Tour, completed a 6-4, 7-5 win after a 1 hour 41 minute fight to claim her maiden title in Asia and the 9th of her career. Likewise, Georgina also became the first Spaniard to win the ITF title in Pune. For Katy, the title in Pune once again remained a distant dream as she finished runners-up for the second time with the last being 2014 when she went down to India's Ankita Raina. The 25-year-old Barcelona-born Georgina got the crucial break of serve with scores level at 3-3 in the opening set. Thereafter, the Spaniard rallied from break-point down to take a 4-3 lead and made it 5-3 winning a 'love' game on serve. Katy held the 9th, before Georgina closed out the set with ease. The second set was a repeat with scores level at 3-3 before the Spaniard made
Smith and Marsh dominate England in third Ashes Test
Steve Smith was unstoppable and Mitchell Marsh silenced his critics as Australia seized control with the bat on the third day of the crucial third Ashes Test here today. At tea the home side was 421 for four in their first innings, with Smith on 182 and Mitchell Marsh on 100, leading England by 18 runs with six wickets still in hand. The Australian captain was rarely troubled by the English bowlers as he notched his second hundred of the series and closed in on his second Test double century. It was his 22nd Test century and he also passed 1000 runs for the calendar year during the innings. Marsh came to the crease under huge pressure to perform after a contentious recall, having dropped a simple catch and bowled poorly during the England innings. He started nervously but blossomed as his innings went on and notched his maiden Test century from the penultimate over before tea on his home ground, sparking scenes of jubilation from a parochial crowd. Australia lead the ...
Bengaluru FC eye win over Chennaiyin to maintain lead
Bengaluru FC will be eager to continue their winning run and consolidate their position at the top when they take on a defensive Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League match here tomorrow. Bengaluru have garnered 12 points by scoring 13 goals from five matches with one loss, while Chennai are placed third with nine points in five matches after having lost two matches. The hosts are coming into the game with loads of confidence as they won their last two away matches, beating NorthEast United (1-0) and Pune FC (3-1). However, Bengaluru coach Albert Roca would not take Chennai lightly as the rival team is good at scoring goals from set-piece situations. Bengaluru, who are also adept in set-piece situations, would look to test Chennai defense, especially with Miku being the cynosure of the strike force. He has scored six goals so far, two of them coming against Mumbai. Much also is expected from star striker Emiliano Alfaro and captain Sunil Chhetri, who has scored two ...
Ranji semi-final: It's Bengal bowling vs Delhi batting
Mohammed Shami's guile coupled with Ashok Dinda's consistency will be countered by Gautam Gambhir's experience and Rishabh Pant's exuberance when Bengal square off with Delhi in a Ranji Trophy semi-final here tomorrow. The match can be safely termed a fight between one of the most potent domestic new ball attacks in the country and a batting line-up that has players who can win matches on their own on a given day. An encouraging piece of statistic for Bengal is that they have never ever conceded a first-innings lead against Delhi from 2009-10 season. And not to forget the bitter sweet relation between Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary and Gambhir, who have had their share of run-ins in the past. India's craftiest red ball bowler Shami will get some serious match time against Gambhir, who has been there and done that for Delhi on numerous occasions. At 36 and with no realistic chance of playing for India again, Gambhir remains an intense cricketer, who has notched up 505 runs .
Buoyant India eye series win at fortress Visakhapatnam
An imposing line-up and an impeccable record in this port city make India the clear favourites as they seek to clinch another series win against Sri Lanka in the third and final One-day International tomorrow. India have not lost a series at home since the defeat to South Africa in October 2015. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are seeking to win their first ever bilateral series in India, having lost eight and drawn one. Skipper Rohit Sharma led the fightback for India in Mohali with a superb double century, his third in ODIs after the team had been outplayed in the series opener in Dharamsala. Sharma and his men will look to ride the momentum after a big win in the second game and seal the series at the ACA-VDCA stadium. The Indian team has lost only once at the venue in the seven games played here (with one being washed out) and will hope to keep winning on what has generally been a high-scoring ground. Defeat in Dharamsala meant India can't overtake South Africa in ...
Smith defies England in third Ashes Test
Steve Smith took his game to a new level as he dominated England's attack on the third day of the crucial third Ashes Test in Perth, here today. The brilliant right-hander appeared to toy with the English bowlers at times as he notched his second century of the series. It was his 22nd Test century and he also passed 1000 runs for the calendar year during the innings. At lunch the home side was 314 for four in their first innings, with Smith on 139 and Mitchell Marsh on 39, trailing England by 89 runs with six wickets in hand. Australia lead the series 2-0 and can regain the Ashes with victory at the WACA Ground, but heavy rain is forecast for the final two days. Smith resumed on 92 and wasted little time cruising to his hundred, notching the milestone by effortlessly working Jimmy Anderson off his pads for a boundary. It came from just 138 balls, the fastest century of his career in terms of balls faced, and in his 107th Test knock. Only Don Bradman (58 innings) and Sunil .
Football: Monaco hit four to stay in PSG chase
Reigning French champions Monaco eased past struggling Saint-Etienne 4-0 yesterday to stay on PSG's tail with the highly coveted Fabinho and Thomas Lemar among the scorers. Djibril Sidibe curled in the opener after Keita Balde shot was blocked and Thomas Lemar -- the target of a bid by Arsenal in the summer -- scored on 32 minutes after weaving through the St Etienne defence. Fabinho, who told the club this week he wants to leave, tapped in the third in the second half before Keita put the icing on the cake with a piercing shot on 60 minutes at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, where there were row after row of empty seats. The victory put Monaco six points behind Paris Saint- Germain, who play at Rennes on Saturday. Saint-Etienne are hovering just above the relegation zone. "It was a great night," Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim said. "We finished our chances well and we could have scored more goals if we had been more clinical.
Mourinho ready to cut fringe players
Jose Mourinho will allow any unhappy fringe player to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window, which will spark speculation over the futures of the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Mourinho adopted the same policy in the last winter transfer window when he agreed to requests from Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay to leave the club to pursue regular first-team football elsewhere. Now Mkhitaryan and teammates including former England full-back Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian, who have been out of the first-team squad for long periods this season, would be allowed to leave should they wish -- and should satisfactory offers be made. "I think for the right price," said Mourinho, when asked if he would listen to offers in such circumstances. "That's my approach as a manager, in cases where the club advises me. I think every player has a price. "If a player is not happy, if a player brings with him the request with the number that we consider a good number for us --
Kerela Blasters beat NorthEast United 1-0 in ISL
CK Vineeth scored the only goal as Kerala Blasters defeated NorthEast United FC 1-0 to register their maiden win in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season here today. Blasters started well and put persistent pressure on their rivals. Their efforts bore fruit when CK Vineeth and Rino Anto combined in the 24th minute to send the crowd into delirium. Vineeth send a flying header into the net, after getting a beautiful cross from Rino Anto. With this win, Kerala Blasters grabbed three vital points. NorthEast United were dealt with a huge blow when their goalkeeper TP Rehenesh was sent off for a last ditch tackle on Mark Sifneos when he was played through by Courage Pekuson just before the interval. The visitors had their moments in the second half with Danilo Lopes looking the most threatening. He came really close a couple of times but missed out. In the end, NorthEast United couldn't muster an equaliser before the final whistle and the two big moments in the first ..
Ravindra Jadeja hits six sixes in an over in Inter-Dist game
Out of favour in T20 cricket, Ravindra Jadeja showed glimpses of his utility in the shortest format as he hit six sixes in an over during a recent Inter- District T20 tournament match organised by Saurashtra Cricket Association. Jadeja scored 154 off only 69 balls for Jamnagar against Amreli as his side posted 239 for 6 in 20 overs. The feat was achieved in the 15th over when left-arm medium pacer Nilam Vamja was hit for six consecutive sixes. In all, Jadeja hit 10 sixes and 15 boundaries. In reply, Amreli were restricted to 118 for 5 in 20 overs losing by 121 runs. The match was played at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot.
Sindhu trounces Akane, Srikanth loses again at Dubai Finals
Already assured of a semi-final spot, PV Sindhu dispatched Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in straight games but Kidambi Srikanth's dismal run ended with another defeat at the USD one million Dubai Super Series Final here today. World No. 3 Sindhu, an Olympic silver medallist, thrashed World No. 2 Yamaguchi 21-9 21-13 in just 36 minutes to top group A in women's singles at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium here. However, world no. 4 Srikanth suffered his third straight loss in men's singles Group B, going down 17-21 21-19 14-21 to All England Championship finalist Chinese Shi Yuqi in the last group stage match. Sindhu, who clinched two Super Series titles this season before winning a silver at the World Championship, will tomorrow face China's Chen Yufei, who saw off Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon 21-18 13-21 21-18 in another Group B match. The 22-year-old Indian showed great anticipation and athleticism to completely dominate the proceedings even as Yamaguchi got buried under a ..
Aakarshi Kashyap scores a double delight in Junior Nationals
Top seed Aakarshi Kashyap scored a double delight on the second day of the 42nd Junior National Badminton Championships, breezing past Taneesha Singh and Deepshika Singh in U-17 and U-19 category respectively. In the U-17 category, Aakarshi notched up a 21-10 21-11 win over Taneesha in just 18 minutes to move into the round of 32 at the Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phookan Indoor Stadium In the U-19, Aakarshi streamrolled Deepshika Singh 21-11 21-18 to book her berth in the round of 16. Manvika Bansod, the second seed in the girls' singles U- 17 category, had an easy day out as she finished off her opponent in straight sets after just 22 minutes on the court. In the U-17 boys' singles category, top seed Dhruv Rawat, eked out a hard-fought win against Pruthvi Roy K as the match went down to the wire. After an easy 21-9 win in the first game, Dhruv seemed to be in cruise control but Pruthivi fought back to level the score at 1-1 as he stunned the top seed in the second game ...
Aim of U17 World Cup in India was to improve standard: Ceppi
Tournament director of the Local Organising Committee of the U17 FIFA World Cup hosted by India Javier Ceppi today said that objective to bring the tournament to India was to improve the standard of the game. "The objective of bringing the U17 FIFA World Cup to India was to improve the standard of the game and woo the billions, " Ceppi was quoted as saying in a media release. He was speaking at the Star Sports India Football Forum 2017 here. Athletes are stars and need to be respected and importance needs to be given to the game rather than celebrities, added Ceppi. He also stated that the complexion of football in the country is changing and the improvements will be noticed 10-15 years down the line. Meanwhile, referring to the development of grassroots football, Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League said one needs to have fire in the belly and passion to play football. Yuva Sena chief and Mumbai District Football Association chief Aaditya Thackeray, in a special address, noted .
Kumble-Kohli feud akin to Nayudu-Mankad skirmish of '52: Guha
Clash of egos is not new in Indian cricket and former COA member Ramachandra Guha is of the opinion that the fallout between former coach Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli was similar to what happened between erstwhile captain Vinoo Mankad and chief selector CK Naydu in 1952. "I resigned from the Committee of Administrators six months ago and this is for the first time that I am commenting in public on cricket. (There is a) story about massive dispute between Col CK Nayudu and Vinoo Mankad," Guha spoke during a function at the Bombay Gymkhana. "So essentially Nayudu was the chairman of selectors and Mankad was India's great cricketer. India was touring England in 1952 and Mankad had been offered a contract with Lancashire League," the eminent historian recollected. "So when Mankad told the BCCI that if you assure me that I will be on the England tour of 1952 I will not take this contract. (To which) Nayudu said we will not give you an assurance. India lost the first Test (and)
Bekele wants to set marathon world record before retiring
Having forced the world to sit up and take notice after switching to marathon, Ethiopian milestone man Kenenisa Bekele says he now wants to set the world record before calling it quits. His 'idol' Haile Gebrselassie held the marathon record for two years till 2008. Kenya's Dennis Kimetto now holds the record with a timing of 2 hours 02 minutes 57 seconds. A winner of eight gold medals in Olympics and World Championships, the 5000 and 10,000m world record holder made his marathon debut in Paris by winning in 2:05:03. Two years later in Berlin 2016, he set a new Ethiopian record of 2:03:03, only six seconds shy of the world record. "My plan is to become the world record holder in marathon before I retire," the 35-year-old who is the star attraction in the upcoming 25K run on December 17 said today. "My timing is second fastest in the world right now," he pointed out. "I feel I have it in me to do faster than this and become the world record holder." Bekele will get an ...
Brazilian football chief Del Nero given 90-day FIFA ban
FIFA handed Brazilian football confederation (CBF) president Marco Polo Del Nero a 90-day provisional ban from all football activities today. The 76-year-old, a former member of the FIFA Council, is the latest prominent South American official to be banned by the sport's governing body as part of its investigation into a vast corruption scandal. Del Nero was indicted on corruption charges in the United States in December 2015 and has faced numerous calls, including from Brazilian greats Pele and Zico, to step down. "Mr Polo Del Nero is banned from all football activities at both national and international level," FIFA said in a statement. "The ban comes into force immediately." FIFA added that Del Nero's ban could be extended by up to 45 days while the ethics committee completes its investigation. Del Nero's predecessor at the CBF, Jose Maria Marin, has been on trial in New York since November alongside Paraguayan former CONMEBOL president Juan Angel Napout and ...
Bairstow plays down headbutt celebration
England's Jonny Bairstow played down his "light-hearted" celebration today after he welcomed his Ashes century by mimicking a headbutt -- a reference to a controversy which threatened to overshadow his series. Bairstow took off his helmet and knocked it against his head several times after he reached three figures in Perth to bolster England's first innings of 403. The 28-year-old, who scored 119, found himself in the firing line earlier in the series after it came to light that he had greeted Australia's Cameron Bancroft by bumping heads in a Perth bar. "It was a bit of light-hearted fun with everything that has gone on and that is exactly how it should be taken," he said, referring to Friday's celebration. Bairstow was left beaming by his first Ashes century, which came at a vital time as England fight to stay in the series after losing the first two Tests. "The hundred in many ways was my favourite one, it meant a huge amount," he said. "I have played in a few Ashes ...
Katy to face Garcia in ITF women's tennis singles final
Fourth seed Katy Dunne from Britain will take on no. 2 seed Garcia Perez Georgina of Spain in the singles final of the USD 25,000 NECC ITF women's tennis championship here tomorrow. In the semifinals today at the Deccan Gymkhana, Dunne halted the dream run of Fatma Al Nabhani from Oman 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 while Garcia ousted Olga Doroshina from Russia 6-2, 6-2. The doubles title was claimed by the unseeded pair of Jessy Rompies of Indonesia and Varunya Wongteanchai of Thailand who stunned the Britain-Montenegro combination of Samantha Murray and Ana Veselinovic 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and three minutes in the final played today. In the first singles semi-final of the day Fatma, who had a memorable tournament, gave her British opponent a tough fight before falling short. The Omani girl had many chances to go ahead in the first set but her failure to win break points allowed Katy to hold the upper hand. Fatma managed to win only three break points out of 11 while Katy won all ...
Anjum-Arjun win air rifle mixed title in shootings nationals
Anjum Moudgil and Arjun Babuta of Punjab won the 10m air rifle mixed team title at the 61st National Shooting Championships for rifle and pistol here today. The Punjab pair shot a total of 497.9 in the 50-shot final, getting the better of Apurvi Chandela and Yash Vardhan of Rajasthan, who ended with 496.4. Pooja Ghatkar and Shahu Mane of Maharashtra won bronze with a score of 433.9. This was Anjum's third gold of the nationals. Anjum and Arjun qualified fifth out of five pairs that made it to the final from the total 24 teams that participated. Each team had to shoot 80 shots, 40 by each shooter, post which the final five pairs were identified. Anjum and Arjun shot a total of 832.1, the latter shooting 415.3 while the former shot 416.8. The Karnataka pairing of Meghana Sajjanar and Tejas Krishna Prasad topped the charts with 835.1, thanks largely to a superlative 420.8 by Meghana. Akhil Sheoran and Ayushi Gupta were the other team who made it to the finals. In the ...
East Bengal cautious against Churhill
On a high, East Bengal will aim to continue their winning momentum when they take on bottom rung Churchill Brothers at the Barasat Stadium in the outskirts of the city here tomorrow. Having suffered a derby defeat, the Khalid Jamil coached side returned to winning ways in style thrashing Shillong Lajong 5-1 at the same venue as they would look for another win which would take them to top three. Their rivals Mohun Bagan dropped points against the same opponents yesterday as East Bengal would be cautious. East Bengal's Willis Plaza has been at his profligate best but the Trinidad forward said he needs an element of "luck". "Everyone needs the luck to win. If we get three points, I will be happy. I got confidence after last game as we won. It does not matter if I score or a defender. As long as we win I am happy. I will be sad if the team loses and I don't score," Plaza said. Coach Jamil also backed him: "I tell him to try hard. Goals will come. He is trying. But most ...