Page 660 - Sports

Chaurasia stuns third seed Chaiyarin in ITF Juniors

Credit Chaiyarin of Thailand, seeded third in the qualifying draw and belonging to the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) team, went down against India's Yash Chaurasia by a marathon 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (6) in the qualifying round of the ITF Juniors here on Saturday.

Zverev advances to the 4th round of Australian Open

Germany's Alexander Zverev (4) defeated Australia's Alex Bolt in straight sets on Saturday to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Khelo tennis: Manish wins Boys U-21 singles

Sureshkumar Manish of Tamil Nadu used his all-round ability to negate an aggressive Dhruv Sunish of Maharashtra 6-3, 6-3 in the boys U-21 tennis final, while Prerna Vichare of Maharashtra outlasted Priyanshi Bhandari of Gujarat 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in the girls U-17 final of the Khelo India Youth Games here on Saturday. A day earlier, Prerna had won the Girls' Doubles and thus completed a double. Emulating her, Dev Javia, winner of Under-17 singles, partnered Krish Patel to win the Boys Under-17 double and grabbed a second gold, a media release said. Dhruv, who won the boys' U-21 doubles along with Armaan Bhatia on Friday, was eyeing a second gold in the U-21 singles final. But he had to settle for a silver medal. Meanwhile, Gujarat bagged two gold medals in doubles. Gujarat's Zeel Desai and Vaidehi Chaudhary outplayed Telangana's Rashmika Bhamidipaty and Humera Shaik6-3, 6-2 in the girls U-21 doubles final. In the boy's U-17 doubles gold medal match, Gujarat's Dev Javiaand ...

Khelo: Haryana beat Jharkhand to win girls U-17 hockey gold

Riding on striker Deepika's brace, Haryana survived a last quarter scarebefore beatingJharkhand 2-1to win the Under-17 girls hockey competition at the Khelo India Youth Games here on Saturday. Earlier in the morning,Odisha warded off a determined Punjab challenge to emerge 3-2 winners and claim the bronze, a media release said. In the final, Jharkhand muffed several chances and paid the penalty. They dominated the first quarter and had a fair share of ball possession in the second quarter but again failed to make use of the advantage. The Haryana girls defended well and made incisive counter moves which rattled the Jharkhand defence. Four minutes into the second half, Deepika gave Haryana the lead with a superb field goal and three minutes later she made it 2-0 with another opportunistic strike. Just before the final whistle,Prini Kandir made no mistake in convertinga chance that came her way to reduce the deficit for Jharkhand, but it was a case of too little, too late,

Practise penalties? No point, says China's Lippi

China coach Marcello Lippi revealed a relaxed approach to penalty shoot-outs on Saturday but declared key man Wu Lei fit to face Thailand in their Asian Cup knockout tie. Although Sunday's last-16 game could go to penalties, Lippi, 70, said there was little point practising spot-kicks, and that he hadn't yet decided who would take them. The old-school approach is at odds with the intricate preparations of the likes of Gareth Southgate, who masterminded England's penalties win over Colombia at last year's World Cup. But the veteran Italian campaigner is no stranger to shoot-outs after his Italy side beat France on penalties in the 2006 World Cup final. "We haven't done any particular training on penalty kicks," Lippi shrugged. "From my experience, you don't have to practise penalties because it depends on the moment, it depends on the player, his character, his mood, if he's strong enough to handle the pressure," he added. "You can train every day but in the end training doesn't really

Kyrgyz heartthrob Lux - the Asian Cup's reluctant sex symbol

Kyrgyzstan ace Vitalij Lux claims he would rather sit in his hotel room alone than be a sex symbol after his Asian Cup hat-trick sent female fans into a spin. The 29-year-old hunk with the James Dean film-star looks and a name that sounds like a designer shampoo, plundered a midweek treble against the Philippines to fire the White Falcons into the last 16 on their tournament debut. "This is new for me," hat-trick hero Lux told AFP in an interview on Saturday. "I can't believe it. I have a lot more Instagram followers suddenly." Lux admits he is footloose and fancy-free, but the Kyrgyz heartthrob insists he's finding it hard to come to terms with his new-found fame. "I'm still single, I'm searching for the right one," he blushed. "But I'm a very shy person. I prefer to sit in my room and just work hard at training." Lux's Instagram followers jumped by some 6,000 overnight -- to just over 9,000 -- after his sharp-shooting swept Kyrgyzstan into the next round. "I'm proud that I have so ..

Real Kashmir beat Shillong Lajong 1-0, stay in I-League title hunt

Real Kashmir FC beat bottom-placed Shillong Lajong by a solitary goal to remain in the hunt for the I-League title in their debut season here on Saturday. Zambian centre-back Aaron Katebe scored the all-important goal in the 74th minute, propelling the 'Snow Leopards' to second place on the league table with 25 points -- five adrift of leaders Chennai City FC -- from 13 games. The visiting coach David Robertson and his Lajong counterpart Alison Kharyntiew made two changes and both coincidentally in the midfield positions. Real Kashmir started Khalid Qayoom and Nagen Tamang in place of Farhan Ganie and Danish Farooq while Lajong rested Samuel Lalmuanpia and Sheen Stevenson, bringing in Hnamte and Phrangki Buam in their place. Honours were even in the first half though Lajong dominated possession as also having the best look at the opposition goal. Samuel Lyngdoh's volley as early as in the fifth minute sailed over the bar. The young home side were, however, not able to convert any of ..

TN to meet Central Secretariat in final

Host Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu edged out Sports Authority of India (SAI) 6-5 via the tie-breaker to enter the final of the Hockey India Senior National men's hockey championship ('B' Division) here Saturday. Tamil Nadu will take on Central Secretariat beat Bengaluru Hockey Association 7-6 via a penalty shootout after the match ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Earlier, in an exciting semifinal encounter in which the lead kept changing hands, Tamil Nadu and SAI were locked 3-all at the end of regulation time. In the penalty shootout, Tamil Nadu converted three of the five attempts, while SAI managed to score only two, enabling the home team seal a place in the final. By reaching the final, Tamil Nadu also qualified for the 'A' Division after a gap of four years. SAI started well and went ahead in the ninth minute through Bobby Singh Dhami, before Tamil Nadu levelled seven minutes later as Shanmugham found the mark. The host took a 2-1 lead in the 20th minute when Vinodhan ...

Khelo: Riya beats teammate Himani, wins recurve archery bronze

Riya Tewatia turned the tables on fancied Haryana teammate Himani Kumari to win the girls Under-21 recurve bronze medal play-off in the Khelo India Games archery competition here Saturday. Riya made the most of Himani's break in concentration when a change in set scores saw them locked 3-3 after three sets. Himani and all onlookers were under the impression that after the tie in the third set, she was leading 4-1 but the scorers pointed out that the previous set had erroneously been awarded to her when, in fact, it was Riya who had won that set, a media release said. Himani was unable to find her rhythm though she managed to tie the fourth set. She was off the mark in the shoot-off. Maharashtra's Shukmani Gajanan Babrekar rallied from the loss of the first set to defeat Rajasthans Jagdish Choudhary 6-2 for the boys Under-21 recurve bronze medal. Karni Singh Chauhan (Rajasthan) and Punjab's Amanpreet Kaur earned the boys and girls under-17 bronze medals ...

I-League: Minerva Punjab hold Gokulam Kerala 1-1

Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC scored a late equaliser to draw the I-League encounter against Gokulam Kerala FC 1-1 here at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula.While it was the visitors Gokulam Kerala FC who drew first blood in the 82nd minute through Debutant Marcus Joseph, Minerva Punjab FC scraped in a beautiful equaliser in the final minute of the additional time through Musa Caicedo (90' + 4') to share the spoils.Gokulam's Marcus Joseph was adjudged the Man of the Match.Both the teams made four changes in the playing XI. Arshdeep Singh was back guarding the posts Midfielder Sourav Rautella, Defender Akashdeep Singh and Cote D'Ivoirian forward Kouame Konan Zacharie found a place in the playing XI for Minerva Punjab FC.Gokulam Kerala FC, on the other hand, introduced Deepak K and Wungngayam Muirang in defence while Imran Khan and Ghanian Charles Teiko Folley to the attack.The visitors made their intent very clear from the first minute and had nearly got a breakthrough in ..

Saurashtra join Vidarbha in semis after record chase in Ranji Trophy history

The semi-final fixture of the Ranji Trophy 2018/19 season was completed on Saturday after Vidarbha and Saurashtra pulled off victories over Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.Saurashtra registered the highest run-chase in Ranji Trophy history, breaking the previous record of 371 set by Assam against Services in the 2008-9 season. The 19-year-old Harvik Desai contributed with a richly-deserved maiden first-class hundred in the historic win.Desai scored 116 while Snell Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara and Sheldon Jackson contributed with half-centuries, winning the match by six wickets.On the same day, the defending champions Vidarbha secured a place in the semis of Ranji Trophy 2018-19 with an innings and 115-run victory over debutants Uttarakhand in Nagpur.Vidarbha needed only eight overs to wrap up the victory by taking remaining five wickets after Uttarakhand resumed their innings on 152 for 5 on the fifth morning. Unbeaten in the tournament so far, Uttarakhand lost their last five wickets for ..

Sarfraz Ahmed wants to focus on identifying strength ahead of the World Cup

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed on Saturday said that they will be experimenting with different combinations during the five-match ODIs against South Africa as they aim to strike a right balance ahead of the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.With the World Cup set to take place in a few months in England and Wales, Pakistan will use South Africa series and their away tour against England to polish their preparations for the mega tournament, starting May 30. They are currently fifth on the ICC ODI team rankings."We have to identify our strengths ahead of the World Cup for which we will be trying different combinations in this series," ICC quoted Ahmed, as saying.Pakistan went onto reach the World Cup final in England in1999. However, the team last won the World Cup in 1992.After being comprehensively beaten in the Test series, Pakistan look for a change in fortunes in the shorter formats of the game. Ahmed believes that batting first and posting big totals will be the key to their ...

Pant picked for final two one-dayers against England Lions, Rahane to lead India A in three games

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will play two one-dayers while Ajinkya Rahane will lead the India A side in the first three games against England Lions in a home series beginning January 23. The BCCI senior selection committee on Saturday announced the India A squad for the five one-dayers against the Lions. Pant was dropped from the ODI team for the just-concluded three-match series in Australia but he remains in the reckoning for a World Cup spot following his stellar showing in the Test series. The hard-hitting batsman will play the ODI games on January 29 and 31 before flying to New Zealand for India's T20 International series beginning February 6. Also getting some game time will be Test vice-captain Rahane, who has been named in the India A squad for the first three one-dayers. Hanuma Vihari, who was a part of the Indian team which won a historic Test series in Australia, will also been seen in action alongside Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur. Maharashtra batsman Ankit Bawne ..

Bhullar finishes 27th in Abu Dhabi

Gaganjeet Bhullar made a solid start to his year, finishing tied 27th in the USD 7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first Rolex Series event of the season on the European Tour, on Saturday. The 30-year-old from Kapurthala shot an even-par 72 in his final round to tally seven-under par 281 for the tournament, which was won by Ireland's Shane Lowry (71) after an epic battle with Richard Sterne of South Africa. Sterne (69) started the day three shots behind Lowry, but birdied four of his first five holes to get off to a hot start. He led by four shots after 12 holes, but closed with two bogeys while Lowry made three birdies coming in. The 31-year-old Irishman finished on 18-under par 270 and is expected to rise to No. 40 in the world ranking. Bhullar had played in the leader group in the tournament with Phil Mickelson back in 2014. He had shot a final-round three-over 75 to drop down to a share of 10th place that year. He could not match the finish Saturday, but was delighted ...

Muguruza slams past Bacsinszky into Australian Open round 4

Former world number one Garbine Muguruza defeated Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets here on Saturday to reach round four of the Australian Open for the fourth time.

Melody maker: viral hit Beiranvand Iran's Asian Cup rock

He's the safe hands behind Iran's Asian Cup quest whose rags-to-riches story turned him into a national hero -- now giant goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand has become an internet smash. Videos of the 26-year-old shot-stopper throwing the ball over 70 metres to a striker during Iran's clash with Iraq in Dubai went viral, while national coach Carlos Queiroz calls him the heartbeat of his title-chasing side. "Ali is fantastic," Queiroz told AFP before Iran face Oman in the last 16 of the Asian Cup on Sunday. "It's not only his size, it's his big heart." Beiranvand shot to fame at last year's World Cup when he saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in Iran's 1-1 draw with Portugal. But the Iran goalkeeper melted the hearts of football fans around the world by revealing that he had run away from his nomad family and worked in a car wash and as a street cleaner before making it as a footballer. Beiranvand even slept on the streets of Tehran as he hustled for a chance to show clubs he was made of the

Asian Cup last 16, game by game guide

AFP Sport looks at the Asian Cup round of 16 games, which start on Sunday: Jordan v Vietnam Jordan look a well-oiled machine under ex-Belgium assistant coach Vital Borkelmans, and after a tactically astute 1-0 upset of defending champions Australia, they became the first team to qualify for the knockout rounds. Southeast Asian champions Vietnam, by contrast, were the last team through and have probably met their match here. Thailand v China Injury doubts over star man Wu Lei lurk over Marcello Lippi's China, and they will be wary of an upset against a Thai team with no shortage of attacking threat. "Thai Messi" Chanathip Songkrasin is the main danger that the Chinese will want to keep quiet in midfield. Iran v Oman Iran's position as Asia's top-ranked team doesn't lie and Carlos Queiroz's powerful, direct team should have a big say in the title. Oman are unlikely to pose a major problem. Japan v Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's slip-up against political foes Qatar in their final group ...

I-League: Minerva Punjab share spoils with Gokulam Kerala

Minerva Punjab FC fans witnessed a nail-biting finish as the home side snatched a draw from a near-definite loss, scoring an equaliser in the final minute of their I-League game against Gokulam Kerala here on Saturday.

Alexander-Arnold signs new Liverpool contract

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is the latest star to commit his future to the Premier League leaders after signing a long-term contract. Alexander-Arnold's improved deal is reported to tie him to Liverpool until 2024. The 20-year-old has emerged as one of Liverpool's brightest young stars as Jurgen Klopp's side chase the club's first English title since 1990. Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool at the age of six, is one of a host of Reds stars who have pledged their futures to the Anfield team. Andrew Robertson agreed fresh terms earlier this week, following in the footsteps of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane and Joe Gomez, who have all signed new deals since April 2018. "I'm ecstatic and really proud," Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool's website. "I feel privileged to have the support and the trust the club has in me to offer me a new deal. "There was no doubt in my mind to sign and extend the years I have with the club. "Hopefully we can ...

Seventh seed Pliskova pushes through to Open last 16

Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova battled through to the Australian Open last 16 Saturday with a tough three-set win over Italy's Camila Giorgi. Pliskova downed the 27th seeded Italian 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 after a 131 minute arm wrestle to set up a fourth round meeting with Spanish 18th seed Garbine Muguruza. Former world number one Pliskova took the first set at a canter and appeared to be cruising until Giorgi lifted in the second and forced a decider. The Czech took a decisive break early in the final set after a marathon game that went for 13 minutes and went to deuce five times. "I had trouble sometimes but I just stayed calm even though I lost the second set. I had my chances but that's tennis," she said. "I was very positive in the third set and I'm very happy to be through." She has made the quarter-finals in her last two appearances at Melbourne Park and entered this year's tournament on a high after winning the Brisbane International warm-up. The 26-year-old has been a regular ..