Page 673 - Sports
Atletico crash out of Copa del Rey but Real, Sevilla sneak through
Antoine Griezmann scored one and set up another but could not prevent Atletico Madrid tumbling out of the Copa del Rey as Girona progressed on away goals after a thrilling 3-3 draw. Real Madrid and Sevilla each avoided upsets on Wednesday, their first-leg victories proving enough despite losses to Leganes and Athletic Bilbao respectively. Defeat for Real, however, means they have now won only two of their five matches this year while Santiago Solari's frosty relationship with Isco shows no signs of improvement. Isco started, but struggled, and was replaced in the 68th minute. For Atletico, Griezmann came off the bench in the second half and turned the tie in their favour on Wednesday, teeing up Angel Correa and then scoring himself to give his team a 3-2 lead at a rocking Wanda Metropolitano. But Girona pulled out one more surprise to go through to the quarter-finals as Seydou Doumbia's shot found the corner in the 88th minute, snatching a 4-4 draw on aggregate after last week's first
Steffi backs Serena to match Court's 24 Slams
Tennis great Steffi Graf has backed Serena Williams to match and even beat Margaret Court's record 24 Grand Slam titles, saying the American's determination and experience will get her over the line. Williams, 37, has won 23 majors so far over a storied career and is gunning to match Court's mark at the Melbourne Open on the Australian's home territory. She pulled clear of Graf's 22 by winning at Melbourne Park in 2017 while eight weeks pregnant and many already consider her the greatest of all time. Graf, who is married to Andre Agassi and no longer actively involved in the game, is back in Melbourne for the first time in 15 years and said Williams still had all the attributes to win more Slams. "I don't know if she can do it here (equal the record) but I believe that she can absolutely," she told the Melbourne Herald Sun Thursday. "Her game, her serve being such an incredible weapon. I think she at any time is dangerous. "With the experience she's had, she's still so determined and .
Law hopes Smith and Warner's club calls set Australia example
Stuart Law believes disgraced Australia stars Steve Smith and David Warner will have a better idea of "what life is all about" after playing club cricket as he called for their return to international duty as soon they complete year-long bans. Australia captain Smith and Warner, his deputy, were both given 12-month suspensions from state and international fixtures by Cricket Australia for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal during a Test match in South Africa in March last year. Australia have since slipped to fifth in the world Test rankings and, in the absence of world-class batsmen Smith and Warner, recently suffered a first home series defeat by India. But the CA bans did not include club games, with Smith playing for Sutherland against a Randwick-Petersham side featuring Warner in a Sydney grade match in September. "Australia definitely have got the talent, I think we've just lost track of what's important," said former Australia batsman Law, the new coach of Middlesex. "When
Going Gaga! Mattek-Sands revels as rock star of tennis
Bethanie Mattek-Sands is known for her knee-high football socks, fashion statements, dyed hair and colourful tattoos, with the American revelling in being known as the tennis world's "Lady Gaga". The brash 33-year-old is still battling back to full fitness after suffering an horrific broken knee cap at Wimbledon in 2017, and was beaten in the first round at the Australian Open. But she remains positive and launched her own fashion brand in Melbourne this week -- "Love Down Under". "Fashion is fun for me. I love interesting design too; I'm renovating a house, so I'm kind of an artist at heart," she said in a column for the Players Voice website. "It's what I take on the court with me. I'm original, fun, and always myself." Back in 2011, one of singing superstar Lady Gaga's fashion designers, Alex Noble, designed a tennis ball dress for her to wear at the Wimbledon player's party at Kensington Gardens. And the nickname "Lady Gaga of the tennis world" quickly caught on. "When I met with .
New balls, different spin: Roger and Rafa exchange shots
The Australian Open's new balls this year are dividing opinion at Melbourne Park, with even the two greatest men's Grand Slam winners of all-time failing to see eye-to-eye. Roger Federer, winner of 20 Slams, says the new Japanese-made Dunlop balls behave differently in cooler night conditions and do not allow players to "out-spin" rivals. But Rafael Nadal, the 17-time major winner renowned for his huge top-spin groundstrokes, countered: "I can't say it's a bad ball." Australian John Millman reckoned "they're a bit heavy" after losing on Wednesday night while his big-mouth countryman Bernard Tomic pulled no punches, saying they were "dead" and "really shit" before he lost in the first round. Tournament director Craig Tiley has defended the change from Wilson balls, claiming earlier in the week he had heard only "positive feedback". He might have to change his mind after defending champion Federer offered a different opinion on Wednesday. "Well, they definitely play a touch different to
Svitolina, Pliskova keep Slam dreams alive ahead of Serena entrance
Sixth seed Elina Svitolina and seventh-seeded Karolina Pliskova kept their dreams of a maiden Grand Slam title alive Thursday ahead of 23-time major winner Serena Williams swinging back into Australian Open action. Despite being ranked in the top 10, neither has progressed further than the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park. Self-assured Svitolina dismantled Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-1 to make the third round, while Pliskova woke up after losing the first set to race past Madison Brengle 4-6 6-1 6-0. Williams is in action later against Eugenie Bouchard, while six-time winner Novak Djokovic turns back the clock in a night match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Rod Laver Arena. World number one Simona Halep, who narrowly survived a first-round scare, is also back on court against American Sofia Kenin, who won the warm-up Hobart International and is on a six-match win streak. Ukraine's Svitolina scored her biggest career win by clinching the WTA Finals in Singapore last October, and is
Mitchell Santner returns to New Zealand ODI squad
New Zealand cricketer Mitchell Santner has returned in the squad for the first three one-day internationals (ODI) of the five-match series against India, beginning on January 23.The all-rounder, who spent the majority of last season on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, made his only return to international cricket in a one-off T20I against Sri Lanka last week. Santner last appeared in an ODI against England in March last year."Our two main priorities have been to select and prepare a squad capable of winning what is shaping as a massive series against India, and gathering as much information as possible ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales," ICC quoted coach Gary Stead, as saying on Wednesday.Both Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme, who were not involved in Black Caps' recent series against Sri Lanka, have also made a comeback to the 14-member squad."Tom and Colin are experienced players in this format and will offer quality in their respective roles, and ...
PWL: Haryana Hammers pip UP Dangal 5-2
Hosts Haryana Hammers edged past UP Dangal 5-2 in a Pro Wrestling League Season 4 tie at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.
Marin battles through to 2nd round of Malaysia Masters badminton tourney
Spanish badminton great Carolina Marin struggled in her first-round match at the Malaysia Masters but managed to pull out a 21-19, 25-23 victory here on Wednesday over Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol.
Australian Open: Federer, Wozniacki blitz competition on Day 3 (Roundup)
Defending Australian Open title holders Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki looked to stamp their authority on the competition in their second round match-ups on Wednesday, sending a warning to the rest of the field by blitzing their opponents in straight sets.
Real Madrid's Vallejo suffers muscle injury
Real Madrid announced on Wednesday that their defender Jesus Vallejo has suffered a second grade muscle injury to his left leg.
South Korea earns Asian Cup Group C top spot, China 2nd, Kyrgyzstan 3rd
South Korea became the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Group C winner, topping China 2-0 in their last group-stage contest, while Kyrgyzstan snatched the third spot by defeating the Philippines 3-1.
WADA prolongs Moscow's laboratory inspection, denies obstacles to its work
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reported on Wednesday that it had decided to extend its inspection visit to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA)'s laboratory but denied that Russia had imposed new obstacles to its work.
South Korea beat China 2-0 to finish top of Group C at Asian Cup
South Korea finished top of Group C of 2019 Asian Cup by defeating China 2-0 to make it three victories from three and leave China in second place here on Wednesday.
WB govt felicitates former umpire Simon Taufel
The West Bengal government on Wednesday felicitated former cricket umpire Simon Taufel at a programme here. Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, gifted Taufel a football on behalf of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at the new secretariat building here. Taufel, 47, was a member of the International Cricket Council's Elite Umpire Panel, and had won five consecutive ICC 'Umpire of the Year' awards between 2004 and 2008.
Nadal clears second hurdle of Australian Open
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal defeated Australia's Matthew Ebden to advance into the third round of the ongoing Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.The 2009 champion registered an impressive 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ebden in the match that lasted almost two hours.Nadal is playing at his first tournament following his right ankle surgery in November last year."Every day is a test, and especially when you are back after injuries. I think I played a solid match, I am happy with the way my serve worked, and I think I did a few things very well - serve and first shot have been very, very positive, hitting a lot of winners with my forehand. And with my return, I think I have been improving during the match," Australian Open quoted Nadal, as saying.The world number two was tested by his Australian counterpart, who was comfortable on serve in the opening exchanges. However, Nadal's superb serve brought him back into the game. As Ebden was left in the danger zone under ...
Indian women team to play football friendlies against Hong Kong and Indonesia
Indian senior women's national football team is scheduled to play two matches each against Hong Kong and Indonesia in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2."In our quest to qualify from the Round 2, we have to play against tough teams and both Hong Kong and Indonesia will provide us with challenges of their own and help in our development," Head Coach Maymol Rocky said on Wednesday."The Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 will be a test and a challenge for all of us and we are preparing to script history and make the nation proud," the coach added.Following are the 25 players selected:Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, M. Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayansamy, Shreya HoodaDefenders: Ashalata Devi, Sweety Devi, Jabamani Tudu, Dalima Chhibber, Lako Phuti, Michel Castanha, Poly KoleyMidfielders: Sangita Basfore, Sanju Yadav, Sumithra Kamaraj, Ranjana Chanu, Indumathi Kathiresan, Ranjita Devi, ManishaForwards: Roja Devi, Anju Tamang, Ratanbala Devi, Pyari Xaxa, Dangmei Grace, ...
Khelo: Fancied players have an easy time as TT gets underway
The qualifying rounds for the table tennis competition got underway Wednesday with Under-21 and Under-17 boys and girls in action at the Khelo India Youth Games 2019 here. Seeded players like Jeet Chandra, Manush Shah, Prapti Sen and Naina had an easy day at the office with the stiffer tests lying ahead. The singles category of the boys and girls U-17 qualifying rounds saw paddlers from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh advance into the second round. In the singles category of boys and girls U-21 qualifying rounds West Bengal, Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi made it to the second round.
Haryana Hammers beat UP Dangal 5-2
Haryana Hammers defeated UP Dangal 5-2 in a Pro Wrestling League Season 4 fixture at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday. The 57kg category bout between the two Indians, Ravi Kumar of Haryana Hammers and Naveen of UP Dangal, brought out the best in them. Ravi, the 2018 World U23 Championships silver medalist, took a point against the 2018 World Junior Championships silver medalist Naveen after a hard-fought first round. But despite his best effort, Naveen couldn't create the opening he required and Ravi went on adding point after point to finally clinch the bout 7-2 and give last year's runners-up Hammers a 4-2 winning lead in their first match this season. The last bout of the evening in the 57kg weight category between the Haryana Hammers' junior world champion Anastasia Nichita and UP Dangal's 2017 Asian championships silver medallist Sarita went in favour of the Hammers with the PWL debutant Anastasia pining the Indian down and clinching the bout 9-0. Hammers ...
Khelo: Maha enter all four kho-kho finals, eyes clean sweep
Maharashtrabooked their place in the finals of the both Boys and Girls Under-17 and Under-21 sections Wednesday, putting themselves in line for a four-gold sweep at the kho-kho competition of the Khelo India Youth Games here. Kerala also assured themselves of at least two silver medals as they reached two finals in the two Under-21 sections. Delhi in Under-17 Girls and Andhra Pradesh in Under-17 Boys managed to get into one final each, a media release said. Interestingly, both semi-finals were decided by the same scoreline 7-6, with Maharashtra and Delhi emerging winners. Results: Under-17 Girls: Semi-finals: Delhi beat Gujarat 7-6; Maharashtra beat Punjab 7-6. Under-17 Boys:Maharashtra beat Tamil Nadu 12-6; Andhra Pradesh beat Karnataka 17-10. Under-21 Girls: Maharashtra beat Odisha 10-7; Kerala beat Delhi 8-7. Under-21 Boys:Maharashtra beat Gujarat 13-9;Kerala beat Andhra Pradesh 21-11.