Page 677 - Sports
Newcastle survive Blackburn scare, Wednesday earn Chelsea clash
Newcastle survived an FA Cup scare at Blackburn as they blew a two-goal lead before hitting back to win 4-2 after extra time in the third-round replay. Rafael Benitez sent out an under-strength line-up featuring eight changes from Newcastle's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday. The stand-ins made a fast start on Tuesday when Sean Longstaff scored his first goal for Newcastle. The 21-year-old found the net inside the first minute with a deflected strike from outside the penalty area. Callum Roberts, handed his first Newcastle appearance since January 2015, doubled their lead in the 22nd minute with his first goal for the club. But Blackburn pulled a goal back 12 minutes before half-time through former Newcastle forward Adam Armstrong. And Republic of Ireland international Darragh Lenihan equalised for Blackburn with a header in first-half stoppage time. It took extra time to settle the tie, with Blackburn's Bradley Dack missing a golden chance before Joselu pounced
Tearful former champ Azarenka determined to end slump
A despondent Victoria Azarenka has vowed to fight her way out of a career-threatening slump and recapture the form that delivered her two Australian Open titles. The former world number one was dumped from the season-opening Grand Slam in a gut-wrenching loss to little-known German Laura Siegemund late Tuesday after throwing away a one-set lead. Azarenka, 29, wiped away tears as she contemplated the tough battle ahead to return to the top after tumbling down the rankings following the birth of son Leo and a messy custody battle afterwards. "I've had injuries before but I've never had slumps before in terms of results," said the Belarusian, who is currently ranked 58 in the world. "It's not easy to sit here and be positive but I don't have a choice." Azarenka said she maintained a burning ambition to return to the game's elite and believed hard work was the only way to get there. But the frustrated former star was at a loss to explain the 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 6-2 loss to Siegmund, her worst ..
Stephens races into Open round three as Bertens dumped
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens powered into the Australian Open third round Wednesday as she strives to win a second major, but the tournament ended for ninth seed Kiki Bertens. The American fifth seed swatted aside former doubles partner Timea Babos 6-3 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena to keep her on a collision course to meet world number two Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals. Second seeded Kerber, the 2016 champion, resumes her tournament later Wednesday against fellow left-hander Beatriz Haddad Maia as she targets a 100th Grand Slam main draw win. Six-time Melbourne winner Roger Federer is also in action, along with Rafael Nadal, defending women's champion Caroline Wozniacki and Russian starlet Maria Sharapova. Stephens has endured a horror run at Melbourne Park since reaching the semi-final in 2013, exiting in the first round in 2015, 2016 and 2018. She also missed 2017 with a foot injury, but looks to be back in business. "Her serve is ridiculously good. I had to hang in ...
Duanne Olivier attains career-best position in ICC Test rankings
South African fast bowler Duanne Olivier on Tuesday reached a career-best 24th position in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after another stellar performance in the final Test in Johannesburg, which his side won by 107 runs to complete a 3-0 series sweep over Pakistan.Olivier's match haul of eight for 125 in the final game lifted him eight slots in the list led by his compatriot Kagiso Rabada. His 24 wickets in the series not only got him the player of the series award, but also see him gain 29 slots overall in the rankings after starting the series in 53rd place, according to a press release by the ICC.South Africa, who have reached the second position in the ICC Test Team rankings after their impressive series victory against Pakistan, also had their batsmen move up the rankings with wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock gaining 12 berths to reach 14th position.Former Proteas captain Hashim Amla (up three places to 10th) and opener Aiden Markram (up two places to eighth) have also ...
Shane Burger appointed Scotland's head coach
Former South African domestic all-rounder Shane Burger has been appointed as the new head coach of the Scotland cricket team.Burger will replace Toby Bailey, who has been serving as Scotland's interim coach, and since Grant Bradburn stepped down from the post in September last year. He will officially take over from Bailey in March.He is currently a coach with the KwaZulu-Natal Inland since 2015. Also, the 36-year-old Proteas has won Cricket South Africa's coach of the year award twice in the last three years, ESPNCricinfo reported."I am both delighted and honoured to be awarded this position as head coach of Scotland. The opportunity to work with players who have already shown that they can compete with the best in the business is an exciting challenge. Grant did a fantastic job and it will be my goal to move Scottish cricket to new heights on and off the field," Burger said in a statement.Making his maiden first-class debut with Gauteng in 2002, Burger has played a total of 91 ...
Khelo: Maharashtra continues to stay ahead in medals tally
Hosts Maharashtra stayed way ahead of others in the overall medals tally at the Khelo India Youth Games with a total of 177 medals. Maharashtra now has 64 gold, 51 silver and 62 bronze medals. Delhi are at the second place with 121 medals, including 47 gold, 31 silver and 43 bronze, a media release said. Haryana are placed third in the overall medals tally with 110 medals that include 37 gold, 35 silver and 38 bronze, it added. Meanwhile, Karnataka swimmer Srihari Nataraj emerged as the most prolific gold medal winner, as he added two more on Tuesday to fetch a total of seven. With SP Likith, picking five, the Karnataka duo were the most decorated gold medallists of these Games. Meanwhile, in shooting, Patiala-based Sartaj Singh, hung on to a slender lead to beat a charge by National Junior Champion Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar of Madhya Pradesh and won the gold medal in the 50m 3-position rifle competition. Telangana's 13-year-old Esha Singh and Maharashtras Harshada ...
Khelo Kabaddi: Maharashtra girls still in fray for knock-out
Maharashtra's Under-21 girls brightened their chances of making it to the knock-out stage easing past Andhra Pradesh 31-19 in the Khelo India Youth Games Kabaddi event here on Tuesday. For the hosts, Sonali Helvi did well to help build up a 12-9 lead with some good tackles and great raids, a media release said. However, later, the hosts were subjected to losses in the Under-21 boys and Under-17 girls sections respectively. The States boys suffered a heart-breaking single point loss to Kerala 34-35 despite beginning well and leading 12-10 initially. The girls were outdone by Haryana 17-37 in an Under-17 match.
Khelo: Karnataka's Srihari Natraj grabs seven gold medals
Karnataka duo Srihari Nataraj and S P Likith were in limelight as the swimming competition came to an end at the Khelo India Youth Games on Tuesday. Despite the barrage of gold medals from the young twosome, hosts Maharashtra (192 points) and Delhi (242) claimed the Under-21 and Under-17 combined swimming team championships respectively in these Games. Karnataka finished runners-up in both sections with 187 and 201 points, a media release said. Karnataka's Srihari Nataraj (U-21) ended the competition with seven gold medals while his teammate Likith bagged five gold and a bronze, it said. Among other multiple medallists, there were Maharashtras Yuga Birnale (U-21) and Kenisha Gupta (U-17), who earned three gold each in the women's section. Nataraj faced no challenge in winning the 50m backstroke (Boys U-21) in 26.16 seconds. Nataraj won his second individual gold of the day in the 100m freestyle clocking 52.37 seconds. Delhi's multiple medallist Prachi Tokas won gold in ...
Khelo Boxing: Devika, Laxmi keep Maharashtra's chances alive
Local pugilists Devika Ghorpade and Laxmi Patil Tuesday stormed into the semifinals of the girls under-17 boxing event of the Khelo India Youth Games here. In the pinweight (46kg) class, Devika outboxed Goa's Aarti Chouhan 5-0 while Laxmi prevailed over Ayushi Awasthi of Madhya Pradesh in the light-fly (48kg) class, a media release said. Devika is aiming to win gold in her maiden Khelo India Games. "The major hurdle is Haryanas Rinku and we will face each other in the semifinals. I am preparing myself for that bout," said Devika. Rinku beat statemate Rajni 5-0. The other semifinal will be between Assam's Priyanka Borah and Haryana's Tamanna. Maharashtra's Prajkta Shinde went down fighting to Assam's Saraswati Boro 2-3 in the light bantam (52kg) category, it said. Meanwhile, Maharashtra's challenge in the girls Under-21 division came to an end after Poonam Kaithwas went down to Haryanas Jony 5-0. Meanwhile, the hosts have guaranteed six medals in the boys' categories. In .
Khelo: Kerala wins both boys and girls U-17 volleyball matches
Kerala edged past Rajasthan 3-2 in a league match in the U-17 Boys Volleyball competition. Kerala won the first set 25-19, but Rajasthan made a spectacular comeback by winning the next two games. The fourth game was close, but Kerala managed to win it by 25-21 to send the match into the decider. Both the teams were neck and neck, till Kerala took the match out of Rajasthan's hand by winning the set 15-13, a media release said. Other than this Gujrat beat hosts Maharashtra in a one-sided match 3-1. The same story repeated in Tamil Nadu's case as they secured easy victory over Jammu and Kashmir. In the Women's U-17 category, Kerala lost the first game, but made a big comeback to beat Haryana by 3-1. The Haryana girls took home the first set without any resistance, but faded away after that. West Bengal beat Karnataka 3-0 and Maharashtra beat Gujarat 3-1, the release added.
Khelo: Punjab, Goa in last four of U-21 boy's football
Punjab on Tuesday staged a fine recovery to down Goa 2-1 to maintain an all-win record, even as both teams made it to the semi-finals from Pool B of the boys U-21 football competition at the Khelo India Youth Games. Goa took the lead in the 56th minute through Leny Fernandes but substitute Gurprinder Singh drew parity for Punjab in the 66th minute while Ramandeep scored the winner five minutes before the final whistle. Punjab topped the pool winning all three matches while Goa were second with six points, a media release said. In Under-17 Pool B action, Kerala beat Odisha and Maharashtra beat Uttar Pradesh with the score being 3-1 in both cases. In the Girls U-17 Pool B section, Jharkhand and Manipur having already qualified for the last-four stage, played the last game to decide who would top the group. Jharkhand kept their slate clean, defeating Manipur 4-1. In the same group, in an inconsequential match Uttar Pradesh beat Chandigarh 2-1 in the same group. In the Girls .
Harmanpreet Kaur's absence is a loss for Sydney Thunder: Rachael Haynes
Australia and Sydney Thunder batter Rachael Haynes on Tuesday said that India T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur's absence ahead of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) semi-finals is a big loss for the team.Following the Thunder's final home-and-away-match, Harmanpreet ended her WBBL journey, to prepare for the upcoming ODI and T20I series in and against New Zealand."She (Harmanpreet Kaur) is a pretty big loss for any team, she is one of the best T20 players in the world and we have seen her at times be in some devastating form for us. To lose her in the middle order will be a challenge but having said that, one of our strengths in our team is our batting depth," Haynes was quoted by Cricket Australia's Unplayable Podcast.However, Haynes is confident that her team can cover the hole in the middle-order left by India T20 captain. With West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, Thunder captain Alex Blackwell and all-rounder Nicola Carey at their disposal, Haynes believes that her team has got a lot .
Karthik praises Dhoni for setting up victory in last-over thriller
India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik heaped praises on Mahendra Singh Dhoni for setting up India's victory in the last-over thriller in the second ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday."I think he (Dhoni) is been pretty solid this series. It was great to watch him bat and finish off an innings and we know he can absorb pressure and release it back to the opponents when the time is right and that has always been his strength and today you saw a perfect example of that," Karthik said in a post-match press conference.Following captain Virat Kohli's dismissal, Karthik came out to share the crease with Dhoni in the 44th over, with India still needing 57 from 38 balls to level the series 1-1.Karthik finished with an unbeaten 25 off 14 balls, while Dhoni, who batted through cramp on a hot evening, reached his second fifty of the series, as a six from the first ball of Jason Behrendorff's final over was followed by a single to seal the victory."I think it was a very hot ..
Naomi Osaka speeds into second round of Australian Open
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka started her campaign during the ongoing Australian Open with a convincing victory over Magda Linette of Poland at the Rod Laver Arena here on Tuesday.The 21-year-old, who is the reigning US Open champion, defeated her Polish counterpart 6-4, 6-2 in the match that lasted 58 minutes to advance to the second round of the tournament."I had a lot of fun. It is not often that I get to play a night match at Rod Laver Arena. For me, it was the first time. I didn't really feel nervous either, which was a bit unexpected; I thought that I would, being that it is the first match. I just felt like I had a lot of fun today," Australian Open quoted Osaka, as saying.Winning 24 of 25 points behind her first serve, the match was firmly on the number five seed's racquet. However, Linette escaped the game with some solid serving, but it was a brief reprieve. From there, the Japanese dominated the game.The world number four will next meet Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia in ..
MP Yodha beat Delhi Sultans to register first win in PWL
Skipper Pooja Dhanda lived up to the expectations as she defeated Romanian Katherina Zhydachivska of Delhi Sultans 6-0 to register the first win for MP Yodha in a Pro Wrestling League (PWL) season 4 match at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday. Yodha's were trailing 2-3 when Pooja came to the mat and her win pushed the tie to the decider, according to the last received reports. In the decider, Rio Olympic Games participating wrestler Sandeep Tomar of MP Yodha beat Delhi Sultan's national championships bronze medalist Pankaj to win the decider 9-7. The bout between former and current national champions Deepak and Praveen in the 86kg category was an engrossing one but Deepak won the bout by winning the last point even though the scores were levelled at 7-7. In the 53-kg category, U-23 World Championship silver medalist Ritu Phogat of MP Yodha lost 3-5 to Delhi Sultan's Pinki. The 2017-18 World Military Championships gold medalist Khetik Tsabalov put Delhi Sultans ahead ...
Khelo India: Nataraj shines as Maharashtra extend lead in medals tally
Srihari Nataraj emerged as the most prolific gold medal winner, as he added two more on Tuesday, to reach a total of seven at the Khelo India Youth Games.
Khelo lifting: 2 golds on final day underline Maha's dominance
Maharashtra's Snehal Bhongale and Ashwini Malage gave their team two more gold medals as the weightlifting competition concluded at the Khelo India Youth Games on Tuesday. Bhongale grabbed the gold in 87kg, while Malage won the over-87kg, as Maharashtra finished the competition with a total of nine gold medals, while Punjab had five and Tamil Nadu four. The final day's other two gold medals were won by Tamil Nadu and Punjab. While Tamil Nadu's B Mukesh won a tight contest in 109 kg, Punjab's Tejpal Singh Sandhu won the over-109 kg gold by a massive 20kg margin. Maharashtra emerged as the champion state in both Under-17 and Under-21 sections. Results: U-21 Junior Women's 87kg: 1. Snehal Bhongale (Mah) 160 kg, 2. Shivangi Singh (UP) 154 kg, 3. Amrutha K Jayan (Ker) 137 kg. U-21 Junior Women's +87kg: 1. Ashwini Malage (Mah) 184 kg, 2. Bhavishya (Ktk) 180 kg, 3. Ann Mariya M. T. (Ker) 167 kg. U-21 Junior Men's 109 kg: 1. B Mukesh (TN) 261 kg, 2. Gurpratap Singh (Pun) 259 ...
Atletico coach seeks solutions to get past Girona in Copa del Rey
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone Tuesday said he was working on a game-plan to defeat Atletico's rival Girona so that his side will advance to the Copa del Rey's quarterfinals.
Unseeded Kaavya knocks out second seed Humera in Khelo tennis
Second seed Humera Shaik of Telangana was Tuesday knocked out in the girls Under-21 tennis event by Kaavya Sawhney of Uttar Pradesh during the Khelo India Games here. Meanwhile, in the boys Under-17 quarter-finals, Maharashtra's Aryaan Bhatia upset top seed Ajay Malik of Haryana 6-4, 6-4. Joining him in the last four was Sushant Dabas of Haryana, who beat Kisan Hooda of Chandigarh 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, a media release said. In the other quarter-finals, Gurustat Makkar of Chandigarh lost to Krish Patel of Gujarat 2-6, 2-6 and the later will now face Divesh Gahlot of Haryana who beat Gujarat's Dev Javia 6-4, 6-2. Kaavya defeated Humera by a 6-3, 6-2 margin as her powerful serve and relentless returning proved too much for Humera. In other quarter-final action, top seed Mahak Jain of Madhya Pradesh was up against Vaidehi Chaudhari of Gujarat. The India no. 5 surprising trailed 3-5 in the first set having dropped serve, but used all her experience and broke Vaidehi back ...
UEFA starts disciplinary action against Chelsea over racist chants
UEFA has begun disciplinary proceedings against Chelsea following alleged anti-Semitic chanting during the club's Europa League match at Hungarian club Vidi last month, European football's governing body announced on Tuesday. A vocal minority of Chelsea fans were heard singing a derogatory chant about Tottenham supporters, featuring anti-Semitic language, during the 2-2 draw at the Groupama Arena in Budapest. "In relation to the alleged racist incidents that occurred at the afore-mentioned match, UEFA has announced that disciplinary proceedings have been instigated against Chelsea FC," UEFA said in a statement. It added that its Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body would deal with the case on February 28. Chelsea have been dogged by accusations of supporter racism in recent weeks, with four supporters banned pending an investigation into alleged racist insults directed at Raheem Sterling during the Blues' 2-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City in early ...