Page 712 - Sports
Sydney, Brisbane to host inaugural ATP Cup event
Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane have been named as the hosting venues for the upcoming inaugural edition of the ATP Cup. The third city that would host the event is to be confirmed soon.Making the announcement, Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley revealed that the event would see the participation of more than 100 players from 24 nations every January in Australia."With more than 100 players from 24 nations vying for USD $15 million in prize money and 750 ATP Ranking points, the ATP Cup will help us launch the global tennis season every January in Australia," ATP quoted Tiley, as saying.Ahead of the event, Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre will have an upgradation of worth $50.5m which includes a new roof on Ken Rosewall Arena and Court 1. Brisbane, on the other hand, will expand its international tennis offering to include the ATP Cup and its existing WTA event.Australian tennis player Nick Kygrios has expressed delight over the development and said that he is looking forward ..
WTA rankings: Osaka climbs to number four
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, who had made it to the quarter-final round of the recently-concluded Brisbane International, has been rewarded for her impressive run as she jumped one spot to attain the fourth place in the WTA rankings.With a total of 4740 points in her kitty, the 21-year-old is just behind number third-ranked player Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark who has got 5086 points.The top three positions remained unchanged with Simona Halep of Romania leading the pack followed by Angelique Kerber of Germany and Caroline Wozniacki.Other notable improvements on the ranking list were made by players like Sloane Stephens of USA, and Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.While Stephens leaped one spot to attain the fifth position on the list, Brisbane International runner-up Tsurenko was rewarded for her good performance as she jumped three places to acquire a 24th position on the list.
Awadhe Warriors secure second position at Premier Badminton League Season 4
World No. 5 Son Wan Ho of Korea defeated England's Rajiv Ouseph in a crucial men's singles match as Awadhe Warriors edged out season 2 champions Chennai Smashers 4-3 in a thrilling encounter of the Premier Badminton League Season 4 here on Monday. Korea's Sung Ji Hyun continued her unbeaten run but her brilliant effort went in vain in a thrilling encounter at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. Along with Sung, Chennai's mixed doubles pair of Chris and Gabby Adcock also won their match but Awadhe Warriors emerged victorious in men's singles and men's doubles through Lee Dong Keun and the Trump combine of Lee Yang and Mathias Christiansen. With the four points that the Warriors earned from Monday's match, they have now moved up to the second position with 20 points. The top position in the leaderboard is still held by the defending champions Hyderabad Hunters. The Smashers looked up to their World No. 11 women's singles shuttler Sung Ji Hyun to deliver them the Trump victory over Awadhe's ..
Khelo: Odisha, Chandigarh, Haryana post wins in U17 men hockey
Odisha, Chandigarh and Haryana Monday register victories in the Under-17 men's category in hockey, while Punjab and Uttar Pradesh won their respective matches in the Under-21 men's category as the second edition of the Khelo India Youth Games 2019 started here. The matches were held at the Mumbai Hockey Association Stadium. In the Under-17 men's category, Odisha prevailed over Uttar Pradesh with a scoreline of 3-1 in a Pool A match. Odisha ran away with the match as they scored three goals inside 43 minutes, with Prasant Lakra (7'), Sudeep Minz (39') and Deepak Ekka (43') getting their names on the score-sheet. Ajay Yadav (55') scored the only goal for Uttar Pradesh, a release issued by the Hockey India said. In the other Pool A match, Delhi and Maharashtra played out a 2-2 draw as the former cancelled out Maharashtra's lead twice to split the points. Pool B's opening encounter saw Chandigarh beat Jharkhand 3-0 to bag three points. Goals for Chandigarh were scored by ...
Kerala men and women enter National volleyball semis
Kerala men and women's teams reached the semifinals of the 67th National Volleyball Championship at the Nehru indoor stadium here Monday while Tamil Nadu men pipped Services 3-1 for a last four spot. While the men made short work of southern rivals Andhra Pradesh, winning 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-13), the women were in dominant form against Haryana, claiming a 3-0 victory. The men's team, which has been in good form in the tournament, brooked no challenge from the Andhra spikers, playing with purpose and coming up with some telling smashes. In the women's section, Kerala was joined in the last four by the tournament favourite - the Railways, which trounced Delhi 3-0, conceding just 39 points in total. The men's quarterfinal match between Tamil Nadu and Services was well-contested. The home side won the opening set, pulling away in the closing stage. Services hit back to win the second set, which was another close affair but Tamil Nadu held firm despite facing stiff ...
India has amazing depth in 8-20 age group: Anand
Stressing that there is amazing depth in age group 8-20 in the country, multiple-time chess world champion Viswanathan Anand Monday said the need of the hour was to give them platforms to train and compete. The 49-year-old chess wizard said India's youth chess team is one of the most competitive in the world. "Indian chess players, we have amazing depth. I don't know (what) the lower number is, but in the 8-20 group we have an amazing amount of depth. "In fact, our youth chess team is one of the most competitive in the world," Anand told reporters here. Anand was speaking on the sidelines of the EKA|IIFL Investment Managers 4th Mumbai International Chess Tournament being held at the World Trade Centre. "It is incredibly hard to become the national champion in many age-group categories. I think (some) international tournaments are slightly off the pedal. It is harder here than there. "It's very good that we have so many platforms like the IIFL wealth event, which also not .
World Cup winner Deschamps elected French Coach of the Year
The 2017 FIFA World Cup winner Didier Deschamps was unsurprisingly elected as French Coach of the Year, the France Football magazine announced on Monday.
I-League: East Bengal face Indian Arrows challenge (Preview)
A buoyant Indian Arrows host Kolkata giants East Bengal (QEB) at the Kalinga stadium here on Tuesday in the last remaining first leg fixture of the 12th Hero I-League.
China defeat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in Asian Cup
China on Monday bounced back to defeat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Group C opener at the Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium here.
Central Secretariat, Bengaluru notch up big wins
: Central Secretariat and Bengaluru Hockey Association began their campaign Monday with big wins in their respective groups in the Arise Steel 9th Hockey India Senior Men Championship ('B' Division) here. While Central Secretariat team from Delhi hammered Hockey Gujarat 20-1 in Pool 'C', Bengaluru HA trounced Tripura Hockey by a similar margin in Pool 'D'. M Gunasekar scored three goals for Central Secretariat while T Arunkumar and Govind Singh Rawat netted twice. In the Bengaluru HA-Tripura match, Kusha Gowda pumped in six goals for the former while V Raja found the net five times. In an exciting game in Pool B, Sashastra Seema Bal drew with Manipur Hockey 3-3. Sahastra Seema Bal led 3-2 with a minute to go but Mani Singh scored in the dying seconds to secure a tie for his team. The tournament was inaugurated by Aadhava Arjuna, managing director, Arise Steel and Secretary, Tamil Nadu Basketball Association. Results: Pool C: Central Secretariat beat Hockey Gujarat 20-1; .
Never thought of playing so many games for India in my 'wildest fantasies': Sunil Chhetri
Indian national football team skipper Sunil Chhetri, who recently surpassed star Barcelona striker Lionel Messi in the highest scoring active player's list, on Monday said that he never thought that he would play so many matches and score goals for his country.Chhetri said that when he made his international debut against Pakistan in 2005, it was all about playing for his country and he never thought of anything else even in his "wildest fantasies." He credited his teammates for helping him grow throughout his career."Never, not even in my wildest fantasies, I thought that this would happen to me. Playing for my country the very first time was so enjoyable, memorable and nothing less than a great honour. But, I never thought that I would go on to play so many games and score goals for India," AIFF quoted Chhetri, as saying."I am blessed to have played the game with the best of the teammates-both for all my clubs and Country. Both in Bengaluru FC and India, everyone helps me out. They .
86th national billiards & snooker meet in Indore from Jan 18
Top cueists, including Pankaj Advani, will take part in the 86th National Billiards and Snooker Championship beginning here on January 18. Besides Advani, veteran cueists like Aditya Mehta, Rupesh Shah and Vidya Pillai will participate in the Rs 10 lakh prize money tournament that will conclude on February 10. Madhya Pradesh Billiards and Snooker Association president Bholu Mehta told PTI Monday that the preparations are underway for the tournament, which will be held at the Yashwant Club. He said in the 24-day event, the competition would be held under different categories, including under-16, under-19 along with senior class.
Ranji: Tripura shot out for 35 vs Rajasthan; Aniket grabs 5-11
Rajasthan pacers, who have been impressive throughout the season, yet again wreaked havoc as they bundled out Tripura for a paltry 35 in their Elite Group C match here Monday. The pacers were led by left-arm speedster Aniket Choudhary, who returned with exceptional figures of 5-11, in seven overs at the MBB Stadium here. He was ably supported by another left-arm pacer T M Haq (3-1) and Deepak Chahar (1-17). Tripura ended their innings at 35 for 9 with their skipper S K Patel retiring hurt on 2. Such was Tripura's misery that only one batsman was able to score in double figures as all other batters faltered after their captain elected to bat. In reply, Rajasthan made 218 to take a dominant 183- run first innings lead. The visitors were in a spot of bother at 157 for 9, but then their no 10 Choudhary (30 not out) and Haq (37) got involved in a 61-run stand for the last wicket and ensured Rajasthan crossed the 200-run mark. Tripura were 4 for no loss at close of play, still
Pujara, bowlers pulled off historic series win (Column: Just Sport)
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have all won the World Cup yet they have not won a bilateral Test series in Australia. India became the first team from the subcontinent to create history and it took 71 years for them to win a series Down Under.
International chess tourney in city from January 18-25
Young Russian Grandmaster Alexandr Predke (Elo rating 2620) will be the top seed and favourite in the 11th Chennai Open International Grandmaster chess tournament 2019 for the Sakthi Group Dr N Mahalingam Trophy to be held here from January 18 to 25. The challenge for Predke is expected to come from fellow Russian GMs Ivan Rozum and Ivan Popov. The tournament has so far attracted 28 foreign players from 13 countries, a press note said. A total of 17 Grandmasters and 22 International Masters will be seen in action. The Indian challenge will be led by Grandmasters Erigaisi Arjun, Deepan Chakkravarthy, M R Venkatesh, Sundararajan Kidambi, R R Laxman, Neelotpal Das and Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury among others. This tournament, organised by Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, carries a total prize money of Rs 15 lakh with the winner set to take home Rs three lakh and the runner-up Rs two lakh. The 10-round Swiss tournament offers Grandmaster and International Master norm chances .
Sharath-Manika takes on Manav-Archana in mixed doubles TT final
Asian Games bronze medallists A Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will take on the top-seeded pair of Manav Thakkar and Archana Girish Kamath in an exciting mixed doubles final of the 80th National Table Tennis Championship here Tuesday. In the semifinals, second seeded pair of Sharath and Manika defeated third-seeded duo of Sourav Saha and Suthirtha Mukherjee of Haryana 3-1 to set up a clash with Manav and Archana. In the first semifinal, Manav and Archana had notched up a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded Ravindra Kotiyan and Sagarika Mukherjee of the Railways to enter the finals at the Nehru Stadium here. In the last edition at Ranchi, none of the PSPB pairs could enter the final as RBI emerged the champions with North Bengal settling for the silver. After a long and weary third day's play with the team finals going late into the night, the jaded top players needed some rest before resuming the fourth day with just two rounds quarterfinals and semifinals on the fourth day. Even otherwise, .
Mukund's century, stand with Indrajith help TN to 215 for 3
: A patient century by Test discard Abhinav Mukund and his 155-run partnership with captain Baba Indrajith (86) helped Tamil Nadu make 215 for 3 in 90 overs at stumps on day one against Delhi in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match here Monday. Mukund, who was dropped when on 97 by Lalit Yadav off Navdeep Saina, reached his ton with a glorious drive through the covers of Shivam Sharma in the 87th over. The stylish southpaw and Indrajith, who hit 11 fours, came together with the host in a spot of bother at 42 for 2, negotiated the bowling with a mix of caution and aggression. Indrajith, in particular, started slowly before growing in confidence in the company of Mukund, who essayed some elegant shots. The TN skipper, who was let off on 21 at first slip, made the most of that lapse to record yet another half-century. Speaking at the end of the day, Indrajith said he was happy that his partnership with Abhinav helped the team to overcome the wobbly start. "When I walked out .
Pound blasts WADA critics for acting like a lynch mob
The numerous critics attacking the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over Russia's failure to meet a deadline to hand over data from its drug-tainted Moscow laboratory are acting like a "lynch mob", said former president Dick Pound. The 76-year-old Canadian lawyer -- who was WADA's inaugural president from 1999-2007 and sits on its Foundation Board -- wrote in his blog for influential sports politics website InsideTheGames that those demanding WADA be overhauled had their own personal agendas. The end-of-year deadline was set in September, when WADA lifted a ban on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition across all sports after a report which uncovered a state-sponsored doping programme in Russia. However, when WADA personnel travelled to Russia in December they were unable to extract all of the promised data. WADA said at the time its team could not complete its mission "due to an issue raised by the Russian authorities that
China saved by goalie howler in narrow win over Kyrgyzstan
A spectacular goalkeeping blunder helped Marcello Lippi's China avoid a humiliating defeat as they came from behind to narrowly beat minnows Kyrgyzstan 2-1 at the Asian Cup on Monday. The Central Asians, ranked 91st in the world and playing their first major tournament, bossed the first half and deservedly led 1-0 at the break of their Group C clash after Akhlidin Israilov's rasping strike. But panicky Kyrgyz goalkeeper Pavel Matiash committed the howler of the Asian Cup so far when he palmed the ball into his own net shortly after half-time, before Beijing Guoan forward Yu Dabao grabbed the winner 12 minutes before the end. It spared China's blushes against a team of players who ply their trade in leagues as diverse as Bangladesh and the Turkish amateur ranks, while both Matiash and Israilov are clubless. Kyrgyzstan were far from overawed by their Asian Cup debut as they attacked from the outset at Al Ain's sun-drenched Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium. In an open first half, China's Wu Lei
Chess:Fight for top honours keenly poised with 3 in joint lead
The fight for the top honours is poised for an interesting finish in the EKA|IIFL Investment Managers 4thMumbai International Chess Tournament with three players tied in top position at the end of the penultimate round Monday. Vietnamese GM Tran Tuan Minh (ELO 2524), and Indians GM Abhimanyu Puranik (ELO 2544) and upcoming talent IM Gukesh D (ELO 2466) are all tied at the top with 6.5 points each at the end of the eighth round. The 19-year-old GM Puranik, from Maharashtra and playing with the black pieces, produced an impressive performance to score a decisive win in 26 moves against the overnight leader, 22-year-old Vietnamese Tarn Tuan Minh, in a crucial eighth round game at the World Trade Centre here. Sixth-ranked Puranik, with this win, has put the brakes on the Vietnameses charge to the title and it has also enhanced his own prospects of emerging champion. This was the first defeat for the seventh-ranked Tran. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadus 12-year-old and 14thranked ...