Page 737 - Sports
Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab boxers dominate in 2nd day of women's National
Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab boxers swept away majority of the wins on the second day of the third women's National Boxing Championships here on Tuesday. The day began with a dominating performance by Delhi's Riya Tokas in the 54kg category as she landed a flurry of punches in the first round against her opponent, V Vinodhini from Tamil Nadu. Riya continued her attacking approach in the next two rounds and registered a unanimous 5-0 victory. She next faces World Championship quarter-finalist Manisha Moun. Sohini from Chandigarh was in sublime form getting the better of Sai Sree Reddy from Telangana in the 69 kg category. She went on the offensive right from the start and landed some mighty blows, only for the referee to stop the bout in the first round. The closest bout of the day was fought between Babita Bisht of Uttarakhand and Suman Khoda of Rajasthan in the 69kg category. Both the boxers kept the audience engaged as they traded some strong punches right from the start. It was an .
Brisbane International: Naomi Osaka defeats Destanee Aiava to reach quarterfinals
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka on Tuesday defeated Australian player Destanee Aiava in straight sets to become the first player through to the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International.The US Open champion and number two seed outlasted Australian teenager by 6-3, 6-2."I didn't really serve that much during the off-season, because I hurt my shoulder a little bit. So honestly, I was just really glad that I could serve well today. But I think one of the things that I was working on more is like trusting my fitness level," Women's Tennis Association quoted Osaka, as saying."And even though it didn't seem like it because I was blasting half of the balls, I was trying to construct the point a little bit, so I think that is what mattered to me the most," she added.Osaka, who didn't lose serve in the match that lasted over one hour, saved all six break points she faced, served nine aces, and broke the qualifier's serve three times."It is always great to start with a win. I was really ...
US Kids Golf Kolkata leg on Jan 3, aims to tap talented kids
Fifty kids in the age group of six to 18 years will compete for top honours in the fourth leg of the US Kids Golf at the Tollygunge Club on Thursday. With an aim to tap the talented kids at the grassroots level, the US Kids Golf is making its maiden foray in India with a full Tour consisting of eight tournaments to be held across six cities. The Kolkata leg will feature 50 competitions in different age groups in boys and girls sections with 20 from outside Kolkata. Delhi has already three legs, and after Kolkata the Tour will move south with Eagleton Golf Resort Bengaluru, Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club, Hyderabad before Chandigarh Golf Club and Poona Club Golf Course hosting the final two legs. The winner will be decided on point system as they will make the cut for the World Championship in Pinehurst and European Championship in Scotland later this year, president of US Kids Golf India Rajesh Srivastava said here. Explaining their vision, he said: "The main aim is to select and
Jammu and Kashmir defeat Assam by 4 wickets
Jammu and Kashmir began 2019 in style as they defeated hosts Assam by four wickets in their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy game here on Tuesday. Jammu and Kashmir needed 211 runs for an outright win when the proceedings began on the third day at the Barsapara cricket stadium. They resumed at the overnight score of 19 for 1. And for the visitors, one down Shubham Khajuria and skipper Parvez Rasool played identical knocks of 67. While Khajuria took 194 balls and struck 8 boundaries in his innings, Rasool hit 11 boundaries in his 87-ball knock. Owias Shah too played his part to perfection with a valuable 31 of 36 balls. When Khajuria departed, he had taken his team on the cusp of a memorable win and then Irfan Pathan (33 not out) and Musaif Ajaz (7 not out) ensured that there was no further damage and the duo took the side home. Jammu and Kashmir added 6 points to their kitty. For the hosts, Arup Das was the pick of he bowlers as he returned with figures of 3-46 but could not help
Sandipan scores second win
Fourth ranked IndianGM Chanda Sandipan (ELO 2555) register his second successive win in the EKA IIFWL Investment Mangers 4th Mumbai International GM Chess Tournament 2018 here. Sandipan playing with the black pieces defeated compatriot FM Srihari L.R. (ELO 2316) on the third board. Top-ranked GM Aleksandrov Aleksej of Belarus (2590) also finished his second round with a win against Indias Ritviz Parab (2338) on the top board. Meanwhile, on the second board, third ranked Belarusian GM Stupak Kirill (2557) playing with the white, suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Egyptian IM Ameir Moheb (2327) who is lowly ranked at 42. Sandipan, along with Aleksej and three other players IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh (IND, 2437), IM Muthaiah Al (IND, 2408), FM Mohammad Fahad Rahman (BAN, 2381), all with two points each, are placed in joint first position. The tournament is being held at World Trade Centre in South Mumbai. Results Round 2 (top-10 boards):GM Aleksandrov Aleksej (BLR,
Bihar secure bonus point win against Mizoram, keep QF hopes alive
Continuing his dream season, Bihar skipper Ashutosh Aman put up an all-round show to steer his side to an innings and 216-run win over Mizoram in their Ranji Trophy Plate Group fixture here Tuesday. Having struck a maiden century in Bihar's 440 for nine declared, the left-arm spinner claimed 5/28 as Mizoram were shot out for 147 in the second innings. Leg-spinner Samar Quadri also played a crucial role with a 10-wicket match haul that included 4/50 in the second innings. The bonus point victory helped Bihar (34 points) cut down the deficit to three points against leaders Uttarakhand with final round to go. Bihar will face Manipur, while Uttarakhand take on the bottom-placed Mizoram from January 7-10, in a two-way race for the lone quarterfinal spot from the Plate Group. This was Aman's eighth five-wicket haul as he now has 57 wickets at an astounding average of 5.80 from 12 innings. Aman had top-scored with 111 while Vivek Kumar (102) also cracked a century and MD Rahmatullah made 99 .
Tsonga defeats Kokkinakis, reaches Brisbane International 2nd round
France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday claimed a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory over Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of the Brisbane International here.
Don't think I would make very good captain now: Cummins
Australia speedster Pat Cummins has rubbished talks of his elevation as the future Test skipper while hailing the incumbent Tim Paine of doing a "brilliant job".
Federer maintains lead for Switzerland at Hopman Cup
Switzerland's Roger Federer on Tuesday defeated Frances Tiafoe of the US 6-4, 6-1, maintaining a lead for his country in their Hopman Cup Group.
Malaysia's Olympic medallist shuttlers quit national team
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) said on Tuesday that the men's doubles pair Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong, silver medallists of 2016 Olympic Games, had quit the national team.
Serena beats Bencic in US-Switzerland match at Hopman Cup
Serena Williams of the US defeated Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a duel between the US and Switzerland on the second day of the Hopman Cup Group B here on Tuesday.
Federer, Serena win at Hopman Cup ahead of 1st-ever meeting
Roger Federer and Serena Williams opened the New Year with wins at the Hopman Cup on Tuesday to add spice to their showpiece mixed doubles game with defending champion Switzerland and the United States level at 1-1. After Federer beat Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-1 in the men's singles, Williams overcame a sluggish start to defeat Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and keep alive U.S. title hopes after an opening Group B loss to Greece on Monday. The result ensures the eagerly awaited mixed doubles pitting Federer and Williams against each other for the first time will decide the rubber. It is Williams' first tournament since an angry confrontation with the umpire at the U.S. Open final in September and she has won both her matches in unconvincing fashion. "It's a relief. She played really well but I knew that I could play better," Williams said. The 37-year-old Williams started fast with an early break to storm to a 3-0 lead before an error-strewn performance ensued as Bencic recovered to win the
Rafa's plan for 2019 revolves around quality, not quantity )
Rafael Nadal wants to make a little go a long way in 2019. The No. 2-ranked Nadal, in Brisbane preparing to play his first competitive match since retiring from the U.S. Open semifinals last September, found some positives out of an injury-interrupted season that he wants to apply to this year. "I want to feel myself competitive every week that I am on court and I want to keep fighting for the things that really make me feel alive, you know, for the things that motivate me," Nadal told a news conference Tuesday at the Brisbane International. "Be competitive all the weeks that I am playing." That doesn't mean he wants to play every week. It just means he's going to be a lot more selective. Based on results in 2018 he entered nine tournaments, retired from two but still won five titles and had a 45-4 win-loss record the 32-year-old Spaniard has an outstanding success rate when he's fit. So regaining the No. 1 ranking is far less of a priority than adding to his 17 major titles. "I ...
India should be in a better frame of mind in Sydney (Column: Just Sport)
Australia are not used to losing a series at home and India have never won one Down Under ever since the two countries started playing Tests over 70 years ago.
Ashwin undergoes solo practice session ahead of final Test
In a bid to return to the playing XI for the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting Thursday, India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday underwent a solo indoor bowling session while the rest of the Indian team preferred to take a day off.
Pakistan hoping to host South Africa, Australia in near future
Pakistan are hoping to host top teams like Australia and South Africa in the near future after what is being seen as a successful trip by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ehsan Mani, to Johannesburg. According to a reliable source in the board, Mani has held positive discussions with Cricket South Africa officials about them sending teams to Pakistan. "Cricket SA officials have told Mani they will look into sending the South African under-19, A, women's and senior teams to Pakistan over a period of time," the source said. He said the PCB is also optimistic that Cricket Australia might agree to play one or two ODIs in late March-April in Lahore and Karachi. "Things are looking bright after the positive response of CSA with regards to getting more international cricket matches in Pakistan," he added. Since March 2009, when terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, no top side has visited Pakistan due to security concerns. But the source said that Mani had given the CSA ...
Kyle Jamieson registers third-best T20 figures
Black Caps' seam bowler Kyle Jamieson on Tuesday registered the best T20 figures in New Zealand's domestic T20 cricket and the joint-third best haul in all T20s.The 24-year-old, who has featured in 15 T20s since making his debut in 2016, took six wickets and conceded just seven runs while playing for Canterbury Kings in the Super Smash T20, which helped his side bowl out Auckland Aces for 110 runs in 19 overs.The pacer picked up the first wicket in his very first over, followed up with two more in the next over. Jamieson then returned in the 18th over to take three wickets. His team then chased the target under 18 overs and registered a five-wicket win."It is a special day for me but also a special day for us as a team, getting a win on the first day of the year is a pretty cool way to start. I don't think I did anything differently. Just the same thing we talk about putting the processes in place in the days leading up to the game. It was a matter of doing that and it just seemed to .
Bhati slams lighting fifty as Delhi eye outright win against Bengal
Subodh Bhati top-scored with a lightning 62 down the order in Delhi's second innings to help the visitors take firm control over hosts Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match here Tuesday. Bhati, who had shown his batting exploits with an astounding 57-ball 207 in a Goa League T20 match in March this year, smashed six sixes and five fours en route to his maiden first-class fifty. The Delhi frontline pacer, who claimed three wickets in the first innings, added 80 valuable runs for the last wicket with his bowling partner Kulwant Khejroliya (21 not out) before being run out by Ashok Dinda. Bhati's powerplay propped Delhi to 301 in their second essay, setting Bengal an improbable 322 target on the final day. "It was the last wicket, and I just wanted to capitalise. Their plan was to bowl short. But I was confident that the ball would either hit the helmet or I would clear the rope. We were ready," Bhati said as he hit two sixes each against Bengal pacers Dinda and Mukesh ...
Karnataka lead Chhattisgarh by 248 runs
Captain Manish Pandey led the way with an unbeaten half-century as Karnataka extended their lead to 248 runs against Chhattisgarh in a Group A Ranji Trophy match here Tuesday. When the stumps were drawn on the third day, Karnataka were 113 for four in their second innings with Pandey and Shreyas Gopal batting on 57 and 21 runs, respectively. They stitched a crucial unbeaten 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket, after the hosts were struggling at 50 for four in their second innings. Chhattisgarh seamer Pankaj Rao, who had bagged seven wickets in the first innings, dismissed three Karnataka batsmen in their second innings. Karnataka were bowled out for 418 in their first innings, with opener Dega Nischal and Krishnamurthy Siddharth scoring centuries. Earlier, Karnataka bundled out Chhattisgarh for 283. Ronit More and Abhimanyu Mithun returned figures of five for 48 and four for 64, respectively. The only batsman who shone for Chhattisgarh was Harpreet Singh, who cracked a determined .
Vidarbha trounce Mumbai by an innings and 145 runs
Reigning champions Vidarbha defeated Mumbai by an innings and145 runsin a lop-sided Ranji Trophy Group A game here on Tuesday. Mumbai needed an "outright win" to stay alive in the coveted domestic competition. But it was their batting that let them down not once but twice at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium as the hosts scripted a memorable win and even gained a bonus point. The hopes of 41-time Ranji champions to secure a quarter final berth are now dashed and they are out of reckoning to make the last eight. Even if Mumbai win against Chattisgarh in their last league game, mathematically it is not possible for them to make the last eight as only five teams from combined A and B groups can make it to the quarters, says an insider from Mumbai Cricket Association after the team's humiliating loss. Mumbai resumed at their overnight score of 169 for 6 in their first innings. But barring Dhurmil Matkar (62 not out), no other lower-order batsman showed spine and the ...