Page 960 - Sports
Djokovic hails 'phenomenal achievement', Federer three wins from 100th title
Novak Djokovic described his return to the world number one ranking as a "phenomenal achievement" as he and old rival Roger Federer coasted into the Paris Masters quarter-finals. Four-time Paris champion Djokovic made the last-eight when Bosnian opponent Damir Dzumhur retired injured trailing 6-1, 2-1 on Thursday. Federer defeated Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3 as the Swiss great moved three wins away from his 100th career title. Djokovic will replace Rafael Nadal as the world's top player on Monday after a two-year absence. The 31-year-old's elevation is remarkable as it comes just five months after he slumped to 22 in the world -- his lowest ranking for 12 years -- when he was knocked out of the French Open in the quarter-finals. Since then, however, he has won Wimbledon and the US Open, taking his Grand Slam tally to 14, winning 20 consecutive tour-level matches for the sixth time, and 29 of his past 30 encounters. "Reflecting on what I've been through in the last year, it's quite .
Federer three wins from 100th title
Roger Federer defeated Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Paris Masters quarter-finals as the Swiss great moved three wins away from his 100th career title. Federer, 37, who captured his 99th trophy on home ground in Basel last week, will face Japan's Kei Nishikori on Friday for a place in the semi-finals in the French capital. Third seed Federer is playing the Paris Masters for the first time since 2015 and is bidding to clinch the tournament for just the second time after winning it in 2011. "I didn't come here to win Paris, actually. My objective is London," said Federer as he looked beyond the French capital to the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals which start on November 11. Nishikori, seeded 10, made the quarter-finals by beating Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to avenge his defeat to the big South African in Sunday's Vienna final. Federer leads Nishikori 6-2 in career meetings having won their last four clashes. The Japanese's last win over the 20-time major winner came in .
Argentina again leave out Messi for Mexico friendlies
Lionel Messi was again left out of the Argentina squad announced for two friendlies against Mexico later this month, while players from Copa Libertadores finalists Boca Juniors and River Plate were also ommitted. Messi's ommission on Thursday is no surprise as he hasn't played in any of four previous friendlies since the end of the World Cup in Russia and is believed to have asked to be excused from non-competitive matches for the rest of the year. Argentina are due to face Mexico in Cordoba on November 16 and then again in Mendoza four days later. But with the two-legged Copa Libertadores final between the two giants of Buenos Aires, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni opted not to include Boca and River players in his 30-man list. Even so, there was no room either for Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria, Manchester City's in-form forward Sergio Aguero or Gonzalo Higuain of AC Milan. Inter Milan duo Mauro Icardi and Lautaro Martinezare are included in the attacking options, as ...
Copa Libertadores set for Buenos Aires 'clasico' final
Fierce Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate will contest the Copa Libertadores final later this month after seeing off Brazilian opposition in the semi-finals. It will be the first time two Argentine sides face each other in the final, pitting the two halves of the Buenos Aires 'clasico' encounter in a mouth-watering two-legged tie. Carlos Tevez's Boca secured their place in the final with a 2-2 draw away to Palmeiras on Wednesday to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory having won the first leg in Buenos Aires 2-0. The night before, though, there was a highly contentious semi-final between Gremio and River in Porto Alegre. The Uruguayan referee needed a protective police cordon after awarding a late penalty against the hosts that allowed River to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit to progress on away goals by winning the return 2-1. Reigning champions Gremio have appealed the result to Conmebol, the South American football confederation, complaining they were the victims of two .
Martial takes centre stage in Man United's stuttering season
Anthony Martial may finally be fulfilling his enormous potential amid a turbulent season at Manchester United as Jose Mourinho plots how best to use his attacking resources. The France forward heads into Saturday's clash at Bournemouth on a run of four goals in three Premier League matches -- a sequence that can only have boosted his fragile confidence. His recent run is reminiscent of the fabulous start he made at Old Trafford, when he scored four goals in his first four games following his move from Monaco in September 2015 for a fee that could ultimately rise to 58 million pounds (USD 75 million). The forward struggled badly last season. Having become used to sharing duties on the left flank with Marcus Rashford, his opportunities were limited following the January arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal. Martial's form and confidence tailed off, to the extent that he was left out of the France squad that won the World Cup in Russia this summer. The player indicated during the ...
Guardiola faces nervous wait after De Bruyne suffers scare
Kevin De Bruyne suffered an injury scare as League Cup holders Manchester City moved into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win against Fulham. There was concern for De Bruyne after the City midfielder limped off with what appeared to be a knee injury in the closing minutes on Thursday. De Bruyne, 27, only recently returned from another knee problem that forced him to miss two months this season, limiting him to five appearances to date. City manager Pep Guardiola will hope his influential Belgian star is able to make a quick recovery as they head into a busy period featuring crucial Champions League fixtures and the Manchester derby. "He's being checked by the doctor. Right now I don't know if it's nothing or something serious," Guardiola said. Until the injury, Guardiola felt it was the most complete performance of De Bruyne's comeback, but now he must fret over his fitness again. "I think today Kevin is back. The Kevin we know," he said. "Today he was involved in offence and defence. ..
Liverpool the real test for Arsenal's Emery evolution
Handed an unforgiving start as Arsenal's first new manager for nearly a quarter of a century, Unai Emery has quickly put defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea behind him with a 13-game unbeaten run to earn the respect of the Gunners' support. However, the real test of how far Emery's Arsenal have evolved since being outclassed by City on the opening weekend of the season comes when Liverpool travel to the Emirates on Saturday. Arsenal have won 12 of those 13 games unbeaten, the only slip coming at Crystal Palace last weekend when they conceded two penalties in a 2-2 draw. Yet, they haven't faced any of the Premier League's top six from last season in that run, with defeats of Watford and Everton their only victories over sides in the top half of the table. Emery still seems to be searching for the right balance, while also getting two star centre-forwards in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into the side. Lacazette and Aubameyang have already combined for 14 goals ...
From the ashes of Vichai tragedy, Leicester set for emotional return to action
United in sorrow following the death of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, grief-stricken Leicester will make an emotional return to action at Cardiff on Saturday. Thai billionaire Vichai was among five people killed when his helicopter crashed outside Leicester's King Power Stadium following last Saturday's match against West Ham. The tragedy rocked the football world, with Leicester's stunned players joining mourners who turned the King Power into a shrine with flowers and tributes to the charismatic Vichai. With his vast investment and boundless enthusiasm, Vichai was the inspiration for Leicester's incredible Premier League title triumph as 5,000-1 outsiders in 2016. While results on the pitch pale in comparison to the trauma of Vichai's death, Claude Puel's side will play this weekend for the first time since the crash. Tuesday's League Cup home game against Southampton came too soon for Leicester, who postponed the tie to allow more time for the city to come to terms with the ...
It's over: Bolt's Australian football dream collapses
Sprint king Usain Bolt's attempt to become a professional footballer with Australia's Central Coast Mariners collapsed as his trial period was terminated after contract talks failed. The eight-time Olympic champion had been trying out with the A-League side for an indefinite period since arriving in August, hoping to fulfil a childhood dream to become a soccer player. The 32-year-old superstar's quest garnered worldwide attention, which intensified when he scored two goals in a pre-season friendly. But his abilities were questioned and the club reportedly offered him only a fraction of the Aus$3 million (USD 2.1 million) his management were said to be seeking, with outside sponsors needed to make the deal viable. "As previously stated, the club and (Bolt's representative) Ricky Simms have been in conversations with external partners to find a commercial solution that suits all parties," the Mariners said in a statement. "Despite several promising potential partners, both Bolt and the .
Taylor cool on Cricket Australia hotseat
Former Test captain Mark Taylor has downplayed his chances of leading Cricket Australia, with interim chairman Earl Eddings favourite to take over after the organisation was rocked by a ball-tampering scandal. Taylor was tipped for the hotseat after former chairman David Peever quit Thursday under intense pressure following a scathing review which partly blamed CA for the damaging 'sandpaper-gate' episode. The respected 'Tubby' Taylor, a current board member, was endorsed by former CA chief executive Malcolm Speed. But he cited a conflict of interest in seemingly ruling himself out. "Given my media role, I don't believe being chairman would be appropriate," he was quoted as saying by Channel Nine, having recently signed a new contract with the broadcaster which has the rights to the World Cup and Ashes series in 2019. Taylor's long-time former teammate Ian Healy said he would be "a very good chairman", but the time wasn't right. "I just think he might be a victim, Tubby, in that ...
Biles wins record fourth all-around title at world championships
Gymnast Simone Biles made history here on Thursday as she became the first woman to win four individual all-around gold medals at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Rathore hopes for good show by female boxers in World C'ship
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has said that he is confident of solid performance by the Indian female boxers in the upcoming Women World Championship.The Minister, who visited the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex to observe the training session of the female boxers here, further stated that he had a great interaction with the players and assured that they are all geared up for the competition.Speaking to ANI, Rathore said, "I am quite confident that our boxers will do well in the World Championship. I am also hoping that all of us would encourage our boxers to give their best in the competition.""All the women boxers are gearing for the World Championship. I had a good interaction with boxers and they are very well prepared. This is the time to stamp our authority to the entire world," he added.Speaking about India hosting a major international boxing event, he said that the same would prove to be a stepping stone for 2020 Olympics. He also assured that government would ...
I-League: Jobby Justin's brace guides East Bengal to win over Lajong
Kolkata giants Quess East Bengal (QEB) showcased a second successful professional performance away from home as they emerged 3-1 winners over Shillong Lajong here at the Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium on Thursday.In game eight of the 12th Hero I-League, QEB rode on a first half-brace by Kerala striker Jobby Justin and a second-half strike from Bidyasagar Singh to thwart a spirited Shillong side, who got one back in the second half through left wing back Rakesh Pradhan.Shillong's football remained attractive, dominating and flowing, but the inexperience of having nine under-22 players in their eleven showed up eventually, after a fluent 2-0 win against Aizawl FC at home last week in their opening game. QEB go on top of the league standings with two crucial away wins to kick-start their campaign, after having beaten Neroca 2-0 in Game Week 1.Alison Kharsyntiew, the Shillong coach, began with an unchanged starting XI while QEB's Spanish coach Alejandro Menendez Garcia chose to begin with ...
ISL: Pune, Kerala chase three-point booster
FC Pune City will look to put an end to their winless start in the ongoing edition of Indian Super League (ISL) when they host Kerala Blasters FC here at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium on Friday.Pune City started off with a draw away to Delhi Dynamos and have since lost all three of their fixtures. Coach Miguel Angel Portugal has also lost his job and the onus of turning around their fortunes is now in the hands of interim coach Pradyum Reddy.Reddy's attempt to get the team back on track ended in a 2-4 defeat at the hands of high-flying FC Goa. To make matters worse, Diego Carlos Oliveira was sent off in the second half and will miss the match against Kerala."With our league position, every game is a must-win game for us. If you pick up a win, you can make a significant jump up the table. Fortunately, other teams haven't picked up too many wins. So that gives us some hope," said Reddy.The visitors aren't too well off either, with three consecutive stalemates ...
Ankita, Rutuja exit to signal end of Indian challenge
India's lukewarm challenge in the L and T Mumbai Open tennis championship came to an end on Thursday following the elimination of Ankita Raina in singles and Rutuja Bhosale in doubles. Ankita served poorly right through her pre quarter final tie against Montenegro opponent Danka Kovinic and was beaten 6-2 7-5 in just 1 hour and 17 minutes on the hard courts of the Cricket Club of India here. Later, Rutuja too made her exit as she and her Japanese partner Hiroko Kuwata went down tamely 3-6 3-6 against the top seeded pair of Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia and Irina Khromacheva of Russia in the doubles quarter final of the WTA event. The tournament is set to conclude with the finals on Sunday.
Jamshedpur crush FC Goa 4-1
Michael Soosairaj struck twice in Jamshedpur FC's emphatic 4-1 victory over FC Goa in an Indian Super League encounter on Thursday. Soosairaj scored in the 17th and 50th minute while Memo (77th) and India international Sumit Passi (78th) rounded off the tally. For FC Goa, Mourtada Fall scored the lone goal in the 33rd minute. The five changes made by Cesar Ferrando in the form of Gaurav Mukhi, Pablo Morgado, Robin Gurung, Bikash Jairu and Pratik Chawdhury worked wonders. The home side scored in the 17th minute, thanks to Soosairaj. Cidoncha's corner was headed down by Memo inside the box, which fell on the feet of Pratik. Pratik fed Soosairaj with the perfect pass and the former Chennai City FC winger slotted the ball home. After starting the game on a defensive note, FC Goa slowly came out of their shell and started attacking. The visitors equalised in the 32nd minute when Fall headed home from a Hugo Boumous' free-kick. Soosairaj again got his team the lead with a brilliant strike ..
Patna pirates beat Bengal Warriors in PKL tie
Patna Pirates finally snapped their losing streak at home as they defeated Bengal Warriors 29-27 in a Pro Kabaddi League match here on Thursday.
Jamshedpur FC demolish FC Goa 4-1 in ISL tie
Jamshedpur FC broke their run of four successive draws in the Indian Super League (ISL) with a stunning 4-1 demolition of FC Goa at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Thursday.
Services shine at National Boxing Championships
Services one-upmanship came to the fore as eight of their boxers entered the final of the third Elite Men's Boxing National Championships here on Thursday.
Churchill hold Chennai in I-League tie
Churchill Brothers FC held hosts Chennai City FC to a 2-2 draw in an I-League match here on Thursday.