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| Monday, April 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Bhutia
helps India salvage draw Indian men, women in team championship semis Younis
skipper for England tour
Parthiva qualifies for second round Pak continue winning streak |
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FC Kochin
meet SBI today Ferguson
happy to win ‘hardest league’ Navratilova
enters doubles final Gilchrist
shocks Russell in final 4 more
academies sanctioned BCWAI to
hold international conference 6 Indian
girls qualify
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Bhutia helps India salvage draw Bangalore, April 15 The visitors, who went into this encounter topping the group 8, shot into the lead seconds before the end of the first half through a goal from Abdusalam Hamood Ghaleb-Ghorbani. As India’s defence was caught napping, Ghaleb-Ghorbani fired home an accurate goal off a superb Ali Aboud Awad-Al Omqi pass in the 45th minute to give his side the advantage. With tension and excitement becoming almost palpable, four players of the Arab nation, who appeared to have marked India’s captain Baichung Bhutia, were shown yellow cards. India, who were confident after beating the highly-rated UAE last Sunday 1-0, got the equaliser in the 54th minute through a wonderful header from Bhutia, who banged home off a Renedy Singh pass to the frenzy of the boisterous 20,000 crowd. The 1-1 result is a disappointing one for India, who were looking for a victory from this match in their pursuit to enter the second phase of the Asian Zone qualifying round. India dominated a major part of the first half but missed a couple of chances, which ultimately cost them dearly. As early as in the sixth minute, Renedy Singh’s shot off a well-orchestrated move from Bhutia hit the goalpost and went out, much to the disappointment of the Indians. Thereafter, Yemen made repeated forays into the Indian citadel. Ali Mohammed Al-Nono made a futile attempt and his shot sailed over the goal post. In the 21st minute, India failed to take advantage of a goal-mouth melee. The visitors, who repeatedly argued with the referee and targetted Bhutia, earned two yellow cards each in both halves. Nashwan Adbulaziz, Salem Saeed Abdulla, Adel Abdulla Ali Al-Salemi and Ebrahim Ahmed Ali Al Kuhali were the ones who received warnings. India, who functioned as a cohesive unit in their first match against the UAE, staged a spirited rally in the second half, but wayward passes at times did not help matters. Yemen, 161 in FIFA rankings compared to India’s 121, now have four points from two matches, the same as India, but are ahead on goal difference. While India beat the UAE 1-0 in their opener, Yemen thrashed Brunei 5-0 in their first match. Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh and his Yemenese counterpart Luciano De Abroue expressed disappointment with the result, as their teams could only earn a point each and not the full three points. “We did not combine well in the first half but came back in the second half....we missed several chances”, Sukhwinder Singh said at a post-match press conference. Bhutia, the first Indian to play in the European league, echoed the sentiments of his coach. “I am quite disappointed. We lost two points. We missed chances”, he said. “But we played well, we came back in the second half”. De Abroue said his side was looking for victory and was disappointed that they could not succeed. “India played very well. It’s a good side”, he said. De Abroue specially praised strikers Bhutia and I.M. Vijayan, who was fielded in the second half like in the opener against the UAE. India will now play their away engagements against the UAE on April 26, Yemen on May 4 and Brunei on May 12, before returning here to clash with Brunei on May 20.
PTI |
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Indian men, women in team championship semis New Delhi, April 15 In the last Commonwealth Championships, the Indian men had finished fourth while the women were fifth. However, as of now, the Indian women have given a good account of themselves by entering the semifinals. But to be fair to them, the Indian men are also not lagging far behind. In a late night quarterfinal match of the men’s team championships, India thrashed Australia 4-0 to join women in the semifinals. Soumyadeep Roy proved to be the star performer for India. He defeated Trevor Brown 21-23, 22-20, 21-4 in the first singles match. Next Chetan accounted for John Towadrous (21-17, 21-14). Raman made it 3-0 for India when he cut to size William Henzell 21-18, 21-17. In the fourth match, Roy and Subhajit Saha combined together to beat Kiet Tran and John Towadrous 21-13, 24-22, thus finally completing the funeral rites. In the semifinals while Indian men will play England, the women take on Malaysia tomorrow. Earlier, in the morning, Indian men took the better of New Zealand 4-2, an identical margin, in the last leauge tie of Group D to move into the quarterfinals of the men’s team championships. Victory to Indian women did not come on a platter against Australia in the quarterfinal match. All of them had to contribute to the ultimate victory. Both P. Ghatak and M.S. Mythili played two matches each but could win only one. Mouma Das played the third singles to win the only match for India while she partnered Ghatak to take wind out of the Australian sails. However, it was Ghatak who put India on the victory path early in the match when she easily defeated Cho May of Australia 21-17, 21-19 to give India a 1-0 lead. But Australian was quick to retaliate when Mythili lost to Miao Miao in three games. Mythili lost the first and third games 8-21, 16-21 while she won the second game 25-23 after a great struggle. With the match score 1-1, Mouma stood tall for India and gave India the crucial lead (2-1) when she beat Innes Peri Campbell in three well-contesting games 18-21, 21-9, 21-8. The doubles combination of Ghatak and Mouma increased the lead to 3-1 when they beat Miao Miao and Tammy Gough in straight games 21-12, 21-16. But any Indian hopes of winding up the tie soon vanished when Ghatak lost her earlier touch to lose to Miao Miao 11-21, 21-13, 15-21 in the first reverse
singles. Now the score stood at 3-2 in India’s favour. It was left to Mythili to give India a creditable victory over Australian women when she defeated Innes Peri Campbell 21-6, 21-14 in the sixth match. Had Mythili lost the match, it would have left even chances for both sides because the seventh and the last match could till either way. However, by God’s grace that was not to be and India romped home 4-2 in the end to move into the last of the women’s team championships. Earlier, in the morning, Indian men continued their winning spree when they took the better of New Zealand 4-2 in the last league match in Group D of the men’s team championships. Chetan P. Baboor was the star of the Indian show as he won both his singles matches. He was in great touch today and often did not spare any lose return from his opponents. In fact, he seemed in a hurry to finish the contest. That paid dividends as India surged ahead. Strangely, S. Raman, who was in great nick yesterday, was not in his elements. He did not find his shots hitting the target. Thus, he really had to work hard for whatever contribution he made to the Indian victory. In fact the Kiwis matched their Indian counterparts so much that even after four matches, the two teams stood even (2-2). It was only later that Indian players steered the course of play in their favour. Chetan gave India a great start by outlasting Shane Laugesten of New Zealand. Chetan won the first game 21-7 but found the going tough in the second which he lost 18-21. However, he steadied his game to prevail upon Shane to win the third game 21-8. But Li Aaron, who is a Chinese by birth, evened up the score (1-1) when he defeated S. Raman who though won the first game 21-15, but lost the next games to Li ( 19-21, 22-24). But current national champion Soumyadeep Roy was fortunately in great form today as he made short work of Peter Jackson in the third match to give India a 2-1 edge over New Zealand. Roy won 21-19, 21-16. But Kiwis hit back and levelled the match score when Aaron and Jackson combined together to beat Chetan and Raman. The Indian pair lost 21-14, 22-24, 17-21. But Chetan came next to play the first reverse singles and found his strokes hitting the target. Serving close to the table with short serves of net height, he followed the returns with power-packed forehand drives that left Aaron standing many times. Chetan won in straight games 21-17, 21-15. However, it was left to Raman to put icing on the Indian cake when he took on Peter Jackson in the sixth match of the tie. The Indian player this time did not disappoint the Indian fans at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. He won the first game 21-16 with a calculated strategy. But sensing victory Raman was more ruthless in the second, which game he won 21-9. |
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Younis skipper for England tour Sharjah, April 15 Waqar, (29), standing in for the injured Moin Khan in the ongoing Sharjah tri-series here, was told of his appointment by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Tauqir Zia. “Waqar is doing a good job as captain and he will stay till England,” Zia said, referring to Pakistan’s three consecutive wins in the tri-series here also featuring Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Waqa said he was honoured to captain Pakistan on his last tour of England. “England is like a second home to me. Leading Pakistan on my last tour of that country is an icing on the cake,” said the 71-Test veteran with 319 wickets to his credit. The rest of the Pakistan team for the tour, which includes two Tests and a limited-overs series against England and Australia, will be named on April 23. Waqar was named captain for Sharjah after Moin and senior pro Wasim Akram pulled out after the recent New Zealand tour with injuries. “Moin was my number one choice for captain, but he has been advised rest for six weeks to overcome niggling injuries,” Zia told AFP. Zia was, however, confident that Akram and speedster Shoaib Akhtar will be available for the England tour. “Wasim is working hard to regain full fitness and Shoaib is very keen to make the tour after suspicions about his action were dispelled during a recent coaching stint in Australia.” Zia said Pakistan will also have a new coach in place for England after Javed Miandad resigned following the dismal New Zealand tour where Pakistan drew the Tests 1-1 and lost the one-day series 3-2. “We are looking at a foreign coach,” he said. “There are various options but we are in the process of making a short list.” West Australian Darryl Foster, currently working with Shoaib in Perth, and South African Barry Richards are some of the early contenders, but Zia stressed he was looking at other options. “We have (former England captain) Tony Greig and our own Rameez Raja as consultants, I will speak to them about a suitable person for the job.”
AFP |
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Nobody can become like God, I am a mere mortal, says Tendulkar Mumbai, April 15 “I am a normal person who plays cricket,” he remonstrates when asked to comment on the tribute by Mathew Hayden, Australia’s new batting sensation, in a Sydney newspaper article few days ago. Having affirmed that he was a mere mortal, the Indian batting maestro points at his own weaknesses — he is tense virtually before every game, he takes defeat badly and he tries to over-attack bowlers. Only days ago, 27-year-old Tendulkar became the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day cricket. He thinks he might play for another decade or so but will not disclose if he has set any goals for himself. All he would like to be remembered as is “someone who was a good trier for the country and did a decent job of it.” “I will be very happy if people miss me after I stop,” he said. Following is the text of the interview: Q: How do you react to comments such as the recent one by Australian batsman Mathew Hayden who wrote that Tendulkar is like god in India and people believe good luck shines in his hand? Tendulkar: Well I just feel that it is nice of him to have given that compliment. All I want to say right now is that I am very happy with the way things have gone. You know it is all because people have always supported me, encouraged me all the time. But I do not think anyone can become God or even come close to it. I have played cricket and I have enjoyed cricket. I just feel happy that I have done something for the country. Q: You also think that God’s blessings are with you? A: Absolutely. Without that it can not happen. It is also the family support and right guidance from the family members. Otherwise, it is always difficult. Q: So you are not a god. You are a mere mortal like anyone else? A: Yes, I am a normal person who plays cricket and you know people watch me play and they get pleasure out of it. So I am nothing more than that. Q: Does this kind of adulation — not just a comment like this by an Australian player — but the adulation you get from this huge country — does it put enormous pressure on you? A: It does not put pressure because I feel I have to live upto my own expectations. People are going to expect little more than what is required and there is no end to it. If I score 150 today, tomorrow they would expect me to score 200, and 250 the third day. So if I can be little more realistic and live up to my own expectations, I think I will do a decent job. And that is what I always try and do. Q: You do it wonderfully well. When you go out to bat particularly before the Indian crowds what goes through your mind? You have nearly a 100,000 people in a stadium like Eden Gardens in Calcutta. What goes through your mind at that time? A: I do get tense and worked up. That is only till I go to the crease and once I have reached the crease I am pretty okay after that. I sort of like that feeling because that feeling always keeps you on your toes. Q: Are you tense before any particular match? A: I am tense virtually before every game. I feel that pressure all the time. Once I have gone in the middle then I am pretty okay. Q: A doctor who examined you for your back problem during the Delhi Test against Pakistan (in 1999) said later that you are very tense which is not good for long term. Have you learnt to relax now? A: Sometimes little more and sometimes not as much. But this is always going to happen that way. But looking at the opposition I think it varies a lot, and I will have to cope with that and try and find a solution. And try a little bit to calm myself so that it does not put any pressure. Q: Do you take defeat badly? A: I don’t like losing. I feel one should not get used to losing because that is the most terrible thing to happen. Because everybody is out there to perform well for the country and the habit of losing is contagious. You know if one guy is not affected then the other one also feels okay, it is fine. There is always the next game and that next game never comes. I feel one should not take it lightly. When it comes to playing for
India we should be looking at winning all the games. But that is not going to happen always. Still, we should be looking at winning all the games. Q: 10,000 runs, 28 centuries and 100 wickets in one-day cricket, 25 Test centuries, an average of around 57. What other goals have you set for yourself? A: Basically, I am enjoying this moment right now and I think the most important thing for me to do right now is to concentrate on what I am doing right now and keep enjoying. That probably might be the secret for playing for another seven, eight or nine years, or whatever years I have got. Q: At least 10 I guess... A: I will try. But you know the idea is to enjoy the game and those years will fly by I am sure. Q: Do you have any specific goals now in your mind? A: Not really and I am not focussing my energy in this direction. I feel if I focus my energy on what I have to do, that is going to help me more. Goals and all that. I know every person sets a goal and the target one would like to reach. You know right now I have not really thought about it and I feel this is a nice patch where I am enjoying my game. Q: Perhaps too early to set the goals? A: I think so. I should not think what I have to achieve. Rather I prefer to go out in the middle and score as many runs as possible. May be towards the fag end, I will say okay fine I have achieved this, where I can end up?. Q: When you finally hang up the bat 10 years, 12 years, 15 years from now what would be like to be remembered for most as a cricketer? A: Somebody who was a good trier for the country and did a decent job for the country. Q: And brought great joy to the people... A: I am sure if one plays for may be for 10, 15 years, that is one aspect where one looks into. I will be very happy if people miss me after I stop. Q: Up there at very top which contemporary batsman do you regard as your competitor for being called as world’s best batsman? A: I do not think one should be comparing. But I just admire lot of good players and couple of names I can mention, Steve Waugh and other one is Brian Lara. Q: Among bowlers? A: I think Glenn McGrath has done a fantastic job. McGrath, Alan Donald and Muralitharan have done a good job. Q: During this last series lot of people thought you had got under the skin of McGrath, that you got the better of him. A: I just felt that I should go out and play my natural game. Q: You did not come out pre-determined and blast like you did in Nairobi? A: Not at all. Nairobi also it was not pre-determined decision. I just went there and analysed the situation. I felt if I do like this that will set the tempo. The other players will also continue to do so. That was surely going to help, I felt. So, it was a decision taken on the ground. Q: So there is no such thing like Sachin-McGrath and Sachin-Warne war? A: Well, to a certain extent. I would say last time it was I and Warne, and now this time people, at times, paired me with Glenn McGrath. But it is after all India playing Australia. It is not a single wicket tournament with the competition between McGrath and me. Q: Australians make it clear that they are targeting certain players and they make no bones about it. Do you then decide that you must hit back? A: There are times where you go there and you actually analyse the situation and you feel this is the time to counter-attack or this is the time to stay calm and see through this hour and the next hour I can negotiate. I personally feel that one can plan a lot of things but once you go there in the middle it might be a different situation altogether. You have to analyse the situation once you have gone in the middle.
PTI |
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Parthiva qualifies for second round
New Delhi, April 15 Parthiva also became the first Indian ever to finish at the third position in an F3 race, according to information received here today. He cleared the first race of the qualifying session held at Spetterton Circuit, UK, yesterday with a lap time of 1:4.055 as against Rubbie Kerr who grabbed the pole position at one point in the race, but a tremendous last lap took him to the third place. The second race saw Parthiva racing in the last lap with a time of 1:14.372 to move up from the 16th position to the third.
PTI |
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Pak continue winning streak Sharjah, April 15 Burly Inzamam-ul Haq came up with a characteristic unbeaten knock of 85 off 67 balls as Pakistan shrugged off the loss of three early wickets for 67 to overhaul New Zealand’s total of 127 in just 25.5 overs with a total of 131 for 3. There was a glimmer of hope for New Zealand who have lost all their three league matches, as they got rid of Saeed Anwar (8), Imran Nazir (7) and Younis Khan (8) to reduce Pakistan to a not-so-comfortable 67 for three. But that was about all for the Black Caps as Inzamam, who has run up scores of 44, 71 and 87 not out in the earlier three matches, stood like a rock and with young Faizal (17 not out) saw Pakistan home without further hiccups. Inzamam’s knock included two sixes and 12 fours. Earlier, Saqlain Mushtaq, who was declared Man-of-the-Match for his 4/17 and Abdur Razzaq (3/22) ran through New Zealand who opted to bat after winning the toss. Winless in the series so far, New Zealand will have to beat Sri Lanka who have two points, in the last league match on Tuesday by a big margin if they are to make it to the final. New Zealand faltered after a bright start to be bowled out for 127 in just 31.3 overs. Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq grabbed four wickets, Abdur Razzaq three and young fast bowler Mohammad Sami two to wreck the Kiwis after they elected to bat in the day-night international. The Black Caps, who lost their first two matches, need a win to stay in contention for a place in next Friday’s final. A third consecutive defeat for New Zealand will leave them the tough task of beating Sri Lanka by a huge margin on Tuesday to join Pakistan in the final. Pakistan are already through after three successive wins, while Sri Lanka won their first game against New Zealand. New Zealand: Sinclair b Razzaq 9 Bell b Razzaq 5 McMillan run out 16 Vincent c Farhat b Saqlain 9 Oram c and b Sami 6 Harris b Sami 5 Mills lbw b Saqlain 4 Bradburn lbw b Saqlain 1 Walker not out 3 Tuffey b Saqlain 6 Extras: (lb-7, w-3, nb-3) 13 Total:
(all out in 31.3 overs) 127 Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-44, 3-79, 4-89, 5-106, 6-112, 7-113, 8-117, 9-120. Bowling:
Waqar 5-0-32-0, Sami 10-1-41-2, Razzaq 6-1-22-3, Saqlain 7.3-1-17-4, Malik 3-0-8-0. Pakistan: Anwar run out 8 Nazir c Walker b Mills 7 Khan lbw b Oram 8 Haq not out 85 Iqbal not out 17 Extras:
(lb3, w2, nb1) 6 Total (for 3 wkts, 25.2 overs) 131 Fall of wickets:
1-12, 2-17, 3-67. Bowling: Tuffey 5-0-16-0, Mills 7.2-0-33-1, Walker 2-0-28-0, Oram 5-0-23-1, Bradburn 6-0-28-1.
PTI/AFP |
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FC Kochin meet SBI today Kochi, April 15 The professional club, who had a dream run till the thirteenth round, but lost their form midway through, had accumulated 33 points from 19 matches so far and are in the third slot in the 12-team league. On the other hand bankmen, playing without any foreign recruit in their side, had mustered 16 points from as many matches. FC Kochin coach A.M. Sreedharan expressing optimism said. “All the next three matches are important for us. We will go all out for a win to improve our position”. After this match, Kochin has two tough match on hands against Kolkata giants East Bengal, leading the table with 39 points and Churchil brothers to complete the league while State Bank of Travancore will meet ITI, Bangalore and Air-India. Kochin teams luck revolves around their star all-rounder from Liberia, Sunday Seah, who had a hand in all his team’s wins. Sunday had been in good form both in his role as a goalkeeper and also as a striker. Strikers Aaron Cole and Hemanathan too will have to come up with a good performance for the team to improve their position. The Kochi team’s midfield would be in the hands of young M.K. Sunil, who had shown great promise in the earlier matches, Rashidi Williams and Eugine Gray while the defence would be manned by Liberian Patrick Nuku and Dinesh Nair. The local outfit in their away match had crushed State Bank of Travancore (SBT) 4-1 at Thiruvananthapuram in February. The bankmen cannot be judged by the points they have collected. The team was capable of upsetting the calculations of their more famed rivals. It had stunned former champions Salgaocar, Goa (2-0) and defending champion Mohun Bagan (4-2) in their home matches at Thiruvananthapuram. However, SBT lost to Mohun Bagan (0-3) and Salgaocar (0-2) in their away matches. The bankmen, who had upset Mahindra United, Mumbai 3-2 in their previous match couple of days back, mainly bank on their nippy strikers Asheef Saheer, Abdul Hakkim and Sylvester Ignitious. Veteran defender Jiju Jacob is the captain of the side, but could not do much for his side in their earlier outings. Shabbir Ali and Vinu are there to sharpen the midfield while their stopper backs Abdul Noushad and T. Ignatious had shone in patches. MARGAO:
Fresh from their win against Vasco, Salgaocar will hope to maintain their position when they take on Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) here tomorrow. The home team, which have showed improvement in the last match against Vasco which they won 1-0, will have to keep the momentum going against ITI, who are fighting to avoid relegation.
PTI |
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Ferguson happy to win ‘hardest league’ London, April 15 United clinched their third consecutive championship after second-placed Arsenal lost 0-3 against Middlesbrough at Highbury, a result which meant the Gunners could not catch the ‘Red Devils.’ Earlier yesterday, United beat strugglers Coventry 4-2 in front of a Premiership record crowd of 67,637 at old Trafford, thanks to late goals from Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. The first half ended 2-2 with United’s Dwight Yorke and Coventry’s John Hartson scoring two goals apiece. United’s championship success was their seventh in nine seasons and their 14th in their 99-year history. “It’s a great feeling,” United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sport television. “It’s the hardest league in the world to win so I’m very pleased,” Ferguson said. United’s triumph was eight days faster than last year’s record-quick crown. “It’s been a fantastic season and I’m very proud of the players,” he added. Speaking on the club’s official website last evening Ferguson said: “The achievement of winning three in a row is fantastic. The players have shown phenomenal consistency over the season and we showed that we always try to win our games. “This is a great tribute to them and when you win the championship, it is a fantastic feeling because it is the true test of the best team in the country and we have proved that over the years. “The attitude of the players throughout the season has been brilliant, absolutely phenomenal.” Two goals in the last 10 minutes secured victory for United who were made to work hard for their win by a plucky Coventry side fighting to stay in the top flight. In a thrilling first half Hartson put Coventry ahead in the 10th minute only for Yorke to score twice for United before the half hour mark. Coventry refused to lie down and Hartson was on target with a flying header to restore parity before half time. A rare header from Wales international Giggs edged United in front with nine minutes left and a right-foot curler from England striker Scholes put the result beyond doubt. At Highbury Arsene Wenger’s Gunners had been overwhelming favourites to collect all three points against Boro to keep their wafer-thin Premiership hopes
alive. AFP |
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Navratilova
enters doubles final Amelia Island, (Florida) April 15 Navratilova and Sanchez-Vicario beat Amanda Coetzer and Lori McNeil 6-4, 7-5 to set up a match against Conchita Martinez and Patricia Tarabini. Navratilova is seeking her 166th doubles championship to go with 167 singles titles. Both are records for men’s and women’s tennis. Navratilova (44) returned to doubles on tour last year, making it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the third round of the US Open, the semifinals of the Pilot Pen and the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. She announced a limited schedule for this year, and the clay-court tournament at Amelia Island is her first of 2001. As expected, she has been the star of the event this week signing autographs and hamming it up for an adoring crowd. About three-quarters of the stands remained full for her match last night, much different from most evenings at Amelia when doubles are not the feature attraction. Meanwhile, Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo reached the finals with a smooth 6-3, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, but Amanda Coetzer had to battle back to score a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over 90th-ranked Nadia Petrova of Russia. The fourth-seeded Coetzer, known for her speed and retrieving ability, required all of her resources and determination to fight back from 4-6, 2-4, 0-40 behind to win in two hours, 27 minutes yesterday. “I really don’t know how I got out of that one,’’ said the South African Coetzer, who won the Acapulco tournament earlier this year. “I was in deep trouble and she was making it very difficult for me. She was so far ahead that I didn’t think my experience and determination would count but luckily it did. “That was one of the toughest matches of my career.’’ The sixth-seeded Mauresmo came to the court with an effective game plan to beat the seventh-seeded Sanchez-Vicario, who had upset world No 1 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals on Friday.
ESTORIL:
Spain’s Felix Mantilla extended his winning streak to 17 matches when he beat Romanian Andrei Pavel 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the final of the Estoril Open. Mantilla now faces compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero, who beat Albert Portas, another Spaniard, 6-3, 6-1 in a one-sided semifinal on Saturday. Spain’s Angeles Montolio will play Russian Elena Bovina in an unseeded women’s final. Montolio came from a set down to beat third-seeded Belgian Justine Henin 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 in a semifinal lasting well over two and a half hours.
Bovina went through to her first career tour final after a 7-5,
6-3 win over Germany’s Jana Kandarr.
The Montolio-Henin semifinal was tied 1-1 in sets when bad light stopped play and forced organisers to move the contest off the centre court and onto the floodlit No. 1 court. Under WTA Tour rules the suspension was not long enough to warrant a warm-up, which meant Henin had to begin serving in the deciding set straight away. It soon became clear that Montolio was coping far better with the move and Henin promptly lost her serve. The pair exchanged breaks twice, and Henin received lengthy treatment for cramp in her thigh, before Montolio gained the crucial break of serve in the ninth game and served out to make her second career final.
AP, Reuters |
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Gilchrist
shocks Russell in final Mumbai, April 15 Gilchrist, who regained the world title after a lapse of seven years, was picture of confidence and came up with a break of 285 in his fourth visit to the table which must have boosted his morale no end. On the other hand, Russell, who could manage his highest break of 192 in his seventh visit, was a bundle of nerves today. Gilchrist got a break of 74 in his third visit and then a 50 and 54 in his sixth and seventh visits followed by an 88, 97, 194, 99, 50 and 67 and was leading by over 300 points with just 10 minutes to go for the final hooter.
PTI |
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4 more academies sanctioned Mumbai, April 15 The NCA Chairman and former cricket board (BCCI) president Raj Singh Dungarpur told PTI after an NCA meeting that the CCI would be selecting 20 trainees from all over India and would utilise their own (club) funds while the other three state associations would select boys from their particular zones and get 50 per cent subsidy from the board. “We also discussed the budget of the five zonal academies in the meeting which was attended by BCCI president Dr A C Muthiah among others,” he added. “The BCCI has also agreed to start a National Cricket Museum which will chronicle the milestones of Indian cricket from 1940s to 2001 called ‘From C K Nayudu to Sachin Tendulkar’ over 8,500 square feet of built-up space next to the BCCI office.
PTI |
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BCWAI to hold
international conference Chandigarh, April 15 The seminar attracted a lot of coaches from the entire country who deliberated on different aspects of new techniques in badminton. Dr Ashok Ahuja, Senior Scientific Officer at NIS Patiala who presided over the function, said the conference of this kind was unique and emphasised the strengthening of muscles for preventing of injuries. Dr Ahuja distributed certificates and the training cassettes in doubles and mixed doubles to the participants. The cassettes had recordings of the top doubles player of the world Park Joo Bong of Korea who remained at top in doubles for many years. |
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6 Indian girls
qualify Chandigarh, April 15 Six Indian girls have otherwise qualified for the main draw while two others include one from the GBR and other from Slovakia. Today it was Medini Sharma, daughter of former international player Sanjay Sharma who surprised all with her superb play downing Jasleen Randhwa of India in three sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. She will face Archana Venkataraman of India in her first match tomorrow. However, later Jasleen was lucky to gain entry as a lucky loser. Kamini of India had to fight tooth and nail in beating Olexendra of Ukraine in three sets at 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2. The wild card holders are: Sania Mirza (National Junior champion), Ankita Bhambri and Nandini Perumal (all India), Qualifiers: Karen (GBR), M. Mileta (Slovakia), and Preeti Rao, Kamini, Samrita, Medini, Marutha Devi, Lata Assudani (all India). |
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