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Saturday,
September 8, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Kafelnikov ends Kuerten’s run; Hewitt
wins
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Paes-Raymond duo bows
out
Das, Dasgupta selected; Badani axed
A great opportunity:
Dasgupta Bangladesh in
trouble
Kirsten 202 n.o. Arjun joint 5th, Daniel in lead
Radhika, Ipok in
final ITF women’s tennis from September
10
Games: special counters at IGIA
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Kafelnikov ends Kuerten’s run; Hewitt
wins
New York, September 7 The Portuguese umpire called a Roddick forehand wide on the first point of the final game, sparking a tirade by the 19-year-old American that led to Hewitt’s 6-7, (5/7), 6-3 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 triumph early this morning. “The f—ing ball is on the other side of the court,” Roddick said. “What is wrong with you? The ball was right on the line. What are you? You can’t make that call at 4-5 in the fifth set. Are you an absolute moron?” Roddick’s concentration was disrupted and his impressive shotmaking was squandered when Hewitt hit a backhand passing winner to claim the match after three hours and 40 minutes. Roddick said later he felt robbed. “It’s unfortunate I blew up and it ended the way it did. It’s pretty disheartening when you fight that long and something like that happens,” he said. “You feel like someone just reaches inside you and takes something. “That’s pathetic. That was an absolutely pathetic call. No umpire in their right mind will ever make that call.” Fourth-seeded Australian Hewitt advanced to a semifinal clash against Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the seventh seed from Russia who advanced with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 triumph over injured world No 1 Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil. The other semifinal will be a rematch of last year’s final with 10th seed Pete Sampras trying to avenge his 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 loss to Russian third seed Marat Safin. Seventh seed Kafelnikov won 12 games in a row over Kuerten, who won their three prior Slam meetings, all in French Open quarterfinals and all in comebacks on his way to Roland Garros titles. “I didn’t want the same experience as the French Open where three times I had the match in my hands and I fail to close out,” Kafelnikov said. “I’m thrilled to be through. For every question he made to me, I had an answer.” Kafelnikov, the 1999 Australian Open and 1996 French Open winner, equaled his best US Open showing, a 1999 semifinal run. Hewitt, who leads the ATP with 62 victories this year, matched his best Grand Slam showing by returning to the semifinals, where he lost last year to Sampras. He is the first Open semifinal loser to return the next year since 1989. Hewitt could sympathise with Roddick about the over-rule call, which television replays showed was incorrect. “It’s a tough situation. I don’t think anyone can blame him,” Hewitt said. “But you can’t say someone can’t over-rule because of what stage the match is in. He can’t say, ‘the match is close. I can’t call this one.’ he has got to go with his instincts. He thought the ball was out.” There’s a Russian revolution going on at the US Open and two-time Grand Slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov is leading the charge. “I’m thrilled to be through,” said Kafelnikov. “For every question he made to me, I had an answer. That’s something I’m proud of.” Kafelnikov, who won the 1999 Australian Open and 1996 French Open, will play fourth seed Lleyton Hewitt of Australia here tomorrow for a berth in Sunday’s final. It could be the first all-Russian Slam final. Third seed Marat Safin, the defending champion from Russia, plays American 10th seed Pete Sampras in the other semifinal. “It would be great if it happens like that,” Kafelnikov said. “I cannot even describe it to you. It has never happened before and it will be even better if we’re both in the final. But we still have one match to go and it will be the toughest one for both of us. “What it means for both of us, I can’t even describe what we’re going to feel like stepping out on the court on Sunday. I don’t want to even look that far ahead.” “I didn’t want the same experience as the French Open where three times I had the match in my hands and I failed to close out,” Kafelnikov said. A left groin injury slowed Kuerten, already drained from prior triumphs and unable to summon his top form on a faster surface than he beloved clay. “I didn’t have any energy to step up and play my best,” Kuerten said. “I couldn’t find my pace to see myself running and going for the shots. Everything was like twice as difficult. Maybe a little bit of everything, tired, him playing well and a little bit of pain here and there.” Asked why he felt so sluggish, Kuerten replied, “Don’t know. We are human, no? I am not a machine. Sometimes it’s like this.” Having missed another chance to win a Slam title on a surface other than clay, Kuerten will struggle to escape the one-surface star tag. But with three Slam titles from France, Kuerten feels he has nothing to prove. “If it comes, it comes. If not, I’ll be trying,” Kuerten said. “It’s not that I don’t care. But I’m not going to give all my life for this. I prefer to be happy. If I have to change this to win a Slam, I don’t need to win. “I feel disappointed and frustrated. But also I can have a good dinner tonight, drink a beer, go out. If I win, I don’t have this chance. That’s the good part.” Kafelnikov refused to acknowledge the notion that Kuerten was at less than his best because of the injury, saying instead his own skills were too much for “Guga”, who won all three first sets in their Paris matchups.
AFP |
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Serena storms past Hingis into US Open final New York, Sept 7 The American 10th seed will meet the winner of Friday's second semifinal between fourth-seeded defending champion and elder sister Venus and second seed Jennifer Capriati. "I'm working real hard. I want it more than anything now," Serena said after the 51-minute rout. The 19-year-old dropped only one point on her serve in the second set as she stormed past 1997 champion Hingis. Should Wimbledon champion Venus beat Australian and French Open champion Capriati, the Open final will mark the first Grand Slam final contested by sisters since Maud Watson beat Lilian Watson in the first Wimbledon final in 1884. Serena totally dominated Hingis, serving 10 aces without a single double fault and blasting 40 winners to just five from the Swiss world number one. "I'm just playing better. I want to win more," Serena said about re-dedicating herself to the game. The defeat put Hingis's number one ranking in jeopardy. If Capriati beats Venus on Arthur Ashe Stadium court she will jump past the Swiss player into top spot. Serena, the 1999 Open champion, was rooting for her sister to prevail to ensure a family special in Saturday's prime-time night final and asked the packed crowd surrounding center court to help the cause. "Guys, you have to support Venus today so we can make
history," Serena said in an on-court interview, imploring the
fans to cheer on her sister.—Reuters  |
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Paes-Raymond duo bows out New York, September 7 The top-seeded Australians claimed their first mixed doubles Grand Slam championship, after crashing out in the second round at Wimbledon and reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open. Both have won other Grand Slams with different partners. The match went with serve until the seventh game of the first set when Woodbrige and Stubbs converted their third breakpoint on Raymond’s serve, then took the following game at love. Woodbridge and Stubbs had little trouble winning their serve for most of the match, but the second-seeded Indian/American duo managed to break them in the 12th game of the second set, converting their first set point when Paes fired a spectacular passing shot that ended right on the line. The Australians took the match in a first-to-10 champions tie-break introduced at the US Open for the first time this year. Raymond and Paes held match point at 9-8 but with Woodbridge serving, the Australians fought their way out of trouble and took the tie-break 11-9. “It feels great. It’s very special because Rennae and I have been playing at the same junior tournaments since we’re eight years old. It’s very special because we spent so much time together,” said Woodbridge, who holds a total of 13 Grand Slam titles in the men’s doubles.
AP |
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Das, Dasgupta selected; Badani axed Mumbai, September 7 Tendulkar and Kumble, who were nursing injuries, were certain to return to the 15-member team after being declared fit. The national selectors who met here today also named in the team V.V.S. Laxman, Ashish Nehra, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan who have not yet fully recovered from their respective injuries but are expected to be fit ahead of the commencement of the tour on September 24. Orissa’s Shiv Sunder Das, who has had an impressive run as an opener in Tests, has been rewarded for his consistent performance and gets his first one-day series. But the surprise packet was Dasgupta who replaced 34-year-old Sameer Dighe as the wicketkeeper and is the only new face in the squad. Youngsters Yuvraj Singh, Virendra Sehwag and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who played in the triangular series in Sri Lanka but missed the Tests, retain their places in the national one-day squad while Hemang Badani was among the six to be dropped from the squad that played in Sri Lanka. Paceman Venkatesh Prasad has also been retained after an impressive performance in the Test series against Sri Lanka. Team: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid (vice capt), Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Anil Kumble, Yuvraj Singh, Virendra Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Shiv Sunder Das, Zaheer Khan, Venkatesh Prasad, Deep Dasgupta (wk). Besides Badani and Dighe, those left out were Batsman Amay Khurasia, medium-pacers Debasish Mohanty and Ajit Agarkar and left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi. Cricket board secretary and convenor of the selection committee Jayawant Lele told reporters that all the 15 players would undergo physical fitness test under the supervision of sports medicine expert Dr Anant Joshi here a day or two before the team leaves for Joohannesburg. Selection Committee Chairman Chandu Borde said Dasgupta got the nod as wicketkeeper ahead of Ajay Ratra and Dighe as the Bengal youngster, who started his cricket career at Delhi’s National Stadium under the watchful eyes of SAI coach Sunita Sharma, was considered a better batting prospect too. “Keeping in mind the 2003 World Cup at South Africa, we have decided to pick a young wicketkeeper but that does not mean that the other two (Dighe and Ratra) are out of contention. We will definitely consider the team for the Test series later-on,” he added. “Former Aussie opener Geoff Marsh, who was a consultant for the board for some time, also put in a good word about Dasgupta’s potential to national coach John Wright who recommended the youngster’s name to us,” Borde said. “When it comes to the Test matches, we will go for experience. Dighe was not dropped, but we wanted to groom someone that is why we have taken Dasgupta,’’ Mr Borde said and added that for the Test matches Dighe would once again come into contention. On the inclusion of Srinath, who of late, has told the board not to consider him for one-dayers, Mr Borde said the player now wanted to play. When asked whether they would allow players to pick and choose their tours, Mr Borde said: “In future, we will not tolerate this and we will speak to Srinath and tell him that he will be either considered for all tours or none at all. John Wright has also already spoken to Srinath on this issue,’’ Mr Borde informed.
PTI, UNI |
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A great opportunity: Dasgupta Kolkata, September 7 “It is indeed a great opportunity for a youngster like me to play for the country. It is a dream come true. I have to make the best of it”, Dasgupta told PTI over phone from Hyderabad where he is currently playing for Bengal in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup cricket tournament. The 24-year-old Dasgupta said he was expecting a call to the national team for quite some time and it was a “fantastic feeling” to be selected. “I had been in contention for some time. But now that I have been selected, it is a totally different feeling. In some way, I was expecting it”, a jubilant Dasgupta said. The Bengal keeper got the news of his selection from his father soon after the team was announced in Mumbai this afternoon. “My dad called me up from Kolkata”. Asked whether the presence of Saurav Ganguly would be an advantage, Dasgupta said: “Obviously, it will help me because he knows me well as we play for the same.” On whether he was mentally prepared to make his debut for the country in an arduous tour like South Africa, Dasgupta said: “It is going to be a challenge. You have to grab the opportunities when they come. I am looking forward to the trip”. Dasgupta, who has been playing first class cricket for the past three years, said he had no plans for celebrating his selection, but would rather prefer to start the mental preparation. “My mind is in South Africa already. I want to prepare well for the tour. Being mentally focussed is very important,” he said. Dasgupta’s selection to the team has come as a reward for hard work and consistency in the domestic scene for the last few years. An aggressive right-handed batsman, Dasgupta had been in the reckoning for selection for a year or so but could not break into the squad. Sameer Dighe’s rather poor performance in Sri Lanka facilitated his selection. The diminutive cricketer, who began to learn the ropes from SAI coach Sunita Sharma at New Delhi’s National Stadium, plays for Mohun Bagan club in local tournaments here. He has been a regular member of the Bengal team for the last one-and-a-half years and has taken over the wicketkeeper’s job from Saba Karim. He began his first class career with Ballygunge Sporting Club and graduated to bigger clubs with a series of impressive performances with the glove as well as the willow.
PTI |
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Bangladesh in trouble Colombo, September 7 SCOREBOARD Bangladesh (Ist innings): 90 Sri Lanka (Ist innings): Jayasuriya lbw Rahman 89 Atapattu retired 201 Sangakkara c Islam b
H. Hussian 54 Jayawardene retired 150 Van Dort c Islam b
Rahman 36 Tillekaratne 10 Extras: (5-lb 8-nb 2-w) 15 Total:
(five wickets dec, 103.3 overs) 555 Fall of wickets: 1-144 2-269 3-440 4-530 5-555 Bowling: Manjural Islam 18-1-94-0, Mohammed Sharif 17-0-120-0 (nb1,w1), Hasibul Hussain 23-6-122-1 (nb6, w1), Naimur Rahman 30.3-8-117-2, Habibul Bashar 5-0-34-0, Mohammad Ashraf 10-0-63-0 (nb1). Bangladesh (IInd innings): Omar lbw Murali 40 Hossain c Sangakkara b Murali 4 Sahariar lbw Samaraweera 7 A Islam not out 19 Bashar c Jayawardene b Murali 19 Ashraf not out 4 Extras: (3-b 1-lb 3-nb) 7 Total: (four wickets,
37 overs) 100 FOW: 1-31 2-54 3-54 4-81 Bowling: Chaminda Vaas 5-2-11-0, Ravindra Pushpakumara 3-1-10-0, Ruchira Perera 4-1-11-0 (3nb), Muttiah Muralitharan 13-3-31-3, Thilan Samaraweera 9-2-19-1, Sanath Jayasuriya 3-0-14-0.
Reuters Harare, September 7 Kirsten became the first South African to hit 5,000 Test runs when he reached 194. Kirsten joined India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Australian Steve Waugh as the only players to have scored centuries against eight countries. Bangladesh, newcomers to the Test arena, are the trio’s only exception. South Africa (1st innings): Gibbs b Friend 147 Kirsten not out 202 Kallis not out 56 Extras (nb-5, w-4) 9 Total (for 1 wicket, 90 overs) 414 Fall of wicket: 1-256. Bowling: Streak 22-2-90-0, Friend 18-1-106-1, Hondo 12-0-69-0, Price 29-2-121-0, Whittall 3-0-10-0, G Flower 6-0-18-0.
Reuters |
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Arjun joint 5th, Daniel in lead Taipei, September 7 He carded a two-under 70 after a par first round yesterday. The next best Indian on view was Vivek Bhandari in joint 11th spot with rounds of 70 and 74 for a total par-144. Arjun Atwal, who finished fourth in last week’s Taiwan Open, was a stroke behind. Atwal had a one-over second round to add to his par first round. Jyoti Randhawa too had the same score with rounds of 72 and 73. Sweden’s Daniel Chopra continued a recent run of good form as he took the lead. Chopra fired a second round three-under-par 69 to lead the event on four-under-par 140 by a stroke from South African Craig Kamps, Taiwan’s Lin Chie-hsiang and Thailand’s Thammanoon Sriroj.
PTI |
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“Sheroo” calls on
Chief Minister New Delhi, September 7 Mrs Dikshit said Delhi, as the host city, had a lot of responsibility on its shoulders, but she assured that no effort would be spared to make the Games a thumping success. Chennai, September 7 Tulpule will clash with Turkey’s Ipok Senoglu, who rallied well to down India’s Karishma Patel 6-3 7-5. The first semifinal between Senoglu and Patel evoked keen interest. The Indian, playing an attacking game, offered a stiff fight in the first set before losing it. She then led 4-2 in the second when her Turkish rival appeared to be weakening due to dehydration. At the stage, Senoglu took ‘medical time’ and came back strongly to wipe out the deficit and then went on to wrap up the match. As the match commenced, Patel was in her elements and chose to play deep but Senoglu refused to come up. The Turkish girl broke Patel in the vital eighth and then held her own service game for the first set. In the second, Patel led 4-2 with breaks in the second and sixth games and the overseas player sought medical time. Patel perhaps lost concentration and was broken back in the seventh. Senoglu broke Patel again in 11th and served for the match. In the other semifinal between two Indians, Tulpule was at her peak in the decider. After taking some time to adjust to the hot and humid conditions, Tulpule broke Venkataraman thrice in succession from the fourth for first set. But, the Maharastra girl was at the receiving end in the second set which Venkataraman won without conceding a game. The third was full of rallies and the rivals broke each other twice before Tulpule tightened the game in the eighth to earn the vital break and progress to the final.
PTI |
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ITF women’s tennis from September
10 New Delhi, September 7 The tournament will be sponsored by the newly floated Indian Tennis Centre, and the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) will be the first association to give a proper test to its facilities much ahead of the inaugural Afro-Asian Games, scheduled to be held from November 3 to 11. The facilities for the Afro-Asian Games at the DLTA is in the final stages of completion, as India hope to haul a lot of medals from tennis. Top stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, along with other Indian Davis Cup players, will be participating in the Games. The World Doubles championship, which were to be held on the same dates as the Afro-Asian Games, have been postponed by the Association of Tennis Professionals due to the efforts of Vijay Amritraj and the AITA. The qualifying rounds of the ITF women’s tennis will be held from tomorrow out of which nine players would make it into the main draw. Twentyone players have been given direct entries while the three wild cards have been given to Sania Mirza, Olexandra Verkhnyatska and Subha Srinivasan. |
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Satish Bhatia on
Games committee Chandigarh, September 7 The very mention of Satish Bhatia’s name conjures up in the mind the image of a player who had the most lethal spin service and this helped the left hander to
upset the apple cart of the World No 2 Muljadi of Indonesia. Later he almost came to creating the biggest upset in international badminton when he had the legendary Rudy Hartono (eight time all-England champion) struggling at match point. |
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Games: special counters at IGIA New Delhi, September 7 There was a suggestion for utilising Haj hall and concourse for the participants. But the authorities were of the view that it would not be of much use as participants and officials would be arriving in small groups by different flights and at varying timings. “We will make adequate arrangements for participants and delegates so that they are cleared as quickly as was the case during the IXth Asian Games in 1982”, assured the officials to the team of officials of the AA Games. Only 54 days remain for the Rs 200-crore ‘goodwill’ Games to take-off but the top functionaries are working at cross-purpose. From the start, when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee okayed the Games, the BJP functionary, Mr V.K. Malhotra, felt ‘peeved’ that he had not been made the chairman of the organising committee since he was IOA vice-president and president of the Archery Association of India (AAI) for a long time. Mr Malhotra, a reluctant official, walked out of the ceremonial committee not in protest against Sports Minister Uma Bharati but against the doings of his colleague, Vinod Khanna, a former actor, who has stollen a decisive march over him in matters pertaining to cultural shows for the opening and closing ceremonies. |
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