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Wednesday,
June 25, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Serena powers into second round
Prakash, Sunil advance Turkey oust Brazil, enter semis
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Nayyar for sporting ties with Pak
Bhutia favours foreign coaches
in clubs India A campaign begins today Windies take first innings lead Ludhiana on brink of innings defeat Patiala lifters aim to revel on big stage Karan Patnaik qualifies for main draw 3 Punjab cagers in Indian team
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Serena powers into second round
Wimbledon, June 24 The match was the first for Williams since her 33-match Grand Slam winning streak ended with a loss in the French Open semifinals to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. French fans cheered Williams’ mistakes and booed her after the defeat. Nearly three weeks later, she was able to joke about her tearful reaction to the episode. “My eyes were watering. Correction,” she said with a laugh. Williams said the show of emotion at Paris may have won her more fans. “I was a little upset for a few days when I was at home, hitting the practice court immediately off the plane and swinging in my sleep,” she said. “But everyone seemed to have seen the match and really supported me.” This time there was only silence when Williams double faulted, and warm applause from the Centre Court crowd greeted her arrival. “I definitely heard a large roar and clap,” she said. “That was nice.” On the men’s side, No 2 seed Andre Agassi hit 16 aces and beat British wild-card Jamie Delgado 6-4, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4. Agassi is seeking his ninth Grand Slam title and his second at Wimbledon. “For me at this stage of my career, it’s quite a feeling to be out there,” said Agassi, 33. “You never really know how many chances you’re going to get again. I feel like as I get older, I have more capacity to embrace those moments.” The No 1-seeded Williams could get a rematch in the semifinals against No 3 Henin-Hardenne, who was scheduled to play her opening-round match later. Williams avoided the fate that befell Wimbledon’s other defending champion, Lleyton Hewitt, who lost yesterday to qualifier Ivo Karlovic. “I didn’t want to make history by having two No 1 defending champions go out,” Williams said. Joining her in the second round were No 10 Anastasia Myskina, No 11 Jelena Dokic and No 15 Elena Dementieva. Number 19 Meghann Shaughnessy and No 32 Tamarine Tanasugarn lost. Seeded men eliminated included No 7 Guillermo Coria and 2002 semifinalist Xavier Malisse, seeded 14th. Coria was beaten by Olivier Rochus 5-7, 6-7 (4/7), 3-6 Malisse lost to qualifier Cyril Saulnier 4-6, 3-6, 2-6. Number 10 Tim Henman, beginning another bid to become the first Englishman to win Wimbledon since 1936, beat lucky loser Tomas Zib 6-2, 7-6 (13/11), 3-6, 6-1. David Nalbandian, last year’s runner-up, beat Vladimir Voltchkov 7-5, 6-4, 6-2. Three-time quarter-finalist Mark Philippoussis defeated Mariano Zabaleta 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. In the completion of a match suspended yesterday because of darkness, American Robby Ginepri lost to No 15 Arnaud Clement, who won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (3/7), 10-8. Williams started strong, with three service winners and an ace to win the opening game. Her serve was effective when it went in, but also inconsistent, and she walked to her chair frowning and shaking her head after taking the opening set in just 24 minutes. She had a brief letdown in the second set, losing three games in a row to fall behind 3-2. But Craybas, who is 3-15 in Grand Slam matches, lacked the weapons to mount an upset bid. Williams regained control with a succession of big serves and overhead slams, and she finished with six aces and 26 winners. Williams has now won 16 consecutive sets at Wimbledon. Myskina beat Henrieta Nagyova, who retired trailing 4-6, 0-3. Dokic edged Elena Baltacha 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Dementieva defeated Angelika Roesch 6-2, 6-1. Shaughnessy lost to Aniko Kapros 3-6, 2-6, while Tamarine was upset by Akiko Morigami 4-6, 3-6. In yesterday’s matches Switzerland’s Roger Federer, the fourth seed beat South Korea’s Lee Hyung-Taik to set up a second round clash with Stefan Koubek of Austria. While Giant Belarussian Max Mirnyi scalped American Vince Spadea (seeded 31) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. In the women’s singles, Venus Williams — who said she had recovered from a stomach muscle injury which contributed to her fourth round exit from the French Open - Kim Clijsters and Lindsay Davenport all eased into the second round with comfortable straight sets victories. Prize for the most unlikely result of the day went to Spain’s Conchita Martinez Granados, who recovered from losing the first set to love to finally overcome Italy’s Adriana Serra Zanetti 10-8 in the third. — AP
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Prakash, Sunil advance New Delhi, June 24 The US-based Rohan Gajjar too is a big-serving, hard-hitting player, but his resistance worked only upto a point against the all-round court craft of Prakash Amritraj, who has now set his eyes on the Masters crown to cap a fine run. Prakash had annexed the titles in the second and third legs at Chandigarh and Delhi, respectively to make a big splash. Prakash will now run into fifth-seeded Vinod Sridhar. Vinod Sridhar survived a mid-match slump to overwhelm Dong Hee Choi of Korea 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 while Sunil Kumar kept up his winning form when he scalped seventh-seeded Mustafa Ghouse 6-4, 6-2 to record his second successive victory. Sunil Kumar, who has been struggling with his form despite playing a vastly improved game, was in control of himself, and though Mustafa Ghouse tried to make a match of it, Sunil Kumar had the last laugh, when he gained breaks at crucial moments. Fourth-seeded Vijay Kannan suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Yew Ming Si of Malaysia with the visitor recording a straight-set 6-3, 6-2 victory while second-seeded Prima Simpatiaji, who was the finalist in the third leg here last Saturday, was stunned by Hiu Tung Yu of Hong Kong with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. After his hectic campaign last week, Simpatiaji looked out of sorts, and Yu seized his chances to coast home in straight sets. Sixth-seeded Febi Widhiyanto of Indonesia beat Katsushi Fukuda of Japan 6-2, 6-0 while Eliran Dooyev of Israel disposed of another Japanese, Takeshi Itoh, 6-3, 6-2. It was indeed a bad day for the seeds, as third-seeded Daniel Kiernan also bowed out when he conceded his match against Hayato Furukawa of Japan with the scores reading 6-4, 5-5. Furukawa will now clash against the Sunil Kumar in the quarterfinal. |
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Turkey oust Brazil, enter semis
Saint-Etienne, June 24 In between those two losses, Brazil captured their record firth World Cup title in Japan and South Korea last year, twice beating Turkey along the way, including the semifinals. And although they came here with a young, experimental side and had only two players from that match in yesterday’s game, Carlos Alberto Parreira’s team went home in bitter disappointment. “It was a close and interesting match,” Parreira said. “We played our best game of the tournament in the first half but still we went out.” Brazil should have led by more than Adriano’s 23rd-minute goal at half time. His fellow striker Ilan hit the post and had another effort cleared off the line. But Turkey turned the match with a tremendous second-half performance and squeezed past Brazil and into the last four, getting just the draw it needed to go through. African champion Cameroon, who drew 0-0 with the USA in Lyon in the second match yesterday, won group B with seven points. Turkey and Brazil finished on four points each, but Turkey went through because they had scored four goals, one more than Brazil. In Thursday’s semifinals, defending and European champion France will play Turkey in Saint-Denis, while Cameroon face Colombia, the South American champion, in Lyon. Turkey confirmed that their third-place finish in last year’s World Cup was no fluke, although they too came here with a young team. Still, they had six players from that semifinal in yesterday’s lineup. “We played a great game tonight,” Turkey coach Senol Gunes said. “This is an important tournament for us because we are testing new players.” Gunes had boldly predicted that his team would reach the final and play France for the title. Now, it will have to beat France to make the final. “We’ll be more tired than France, because we have to travel to Paris and France are staying there and playing at home. France have a lot of great players and they are the European champions,” Gunes said. Before 30,000 mostly Turkish fans in Saint-Etienne, Brazil had things firmly under control for nearly an hour, until Gokdeniz Karadeniz equalised. The goal stunned Brazil and rejuvenated a Turkish side that had looked flat until then. The Turks stepped up the pace and suddenly began playing with a lot more confidence and determination. Brazil, who had exploited the flanks almost at will in the first half, now found the lanes closed and the Turks swarming every section of the field. Parreira reacted by making three substitutions, and one of them, midfielder Alex, made some fast, incisive forward passes that gradually put his team seemingly back in control. But by then the Turks were happy to rely on fast breaks, knowing that a draw was all they needed. And it was just such a brilliantly executed counter attack that produced Turkey’s second goal after Yildiray Basturk beat an offside trap at the midfield line and moved the ball swiftly forward, with a free man both on the left and the right, and all Brazilians defenders stranded far behind. Basturk passed to his left and Okan Yilmaz had the simple task of slotting it past the helpless Dida. Okan Yilmaz had come in after 35 minutes for Volkan Arslan and had a lot to do with Turkey’s revival as a second forward. Far into injury time, Alex tied the score for Brazil on pass from Ronaldinho, who then got into a tangle with goalkeeper Rustu Recber and was sent off as time ran out. “We wanted to reach the final and observe players. At least one of those was achieved. We’ve got other players to test. We got 21/2 years until the next World Cup finals,” Parreira said. — AP
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Bhutia favours foreign coaches in clubs
Kolkata, June 24 “If clubs hire coaches from abroad, that will definitely be a good step, provided these foreigners have a good knowledge of the game,” Bhutia replied when asked whether such a move would improve domestic standards. “But the coaches must be brought from countries which have a rich soccer tradition. Because only then can they enrich us through their experience at the highest level of the game,” the country’s soccer icon told PTI in an exclusive interview here. The 26-year-old Sikkimese striker also felt that the top clubs should emulate his outfit East Bengal in hiring quality physical trainers to keep their players fit as fiddle. “This will not only improve the overall showing of the players but will also ensure a steady supply of superbly fit players in national camps prior to international engagements,” Bhutia said. Bhutia, who created a sensation by becoming the first Indian to take part in the English professional league in 1999 by joining Manchester’s Bury FC, praised the AIFF for organising the high-profile NFL for the last seven years. “It’s a step in the right direction,” he said. However, Bhutia said that the AIFF should increase, in a phased manner, the number of sides in the NFL. Bhutia suggested that the AIFF should aim at including 18 or 19 clubs in the NFL in the next five to ten years. “The league will then cover the entire soccer season as it happens in Europe or other parts of the world,” he said. Bhutia also supported the present quota of foreigners in the NFL. “Two players on the field and one on the bench is OK.” The Arjuna awardee, who had some time back regretted the AIFF’s inability to market soccer, including the NFL, now felt that things were looking up. “The situation is definitely improving, though slowly. It’s good that the AIFF has signed a deal with marketing agent STRATA”. — PTI
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Nayyar for sporting ties with Pak
Karachi, June 24 “Sports have a lead role in people-to-people contact between Pakistan and India and, not only cricket, both countries must revive hockey, football and other sports,” Nayyar said. Pakistan and India have made tentative steps toward normalising relations since Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee offered a “hand of friendship” to Islamabad in April after a 17-month standoff and the breakdown of diplomatic relations. Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali responded positively by putting several confidence-building measures involving sports at the top of his agenda of normalisation with India. “All those who are against sporting activities between the two countries are politically motivated and are mixing sports and politics,” said Nayyar, who was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, and played hockey in his youth. “Why not play kabbadi, its a traditional sport and we must strengthen traditional ties through such sports,” Nayyar said. The Indian delegation is here on the last leg of its week-long unofficial visit following a similar trip by Pakistani parliamentarians last month to promote peace initiatives. The South Asian nuclear rivals came close to a fourth war following an attack on Parliament in December 2001 which New Delhi said was the handiwork on Pakistan-based militants. — AFP
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India A campaign begins today
London, June 24 “On June 25, 20 years back we won the World Cup. It brings back great memories when we open the tour,” India ‘A’ coach Sandeep Patil, who was a member of the victorious Indian World Cup team in 1983, told PTI here last night. The team will play in 11 matches but the most eagerly looked forward is the one against the touring South Africans at Arundel, a three-day game starting on July 19. Stating that it was a golden chance for the talented youngsters to prove their mettle, as the selectors are looking to build a team for the next World Cup, Patil indicated that those who do well on the tour have a very good chance of making it to the national team. “It is up to these players to grab these opportunities,” he said. Barring medium pacer Avishkar Salvi, who had split his web earlier, all are fully fit. “Even Salvi is also fit to play the first match, but we will take a decision on the day of the match,” the coach said. Stating that the team’s “prospects on the tour are good”, Samiran Chakraborty, team manager termed it a balanced side. “The boys are fully motivated and raring to go,” he said. Patil, on the other hand, said he always considered an England tour as a good lesson for youngsters to establish themselves. “I started my cricketing career here in 1979. Now I am here in a different capacity. It is a good challenge and good opportunity for all the 16 players.” “We have a very talented and experienced team and 12 members have already played for the country in one-dayers or Test matches.” He also pointed out that for the first time two different captains had been named on one tour - S.S. Das for longer version of the game and Hemang Badani for the one-dayers. Parthiv Patil who has already established himself as the “best wicket keeper” in the country will have an opportunity to come good as a batsman, Patil said. “England offers so many different challenges, specially the weather which differs from session to session. You have to change your style accordingly,” he said. “We are hoping to put up a good show. It is not proper to comment about the outcome of the tour in advance.” He said the team had a good 18-day camp in Bangalore before it left for the UK. “We had a good rest here before we commence the tour with a match against British Universities at Durham and there is no room for any complaints,” he said. Team (from): Shiv Sunder Das, Hemang Badani, Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Sanjay Parab, S. Sriram, A.T. Rayudu, Rohan Gavaskar, Vijay Bharadwaj, L. Balaji, Avishkar Salvi, Irfan Pathan, Amit Bhandari, Murali Kartik, Parthiv Patel and Amit Mishra. — PTI
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Windies take first innings lead Gros Islet, St Lucia, June 24 Sri Lanka (1st innings): 354 West Indies 1st innings: (overnight 272-4) Gayle lbw b Murali 27 Ganga lbw b Vaas 12 Hinds run out 113 Lara not out 177 Sarwan c Atapattu b Murali 7 Samuels st Kaluwitharana b Murali 8Jacobs lbw b Murali 13 Banks not out 6 Extras: (b-2 lb-3 nb-16) 21 Total: (for six wickets) 384 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-66, 3-240, 4-262, 5-279, 6-305. Bowling: Vaas 34-5-89-1, Nissanka 13-0-81-0, Samaraweera 6-0-42-0, Muralitharan 42-8-126-4, Lokuarachchi 16-5-41-0. — Reuters
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Ludhiana
on brink of innings defeat Ludhiana, June 24 At draw of stumps, the hosts were reeling at 121 for the loss of five wickets while chasing a huge total of 320 for 7, put up by the Chandigarh team. In a virtual replay of their lacklustre performance in the first innings, the Ludhiana batsmen, without exception, failed to consolidate their innings, with three of their front line batsmen losing their wickets cheaply. In contrast, the visitors, who started the play this morning from an unimposing score of 85 for two, sent the Ludhiana fielders on a leather hunt for a good part of the first session. A brilliant knock of 151 by Gurkirat and a significant contribution of 58 from Sukhjinder proved to be the undoing of the home team. Even though Tarun Kanish claimed three wickets, conceding 118 runs and Rattan and Yogesh bowling out two Chandigarh batsmen each, the local bowlers found it beyond them to deal with the solid batting line up of the visitors. Brief Scores: Ludhiana (1st innings) 140 all out in 64.3 overs Chandigarh (Ist innings)
320 for 7 in 90 overs ( Gurkirat 151, Sukhjinder 58; Tarun Kanish 3/118, Rattan Bricher 2/32). Ludhiana (2nd innings) 121 for 5 wickets in 31 overs (Karan Goel 22, Chintan Sehgal 24, Varun Gupta 29; Aseem Gupta 2/24).
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Patiala
lifters aim to revel on big stage Patiala, June 24 For Kamaldeep Dutta, it is a case of two generations, two different disciplines. His father, Santosh Dutta, was a national-level pugilist in his prime and towards the end of his career he had earned the sobriquet of a `battle scared veteran.’ On the other hand, in stark contrast to his father’s style, Kamaldeep wears out the enthusiasm of his rival without being ferocious. Kamaldeep made his debut while playing for Patiala in the Punjab School Games held at Sangrur in 1999. His debut turned out to be all the more memorable as he returned home with a well deserved silver medal in his favourite bantamweight class. Next year, Kamaldeep Dutta showcased his potential by winning the gold medal in the National School Games held at Anandpur Sahib. It was at this time that his coach Harpreet Singh decided to field him in the senior section. He took part in the senior nationals held in New Delhi last year and made a big impression by managing to reach the quarterfinals. He may have missed out on a medal but surely was the cynosure of all eyes. He fought like a man possessed but inexperience did him in. Now the youngster is all focused to win a medal in the next edition of the senior Nationals. Gurpreet Singh made his debut in the 1999 edition of the national sub-junior championship held at Durgapur. He may have failed to win a medal on his debut but managed to make his presence felt by making it to the last eight stage. Alert in defence and assured while attacking, Gurpreet’s biggest asset is the right counter. Determination and discipline are two of his virtues which will help him once he decides to step in the ring in the senior category.
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Karan Patnaik qualifies for main draw Chandigarh, June 24 The results:
Boys U-14 (final qualifying round): Pulkit Mishra (Dli) b Abhiraj Singh (Chd) 8-5, Aman Farmaha (Dli) b Chetanya Verma (Chd) 8-1; Varun Anand (UP) b Inderjot Singh (Pb) 8-6; Karan Singh (Pb) b Sidharth Rangi (Chd) 8-2; Keshav Mahajan (Pb) b Saurav Sharma (Pb) 8-2; Mandeep Yadav (Chd) b Amit Chauhan (Chd) 8-4; Parul Verma (Chd) b Bharat Bhardwaj (UP) 8-4; Samarpit Rai (Pb) b Harry S. Amor (Chd) 8-3. U-18 (final qualifying round): Karan Patnaik (Chd) b Naren Prakash (Dli) 8-2; Rahul Belwal (Dli) b Varun Sharma (Pb) 8-4; Manish Gupta (UP) b Bhavdesh Saxena (Raj) 8-5; Javed Hazary (Pb) b Harmeet Singh (Dli) 8-1; Pulkit Mishra (Dli) b Saurav Sharma (Pb) 8-6; Kush Jagga (Dli) b Tushar Jagota (Dli) 8-5; Gaurav Singh (MP) b Tanuj Keswani (Dli) 8-2; Bharat Bhardwaj (UP) b Arjun Sehgal (Pb) 8-4. |
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3 Punjab cagers in Indian team Patiala, June 24 Parminder (senior), Gagnesh Kumar and up and coming Snehpal Singh have been named in the squad. The team, which was selected at Hyderabad yesterday, will play alongside Krygystan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the three-day meet. The winners of the championship, which will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis, will automatically qualify for the Asian Basketball Confederation championship slated to be held in China in September. |
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PPS team for UK Chandigarh, June 24 The group will visit historical places, museums, educational institutions of London, Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham and Scotland. |
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