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Qualifier sends Agassi packing
Sania bows out of French Open
Venus to go for trophy
Amarnath criticises BCCI for unprofessional attitude
Shoaib refuses to oblige Bhatt
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Liverpool one match away from glory
Bagan introduces code of conduct
Jayachandran, Poonam emerge as fastest runners
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Qualifier sends Agassi packing
Paris, May 24 The former world number one had now played more Grand Slam tournaments than anyone else in the Open era, but he had also lost his opening match at Roland Garros to a qualifier for the second time in succession. The 1999 champion, who fell to Frenchman Jerome Haehnel here last year, had his chances against Nieminen, but apparently pulled a muscle. He was unable to move freely during the final two sets and hit a backhand return long on the first match point after three hours of play. The American, the oldest player in the draw at 35, was playing his 58th Grand Slam event, one more than Michael Chang, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Wayne Ferreira, who shared second place on the list. In the women’s section, Justine Henin-Hardenne’s spectacular array of weaponry and youthful energy counted as she outgunned wily campaigner Conchita Martinez 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round. Nobody betters Martinez’s 18 consecutive French Open appearances, a record she shares with the retired Nathalie Tauziat. It takes more than experience and an almost matchless knowledge of claycourt tactics to beat 2003 champion Henin-Hardenne. Martinez, whose lone Grand Slam triumph came at Wimbledon in 1994, pulled every trick she had picked up during her long career, but the oldest woman in the draw at 33 ran out of ideas and energy. “Conchita played well and both of us wanted the same thing, to win the match,” a relieved Henin-Hardenne said. “I was so nervous before this match. In tennis you never know what is going to happen,” the 10th seed added. In another match, US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova gave French wild card Mathilde Johansson the silent treatment as well as a tennis lesson to reach the second round. “No, not at all,” the overawed Johansson said, when asked whether Kuznetsova had offered any words of encouragement following the 49-minute thrashing. Seeded sixth, the Russian was never been in trouble, romping to a 6-1, 6-1 victory. But still, Sweden-born Johansson, ranked 249th in the world, said she enjoyed the experience. “It could have been better, it could have been worse also,” she smiled. “But it was okay. I did the best I could.” “What I can manage to do at my level does not work against her. I really could not imagine I would win, but I could have bothered her a bit more.” “It was really very enjoyable, a great pleasure. It was nice to play at Roland Garros. It was really very pleasant to have the support of the public,” she said. In the men’s field, Marat Safin eased into the second round with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Dutchman Raemon Sluiter. The Australian Open champion is bidding to become the first man since Jim Courier 13 years ago to win the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year. “First round is always tough because you have to get used to the courts, to the balls,” Safin said. “You are nervous because you want to do well in the tournament.” “You know that you are going to win, but still, you know, you do not want to have a surprise. Really, I cannot complain. I have been playing quite decent tennis.” Safin is on track for a third-round clash with former champion and fellow former number one Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Spaniard, returning to form after a torrid time with injuries, thumped Karol Beck of Slovakia 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Safin lost to Ferrero in the semifinals in 2002 and would love to make amends. “I think it was a big disappointment in my career because of the way I played,” he said. “I reached the semifinals, I was playing well. For some reason, I just, I almost gave up the semifinal. I could not find the weapons.” Other results: Men’s singles: Hyung-Taik Lee (South Korea) beat Alex Calatrava (Spain) 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4; Mariano Puerta (Argentina) beat Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 7-5, 7-5, 6-2; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) beat Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-2, 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-4; Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Peter Luczak (Australia) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 6-4, 6-1, 6-0; Olivier Rochus (Belgium) beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-6(4), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3; Juergen Melzer (Austria) beat Wayne Arthurs (Australia) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(4); Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4; Igor Andreev (Russia) beat Jonas Bjoerkman (Sweden) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-5; Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) beat Antony Dupuis (France) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; Lukas Dlouhy (Czech Republic) beat Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-1; Dick Norman (Belgium) beat Jean-Rene Lisnard (France) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4; Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Sasa Tuksar (Croatia) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. Women’s singles: Tathiana Garbin (Italy) beat Martina Sucha (Slovakia) 6-7(8), 6-1, 6-2 ; Samantha Stosur (Australia) beat Silvija Talaja (Croatia) 6-1, 6-2; Kristina Brandi (Puerto Rico) beat Youlia Fedossova (France) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2; Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) beat Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) beat Rika Fujiwara (Japan) 6-4, 6-2; Elena Bovina (Russia) beat Maria Vento-Kabchi (Venezuela) 6-0; 6-3; Severine Beltrame (France) beat Abigail Spears (USA) 6-3, 6-1; Klara Koukalova (Czech Republic) beat Mervana Jugic-Salkic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat Paola Suarez (Argentina) 7-5, 1-6, 6-0; Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) beat Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-1, 7-6(1).
— Reuters
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Sania bows out of French Open
Paris, May 24 Sania, yet to reach her peak fitness after an ankle injury eight weeks ago and playing in only her second tournament on comeback, went down 3-6, 3-6 to 30th ranked Gisela Dulko of Argentina. The 18-year old did well to break her opponent four times, twice in each set, but Dulko’s experience on the red clay helped her bounce back every time and prevail over the Indian to close the issue in an hour and 17 minutes. Both the players committed series of unforced errors — 32 and 31 for Sania and Dulko, respectively — but the Argentine won 72 points as against Sania’s 58. Sania did give all she had, as she frequently caught Dulko off guard with her trademark forehands. But she lacked the consistency and her rival came up with clever variations to upset her rhythm. Sania committed a double fault to face a break point in her very first serving game, and conceded it with a backhand crosscourt shot that went wide. Dulko was surprised by the force with which Sania hit back in the next game, but the 20-year-old maintained her poise to earn two breaks. Sania kept fighting and converted the fifth break point in the seventh game, but could not prevent her opponent from taking the set. The second set saw the players trade breaks, but in the seventh game, Sania put an easy forehand into the net to drop serve and went down 3-4. Dulko then had two double faults, but managed to save three break points. She then hammered the last nail in the coffin by breaking Sania once more to hasten the end. In all, Sania and Dulko had an ace each, five and eight double faults, respectively, and first serve percentage of 50 and 54 per cent.
— PTI |
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Venus to go for trophy
Paris, May 24 The American, runner-up to Serena in the final here three years ago, is in Paris and is all smiles after winning her first tournament in 12 months last week. That
Istanbul triumph has restored her confidence and whatever the draw says — she is seeded just 11th in the French capital — the former world number one rates her chances at Roland Garros. “I don’t think there’s like a ton of people lining up to play me,” she said. “My goal is always, of course, to be in the final and hold the trophy. I have big dreams in this tournament always.”
— Reuters |
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Amarnath criticises BCCI for unprofessional attitude
New Delhi, May 24 Speaking to NDTV, Amarnath — a key
member of the 1983 Kapil’s Devils that won the World Cup — regretted that the board did not even bother to inform him after Chappell was selected for the post. Amarnath, who bagged back-to-back man of the match awards in the semifinal and the final of the 1983 World Cup, also alleged that the BCCI did not show the courtesy of telling him on what ground he had been ignored. Apart from Chappell and Amarnath, West Indian Desmond Haynes and Australian Tom Moody were also in the fray for the job. Amarnath, had maintained throughout that the team needed an Indian coach because it was difficult for a foreigner to come to terms with the diversity of the country. Not convinced that the audio-visual presentation was the right way to assess a coach, Amarnath said, ‘’ The system of selecting a coach through presentation is no good. How can the board judge the credentials of the future coach just through a mere presentation?’’ ‘’I hope they will not follow the same procedure in future,’’ he said. Amarnath, however, wished Chappell luck and expressed hope that under the former Australian captain, India would return to its their winning ways soon.
— UNI |
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Shoaib refuses to oblige Bhatt
Islamabad, May 24 Bhatt, who is in Pakistan to promote his new film ‘Nazar,’ met Shoaib’s media and marketing manager yesterday in Karachi to try and convince the bowler to take up the offer. However, the agent conveyed the bowler’s intention to continue to concentrate on his cricket and thanked Bhatt for his offer. “Bhatt was in Karachi on Monday and met Shoaib’s agent who has been brought in to market and project a positive image of the cricketer publicly,” local daily The News quoted a source closed to the player as saying. “He (Shoaib’s manager) thanked Bhatt for considering Shoaib for the film but made it clear to him that the paceman would not be taking up an acting career and that he wanted to concentrate full time on cricket. “He also told Bhatt that Shoaib was very keen to make a comeback to the Pakistan team and realised the only way he could do this was to concentrate 100 per cent on cricket and go and perform for Worcestershire.” Despite the bowler making it clear that he was not interested in taking up acting, Bhatt had said that he would personally try and convince the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ to take up the offer. The source said Shoaib, who was overlooked for the ongoing tour of the West Indies by the selectors who believe he still needs to regain 100 per cent match fitness to play at the international level, was very keen to make a comeback in the home series against England later this year. Another factor that had jolted him was the illness of his mother to whom he was very close, the sources said. “He now just wants to put everything behind him and concentrate on performing and winning back his place in the national team,” the source added. Bhatt offered the role to Shoaib after not being able to get dates from Bollywood stars Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham.
— PTI |
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Liverpool one match away from glory
Istanbul, May 24 Liverpool’s last European Cup final in May, 1985, saw them take on another Italian giant in Juventus and that match — which they lost 1-0 — is etched in the memories of both clubs after a wall at the Heysel Stadium collapsed, killing 39 persons as Juventus fans tried to escape a surging mass of Liverpool supporters. Twenty years ago, Liverpool were a major force in European football, but UEFA imposed a five-year European ban on English clubs following Heysel with Liverpool banned for an extra year. Liverpool finished a staggering 37 points behind Premiership winners Chelsea this season and won the last of their 18 domestic titles back in 1990 so when the contenders for the Champions League title were being discussed even the most optimistic Liverpool fans were not talking up their chances. But in his maiden season at Anfield, Spanish coach Rafael Benitez has masterminded wins over Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea in the knockout stages and his side are now just one game away from becoming the first English team to win the trophy since Manchester United in 1999. Milan’s Dutch international defender Jaap Stam was part of that United team and is quite prepared to sacrifice style for success. “I hope we win in style but playing well is not the main thing,” explained Stam. “It will be difficult to find space against Liverpool but that is not to say it will be impossible to win.” Liverpool’s England international defender Jamie Carragher has a similar win-at-all-costs attitude and is not concerned that his side are the rank outsiders. “The best team does not always win the Champions League,” said Carragher, who was outstanding in the second leg of their semifinal with Chelsea. Liverpool will hope so as Milan have a stronger, experienced team and were champions of Europe just two seasons ago after defeating Juventus on penalties in the final. “Our experience, courage and calmness will be decisive,” explained Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. “Milan have players who are used to this pressure and that could be the key.” Former Italian international defender Paolo Maldini has won four European cups (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003) at Milan, who also have Ukraine’s European football of the Year Andriy Shevchenko and Brazilian 2002 World Cup winner Cafu in their ranks. Milan suffered a huge setback ahead of the final by surrendering their Italian title to Juventus and their star names will be keen to make amends with victory in Istanbul. England international Steven Gerrard is the undoubted jewel in the Liverpool crown and the club captain cannot wait to lead out his hometown club. “It will be the proudest moment of my career when I lead these incredible men out in Istanbul,” enthused Gerrard. “This is the biggest game of my career by far.” It is easy to forget that Liverpool were a mere three minutes from exiting the competition at the group stage until Gerrard produced a sublime volley to clinch a 3-1 win over Greek side Olympiakos. Many believe Liverpool’s hopes rest on Gerrard’s broad shoulders as they bid to win Europe’s premier trophy and persuade the FA to hand them a Champions League spot next season after finishing fifth in the league. “Individuals are not important. It is the team that counts,” insists Benitez. “It is not just about having stars. They must also work hard for one another.” Benitez has adopted a 4-4-1-1 formation in Europe with Czech international Milan Baros operating as a lone target-man with Gerrard and Spanish international Luis Garcia, scorer of five goals in his last six European matches, surging from midfield. “I think Liverpool’s real strength is their coach,” said Shevchenko. “(Rafael) Benitez guided the team to the final against all expectations. He has great technical and tactical skills.” Ancelotti, who won the trophy as a Milan player in 1989 and 1990, uses a similar system but the wily coach is expected to field Argentine international Hernan Crespo as a second striker to give the Italian giants more
firepower against the robust Liverpool backline. For Liverpool and Milan, defence has been the key to success and both teams have conceded just six goals in their 12 Champions League matches. Neither side went behind during the knockout phase and the opening goal at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium could prove decisive.
— AFP |
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Bagan introduces code of conduct
Kolkata, May 24 The code of conduct, which forms a part of the club’s contract with the players, pertains to their behaviour on and off the field and injury problems. It has recommended strict measures, including dismissal for flouting the norms.
— PTI |
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Jayachandran, Poonam emerge as fastest runners
Ludhiana, May 24 In the men’s section, Piyush Kumar (10.52 sec) and Vishal Saxena (10.57 sec), both of Railways followed Jayachandran closely while in the women’s section, the second and third positions were bagged by KM Greeshamma of Kerala ( 11.97 sec) and Punjab’s Mandeep Kaur, who clocked 12.20 sec. In long jump (men), Maha Singh of Punjab with an attempt of 7.68 mts secured the first place while Railways’ Rajeev Kumar with his best of 7.44 mts finished runner up and KJ Clinton of Tamilnadu gave his best performance ( 7.37 mts) and had to content with the third position. Other results:
(men) — 800 m: Ghamanda Ram of Services (1:49.63 secs) 1, Primesh of LIC (1:50.21 sec) 2 and SJ Suhesh of Services (1:50.67 sec) 3; 200 m: Vishal Saxena of Railways (21.21 sec) 1, Piyush Kumar of Railways (21.35 sec) 2 and H. Jayachandran of LIC (21.67 sec) 3; 400 m: Satbir Singh of Service 1, Bhupinder Singh of ONGC 2 and PS Saji of CRPF 3; triple jump: Pritpal Singh of Punjab Police (15.70 mts) 1, Bhupinder Singh of Punjab Police (15.69 mts) 2 and Sukhvinder Singh of Punjab Police (14.90 mts) 3; Hammer throw: Kulwinder Singh of Punjab Police (64.43 mts) 1, Harpal Singh of Punjab Police (63.64 mts) 2 and Madhu Kumar of Railways (61.44 mts) 3; javelin throw: Jagdish Bishnoi of Punjab Police (75.44 mts) 1, Sunil Goswami of Delhi (72.72 mts) 2 and Gurkirat Singh of Punjab Police (72.18 mts) 3; 400 m: hurdles: Joseph Abraham of CRPF 1, Patlavath Shankar of ONGC 2 and Kuldev Singh of Punjab Police 3; women 800 m: Sunit Kanojia of Railways (2:07.34 sec) 1, Paulose Sinimole of TATA Academy (2:07.95 secs) 2 and Sutapa Das of West Bengal (2:11.26 secs) 3; 200 m- Manjeet Kaur of Punjab Police (23.92 ses) 1, Rajvindef Kaur of Punjab (23.95 secs) 2 and Shareen Thomas of Kerala (26.06 secs) 3; discus throw: Neelam J. Singh of Railways (59.24 mts) 1, Krishna Poonia of Railways (54.99 mts ) 2 and Seema Antil of Haryana (54.37 mts) 3; hammer throw: Ritu Rani of Delhi (54.60 mts) 1, Ushma Singh of Delhi (54.01 mts) 2 and Archna Bara of Bihar (53.15 mts) 3. |
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Dronacharya Academy triumph
Patiala, May 24 Brief scores: MCA, Hisar: 146 all out (Sahil 41, Sonu Singh 17, Kunwar 12, Ishwinder 10, Ankit Yadav 3 for 19, Amrik Yadav 2 for 22, Ankush 2 for 24, S. Iyer 1 for 10, Sanjeev Kumar 1 for 17). Dronacharya Academy: 148 for 6 (Ankit Singh 30, Akash 27, Shubh Raj 19, Anmol 10, Ayush 18, Kunwar 1 for 9, Dhruv 1 for 14, Rohit 1 Doe 17, Sonu Singh 1 for 25, Sahil 1 for 26). |
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Patiala beat MD in under-19 cricket
Patiala, May 24 The hosts now square off with Ludhiana in their next league match scheduled to be played here on May 26 and 27. Minor Districts XI (1st innings): 116 all out. Patiala (1st innings):
318 all out. MD XI (2nd innings): 154 for 3 (Varun Kumar 40, Jagmeet Singh 31, Vivek Paul 26, Rajwinder Singh 2 for 24, Kunwar Raina 1 for 19). |
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Rathi selected for Asian
karate championship
Ambala, May 24 Hemant Sharma said last month, Haryana team had participated in the national sub junior, junior and senior karate championships held in Chennai. Haryana team had won one gold medal and one bronze medal. Gold medal winner was Sunil Rathi (cadet category under 70 kg) and bronze medal winner was Ashok Kumar Dangi (junior above 80 kg). Both of them had been coached by him. |
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Paris, May 24
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