Mahesh Bhupathi’s hit pairing with Mary Pierce was the high point for India at Wimbledon, writes M.S. Unnikrishnan

Indian players made their presence felt at Wimbledon, though it was only Mahesh Bhupathi who walked away with a title. Sania Mirza and Leander Paes crashed out in the preliminary rounds, but as long as the two were in the fray, they hogged the limelight.

It was a smooth progress to the podium for Bhupathi, and in a way, a new beginning. He was partnering Mary Pierce of France for the first time, and the unseeded pair came together only at the eleventh hour, at the behest of friends. But once they got on the court, the synergy was mesmerising. They struck up an instant rapport to hit the pay dirt with a succession of surprise wins.

Bhupathi is not new to accolades on the Grand Slam stage, as going into Wimbledon, he had seven titles to his name — four men’s doubles and three mixed doubles. But his mixed doubles title in the company of Pierce was a class act.

Ranked the No. 1 doubles player in 1999, it was in mixed doubles that Bhupathi first tasted success at the Grand Slam when he partnered Rika Hiraki of Japan to annex the French Open title in 1997. He then went on to capture the US Open mixed doubles title with Ai Sugiyama of Japan, and the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Elena Likhovtseva of Russia in 2002.

Bhupathi and Leander Paes came together to win three doubles titles — French Open (1999 and 2001) and Wimbledon (1999) — before they parted ways. Bhupathi then teamed up with Max Mirnyi to win the US Open doubles title in 2002. He went without a Grand Slam title for three years before regaining the winning touch in Pierce’s company.

It was just as well that he partnered a former French Open champion, now settled in the USA, for his eighth Grand Slam victory. The on-court chemistry between Bhupathi and Pierce was amazing, and at no stage of their progress to the title round did it look that they were pairing up for the first time.

It was the first mixed doubles title for Pierce, whose strong serves and ground strokes, coupled with Bhupathi’s immaculate net smashes, fetched the pair many points.

A grateful Pierce, who had lost to the quarterfinal of the women’s singles to eventual champion Venus Williams, acknowledged that "playing with Bhupathi was an enjoyable experience, a learning experience". "He taught me a lot about doubles," she noted.

They complemented each other so well that they want to keep the partnership going, though Pierce’s bread and butter lies in singles, and she would think of playing the doubles or mixed doubles only if health permits.

The mixed doubles triumph compensated for Bhupathi’s second-round exit from the men’s doubles. He and Todd Woodbridge of Australia got off to a promising start when they beat Graydon Oliver and Jared Palmer of the US in four sets in the first round, but they came a cropper in the second.

The defeat also ended Bhupathi’s enduring partnership with Woodbridge.

The Australian, who has nine Wimbledon titles to his credit, called it a day, much to the surprise of Bhupathi. Woodbridge felt that the partnership with him was not yielding the desired results. The 30-year-old Bhupathi would now team up with Martin Damm of the Czech Republic in the doubles, and they would use the US Open to test the waters.

Paes, who chose not to enter the singles fray due to injury, however, played in the doubles partnering Nenad Zimonjic. After a tough first-round victory against Lucas Arnold of Argentina and Daniele Bracciali of Italy in four sets, the fifth-seeded Indo-Serbian pair waged another battle of attrition against Americans Rick Leach and Travis Parrot before triumphing in four sets. But Paes and Zimonjic could not match the speed and power of fourth-seeded Zimbabweans Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett to crash out.

Sania mania

Sania Mirza succeeded in whipping up "Sania mania" with her debonair personality and captivating tennis. She was the toast of the Wimbledon crowd and the centre of media attention when she became the first Indian woman to enter the singles second round with a gutsy 6-3, 3-6, 8-6 victory over Japan’s Akiko Moriyami on court No. 17.

Sania’s match-up with US Open champion and world No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia on Centre Court was a dream outing which helped the Indian girl to win many new fans.

Sania, who had got the better of Kuznetsova in the Dubai Open a few months earlier, showed no signs of nerves as she matched wits and skills with the fifth seed to make a strong impact. There was hardly any difference in the level of play and Sania’s display of attacking tennis, with breath-taking forehand winners, unsettled the US Open champion, though better skill and experience eventually prevailed as Kuznetsova won in three sets after a gruelling two-hour, 18-minute battle. The Wimbledon outing also boosted Sania’s confidence after her first round exit in the French Open.

But Sania’s shot at the women’s doubles misfired in the first round itself as she and partner Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, who had reached the second round of the French Open, went down to Alisa Jidkova of Russia and Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine. In mixed doubles, her hopes flickered for a while as she and Sweden's Simon Aspelin beat the Argentinian-Australian duo of Easton Etlis and Lisa Meshea in the first round. However, they lost to seventh seeds Leos Friedl of the Czech Republic and Janette Husarova of Slovakia in straight sets.

Among the Indian boys, Asian champion Sanam K Singh gained a confidence-boosting 6-0, 6-2 first round victory against Christopher Llewellin of Britain while Vivek Shokeen defeated Robin Roshardt of Swtzerland in three sets. However, Sanam and Vivek fell at the second hurdle to Dutch players Anatal Var Der Duimand Thiemo De Bakker, respectively.

Another upcoming youngster, Jeevan Nedunchezhian, bowed out in the first round. Jeevan and Sanam also entered the second round of the boys doubles, but then ran out of steam. Overall, it was a promising Indian show in the ultimate grasscourt event.

Goal-den boy
Kevin Fylan

Brazil’s Adriano was at his striking best in the Confederations Cup.

Adriano’s two goals led Brazil to a crushing 4-1 victory over Argentina in the Confederations Cup football final last week and left coach Carlos Alberto Parreira savouring a huge selection problem ahead of the World Cup.

Ronaldo’s decision to skip the tournament presented Adriano with a chance he seized gleefully, just as he did in last year’s Copa America.

Twelve months ago, he led the scoring charts with seven goals as Brazil clinched the title with a victory over Argentina in the final.

It was a similar story in Germany late last month. His two goals in the final, a wickedly struck shot from the edge of the area to open the scoring and a powerful header for the fourth, took his tally to five and once again earned him the Golden Shoe award for top scorer.

His performance was also enough to clinch the Player of the Tournament award, ahead of Argentina’s Juan Roman Riquelme and Germany’s Michael Ballack.

The 23-year-old Inter Milan striker will be demanding a starting place at the World Cup next year but by that time Ronaldo should be back in the squad and even Parreira is not about to play a five-man forward line.

"It’s wonderful for Brazilian football that you have Ronaldo, Adriano, Robinho and so many good players up front," said Parreira.

"You can’t play all of them together but it means you’re always going to have a good replacement. It’s a problem that’s up to the coach to solve."

Parreira called Adriano up for his first match in charge against China and stuck by him even when he was criticised.

The coach has been particularly impressed by his knack for saving his best performances for the two major tournaments he has played in. — Reuters

Legendary speedster Dennis Lillee (right) with Pakistani pacers Mohammad Khalil (left) and Mohammad Asif at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.

The MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai has added another feather to its cap with the training of four fast bowlers from Pakistan — Mohammad Khalil, Mohammad Asif, Riaz Afridi and Mohammad Irshad.

It speaks volumes about the foundation’s reputation that Pakistan, which has produced many more outstanding fast bowlers than India over the years, sent its pacers to train in the neighbouring country.

Khalil, who was part of the Pakistan team that toured India earlier this year, said it was his good fortune to be trained by "Pace Guru" Dennis Lillee.

Lillee was euphoric about the budding pacers. "This time we have four Pakistanis and two from the Emirates. Yes, we have different players this time," he said.

About 19 Indian boys also attending the camp from June 27 to July 7.

The MRF Pace Foundation has become one of the best training grounds for fast bowlers.

The list of bowlers who have trained at the academy and then donned their country’s caps is pretty long, says former Indian pacer T. A. Shekhar, the chief coach at the foundation.

It includes names like Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Watson (Australia), Michael Mason, Chris Martin and James Franklin (New Zealand), Makhaya Ntini, Lance Klusener, Nantie Hayward and Roger Telemachus (South Africa), Paul Franks, Steven Kirby, Sajjad Mohammed and Kabir Ali (England), Chaminda Vaas, Nuvan Zoysa and Dilhara Fernando, besides six bowlers from Sri Lanka, five from Zimbabwe, including Henry Olonga and Brian Strang, and three from Bangladesh.

In all, 43 bowlers from different cricket boards, including 12 Indians, have represented their respective countries after training at the academy.

Apart from this, Indian pacers Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar and Laxmipathy Balaji have been using the facilities to fine-tune their bowling and recuperate from injury. Presently, Javagal Srinath is a consultant coach at the academy.

The MRF Pace Foundation, was established in August, 1987, with the legendary Dennis Lillee of Australia as Director, with the aim of developing and breeding strike bowlers of tomorrow.

The foundation selects, nurtures and scientifically develops the cricketing skills of youngsters with promise. When it began, the MRF Pace Foundation possessed few facilities other than an unused ground on the Madras Christian College campus.

The academy went international in 1992 and since then bowlers from various countries have gained knowledge and honed their skills, making use of the facilities available.

In another pat on the academy’s back, India coach Greg Chappell is keen to draw from its resources and expertise for fine-tuning the skills of pace bowlers.

"It has not only produced bowlers but has also built resources through the trainees, who have gone through the academy as students and come back as teachers," Chappell said.

According to Dennis Lillee, the pace foundation is as good as having a bowling coach. — Agencies

Chopra in the fray

Daniel Chopra will be seen in action at the British Open beginning on July 14.

Sweden-born Daniel Chopra, who began his golfing career in India, will make his debut at the British Open, to be held at St Andrews in Scotland from July 14 to 17.

The 32-year-old Chopra, who has a Swedish mother and an Indian father, performed well in the international final qualifiers at the Canoe Brook Country Club at the Summit, New Jersey, which enabled him to book his berth for the world’s oldest golf tournament. Arjun Atwal failed to qualify after a dismal round of 75.

Among the major contenders for the title this year are American Tiger Woods, the winner in 2000, and South Africa’s Ernie Els, the champion in 2002 and runner-up last year behind Todd Hamilton of the USA.

Meanwhile, Ishwar Achanta is set to become the first Indian referee to officiate at the British Open. Achanta is one of the only six qualified Indian golf referees and the first qualified Indian official to officiate in an international professional and amateur tournament.

He officiated in the Australian Open from 2002 to 2004 and also at the Nomura Cup (Asia Pacific Amateur Team Championship) in Australia in 2003. He also officiated at the Eisenhower Cup (World Amateur Team Championship) in Puerto Rico last year. — UNI

SPORTS MAIL

It is heartening to note that the ICC has decided to extend the scope of the third umpire in one-day internationals. It is sad that no such use of modern technology is made in sports like hockey and football. At the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament, one often felt the need for a third umpire.

During the match for the fifth place between India and Malaysia, the Pakistani umpire awarded a goal to India in the dying moments of the game as a result of which India got a lead of one goal. However, the Malaysian players protested against the umpiredecision, arguing that it had been scored from a reverse stick. Then the other umpire, who was actually far away from the striking circle when the goal was scored, came and talked to the Pakistani umpire, following which the latter disallowed the goal. TV viewers were stunned as replays clearly showed that the original decision was right.

Similarly, we saw referees making wrong decisions during the 2002 Football World Cup.

The authorities concerned with these sports should use the latest technology to ensure fair results.

Surendra Miglani, Kaithal