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Sania enters third round
Bhupathi-Damm in second round;
Nadal, Sharapova advance
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Kahlon tied 11th
Jai Bhagwan in semis
PSEB hold JCT
Office-bearers elected
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Sania enters third round
New York, September 1 Sania was far more fluent in her stroke-making yesterday than in the first round, yet let the match meander far too long with too many unforced errors. The 18-year-old Indian, despite losing serve in the third game, built up a 4-1 lead in the first set. But then she took the foot off the pedal and found Camerin stage a dramatic recovery. The 81st ranked Italian broke Sania in the eighth game, and although the Indian took the set by breaking back in the 10th, she had managed to shift the momentum her way. The second set saw Camerin counter-punch with greater efficiency. The Italian broke Sania in the first and fifth games to take the set in just 31 minutes. When she was broken in the second game of the decider, Sania was a bundle of frayed energy. She was also suffering from cramps in both legs. However, three unforced errors by Camerin handed back the advantage to Sania and from there on, the Hyderabad girl fought her way back into the match. A deadly backhand cross-court winner was called out, but the chair umpire over-ruled. It gave Sania a break point and Camerin promptly put a forehand into the net to go down 2-3. The drama was not over yet as Camerin levelled the score at 4-4. Sania responded by unleashing a series of winners — a back hand down the line, an overhead smash and a return winner — to wrest the lead back. Sania finally clinched the issue when a forehand pass set up a match point and Camerin hit a backhand wide. Heading for clash with Sharapova
New Delhi: While Sania Mirza is on course for a potential clash with top seed Maria Sharapova in the fourth round of the US Open, Naseema Mirza, Sania’s mother, decides not to count the chickens before they are hatched. “I don’t think Sania is nervous. First, there is the third-round match against France’s Marion Bartoli, who is a tough nut to crack. We are taking it match by match,” Naseema told a TV channel today. She gave credit to Sania’s mental toughness for her second-round win yesterday. “I think she played well. Sania kept her cool and triumphed.” Sania prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 over Italian Maria Elena Camerin in a three-set second-round match yesterday. Asked about Sania’s injury, her mother said, “While she is a little better (regarding the stomach pull), her toe is still giving her trouble. She is in great pain and finding it difficult to move.”
— PTI, UNI |
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Bhupathi-Damm in second round; Paes-Zimonjic lose
New York, September 1 It was a disappointing exit for Paes and Zimonjic, who looked completely off-colour against their unheralded American rivals Amer Delic and Jeff Morrison, who went on to win the match 7-6(8-6), 7-6(7-2). The Paes-Zimonjic duo looked a scrappy combination as they struggled right from the beginning. Their American rivals matched them shot for shot and managed to stretch both games to the tie-breaker and kept their cool to win the sets. Bhupathi and his Czech partner Martin Damm, seeded seventh in the tournament, were in good nick as they brushed aside the French duo of Gael Monfils and Cyril Saulnier 6-1, 6-3 with consummate ease. They now meet the Croatian pair of Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic in the second round. Ancic and Ljubicic tamed the Czech duo of David Skoch and Radek Stepanek 6-2, 7-6 (7-0). In women’s doubles, Sania Mirza partners Austrian Bryanne Stewart and they would meet 11th seeds Emilie Loit (France) and Austrian Nicole Pratt in the first round. Paes will partner legendary Martina Navratilova in mixed doubles and the seventh seeds meet the French pair of Tatiana Golovin and Fabrice Santoro. Bhupathi teams up with Slovak Daniel Hantuchova in mixed doubles and they take on Tiantian Sun of China and Swede Simon Aspelin in their first-round match.
— UNI |
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Nadal, Sharapova advance
New York, September 1 The second-seeded Spaniard found himself on the defensive against Jenkins, a wild card playing in just his fifth ATP Tour level event and second Grand Slam. Maria Sharapova, the women’s top seed, needed just 49 minutes to subdue 48th-ranked Dally Randriantefy of Madagascar 6-1, 6-0 and reach the third round. Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, seeded fourth, struggled more in the swirling winds on Arthur Ashe Stadium, but emerged with a 7-5, 6-0 second-round victory over unseeded Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga.
Australian Open champion Serena Williams, seeded eighth, got past Colombian Catalin Castano 6-2, 6-2 to move within one match of meeting her sister, Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, in the fourth round as 10th-seeded Venus also advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over
Russian Maria Kirilenko.
Lleyton Hewitt, the third seed from Australia, was the first to taste the difficult conditions on the Arthur Ashe Stadium in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 first-round win over Spain’s Albert Costa yesterday. Other results: Men’s singles (first round):
Taylor Dent (USA) b Lars Burgsmuller (Germany) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Michael Lammer (Switzerland) b Kevin Kim (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4; Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) b Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2; Jose Acasuso (Argentina) b Luis Horna (Peru) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11); Nicolas Almagro (Spain) b Kenneth Carlsen (Denmark) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-4; Karol Kucera (Slovakia) b Mark Philippoussis (Australia) 6-4, 6-2, 7-5; David Ferrer (Spain) b Agustin Calleri (Argentina) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-1. Men’s singles (second round): Nicolas Massu (Chile) b (w/o) Jiri Novak (Czech Republic). Women’s singles (second round): Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) b Jie Zheng (China) 6-3, 6-0; Marion Bartoli (France) b Shenay Perry (USA) 4-6, 6-1, 6-0; Ivana Lisjak (Croatia) b Ekaterina Bychkova (Russia) 7-5, 6-1; Shahar Peer (Israel) b Vera Douchevina (Russia) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3; Nadia Petrova (Russia) b Aiko Nakamura (Japan) 6-2, 6-0; Julia Schruff (Germany) b Lisa Raymond (USA) 6-2, 6-3; Laura Granville (USA) b Nicole Pratt (Australia) 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
— AFP |
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Ganguly, Sehwag likely to play today
Harare, September 1 Captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, the two openers, might be feeling weak from the effects of cold and flu but there is good news for the two experienced players as they are expected to be declared fit for the crucial tie. Sehwag and Ganguly have not been in the best of form but both would be required to come to terms with Shane Bond’s blistering pace and movement which has brought him 10 wickets in the past two games. Bond is lethal and even when he is mild he does not go for many runs. India would be looking to emerge with least damage against the outstanding paceman at the peak of his powers. The Indian camp is cautiously optimistic that it would not have to play without either of the two stars. It leaves too much of work to do for the likes of Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in the company of youngsters such as MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Venugopala Rao. The youngsters in the team are secure in the knowledge that coach Greg Chappell is willing to give them that extra leeway to allow them to gain roots in the team. Chappell has no doubt that the batsmen would recover their poise before long and he feels they are getting better attuned to the pace and bounce of these wickets. “They are getting better after several practice sessions we have had till now. They are getting more and more used to the extra bounce. If hard work counts for anything, we should get better,” he said. Chappell looked forward to his batsmen providing a good three final matches of the tri-series. “We are looking for three good games. I am not panicking as it is an experienced line-up, at least most of them are for sure. They all have had good starts at one time or the other and hopefully we can go back to India with the batting order ticking along nicely.” Fortunately for India, their new-ball attack is in the proven hands of Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra, who are likely to revel in the conditions at the Harare Sports Club ground. Ajit Agarkar has provided a good back-up and JP Yadav is straining under the leash to showcase his bowling ability. Yadav was not required to bowl when India were decimating Zimbabwe the other day but knowing his prowess the wicket here would be to his assistance. India’s fielding is not as proficient as that of the New Zealanders but a few young legs have given them that additional thrust in the field. Raina, Rao, Yuvraj and Kaif are a good foursome to have inside the ring. New Zealand have a fitness worry of their own even though Chris Cairns is said to be in running for a berth as his hamstring injury is under control. Another issue which could be their Achilles’ heel is their batting. Despite the mammoth near-400 they put on against Zimbabwe in the tri-series opener, New Zealand’s top order is anything but steady. Lou Vincent has lost his way after the carnage he wreaked on Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Nathan Astle and Scott Styris do not inspire the confidence to bat through the innings and Hamish Marshall has not provided any glimpse of the talent he is said to possess. New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has famously dubbed the coming encounter as the ‘Battle of the bowlers’ and it is difficult to disagree with him given the conditions prevalent at the ground. The pitch has more than a tinge of grass for tomorrow’s game. It is a strip which has not been used in the tri-series and bowlers must be licking their lips in anticipation.
— PTI |
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Vikas Gowda wins silver
New Delhi, September 1 Gowda’s throw cleared a distance of 62.84 metres while Anil Kumar cleared 59.95m, according to information received here. Iran’s Ehsan Hadadi won the gold with a throw of 65.25m. OP Jaisha bagged the women’s 1,500m bronze in 4 minutes, 19.25 seconds. Yuriko Kobayashi of Japan claimed the gold in 4:13.80, while Chinese Jin Yuan won the silver (4:16.09).
— PTI |
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Ajeetesh wins US academy scholarship
New Delhi, September 1 Ajeetesh will benefit from a fulltime board and lodging and academic programme for two years, that runs from September, 2005, to May, 2007. During this period, Ajeetesh will get a golden opportunity to not only enhance his playing abilities, but also to achieve academic excellence at Pendleton School. The school is dedicated to preparing highly motivated students through comprehensive and customised educational programme, which integrates academics with specialisation in athletics. “The scholarship for Ajeetesh is part of the IMG’s effort to assist the growth of champions in various sports in countries across the globe. It is a continuation of our other partnerships”, said IMG managing director Ravi Krishnan in a statement. Ajeetesh said it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to hone his skills from the world’s leading golf academy. He hoped that the two-year stint in the academy “will help me in my journey to the highest level of the game”. The scholarship was awarded on the criteria of academics, need and golf talent. The well-planned training regime in the academy would ensure his optimum development in both golf and studies. |
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Kahlon tied 11th
Beijing, September 1 South African Retief Goosen stamped his class with a blistering eight-under-par 64 to establish a new course record at the Jinghua Golf Club. The world number five was in imperious form, shooting two eagles and five birdies. He led Canadian Darren Griffand and Gary Simpson of Australia by two strokes. Firoze Ali, with a round of one-over 73, was tied 66th, while Arjun Singh and Uttam Singh Mundy were at three-over 75 and tied 85th. Vivek Bhandari, with a five-over 77, was tied 127th. Jeev tied 25th
Tokyo: Jeev Milkha Singh carded a par round of 71 in the first round of the Fujisankei Classic at the Fuji Sakura Country Club. He had two birdies on the back nine after a birdie on the 10th, but had bogeys on second and sixth for a 71, that saw him tied 25th. The field was led by Shigeru Nonaka, Yusaku Miyazoto and Daisuke Maruyama, all having rounds of four-under 67 each.
— PTI |
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Jai Bhagwan in semis
New Delhi, September 1 Jai Bhagwan defeated Genbert Besadre of the Phillipines as the referee stopped the contest due to injury to the latter in their second round encounter. Mahendar Thapa, lost to Makransov Constantine of Kazakhstan in the light-heavy class.
— PTI |
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PSEB hold JCT
Chandigarh, September 1 JCT Mills made a promising start with international Parveen Kumar and the diminutive Baldeep Singh moving in tandem. Having covered some ground, Parveen put Baldeep in possession, who wasted no time in shooting into the net, giving his team a 1-0 lead in the third minute. PSEB carried out several counter-attacks and off one move in the 35th minute, Gurpreet’s cross from the left saw Dalip heading the ball home to restore
parity (1-1). Five minutes before the lemon break, a rasping shot by JCT’s Sunil Chetri brought out the best in PSEB custodian Bhupinder Singh, who dived to punch the ball out for a flag kick. Another attempt by JCT’s Bimal Birua was also thwarted by the PSEB custodian in a similar fashion. The JCT citadel nearly fell in the 44th minute when PSEB’s Tajinder Kumar aimed a powerful shot but unluckily, he was slightly off target. In the second half, JCT’s Harish Kumar and Parveen Kumar initiated a good move, but Bhupinder under the PSEB bar proved unbeatable. Later, Sakatar Singh’s cross was followed by Gyan Moin’s brilliant header, but the ball sailed over the bar. JCT dominated the show in the last quarter, but failed to romp home with full points. |
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Office-bearers elected
Jagbans Singh Maha Singh
Chandigarh, September 1 The other office-bearers elected are: Senior To encourage sportspersons, it was decided that players of the board who would win any medal in recognised international events or was honoured with the Arjuna Award would be given Rs 25,000 as cash incentive. Players who would represent India in any recognised international event would be given Rs 10,000 each and players who would get position in inter-state recognised tournaments would be given Rs 5,000 each. |
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India seem to have ridden over the fitness crisis to two of their key batsmen ahead of the critical Videocon Cup cricket
