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Federer overpowers Agassi for title
Sania Mirza’s ranking rises to 34
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Sack Ganguly, make Dravid captain: Akram
Lanka in control
Rathore wins gold
Decision on Games Village venue likely by Sept 16
D’Souza shines, Sandeep flops
BHA gains temporary reprieve
Randhawa leads strong field
Four teams for second division soccer
Virat
second in world junior golf KV regional sports meet
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Federer overpowers Agassi for title
New York, September 12 ‘’For me this is probably the most special Grand Slam final in my career,’’ Federer said. ‘’To play against Andre here in New York, it is a dream. Federer won the first set thanks to one break, but Agassi, playing some of the best tennis of his career, roared back to level the match and then lead 4-2 in the third. Federer broke back in the next game though, and after winning the tie-breaker 7-1, he stormed through the fourth set to win his sixth Grand Slam title. Agassi, who came through three back-to-back five-set battles to reach the final, was pipped in the opening set, but with the crowd roaring him on, held in the first game of the second set and then played an almost flawless game to break Federer for the first time. An angry Federer forged ahead 40-15 on the American’s serve, but Agassi dug deep to save both break points and then a third to lead 3-0. Federer held serve comfortably, but Agassi held on to lead 5-2 and then broke Federer again to level the best-of-five-sets match at one set apiece. The incredible standard of play was maintained in the third set as neither man yielded a break point in the first five games as Agassi led 3-2. The American, champion in 1994 and 1999, then played a great game to break Federer and lead 4-2. The power of Agassi’s groundstrokes was forcing Federer into mistakes, but the top seed showed his class by breaking back in the next game and then holding to love to level at 4-4. Agassi, playing outstanding tennis, saved four break points in the 11th game to lead 6-5, but Federer held comfortably to force a tie-breaker, and then stepped up his game to win it 7-1. An early break in the fourth set knocked the stuffing out of Agassi and Federer marched to a 5-0 lead. The American saved two match points on serve to hold for 5-1, but Federer served out to clinch victory. Raymond, Stosur win title
In the women’s doubles final, sixth seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur beat 14th seeds Elena Dementieva of Russia and Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 yesterday to win the title. For Raymond, it was her fourth Grand Slam women’s doubles title. For Stosur, it was her second Grand Slam title.
— Reuters |
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Sania Mirza’s ranking rises to 34
New Delhi, September 12 The teenager from Hyderabad jumped eight places after she added 134 points at Flushing Meadows, which took her aggregate to 888.75 WTA points. Sania, the only Indian woman to enter the fourth round of a Grand Slam event, was now just two places behind the top Asian player, Japan’s Ai Sugiyami (908) in 32nd, with Peng Shuai (898) just a spot above her, as per the rankings released today. The new rankings placed Sania at 148th in doubles after she and her Australian partner Bryanne Stewart lost their first-round match to 11th seeds Amilie Loit and Nicole Pratt. Sharapova reclaimed the top spot in the singles ranking after her semifinal appearance at the US Open with 4802 points, relegating Linsday Davenport to second place with 4437 points. US-based Shikha Uberoi was the next highest-ranked Indian after Sania in the singles ranking. Shikha, who made her Fed Cup debut for India this year, fell from her previous ranking of 122nd to 151st.
— PTI |
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India look for big win
Bulawayo, September 12 Unlike in one-dayers, Indians are a handful in Tests and even the debacle against Pakistan early this year ended in a 1-1 scorecard in the end. Against Zimbabwe, it should be a matter of when and not whether they would win the Test series. Still the intensity with which coach Greg Chappell “roasted” them in the nets in Mutare would suggest they all would be under a scanner over the next five days. Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman can expect a close scrutiny of their form and Mohammad Kaif has all to play for in his stop-and-start Test career. There are others who will not be breathing any easier either. Dinesh Kaarthick can feel the presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni over his shoulder and there is still a question mark over whether Zaheer Khan qualifies as an automatic starter tomorrow. Ganguly has indicated his preference for three medium-pacers and a spinner on foreign soil, but two factors can mitigate against this approach: one, the pitch at Bulawayo could be a flat one, and two, Zaheer did not convince many with his efforts in Mutare. If the state of the pitch dictates that three medium-fast bowlers are one too many, then Harbhajan Singh could sneak in for his 46th Test. It is a game which holds extra interest for him since he is just a scalp away from raising 200 wickets in Tests. Nobody in India has done it faster or with a better strike rate. Zimbabwe too can be encouraged by the form of a few of their players. Dion Ebrahim has forced his way with that big century in Mutare. The batting on paper does not look too bad, with Andy Blignaut walking in at number eight. If they have any worry, it is over the fitness of Heath Streak, who must clear a test to be a part of the eleven. Streak, who was hit on his right knee during the Test series against New Zealand last month, had gamely carried on so far, but apparently it now called for a tough decision. If he does not shape up, then either Christopher Mpofu or Anthony Ireland will take his place. It is a tremendous ask for the home team to not only hold off the Indians in the Tests, but also somehow drive their point against their own cricket board over the contracts issue. For the record, India and Zimbabwe have played nine Tests and the former have triumphed in five. Zimbabwe too have twice gone past them in Harare. In Zimbabwe, astonishingly, it is 2-1 in the hosts’ favour from four games.
— PTI |
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Sack Ganguly, make Dravid captain: Akram
Dubai, September 12 Stressing his suggestion was purely from the cricketing point of view, the former pacer said, “I have always backed Sourav, but this time around, he has looked pretty ordinary out there in Zimbabwe, where India are playing a Test series.” Cricketer-turned-commentator-cum-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, however, opined against such a move. “That’s being too harsh on Ganguly. Do not mistake emotions for progress. Dravid was given a chance to lead the team, but the result was the same,” Sidhu argued, referring to India’s defeat in the tri-series in Sri Lanka under Dravid.
— UNI |
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England’s long wait for the Ashes ends London, September 12 Australia, victorious in the last eight Ashes series, won the first Test at Lord’s, England the second at Edgbaston and the fourth at Trent Bridge. The third Test was also drawn. Earlier, Pietersen rode his luck to defy the collective genius of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. At tea, Pietersen was on 105 not out as the home side reached 221 for seven, an overall lead of 227 runs. The South Africa-born Pietersen mixed outrageous good fortune — he was dropped before he had scored, and again on 15 and 60 — and extraordinary shot-making to hold the England innings together. In the morning session, McGrath prompted England’s slide with two wickets in two balls before Warne took over to reduce England to 127 for five. Warne took 40 wickets in the series and 172 in all against England, surpassing the previous Australian record of 167 by Dennis Lillee. Scoreboard England (1st innings) 373 Australia (1st innings) 367 England (2nd innings) Trescothick lbw b Warne 33 Strauss c Katich b Warne 1 Vaughan c Gilchrist Bell c Warne b McGrath 0 Pietersen b McGrath 158 Flintoff c & b Warne 8 Collingwood c Ponting G. Jones b Tait 1 Giles b Warne 59 Hoggard not out 4 Harmison c Hayden b Warne 0 Extras
(nb-5, w-7, b-4) 16 Total (all out, 91.3 overs) 335 Fall of wickets:
1-2, 2-67, 3-67, 4-109, 5-126, 6-186, 7-199, 8-308, 9-335. Bowling:
McGrath 26-3-85-3, Lee 20-4-88-0, Warne 38.3-3-124-6, Clarke 2-0-6-0, Tait 5-0-28-1. Australia (2nd innings) Langer not out 0 Hayden not out 0 Extras
(lb-4) 4 Total (0.4 overs) 4 Bowling: Harmison 0.4-0-0-0.
— Reuters
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Lanka in control
Colombo, September 12 Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan shared seven wickets as the tourists lost their last eight for 35 runs. Left-armer Herath took four for 38 and Muralitharan three for 42. Sri Lanka were still strongly placed at the close, trailing by just 28 runs with Thilan Samaraweera on 33 not out and vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene on 17 not out. Bangladesh made a good start after being put into bat under overcast skies as skipper Habibul Bashar hit a 96-ball 84, including 12 boundaries. Bashar and Javed Omar (30), dropped early by Atapattu at mid off, rallied for a partnership of 59 that included a regular flow of boundaries. Scoreboard Bangladesh (1st innings) Omar c Sangakkara b Fernando 30 Nafees b Malinga 3 Bashar run out 84 Ashraful c Fernando b Herath 17 Imran b Herath 0 Ahmed c Samaraweera b Herath 0 Mashud c Samaraweera b Murali 2 Rafique lbw Murali 9 Rasel st Sangakkara b Herath 19 Hossain lbw Murali 2 Haque not out 0 Extras
(b-8, lb-2, nb-11, w-1) 22 Total (all out, 44 overs) 188 Fall of wickets:
1-4, 2-63, 3-155, 4-156, 5-156, 6-158, 7-158, 8-170, 9-176. Bowling:
Vaas 6-1-25-0, Malinga 8-1-44-1, Fernando 4-0-29-1, Muralitharan 14-1-42-3, Herath 12-4-38-4. Sri Lanka (1st innings) Jayasuriya c Ahmed Atapattu lbw Rasel 18 Sangakkara c Ashraful Samaraweera not out 33 Jayawardene not out 17 Extras
(lb-4, nb-11, w-1) 16 Total (3 wickets, 44 overs) 160 Fall of wickets:
1-41, 2-97, 3-130. Bowling: Rasel 9-1-41-1, Hossain 11-0-48-1, Rafique 14-5-35-1, Haque Jr 9-3-30-0, Ashraful 1-0-2-0.
— Reuters |
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Rathore wins gold
New Delhi, September 12 Rathore fired a brilliant 48, 48 and 48 in the qualifying rounds to tally 144/150 and set a new national record. The previous mark of 142 also stood in his name after his efforts in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He shot 42/50 in the final round of the championships, which was skipped by Olympic gold medallist Al Maktoum of the UAE. Moraad Ali Khan was the other Indian who made it to the final after he was tied at sixth place with four others following his qualifying round of 131. The former Common-wealth Games champion won the tie shoot for a place in the final, where he scored a creditable 43/50. Taipei’s Shin Wei clinched the silver with 131+49 and Rashi Al Hatba of Qatar (136+44) earned the bronze. For the team gold, India totalled 402 out of 450 through scores of Rathore, Moraad and Ronjon Singh Sondhi, who finished eighth with a score of 127. Kuwait (383) won the silver and Qatar won the bronze with 361. Vikram Bhatnagar shot 132/150 in the MQS category. In the women’s section, India’s Seema Tomar shot 76/140 to finish seventh while Shagun Chowdhary scored 71. The Indian team won the team and individual gold in the trap event in the championships on Saturday. The team, comprising Amit Sanghi, Naveen Jindal and Daniel Peoples, would be next seen in action in the skeet event, which is scheduled for Wednesday. — PTI |
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Decision on Games Village venue likely by Sept 16
New Delhi, September 12 But the Chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, said the panel, set up to identify the sites for new stadiums and the Games Village had submitted its report, and the Commonwealth Games Federation Executive Board meeting, to be held here on September 15 and 16, would deliberate on the matter, and take a final decision. Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) President Mike Fennel inaugurated the swanky office premises of the 2010 Games organising committee at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today. Fennel was impressed with the office set-up, but Kalmadi said it would be moved to IOA headquarters after eight months. Fennel said he wanted India to have the Games Village at a central location. After being told about the threat to Melbourne, hosts of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, from terrorist outfit Al-Qaida, Fennell said the Australian Government would be asked to beef up the security cover, which would also be a guide to Delhi. Meanwhile, Delhi has made elaborate arrangements for the Queen’s Baton race, to be held on September 14 from Red Fort to the National Stadium. Over 100 top international sportspersons would be running in the relay which will be the curtain-raiser for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his message to the Organising Committee, said the Queen’s Baton relay was an “essential feature of the Commonwealth Games since 1958”, which, “apart from spreading the message of friendship and solidarity within the Commonwealth, mobilises support for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The impact of this event is heightened by the fact that the Queen’s Baton Relay will visit each of the 71 nations of the Commonwealth. As a prominent member of the Commonwealth, and as hosts of the Commonwealth Games, 2010, India looks forward to receiving the Queen’s Baton”, the PM’s message said. Legendary athlete Milkha Singh will run the first lap while Mahesh Bhupathi, Anju Bobby George and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will run the last lap into the National Stadium. |
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D’Souza shines, Sandeep flops
Karachi, September 12 Lions stunned their fancied opponents with a 18th-minute strike by Shabbir Ahmed, who scooped the ball it over goalkeeper Salman Akbar. Shabbir was at it again within four minutes as his rasping hit, fed from the right by Shakeel Abbasi, beat Akbar all ends up to make it 2-0. The player of the match almost made a hat-trick two minutes later, but an alert Sandeep intervened and cleared the ball. Trailing 0-2, Shan-e-Punjab opened their account in the 39th minute when Inayatullah managed to get the better of Adrian D’Souza. Shan-e-Punjab captain Mohammad Saqlain equalised in the 52nd minute, converting a penalty stroke. M. Arshad sealed the fate of the game in favour of Shan-e-Punjab in the 63rd minute when he capped a counter-attack with a full-blooded hit, which Adrian could not stop. This was the Punjab team’s third successive win and they looked almost a certainty to reach the final. Despite another defeat, Adrian drew applause for his show under the bar and received praise from the crowd. However, an off-colour for Sandeep failed to convert any of the five short corners and on most occasions, it was his national team colleague Adrian who thwarted his efforts. |
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BHA gains temporary reprieve
Mumbai, September 12 “The Chief Minister met me this morning and agreed to stop the carrying out of the eviction order till the matter is resolved amicably,” BHA Secretary Kehar Singh told reporters here. “He also asked me to meet him on Wednesday after my meeting with the Collector of Mumbai tomorrow, along with other parties concerned. But we are also prepared to go for litigation if things do not turn out in our favour,” he said. The Sports Department had issued a notice, asking the BHA to vacate the Mahindra Stadium premises through a letter dated September 8 which was served on the afternoon of September 9, he said. “We are in existence since 1934 and hockey is the national game. We have produced 57 international players over the years. We have been pursuing the matter of extension of our lease by the government over the last so many months, to which it had kept quiet. Suddenly we are asked to vacate,” the BHA Secretary said.
— PTI |
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Randhawa leads strong field
Bangalore, September 12 The strong field includes Mukesh Kumar, who is fresh from victory in the season-opener at Chennai, Vijay Kumar, defending champion Ashok Kumar, Digvijay Singh, S.S.P. Chowrasia, Rafick Ali, Sanjay Kumar, Harinder Gupta and Feroz Ali.
— PTI |
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Four teams for second division soccer
Chandigarh, September 12 The teams which have qualified for the second phase are SGGS Football Society, Jalandhar; GS Parmar FC, Narur Panchhat; Sikh National FC, Banga; and Bassi FC, Bassi Pathana. Two matches will be played each day, commencing at 1 pm and 3 pm. |
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Virat second
in world junior golf
New Delhi, September 12 Competing in Class D (boys, 9-10 years), Virat led after the second day with 73-74 but faltered on the final day with a 75 to drop to a tied 222 with Thai Sanpit Sirisom who shot 70-78-74. Virat and Sanpit then went out on the par-four first hole for a sudden-death play-off in which Sanpit deftly made par while Virat could only manage a bogie at the Imperial Lake View Hotel and Golf Club course. Thus, it was Sanpit who clinched the matter while Virat had to be content with the second place, according to information received here today. In Class A (boys, 15-18 years) India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar dominated with an aggregate of 10-under 206. He had all three sub-par rounds of 69-71-66.
— PTI
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KV regional sports meet Ambala, September 12 In
kabaddi, KV No.2, Halwara, stood first, KV, Rohtak, was second while KV,
Highgrounds, got the third position. In football, KV, Subathu, was first, KV No.1, Ambala, second, while KV, Chandi Mandir, stood third.
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