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IN THE NEWS
100 and counting
Right to referrals
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Match point in Melbourne
For professional tennis players, the first test of their New Year resolutions is the opening Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. The action begins in Melbourne on Monday and there is a lot to look forward to at the 96th edition of the tournament.
This Grand Slam boasts of a unique feature in the retractable roof and is the only one of the four majors to host indoor matches. The 2008 edition is set to be cooler (in terms of playing surface temperature) and faster, with the hardcourt being changed. A new surface called “plexi-cushion” will replace the tried and tested Rebound Ace. With an aim to crack down on reported match-fixing, organisers have made public the fact that this tournament will be monitored by anti-corruption officials in the company of the Victoria police. Apart from the defenders, there are others who would definitely fancy themselves to leave their mark in the Rod Laver and Vodafone arenas. The list in the men’s section is headed by Rafael Nadal, followed by the likes of Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, Andy Roddick and numerous others. While Federer is definitely the favourite, as he has been for almost every tournament he has played in the past three years, it still is a close call between the top 10 or 15 players. The home advantage and crowd support also bring former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt into the picture and he also would be desperate for some success as he ranks outside the top-20 players. For women’s singles reigning champion Serena Williams, the tournament brings the opportunity to not only defend her title but also fight back for the No. 1 spot from Justine Henin. She faces a formidable challenge in the form of opponents like her elder sister Venus Williams, current world No. 1 Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze. Henin was in really hot form in the year gone by and would definitely give Serena a run for her money in a tournament which the American has won thrice in the past five years. Not to be ignored are players like Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder and our own Sania Mirza. Last year, the Hyderabadi girl flattered to deceive many a time. She humbled several big names in WTA tournaments, especially in the USA, but her overall show in the Grand Slam events was disappointing. Despite being plagued by injuries, however, she managed to break into the top 30. Having done well in the Australian Open tune-up event in Hobart earlier this week, Sania will be looking for a better singles display in Melbourne. In women’s doubles, her chances have suffered a setback due to a serious knee injury to her American partner Meghann Shaughnessy. Sania will also be keen to give an improved performance in mixed doubles, where she is paired with Mahesh Bhupathi. The duo gave a mediocre display in 2007. Interestingly, Sania has gelled much better with Rohan Bopanna, with the pair winning all their three matches during the Hopman Cup in Perth recently. India’s doubles greats — Bhupathi and Leander Paes — failed to win any Grand Slam title in men’s or mixed doubles last year. Hopefully, they will raise their game in 2008, a year which may see them reuniting for the Olympics. In recent years, the Indian show Down Under has been a mixed bag. Sania has never gone beyond the third round at Melbourne Park (it was here that she first shot into the limelight in 2005). Leander won the mixed doubles crown in 2003, partnering the legendary Martina Navratilova, while Bhupathi clinched the mixed doubles title with “Swiss Miss” Martina Hingis in 2006. So what can one expect from the year’s opening Grand Slam? The event promises an action-packed two weeks. The million-dollar question is: Will there be any major surprises? For players, organisers and fans gearing up for “new tennis year”, big serves, hard-fought rallies and a few upsets are in store. All you tennis fans, be mad for the sport but don’t fall in “love”, for in tennis it counts for nothing.
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IN THE NEWS
Indo-Swede Daniel Chopra liked the look of Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course in Hawaii when he first saw the hilly par-73 layout on television and in video games.
After feeling comfortable all week as a player at Kapalua, he cemented his strong relationship with the venue by winning the Mercedes-Benz Championship in a playoff. “The golf course was designed by me, I’m guessing,” Chopra told reporters with a beaming smile after beating American Steve Stricker on the fourth extra hole. “There’s not a golf course out there that suits me more. I just loved it from the moment I saw it. I’ve obviously been familiar with it from TV but when I played it the first time, I thought: ‘Wow, I love it.’ “I come out here and I’m fairly familiar with most of the holes and the shots,” added the Swede, who booked his place at Kapalua with his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Ginn sur Mer Classic in October. “I’ve played it on PlayStation too and I managed to take advantage of it. I felt like I knew how to play the holes and I got it done.” Although a daunting 7,411 yards off the back tees, the Plantation Course suited the big-hitting Chopra with its wide fairways and huge, undulating greens. “It gave me plenty of room and it has big, slopey greens,” the 34-year-old Stockholm native said after clinching his second PGA Tour title in three starts. “I was able to use my imagination to read putts, it just comes naturally to me,” said the globe-trotting Chopra, born to a Swedish mother and an Indian father.
— Reuters
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Mukesh Kumar won his 100th professional title when he emerged victorious at the Tata Open golf tournament in Jamshedpur last week. This was his second title of the season following his triumph at the IOC XtraPremium Masters at Digboi in November.
Mukesh finished at 10-under 272, three shots clear of his nearest rival Harinder Gupta, and pocketed a purse of Rs 3.23 lakh. While Gupta finished runners-up with a total score of seven-under 275, defending champion SSP Chowrasia finished one stroke behind Gupta to secure the third place. The final round had the same format as the third round. The entire field played nine holes each on both courses — Beldih as well as Golmuri. The 42-year-old Mukesh, who has had a long and distinguished career, won the Tata Open in 2002 also. He was even par at the turn after he sank a birdie on the fourth and dropped a bogey on the eighth at Golmuri. Mukesh had a far better time at Beldih. He began with birdies on the 10th and 12th before making bogey on the 15th. The professional from Mhow made another birdie on the 16th to finish two-under for the day. “I did not have a great start at Golmuri but came back well at Beldih on the last day. This course suits my game because it’s a lot like my home course at Mhow,” said Mukesh. “I’m delighted to win my 100th professional title. I have achieved the target I had set for myself. Even though I had a lean patch over the past few years, I have made up with wins at Digboi and Jamshedpur,” he added. Gupta trailed Mukesh by one stroke at the end of third round but finally finished three strokes behind him. The Chandigarh pro had an average day, firing an even-par 70. The runners-up, who received a cheque for Rs 2.23 lakh, rated this performance as one of his best in recent times.
— IANS
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Right to referrals
Views increasingly seem to be veering round referrals as a way of minimising umpiring errors. Former England coach Duncan Fletcher was among the first ones to put forward his view that three referrals per innings be allowed to each team, where the third umpire after going through the TV replays would find out the veracity of the on-field umpire’s verdict. Fletcher’s views came after a controversial dismissal of skipper Nasser Hussain in which Steve Bucknor had ruled the batsman out.
This, in fact, is a cue from tennis, where a player is allowed a limited number of appeals seeking review of the line calls. The demand for the referrals is gaining ground in the wake controversial decisions by on-field umpires. Former Australian skipper Allan Border made an appeal for allowing the teams the right to referrals after the recent Sydney Test began to get marred by the controversial umpiring from on-field umpires Bucknor and Mark Benson. The latest to join the chorus demanding the referrals as a solution to minimise the umpirng errors is former Australian fast bowler Paul Reiffel, who pleaded for the players being allowed to seek review of the umpire’s decision through television replays. The move is not without opposition. Concern has already been raised that verdicts being given by technology would further reduce the role of umpires and take away from the “gentleman’s game” the charm and spontaneity that comes with the human element. Not much enthused by the idea, Brett Lee spoke in favour of the game being allowed to continue as it is being run. The umpires, some maintain, are already doing the most thankless job. They are under so much stress as every decision they made is subject to intense scrutiny with the help of technology available. Dickie Bird, the most famous umpire who retired long back, had remarked that the introduction of cameras had sapped the confidence of the men donning white coats. But with the international calendar getting increasingly crowded, it is being felt that the technology, even if it is not foolproof but can be used to minimise errors, should be used. Wasim Akram spoke about the utility of the cameras at Sydney. The ICC trial of the referrals is slated for the Champions Trophy in September. Only then it will excactly be known whether to make it a permanent feature or not!
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Unjust ban The three-Test ban slapped on Harbhajan Singh is totally unjustified. Australian players like Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds must have celebrated because they successfully executed their well-planned “conspiracy”. Harbhajan has been a thorn in the Aussie flesh ever since he took 32 wickets in three Tests against them in 2001.
Australia may be the number one cricket team in the world but as far as sportsmanship is concerned their players are at the bottom of the pile. They first instigate the opposition with offensive remarks and then complain to the umpires. It won’t be an exaggeration to call them cheats. Moreover, match referee Mike Procter, who is from South Africa, had the audacity to impose the ban in the absence of any conclusive evidence. Dharam Bir Singh,
Dubai Biased umpiring Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson so blatantly gave decisions against India in the Sydney Test that it appears they were in league with the Australian team. It seems that Aussie captain Ricky Ponting was hell bent on ensuring that his team equalled the world record of 16th consecutive Test wins. He resorted to all means — fair and foul — to achieve his target. Inder Raj Malhotra,
Patiala |
Moving to the players, the talent on display is indeed a mouth-watering prospect. With almost all top 100 players set to participate, barring injuries and last-minute pullouts, there will be world-class tennis “served”. Men’s singles defending champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer will be looking anxiously ahead as he enters the year within touching distance of Pete Sampras’ record of Grand Slam wins. A successful defence of his title won’t get him there but at least he will go clear in second spot, where he is currently tied on 12 wins alongside Roy Emerson.
