New York, September 3
Roger Federer suffered a shock loss to Tommy Robredo at the U.S. Open on Monday, ruining the prospect of meeting Rafa Nadal at the only grand slam where the two greats have never played each other.

Roger Federer lost to Tommy Robredo 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4.

In the biggest upset of the tournament, Robredo demolished a badly out-of-sorts Federer 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4 in the fourth round, marking the first time in a decade the Swiss master has fallen before the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.

“I kind of feel like I beat myself, without taking any credit away from Tommy," a dejected Federer told reporters. “I kind of self-destructed, which is very disappointing, especially on a quicker court.“I just couldn't do it. It was a frustrating performance today.”

As expected, Nadal safely made it through, recovering after losing a set for the first time in the tournament to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 6-1 at an electrified Arthur Ashe Stadium. But his win was overshadowed by Federer's unforeseen loss against a player he had beaten in each of their 10 previous meetings, spoiling what was looming as the first meeting between the pair in the Big Apple. “Two times we were one point away. This time we were one match away. But it's always the same,” Nadal said. “When I see the draw, I think about my first round. If I win, I think about my second. That's it.

“I don't see the quarter-finals or the fourth round before the first round. You know how tough is every tournament, every match."

Robredo was almost as surprised as everyone else after one of the biggest wins of his career. "It's amazing," Robredo said. "For me, Roger, for the moment, is the best player of all time.

“And to beat him in a huge stadium like the U.S. Open and in a grand slam... it's like a dream.” There was an omen even before the match began when officials moved it from the center court to the smaller Louis Armstrong Stadium following a five-hour rain delay.

U.S. Open champion for five straight years from 2004, the last time Federer played a match away from Arthur Ashe Stadium was in 2006 but refused to blame the court switch for a performance that will raise fresh speculation whether he is capable of adding to his record 17 grand slams. “That should not be the issue,” Federer said. "That's definitely the last excuse you could find." — Agencies

New York, September 3
DG Divij Sharan is content that he could make an impression at the US Open by making the pre-quarterfinals with new partner Yen-Hsun Lu and says that the "great" experience of competing in a Grand Slam has boosted his confidence. The left-handed Delhi boy and Taipei's Lu joined hands at the last moment and tasted success against some good combinations.

They beat experienced Israeli pair of Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich before going down to fifth seeds Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer following a tremendous fight in the third round, last night.

“Lu was pretty solid from the baseline and returned well. I took charge at the net. So we complemented each other well," Divij said. It's been a great experience. Till a few days before the entry deadline I wasn't sure I was going to make the cut. Lu wasn't making the cut with the guy he was signing with so both of us decided to sign together," he said.Divij, who made his Slam debut with compatriot and regular partner Purav Raja at Wimbledon this year, said he is satisfied with his efforts.

“It's always fun playing at a Grand Slam. It's the highest stage one can play tennis at and that's where you want to be as a professional tennis player. I am really happy with my performance this week. Have played some really good teams and done well against them. This week has given me a lot of confidence”. — PTI 

New Delhi, September 3
Sachin Tendulkar today said that he was not thinking about reaching the 200th-Test milestone even as there was speculation that he may retire after playing that match.

“I like to take one step at a time. I have been playing for the last 23 years and I have never thought of all this (reaching milestones). I don't like taking things for granted.When I reach there then we can talk about it," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar was expected to play his 200th Test match in South Africa but BCCI has proposed to host a two-match series against West Indies so that he could play the milestone match before the home fans in India.

It has also been speculated that Tendulkar, who has already quit ODI and T20 formats in international cricket, will bid adieu to the game with that match, which may be arranged at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium, his home ground. At its recent Working Committee meeting, BCCI revealed that it was planning to host West Indies before the South Africa tour.

Sachin Tendulkar has started batting in the nets and is looking forward to the Champions League Twenty20 after recuperating from a surgery for a hand injury sustained during the IPL this year.

New Delhi, September 3
The Sports Ministry is expected to take a decision tomorrow on the issue of whether triple jumper Renjith Maheswary would get the coveted Arjuna Award after the Athletics Federation of India had told the government that he was never punished for a dope offence.

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh today had a meeting with his officials after the AFI submitted a report last night on the controversy surrounding Maheswary's Arjuna Award issue. “We did not take any decision on the issue today. A decision may come tomorrow,” said Sports Secretary P K Deb.

Hours before he was to be presented the prestigious Arjuna Award on August 31, Maheswary was told under dramatic circumstances that he will have to wait for the coveted honour till the completion of an inquiry on whether he had failed a dope test in 2008.

He was, however, assured that he would get the Award if he comes clean after an inquiry by Deb.

It is learnt that the AFI has said in the report submitted to the Sports Ministry that there was a case of dope violation but the federation has no record of this nor of any punishment being handed to him. “The report says that according to AFI doctors there was a case of Maheswary returning positive for a stimulant but there is no record of this nor of him being handed punishment,” a source said

Meanwhile, Sports Medicine experts said that Maheswary should not be given any leniency in case it was established that there was a case of dope violation even if he was not punished for that. The eligibility rule (4.2) for Arjuna Awards as amended on March 15, 2010 also clearly states that “sportspersons found positive for use of drugs banned by the IOC in any laboratory accredited by the IOC will not be eligible for Arjuna Award”. — PTI

Chandigarh, September 3
The second-place finish in the Asia Cup would have been disastrous for India had Pakistan not lost in the semi-finals. Thanks to their loss, India's defeat in the final is being seen as merely another trophy missed.

The team now has to wait till November — for Australia or New Zealand to win the Oceania Cup — for the confirmation of their participation in the World Cup.

Though the qualification worries are practically over, India, under interim coach Roelant Oltmans, have a long way to go if they are to perform well at the World Cup next year.

While the team turned in a gutsy performance, especially the youngsters, the 3-4 loss to South Korea in the final highlighted their lack of consistency. “Considering it was their first big tournament as a unit and the first for many youngsters, I did not expect them to reach the final," said Hardeep Singh Grewal, a former hockey Olympian.

"But the team played only three tough matches, including the lost final. Had they beaten Korea in the final, it would have made them look a lot consistent.”

Lack of consistency

Before the final, India had conceded just one goal. In the final, however, they conceded four, including a soft one. "The second goal should not have been conceded. Fluctuation in concentration levels and consistency is a problem with India. You never find inconsistency in top teams like Australia, Holland or Germany," said former Olympian Pargat Singh. Pargat emphasized the need for a permanent psychologist with the team, saying not only it will help players handle pressure better but also in normal situations. While Grewal said India needed to work on their finishing, Pargat sounded more concerned about individual mistakes.

“There are still a lot of individual mistakes happening. The defenders are still tackling with parallel feet, which increases the chance of being caught wrong footed. Correcting these mistakes will take a long time,” Pargat said. The the task of preparing a competitive team will be a tough one.

Visakhapatnam, September 3
Vasudevan Jagadeesh (40) and Manprit Juneja (43) stitched an unbeaten 78-run stand to help India A reach 94 for two at stumps on the day two of the second and final unofficial 'Test' against New Zealand A at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium on Tuesday.

India A still have an uphill task at hands as the hosts are trailing by 343 runs with eight wickets remaining in their first innings. Earlier, New Zealand after resuming their first innings at 300 for eight, added another 137 runs before getting dismissed for 437 in 121.1 overs.

Doug Bracewell (96) and Ish Sodhi (57) put on 162 runs for the eight wicket to take New Zealand A to a commanding position in the final four-day match.The Indian bowlers failed to make inroads even as Bracewell and Sodhi went easily.

After 31.3 overs, Abhishek Nayar finally brought the breakthrough when he cleaned up Bracewell with the batsmen just four runs short of a century. Bracewell had 11 fours and a six in his 132-ball innings.

Pacer Dhawal Kulkarni then picked up Sodhi in his first delivery of the next over to bring New Zealand A's innings to an end. Sodhi played a very patient innings as in his 142-ball 57 included just three boundaries.

With New Zealanders piling up a massive score, a lot was expected from Unmukt Chand, who had captained India Under-19 to victory in the 2012 World Cup. But the opener made just four runs before he was sent packing by Mark Gillespie in the fifth over of the India A's innings.

Centurion of the last match, young Vijay Zol too could not continue his good form and was dismissed by Bracewell with India A at 16 for two.

Jagadeesh and Juneja then steadied the ship with an unbeaten 78-run partnership.

Brief Score: New Zealand A 1st innings 437 (D Bracewell 96, I Sodhi 57; D Kulkarni 3/53); India A 94/2 (Vasudevan Jagadeesh 40 not out, Manprit Juneja 43 not out; Mark Gillespie 1/11). — PTI

New Delhi, September 3
Former India coach Gary Kirsten was on Tuesday appointed chief coach of the Delhi Daredevils for the seventh season of the Indian Premier League.

The 45-year-old South African, who guided the national team to World Cup triumph in 2011 apart from taking the Test side to the No.1 spot, has been roped in to turn the fortunes of one of the most popular franchises in the IPL after their disastrous eighth-place finish in the last season.

However, the support staff will remain intact with Eric Simons now working as an assistant coach alongside his close friend while T A Sekar continues to be the Team Mentor.Mushtaq Ahmed is also expected to be the spin consultant once again.

“It is indeed a massive privilege to work with the Delhi Daredevils side after having worked with two international sides (India and South Africa). I have always maintained that building a quality side is a process and I am looking forward to taking up this new challenge in franchise cricket,” Kirsten told media-persons here. Kirsten admitted that it was through his “old friend” Simons that he was offered the role of chief coach.

“I was recommended by Mr Simons and after having a chat with the owners, I found them to be good people. My job will be to help the boys perform to the best of their abilities.

Also having Simons around helps a lot as we go back a long way and complement each other really well.” “The IPL at this stage of my career is a perfect thing to have happened considering the commitments I have towards my family. They are my priority and devoting three months a year is fine for me,” the soft-spoken gutsy opener of yesteryears explained.

The newly appointed chief coach did admit that a whole lot of thought process needs to go into building a good team as there will be a fresh auction before IPL VII next year.

As a coach, would he like the controversial ‘Player Retention Policy’ to be done away with which might give a chance to re-visit the hit combination of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gary Kirsten? To this question, there was a huge grin and he replied, “I am not going to let out any strategies at the moment. That will be between me and the owners. It’s a quick tournament and it is important to carry on with a momentum. Yes, I have some names that I would want in my team having had the knowledge of working in India. — PTI

Norton (USA), September 3
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson won the Deutsche Bank Championship by two shots with a five-under-par round of 66, leaving him with a tournament record-tying total of 22-under 262 at the TPC Boston on Monday.

Stenson, enjoying a rich run of form, moves above Tiger Woods, who finished joint 65th, into top spot in the FedExCup standings after the second of the PGA Tour’s four lucrative playoff events.

The Swede’s victory was his first on the US circuit since the 2009 Players Championship but follows a second place finish at the British Open and third spot at the PGA Championships. “It’s been a great week, ball-striking wise, and the putter was working nicely for me here on the weekend,” said a delighted Stenson.

Veteran American Steve Stricker finished second, two shots behind Stenson, after firing a four-under 67. Canadian Graham DeLaet shot a solid 69 to finish alone in third.

Overnight leader Sergio Garcia fell back into a tie for fourth after closing with a 73, while Phil Mickelson shot an even-par 71 that left him tied 41st. — Reuters

London, September 3
Arsenal paid Real Madrid a club record fee for Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil in the last hour before the transfer window closed on Monday. The deal followed close on the heels of Gareth Bale’s world record move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real on Sunday worth 100 million euros.

Arsenal smashed their club record by spending £42.5 million on Ozil. The fee eclipsed the previous highest of £15 million that the side paid for Andriy Arshavin in 2009.

“I have said throughout the summer that we have been working hard to bring in top-quality players,” Arsene Wenger said. — Reuters

New Delhi, September 3
Mid-fielder Manpreet Singh will lead an 18-member Indian junior team in the 3rd Sultan of Johar Cup, to be played at Johar Bahru, Malaysia, from September 22 to 29. Forward Affan Yousef will be the vice-captain. India were the runners-up last year. The team will train at the National Stadium in Delhi from September 7 to 17, before leaving for Malaysia.

The six-nation tournament, featuring Argentina, England, India, Korea, Malaysia and Pakistan, will be an important outing for the team ahead of the Junior World Cup in Delhi from December 6 to 15 this year.

Patiala, September 3
A show-cause notice will be served to Dinesh Kumar, Dilbagh Singh and Praveen Kumar through national coach GS Sandhu or their concerned departments. The three-member disciplinary committee, which met in New Delhi today, decided to give the boxers 15-day time to respond and prove their allegations of favouritism during the trials for the boxing World Championship.

Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) president Abhishek Matoria said that considering the serious nature of the allegations and people involved, the committee decided to issue notice. He reiterated that stern action would be taken against the boxers if they failed to prove their charges in the given period.

Kathmandu , September 3
Defending champions India, who had scraped past Pakistan 1-0 in their campaign opener thanks to an own goal by their rival skipper, dished out another disappointing show at the Halchowk Stadium on Sunday.

An injury-time goal by captain Sunil Chhetri saved India from embarrassment as they played out a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh in their second group match of the SAFF Football Championships in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Defending champions India, who had scraped past Pakistan 1-0 in their campaign opener thanks to an own goal by their rival skipper, dished out another disappointing show at the Halchowk Stadium on Sunday.

Wim Koevermans' men were on the verge of an embarrassing defeat after Atiqur Rahman Meshu had put Bangladesh ahead in the 82nd minute before Chhetri equalised in the 94th minute with the last kick of the match.

Chhetri, who was off colour all through the match, scored from a free-kick to give India one point and four from two outings. They play hosts Nepal on Thursday.

Kovermans tried all his tricks but without success. He made three changes in the second half, bringing in Dawson Fernandes, Arata Izumi and Robin Singh in place of Jeje Lalpekhlua, Lenny Rodrigues and Francis Fernandes respectively but a goal eluded his side till the fourth and final minute of the added time.

Three Indians — Sunil Chhetri, Arnab Mondal and Nirmal Chhetri — were also shown yellow cards by the referee.

India were better side in the first half as Koevermans' boys kept the proceedings under control early on. They kept the ball, switched flanks and pressed for a early goal. It resulted in a flurry of chances which went abegging. The first chance came in the eighth minute when an overlapping Nirmal Chettri found Francis Fernandes on the right. Francis, who was impressive with his timely runs, sped past Waly Faisal and essayed a centre but an unmarked Chhetri's volley just went over. —PTI

BRIEFLY

SA can lose 2.5m rand a day from short India tour
Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa (CSA) could lose up to 2.5 million rand a day in revenue if the Indian tour later this year is shortened, according to a media report. The Afrikaans daily Beeld quoted sources as saying that CSA stands to lose about R300 million in total if the India tour is shortened, particularly from TV broadcast rights.

Judge me as a cricketer, says apolitical Rasool
New Delhi: All-rounder Parvez Rasool said he should be seen and judged solely as a cricketer. Rasool was picked for the recent ODI tour of Zimbabwe but was not given a single game by the team management leading to a controversy when J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah lashed out at the BCCI for not fielding Rasool in any of the five matches.But Rasool prefers to remain apolitical and urged everyone to look at him only as a player. “Whatever performances I have given in the past and the way I am performing at the moment, I would request people to look at only those and that's all," said Rasool.

Bhullar ready for Omega European Masters
Crans Montana, Switzerland: Gaganjeet Bhullar will mark his return to the Omega European Masters with all the hallmarks of a champion when the 2.1 million euro showpiece event gets underway Thursday.

Decision on Yogeshwar`s return in 3-4 weeks: Doc
Mumbai: The doctor treating Yogeshwar Dutt`s knee problem today said the wrestler was recovering from his injury and the timing of his return would be decided later in the month. The wrestler was forced out of World Championships in Budapest, Hungary but would be flying off to join the team for a coaching camp ahead of the marquee event from September 16-22. — Agencies