Sunday, May 9, 1999
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S P O R T | Sunday, May 9, 1999 |
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Nefedova prevails over Shruti NEW DELHI, May 8 — Russia’s Anna Nefedova, after a slow start, picked up rhythm in time to blast out Shruti Dhawan of India and win the third leg of ITF women's futures tennis circuit here today. Moody recalled for
English experience |
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 OSAKA: Britain's Diane Modahl (117) crosses the finish line to win the women's 800-meter race in the IAAF Japan Grand Prix in Osaka, western Japan, Saturday. At right is Kathi Rounds of the United States who finished second. AP/PTI |
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A
bleak prologue to World Cup
Warne
regrets four-year secrecy Indian
eves crash to 3rd straight defeat Ranatunga
confident Lanka can emulate WI Moya
beats Kuerten; Hingis, Venus clash in semis India
finish 5th in Asia-Pacific Golf Kenya
lose to Somerset Probables
for jr national tourneys |
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Nefedova prevails over Shruti NEW DELHI, May 8 (PTI) — Russia’s Anna Nefedova, after a slow start, picked up rhythm in time to blast out Shruti Dhawan of India and win the third leg of ITF women's futures tennis circuit here today. The unseeded Russian, who failed to impress in the first two legs, was at her best in 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Shruti, the winner of the second leg in Bangalore last weekend. The 16-year-old Anna played tentatively in the first set as Shruti hit powerful groundstrokes to break the Russian in the opening game. The Indian rushed to a 4-2 lead and then broke Anna in the seventh with an amazing down the line passing shot as she looked all set to take control of the match. "I was sleeping in the first (set). I woke up at right moment and got my rhythm in place," Anna said after her match. The script changed totally in the second set as Anna, despite losing her serve in the first game, broke Shruti in the next taking advantage of the Indian’s double fault. Shruti tried to slice the ball on the backhand while a confident Anna pushed groundstrokes on Shruti’s forehand forcing her to commit mistakes during long rallies. Shruti dropped her serve in the fourth double-faulting at breakpoint. Anna tightened her grip on the match by winning the set 6-2 when Shruti netted some easy returns. Facing two set points, Shruti sliced a deep return that fell into the net. The Russian was in her element in the decider and reeled off six games in a row breaking Shruti in second, fourth and sixth to win the set at love and the match in an hour and 12 minutes. It was a double heart-break for Shruti as she lost the doubles final too with Sheetal Gautham when they were beaten 5-7, 2-6 by top seeded pair of Sai Jayalakshmi and Rushmi Chakravarthy. Shruti-Sheetal pair put up a good fight in the first set. After trailing 0-3 they traded two breaks each before levelling 5-5. Sai held her serve in the 11th and a tired Shruti dropped her service to hand over the first set to Sai-Rushmi pair. Playing under blazing sun, with match timings altered to facilitate live TV coverage, Shruti had no strength to continue the fight after her tough three-setter singles final. Sai-Rushmi needed just one break in the decider, in the sixth game, to open a commanding 4-2 lead and Shruti was again on the losing side as she dropped her serve in the eighth to lose the match. Anna Nefedova pocketed first prize of Rs 19,000. Top 16 players, based on the points picked up during the three-leg (Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi) Indian circuit, will head to Lucknow for ITF masters starting on May 10. LUCKNOW (UNI): Nefedova will be the only foreigner to participate in the Bob Women’s Masters Tennis Championship commencing at the Oudh Gymkhana ground here from Monday. Altogether 16 players would be seen in action at the five-day tournament, organisers of the tournament said today. DGP K.L. Gupta and tournament Director J.S. Kaul told newspersons here that the participants would be Sai Jailakshmy, Archana Venkataraman, Rushmi Chakraborty, Radhika Tulpule, Shruti Dhawan, Sheetal Gautam, Tara Kanbargimath, Radhika Mandke, Harsimran Kaur Bedi, Nikita Bhardwaj, Janki Krishnamurthy, Sunita Rao, Geeta Manohar, Sonal Phadke and Nandini besides Nefedova. Sonal Phade and Nandini will not play doubles event. In their place, Simmi Rani and Shruti will play doubles, they added. The WTA computer points will be awarded for the master’s event. The winners in the singles and doubles events would get — five points each, the runners-up in singles and doubles four points, semi-finalists (singles and doubles) two points and quarter-finalists (1.5 for singles and 1 point for doubles). The remaining players in the singles category would get one point each. Winners in the singles event will get $ 800 while runners up would pocket $ 500. Both the semi-finalists will get $ 350 while quarterfinalists would pocket $ 225. The rest will get $ 125. In the doubles event, winners would get $ 350, runners up $ 200, quarter finalists $ 125 and the rest $ 75. On the opening day, eight singles events will be held. In all 22 matches will be played in five days, they added. The All-India Tennis
Association has opted for holding a part of the circuit
in India. "The need for this is apparent because the
women playing tennis in India find it exceedingly
difficult to gain entry even into the qualifying stage of
a WTA tour event. Of late only Nirupama Vaidyanathan has
made it into the main draw of some WTA
events,’’ the organisers pointed out. |
Moody recalled for English experience CARDIFF (Wales), May 8 (AP) — You get these players in all sports, a specialist suited to specific conditions. Some are considered "pinch hitters", for others it's a case of being in the right place at the right time. A cricket World Cup in England is the perfect environment for Tom Moody, the six-feet seven-inches tall Australian all-rounder. Until last month, he hadn’t played for Australia since the Commonwealth Games last September, but has been brought back into the fold due to his unrivalled experience in England. The 33-year-old right-handed batsman and medium-pace bowler was involved in Australia’s winning World Cup campaign in 1987, although he missed the semifinal and final through injury. He didn’t make his Test debut until 1989 but has figured more in Australia’s one-day team ever since. And he’s played in the English county cricket championship since 1990, when he made debut for Warwickshire before switching to Worcestershire, where he is now the captain. "I think I’ll play more of an all-round role for Australia here, on and off the field," Moody said from the team’s World Cup base in Cardiff. "Obviously I think my bowling will have a reasonably large role. Hopefully I’ll get my opportunities and I’ll cash in when I do." Moody was recalled to the Australian team for the recent limited-overs series against the West Indies, where he capped it off with an unbeaten 50. He said the Australian side had tremendous depth but with 15 players in the squad and only 11 places on the field he’ll be battling for one of the all-rounders positions. "Luckily (wicketkeeper) Adam Gilchrist opens for us, which means there’s more room for another batting spot, I’ve just got to wait and see what happens," he said. "The selectors thought that the situation over here suits my game and my knowledge of conditions in England at this time of the year would have a large bearing on the outcome. That has to count for something." Moody and captain Steve Waugh are the only surviving members of Australia’s 1987 champion team, although the west Australian’s role tends to be overlooked. "I played all the preliminary games, right up until two days before the semifinal, when I tore a muscle in my side which ruled me out," he said. "Looking back on it, it was a bit of a bonus for Australia because Mike Veletta came into the side and contributed two valuable knocks, not to say that I wouldn’t have, and really helped the team achieve the ultimate goal." Australia, losing
finalist to Sri Lanka in Lahore in 1996, is second
favourite for this tournament behind South Africa. |
The players to watch out for at the World Cup LONDON, May 8 (AFP) — India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram (Pakistan) and Brian Lara (West Indies) are among those certain to dominate the cricket World Cup headlines: Sachin Tendulkar During the last World Cup in the Indian sub-continent, Tendulkar smashed 523 runs in seven matches, a record for any World Cup. He averaged 87.17, with two centuries and three other scores of 70, 90 and 65. If his batting were not enough, he is also an effective part-time spin and seam bowler with a habit of breaking threatening partnerships. India rely so heavily on him that many Indian pundits want him to drop down the order from his one-day opening slot in case his early dismissal demoralises the team. But skipper Mohammad Azharuddin and coach Anshuman Gaekwad maintain Tendulkar must continue to open, pointing out he has scored all his one-day centuries in that position. Tendulkar says neither his recent injury nor the English conditions will make him change his style of hitting over the top from the very start but he has been advised by the team management to try and bat through the innings. Wasim Akram A lethal left-arm seamer, he is also a hard-hitting lower-order batsman with 2,676 one-day runs under his belt. During Pakistan’s victory in the 1992 World Cup, Akram emerged as the player of the tournament. He took 18 wickets overall, including three for 49 and 33 runs off 19 balls against England in the final. Four years later proved a nightmare, however, as Pakistan lost the quarter-final to India. Akram, forced to pull out of the match with injury, was accused by his own fans of having betrayed the side. Some even suggested, without evidence, that he had taken a bribe not to play. He ended the tournament in hiding as his home was pelted with stones. His latest stint as captain has begun a new honeymoon, however. He took hat-tricks in successive Tests against Sri Lanka as Pakistan won the inaugural Asian Test Championship at the start of the year, then won a one-day tri-nations tournament in India followed by another in Sharjah. Brian Lara If, however, the left-hander finds the form that saved him from the axe against Australia in March, when single-handedly levelling the Test series with scores of 213, 153 not out and 100 in consecutive matches, the West Indies could challenge the top sides. The 30-year-old Trinidadian, who holds the world record for the highest Test score (375) and highest first-class innings (501), is in the unenviable position of being seen as a one-man team, bar the occasional help from his pace bowlers. Some of his team-mates seem to resent him for his high profile. What is undeniable, however, is that he is a supreme strokeplayer who, at his best, can challenge India’s Sachin Tendulkar for the accolade of the world’s finest batsman. His return to form after a 12-month drought could not have been better timed. Lara is back in the limelight again and his every success — or failure — will be scrutinised throughout the World Cup. Adam Gilchrist His classical yet awesome strokeplay has not earned him the universal recognition it deserves, despite two extraordinary innings against Sri Lanka this year — a 131 off 118 balls at Sydney in January and 154 off 129, the highest ever recorded in a limited-over international by an Australian in Melbourne in February. After those innings, Shane Warne said he rated Gilchrist as even better than Sri Lanka’s fast-scoring Sanath Jayasuriya. Oddly for a keeper, "Gilly", as he is known, is tall at six feet (1.82 metres). With Healy beginning to slow down, it is only a matter of time before Gilchrist stands behind the stumps in Tests as well. The World Cup may not give him the opportunity to show off his glovework but it will be the perfect showcase for his batting. Jacques Kallis The broad-shouldered 23-year-old from Western Province exhibited his burgeoning dual value at the Mini World Cup in Bangladesh in October when he won the man-of-the-match award in the semi-final against Sri Lanka as a batsman — with an unbeaten knock of 113 — then repeated the feat as a bowler in the final, with five for 30 against the West Indies. He followed that up at the start of this year by being declared Man of the series in South Africa’s 5-0 Test whitewash of the West Indies, scoring 485 runs at an average of 69.28 and taking 17 wickets at 17.58 apiece. When strike bowler Allan Donald was injured during the fourth Test at Cape Town, Kallis was asked to plug the gap by opening the bowling. He duly took five for 90 to bowl his side to victory, after scoring 110 and 88 not out with the bat. Only 17 men before him have ever claimed a century, a half-century and five wickets in the same Test. Probably the most improved bowler in the world over the past couple of seasons. Definitely one to watch. Shoaib Akhtar The 23-year-old from Rawalpindi produced a few searing deliveries which touched 97 miles per hour on the slow Indian and Sharjah wickets earlier in the season. If he can produce similar speeds on seaming English wickets, he is likely to go a long way to being rated the most feared bowler of the tournament. With skipper Wasim Akram bowling at the other end and Waqar Younis to follow as first change, Pakistan will have the most dangerous pace attack in the competition. Akram is likely to allow Akhtar the liberty of a few wayward deliveries as he attempts to take wickets rather than contain. In India recently, Akhtar set up Pakistani wins by carving through the top order. In a World Cup expected
to be dominated by bowlers, Akhtar’s opening spells
could be decisive. He has taken 27 wickets in 16
one-dayers, averaging a wicket every 30 runs. Akhtar has
not played international cricket in England before, but
his stints in the Irish league gives him sound knowledge
of the conditions. |
Mahanama recalled for fielding prowess LONDON, May 8 (AP) — Who is the best fielder in world cricket? Ricky Ponting with accurate throws?, Jonty Rhodes with fleet-footed reflexes? Or Mark Waugh with his soft hands and effortless catches? The odd man out is Sri Lanka’s 33-year-old Roshan Mahanama. The veteran middle-order batsman is fighting for a batting spot but, as the island’s livewire fielder has been picked purely for his fielding. The Sri Lankan fielding that set a benchmark during its 1996 World Cup success has begun to wane and the selectors were forced to recall Mahanama, who was not in the initial shortlist of 19. "People talk about Rhodes, Ponting and Waughs, if only we had the television exposure as those countries, people would know who Mahanama is," skipper Ranatunga says of the right-hander. "I think he is easily the best all-round fielder, let it be in the slips, close catches or in the outfield. He is brilliant," Ranatunga said. Mahanama’s career as a batsman has suffered a roller-coaster ride. He has opened, batted at No 3 and in the middle and the lower order. During the 1999 competition he will battle for the No 6 spot with left hander Hashan Tillekeratne. "With a lot of youngsters coming it is hard for the senior players to retain their places. But it doesn’t hurt to try," said Mahanama, who admitted he’d thought about retiring soon after the 1996 success. "I am conscious about my fitness. I think working on it has helped me on the field. I think my reflexes are same as when I first came in to the side," he added. He played the anchor innings in Sri Lanka’s upset win over South Africa in the 1992 World Cup in Wellington, New Zealand, scoring 68 off 121 balls while Ranatunga hit an unbeaten 64 off 73 balls. "I have played many good one-day innings but I think I rate that as the best because Allan Donald had knocked out three of our top batsmen for nothing when we chased," Mahanama recalled. "I think I might call it quits after this tournament regardless of the outcome," Mahanama said. "I will continue to play first-class cricket for my club." Mahanama first played for Sri Lanka in 1986 against Pakistan and during his 13-year career has also captained the country in a three-nation tournament, in Sharjah, when Ranatunga controversially pulled out. He was forced to face the wrath of Ranatunga’s supporters, insulted, threatened, and had his home stoned. "It’s all forgotten for the team’s sake," Mahanama said. "I was branded a traitor. When Arjuna pulled out, I was asked to lead the team by the selectors. And I did." The ever-smiling right-hander, like the rest of the team, is confident Sri Lanka can retain the title. "Our win in 1996
was a unifying factor," said Mahanama. "I am
sure it will help the country immensely." |
A bleak prologue to World Cup LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) — There was a bleak prologue to the cricket World Cup yesterday with rain causing four warm-up matches to be abandoned, another to be shortened and only one running its full course. It hardly augured well for the tournament itself which gets underway in a week’s time. However, India managed some useful batting practice as they totalled 219 for seven in their full complement of 50 overs against Leicestershire but then rain also ended proceedings. India lost Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar cheaply but Rahul Dravid led a recovery with 60 from 95 balls, putting on 95 for the third wicket with Ajay Jadeja who went on to make 54 from 53 balls, including three sixes. No play at all was possible in the match between Cup favourites South Africa and Sussex while Zimbabwe had time to bowl only 10 overs against Worcestershire before their game was also called off. Zimbabwe, who have not played for nearly a month, had an appeal to be allowed to re-stage the match today turned down by the organisers. World Cup holders Sri Lanka were also frustrated after bowling out Northamptonshire for 199 with medium fast bowler Eric Upashantha claiming three wickets. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan finished with the impressive figures of one for 21 from his 10 overs. But there was no chance for Sri Lanka’s batsmen to gain any practice as rain prevented any further play. Hosts England were one of the more fortunate teams, although rain also restricted their match against Kent at Canterbury. But the game will have done nothing to ease their worries about their opening pair of captain Alec Stewart and Nick Knight who are both finding runs hard to come by. Knight was dismissed for 10 and Stewart needlessly run out for four before a lengthy rain delay caused the match to be reduced to 38 overs each. A solid 55 from Graham Thorpe and 54 not out from Neil Fairbrother enabled England to reach a respectable 197 for seven. For Kent, Andrew Symonds took two wickets and then almost caused England embarrassment by lashing a rapid 57 at just over a run a ball but after he was out the innings folded. Medium pacer Ian Austin mopped up the tail to finish with four for 39 from eight overs as Kent subsided to 163 all out from 36 overs. The only match to run its full course featured World Cup outsiders Kenya who were beaten by seven wickets by Somerset at Taunton. Former England paceman Andrew Caddick removed Kennedy Otieno and Stephen Tikolo in a hostile opening burst and finished with three for 33, but 73 from Ravindu Shah helped Kenya regain respectability. Thomas Odoyo hit two sixes in his 34 and Asif Karim contributed 35 from only 28 balls at the end of the innings as Kenya totalled 224 for eight from their 50 overs. Kenya then used nine
bowlers but to little effect as Piran Holloway, with 96
and Keith Parsons (68) led Somerset to victory with an
unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 134. |
Forecasters dampen hosts' rain hopes LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) — Meteorologists are doing their best to dampen English hopes for a wet World Cup. Rain during cricket’s showpiece limited overs tournament starting in England on May 14 could produce conditions in which the host team flourish, with their experience of batting and bowling on seaming pitches. However, weather forecasters are saying the right kind of rain might even mean a drier tournament. Meteorological office spokesman Andy Yeatman said: "In this country, May and June tend to be drier with fewer days of heavy rain". "Later in the summer it doesn’t necessarily rain more often, but when it does, it tends to be heavier, the sort of rain that could leave the outfield soggy for a while." Lord’s, which stages three matches including the opener between England and cup holders Sri Lanka on May 14 and final on June 20, can expect 33 hours of rain in May and 27 hours in June. The number of days with enough rain to stop a match should drop from 13 to 11. But in July the rate of major deluges rise by 17 per cent and there are just as many days with light rain. Groundsmen at Lord’s are resigned to the vagaries of the English weather. One said he had not seen the long range forecasts, and if he had he would not trust them — and even if he did it would not affect his pitch preparations. The bookies were hedging their bets. "We wouldn’t be surprised by anything between a minus-10 snowstorm to a 90-degree heat wave," Graham Sharpe of British bookmakers William Hill said. English umpire Dickie Bird, who officiated in the first three World Cups in England, which all began in the second week of June, said the home team would be boosted by this year’s mid-May start. "Because the competition is being played in May and early June there is bound to be a lot of moisture on the squares throughout the country," Bird, who has now retired from umpiring, wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "The low, slow pitches we can expect in this country will give England a huge advantage." Australia’s captain Steve Waugh, who has made three ashes tours of England and played county cricket with Somerset, played down the wet pitch factor. "A lot has been said about how they’re going to help the seam bowlers," he told The Times newspaper. "But whenever I’ve played here, the wickets have been pretty good, so I don’t expect them to do too much." A match rained off without a result in the first round could be costly in terms of a team’s prospects of qualifying for the second (super six) stage. If, for example, West Indies had a washout in their matches against the two weaker group B teams, whom they would expect to beat — Bangladesh and Scotland — they would get one point for each instead of two for a win. Consequently, if they lost two of their three other matches against fellow Test teams it could jeopardise their chances of reaching the second stage. One reserve day has been scheduled for each match and two for the final in case rain stops play. Fans will get their money back if fewer than 10 overs are played or a half refund for fewer than 24.5. William Hill’s Mr Sharpe said he had taken one or two enquiries about the opening match being completely rained off, which was a 10-1 shot. "But most punters
are concentrating on the serious matter of who’s
going to win," he said. |
Warne regrets four-year secrecy LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) — Shane Warne said today there should not have been four years of secrecy over fines imposed on himself and Mark Waugh for accepting money from an illegal Indian bookmaker. Warne and Waugh were fined by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) in 1994 for providing information about pitch and weather conditions during a tour of Sri Lanka and Pakistan but the episode was not made public until last December. Leg-spinner Warne, who is in England with the Australian squad for the World Cup starting next Friday, talked about his regrets over the scandal in the Times newspaper. Warne said it all started when Mark Waugh introduced him to a man called John who told them he bet on cricket. "The next day he thanked me for taking the time to meet him and handed me an envelope which he said was a token of appreciation," Warne wrote in the Times. "He said: ‘look, there are no strings attached, I don’t want anything in return’." "He telephoned to ask for what I still think is pretty harmless information about weather and pitch conditions." After Warne and Waugh subsequently told Australian officials about the incident the pair were fined by the ACB. Warne said in the Times:
"People think that because the issue was covered up,
there must be more to it. The ACB were protecting the
players at the time but with hindsight it should have
come out there and then." |
Indian eves crash to 3rd straight defeat SYDNEY, May 8 (PTI) — India women crashed to their third straight defeat and finished at the bottom of the points table in the second-leg of four-nation Telstra Challenge Hockey Tournament in Perth today. Indian women lost 1-5 to Olympic and world champions Australia in the last league match here today, to complete the fortnight-long tour on a dismal note. Bangkok Asian Games silver medallist India had lost to the Asian Games winners South Korea 1-2 in the first match, and then bowed 2-5 to South Africa in the second. Earlier in the day, African champions South Africa defeated South Korea 3-1 to set up a title clash against host Australia tomorrow. The Proteas lost to Australia in the league phase while the hosts have remained undefeated throughout. For India, captain Pritam Rani Thakran scored a leveller in the eighth minute after Langham (5th minute) had put Australian ahead. Langham (34th) scored again while Towers (16th), J. Towers (53rd) and Annan (58th) were the other scorers. In the first leg, in
Canberra, India finished third behind Australia and South
Africa after a morale boosting victory over Olympic
silver medallist South Korea. |
Ranatunga confident Lanka can emulate WI NORTHAMPTON (England), May 8 (AP) — Cricket lovers are quick to point out that a nation must show its proficiency at the one-day game to prove itself worthy of Test play. That is exactly what Sri Lanka has done. The 1996 World Cup success was a giant step, with outspoken skipper Arjuna Ranatunga confident his side can win back-to-back titles and set its sights on regular Test cricket. The batting remains Sri Lanka’s forte — be it posting a formidable total or chasing the impossible. The team is built around the batsmen, most of whom are decent spinners. But fielding has let the ageing team down badly. The only thing that might work against Sri Lanka defending a title it won as 66-1 rank outsider in Lahore, Pakistan, is its lack of mobility in the field. The 15-man squad carries 11 from the previous tournament and that means they have aged by three years. Two more, off-spinner Ruwan Kalpage (age 29) and all-rounder Chandika Hathurusingha (30), played in the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. By contrast, batsman Mahela Jayawardene (21) and medium-fast bowler Erik Upashantha (26) are newcomers to World Cup cricket. "Age is not a factor," says Ranatunga, who is 35. His vice-captain and master batsman Aravinda de Silva will be 34 and so will be batsmen Hashan Tillekaratne and Roshan Mahanama. "Experience is the most important thing and our side is based on it. The boys have done it once and now they know how to do it again," Ranatunga said. Ranatunga, playing in his fifth tournament, is confident Sri Lanka will become only the second team since the West Indies (1975 and 1979) to retain the title. "When we tried new players we did not work too well. In the last couple of years we tried to introduce new blood to replace some of the senior players," said Ranatunga, the longest surviving international cricketer, who made his debut back in 1982. Duleep Mendis, chairman of selectors and Sri Lanka’s tour manager, thought the same. "You go into a tournament like the World Cup to win it, not to try things out," he said. "Hence the reason we have very senior and experienced players in the squad." Since winning the cup in ’96, Sri Lanka have won 43 of its 81 one-day internationals, including six tournaments. But in less than 12 months it has managed to win only seven of its last 24 and fielding was once again blamed for the losses in Sharjah, Australia and then in India. Sri Lanka has have acquired the services of the Trevor Chappell to improve the team’s fielding. According to Mendis, Trevor, the youngest of the Chappell brothers to play for Australia has done wonders". Mahanama, 33, once an opening batsman, was picked purely for his fielding and his recall was imminent following Sri Lanka’s waning fielding standards in the lead up to the World Cup. Since winning Test status in 1982 and then claiming the World Cup 14 years later, Sri Lanka enters in the 1999 12-nation tournament still recovering the backlash of its boards disputed election. "We try to leave politics and cricket where they belong. But let’s be honest, I am sure it will have some effect on the team’s morale," said Dhammika Ranatunga, the chief executive officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) and elder brother of Arjuna. Mendis disagrees. "I think the players know where to draw the line. The morale is high and everyone will see it when the tournament starts," Mendis said. Sri Lanka opens the tournament against the host England at Lord’s on May 14 in a group A match. The group also include favourite South Africa, 1983 champion India, Zimbabwe and Kenya. "We have a few surprises up our sleeve, which we hope to put into operation in England," Mendis said. "We’ve showed
we can play in any condition and win. I am hopeful we can
successfully defend the championship." |
Moya beats Kuerten; Hingis, Venus clash in semis HAMBURG, May 7 (AP) — Playing one of his best matches on clay, Carlos Moya crushed his clay-court nemesis Gustavo Kuerten 6-0, 6-2 yesterday to move into the semifinals of the German Open. The showdown between the last two French Open champions was closer than the score line indicates. The first five games went to deuce and Kuerten twice had the chance to break Moya’s serve. But Moya won all the big points. "It was one of my best matches on clay, maybe even better than last year when I won in Paris," Moya said. In the semifinals Moya will play Marcelo Rios, the fourth-seeded Chilean who ousted local favourite Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-4. Rios stormed back from a 1-4 deficit in the second set to win the next five games. "I relaxed a bit. But I was playing with a lot of confidence and I was sure I could come back," Rios said. This is only the seventh tournament this year for Rios, who suffered a stress fracture early in the year. Mariano Zabaleta, an Argentine ranked No 48 in the world, ousted third-seeded Tim Henman 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach his second consecutive semifinal on the tour. Zabaleta is a clay-court specialist, while Henman’s serve-and-volley game is more suited to faster surfaces. The Argentine broke Henman’s serve for a decisive 5-4 lead in the third set. In the morning, Zabaleta had completed another upset, finishing a three-set victory over 12th-seeded Francisco Clavet in a match suspended on Thursday because of darkness. Henman’s ouster also deprived Moya of a chance of recapturing the No 1 world ranking. Even if he wins the tournament, Moya would not have beaten enough high-ranked players to earn bonus points he needed to become No 1. Moya, who was No 1 for two weeks in March, had never beaten Kuerten in four previous matches on clay. Only last month, Kuerten beat Moya in straight sets in a Davis Cup match between Brazil and Spain. "I was a bit nervous and I was very concentrated the whole match," said Moya, who won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros last year. Kuerten won the French Open in 1997, coming virtually out of nowhere. "I took the decision to attack every ball, and not let him attack," Moya said. "From the very start I was hitting hard and deep." If I had picked a tournament to beat him on clay, it wouldn’t have been here," Moya said. The red clay of the Rothenbaum club is considered one of the slowest on the circuit. But the weather has been unusually warm and sunny, making the conditions a bit quicker. Moya, who was seeded second this year and remains the highest seeded player in the field, had never advanced past the third round in three previous attempts in the German Open. Moya won the first eight games before Kuerten broke his serve at love. But it was a brief comeback, although Kuerten again had a couple of break points at 4-2. Moya won on his third match point after 56 minutes when Kuerten netted a backhand. "He never let me get into the match," said Kuerten, who was seeded No 8. It’s the best he’s ever played against me, he was very strong from the beginning. I never controlled the match, I couldn’t play the game I like," Kuerten said. I never had a chance to come back. He made me play very tough shots. I don’t feel I played badly, but I just couldn’t get into my rhythm," the Brazilian said. Moya could reclaim the No 1 ranking if he wins the tournament and beats enough high-ranked players along the way. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who took over from Pete Sampras as No 1 this week, missed the German Open because of a viral infection. ROME: Martina Hingis routed an impatient Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 yesterday at the Italian Open, setting up a semifinal clash against Serena’s older sister, Venus. "Another Williams is on the way," said Hingis, the clay-court tournament’s defending champion and top seed. Beating the whole family all the time is not easy. They’re very powerful, the best out there." She has a 6-2 career record against Venus, and has won both of their encounters on clay, including last year’s Rome final. Venus Williams, seeded third here, progressed with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 quarterfinal win against No 11 Dominique Van Roost. The Belgian suffered a right groin strain early in the second set and could not keep up with Williams thereafter. Mary Pierce, the 1997 Italian Open champion, and fellow Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, a surprise finalist at this year’s Australian Open, also won and will meet in today’s other semifinal. Williams family pride will be on the line against Hingis. "We have a saying: if I can’t do it for myself, I’ll do it for (my sister)," Venus said. She and Hingis have been the tour’s top two players this season, each with three titles. And while Venus (18) picked up her first career clay crown last week at Hamburg, Germany, Hingis’ versatile game is better suited to the slow, red surface. Serena rushed her shots repeatedly against Hingis and paid for the tactic, spraying errors from both sides in the 62-minute encounter. "I didn’t make any shots out there. You could probably count the number of shots I made two or three," Williams said. She didn’t really win. I gave it to her. I made so many errors, it was really, absolutely absurd." Hingis’ accuracy didn’t help, though. Already a five-time Grand Slam tournament champion at the age of 18, the Swiss star kept Serena off-balance with deep shots to the corners. "I just didn’t miss. I was very focused and didn’t let her back in the game," Hingis said. And I just didn’t give her the chance to kill me. I guess I made her kill herself." Serena, whose game is based primarily on power, realises she needs to adapt better to slow clay. "It’s important to keep the ball in play more," she said. You need to set the point up and then go for the winner, not go for the winner right away. I’ll try to do that next time." She doesn’t have a lot of time to straighten things out ahead of the French Open, the lone Grand Slam event played on clay. It starts on May 24. On the other side of the draw, the 10th-seeded Mauresmo ended Sylvia Plischke’s string of upsets with a 6-2, 6-3 win over unseeded Austrian. Plischke had beaten French Open titlist Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and 12th seed Amanda Coetzer. Pierce, seeded fourth, beat another French player, No 8 Sandrine Testud, 6-4, 7-5. DELRAY BEACH (FLORIDA) (Reuters): Semifinal wins for Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and Xavier Malisse of Belgium yesterday guaranteed that one of the 18-year-old up-and-coming stars will win his first title of the year at the Citrix Tennis Championships. The sixth-seeded Hewitt won an easy 6-3 6-2 victory over second-seeded Sebastien Grosjean of France, who appeared drained of energy throughout the match. By virtue of a 6-4 6-4 win over third-seeded Scott Draper of Australia, the 131st-ranked Malisse, a wild card entry into this event, is looking to become the lowest ranked player to win a title this year. Today’s match will be the first all-teen final on the men’s ATP tour since 1995, when a then 19-year-old Marcelo Rios of Chile beat 18-year-old Mark Philippoussis of Australia at Kuala Lumpur. "This could be a junior tournament," joked Malisse. "I know he’s a fighter and it will be tough to beat him." If Hewitt takes the title, he will keep it in Australian hands for a fifth consecutive year. Todd Woodbridge won in 1995, Jason Stoltenberg in 1996 and 1997 and Andrew Ilie in 1998. The 55th-ranked Hewitt,
who will move up to a career high top 50 ranking on
Monday, will be playing in his third final of the year.
He lost in his attempt to defend his one career title at
Adelaide in January, and lost in Scottsdale in March. |
India finish 5th in Asia-Pacific Golf Calcutta, may 8 (PTI) — India finished fifth with a total score of 926 in the team event of the 21st Asia Pacific Junior Golf Championship at the Ngwe thaw Dar Course in Myanmar. On the final day, both the Indian juniors scored an identical one over 73, but could not move higher from the overall fifth position, according to information received here Sub-junior Ranjit Singh’s improved showing with a nine over in the last round helped the Indians to record the third best team score on the day. Thailand maintained their lead to finish at the top with a total of 874 followed by Chinese Taipei (895), Korea (902) and hosts Myanmar (905). In the boys ‘A’ category, India’s Shiv Kapur played a superb one over par to finish third overall, seven shots behind leader Prom of Thailand. In the closing holes, it became clear that Shiv had to birdie the last hole for a trophy and his bunker shot landed two feet from the pin for a great finish. Another Indian Ashok Kumar played one over to move up the leader board to 10th position. First day’s leader, India’s Sandeep Syal faltered on the first few holes which dropped him to 13th position. In the boys group
‘B’, India’s Ranjit Singh finished 15th
and Vidhur Mathur in the 20th position. Joseph Chakola
withdrew from the final round due to high viral fever. |
Kenya lose to Somerset TAUNTON (England), May 8 (AFP) — World Cup underdogs Kenya have crashed to a seven-wicket defeat against English county side Somerset in their tournament warm-up match here. The Kenyans, sent in to bat in overcast conditions, were tied down to 224 for eight from their 50 overs yesterday despite a defiant 73 from opener Ravindu Shah. Somerset reached the target in the 46th over after Piran Holloway smashed an unbeaten 96. Rejected England seamer Andrew Caddick picked up three wickets for 33, but Somerset helped Kenya's cause by sending down 23 wides and 35 extras in all, the third highest contribution to the total. Kenya, one of the three
non-Test-playing teams in the 12-nation World Cup, play
two more warm-up games before starting their campaign
against Zimbabwe on May 15. |
Probables for jr national tourneys NEW DELHI, May 8 (PTI) — Women’s junior hockey team will tour the USA for a four-nation hockey tournament from June 24 to 27, Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) said in a release today. The IWHF named 30 probables from which the team would be picked on June 21. The probables will undergo a coaching camp from May 15 to June 21 before the women’s body picks final team. The junior team will also participate in Guru Nanak Cup in the USA from July 3 to 5, it said. Probables: Full backs: Suman Bala (Haryana), Pushpa Pradhan (Bihar), Poonam (UP), Sarita Khetri (Delhi), Neelima Kujur (Orissa). Half-backs: Gurpreet Kaur (Haryana), Agnecia Lugun (Orissa), Elena Christy (Karnataka), Manju, Babita (both Delhi), Mridula (UP), Sunita (Haryana), Monika Rana (Punjab). Forwards: Meenakshi, Surinder Kaur, Simarjit Kaur, Kiran Bala (all Haryana), Sanggai Ibemhal Chanu, Pakpi Devi (both Railways), Nishi (Chandigarh), Masira Surin, Adlina Korketta (both Bihar), Asrita Toppo (Orissa), Priya Singh (UP), Sushila Sharma (Delhi). P.P. Anthony will be the
chief coach and Madhukaran assistant coach. |
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