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Wednesday,
June 27, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
Pressure on Ganguly
to perform Agassi, Venus, Dokic
advance
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Pete
Sampras not to quit London, June 26 Defending champion Pete Sampras roared into the second round at Wimbledon yesterday and then rubbished talk of his retiring after this year’s championships. Time for Hingis to
put house in order
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Williams
to promote Indian tennis Salt
Lake City gears up for Olympic Games Jeev for
US PGA Tour event Archana
struggles, easy for Sheetal Bhiwani
emerge winners Bhutia
keen to join Indian squad Judo
probables
Dope
seized B’minton
squad
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Pressure on Ganguly to perform Bulawayo, June 26 Both, the Indian captain and the home team, are in a must-perform situation and another failure from them would spell disaster for their fortunes. Though Ganguly’s place in the team may not be in danger at least for the time being - with the players and management solidly backing him - the stylish left-hander knows he is fast losing his credibility and moral authority to lead the team. The stakes are even higher for the home side who have lost their first two matches in this series and are in a do-or-die situation. A loss tomorrow match would see them out of contention and would also ensure Indians a berth in the July 7 final. So, as Ganguly and Zimbabwe stretch themselves to the limit, the fans can look forward to an exciting game tomorrow. The Indians, buoyed by the emphatic nine-wicket win in the first match, might be tempted to go in for some experiments like changes in the batting order and giving some newcomers a chance. It was the fast bowlers who did the trick in Harare and they would once again be the major factor considering the similarity in pitch and weather conditions here. Ashish Nehra has brought his brilliant performance in the Tests into the one-dayers too and Ajit Agarkar bowled superbly in the first match. With Zaheer Khan too being his consistent self, it would be interesting to see whether the team management sticks to the trio tomorrow or decides to give the other two pace options, Debasish Mohanty and Harvinder Singh, a chance. In batting department too, the Indians have a wide range to choose from. Tamil Nadu left-hander Hemang Badani did an admirable job coming at number three in the previous match and is almost a certainty for tomorrow though not at the same slot with doubts over injury of V V S Laxman having been cleared. Ganguly has tried experimenting with his own batting slot earlier without much success and indications are that the captain will stick to the openning along with Sachin Tendulkar. Either Reetinder Singh Sodhi or Dinesh Mongia, both of whom joined the team for this tournament, might also be included in the final eleven though it is still not clear at whose expense. Overall, the Indians look a far more balanced side than the hosts who seem to be struggling to cope with the absence of wicketkeeper batsman Andy Flower and the recent controversy surrounding captain Heath Streak. On a high after winning the second Test to equalise the series against India, Zimbabwe saw a sudden drop in their fortunes with Andy Flower, their batting mainstay, being ruled out for the one-day series due to a finger injury. His replacement 17-year-old Tetinda Taibu has been impressive behind the wickets but it is the batsman Andy Flower that Zimbabwe are missing the most. In both their matches so far, they have struggled to put up a decent score. Teams (from): India: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, Virendra Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Samir Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Debasish Mohanty, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Harvinder Singh. Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (capt), Alistair Campbell, Dion Ebrahim, Stuart Carlisle, Guy Whittall, Grant Flower, Brian Murphy, Mluleki Nkala, Andy Blignaut, Tatenda Taibu, Dirk Viljoen, David Mutendera.
PTI |
London, June 26 Andre Agassi, the men’s second seed, blew kisses to the centre court crowd after crushing Dutchman Peter Wessels 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 in his first round match. Joining Venus in round two was Aussie 14th seed Jelena Dokic, who after a tight first set saw off Paraguay’s Rosanna De Los Rios 7-5 6-1. American Jennifer Hopkins ousted Mariana Diaz-Oliva of Argentina 3-6 6-3 6-2. Belgian seventh seed AMD French Open finalist Kim Clijsters brushed aside Giulia Casoni of Italy 6-0 6-2. Other women going through included Spanish youngster Marta Marrero, who beat Joannette Kruger of South Africa 4-6 6-3 8-6. Marrero next meets us 17th seed Meghann Shaughnessy, who defeated former French Open champion Iva Majoli of Croatia 7-6 (7/4) 6-3. Jamie Delgado, a wildcard ranked 182 on the ATP entry list beat former French Open finalist Andre Medvedev of Ukraine 6-2 6-4 7-5. Fifth-seeded Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, buoyed by his successive wins at Queens’ and Den Bosch, made a winning start against Swede Magnus Gustafsson, advancing 6-1 6-2 6-4. He now faces US qualifier Taylor Dent, who humiliated former French Open champion Sergi Bruguera of Spain 6-0 6-1 6-4. American third seed Lindsay Davenport, beaten by Williams in last year’s final, disposed of Slovakia’s Martina Sucha 6-3, 6-3 from the baseline and without any fuss. American Taylor Dent, crushed Sergi Bruguera of Spain 6-0, 6-1, 6-4. The heat appeared to take its toll on men’s 17th seed, Tommy Haas, who had to retire from his match against lucky loser Wayne Black of Zimbabwe when trailing two sets to one and 3-0. Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean, a semifinalist at the French Open earlier this month, saw off Michael Kratochvil of Switzerland 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Tenth seed Thomas Enqvist also proved too strong for Czech Martin Damm, winning 6-1 6-3 7-5. Briton Jamie Delgado, the world number 182, upset Ukraine’s Andrei Medvedev 6-2 6-4 7-5 to become the fifth home player through to the men’s second round. In the women’s draw there were straight sets wins for France’s 33-year-old ninth seed Nathalie Tauziat and number 10 Amanda Coetzer of South Africa over Wynne Prakusya of Indonesia and Stephanie Foretz of France respectively.
AFP |
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Pete Sampras not to quit London, June 26 “It’s totally false — I plan on coming back for many years,’’ the 29-year-old top seed said after his 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 victory over Spaniard Francisco Clavet on Centre Court. Sampras had been quoted in an interview with Courier over the weekend as saying that he might retire if he won a record eighth title this year at the All-England Club. The American has drastically cut down on his schedule in recent years and admits he is no longer interested in being the No 1 player in the world. But retirement is not on his mind just yet. “It’s not true,’’ Sampras said. “I remember talking to Jim in an interview for (US television channel) TNT.’’ “It was a conversation that we were just having about one day I might stop, how I would want to do it. “Who ever took it, took it the wrong way, that this may be the last year. It’s totally false. “To end my career, sure, I’d love to go out there and win it one last time — this year, next year, five years from now. “I plan on coming back for many years.’’ Sampras hasn’t won a tournament since his seventh Wimbledon victory a year ago, which took him past Roy Emerson as the man with the most Grand Slam titles — 13 in all. He was never in top form against Clavet, who was always in contention on a blazing day in south-west London. But, like many before him, the Spaniard could not breach the Sampras serve, failing to earn a single break point in the match, and that proved decisive. Clavet only lost his own serve twice but he was beaten comfortably sets demonstrated perfectly what sets Sampras apart on grass — his ability to win the important points. “He’s a crafty player, he definitely knows how to play on grass,’’ admitted Sampras. “He served pretty well and came in quite a bit. But I was happy with the way I was controlling the points, the way I was serving and volleying.’’ Sampras’s heavy second serve was especially effective against Clavet. Averaging 110 mph, it was only 8 mph slower than his average first serve. The world No 6, who rained down 19 aces, said he had found the green Centre Court surface tricky, as he had expected. “Like it always is on the first day, the court was very slippery. They don’t allow any tennis on there (before the tournament) and it was tough to move out there.’’ One occasion when Sampras slipped was the key point of the second set when, leading 6-5 in the tie-break, he tumbled playing a backhand shot.
Reuters |
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Time for Hingis to put house in order London, June 26 That’s the time she has off from action following her shock first round defeat 4-6, 2-6 at the hands of unheralded Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual in the first round of the Wimbledon women’s singles yesterday. It will be a crucial time for the career of the 20-year-old Swiss Miss following a total 196 weeks as the ATP world No 1 since she first took over in March 1997. Despite her predominance in the rankings, Hingis is finding it harder and harder to lift her game for the big ones, having last won a Grand Slam event two and a half years ago at the 1999 Australian Open. This year she lost to Jennifer Capriati of the USA in the final of the Australian Open and again to Capriati in the French Open semifinals. On both occasions she was the top seed. Those she could put down simply to running into a class player, playing at the top of her game. But the loss to Ruano Pascual is another matter and a sure sign of physical and mental fatigue. “I think I always had little ups and downs in my career. Downs were like I dropped to No 2. Yeah, big deal,” she said. “Right now I just need some time to recover, body and soul. Now I will have the time to do it. We’ll see where I go. “I will go home to Switzerland and then prepare myself for the hard court season. I have five weeks off until the next one”, she said. Hingis said that already she had been doubtful for Wimbledon as she was suffering from tendonitis in the lower back that had required acupuncture. She turned up for her first round tie only because she thought that Ruano Pascual did not look too difficult a player to beat even at less than her top form. That proved to be a forlorn hope.
AFP |
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Williams to promote Indian tennis Bangalore, June 26 “I want to be the Pied Piper of Indian tennis’’, Mr Williams said in an interview to a local English daily. He had already worked out the details of his plan and was looking for an invitation to visit the country to give final shape to his project. He was planning to identify a site and build courts to set the programme in motion. Stressing that his plan was ‘not a joke’, he said, ‘we need to identify two or three tennis sites in India to start with and we can slowly build from there. I will spend up to three months in India every year, not at a stretch though. Venus and Serena will visit once if not twice a year’, he assured. Spelling out the details of his project, Williams, who has a business management and engineering degree, said ‘I would also like to have special programmes for the children. In the first year, I will sponsor two to three children for a tournament where Venus and Serena are playing. It will get the children excited. And in the following year, I would like to double the number to six, in the third year, ten and in the fourth 16’. Each child would pass on his or her experiences to the others and gradually more children would get involved, he added.
UNI |
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Salt Lake City gears up for Olympic Games Salt Lake City, June 26 With just over seven months to go until the games, Olympic fever — which had been dampened by the bribery scandal surrounding the city’s selection as host — is breaking out again in Utah. Some 65,000 local people have answered a call for volunteers on the organising committee’s website and officials are busy sifting the applications. “In my view we can make or break this whole thing depending on how friendly and helpful these people can be,’’ said Ed Eynon, who is in charge of volunteers for the Salt Lake organising committee (SLOC). Though the July trial of former bid leaders Tom Welch and Dave Johnson will drag the name of Salt Lake City through the mud again, games organisers understandably prefer to publicise their progress in preparing for the two-week event. Welch and Johnson go on trial in Salt Lake City on July 16 charged with 15 counts, including fraud and conspiracy, charges both men deny. Prosecutors will allege that they spearheaded a scheme to offer $ 1 million in bribes to 15 International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in an attempt to win votes for the city’s candidacy. The scandal led to a shake-up of the IOC and a new organising committee in Salt Lake which has been busy rebuilding local and international trust. Now, say organisers, everything is on target for the February 8 start. “We’re very much on schedule. All permanent construction at the venues is basically done, snowmaking systems are in place and athletes are training at the sites,’’ says Cathy Priestner Allinger, Managing Director of Sports for the SLOC. “It’s an ideal location,’’ added Priestner Allinger, who won a speed-skating silver medal for Canada at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. “I’m really excited about it. I don’t think there is a better place to hold a winter games.’’ Winter trials had given organisers a chance to iron out a few problems, she said. The officials worked out the best way to keep food hot long enough to transport it to the top of a mountain in a storm and how to repair cables during the night. Changes were made to the floor and roof of the speed-skating oval and a successful world championships was staged there earlier this year. “Our biggest challenge came with snowboarding,’’ said Priestner Allinger. “Timing systems didn’t work and we had to go back and have a complete revamping.’’ Transport though, remains “a challenge,’’ Priestner Allinger said, as the system could not be fully tried out until visitors began to arrive in their thousands next February. Salt Lake City is the largest urban area to host the winter games, organisers say. Some 1.5 million people live and work in the games venues of Provo, Ogden and Salt Lake and along the Wasatch Mountains. More than two-thirds of Utah’s population are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormons. But organisers are keen to promote other aspects of the state to the world and will remind visitors that Utah has five national parks and the Great Salt Lake itself — which produces 100,000 pounds of salt a year — and was the birthplace of outlaw Butch Cassidy. The SLOC has designed a games emblem under the slogan Contrast, Culture and Courage. The emblem represents the contrasts in Utah’s landscape, stretching from the desert to the snow-capped mountains, the blend of cultures in the region and the courage of games athletes, the committee says. Though there is growing excitement about the games in the region, not everyone is happy with the preparations. A coalition of community groups representing low-income residents has issued a “report card’’ on the SLOC, giving it poor marks for housing and community development and for civil liberties. “This year’s grades are so poor that we’ve decided to place the SLOC and Salt Lake City on academic probation,’’ said Glenn Bailey, spokesman for the group, Salt Lake Impact 2002 & Beyond. The group said the organisers got poor mark for civil liberties because “security fears may override protection of rights’’. Under the subject of Impact Mitigation, the group awarded the games a D+, saying: “Good effort planning to redistribute excess food but not enough progress despite lots of discussion with service providers.’’
Reuters |
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Jeev for US PGA
Tour event New Delhi, June
26 Jeev, who is sponsored by Hero Honda Motors, will thus become only the second Indian to feature in a US PGA Tour event in the USA. Arjun Atwal had made it through the Monday Qualifiers in the 1996 Buick Classic before finishing tied for the 43rd place in the main event. Two other Indians — Gaurav Ghei and Jyoti Randhawa — have made it to the British Open, one of the four majors which is part of the PGA Tour schedule. “It is the ultimate dream of every golfer to play on the PGA Tour, and I am excited about the possibilities. The International is one of the biggest events on the US Tour, and I am thankful to the sponsors for considering my case for an exemption”, Jeev said in a message from Japan. The invitation came after Jeev’s strong showing in the Dubai Dessert Classic, where he finished sixth and set a European Tour putting record, and on the Japanese PGA Tour, where he finished fourth in the recently-concluded Mizuno Open and was tied for the fourth place in the season-opening Token Corporation Cup. “I have already kept my cards for 2002 on both Japanese and European PGA Tours. That takes a lot of pressure off me, and I can now concentrate on getting into the PGA Tour. Of course, the best way would be to win The International and get a two-year exemption. But I am now focussing towards the Q School. That’s my final aim for the season”, said the 29-year-old Chandigarh-based pro. The International will be hosted for the 14th successive year by the Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado. The total prize at stake is a whopping $ 4 million, with the winner getting $ 720,000. |
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Archana
struggles, easy for Sheetal New Delhi, June 26 Struggling with her serve, and unable to keep pace with Yamini’s speed, Archana dropped the first set, but
recovered the lost ground in the second to even the score. But Archana found the going tough in the decider, as Yamini was not prepared to throw in the towel without giving a fight. Archana eventually prevailed over her opponent as her experience in tackling such situations stood her in good stead, to post a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. Fourth-seeded Sheetal Goutham played percentage tennis to outwit Archana’s sister Arthi in straight sets at 6-1, 6-2. The quarter-final line-up will be: Sonal Phadke vs Ankita Bhambri; Sheetal Goutham vs Laila Shetty; Isha Lakhani vs Samrita Sekar; Megha Vakharia vs Archana. All the four seeded players have made it into the last eight. In the doubles too, fancied pairs moved up without much ado. Top-seeded Sheetal Goutham and Liza Pereira recorded a crushing 6-2, 6-2 victory against Ankita Bhambri and Isha Lakhani. Sheetal and Liza have not lost a match in the current ITF Circuit doubles tourney and they made a good beginning in their bid to capture their fourth title in a row. Second-seeded Karishma Patel and Sonal Phadke suffered a mid-match slump before hitting back to oust Lata Assudani and Rati Kumar 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 while third-seeded Preeti Rao and Samrita Sekar beat the only foreign pair in the fray, Amanda Parson-Seigel of Denmark and Annie Irepanier of Canada 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, while Archana and Arthi, the fourth seeds, beat Nandita Chandrasekhar and Yamini Thukkaiandi 6-3, 6-2. |
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Bhiwani
emerge winners Chandigarh, June 26 Punita of Sonepat and Rishi of Madhuban were declared best athletes in 14-year age group, Anila of Bhiwani and Ramesh Kumar of Hisar were best athletes in 16-year age group, Renu Joon of Jhajjar and Surender Singh of Hisar were best in 18-year section and Sunil Joon of Jhajjar and Anni of Bhiwani were the best athletes in 20-year category. The results: Girls below 18 years: 400 m — 1 Mamlesh (Ambala),2 Mamta Jangra (Sirsa), 3 Neetu (Sirsa). Triple jump —1 Poonam Gill (Fatehabad), 2 Renu (Hisar), 3 Sharda — (Kurukshetra). Hammer throw — 1 Suman (Bhiwani), 2 Mukesh (Bhiwani), 3 Nisha (Gurgaon). Discus throw — 1 Indubala (Bhiwani), 2 Renu (Sonepat), 3 Nisha (Gurgaon). 100 m — 1 Mamlesh (Ambala), 2 Mamta Ranga (Sirsa), 3 Rekha (Bhiwani). Girls below 16 — 2000 m: I Sunita (Rohtak), 2 Sudesh (Hisar), 3 Suman (Sonepat). Javeline throw: 1 Uplesh (Bhiwani), 2 Sonu (Rohtak), 3 Seema (Sonepat). Discus throw — 1 Indu Bala (Bhiwani), 2 Premka (Sirsa), 3 Babli (Bhiwani). Below 14 years — 100 m — 1 Punita (Sonepat). 2 Promila (Rohtak), 3 Poonam (Gurgaon). 600m — 1 Renu Joon (Jhajjar), 2 Suman (Hisar), 3 Sunila (Hisar). Three-km walk — 1 Manju (Bhiwani), 2 Meena (Gurgaon), 3 Tulsi (Gurgaon). Boys below 20 — 100 m — 1 Surender (Hisar), 2 Mohit (Gurgaon), 3 Shiv Kumar (Sirsa). Pole Vault — 1 Ajit (Bhiwani), 2 Digvijay Chauhan (Gurgaon), 3 Tarmesh Singh (Kurukshetra) and Vijender (Hisar). Hammer throw — 1 Mukesh Kumar (Hisar), 2 Narender (Rohtak), 3 Madhu Kumar (Bhiwani). 800 m below 16 years — 1 Ram Pal (Gurgaon), 2 Arun (Gurgaon), 3 Rajesh Kumar (Hisar). Hammer throw — 1 Anil (Bhiwani), 2 Naresh (Bhiwani),3 Satbir Singh (Hisar). 100 m 1 Ramesh (Hisar), 2 Ram Bilas (Kurukshetra), 3 Jagminder Singh (Sirsa). 600 m below 14 — 1 Rishi (Madhuban), 2 Surender (Hisar), 3 Vinod (Kaithal). 100 m — 1 Rishi (Madhuban), 2 Ravinder (Hisar), 3 Surender (Hisar). |
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Bhutia keen to join Indian squad Kolkata, June 26 “I have not sought official permision to play for the touring national team from Bury FC yet. If allowed, I am keen to play for my country”, Bhutia told reporters here, adding that India’s England tour would be a stiff test of character and endurance. The 25-year-old striker said the exposure trip would not only give Indian players an opportunity to play in an altogether different condition, but also be a great learning experience. India is scheduled to land in England on July 20 and play Brentford (July 24), Nottimgham Forest (July 28), Leyton Orient (July 31) and Walsall (August 4). Bhutia, who still has one year of contract left with Bury FC, feels that a longer conditioning camp should be organised for Indian probables in order to prepare well for the arduous trip to England. The ace striker rated Nottimgham Forest as the strongest among the four clubs which would play India and warned that none of the outfits could be taken lightly. Bhutia said that Leyton Orient, a third division club, were also formidable as they had performed creditably in last season’s knock out competitions. The Indian captain said he was also looking forward to play against Manchester United who are due to visit Bury in August, apparently with a full strength team. On India’s dismal performance in the ongoing Merdeka Cup football tournament in Malaysia, Bhutia said the absence of some of the key players seemed to make a big difference. “Our performance in the Merdeka Cup could have been better if the forced changes to the squad that played in the pre-World Cup qualifiers could have been avoided.
PTI |
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Judo probables Ludhiana, June 26 Men - Navjot (Hsr),
Ashwani (Jal), Vashisht Gill (Hsr), Nitesh (Jal), ShivKumar (HSR), Bhupinder Singh (Bht), Pankaj Sharma (Jal), Kuljinder (Gdr), Jaswant (Jal) , Kuldip (Jal) , Brijlal (Jal), Sukhbir
(Gdr) Ashwani (Jal), Davinder Yadav (Jal) Mohinder Singh (Ldh) , Gagan Deep (Pat), Jatinder Handa (Hsr),Kuldip Raj (Gdr), Tarsem Lal (Bht), and Harjit Singh (Asr). Women- Priyanka (Jal), Narinder Kaur (Ldh), Namarta (Ldh), Sandeep (Hsr), Sajida (Hsr), Sarbjeet (Asr), Manpreet (Hsr), Anita (Hsr), Parvinder (Jal), Jyoti-inder (Ldh), Paramjeet (Jal), Aarti (Ldh), Jagjit (Ldh), Sandeep (Asr) , Rashmi (Hsr) Renu Deepak (Ldh), Jagjit Kaur (Asr), Sukhjit Kaur (Ldh) Jasmit Kaur (Asr) and Sandeep Kaur (Jal) |
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Dope seized Patiala, June 26 The authorities took into possession several packets of banned substances like anabolic steroids, beta-blockers, stimulants, amphetamines and diuretics which were found on the terrace of the Dhyan Chand Hostel. Interestingly, athletes attending the ongoing junior national athletics camp are residing in the same hostel. The athletes are scheduled to take part in the prestigious Federation Cup to be held at Bangalore from July 3 to 5. More significantly the Indian team for the junior Asian Athletic Championships, which is to be held at Brunei from July 19 to 21, is to be selected during the Federation Cup. |
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B’minton squad Chandigarh, June 26 The team is Boys—Sagar Chopra
(Mah), Vineet Manuel (Ker), Ayappan (Ker), Rajiv Goswami (Asm), B. Kiran (AP) and Jaideep Surviya (Guj). Girls — Shalini (Ktk), Bibari (Asm), Susan (Ker), Aparna (Ker), Sharitha (Ktk) and Sri Laxmi (AP). Coaches-Mr Kabir Chauhan (SAI) and Mr Ravinder Kapoor (Haryana). |
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Chautala
appointed Chandigarh, June 26 This was stated by Mr M.S. Malik, secretary-general, Haryana Olympic Association, here today. |
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Patiala ‘tosses out’
Hoshiarpur Patiala, June 26 In the two-day semifinal rain played spoilsport and not even a single ball could be bowled with the result that the umpires were left with no option but to decide the fate of the match by toss. In the final Patiala will take on the winner of the Amritsar and Jalandhar match. |
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