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Sunday,
September 23, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Nehra out,
Sachin fit Ace batsman Sachin
Tendulkar and physio Andrews Leipus undergoing fitness test at Wankhede
stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. — PTI photo Jelena
Dokic, Arantxa to meet in final Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia returns a backhand against Kim Clijsters of Belgium during the semifinals in the Toyota Princess Cup Women’s Tennis Tournament in Tokyo on Saturday. Dokic beat Clijsters 7-5, 6-4.
— Reuters photo |
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Australian pair Todd Woodbridge (L) and Wayne Arthurs (R) are embraced by team captain John Fitzgerald (C) after they defeated Swden’s Magnus Larsson and Jonas Bjorkman in their Davis Cup semifinal doubles match in Sydney on Saturday. The Australians won in four sets 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 to lead the tie at two matches to one. EME, ITBP
win in Gurmit hockey Nazma,
Rohan lift badminton titles Karan,
Isha are champions Dream
come true for Mandeep SBOP
move into cricket final Gaganinder
stars in Patiala win Karate
meet from Sept 28 Gurdarshan
soccer from Sept 30 BSF,
Signals in final Volleyball meet inaugurated
TT
tourney
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Mumbai, September 22 Cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele told reporters that it would take at least another two weeks for Delhi speedster Nehra to recover and be completely fit. “So, he has been ruled out of the one-day series by team physio Andre Leipus and sports medicine expert Dr Anant Joshi,” Mr Lele said and added that his replacement would be announced tomorrow. Baroda seamer Zaheer Khan, who had been ruled out earlier this week for not having recovered from a shin injury, took the fitness test today but failed to clear it. Tendulkar, who had injured his toe during the Zimbwawe tour, leg spinner Anil Kumble who has made a comeback after a long lay-off due to shoulder operation and medium pacer Javagal Srinath have been found fit, he said. The two-day fitness Tests for the entire South Africa bound Indian team, which will leave on Monday, began this evening. Leipus said Nehra did whatever the fitness experts asked him to do but he needed a couple of weeks’ rest so that there would be no recurrence of the injury he sustained six weeks ago in Sri Lanka. “We did not want to risk him before he recovered totally “, he said. About Tendulkar, Leipus, said he was comfortable wearing the new sole in his shoes and fit to play though his toe injury would still take some time to heal. The master batsman will have to wear the specially designed shoe for the rest of his career to avoid a recurrence of the injury, he said. About the kind of exercises the players went through, the physio said, “Basically we are training them to strengthen their muscles and joints so that they do not get injured repeatedly as lot of cricket is being played now a days”. “Today, I was testing their speed and strength and they came out with flying colours though I have to study the reports more intensely. However, I think the rest of the players are fully fit and the board will name the replacement for Nehra tomorrow after the nets,” Leipus added. The three stand-by medium-pacers — Ajit Agarkar, Debasish Mohanty and Rakesh Patel — were also present. Tendulkar took three runs within 10 seconds between the wickets repeatedly till he was totally satisfied. Seamers Venkatesh Prasad, Harvinder Singh and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Virendra Sehwag were made to run short bursts of 30 yards repeatedly till they got tired. The last to run out of steam was Sodhi who looked the fittest of the lot. Leipus was assisted by Dr Joshi and Dr Bhujang Pai while all the selectors, as also chairman Chandu Borde and Mr Lele were present during the fitness test.
PTI |
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Jelena Dokic, Arantxa to meet in
final
Tokyo, September 22 Fifth-seeded Spaniard Sanchez-Vicario encountered few problems against compatriot Gala Leon Garcia in a baseline duel, winning 6-3, 7-5 in front of a crowd of 6,719 at Ariake Colosseum. Dokic, the No. 3 seed, struggled in the first set but needed only 29 minutes to wrap up the second and reach her second straight tour final after finishing runner-up to Monica Seles at last week’s Brazil Open. The pair traded breaks until the ninth game of the first set when Clijsters finally held for 5-4 as the two 18-year-olds struggled in the blustery conditions on centre court. Dokic, who won her first career title at the Italian Open in May, broke again for 6-5 thanks to a missed volley from the Belgian and then wrapped up the first set with a big serve down the middle. Dokic kept Clijsters pinned behind the baseline for most of the second set as she found greater accuracy and depth on her groundstrokes, quickly gaining a double break for a 4-0 lead while her opponent’s errors mounted. Clijsters, the world No. 5, bravely attempted to dig herself out of the hole she was in at 1-5 down by reeling off three straight games, but Dokic quickly recovered her composure to serve out the match in 71 minutes. “Once I got to 2-0 in the second set, I really got on top of her. She gave me a few errors, but I was aggressive and stayed with my game,’’ said Dokic after levelling her head-to-head record with Clijsters to 2-2. “I don’t think there was any specific turning point, but I think my serve was a major problem today,’’ said Clijsters, who reached the final of this year’s French Open. Sanchez-Vicario, who had lost her only previous match against Leon Garcia two years ago, dictated the tempo of today’s second semifinal in a battle of claycourt specialists. The four-time Grand Slam champion was never seriously troubled by the unseeded Leon Garcia, who committed a string of unforced errors to assist Sanchez-Vicario to only her second straight sets victory of the week. Sanchez-Vicario, who is 11 years older than Dokic, holds a 3-2 record against the Yugoslav but has lost their last two matches, most recently a 4-6, 5-7 defeat at last month’s U.S. Open. “I have nothing to lose against Dokic, which helps me. She has more pressure,’’ said Sanchez-Vicario. “She’s very powerful but she’s a bit up and down so I have to be ready to take my chances.’’
Reuters |
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Aussies edge past Sweden Sydney, September 22 The Australian combination of Todd Woodbridge and Wayne Arthurs slugged it out with the Swedish pair Jonas Bjorkman and Magnus Larsson in a titanic doubles rubber before prevailing 6-7 (3/7) 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7/3). The triumph, played out over three hours and 36 minutes before a wildly partisan home crowd, propelled the Australians to a 2-1 lead in the semi-final tie with the two reverse singles matches to play tomorrow. The winner will play France or the Netherlands in the November 30 to December 2 final. The Australians, just like yesterday’s opening day singles, had to scrap from behind to overcome the resilient Swedes and the home pair determinedly wore down the Scandinavians for a crucial victory in the pivotal doubles rubber. The 18th-ranked Thomas Johansson upset world No 4 Pat Rafter, 3-6 6-7 (8/10) 6-3 6-2 6-3 and world No 3 Hewitt Downed Bjorkman, 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/2) in yesterday’s singles. Australian captain John Fitzgerald decided to stick with his originally-nominated doubles pair amid speculation that he might have flung in-form US Open champion Hewitt into the fray. But Woodbridge, who partnered the now retired Mark Woodforde to 11 Grand Slam doubles titles, and Arthurs vindicated Fitzgerald’s faith with a resolute performance. Bjorkman was backing up in the warm conditions after toiling for three hours and 37 minutes against Hewitt yesterday. Sweden broke twice to establish a 4-0 lead in the opening set, but Australia levelled when Bjorkman and Larsson were broken. The set spilled into the first of the tiebreakers and the Swedes held three set points before taking it 7 points to 3. Bjorkman fought off two break points in the seventh game before the second set was decided by another tiebreaker. The Australians advanced to 6-2 and levelled the match when Larsson double-faulted. Sweden made the first break in the third set when after two Woodbridge double-faults, an Arthurs’ backhand went long. Australia broke back immediately on Larsson’s serve when the tall Swede netted for 4-4. Arthurs staved off two break points in the next game, but games went with service to the third tiebreak. Both teams had three mini breaks but Arthurs brought up set point with a winner at the net and followed that up with another put-away for Australia to hit the front for the first time in the match and the tie at 7 points to 5. Arthurs’ serve was again under pressure and he was down two set points at 4-5, 15-40 in the fourth set but he held on. The set again was decided by a tiebreaker, but a couple of Larsson errors contributed to the Australians holding three match points at 6-3. Arthurs clinched the win with a clean ace down the middle to pandemonium from the 10,000 stadium crowd.
AFP |
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EME, ITBP win in Gurmit hockey Chandigarh, September 22 While EME relied on two first-half goals by Gurmail Singh to subdue an off-colour Chandigarh Police, ITBP demolished P & T, Ludhiana, 4-1 after the two teams were level 1-1 at the end of the first half. Parveen Tiru put ITBP ahead with a field goal in the 14th minute but Dharampal Singh found the equaliser for P & T two minutes later. In the second half, ITBP came back strongly and scored three more goals through Bir Singh and Sunil (two) to send the rivals packing. Tomorrow SAI Patiala will take on Sikh Regimental Centre while Chandigarh XI will meet EME. |
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Nazma, Rohan lift badminton titles Sangrur, September 22 In view of the likely thrilling clash, the Ranbir Club was full to capacity much before the final match between two former Panjab champions Rohan and Jaideep started. And they did not disappoint the audience. Rohan won 7-5, 7-4, 7-5 in over 40 minutes. The final score line may look comfortable but it was far from smooth sailing. On more than one occasion, Kohli’s refusal to give up saw him dive all around the court, to the delight of the crowd. Rohan’s victory was a fitting reward for the hard work he has done this year. Throughout the match, he kept his cool, playing his shots
comfortably and waited for his rival Kohli to make mistakes. The ladies singles final was a display of Nazma’s supremacy. Nazma crushed junior Panjab champion Arti Verma 7-3, 7-2, 7-0 and retained the title. Much was expected from Arti as she had played well in the championship. But facing Nazma was an altogether different story. Arti had no match to Nazma’s powerful smashes and perfect tosses. Second seed pair of Gurmukh Singh and Harish Chander defeated third seeds Chanderdeep and Navdeep Singh 0-7, 7-0, 7-2, 7-3 to clinch the men’s doubles title. Harish and Gurmukh Singh demonstrated why they are considered best doubles pair in the state at the moment. They played with a combination of power and delicate touches to overwhelm their opponents forcefully. Navdeep and Chander started well by winning the first game rather comfortably but found it difficult to counter Gurmukh’s powerful smashes and delicate placings of Harish in the next three games, which they lost. Women’s doubles was once again a tame affair like the singles. Nazma Parveen and Meeta Bhandari combined well to trounce Arti and Navneet 7-3, 7-1, 7-2 in just 15 minutes. Nazma and Harish joined together to bag another title in mixed doubles. They defeated Munish and Meeta Bhandari 7-1, 7-3, 7-1 comfortably. It was Nazma’s third and Harish’s second titles in the championships. |
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Karan, Isha are champions Chennai, September 22 Rastogi defeated Gajjar 7-6 (6), 6-4. Lakhani won after Dandeniya, trailing 0-3 in the first set tie-break and suffering from fever, conceded the match. Lakhani thus secured a grand double having won the doubles title yesterday in the company of Megha Vakaria. “I have been down with fever. Moreover, I am unable to withstand this hot weather, which sapped me,” Rebecca said later. Lakhani broke her rival in the 10th game only to be broken back. However, the diminutive Lakhani, more accurate with her groundstrokes and double-handed crosscort shots, managed to win the 12th game to take the set to the tie-break. In the tie-break, Rebecca showed signs of exhaustion and trailing 0-3, she threw in the towel. In the boys’ final, Rastogi was far superior to his opponent in temperament and all round play. To Gajjar’s credit, he did fight back from 2-4 in the first set, before losing in the tie-break. In the second, Rastogi was leading 5-2, before Gajjar rallied to take the next two games. But Rastogi got his rhythm back just in time, to win the 10th game and match 6-4.
PTI |
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Dream come true for Mandeep Ludhiana, September 22 “I always knew, I could make it if I do it to Bulgaria,” an emotional Mandeep told TNS on return. In the absence of financial resources, she had almost given up hope of making it to the World Championship. After this newspaper published a report on her plight, several well-meaning sports enthusiasts came forward and helped her out. Mandeep has lived up to her reputation of being among the strongest women of India, the title won at Jamshedpur at the Senior National Powerlifting Championship, where she had won the gold in the under-60 kg category. In Bulgaria Mandeep lifted 430 kg to become the first Indian woman in the past 26 years to achieve this feat at an international event. Satisfied with her performance, Mandeep is all smiles now in sharp contrast to her position prior to her departure for Sofia. She said “I was really very happy when the Indian Tricolour was unfurled and the National Anthem was played,” she says. Her achievement was acknowledged at the venue itself when Mr Subrata Dutta, general secretary of Indian Powerlifting Federation, who accompanied her, described her achievement as “an incredible achievement in the history of Indian sports”. At the Bulgaria meet, 32 competitors from all over the world participated. Mandeep is currently a student at Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana. While the overall gold was won by the USA the silver went to Russia. Besides her, participants from India
who won in other events included Tajeshwari who won a gold in bench press, J.S. Cheema who won a bronze in +125 squat bench. Faiz Ahmed who won silver in 67.5 kg squat bench event and Parveen Kumar who won the silver in the 56 kg men dead lift event. Mandeep said she would have performed even better, but for the cold climate (about 4 degrees Celsius), which caused severe cramps and affected her performance. In the national events Mandeep had lifted 445 kg while she could lift only 430 kg in this international meet, resulting in the loss of an overall silver medal by a very narrow margin. She also disclosed that a vast difference in food and other dietary habits also hindered her performance. As Mandeep is all set to participate in the Senior World Championship to be held in November this year either, she is all praise for Mr Pardeep Kumar, her instructor at Co-Body Gym, for coaching her. Besides, she is greateful to Mr Satish Sood, Mr Adesh Bajaj, Mr Kulbir Singh, Mr Sanjeev Pahwa, Mr Sanjay Bansal, Mr P.K. Datta and Mr O.S. Paul who extended financial support making her trip possible. Mandeep’s college too contributed Rs 25,000 towards her trip. Once again, Mandeep seeks support from the sports-loving people to sponsor her trip for the Senior World Championship. She has already proven her credibility by bringing laurels to the country. She becomes the only Indian woman after Arun Datta of Andhra Pradesh to achieve such distinction in powerlifting. |
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SBOP move into cricket
final Faridkot, September 22 In reply Jonex XI were bundled out for 113 in 22.1 overs. Sanjay Mahajan and Rajeev took two wickets each for 13 and 20 runs, respectively. In another match Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association XI beat Perfect XI Chandigarh by 171 runs. Batting first HPCA scored 212 for three wickets in 25 overs. Rahul Panta, Nitesh and Amit Verma made 62, 53 and 47 runs respectively for the winning team. In reply the losers were bowled out for 42 runs. Rahul Panta took three wickets for 16 runs. |
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Gaganinder
stars in Patiala win Patiala, September 22 Chasing Jalandhar’s total of 217, Patiala were tottering at 132 for five before Gaganinder Garry rescued the hosts. Driving on both sides of the wicket with aplomb, the young Patiala opener peppered his knock with 12 well-executed boundaries. Brief scores: Patiala-218 for 8 (Gaganinder Garry 90, Harikrishan Mandora 36, Lakhbir Singh 47 n.o, Gautam Mandora 20; Vaneet Sharma 3 for 31, Samrat Sharma 3 for 50, Ishan Malhotra 2 for 69) |
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Karate
meet from Sept 28 Patiala, September 22 The championships will also act as trials to select the Punjab karate team which will participate in the 6th Junior and Subjunior National Karate Championships to be held in the first week of November at Patiala. |
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Gurdarshan
soccer from Sept 30 Patiala, September 22 Mr Sukhchain Singh Grewal, president of the organising committee, disclosed that the dates of the tournament had been approved by the All-India Football Federation (AIFF). Top teams of the country, including JCT Mills, BSF, Punjab Police, PSEB, Chandigarh Police, RCF, SRC Ramgarh, AG Haryana and Heroes Club, Ambala have confirmed their entries. Cash prizes of Rs 33,000/- and Rs 22,000/- will be given to the winners and runners-up respectively. The final, which is scheduled to be played on October 7, will be telecast live by Jalandhar Doordarshan. |
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BSF, Signals in final Faridkot, September 22 Earlier in the semifinals BSF defeated SAIL Jalandhar by 2-1 goals. The winning team scored the goals in the 27th and 58th minutes whereas the solitary goal by the opponents was scored in the 33rd minute. In another semifinal Signals beat Indian Air Force, Ambala, 4-2. The winners were leading by 3-1 in the first half. |
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Volleyball meet inaugurated Parwanoo, September 22 Ms Kiran Kapoor, Principal of the school, delivered a welcome address. A cultural programme was organised by the students of the school. Ms Kapoor exhorted the participants to compete for the trophy, but not to lose heart if they failed to win it. She said playing the game in the right spirit should be the main object of the competition. The tournament will conclude on Sunday. |
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TT tourney Ludhiana, September 22 Entries closewith Mr Jaspal Singh, organising secretary and table tennis coach, PAU on September 26. Competitions in four categories — cadet boys and girls, subjunior boys and girls, junior boys and girls as well as senior men and women — will be held during this three-day tournament. Attractive prizes will be given to the winners. |
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GNKC champs Kurukshetra, September 22 |
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Chess tourney Patiala, September 22 Players desirous of taking part in the championships may send their entries to Mr Vinod Gupta, Ms Gupta Steel Works, Sangrur Road, Nabha till September 25. |
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Tennis
trials Amritsar, September 22 |
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Mumbai, September 22
Tokyo, September 22
