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Defending champ Henin bows out
Navratilova eyes one more Wimbledon
French Open Diary |
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Lawyers try to prove Jones’ innocence
Former champions battle it out in group of death
Hyderabad’s F1 plans halted in tracks? Ranji captains’ meet in Mumbai Sub-junior wrestling from today Parimarjan, Saheli
lift titles
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Defending
champ Henin bows out
Paris, May 26 Never before since the women’s event first welcomed international entrants in 1925 had a top seed lost before the third round but, under grey Parisian skies, last year’s champion slumped 7-5, 6-4 to little-known Italian Tathiana Garbin. It was the shock of the tournament so far and a result which will leave a major question mark over the Belgian’s health. She had not played a tournament In the men’s draw, Argentine Guillermo Coria continued his cull of compatriots while another tournament favourite, Carlos Moya, put friendship on hold to score a bittersweet second round win. Coria’s 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Juan Monaco was his 23rd win over a fellow Argentine in 25 meetings, while Moya’s 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 destruction of Fernando Vicente was his 11th straight win over his friend. Sloppy and undisciplined on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Henin-Hardenne blazed 30 unforced errors in the one hour 58-minute match. Henin-Hardenne had not played a tournament since Amelia Island in the second week of April.
On Wednesday she seemed to lack energy. She hit 10 doubles faults and lost her serve six times. All Garbin had to do was move her around and wait for the error — a task which was not beyond her as she recorded the best win of an undistinguished career. “I never played like this before,’’ she beamed courtside. ‘’I am so happy... I mean, she is world number one... this is incredible.’’ Third seed Amelie Mauresmo suffered jitters in her match but overcame a mid-match stutter to beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-0, 4-6, 6-1. The tournament’s third seed and one of the favourites after her back-to-back victories in Berlin and Rome in the last month, Mauresmo will be relieved to have reached the third round of her home grand slam. Fifth seed Moya had been barely able to look his friend Vicente in the eye throughout their one-sided clash on Court Suzanne
Lenglen. Alex Corretja, one of the wise veterans of Spanish tennis, gave a lecture on the state of the game in his country after easing into the French Open third round at the expense of Paradorn Srichapan today. “There are still some people who don’t know about (Spanish) tennis and say we’re all clay-court specialists,’’ Corretja said after his 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory over the 13th seeded Thai. The 30-year-old was one of three Spaniards to progress from the second round at Roland Garros early on Wednesday, along with fifth-seeded Carlos Moya and Galo Blanco. Compatriot Fernando
Verdasco, Valencia Open champion last month, went out 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 at the hands of Argentine Juan Antonio
Chela. Overall, though, Corretja believes the Spanish game is in rude health.
Paes-Rikl win New Delhi: Leander Paes and David Rikl have moved into the second round of the men’s doubles at the French Open grand slam tennis in Paris. The 10th seeded Indo-Czech pair defeated Juan Ignacio Carrasco and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 6-2, 6-4 in the first round today.
— Reuters, PTI |
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Navratilova eyes one more Wimbledon Paris, May 26 "This is my last year playing, not because I don't think I could do it for a few more years. But it's enough," said the 47-year-old Czech-born naturalised American legend after her controversial wildcard appearance at the French Open ended in predictable defeat yesterday at the hands of Argentina's Gisela Dulko, 28 years her junior. However, after collecting seven of her 18 career Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon, she wants to bow out only after one more appearance on the grass of the All-England Club. The problem is, she needs a little help to get to south-west London in June. "I need to see how the body holds up. I need to win a few matches at Eastbourne before I would put myself on the line at Wimbledon," said Navratilova who has yet to ask for a wildcard at the third Grand Slam of the season. She is still waiting to hear from the warm-up event at Eastbourne about an invitation. "I was asking for a wildcard for the main draw but they said they don't do that until ten days before the tournament." There's no doubt that Navratilova, with 167 singles titles and 173 doubles crowns, is still a draw card and can still play on fast courts - at Eastbourne two years ago, she played her first singles for eight years and embarrassed Tatiana Panova, the world number 22. Furthermore, last year she teamed up with Leander Paes to win the mixed doubles at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. "The reason I wanted to play singles again was to improve my doubles, to be a better player. I thought that if I could go out there and hold my own on a singles court, then it will help me in doubles." She had already played and lost two singles in Charleston and at Amelia Island earlier this year, again as a wildcard.
That caused a stir. "If I didn't feel I deserved a place in the tournament, then I would not have asked for a wildcard. I don't want a handout. I don't think I diminished the tournament by playing. "If I didn't think I was one of the best 128 players in the world, I wouldn't have asked for it. I made $ 400,000 last year. That's a pretty good living. "Could I make a living out of singles still? Absolutely, I could." Her opinion on the current state of the women's tour, a favourite topic, was reignited before the start of yesterday's match when she was ordered by the umpire to remove a banned sponsor's logo from her cap. She had to remove it with scissors before the tie could get underway. "There are different rules for different logos. We're making it difficult for sponsors to get visibility so we don't get as much money in the sport as we could." Navratilova hopes that her legacy to the sport will be a lasting one when she does finally walk away at the end of the year. "Times have changed," she said as she reflected on the days when she was asked to cover up her then unfashionable muscles by photographers.
— AFP |
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French Open Diary Paris, May 26 Whether the crowd was cheering her fashion bravado, Williams wore an all-fuschia ensemble, or easing her return to the scene of bad memories is no matter. “It was really exciting to come back out there,” said Serena, who won her first-round match against Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2. Parisian fans turned against Williams last year when she questioned calls during a semifinal loss to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne. They jeered her and applauded her mistakes. This time the mood was friendly. “I got out there and I got nice applause,” said Williams, seeded No 2 behind Henin-Hardenne. “It was interesting. I didn’t think anything about the semifinals. I just thought about playing my match.” After the victory, there was more talk about her clothes than her tennis. Always ready to make a bold fashion statement, Williams said she comes to Paris feeling compelled to turn it up a notch. “You have to when you’re in Paris,” Williams said. “It’s just a one-of-a-kind city, and you need to have one-of-a-kind outfits.” The ensemble “fuchsia with red hints,” she said was a two-piece miniskirt outfit with matching headband, a pompom-like ponytail holder and huge hoop earrings. It’s not a style just anyone can pull off, said No 7 Jennifer Capriati, who beat Yulia Beygelzimer of Ukraine 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. “You’ve got to give her credit for being confident and wearing what she wants to wear,” said Capriati, “and not caring what anybody says.” Serena says she’s inspired by Paris. “I’ve really been influenced by the Parisians and the way they dress,” Serena said. “The women here have very, very classy taste.”
Ferrero’s pain Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero says the thought of withdrawing because of injury was more painful than playing with bruised ribs. The top-seeded Spaniard took painkiller injections to numb his right side and rallied to beat Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. “It’s Roland Garros and I’m trying to defend a title, you know,” said
Ferrero, adding that he felt no pain during the match but had some trouble with his
serve. Ferrero bruised his right ribs in a fall on May 8 while practicing
in Spain. Earlier this week, he said there was a 60 per cent chance he would
withdraw.
Safin’s confidence Marat Safin’s nowhere near his peak form and he doesn’t like being reminded about it. “How many times they ask me this question?” said the Russian, winner of the 2000 US Open. “Far away. I’m far away. I’m far away.” In other words: “I’m definitely not in the best shape right now,” said
Safin, who was leading 5-7, 6-1, 4-1 in his first-round match against Agustin Calleri when the Argentine pulled out with pain in both
hamstrings. Safin faces Felix Mantilla in the second round. At Safin’s first Roland Garros appearance in 1998, he owned the spotlight. As a teenage
qualifier, the Russian upset Andre Agassi in the first round and then beat defending champion Gustavo
Kuerten, both in five-setters. Now 24, Safin is unseeded for the first time in his past 13 Grand Slam appearances. “I’m missing a little bit of confidence,” said
Safin, who has complained about being burned out. “The schedule is very tough. It’s tournament after tournament,” Safin said. “You can’t play and win them all.”
— AP |
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We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy: IOC chief Nicosia, May 26 Rogge told journalists the IOC would maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards drug-taking and he believed anti-doping scientists had finally caught up with drug cheats. “Doping is our number one priority,” he said. “We will augment the number of tests in Athens quite drastically. ” “The IOC never hesitated to disqualify famous athletes, may I remind you of Ben Johnson.” “We have sent home famous athletes in the last Olympic Games. We will do it in the future if that is needed, there is no doubt about that.” Canadian sprinter Johnson was stripped of his 100 metre Olympic gold in 1988 after testing positive for steroids. The U.S. has vowed to send a “clean” team to Athens after clamping down on drug-taking. Sprinter Kelli White accepted a two-year ban after admitting taking banned substances and was stripped of her two world championship gold medals. Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, who has repeatedly denied taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs, is the focus of rumours following an investigation into the BALCO lab by U.S. anti-doping officials. BALCO was named by U.S. anti-doping officials as the likely source of the previously unknown designer steroid THG last year. The development of a test for THG proved a major success in the battle against doping, trapping European sprint champion Dwain Chambers of Britain among others. “There are times when they (drug cheats) are not a step ahead and I think we are getting there today, and there are other times when all of a sudden new drugs appear for which we have no immediate testing,” Rogge said. “It has always been a game between the gamekeeper and the poacher and mostly the poacher has a bigger advance on the gamekeeper.” “But today I can say we have caught up with the cheats and we have the tests that are needed. In six months or a year’s time, maybe a new drug will appear and we will have to work very hard to catch up.” New tests for products such as human growth hormone, synthetic haemoglobin and practices like blood transfusion may be available before the Olympics in August, scientists and Olympic officials have said. Rogge said the IOC was committing resources to preventing genetic doping, reflecting concerns in the scientific community that advances in biotechnology and gene therapy could produce genetically modified athletes. However, he said genetic modification in sport was not seen as an immediate threat.
— Reuters |
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Lawyers
try to prove Jones’ innocence San Francisco, May 26 Jones’ team was given the documents — which she had seen before testifying before a grand jury in November — on Monday after meeting with US Anti-Doping Agency officials. The documents, which were seized in a raid of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative last year, were shown to The Associated Press last night. They contain negative urine tests that were purportedly from Jones, a ledger of her drug test results, a calendar with the initials M.J. that investigators implied was a schedule for steroid use during 2001, and a check written from Jones’ bank account to BALCO founder Victor Conte in 2000. Conte was one of four men indicted earlier this year for involvement in an alleged steroid-distribution ring. Many top athletes, including Jones and baseball slugger Barry Bonds, have been linked to Conte and BALCO. A Senate committee obtained evidence from the grand jury and gave it to USADA in hopes of guaranteeing a drug-free Olympic team in Athens in August.
— AP |
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I’m in control, says Beckham Cagliari (Italy), May 26 “I am totally in control,” he said at the England training camp ahead of the Euro 2004 championships which gets underway in Portugal on June 12. A turbulent few weeks for the England captain in which he has seen Real fail to win a single trophy and his marriage scrutinised following accusations of infidelity culminated with his sending off in the penultimate game of the Spanish season for calling a linesman a ‘hijo de puta’ (‘son of a whore’). His fury as he screamed at the official evoked memories of the petulant Beckham who was sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup for flicking out a heel at Diego Simeone, but the 29-year-old insists those days are long behind him. “People have said that the red mist is back and I am back to the days of that game against Argentina. “Sometimes you’re so frustrated and tense that those things happen and that’s been the case because we haven’t played our best football in the late stage of the season. “I’d heard players saying the offending phrase to the linesman and the referee just before, but maybe it sounded more aggressive coming from me.” Yet events before Beckham’s press conference at England’s training camp in Sardinia hardly suggested a player in control of his emotions. Upset by media coverage of his alleged affairs, Beckham had already imposed a ban on speaking to BBC News, ITN News and Sky TV, but yesterday attempted - fruitlessly - to extend that sanction to include the Daily Mail - which he branded ‘a disgrace’ - and the News of the World. Nonetheless, when he did finally appear, he was as polite as ever, even if there was a sense of imposed control. After a promising start to the season, Beckham has seen his dreams of a treble of Champions League, Spanish league and Spanish Cup crumble as Real’s form deteriorated to the extent that they lost their final five games of the season. “People keep saying this has been a disappointing season, but I personally have enjoyed it,” Beckham admitted. “I’ve enjoyed my time at Real Madrid. Whatever rumours there were about me coming back to England, they weren’t started by me. I’ve had to prove to people that I could play football and not just to sell shirts.” Whether he has been a success in the central midfield role he has adopted in Madrid is open to debate, but he acknowledged he is highly unlikely to play anywhere other than on his more accustomed right flank in Euro 2004, with his former Manchester United team-mate Nicky Butt taking up the anchor role in England’s midfield diamond. “I think you always need players like Nicky Butt in the side,” he said, before looking ahead to England’s opening game of the tournament against reigning champions France. “When you read through the France squad it’s actually quite frightening. We’ve got a strong squad, but we need someone who can win the ball in midfield. Nicky Butt’s definitely that player.”
— AFP |
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Rigid drug
rehab schedule for Maradona Buenos Aires, May 26 The 43-year-old football great, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, has been at a psychiatric hospital in a Buenos Aires suburb since early May, when he was rushed to a private clinic for lung and heart problems. Dr Alfredo Cahe, Maradona’s personal physician, said he appeared to be taking drug rehab seriously “for the first time in his life”. “He’s adapting well,” Cahe told Radio 10. “He’s undergone previous treatments but nothing as rigorous as this”. Maradona, an admitted cocaine addict, had been undergoing drug rehabilitation in Cuba for the last four years before he was hospitalised twice after returning to Argentina in April on personal business. Each time, he was placed in intensive care. Cahe said he was consulting with Maradona and his family to see if he should continue treatment outside the country. He said Maradona had finally agreed to accept treatment after initial resistance. |
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Former champions battle it out in group of death
Prague, May 26 Latvia, in the finals of a major tournament for the first time in their history, face an unenviable task against three nations with a rich pedigree in the competition. West Germany won the European title in 1972 and 1980 and the united Germany were victors in 1996 — against the Czechs. The old Czechoslovakia won the competition in 1976, beating West Germany, while the Dutch success came in 1988. To add to the already intense competition of making the two qualifying spots there are historical rivalries that will liven up the encounters next month. A game between the Germans and Dutch is one of European football’s great fixtures, always with additional spice and often a little rancour. The Dutch have not lost to Germany since a friendly in 1996 but have not faced them in a major tournament since the European Championship in Sweden in 1992, when they won 3-1. Two clashes with the former West Germany remain memorable in what has become an international version of a ‘derby’ match. There was a 2-1 Dutch win in 1988 when Marco van Basten’s late effort sent the men in orange through to the final where they beat the former Soviet Union — their only major title. Two years later in the World Cup in Italy, the Dutch lost 1-2 to West Germany in a great second-round game spoilt by an ugly incident when defender Frank Rijkaard spat at Rudi Voeller, now the Germany coach. The Czechs have revenge on their mind — it was the Germans who beat them in the final of Euro 96 and a defeat to the Dutch played a major part in stopping the central Europeans from qualifying for the 2002 World Cup finals. That was partly avenged in qualifying for Portugal. A 1-1 draw in Rotterdam and the Czechs’ 3-1 win on home soil ensured Karel Brueckner’s side qualified automatically for the finals and forced the Netherlands into a playoff against Scotland. If there is a slight favourite to top the group it is probably, on form, the Czechs. Since the 64-year-old Brueckner took over at the end of 2001, they have lost only twice in 22 matches and, inspired by European Footballer of the Year Pavel Nedved, they cruised through the qualifying stage with seven wins and one draw. Former Manchester United winger Karel Poborsky, towering Dortmund striker Jan Koller and his club team-mate and playmaker Tomas Rosicky, also help to make up an impressive Czech side. The line-up combines experience from the Euro 96 side with fresh blood injected from the successful under-21 side. Dutch coach Dick Advocaat also has no shortage of talent with Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield and an attack that could feature Ruud van Nistelrooy, Patrick Kluivert, Roy Makaay, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink or Pierre van Hooijdonk. Germany showed in reaching the 2002 World Cup final that a shortage of worldclass players has not reduced their ability to win games at the highest level.
— Reuters |
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Hyderabad’s F1 plans halted in tracks? Hyderabad, May 26 State Finance Minister K. Rosaiah said they would review the move to bring in Formula one circuit to Hyderabad. “We will have to take a closer look at the whole thing before we can commit anything,” he told reporters. Mr Naidu, as part of the hardsell to get the race to Hyderabad, had led a government delegation last September to Milan and made a presentation to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to convince him to add India to the racing circuit. The former Chief Minister, who watched the Italian Grand Prix at Monza during the trip, later expressed confidence that the first F1 racing event would be held in Hyderabad in 2006. Ecclestone said at the time that Hyderabad was the front-runner for an eventual race in India, though he did not rule out Maharashtra, another state vying to host the prestigious event. While the then Opposition Congress lambasted Naidu for planning to spend huge amounts on the construction of a Grand Prix circuit when there were more pressing issues that required attention, Naidu claimed that the racing track would provide 70,000 jobs and would generate investment in the region. The Telugu Desam government identified 1300-acre site on the outskirts of the city for the construction of the track and promised a host of incentives for racing organisers, which were not made public. Though the Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had said he was not opposed to Formula one, sources close to him affirmed that given the new government’s priorities, Dr Reddy would be least interested in pursuing the international sport event with the same vigour. “The F one managers have asked for clarifications and written concessions which the new government is not likely to respond positively,” the sources said. No wonder that Grandprix.com, the Formula one news website, commented immediately after the election results, “ The defeat of Chandrababu Naidu in the Indian elections in the state of Andhra Pradesh could spell disaster for the plans for an Indian GP in 2007,” adding that if the Hyderabad bid fails, it will be a big boost for the rival state of Maharashtra. |
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Ranji captains’
meet in Mumbai Mumbai, May 26 The conclave has been convened to discuss the conduct of various domestic
tournaments last season and elicit suggestions from the participants for any further improvement. Former India captain Polly Umrigar, recently came out in public against inclusion of a foreign team in the Duleep Trophy tournament as was done last year when England A team took part. Umrigar said he felt the presence of a foreign team in this inter-zonal tournament, which was given the utmost respect and routinely served as a selection trial ahead of an international season by the BCCI in the bygone days, dilutes its importance. |
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Sub-junior wrestling from today Jalandhar, May 26 No fight took place today even as the competition for various categories of weights would take off tomorrow following formal inauguration of the championship by local MP Rana Gurjit Singh. Punjab team: Freestyle:
Sabi (42 kg), Amandeep (46 kg), Sukhmandir (50kg), Gurdeep (54kg), Sukhjit (58 kg), Munish (63kg), Gurmej (76kg), Tajinder (69 kg), Suraj Bir (85 kg) and Jatinder (100 kg). Greco-Roman:
Jagmeet (42kg), Sunil (46kg), Harpreet (50kg), Virpal (54kg), Vikram (58kg), Gurpreet (63kg), Manjinder (69kg), Kulwant Rai (76kg), Randhir (85kg) and Rashpal (100kg). |
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Parimarjan, Saheli
lift titles Kozhikode, May 26 Second seed Saheli Nath engaged the Modern Defence to beat P Lakshmi Sahithi of Andhra Pradesh in 56 moves while Negi used the Sicilian Defence to overcome Keerthi in 51 moves.
— UNI |
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Paris, May 26
