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Federer, Agassi advance
‘It was good to know I could match Serena’
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Mahesh-Woodbridge enter last 16
Sunil to take on Greul in final
Rain rescues Australia
Pak cricketer accused of rape
Warne, Murali to bowl in tandem
Aussie cricketer gets 2-month ban
Anand defeats Morozevich
Sher-e-Jalandhar
thrash Veerans
Punjab 151 for 1
Gujarat need 135 to win
National Stadium Cricket Centre win
Jalandhar, Phagwara
colleges in semis
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Federer, Agassi advance
Melbourne, January 21 Federer, already one of the hottest favourites in tennis history to win the tournament, was given a free ride into the last 16 when Jarkko Nieminen of Finland quit their match after less than an hour. Nieminen appeared to strain a stomach muscle at the end of the first set. He decided to play on but the pain became too unbearable so he stopped with Federer leading 6-3, 5-2. Safin, runner-up to Federer in last year’s final, overcame an ankle injury to beat Mario Ancic of Croatia 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on a day of celebration for the Russians who stormed the women’s draw. US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova Nadia Petrova, Vera Douchevina and Evgenia Linetskaya, all Russians, won their singles matches today. Kuznetsova, who is threatening to sue a Belgian politician who wrongly accused her of being a drug cheat, shrugged off the distraction to beat Argentine Mariana Diaz-Oliva 6-3, 7-6. Nadia Petrova, the 11th seed, defeated Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva 6-4, 6-4, Evgenia Linetskaya upset Amy Frazier of the USA 6-3, 6-4 and Vera Douchevina eased past Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 7-5, 6-4. Wimbledon champion and fourth seed Maria Sharapova crushed Chinese hope Li Na 6-0, 6-2 to reach the fourth round. Li, 22, was playing in her first Grand Slam event and was outclassed by her more experienced teenage opponent. Sharapova will play 15th seed Silvia Farina Elia in the fourth round after the Italian crushed British qualifier Elena Baltacha 6-1, 6-0. The stunning progress of the Russians overshadowed French second seed Amelie Mauresmo’s impressive 6-2, 7-5 win over rising Serb teenager Ana Ivanovic. Safin, trying to conserve his energy, turned his right ankle early in the fourth set but shrugged it off to set up a meeting with Olivier Rochus of Belgium after his 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Karol Beck. Eighth seed Andre Agassi of the USA defeated compatriot Taylor Dent 7-5, 7-6, 6-1, to enter the fourth round. Former champion Thomas Johansson won his third straight five-setter with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over American Kevin Kim. The Swede, Australian Open champion three years ago, looked on his way out when he lost the third set on a tiebreak but dug deep to set up a fourth round clash with 20th seed Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia. Hrbaty was also involved in a marathon match before beating French Open champion Gaston Gaudio 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3. Qualifier Marcos Baghdatis raised Cypriot tennis to new heights when he stunned 13th seed Tommy Robredo of Spain 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the fourth round. Sweden’s Joachim Johansson defeated Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6, 13-11.
— Reuters |
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‘It was good to know I could match Serena’
Melbourne, January 21 “It was good to know that I can match her. I had some good chances, but she took her chances when it counted,” Sania said after going down 6-1, 6-4 to the American seventh seed in the women’s singles third round at the Vodafone Arena. The 18-year-old Hyderabad girl, ranked 166 on the WTA Tour, was the first Indian woman to reach this far in a Grand Slam event. She put up a spirited display in the second set, where she forced three break points and saved two match points. Serena, however, raised her game when it mattered and maintained her
straight-set win record in the event. “That is the difference between girls in the top 10 and the rest of us. She played the big points better,” said Sania, who earned the biggest pay cheque of her career, $ (Aus) 46,250. She grabbed 66 WTA points, equivalent to winning 11 $ 10,000 titles, that should push her ranking to around 130 when updated at the end of the month. Sania said she did feel nervous in the lead-up to what she had described as the “biggest match of her life”. “I had butterflies in my stomach for two days. I could not get to sleep last night. In the first set, I was very tight. But I was more confident as I got the feel of play. I had fun,” she said. The 2003 Wimbledon girls doubles champion said she missed her parents, who were on a Haj pilgrimage. “Their prayers have obviously been with me because I got to the third round. Unfortunately they have not been able to see me play, but I have been speaking to them a lot on the phone,” the teenager said. Sania hoped that her exploits on the banks of Yarra river would inspire confidence in her compatriots. “If I can do it, anyone can do it. That is what this should mean to the other girls (in India),” she said.
— PTI |
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Sania wins hearts Down Under
Melbourne, January 21 The Australian Open organisers usually do not expect anything sensational in a preliminary round women’s match, but the atmosphere in Sania’s match against seventh seed Serena Williams can be described in one word — electric. The third round game had everything the organisers could ask for — full house, competitive tennis and tremendous atmosphere. Sania, a wild card entry in this Grand Slam tournament, clearly looked overawed in the presence of a flamboyant, larger-than-life Serena in the first set, which she lost 1-6 to the American. Thanks to vocal support from flag-waving Indian fans and her own inner resolve, Sania gave a tough fight to Serena, extending the second set to a close 6-4. The fact that she saved two match points on her serve, reflects the spirit this young Indian girl possesses. The Indian community has been rallying behind this great hope ever since her wild card entry in the season-opening grand slam tourney was announced. It would not be a gross exaggeration to say that in the past one week, Sania has emerged from Sania who? to become the most well-known Indian personality walking the southern hemisphere. A large number of Indian fans were disappointed by the timing of the match as it ran into prime time television programming by the official telecaster Channel Seven. Undoubtedly, pubs and bars with pay television sports channels may have benefitted from the brown-skinned cheer squads. The teenagers among the South Asian community have instantly adopted her as their pin-up girl. The fact that the education institutions in Australia are closed for summer break has added to the building of hype around Sania’s Melbourne campaign. The unbridled, one-day-cricket-like enthusiasm was on full display in the Friday Melbourne Open game at Flinders Park as team Sania thronged the arena with the Tricolours, placards and painted faces. The number of spectators in the Sania-Serena game was clearly higher than the one that featured current Russian heart-throb Maria Sharapova. The excitement shown by the Sania brigade on Friday at Flinders Park is usually reserved for the likes of Sachin Tendulkars, Aishwarya Rais and Daler Mehndis. Sania may not remember or respond positively to a cheeky placard saying ‘Marry me Sania’ but she will certainly remember the Melbourne Grand Slam as her entry point to what is known as the top tier of women’s tennis.
— IANS |
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Home town pats Sania
Hyderabad, January 21 Former Davis cupper S.P. Misra said though we did not expect a victory over Serena, she lived up to expectations. Had she played the same game in the first set, like she played in the second, it would have given her more confidence to put up a better show against the former number one, he said. “We are satisfied with her performance. This will give her more confidence to play better in the future tournaments”, he
said. Narendranath, former national champion, supervising Sania’s coaching in Hyderabad, said, “she played extremely well. She matched her superior rival in groundstrokes and in every department of the game. Only in service did Serena have the upper hand. Sania played better in the second set. This experience will give her more confidence to put up a better show in the WTA tournament in Hyderabad starting from February 7”. Andhra Pradesh Lawn Tennis Association secretary Raja Narasimha Rao said, “We did not hope that Sania would win, but taking one or two games from her rival was essential for her to gain confidence”. Rao said he was satisfied with Sania’s game. He hoped that more crowds would come to see Sania and other big players like Tamarine Tanasugarn and Iroda
Tulyaganova, and young players like Na Li and Maria Kirilenko. Sania’s parents, Imran Mirza and Naseema
Mirza, who were on a
pillgrimage, were not available for comment. Her younger sister Anam said she was happy that Sania played a former number one player and put up a better show, especially in the second set.
— UNI |
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Keep it up, says Sonia
New Delhi, January 21 “Rahul, Priyanka, Robert and I are thrilled by your performance in the Australian Open. Keep it up and we wish you all the best,” Ms Gandhi said in her message. “All of India is proud of you. We are confident that you will achieve much more,” she said.
— PTI |
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Mahesh-Woodbridge enter last 16
Melbourne, January 21 The Indo-Australian pair, seeded third, defeated Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the second round. Bhupathi and Woodbridge would next meet Albert Costa and Rafael Nadal of Spain, who beat 15th seed French duo of Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (7-2), |
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Sunil to take on Greul in final
New Delhi, January 21 On a cold and windy day, the former national champion outclassed the giant-killer Istomin in all departments of the game to emerge the winner with the scoreline reading 6-4, 6-1. Simon Greul made short work of another unseeded player Lester Cook in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal. Later, in the doubles, the top seed pair of Harsh Mankad and Ajay Ramaswami combined well to outpace Ashutosh Singh and Dekel Valtzer 6-4, 6-2 to win the title. Sunil, who yesterday ousted top seed Micheal Sherwood, was in irresistible form and that showed in his display. The left-handed Indian dominated the court and never allowed the Uzbek any quarter. Istomin, who had stunned third seed Harsh Mankad in the first round, failed to reproduce the same form. He was sluggish but managed to put up a
semblance of fight in the first set but caved in against his rival’s furious onslaught in the second in which he could manage to save only one game. Nothing went right for Cook as Greul outserved him. Playing an attacking game, the Briton forced his rival to be on the defensive. Cook, who had beaten seventh seed Dekel Valtzer in the quarters, looked off colour and committed far too many unforced errors and the second seed took full advantage of them to clinch the match.
— UNI |
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Rain rescues Australia
Melbourne, January 21 The world champions collapsed to 45 for five in reply to West Indies’ total of 263 for nine when the match was abandoned because of thunderstorms. Australia were set a revised target of 195 from 28 overs after their innings was interrupted by almost two-and-a-half hours after five overs had been bowled. Australia were struggling at 12 for two when they left the field the first time. On their return, three more wickets fell in a six-run burst, before the weather turned foul again. Scoreboard West Indies: Gayle b Gillespie 26 Hinds c Gilchrist b Watson 107 Sarwan lbw b Lehmann 27 Lara c Gilchrist b Lee 6 Chanderpaul c Ponting
b Kasprowicz 45
Samuels run out 13 Bravo c Kasprowicz
b Gillespie 27
Browne b Gillespie 0 Dillon not out 1 Bradshaw b Watson 1 Collins not out 0 Extras:
(lb-4, w-4, nb-2) 10 Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 263 Fall of wickets:
1-29, 2-84, 3-92, 4-181, 5-210, 6-253, 7-260, 8-260, 9-263 Bowling:
Lee 7-1-30-1, Gillespie 9-1-62-3, Kasprowicz 10-1-43-1, Watson 10-0-52-2, Lehmann 7-0-34-1, Symonds 7-0-38-0 Australia: Gilchrist c Browne b Bradshaw 6 Hayden c Gayle b Collins 6 Ponting lbw b Collins 2 Martyn not out 14 Symonds c Browne b Collins 0 Clarke c Samuels b Dillon 2 Lehmann not out 10 Extras:
(lb-1, w-1, nb-1) 3 Total: (5 wkts, 11 overs) 43 Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-12, 3-24, 4-25, 5-30 Bowling: Collins 4-1-8-3, Bradshaw 2-0-6-1, Dillon 3-1-15-1, Samuels 2-0-13-0. |
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Pak cricketer accused of rape
Sydney, January 21 The woman has told sexual assault counsellors that she was assaulted in a city hotel. The allegation has been strongly refuted by the Pakistani team management. The woman has reported the alleged attack to a suburban Centre Against Sexual Assault, but has so far refused to make a complaint to the police. The identity of the player has not been revealed. The police have admitted that they are aware of the allegation, but say they are powerless to investigate unless a formal complaint is made. The rape is alleged to have happened while the Pakistani team was in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test. The woman is believed to have said it happened in the player’s hotel room. — PTI |
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Warne, Murali to bowl in tandem
Christchurch, January 21 Warne and Muralitharan, the past and present world Test wicket record holders, have a total of 1,098 Test wickets and a further 662 one-day international victims between them. “It’s a huge challenge for us. How we deal with them will probably determine whether we win the games,” New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori said of the dynamic spin duo. “It is going to be 20 very tough overs and we have to find a way to play them,” he said. The thought of Warne and Muralitharan teaming up was almost beyond comprehension for most international batsmen, who had struggled enough with just one at a time.
— AFP
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Aussie cricketer gets 2-month ban
Brisbane, January 21 Brede tested positive to prohibited stimulants amphetamine and methamphetamine after a Cricket Australia Cup match between ACT and Queensland Academy of Sport on November 15 in Brisbane. Brede acknowledged committing a doping offence and waived his right to a hearing. Cricket Australia decided against enforcing a maximum three-month ban for a first offence due to the non-performance-enhancing nature of the substances and his prompt admission. Brede is the first Australian cricketer to test positive to an illegal drug since Shane Warne was banned from the game for 12 months two years ago for taking a diuretic.
— AP |
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Anand defeats Morozevich
Wijk Aan Zee, January 21 Anand, four-time winner here, eventually got the break he was looking for and now much could be expected from the Indian ace as he edged back to 50 per cent score after five rounds. Playing black after a ‘rest day’, Anand faced the Torre
attack by Morozevich and got the dynamic balance he was looking for without much ado in the early middle game.
Signalling his intentions of a bloody battle, Anand later castled on the queen side to invite Morozevich’s attack and the later did not quite handle it properly after a rather flashy but apparently unsound piece sacrifice on the 16th move. Anand quickly regrouped his forces to stop Morozevich’s onslaught and later won another piece to turn the game decisively in his favour. Much to the amazement of thousands of followers of the game present in the hall, Morozevich continued playing in a hopeless position for quite some time and resigned only after 41 moves. Perhaps it was the frustration showing on the board as he remained on just half a point after five games.
— PTI |
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Sher-e-Jalandhar thrash Veerans
Hyderabad, January 21 Deepak Thakur gave Sher-e-Jalandhar a flying start with a goal in the very first minute of the match before Gagan Ajit Singh showed his class slamming home in the seventh and eighth minutes to give the side an edge in the first quarter itself. Baljit Singh Dhillon (33rd) and Prabhjot Singh (58th) then added to the tally in the one-sided match as the Chennai Veerans crashed to their third defeat in as many matches. Jalandhar players surprised the men from south in the very first minute, with Deepak Thakur tapping the ball into the open goal after the necessary spade work was done by Prabhjot from the deep. A reverse flick by Prabhjot was deflected into the box by skipper Gagan Ajit Singh six minutes later as Jalandhar took a 2-0 lead. Gagan again struck in the very next minute with a hard hit from top of the circle to swell the lead further. Meanwhile, Chandigarh Dynamos blanked Bengal Tigers 7-0 in a Tier II match to remain at the top of the table with 12 points here today. Rajpal Singh scored twice (4th and 27th) while Jugraj Singh (10th), Harbhajan Singh (25th), Navdeep Singh (40th), Sardar Singh (54th) and Ravi Pal Singh (69th) pumped in a goal each as Chandigarh Dynamos recorded their fourth win on the trot. Imphal Rangers lost to Lucknow Nawabs 3-4 in another Tier II match today. Amit Kumar (9th), Mohammed Kalim (22nd), Arshad Khan (40th and 51st) found the net for Nawabs while H Tomba Singh (20th) and skipper Brojen Singh (41st and 57th) struck for Rangers. — PTI, UNI
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Dynamos win
Hyderabad, January 21 Rajpal Singh scored twice (4th and 27th) while Jugraj Singh (10th), Harbajan Singh (25th), Navdeep Singh (40th), Sardar Singh (54th) and Ravi Pal Singh (69th) pumped in a goal each as Chandigarh Dynamos recorded their fourth win on the trot.
— PTI |
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Punjab 151 for 1
Patiala, January 21 The host started badly when medium-pacer Swapnil Kuley dismissed opener Simranjit Singh with the score yet to reach double figures. Scores: Mumbai: Ist innings:
412 all out, Punjab: Ist innings: 151 for 1 (Sidharth sharma 82 n.o., Simrat Bawa 67
n.o., Swapnil Kuley 1 for 28). |
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Gujarat need 135 to win
Rohtak, January 21 Resuming on 134 for 7 today Gujarat lost their remaining three wickets after adding only 19 runs. After conceding a lead of 23 runs, Madhya Pradesh were dismissed for 157 in their second innings. Jaffar Ali was the highest scorer with 45. Monish Parashar bagged six wickets for 47 runs. Chasing a victory target of 135, Gujarat were 2 for no loss at draw of stumps today. |
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National Stadium Cricket Centre win
New Delhi, January 21 Brief scores: NSCC: 237 for 4 in 40 overs (Rameez Niamat 66 n.o., Vivek Razdan 52 n.o., Radhey Shyam 47, Hanish Arora 42, Rashid Khan 2 for 28). South Delhi Colts: 160 in 37.1 overs (Rashid Khan 42, Amarjeet 29, Jitender 2 for 12, Ravi Sehgal 2 for 11, Hanish Arora 2 for 18). In another match, Malviya Club defeated Gush Club by seven wickets. Brief scores: Gush Club: 153 in 38 overs (Shoaib Prashad 36, Nitin Goel 32, Sanjay Verma 4 for 36, Rohit Mehra 3 for 18, Rajinder Madan 2 for 39). Malviya Club: 159 for 3 in 30.5 overs (Padamjeet Sehrawat 61, Sanjay Verma 42, Neeraj Chandra 29). |
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Jalandhar, Phagwara
colleges in semis
Mahilpur, January 21 In the school category, GS School, Jian Chabkewal, defeated Khalsa School, Paldi, by two goals. In the second match, Khalsa School, Badan, defeated Football Academy (U-17), Hoshiarpur, by two goals to one. Both winning teams reached the final. |
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Melbourne, January 21
