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Paes to play Dustov in opening singles
Gaudio advances to last eight
Vijay Singh steps on Tiger’s tail
Els tied for first round lead
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9-member team for World TT
India win in Petro Cup
Akram fails to turn up, residents disappointed
Laxman hopes to clinch ODI berth
Adventure camps at Solang
SBT hold Churchill
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Paes to play Dustov in opening singles
Jaipur, April 28 Paes will launch India's campaign by playing against Farrukh Dustov while Prakash Amritraj will take on Denis Istomin in the second singles. The playing captain will pair up with Mahesh Bhupathi in the doubles match against Istomin and Murad Inoyatov on Saturday with reverse singles scheduled for Sunday. There was a pleasant hush when Paes was named as the number two singles player, and a loud cheer followed when Dustov's name was picked from the lot to play the first singles. If Paes, whose singles play has been effectively reduced to Davis Cup ties and as a wild card appearance in the Chennai Open ATP Tour event in the last three years, had underscored his tactical brain with his nomination, the draw could not have been luckier. It has given him the chance to play the first, third and fifth matches -- which not only means that there will be ample time for his ageing body to recuperate but also a say on the final result should it boil down to the decider. "It is going to be a mental game. It will depend on who can drive the team for three days," Paes said. The last time Paes played a singles match was in Chennai on the ATP Tour this year, and before that when he lost to Gouichi Motamura in the second round tie against Japan last season. But playing under the tricolour had always brought the best out of Paes who had beaten the likes of South African Wayne Ferreira, the Netherland's Jan Siemerink and Croatia's former Wimbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic. He said he was prepared for the rigorous task this weekend. "I have carried the Davis Cup responsibility on my shoulders for years now. Yes, I have not played singles in a while but it more a matter of being mentally prepared. I am ready for it," the 32-year-old multiple Grand Slam champion said. He had named Mankad and Amritraj to play against China in the first round this year in Delhi, but his decision today showed he had lot more respect for the Uzbeks. Paes said the idea behind the decision was to put the best team up. "I had said the responsibility is to put the best team forward ... it is not a one man's show," he said. "I have tried to spread the responsibility among the team on three days. It is a calculated decision after taking into account the opposition's strength, the conditions and all other aspects." Paes said he was aware that despite his incredible Cup record a combination of different matters made him feel the responsibility a bit more this time around. "It is a tough task to balance. On one side you have to groom the team but on the other hand you have also to put the best team forward," he said. "I am happy to start the first singles, hopefully I will give a 1-0 lead to Prakash. I have to concentrate on my game and as a captain I have to take care of Prakash in the evening. "And then the next day I have to think about the other two fellows. "It is a big responsibility. It is a lot more than it had been before, but I am pleased to have a team like this." Uzbek non-playing captain Vadim Kutsenko said he was surprised to see Paes nominating himself but his past record against the Indian counterpart would help him prepare his team. "He is 32, I thought he is old and would not play. I was definitely surprised," said Kutsenko who had beaten Paes on both the occasions they came head to head on the professional circuit. "I will pass on the tips to my players," said the 28-year-old who holds the third best win-loss record for his country. India are playing Uzbekistan for the first time in Davis Cup. The Eastern bloc country of the former Soviet Union does start with some positives. They had won the only grass court tie they have played before, and the players have spent more than a week in India in getting acclimatised to the conditions and the surface. India, despite their strength on the lawn, did lose on four occasions to better teams with Paes featuring in the side. And one of them came at the same Jai Club courts in 1994 when they went down 3-2 to South Africa. Mankad, who had won his both the singles matches against China, tried to hide his disappointment. "I came here with clear objectives. One, to keep getting better and second, to support the team and whatever decision the team management takes," he said. Paes had words of encouragement for him, saying the Mumbaikar's 0-2 record against Istomin, who has risen from the 800s to 525 in ATP rankings this year, was not a factor in today's nominations. "Past is past, it more the psychological aspect than the tennis aspect that matters in Davis Cup," the captain said. "Harsh definitely has a game suited to grass. He is much better on low fast surfaces than the slippery clay."
— PTI |
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Gaudio advances to last eight
Oeiras (Portugal), April 28 In the quarterfinals, Garcia-Lopez will meet Costa Rica’s Juan Antonio Marin, who advanced 6-4, 3-1 after Argentine Agustin Calleri retired with back pain. Spain’s Albert Costa rallied from an overnight one-set deficit against Nicolas Massu, taking two sets to beat the fifth-seeded Chilean and advance to the second round. Massu, the 2004 Olympic gold medallist, was 6-3 ahead Tuesday when their match was suspended due to bad light. But when play resumed Costa, a former Estoril champion, powered to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. Also, eighth-seeded Feliciano Lopez defeated countryman Albert
Montanes, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4. Clijsters in last 8
Warsaw: Kim Clijsters advanced comfortably to the quarterfinals of the J and S Cup, beating Russian teenager Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-1. But Russian second seed and 2004 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova struggled before overcoming Israel’s Anna Smashnova 6-2, 4-6,
6-0. Kuznetsova will next play eighth-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy, who beat Czech qualifier Zuzana Ondrsova 6-1, 6-2. Clijsters next meets fifth-seeded Russian Elena Bovina, who needed six match points to end the challenge of Slovakia’s Daniela
Hantuchova, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. — AP |
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Vijay Singh steps on Tiger’s tail
No matter what else anyone thinks of Vijay Singh, you have to respect his work ethic. When players talk about going out to the range and “beating balls,” it’s usually an expression of drudgery and sort of a hint that they would much rather fill their time with more leisurely pursuits, such as the cashing of cheques.
That’s not the way Singh plays it, though. He always has a golf club in his hand, or so it seems, because you don’t see many pictures of Singh without one. You would have to say it has paid off, all that practice. Last year, Singh encashed cheques better than anyone in the history of golf — a record $10.9 million — and even became the No. 1 player in the world for the first time. He won nine tournaments, including his third major championship (the PGA), earned his first player-of-the-year award and had the lowest scoring average of anybody in golf. Singh also showed his disdain for inactivity by playing in 29 tournaments, but that’s his normal work schedule. The fewest number of tournaments Singh has played in the last seven years is 26. Singh is the newest member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, according to the results of the balloting that were made official last week. He was not only the youngest player at 42 to gain admittance, he was also the only one to make it in the voting this time. This is probably one of few breaks Singh has ever gotten. Much has been said about his upbringing in Fiji and being taught by his dad, an airplane mechanic. Even more has been written about his taking a job as a club pro in Borneo after he was accused of a scorecard-doctoring incident. Last year, with comparisons to Woods made almost weekly, Singh defeated Woods in a head-to-head showdown at the Deutsche Bank Championship, took away his No. 1 ranking, plus his player-of-the-year status and Vardon Trophy. This year, despite being admitted to the Hall of Fame, the watered-down standards of the hall threatened to take the edge off the honour. All Singh did was show up to defend his title at Houston and then won it, defeating John Daly in a playoff. Sunday was Vijay Day again. He has two victories this year, he probably could have had a couple more at Kapalua and the Honda, he says he’s playing even better than he did a year ago, he has passed $40 million in earnings and he’s closing in on Woods again for the No. 1 ranking. If Singh wins again this week in New Orleans, he’ll be the first player in 30 years to successfully defend titles in back-to-back weeks. If Singh comes through, he’ll probably say he needs a vacation, then head back out to the driving range. He might be overdoing it, and he wouldn’t want to hear anybody tell him that, but the way things are going, Singh probably deserves a break, even if he isn’t going to take one. — By arrangement with the LA Times-Washington Post |
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Els tied for first round lead
Shanghai, April 28 Van de Velde's countryman Raphael
Jacquelin, New Zealand's Eddie Lee, Australian Larry Austin and British pair Peter Lawrie and Simon Wakefield were also five under. The seven-way tie equals the European Tour record for the number of players sharing the lead after a first
round. Els has already won in Dubai and Qatar this year and he finished tied for sixth at last week's Johnnie Walker Classic in Beijing. The South African began with back-to-back birdies and had five in total on the front nine as temperatures reached almost 40 degrees in Shanghai. His only bogey came at the par-four seventh but Els got up and down from a greenside bunker at the 13th for his only birdie of the back nine. ''The heat kind of took its toll at the end,'' said
Els. ''It was quite muggy and I had a few more chances on the back nine.''
Els is still working on minor changes to his game after finishing a career-worst 47th at the U.S. Masters earlier this month but the 35-year-old feels his tinkering is close to bearing fruit. ''I would say I'm a 7 or 8 out of 10 right now,'' said the three-times major winner. ''I feel more comfortable and can see my way forward now.'' Van de Velde is best remembered for squandering a three-stroke lead on the final hole to lose the 1999 British Open. The former Ryder Cup player has twice had reconstructive surgery on his knees and is making his fourth comeback attempt in the past year. ''It was my best round for a while because I didn't throw any destructive shots in,'' said Van de
Velde. ''I'm taking each day as it comes. ''I am concentrating on just trying to play not trying to put pressure on myself. I say that, tomorrow I might be choking like a dog.'' Denmark's Soren Hansen, South African Richard
Sterne, India's Jeev Milkha Singh and Spaniard Carlos Rodiles were two shots back in the event jointly sanctioned by the European and Asian tours. Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez began his title defence with a 70, along with Britain's Luke Donald, China's Zhang Lian-wei and Australia's Peter O'Malley, who aced the par-three eighth. Britain's Colin Montgomerie had a one-over 73 while six-times major winner Nick Faldo was at even par.
— Reuters |
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9-member team for World TT
New Delhi, April 28 This edition of the championship will have only individual events. Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) Secretary General M.C. Chowhan said here today that top two women players of the country — Poulami Ghatak and Mouma Das — have opted out as they were preparing for examinations. Mr Chowhan said the players had already reached Shanghai to train and prepare themselves for the World Championship. The team Men: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Soumyadeep Roy, Subhajit Saha, Sourav Chakraborty and Anirban Nandy Women: Vishakha Vijay, Mamta Ashok Prabhu, Nandita Saha and Kasturi Chakrborty. Manager (men): Vipul Mitra. Manager (women):
Geeta Tandon Coaches: Bhawani Mukherjee, Hubert Hustache Technical official:
Dhanraj Choudhary Mr Chowhan is leaving for Shanghai early tomorrow morning to attend the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) meeting. He will also contest for a place on the board of directors of the ITTF. The election are to be held during the championship.
— UNI |
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India win in Petro Cup
New Delhi, April 28 In a match reduced to 25 overs a side due to delayed start, Pakistan were bowled out for 157 in 23.5 overs and India compiled 158 for 1 in 18.5 overs. Rajinder Verma, a totally blind player, hit an unbeaten 84 put on 105 runs for the second wicket with captain Manavender Singh (32) to clinch victory. Test star VVS Laxman gave away the prizes. Scores: Pakistan: 155 (Masood Jan 15, Muhammad Shah Baz 20, Syed Sultan Shah 24, Abdur Razzaq 34, Shekhar Naik 2 for 18). India: 158 for 1 (Shekhar Naik 18, Rajendera Verma 84 n o, Manvendra Singh 32 n o). |
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Akram fails to turn up, residents disappointed
Chavinda devi (Amritsar), April 28 The news of the visit spread like wildfire.
The enthusiastic residents cleaned and decorated the town to accord him a rousing
welcome. Mr Natha Singh, over 100 years of age, said Mehardin, Akram’s grandfather, and his brothers Quamdin, Mahende and Roshan
Ali, all of whom were patwaris, were highly respected. He added that the town did not see any
communal clashes during Partition. The town, famous for its ancient temple, was a prosperous town with a population of 3700, with 1400 Muslims, before Partition. Mr Natha
Singh recalled that during Partition, Sikhs and Hindus offered protection and provided escort to Muslim
residents. A sarpanch of the village, Mr Baldev Singh, said Akram and his father would visit their native place on May 1 and the village would host a reception at the newly constructed stadium. He said he had urged the local patwaris to take out all revenue records of the period of Akram’s grandparents, which would be presented to Akram and his father. |
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Laxman hopes to clinch ODI berth
New Delhi, April 28
Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the first one-day international match between India and Pakistan for blind, the stylish batsman was candid enough to admit that he was feeling left out for not being considered for the one-day squad. ''It is definitely very disappointing for not being a part of the team because I have won matches for the country. It's bit upsetting for me that I am not in the ODI side'' he said and added ''I am optimistic that I will come back and regain my place.'' Interestingly, the lanky Hyderabadi had a match winning knock of 107 against Pakistan in the fifth and last ODI in Lahore last year. Laxman said he is very focused and ''I am working and training very hard on my fitness. It is off-season and two-and-a-half months' time is good time to work on the fitness and my game.'' ''My attitude has always been positive. I think I am good for both the versions of the game. While playing I am always focused. I always try to contribute so that my team wins.''
— UNI |
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Adventure camps at Solang
Chandigarh, April 28 This camp would be organised from May 9 to 16. The participants would take part in the adventure sports like rock climbing, high-altitude treks, target practice, river crossing, snow and ice craft, glacier walk, yoga and camp craft during the camp. Mr Umed Singh Duggal of Bhiwani and Mrs Sunita of Faridabad, both youth cultural organisers, would accompany the participants. The same number of participants from the districts of Karnal, jind, Narnaul, Hisar, Kurukshetra and Sonepat would attend the second camp to be held from May 16 to 23. Mrs Jaspal Issar of Sonepat and Mr Ishwar Asri of Jind would be the youth cultural organisers with this team. |
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SBT hold Churchill
Margao, April 28 Both goals came in the first half, with Marcos Pereira scoring for Churchill in the 37th minute and Abdul Hakkim converting in injury time for SBT. —
UNI |
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