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Sayonara Sania in singles
SA trio’s contracts upgraded
ICC eyes revenue jump for 2007-15
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Three Indian golfers tied third
Vijay, Firoz dump PGAI
Bhaini Sahib team in quarters
Shers ‘steal’ victory from Steelers
Ranjit Singh Academy boys triumph
East Bengal beat Mohd Sporting
Anand routs Svidler
DSO
dead
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Sayonara Sania in singles
Melbourne, January 18 The Indian was erratic throughout her singles match, committing 26 double faults in all, as Nakamura outplayed her in just over an hour to set up a third round clash with Swiss Martina Hingis. Sania thus failed to better her 2005 show at the Melbourne Park, where she had reached the third round before losing to eventual champion Serena Williams. Nakamura, it seemed, had learnt her lessons from the 2005 loss to Sania in the Japan Open - the only face-off between the two players before today's match - and was clearly the more disciplined, breaking the Indian thrice in the opening set. Sania also managed to convert the two break points that came her way but never looked to be in her elements and committed 12 unforced errors compared to Nakamura's six to surrender the first set in just 33 minutes. The second set followed almost the same script and Nakamura gave no chance to the world number 53, breaking her twice. The Hyderabadi star wasted two break points and served poorly, committing three double faults apart from 14 unforced errors to bow out of the first Grand Slam of the year. Sania later admitted that she was not in her best form and blamed poor serve and the inability to land the trademark forehands for the straight set loss. ''There's not much you can do when you play like that. I'm obviously disappointed but all players have off days, although it hurts more because it's a Grand Slam,'' the world number 53 told reporters. Sania said the match was a learning experience for her and she was not unduly worried about making early exits in Grand Slams. ''Every match is a learning experience. But that's the beauty of tennis. There's always tomorrow,'' she said. In doubles, Sania-Anabel were in destructive form in the first set and dropped just one game before clinching the opener in 19 minutes. The 10th seeds held their serve and broke their unseeded rivals twice in the first set. The second set, however, proved to be tougher and longer as Sandra and Aravane began to crawl their way back into the match. The unseeded duo broke Sania and Anabel twice besides saving seven break points but the effort only delayed their loss for some time as the 10th seeds broke back to seal the match in their favour. Paes-Damm advance
Fifth seeds Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin Damm survived a tense battle against the unheralded Serb duo of Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic for a 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 win in the first round of the men's doubles event today. Paes and Damm will now take on locals Nathan Healey and Robert Smeets in the second round. The Indo-Czech duo was tested hard in the marathon match, which lasted over two hours, but managed to come through after their opponents lost steam in the third set. It was supposed to be an easy outing for the fifth seeds against their unheralded rivals but Djokovic and Tipsarevic showed that they were no walkovers. Mahesh-Radek beat French duo
Mahesh Bhupathi and Radek Stepanek were stretched to three sets before the Indo-Czech combine overpowered Frenchmen Sebastien Grosjean and Olivier Patience to advance to the second round today. Bhupathi-Stepanek were off to solid start before fumbling in the middle but they regrouped in the decider to win the match 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in an hour and 55 minutes. The first set was a cakewalk and Indo-Czech duo gave their rivals no chance demolishing them in 16 minutes flat. Bhupathi and Stepanek were cruising for a straight-set win with a commanding lead of 4-2 in the second before they lost the seventh game and the plot as the Frenchmen sneaked back into the match taking the set in the tie-breaker. The seventh game proved to be decisive in the decider as well as the Indo-Czech pair broke Grosjean and Patience and then held their serve to win the match.
—UNI
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Melbourne, January 18 Nalbandian’s muscular play from the back of the court was too much for the former Melbourne Park quarterfinalist, and he sealed the match with a punched forehand winner in an hour and 56 minutes. He will play France’s Sebastien Grosjean, who beat Belgian Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Third seed Nikolay Davydenko overwhelmed Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 to sail into the third round. Davydenko will play Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the third round. Santoro beat compatriot Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. In the women’s section, top seed Maria Sharapova made up for her marathon opening victory with a 6-0, 6-3 drubbing of fellow Russian Anastassia Rodionova in the second round. Sharapova, who was within two points of defeat by Frenchwoman Camille Pin in searing midday heat on Tuesday, looked much more comfortable on a cooler evening and clinched victory in 58 minutes. The 24-year-old Rodionova, world number 100, raised her game in the second set but, struggling with a thigh injury that required treatment, she was powerless to stop Sharapova from beating her for the third time in three meetings. Sharapova, 19, will play Italian Tathiana Garbin, the 30th seed, in the third round. Garbin defeated Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 7-5. Fourth seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium beat Japanese Akiko Morigami 6-3, 6-0, while sixth seed Martina Hingis of Switzerland got past Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia 6-2, 6-2. Other results: Men’s singles (2nd round): Rafael Nadal (Spain) b Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Florian Mayer (Germany) b Andreas Seppi (Italy) 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2; Tommy Haas (Germany) b Ilija Bozoljac (Serbia) 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3; Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) b Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 4-0 (Del Potro retired); Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) b Paul Capdeville (Chile) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2; Andy Murray (Britain) b Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-4; Robby Ginepri (USA) b Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1; Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) b Frank Dancevic (Canada) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) b Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(4); Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) b Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4; Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) b Robert Smeets (Australia) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; James Blake (USA) b Alex Kuznetsov (USA) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. Women’s singles (2nd round): Jelena Kostanic (Croatia) b Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2; Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) b Shuai Peng (China) 7-5, 6-3; Dinara Safina (Russia) b Youlia Fedossova (France) 6-3, 6-2; Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) b Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2; Ashley Harkleroad (USA) b Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) 6-2, 6-2; Li Na (China) b Lourdes Dominguez (Spain) 6-0, 6-2; Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) b Laura Granville (USA) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1; Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) b Emilie Loit (France) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Alicia Molik (Australia) b Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2; Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) b Virginie Razzano (France) 6-3, 6-4; Vera Zvonareva (Russia) b Tamira Paszek (Austria) 6-1, 6-3. — Agencies
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Durban, January 18 "Shaun, Ashwell and Andre have played pivotal roles in the success of the Proteas this season. Cricket South Africa has consequently decided to upgrade their contracts mid-season as a reward for their hard work, commitment to the team effort and outstanding performances on the field," CSA Chief Executive Gerald Majola said. Pollock moves from 'A' to 'A+', with Prince and Nel going from 'C' to 'B' contracts. During the season, Pollock was 'Man of the Series' for both the Tests and ODIs against India. Prince scored 121 against India at Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, in the critical second Castle Test and 138 against Pakistan at Centurion in the winning the first Test of the three-match series. Nel was one of the star bowlers against India in the Proteas' 4-0 victory. — PTI
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ICC eyes revenue jump for 2007-15
Dubai, January 17 The period includes 18 ICC tournaments with two ICC Cricket World Cups, in the Sub-Continent (2011) and Australasia (2015), and a minimum of three ICC Champions Trophy tournaments. Also included are the first two Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009), the latter taking place in the ICC's centenary year. The ICC intends to enter negotiations with prospective sponsors with a view to concluding agreements during the first half of 2007. ''The ICC's Executive Board began this process in April of last year when it confirmed the venues for ICC events from the second half of 2007 to the 2015 World Cup,'' ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said. ''With those events and a broadcasting agreement to cover them in place, we are now in a position to go to market to obtain the best possible partners for cricket,'' he added. The ICC has already sold its broadcast rights for the period with ESPN STAR Sports in December named as its Global Media and Production Partner. — UNI
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Three Indian golfers tied third
Karachi, January 18 Local hero Muhammad Shabbir grabbed the opening-round lead with a blemish free six-under 66 at the Karachi Golf Club. A 10th-tee starter, Bhandari dropped the lone bogey on the sixth hole but studded his round with a birdie quintet — two on his front nine and three on the back — to stay in hunt for a decent finish. Uttam, meanwhile, was going great gun and birdies on the fourth, fifth, 10th, 13th and 16th saw the Indian approaching the final hole at five-under and there he stumbled, dropping a shot. Ganapathy, on the other hand, reeled off seven birdies, including five in a remarkable second nine, but was held back by a bogey on the 16th and a double bogey on the eighth. Defending champion Chris Rodgers enjoyed a bogey free round as he fired 69 in joint-ninth place together with, among others, Amardip Malik and Gaganjeet Bhullar of India. Among other Indians in the fray, the quartet of Harmeet Kahlon, Ashok Kumar, Rahil Gangjee and Digvijay Singh shared the tied 34th position with 16 others after carding an opening round of one-under 71. Amandeep Johl and SSP Chowrasia had a level-par outing and were at the tied 54th spot. Amritinder Singh, Firoz Ali and Vikrant Chopra (all 73) were tied 68th, while veterans Gaurav Ghei and Arjun Singh (both 74) fumbled and were at the tied 85th position. Archer takes lead
ABU DHABI: Phillip Archer went on a birdie blitz to shoot a sizzling nine-under-par 63 and open a three-stroke lead in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on Thursday. The Englishman fell one shot shy of the course record set by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson last year. Archer, who shot a round of 60 at the Wales Open last June, made 10 birdies and a solitary bogey to be three ahead of Stenson, South Africa’s Retief Goosen and compatriot Nick Dougherty. Scotland’s Paul Lawrie and Australian Richard Green were tied for fifth place at five-under 67 along with England’s Gary Emerson. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Spain's world number 11 Sergio Garcia and Australian Nick O’Hern were among a bunch of players tied for eighth place at four-under 68. Last year’s runner-up Stenson, who was involved in a minor car accident on his way to the golf course, showed no signs of nerves in his bogey-free round of 66. Champion Chris DiMarco of the USA opened his defence with a three-under-par 69 and was tied 18th in a group including Scotland’s Colin
Montgomerie. Chopra tied 29th
Los Angeles: Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra carded an impressive three-under 69 to be tied for the 29th spot after the opening round of the $ 5 million Bob Hope Chrysler Classic here. Chopra sank in six birdies against a bogey and a double bogey to make a sedate start in the 90-hole tournament spread across four venues. Playing at the Palmer Private course, Chopra started with a birdie on the second and the fourth. He dropped a shot on the fifth but made quick amends by sinking in a birdie on the sixth to make the turn at two-under. On his backward journey, Chopra stumbled to a double-bogey on the 10th but he did not let the setback affect him and gained shots on the 11th and the 15th before signing off with another birdie on the last hole. At the top, Australia’s Robert Allenby led by two shots after an impressive nine-under 63 at the La Quinta Country Club.
— Agencies
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Vijay, Firoz dump PGAI
New Delhi, January 18 Earlier, Mukesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar had also broken away from the Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI) to join the breakaway PGTI. “The performance of a player can only be known during tournaments, so I am looking forward to playing the IOC Extra Premium Masters in
Digboi. I have sent in my entries for all the tournaments and will concentrate on playing some good golf now,” Vijay said. Shamim Khan,
Pappan, Suleman Ali, Gast Ram, Shiv Prakash and Sanjay Kumar also singed up for the membership of PGTI this week and all these professionals will now play the IOC Extra Premium Masters in Digboi from January 31-February 3.
— UNI
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Bhaini Sahib team in quarters
Jalandhar, January 18 For the Bhaini Sahib team, Dilbagh Singh and Gurmel Singh scored field goals in the 11th and 13th minutes, respectively. Deepak Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 66th minute to reduce the margin. In the last league match, Government Model School, Jalandhar, defeated Lahore XI 4-1. Jaskaran sounded the board for the winners in the sixth minute. He scored his second goal in the eighth minute. Karanpal Singh increased the lead to 3-0 through a field goal in the 17th minute. Khuram Shahzad of Lahore XI scored the only goal for the losers in the 39th minute through a penalty corner. In the next minute, the Jalandhar team’s Jagroop Singh scored a goal to make it 4-1. The four quarterfinals will be played tomorrow between Government Model School, Jalandhar, and Government Senior Secondary School, Maqsudan; Government High School, Chandigarh, and BRC, Danapur; Guru Harkrishan Public School, New Delhi, and Bhaini Sahib; and Lyallpur Khalsa School and Lahore XI.
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Shers ‘steal’ victory from Steelers
Chennai, January 18 The Shers dominated initially and went into the lead in the 31st minute through striker and former India captain Gagan Ajit Singh. The Jalandhar team led 1-0 at half-time. In the second half, a fighting Orissa team drew level in the 55th minute when Dutchman Steller converted a penalty corner. In a controversial decision, the third umpire, whose job is to adjudicate only goal-line decisions, awarded a penalty stroke to Sher-e-Jalandhar. The Orissa team protested but to no avail. Baljit Singh Dhillon converted the stroke to score the match-winner. The win increased Sher-e-Jalandhar’s tally to 10 points. The Steelers are, however, not far behind with eight points in their kitty.
— UNI
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Ranjit Singh Academy boys triumph
Ludhiana, January 18 In another match, Faridkot Academy drew 2-2 with Khalsa School, Amritsar. Amritpal Singh scored a brace for the Faridkot outfit, while Kuldip Singh and Manpreet Singh chipped in with one goal each for Khalsa School. Baba Bakala Academy edged out Khadoor Sahib XI 4-3. Harsimran contributed two goals for the winners, while Gurpreet Singh and Harjot Singh scored one goal each. For the losers, Gurdeep Singh, Baljit Singh and Talwinder Singh were the scorers. PAU Academy, Ludhiana, routed Sarihn XI 10-2, while Surjit Academy, Jalandhar, drubbed Gopal Academy, Kurali, 7-0.
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East Bengal beat Mohd Sporting
Kolkata, January 18 After being 0-1 down in the first half, Mohammedan Sporting, yet to get over the five-goal rout at the hands of Dempo in Goa, showed enough grit to get the equaliser in the 52nd minute. But their joy was shortlived as East Bengal notched up the lead again after six minutes at the Barasat Stadium. East Bengal forward Asim Biswas headed home a floating cross from team-mate Debabrata Roy in the 33rd minute to begin their quest for the second straight win after beating HAL 3-1 at Bangalore. Mohammedan players, charged up after the lemon break, pressed on for the equaliser and received the reward in the 52nd minute with Habibur Rahman heading in a cross by Bijen Singh. The red-and-white brigade’s winning strike came in the 58th minute when Bonisse Ambani scored a goal. Dempo win Duler (Goa): Dempo posted a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Sporting Clube de Goa in an NFL match here on Thursday. Sporting took a 2-0 lead through Joseph Pereira (11th minute) and Dudu Omagbemi (15th). However, Dempo hit back through Ranty Martins (35th and 78th) and man-of-the-match Roberto Mendes da Silva (67th).
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Wijk Aan Zee, January 18 Eyeing his sixth title here, Anand orchestrated his moves to perfection and it took him just 21 of them to bring the Russian down on his knees. After five rounds, Anand aggregates three and a half points with two wins and three draws. — UNI
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West Indies team members arrive Cricket tourney Tennis meet Springdales win Heat policy
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