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Federer targets Sampras’ record
Jamie ends Britain’s title drought
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Sania rises to 38th
Nadal improving rapidly on grass
Fighting Sussex frustrate India
Stanford plan causes concern for ICC
Harbhajan shines
Atwal finishes tied 3rd
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Anand wins 7th Leon crown
Leon (Spain), July 9 Anand, who had emerged the champion here in 2005 and 2006, won the four-game rapid tie with a 3-1 score. Anand had beaten Topalov convincingly in the final here last year and this time his victory was perhaps even more convincing. The Indian ace scored victories with the white pieces in the second and fourth games while drawing the first and third with black pieces. The rapid time control of 20 minutes per game, with an increment of 10 seconds per move, was clearly to Anand’s liking and he remained unbeaten throughout the event. Topalov was in an aggressive mood at the start. Anand chose a closed variation against the Spanish opening and the Bulgarian launched a blistering attack on the king side after opening the centre. Anand kept his cool and defended with great tactical skills to force an exchange of queens. This put the brakes on white’s attack and took the game into a balanced endgame. More exchanges followed, and soon neither side had any chance to win because of reduced material on the board. The players agreed to split the point after 49 moves in a dead-drawn position. Anand had the white pieces in the second game and he made the most of this advantage. He opted for the English attack against the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian defence and manoeuvred himself into a superior position by gaining space on the queen side. Topalov started a king-side attack to challenge Anand’s superiority on the queen side, but Anand wrested the initiative by advancing his queen-side pawns. Topalov ran out of steam and he resigned after 37 moves when he found himself with heavy material deficit. Having gained the lead, Anand once again resorted to solid play with the black pieces in the third game of the match. He played a closed variation against the Spanish opening and obtained a sound position. Topalov tried to complicate matters with tactical play in an attempt to level the score. Anand was unflappable and calmly neutralised all threats which Topalov could create. The players reached a rook-and-opposite-coloured-bishop ending and Topalov accepted the inevitable on the 38th move by agreeing to a draw. Topalov now had to win the last game to level the score and he chose the sharp Scheveningen variation of the Sicilian defence. Never the one to shy away from complications, Anand boldly sacrificed a piece in the opening. He prevented Topalov from castling and also picked up three pawns for the sacrificed piece. The middle game was full of sharp tactical play where Anand got the better of his opponent. By the time queens were exchanged, Anand clearly held the advantage. Topalov must have been demoralised by the way the game was progressing and he failed to put up the best resistance in the endgame. Anand wrapped up the game and the match with a delightful tactical shot on the 29th move.
— PTI
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Federer targets Sampras’ record
London, July 9 The world number one yesterday survived his greatest test as Wimbledon champion when he beat his only serious rival Rafael Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 in the third longest final of all time here. He also equalled the legendary Bjorn Borg’s mark of five successive Wimbledon crowns. “Pete Sampras is maybe the greatest player we’ve ever had. So to come out and break his record, it’s not the easiest thing,” said Federer who at just 25 has plenty of time on his side. “It has taken me five Wimbledon, three Australian Open and three US Opens titles to just get close to him. So it just shows you what a great player he was. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up, but I definitely feel like I’m mentally and physically still fit to go on for many more years to come. But that’s not going to make you win trophies. You’ve got to give yourself occasions and possibilities. “That’s what I’ve been able to do. I’d love to equal his record, let’s put it that way first. To be on the same level as
Sampras, my former hero, is already very nice, but I’m not there yet.” Nadal, who for the second successive year lost to Federer at Wimbledon four weeks after beating his great rival at the French Open, has no doubt that the world number one is the best player of all time. “He has 11 Grand Slams and he is very close to 14 but whether he wins 14, 16 or even 13, his tennis level is the best in history,” said
Nadal. The Spaniard, who will return to the more familiar clay of Stuttgart next week before heading for the American hardcourt season, still boasts a better career record of eight wins against five defeats with Federer but refuses to even consider himself as an equal. Despite the plaudits heading his way, Federer said he would take many memories from the 2007 Wimbledon, the best of which was seeing Borg on hand to witness his achievement. The great Swede is a confirmed fan of the Swiss star and his visit to the All England Club this year was just his second since he walked away from the sport in 1981.
— AFP
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Jamie ends Britain’s title drought
London, July 9 The 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory provided a buzzing late-evening Centre Court crowd with their first home winner since Britons Jeremy Bates and Jo Durie won the same event in 1987. The pair, watched by Jamie’s tearful parents Judy and Willie, were given a five-minute standing ovation. Brother Andy, ranked eighth in the world, appeared only at the end, too nervous to watch his older sibling in action. “It was like destiny, it was meant to happen,” said world singles number three Jankovic of her last-minute decision to play in what was the first mixed Grand Slam event for both. Jankovic joked earlier in the week that her lack of doubles experience rendered her of little use to her partner but it was the 22-year-old Serb’s ferocious returns that eventually fired them to victory. “She won the match in the end because she kept returning the guy’s serve and I couldn’t do it,” admitted Jamie, who has invited his fellow champion to Scotland for Christmas. The 21-year-old doubles specialist played some scintillating volleys early on to inspire the consistently smiling unseeded pair to a tight first-set victory and fire up the partisan support. Bjorkman and Molik, who have won 11 doubles Grand Slam titles between them and were seeded fifth, broke twice to level but a double final-set break gave the Serb, the Scot and the home crowd the championship finish they wanted. Clement-Llodra upset Bryans
The French pair of Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra upset champions Bob and Mike Bryan of the USA to become Wimbledon men’s doubles champions yesterday. The 10th seeds’ 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory in their maiden Grand Slam final means they are the first all-French team to win at Wimbledon in 74 years and their delight was evident on court No. 1. After throwing rackets and T-shirts into the crowd following their surprise victory, Clement had to borrow a shirt from his brother Bruno to ensure he did not accept his trophy bare-chested. Black-Huber win women’s crown
Second seeds Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Liezel Huber of South Africa won their second Wimbledon women’s doubles title in three years defeating Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik and Japan’s Ai Sugiyama. The African pair came from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and capture their second Grand Slam title of the year, having triumphed at the Australian Open in January. The fourth-seeded Srebotnik and Sugiyama, both of whom were among the seeds in the singles draw, claimed the solitary first set break to take an early advantage Both women were then broken in sets two and three to add Wimbledon runners-up trophies to their defeat in June’s French Open final. Having not defended their title in 2006, Black and Huber have now extended their unbeaten Wimbledon run to 12 matches.
— Reuters
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Sania rises to 38th
New Delhi, July 9 Sania, who lost to Russian Nadia Petrova in the second round, was previously placed 44th. The Hyderabadi girl also gained two spots to be 38th in the doubles rankings. Sania and Israel’s Shahar Peer had lost in the third round at Wimbledon. Among other Indian women, Sunitha Rao gained a spot to stand 264th, while Shikha Uberoi came tumbling down 39 spots to lie 326th on the singles chart. Meanwhile, American Venus Williams jumped 14 places to be 17th courtesy her sensational win at Wimbledon. Runner-up Marion Bartoli (No. 11) of France also gained eight spots and is on the verge of breaking into the top 10 for the first time. Atop the table, Justin Henin held on to her number one spot, with Russian Maria Sharapova clinging to the second place. In the men’s section, Leander Paes moved up one place to lie ninth in the ATP doubles rankings. His partner Martin Damm of the Czech Republic also gained a spot to be eighth. Mahesh Bhupathi dropped down a place to lie 21st, even as brothers Bob and Mike Bryan of the USA shared the top spot. Paes and Damm, who were beaten in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, were at the fourth spot in the ATP doubles rankings for pairs.
— UNI
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Nadal improving rapidly on grass
It is the insatiable desire to create records that keeps the likes of Roger Federer as focused as ever in Grand Slam events. He achieved another special one, this time equalling the great Bjorn Borg’s record of five Wimbledon titles on the trot.
Playing his first five-setter of the championships this year, Federer came up with the goods against Rafael Nadal on grass. Rarely has a final produced the highest level of play, because of the “nerve” factor. This year, too, witnessed both players slugging it out despite committing some basic unforced errors. The final did provide an absorbing tussle as two great players chased different records of Borg. While Federer was aiming to equal Borg’s five straight titles, Nadal was looking to become the first player since the legendary Swede to win the French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same year. It was Federer who came through on Sunday, but Nadal, the ultimate claycourter, seems to be catching up fast with one of the greatest grasscourt players of all time. I thought it was the serve that made the big difference in the final. Federer served more than two dozen aces as opposed to a solitary one by Nadal. Nadal’s net game has improved considerably, and the fact that Federer was forced into a five-setter was ample proof that the Spanish claycourt genius is now probably the second-best player in the world on grass. I thought Nadal came in with a definite strategy in the final - to keep Federer on the court as long as he could. Nadal seemed to believe that his own chances would improve with every extra minute that he kept Federer on court. In my opinion, it was his deliberate attempt to slow down the proceedings when he even made the champion wait a few minutes at the net for the toss along with the other officials, as he slowly towelled himself and retied his shoelaces. Federer saved a few breakpoints early in the final set as Nadal’s plans seemed to be working. But finally, it was the Swiss who came through with a burst of brilliance that stopped the Spaniard in his tracks. Perhaps, as Federer said after the match, “Sometimes, you get lucky.” However, you do need to be a great champion with tremendous talent to “stay lucky” as he does! You deserve it, Roger!
— PMG
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Fighting Sussex frustrate India Hove (Brighton), July 9 Helped by a counter-attacking century by wicketkeeper-batsman Andy Hodd, Sussex witnessed a turn around in the batting fortunes and posted 300 for six declared on a rain-curtailed third day. Hodd made an unbeaten 106 and his late surge helped the hosts cut the deficit to 88 runs before the declaration came, a situation that looked unlikely after the side was reduced to 144 for 5 yesterday. Fast bowler James Lewry then dealt his twin blows, removing Wasim Jaffer (4) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (11) in a brilliant new ball spell as India ended at 21 for 2 at close. Dinesh Karthik (4) and Yuvraj Singh (2) were at the crease at stumps. The visitors, who made 388 for 7 declared in the first innings, have an overall lead of 109 runs. Hodd, 21 overnight, batted calmly until reaching his half-century before opening his shoulders after the tea break. Having gone to tea at 66, he plundered his next 40 runs from only 48 balls with four fours. In all, he faced 165 balls and had 10 hits to the fence. Giving Hodd excellent support was Robert Martin-Jenkins who made a patient 42. The pair added 125 runs during a defiant partnership for the sixth wicket that frustrated the Indians. The start of the day’s play was delayed by four and a half hours due to morning rains. Scoreboard India (1st innings) 388/7 dec Sussex (1st innings) Nash c Karthik b Bose 28 Montgomerie c Karthik b Sreesanth 18 Yardy c Laxman b Kumble 53 Hopkinson lbw RP Singh 5 Thornely b Kumble 2 Hodd not out 106 Martin-Jenkins st Dhoni b Kumble 42 Rayner not out 19 Extras (b-7, lb-7, w-9, nb-4) 27 Total (6 wkts dec, 85.1 overs) 300 Fall of
wickets: 1-30, 2-66, 3-75, 4-105, 5-144, 6-269. Bowling: RP Singh 18-4-66-1, Sreesanth 20.1-7-52-1, Bose 18-4-60-1, Kumble 22-3-66-3, Yuvraj 7-0-42-0. India (2nd innings) Karthik not out 4 Jaffer lbw Lewry 4 Dhoni c Nash b Lewry 11 Yuvraj not out 2 Total (2 wkts, 10 overs) 21 Fall of
wickets: 1-5, 2-19. Bowling: Lewry 5-1-18-2, Kirtley 5-4-3-0.
— PTI
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Sack me, Kapil dares BCCI
New Delhi, July 9 Kapil earned the board’s wrath by joining Essel Group’s ICL as the chairman of its executive board and the BCCI, at its recent working committee meeting, decided that no individual would be allowed to be with both the parties at the same time. The BCCI shot a letter to Kapil asking him not to align with the ICL, but the former all-rounder was unperturbed. “I have already sent my reply to them,” Kapil told Aaj Tak. “They can remove me from the NCA if they want to,” said a nonchalant Kapil. “They only wanted me to contribute to the game of cricket and when I am doing so they cannot challenge me. If I can do something for the game and the young cricketers through Indian Cricket League, I will not budge,” he asserted. Recently, former stumper and ex-chairman of selection committee Kiran More resigned from the secretary’s post at the Baroda Cricket Association to join the ICL board. Kapil was also aghast at the BCCI decision to stop pension to former players who align with the ICL. “I did not go to them asking for pension and if they want to stop it, what can I do? Let them stop it,” said country’s lone World Cup winning captain. Asked if he should have asked for BCCI permission before joining ICL, Kapil said, “I don’t need to ask the BCCI for every small thing.” Kapil was clueless as to what made BCCI see a potential rival in the ICL and target those associated with the league. “Why do they see ICL as a parallel or rebel body? The BCCI is trying to promote the game in India and if somebody else is pumping in more money why is it a problem with them? “This league can help the BCCI only. This can help Indian cricket and shape so many careers. What is BCCI’s problem?” he asked. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, however, made it clear that former players like Kapil would have to make a choice. “We have decided not to recognise ICL in our Working Committee meeting as no state association was in its favour. We don’t want to promote anybody who wants to be a parallel body. We have a policy and there will not be any rethink on this,” Shah told the channel.
— PTI
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Stanford plan causes concern for ICC
Dubai, July 9 Stanford has reportedly offered to invest $100 million to promote the game in the region and has plans to stage a $23 million international event of the latest version involving Australia, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa besides the hosts, the West Indies. The ICC, however, has said that it would be in the best interest of the game if all “stakeholders of the game” benefited from Stanford’s proposals instead of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) alone. “The members recognise the potential benefits of the tournament for the development of cricket in the West Indies. At the same time they wish to ensure that their participation in any event such as this will benefit as many of the game’s stakeholders as possible to help facilitate its continuing strong growth,” ICC chief executive officer Malcolm Speed said in a statement today. Speed said the ICC board also believed that the world body should intervene in the negotiations between Stanford and the WICB. Stanford has already approached Sri Lanka, India and South Africa for the tournament, a report in Australian media said.
— PTI
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London, July 9 Harbhajan captured three quick wickets with some controlled off-spin as Durham were dismissed for their lowest first-innings total since August, 2002.
— PTI
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Atwal finishes tied 3rd
Ohio (USA), July 9 The former Asian Tour No. 1, who also had three bogeys, shot a superb second straight five-under 66 for his best finish of the season. Atwal totaled 14-under 270, while Australian Jason Day won at 16-under 268 and Scott Gardiner (67) was second at 15-under 269. Atwal is now 34th on the Nationwide Money List, from where the top 25 will get the full playing rights for 2008 PGA tour. Jyoti, Jeev disappoint
Kildare (Ireland): A triple bogey on the 13th hole dashed Jyoti Randhawa’s hopes f1or a top-10 place and his even-par final round earned him a tied 25th finish in the Smurfit Kappa European Open here. Compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh signed off with a bogey-free round of 68 to total three-under 277 and tied for 34th.
— PTI
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