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Chennai Open
Malaysian Super Series
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Strauss replaces Pietersen
No team support for KP: Media
Hayden left out of T20, ODI teams
Pack up time? Matthew Hayden
Smith plays down Sydney heroics
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Somdev lords over Moya
Chennai, January 8 Devvarman’s performance is the best by an Indian here since Leander Paes reached the semifinals in the 1998 edition when he lost to top seed and eventual winner Pat Rafter. Devvarman next meets fourth seeded Croatian Ivo Karlovic who earlier beat Ivo Minar of Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4. The 23-year old Devvarman displayed tremendous retrieving and staying power to oust Moya, the 1999 French Open champion and twice winner of the Chennai Open. Devvarman, ranked 202, matched his more experienced opponent stroke for stroke even as the mid-day heat seemed to get at the 32-year old Spaniard, whose best days are clearly behind him. The 42nd ranked Moya showed only glimpses of his class while Devvarman, a quarterfinalist at the Washington tournament last year as a qualifier, went for his shots, finding the corners and the sidelines with unerring accuracy. Moya took a see-saw first set as the two traded breaks before the Spaniard broke a second time in the tenth for a 1-0 lead. However, Devvarman warmed up to the task and struck back with a break in the 11th game to go 6-5 up and then served out the second set to level scores. In the decider, Moya had his chances, but squandered six breakpoints in the second game before dropping serve in the third. Devvarman could have wrapped up the match much earlier, but he blew a match point in the ninth before winning the tenth game to emerge a convincing winner. “I didn’t get broken in the second and third sets and that I feel was the key,” said Devvarman after the match. “I was intimidated by Moya initially, but after a few games, I started to believe in myself. Later, I knew he was under pressure and I became more confident.” He felt the turning point of the match came in the first game of the third set when he saved six game points. “I was down 0-40 and I came up with the goods by saving six game points. Yes, that was the turning point,” he said. Bhupathi-Knowles advance, Paes-Dlouhy ousted
Mahesh Bhupathi was the lone Indian surviving in the doubles event along with his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles as second seed duo of Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy were shocked in the first round. The top seeded pair of Bhupathi and Knowles advanced to the quarterfinals after a hard fought 7-6, 7-6 win over wild card entrants Somdev Devvarman and Prakash Amritraj. However, the pair of Paes and Dlouhy were in for a shock as they packed their bags after a 6-4, 2-6, 7-10 loss against German pair of Bjorn Pjau and Rainer Scheuttler. The results (2nd round): Singles: Somdev Devvarman (IND) bt Carlos Moya (ESP) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Ivo Minar (CZE) 6-4, 6-1; 3-Marin Cilic (CRO) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-0, 6-4; 5-Rainer Schuettler (GER) bt Simon Greul (GER) 6-4, 6-2; 8-Marcel Granollers (ESP) bt Andreas Beck (GER) 6-4, 6-1; Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 7-6 (3), 6-4; Bjorn Phau (GER) bt Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 6-1, 6-2.
— Agencies |
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Saina enters quarters
Kuala Lumpur, January 8 Eighteen-year-old Saina rode on her smashes and good net play to survive the scary onslaught waged by Chen in an edge-of-the-seat second-round clash to reach the quarter-final. The world number 10 beat Chen 21-16, 19-21, 21-19 in a thrilling battle that lasted 48 minutes. In the quarter-final, Saina will face Hongyan Pi of France whom she had defeated in the round-robin league of World Super Series Masters Finals here last month. “I have defeated Pi here last month, so I don't have to do anything different. She is a good player and has defeated quality players in the tournament but tomorrow is a different day and I will put my best foot forward.” However, there was disappointment for other Indians in the fray -- Chetan Anand and Anup Sridhar. Faced with an uphill task of upsetting world number four Sony Dwi Kuncoro, fit-again Anup Sridhar played his heart out but failed to get past the Indonesian shuttler and went down 12-21, 18-21 in 34-minutes. After losing the first game rather easily, Anup waged a fightback and opened a 9-7 lead but Sony bounced back to grab the lead 15-13. The second-seed Indonesian then unleashed a flurry of smashes and raced away to 20-13. But a gutsy Anup raised his game and saved five match points and closed the gap to 18-20 before his rival won 21-18. In contrast, Chetan was no match for world number five Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark, who spanked the Indian 21-7, 21-8 in just 20 minutes. There was more disappointment in the mixed doubles match as the Indian pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta was sent packing 21-18, 21-14 by local pair Kien Keat Koo and Hui Lin Ng in the second round early in the day. — PTI
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London, January 8 “The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have accepted, with regret, the resignation of Kevin Pietersen as England captain,” ECB managing director Hugh Morris said in a statement last night. Morris further added Moores had been relieved from his duties and Pietersen would continue to rerpresent the country. “Andrew Strauss has agreed to lead the team to the Caribbean,” Morris added. Strauss has played 55 Tests, scoring 4,195 runs at an average of 42.37 with 14 centuries. He has played in 78 one-day internationals, scoring 2,239 runs at an average of 31.98. Strauss skippered England in 2006, when Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff had been ruled out due to injuries. The relationship between Moores and Pietersen reached an ugly flashpoint, when Pietersen objected to Michael Vaughan being omitted from the party to tour the West Indies from this month. Pietersen also issued a statement confirming the reports that he had resigned as captain of the English team, which brought an end to his six-month reign as skipper. “In light of recent communications with the ECG and the unfortunate media stories and speculation that have subsequently appeared, I now consider that it would be extremely difficult for me to continue in my current position with the England cricket team,” Pietersen said. “I am extremely sad and disappointed to have to relinquish the captaincy at such an early stage, especially in a crucial year for English cricket, in such circumstances and particularly when I feel that I have much more to offer England as captain,” he added. The ECB will announce the coaching structure for the West Indies tour as soon as possible and embark on an immediate search for a permanent successor to Moores. “I have the greatest respect for the dignity, which Peter Moores has shown in recent days when he found himself under extreme pressure,” Morris said adding, “The ECB wish him well in his future roles.” Moores’ assistant, former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower, has been tipped to take on an interim role in the Caribbean. — UNI
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London, January 8 Leading daily The Guardian wrote that the captain’s exit was “inevitable” as the England and Wales Cricket Board “realised the extent of the dressing-room antipathy towards him”. “The enforced resignation of Kevin Pietersen, it was asserted yesterday, was inevitable because he had conducted his campaign against the England coach Peter Moores, in the public domain. Except that is pure baloney. Pietersen had done no such thing,” the paper said. “Pietersen’s intention was to undertake a silent revolution against Moores and he might just have pulled it off. But the rift became public on New Year’s Eve... and ECB (managing director Hugh) Morris was obliged to take soundings from senior players. “He (Pietersen) had wrongly assumed that he had earned enough professional respect among England’s senior players that he would gain support,” it said. Pietersen, who was cynosure of all eyes after England returned to India following the Mumbai terror attacks, could have stayed on as the captain despite Moores’ removal if the team had backed him, feels the press. Tabloid Daily Mirror also echoed the views as its headline screamed ‘Knifed in the Back’. The paper said Pietersen quit before he was pushed after a “startling vote of no confidence from his own players” left him with “no room for manoeuvre”. — PTI
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Hayden left out of T20, ODI teams
Melbourne, January 8 Selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch made it clear the teams were chosen with an eye on the Twenty20 World Cup later this year and 2011 World Cup while hinting he could not see Hayden playing a role in the two major events. “The announcement of these squads for the T20 Internationals and the CB Series is a clear indication we are planning for the 2009 World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC World Cup,” Hilditch said. “Winning a fourth consecutive ICC World Cup and our first ICC Twenty20 title is an ambitious project. For this reason there will be very few players selected from this point that we cannot see playing a role in achieving this goal," he said. — PTI
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Smith plays down Sydney heroics
Melbourne, January 8 The Sydney Cricket Ground crowd yesterday gave a standing ovation to Smith, who removed the cast and defied both injuries to walk out and bat. It was not enough in the end as South Africa were eventually bowled out but Smith’s brave effort drew praise from all quarters. The humble Protea captain himself, however, played down the effort. “Opportunities come around to show a little bit of bravery...but in the context of life it was just nice to have that opportunity,” Smith said before departing for South Africa. “It would’ve been nicer if I lasted 10 balls longer, but it wasn’t to be,” said Smith, who was the last man out, just 10 balls before the scheduled close. “I’m sure Ricky would have done a similar thing... and I think Australian people appreciate that,” he added.
— PTI |
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Chennai, January 8
Saina Nehwal emerged as the lone survivor in the season-opener Malaysian Super series, staving off the challenge from Hsiao Huan Chen of Chinese Taipei even as compatriot Anup Sridhar and Chetan Anand fell by the wayside, here today.
London, January 8
London, January 8
Matthew Hayden was today left out of Australia’s 13-man squads for the upcoming T20 Internationals and Commonwealth Bank ODI Series against South Africa.
Selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch made it clear the teams were chosen with an eye on the Twenty20 World Cup later this year and 2011 World Cup while hinting he could not see Hayden playing a role in the two major events.
“The announcement of these squads for the T20 Internationals and the CB Series is a clear indication we are planning for the 2009 World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC World Cup,” Hilditch said.
