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Roger that |
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England keep hopes alive
Dhoni shouldn’t
bat at three
Proteas crush Scotland
Button wins Turkish GP
Boxers off to winning start
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Roger that
Paris, June 7 "It was really not easy to deal with my emotions," said the 27-year-old Federer, who lost to world number one Rafael Nadal in the three previous finals. "It might be the greatest victory of my career." The 23rd-seeded Soderling had ended Nadal's four-year reign on the Paris clay in the fourth round. "To me, he is the best player in history," the Swede said. Federer, the second man after Andre Agassi to win all four Grand Slam titles on four different surfaces, started the match confidently by racing into a 4-0 lead with two breaks. Soderling held serve for 4-1 but Federer, who had never lost to Soderling in nine previous matches, kept up the pressure and clinched the first set on the Swede's serve with a crosscourt passing shot. The match was briefly interrupted after a man came on to Centre Court with a red and blue flag during the fourth game of the second set. The man jumped from the stand opposite the media box and approached Federer, touching him with the flag. Leaping over the net towards Soderling, the man was tackled by Roland Garros security officers and carried away from the court. Federer lost three points in a row after the incident as Soderling levelled for 2-2. Both players held serve to a tiebreak which Federer cruised through 7-1 after serving four aces. The Swiss broke in the first game of the third set when his opponent sent a forehand wide and he never found a solution to turn the situation around. Federer ended his wait on the first match point when Soderling netted a service return, the Swiss falling on his knee in tears and triggering a deafening roar from the 15,000 crowd.
— Reuters
Federer’s previous French Open final 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 2008 Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 2007 Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 2006 Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 List of men’s Grand Slam leaders 14-Pete Sampras (U.S.) Roger Federer (Switzerland) 12-Roy Emerson (Australia) 11-Bjorn Borg (Sweden) Rod Laver (Australia) 10-Bill Tilden (U.S.) 8-Andre Agassi (U.S.) Jimmy Connors (U.S) Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia) Fred Perry (Britain) Ken Rosewall (Australia) 7-H Cochet (France) Rene Lacoste (France) Bill Larned (U.S) John Newcombe (Australia) John McEnroe (U.S.) William Renshaw (Britain) |
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This combo image made from 14 pictures shows Roger Federer holding his 14 Grand Slam trophies, (From L to R ) Wimbledon 2003, Australian Open 2004, Wimbledon 2004, US Open 2004, Wimbledon 2005, US Open 2005, Australian Open 2006, Wimbledon 2006, US Open 2006, Australian Open 2007, Wimbledon 2007, US Open 2008 and 2009 and French Open 2009. — AFP
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A factbox on six men to win all four Grand Slam titles Fred Perry (Britain) Completed the clean sweep in 1935 at the French Open, his fifth title, and went on to win eight in all. Don Budge (U.S.) Perry's great rival of the 1930s, Budge took just three years to emulate the Briton's multi-surface achievement, also at the French Open. Rod Laver (Australia) One of the true greats of the sport, he won the grand slam (all four titles in one year) in 1962 and 1969. Roy Emerson (Australia) Like Budge, Emerson did not wait long to emulate his rival by clinching the 1964 Wimbledon title. Andre Agassi (U.S.) Over thirty years passed before Agassi, in 1999, became the fifth man to win all four. Roger Federer (Switzerland) Federer could have joined the list as early as 2006, when having won the other three grand slam titles he first appeared in a French Open final. Also finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 2007 and 2008.
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England keep hopes alive
Squeezed into a must-win situation after sensationally losing to the Netherlands in their opening match, England acquitted themselves creditably under pressure, decisively defeating Pakistan, the other side in their preliminary group, by 48 runs. Pietersen, back after missing the first match, set up the success with a power-packed 58 off 38 balls, after opener Wright had smashed a 16-ball 34. Broad completed the task, claiming three for 17. The skilful Yunus Khan – unbeaten on 46 from 31 balls - fought valiantly but in vain. The first six of the Pakistani didn’t surface until the 18th over – Misbah thumping Wright to midwicket - which in itself underlined Pakistan’s incapacity. While England capitulated to Holland, they did not concede much by way of net run rate. Pakistan must therefore beat the Dutch by a handsome margin to avert the humiliation of being prematurely bounced out of the tournament. Pakistan obtained only six runs from two overs when Shezad skied to extra cover off Mascarenhas. The more experienced Butt, though, was defiant. Boundaries flowed from this left-hander’s bat on both sides of the wicket till he became the second casualty in Broad’s second over, mistiming a pull to point. Akmal was the other victim, pulling unerringly to square leg. As wickets continued to fall at regular interval, Malik was caught behind off Wright, while “boom-boom” Afridi faded like a pricked balloon. As one agricultural heave followed another, disappointed Pakistani supporters melted away much before the match formally concluded. Tooting in south London, not far from this historic ground, is one of the hubs of the Pakistani community in Britain. Distance, though, was no deterrent as men, women and children sporting the green tops of India’s neighbour streamed in from all parts of the country to cheer Yunus’ side in their maiden appearance in the current World T20. To their delight, Pakistan won the toss and invited England to bat under a threatening sky. Wright and Pietersen fought back after a flying catch at point by Malik removed Bopara. Wright pulled the rookie fast bowler Amir for six; while Pietersen pulled Yasir Arafat straight into the pavilion for equal purchase in an over that cost this medium pacer 21 runs and also brought up the 50 of the innings in 31 balls. But no sooner England passed this milestone, Gul, replacing Amir, comprehensively yorked Wright, paving the way for Owais Shah, who effectively etched a run-a-ball 33, which included an on-driven maximum off Amir. In the same over, Pietersen produced an amazing backfoot six to long off. He had previously swept Afridi for half a dozen to long leg. But Gul, returning for a second spell, uprooted Shah’s stumps as the latter played across the line. The 3rd wicket contributed 66 off 51. Skipper Paul Collingwood’s stay was short-lived. Arafat dropped a difficult chance at long leg off Gul when he was four; but in the next over - the 17th - Afridi made no mistake at long off. Finally, Pietersen departed, beaten by a straighter ball. He had given England the middle order mobility they had lacked against Holland. As for Ajmal, recently reported for a suspect action, he transpired to be Pakistan’s tidiest bowler. James Foster later matched Pietersen with a backfoot six to long off at the expense of Afridi. Scoreboard England: Bopara c Shoaib Malik b Aamer 5 (6) Wright b Gul 34 (16) Pietersen c Gul b Ajmal 58 (38) Shah b Gul 33 (32) Collingwood c Afridi b Ajmal 15 (11) Mascarenhas not out 16 (12) JS Foster not out 14 (8) Extras (lb 3, w 4, nb 3) 10 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 185 FoWs: 1-9, 2-62, 3-128, 4-152, 5-156. Bowling: Arafat 4-0-42-0, Aamer 3-0-31-1, Gul 4-0-37-2, Malik 1-0-13-0, Afridi 4-0-36-0, Ajmal 4-0-23-2. Pakistan: Shehzad c C’wood b Mascarenhas 4 (7) Butt c Bopara b Broad 28 (23) Akmal c Wright b Broad 6 (6) Malik c Foster b Wright 20 (21) Younus not out 46 (31) Afridi c sub b Swann 5 (12) Misbah c sub b Anderson 10 (8) Arafat c Wright b Broad 4 (6) Gul not out 8 (6) Extras (lb 1, w 5) 6 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 137 FoWs: 1-13, 2-41, 3-41, 4-87, 5-102, 6-117, 7-129. Bowling: Mascarenhas 2-0-14-1, Anderson 4-0-30-1, Broad 3-0-17-3, Rashid 4-0-24-0, Swann 4-0-27-1, Wright 3-0-24-1.
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Dhoni shouldn’t
bat at three
On current form and in the Indian side’s interest Mahendra Singh Dhoni should not bat at number three. Twenty20 is no place to either give yourself time to settle in or give yourself an opportunity to get back to form.
Compared to his fluent past in limited overs cricket, Dhoni has been scratching around. He on his own admission is no longer the batsman who could launch himself into the stratosphere after half an over to get his eye in. Whether his sight is no longer sharp enough or injuries have curbed him physically, his present run-a-ball efforts are unfortunately pedestrian in the perspective of Twenty20 demands. By coming to the crease at first drop in the Bangladesh match on Saturday - after Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir had laid a solid platform - Dhoni allowed the initiative to slip. Indeed, but for the magnificent hitting of Yuvraj Singh, it could have been embarrassingly touch and go against the carefree Bangladeshis. Where Suresh Raina is a proven talent at number three, based on his performance for Chennai Super Kings even in South African conditions, for Dhoni to usurp this spot not only risks slowing down the run rate, but negates utilising the potential of the Uttar Pradesh left-hander. At present, surprising as it may seem, all first choice players among the first seven in the Indian batting order are likely to score faster than Dhoni. There is a significant difference between the Indian skipper in the last World Twenty20 and this one. In fact, tactically, it might be best for Dhoni to promote himself if there’s a crisis, when with his maturity and frequent running between the wickets, he can perhaps sensibly steady the boat. |
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Proteas crush Scotland
London, June 7 South Africa reached 211 for five, the highest score of the tournament so far, before bundling the Scots out for 81 from 15.4 overs. The Scots, who are now out of the tournament after losing to New Zealand on Saturday, were 50 for six at the halfway stage. Kyle Coetzer, at least, will return home with fond memories of the Oval. Coetzer took a stunning one-handed catch, leaping high on the boundary rope to dismiss Boucher for two, and top-scored for Scotland with a quickfire 42.
— Reuters Brief Scores: South Africa 211 for 5 (de Villiers 79*, Kallis 48) Scotland 81 (Coetzer 42 Botha 2-17, van der Merwe 2-17). |
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Istanbul, June 7 Australian Mark Webber finished runner-up for Red Bull, taking the chequered flag 6.7 seconds behind the Briton to equal his best ever finish, with 21-year-old German team mate Sebastian Vettel third after starting on pole position. Button stretched his championship lead over Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello, who failed to finish after a starting glitch left him fighting way down the field, to 26 points with 10 races remaining. The Briton has 61 points, Barrichello 35 and Vettel 29. "You have built me a monster of a car, you guys are absolute legends," Button yelled over the team radio, his voice wavering with the emotion, after the white and lime car crossed the finish line. Button's seventh career win, and fourth in a row, made him the first driver to win in Turkey without starting on pole position since the race made its debut at the Istanbul Park circuit in 2005. It also ended Ferrari's Felipe Massa's run of three wins in a row at the track. "Today the car was the best it felt all year. Today it was immense, it really was," added Button. "I wish I could have had all the guys up on the podium with me." Vettel mistake Vettel, who made three stops to Webber's two but failed to make the strategy work for him, made a mistake when he hit the kerb into turn nine and went wide at turn 10 on the opening lap, allowing Button to slip past. Vettel said he had been well beaten: "Jenson was just too quick today, I don't think I would have held him anyway," he said. In what is shaping up to be the most dominant season by a driver since the championship started in 1950, 29-year-old Button also became the first Briton to win four successive races in a single year since Nigel Mansell in 1992. Only five other British drivers, all of them champions, have won six times in a season and that tally does not include current champion Lewis Hamilton. The 24-year-old McLaren driver, wrestling with an uncompetitive car, finished 13th -- 80.4 seconds behind Button -- unlapped but still out of the points for the third race in succession. Italian Jarno Trulli was fourth for Toyota, a strong comeback after that team's dismal Monaco weekend, with Germany's Nico Rosberg fifth for Williams. Massa was sixth while Poland's Robert Kubica, a title challenger last season, scored his first points of the year for BMW-Sauber in seventh place. Germany's Timo Glock took the final point for Toyota. On a brilliantly sunny afternoon at Istanbul Park, with temperatures in the 30s Celsius, the race was short on incident with only Barrichello and Force India's Italian Giancarlo Fisichella retiring. — Reuters
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New Delhi, June 7 In fly weight (51kg), Suranjoy Singh outclassed Lam Tat Ming of Hong Kong. The Manipur boxer, who is also the reigning national champion in his category, led 8-1 before the referee stopped the contest in the second round due to Suranjoy's total domination. This was followed by Olympian Dinesh Kumar's thumping win in his light heavy weight (81kg) opening bout. The 22-year-old Haryana lad defeated Firaz Batlouni of Lebanon in a lop-sided bout that had to be stopped in the very first round. Such was the ferocity of Dinesh's punches that Batlouni was grounded thrice and the ensuing counts that he faced led to the bout being awarded to the Indian. Later, Samota out-punched Iderbaat Davaalkhagva of Mongolia 12-4 to enter the last-four stage due to the small size of his draw. The Indian has a tough semifinal bout lined up against Abdullaev Sardor of Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh (75kg) has a tricky opening bout on Tuesday against Atoev Abbos of Uzbekistan, who was a light heavy weight boxer until last year. “It is a tough opening bout but I am prepared. He was light heavy weight gold medallist at the 2007 Chicago World Championships but then he lost his very first bout in Beijing Olympics,” Vijender told PTI from Zhuhai. — PTI
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Roger Federer ended his French Open jinx when he swept past Swede Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 6-4 in the final to clinch his first Roland Garros title on Sunday. The Swiss equalled Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles and became the sixth man to win all four major tournaments, sealing victory in just under two hours in cloudy conditions.
Squeezed into a must-win situation after sensationally losing to the Netherlands in their opening match, England acquitted themselves creditably under pressure, decisively defeating Pakistan, the other side in their preliminary group, by 48 runs.
Pietersen, back after missing the first match, set up the success with a power-packed 58 off 38 balls, after opener Wright had smashed a 16-ball 34. Broad completed the task, claiming three for 17.
KP doubtful for Ashes
Bhutia still weighing options