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Serena in semis, Murray ousted Double delight for Leander Paes |
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Bedi supports Sachin on ODIs
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Serena in semis, Murray ousted
New York,September 8 Murray had been tipped as one of the favourites to win his first major title here but he scarcely resembled a player rated second best in the world as he yelled, screamed and shouted his way to a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 last 16 defeat by Croatian Marin Cilic. While U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe commentated “we did not see this one coming,” Murray said, “Today I could have been better in pretty much every part of the game, whether it was mental or serve, forehand, backhand returns. I just struggled today. I played poorly.” The Briton’s abysmal performance left Cilic to face another rising 20-year-old, Juan Martin del Potro, in the quarterfinals. The Argentine sixth seed cantered to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ferrero’s fellow Spaniard and ex-world number one Rafael Nadal looked vulnerable for one set before he ended the antics of French showman Gael Monfils 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. But it was another former top-ranked player who has been providing the feel-good factor at this year's championships. Looking forward to her match with Clijsters, Williams said, “She’s such a great person. I wish only the best for her but obviously not in the next match. Initially I was (surprised with her comeback) but a couple of weeks ago I knew she was someone to watch out for.” On Monday, it was the usually fleet-footed Murray who lumbered around court. Carrying a left wrist injury which hindered his two-handed backhand, Murray went into meltdown after failing to take two set points on the Cilic serve at 5-4 in the opening frame. With Murray emitting a series of anguished cries every time he missed a shot, those walking on the National Tennis Center grounds might have thought Arthur Ashe Stadium had temporarily been turned into an ER. Murray could have done with some medical attention but instead dropped serve at 5-5 and from then on the 16th seeded Cilic surrendered only four more games. “I’m disappointed. I don’t know how long or how quickly it will take me to get over it,” said a glum Murray. The Scot’s day ended in more heartache as Nadal’s victory over Monfils ensured he would snatch back the number two ranking next week. Nadal, suffering no ill effects from the abdominal strain which had caused him some discomfort in his previous match, will face 11th seed Fernando Gonzalez. The Chilean completed a bad day for the French when he beat seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 in a lively showdown. — Reuters
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Double delight for Leander Paes
New York,September 9 Paes and his partner Cara Black have already reached the final of the mixed doubles event. The match had a sensational climax as Paes and Dlouhy had plenty of match points in the tie-breaker of the third and final set but Bryan brothers made a spirited comeback and saved five match points. However, Paes and Dlouhy held their nerves and finally converted their sixth match point to clinch the issue. In the final, they will play the winner of the second semifinal between third seeded Indo-Bahamian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles and the fifth seeded duo of Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel. It was Bryan brothers who got the first chance of a break but Paes and Dlouhy not only saved them but also converted the opportunities that came their way in the opening set. Meanwhile, it was a mixed day for teen sensation Yuki, who advanced in singles but crashed out of doubles. He had no trouble brushing aside Swiss Sandro Bhrat 6-0, 6-1 to make the third round in the singles event. He will now square off against American Jack Sock. However, it was curtains for him in boys’ doubles. Yuki and his Taipei partner Liang-Chi Huang, seeded number one, squandered a set's advantage to go down 6-3, 2-6, 6-10 to Americans Evan King and Denis Kudla in the match. — PTI
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Bhajji jabs at lensman
Bangalore, September 9 At around 11-30 this morning Harbhajan Singh, along with Team India captain M S Dhoni and pacer R P Singh, went to the airport to catch a Colombo-bound flight. As soon as the cricketers disembarked from their car, they were mobbed by TV cameraman desperate to get a grab of the star cricketers. In the melee, the camera held by ANI videographer Lakshmi Narayanan hit the Punjab cricketer on the head. A furious Harbhajan immediately threw a punch at the offending cameraman and followed it up with an angry glare at Narayanan. Talking to TNS, Narayanan said that after having taken pictures of Harbhajan Singh he was proceeding to capture Dhoni on his camera when he inadvertently hit Harbhajan on the head. “He immediately turned back and threw his hand at me. However, it is my camera which took the blow”, the video journalist said. “Harbhajan also kept staring at me furiously”, he said. “I was very hurt by what Harbhajan did to me. I was just doing my job for which he subjected me to all those star tantrums”, Narayanan, 30 years, said. He said Dhoni and R P Singh had reached the airport’s entry door at the time of the incident and were not aware of the scene involving Harbhajan. TV grabs of the incident beamed by news channels showed Harbhajan quickly turning and apparently shoving a cameraman after the camera hit the back of his head. The cricketer, who is fondly called “Bhajji” and enjoys considerable popularity among cricket loving men and women in India and abroad, earlier got entangled in a major controversy after he was accused of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds in Sydney in 2007. The same year, Harbhajan was banned during the Indian Premier League after he slapped his India teammate S Sreesanth in Mohali. ‘Captaincy interests me’
New Delhi: A coy Virender Sehwag does not want to lead the Indian cricket team but his feisty teammate Harbhajan Sigh does, saying it’s a challenge worth a try. Sehwag has already informed the selectors about his reluctance and requested them to groom someone for future. Harbhajan, on his part, said incumbent Mahendra Singh Dhoni is doing an excellent job at the helm but he made no bones about his own ambition, saying he would not shy away if Team India captaincy ever comes his way. “Whoever plays for India wants to lead the side at some stage and it’s no different with me,” he said. —
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World Boxing Championship
New Delhi, September 9 The 22-year-old’s ouster leaves middle weight top seed Vijender as the lone Indian survivor in the mega event. The world number two will take on Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine in his quarterfinal bout. Dinesh was trailing 3-5 and had survived three standing counts before a fourth count just over a minute into the second round prompted the referee to award the bout to Beterbiev. “A loss always hurts but I am happy to have at least reached the last-eight stage. It was always going to be tough against Beterbiev, who is a World Cup gold medallist, but I know I gave my best,” Dinesh said from Milan. Late last night, Vijender got the better of Canadian Steve Rolls 4-2 to make the last eight stage to be just one win away from notching up India's maiden medal at boxing's blue-ribbon event. “It was low scoring and there were some tense moments but I am happy to have come out on top in the end,” Vijender said. The Haryana-boxer was trailing 0-1 in the opening round but drew form his experience and long reach to get the better of his rival. “The scoring was tough but the support that I got from my team, coaches and the fans here was enough to keep me focused,” he said. Vijender landed a couple of straight punches to end the second round 2-1 up. drew form his experience and long reach to get the better of his rival. “The scoring was tough but the support that I got from my team, coaches and the fans here was enough to keep me focused,” he said. — PTI
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Euro Tour a learning experience: Rajpal
Chandigarh, September 9 Q: Back in a camp again. Do you think you got enough rest after a long European tour? A: Definitely. It was a long enough break and now I believe we are feeling refreshed and geared up for the camp. Although the tour was grueling, it better be, considering the level we have to play at, I think it also tests our improving fitness levels. Q: How good or bad was the European tour? A: How could it be bad? It was a learning experience. We were up against the best and apart from Germany we played the top three teams of Europe. It was a great time to learn not just about our opponents, but also about ourselves. Q: But some of the results, especially the heavy losses, must have been hard? A: From the outset, we had said that the tour to Europe was a part of the larger scheme; the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the World Cup. This has been the line we have stuck to and that was the real outcome also. A win or a loss doesn’t change much because when you are evaluating the team, every result is equally important. Q: Did the 10 midfielders theory gel with the team’s play? A: It was a lot of fun….really. We felt so much stronger while holding the ball, or going forward, for with every man playing a floating role, the chances of finding a pass increased many fold. It is really an exciting way of playing. Q: Is the team in the same thought zone as coach Brasa? A: Everyone knows what he is capable of and we see it first-hand every day. He is always full of new ideas and any team likes to work with some dynamism, as it keeps the focus intact and the interest charged up. What we have done over the past few months, its viability should not be judged right now….these things take time and only in the long run, will it become clear. We can feel the difference within, but for it to appear on the surface, you have to wait. As they say, if you wish to see the chick, you have to wait for the egg to hatch!!!
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Bedi supports Sachin on ODIs
Sirsa, September 9 Earlier, former cricketing stars Kapil Dev and Imran Khan had expressed their difference of opinion on the issue and said the ODI format needed no tinkering. Now, former Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi has supported Sachin’s idea and said the International Cricket Council (ICC) must look into his suggestions. Talking to mediapersons at the JCD Cricket Ground here today, Bedi said Sachin had been playing cricket for the past two decades and his opinion on the game must be given weight by the ICC. Bedi was here as the chief guest at the concluding function of the JCD international cricket league. By bifurcating each team’s 50-over quota into two innings of 25 overs each, the thrill and romance of the game would be back, which had diminished to some extent after the advent of Twenty-20 cricket. He said out of Test, ODIs and T20 formats, people liked the latest version (T20) the most because it gave results immediately. |
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New York,September 8
Kim Clijsters penned another heart-warming chapter into her riveting U.S. Open chronicles on Tuesday to set a date with budding writer Serena Williams, while Andy Murray ran out of ideas to prolong his stay in New York.Murray had been tipped as one of the favourites to win his first major title here but he scarcely resembled a player rated second best in the world.
World Boxing Championship
