London, June 20
Five-time champion Venus Williams led the way in the Wimbledon style wars as she wore an eye-catching outfit in her 6-3, 6-1 first round victory over Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova on Monday. Venus had missed most of the last five months after suffering a hip injury that forced her to pull out of the Australian Open during a third round match against Andrea Petkovic.

But the 31-year-old - dressed in one of her own unique creations - has finally recovered and looked in good shape as she made a strong start to her bid for a first Grand Slam title since she last won Wimbledon in 2008. There will be sterner tests of Venus's form and fitness to come but next up for the former world number one is Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm.

"Coming into any major there is a bit of tension and because I haven't played a lot I think that adds a little pressure on me," Venus said. "But it's always great to be back. I think playing a few matches at Eastbourne helped me feel comfortable here. I was happy to be playing at all after missing so much of the year. That was a big plus for me today." After her long spell on the sidelines, Venus made the quarter-finals on her return to action at Eastbourne last week and performed well enough to suggest that it wouldn't be long before she was into her intimidating stride at Wimbledon.

That proved to be the case as she eased past Amanmuradova in exactly an hour on Court Two. Venus had kept her opponent waiting for several minutes before finally making her grand entrance.

Rafa Nadal took a while to warm up but made an impressive start to his Wimbledon title defence with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over American Michael Russell as the 125th championships began in fine weather on Monday. The Spanish world number one fell behind against the 90th-ranked 33-year-old in the first set before his forehand clicked into gear on Centre Court and he powered into the second round.

Williams, at 31 one of the oldest players in the women's draw, will have youth on her side in the second round when she plays Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm who beat British wildcard Katie O'Brien 6-0 7-5. At 40 years and eight months Date-Krumm became the second oldest player to win a singles match at Wimbledon after Martina Navratilova.

Vera Zvonareva, the highest-ranked woman on view on opening day, survived a big scare when the second-seeded Russian beat American Alison Riske 6-0 3-6 6-3. — Agencies 

New Delhi, June 20
He has won just one Grand Slam singles match in his career but on the back of a reasonably successful season so far, Somdev Devvarman is hopeful of improving his statistics at tennis Majors as he prepares to compete in his first-ever Wimbledon singles main draw.

Out of five appearances at the Grand Slam tournaments ever since turning pro in 2008, Somdev had made four first round exits and reached the second round of the US Open in 2009. Coming into this year's Wimbledon, Somdev got the better of world number 33 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez but not before losing five straight first round matches.

But the Indian star says the win over Guillermo has boosted his confidence and he is hopeful of bettering his records at the tennis majors. He will open his Wimbledon campaign against Denis Gremelmayr of Germany.

"Ya, it's always good to win and to win against a good and experienced player like Garcia-Lopez. It is a definite confidence booster," Somdev told PTI from London. "Yes, it is for sure. Playing in the main draw of the Wimbledon is quite exciting. I'm always hopeful. I'm quite happy with my preparations on the grass this year," he said as he made his first-ever direct entry into the Wimbledon singles main draw. Last year, he had lost in the second round of the Wimbledon qualifying event.— PTI 

New Delhi, June 20
A record 13 teams will be vying for top honours in the Champions League Twenty20 which will be held across three cities Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore from September 23 to October 9.

According to media release, Bangalore will host the inaugural match of the third edition on September 23, it will also host a semi-final. Chennai will host a semi-final and the final slated on October 9.

Apart from seven top T20 teams who have automatically qualified for the main round, there are six other teams who will be engaged in a qualifier from which the top three will qualify.

The seven teams that have automatically qualified are IPL champions plus defending CL T20 champions Chennai Super Kings, IPL runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore, third placed Mumbai Indians. The other four teams are South Australian Redbacks and New South Wales Blues from Australia, Warriors and Cape Cobras from South Africa.

The six-team qualifier that will be held in Hyderabad from September 19-21 features Kolkata Knight Riders who have been invited to play by virtue of finishing fourth in the IPL. Apart from KKR, there will be New Zealand T20 champions Auckland Aces, West Indies T20 champions Trinidad and Tobago, along with two County teams from England and a team from Sri Lanka. — PTI

Chandigarh, June 20
Ever since Tiger Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant outside his Orlando home some 18 months ago, golf has been missing a dominant figure. The game has not been the same with Woods frequently missing from action, and whenever he’s been part of the action, he has been a mere shadow of his former self. Actually, Woods (at 35) has not been playing like the Tiger Woods we know.

For the last 18 months, his indifferent form has left a huge vacuum on the greens and fairways in the US and elsewhere. So, when the 111th US Open started at the Congressional Club in Maryland on Thursday, and Woods was nowhere to be seen (because of leg injuries), it was clear that this Major was going to be another open field, where no player was going to emerge as a single dominant figure. That assessment was entirely wrong, of course.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy did not let anybody miss Woods. He played like Tiger had played at the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2000. He left the entire field so far behind after the first round itself that all others were practically playing only for second place.

Woods won the US Open in 2000 by 15 strokes. McIlroy won the 2011 Open by eight strokes. Woods had a final score of 272, while McIlroy created a new record at the US Open of 16-under 268.

The similarities don’t end here. Woods is of course the youngest player ever to win a Major, claiming the Masters in 1997. At that time, Woods was 21 years and 100 days old. Yesterday, McIlroy was 22 years and 40 days old when he won his first Major. So, now McIlroy has become the second youngest player in golfing history to win a Major.

Earlier this year, at the Augusta Masters in April, McIlroy had a four-shot lead going into the final round, but he blew it by shooting a disastrous 80. After that meltdown at Augusta, the pundits were quick to announce that McIlroy has trouble handling the pressure of the final round and can lose the plot at the Congressional as well.

But, McIlroy had learnt his lesson at Augusta. He soaked in all the pressure, played aggressively and eventually won by a big margin. His compatriot (and winner of last year’s US Open) Graeme McDowell calls McIlroy BMW. Why? Because according to him, Rory is the ultimate driving machine.

Winner of a record 18 Majors, Jack Nicklaus thinks McIlroy has got the right cocky attitude on the course and the right humble attitude off it. His drives are exceptionally long and straight, his short game is of a very high quality. His putts are beginning to drop in from every conceivable place on the green. As a complete package, his game is all coming together now. Fellow players feel Rory is quite Tiger-like in his play now.

Woods is surely going to come back and he’s going to win again. But it is quite unlikely that he will become the great force that he once was. Right now, Rory McIlroy is certainly ‘the man’ golf has been searching for since the retreat of Woods. The new Tiger Woods is emerging on the horizon. In fact, he’s just arrived.

Leaderboard
-16 Rory McIlroy
-8 Jason Day
-6 YE Yang, Kevin Chappell, Robert Garrigus, Lee Westwood, -5 Peter Hanson, Sergio Garcia, -4 Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen.

Doha, June 20
India unnerved a technically superior Qatar by taking the early lead, but were eventually outplayed 1-3 here, in their second round qualifying football match for the 2012 Olympics.

Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua gave India the lead in the seventh minute before Qatar equalised in the 14th minute through Al Khanfan as the two sides went into the breather 1-1. India could keep the home side at bay in the first half, but they were completely outplayed in the second session, conceding two goals.

Captain Hasan Al Haydos made it 2-1 for Qatar in the 54th minute before substitute Mohammed Elneel scored in the 68th minute to complete the tally. The scoreline could have been worse but Desmond Bulpin's under-23 boys saved that when goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani denied Qatari captain Al Haydos from the spot in the 11th minute and woodwork came to their aid twice late in the second session.

It will be a tough task for India to futher advance in the qualifying round. — PTI

Southampton, June 20
Kumar Sangakkara scored his highest test score in England to lead a Sri Lankan fightback on the fifth and final day of the third test on Monday. Sri Lanka, trying to avoid a 2-0 series defeat, reached 226 for four at lunch, a lead of 33.

They lost one wicket in the morning session, nightwatchman Rangana Herath for 36 after he added 75 with Sangakkara, who has hit an unbeaten 89 to close in on a 25th test century. Thilan Samaraweera is on 26.

England missed a chance to remove Herath when he was on five. The left-hander pushed forward at a James Anderson delivery and first slip Andrew Strauss, perhaps distracted by second slip Graeme Swann, parried the ball towards third man.

Herath survived his second chance of the morning when he could have been run out on seven. Sangakkara scampered through for a quick single but Anderson's throw from cover missed the stumps when Herath was well short of his ground.

England's bowlers were often too short or wide in their line and length and the Sri Lankan batsmen were able to leave the ball more than they should have been allowed to. England missed a third opportunity to remove Herath on 19 when he was struck on the pad by offspinner Swann.

— Reuters 

New Delhi, June 20
Rishika Sunkara was the only Indian player to score a victory in the singles event of the USD 10,000 ITF Futures tournament as Zainab Ali Sajjad and Shweta Rana bowed out, here today. Rishika beat Turkmenistan's Anastasiya Prenko 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. Rishika had an all-win day as she also advanced to the doubles quarter-finals along with partner Nova Patel as they beat compatriots and wild card entrants Vaniya Dangwal and Smriti Joon 6-2, 6-1 in the opener.

Zainab lost her singles match 3-6, 3-6 to fifth seed Italian S Scimone, but later partnering Ratnika Batra made the doubles quarter-finals. They beat compatriots Shweta Rana and Prarthana G. Thombare 6-3, 7-5. Hence it was all over for Shweta as she lost her singles 4-6, 1-6 to Nalborska Joanna of Poland. — PTI

Bangalore, June 20
The National Sports Federations, including the BCCI, would be treated as public authority and would come under the Right to Information Act (RTI) under the proposed National Sports Development bill, Sports Minister Ajay Maken said here today. Maken once again clarified that the aim of the proposed bill is to make the NSFs more accountable and bring in transparency, particularly in financial functioning and administrative matters.

"Sports bodies are repositories of public trust and they have to be accountable to public at large," Maken said. Retired Justice Mukul Mudgal, chairman of the committee that examined the bill, had submitted the report to the Government last Saturday and Maken said, "It's a first of its kind bill." Noting that earlier there were only policies, norms and regulations, the minister insisted that only with legislation can the sports federations be reformed.

Maken also said he would like to make changes in the proposed legislation to make the Government "less obtrusive" in the functioning of the sports federations, their recognition and registration. "The Government role would be bare minimal," he insisted.

Maken, who earlier inaugurated a newly constructed shooting range complex and elite men's hostel at Sports Authority of India's (SAI) Netaji Subhas Southern Centre here, said SAI would be made equally accountable as the NSFs. — PTI 

BRIEFLY

No u-turn on international retirement: Afridi
Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has decided to stand his ground and make no u-turn regarding his decision to retire from international cricket. Afridi had retired last month over clashes with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).However, a PCB disciplinary committee has now issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Afridi, which will make him available to play for England county Hampshire in the ongoing Friends Life Twenty20 league."Whatever I said, I will not take any u-turn on that. I will play domestic cricket if I am available," Express Tribune quoted Afridi, as saying.The 31-year-old further said that he hopes to make a fresh start playing for Hampshire."The last 15 days were very difficult for me, but I have got the NOC to play in England and hope to put everything behind me," Afridi said. — ANI

SLC banking on Indian tours to stay afloat
Colombo: The BCCI's refusal to allow Indian players in the Sri Lankan Premier League might have left it surprised and hurt but the island nation's Cricket Board today conceded that it is India on which it is banking on to stay afloat financially. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) today denied that the body was facing liquidity problems but did admit that it would need "two or three tours" by Team India to manage its finances. "There is no financial crisis," declared Sujeewa Rajapaksa, the SLC treasurer. He said the slight problems arose when the SLC was forced to incur additional expenditure on hosting the World Cup after Pakistan's games were shifted to the island nation. "We had originally planned to host eight games and ended up hosting 12 games due to the Pakistan issue. All this caused additional infrastructure expenditure," Rajapaksa said. Rs 4.4 billon were spent on the three World Cup venues -- well above the estimated Rs 3.2 billion. — PTI

Mandi hot weather soccer
Mandi: Central Command, Lucknow, won the 40th Power Grid Corporation Of India Hot weather Football Tournament beating Shivaji Sports Academy, Kolhapur, by a solitary goal at the Paddal Stadium here on Sunday. The Army team has won the trophy first time while the Kolhapur team ended runner-up for the second year in succession. Striker Kamal Subedi netted the winning goal in the 71st minute with an angular volley from the top of the box. The trend of the game was always in favour of the army side and with better shooting could have won by a wider margin. In the first half, in particular, Central Command carried more raids. Stopper Amee defended well but was once shown the yellow card by referee M.S.Bhatia. Shortly before the interval a stinging shot by V.Thappa struck the Kolhapur, Crossbar. Rakesh also gave Kolhapur team some anxious moments before half time. — TNS

AITA to select surface on basis of Wimbledon show
New Delhi: All India Tennis Association (AITA) has decided to watch the performances of all the Indian players on grass during Wimbledon with a view to select the surface and the venue for the next World Group Qualifying Davis Cup Tie to be held from September 16 to 18. While Somdev Devvarman has said that he is now more comfortable on grass than before, the other members of the Indian team - Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna - are traditionally more fond of grass surface for Davis Cup ties at home. India have had memorable victories over more fancied teams on grass at home ties. Even on hard courts of Chennai, India had made a fantastic come back from 0-2 down to beat Brazil 3-2 in the World Group qualifying tie in September 2010. — PTI

Judo federation to hold trials for World Championship
NEW DELHI: The Judo Federation of India (JFI) will hold selection trials for the men's and women's teams for participation in the World Judo Championships and World Cup, at the Sports Authority of India Central Region, Bhopal, from July 3. Trials will be held in the following weight categories: Men: Below 60 kg, 66 kg, 73 kg, 90 kg and below 100 kg. Women: Below 48 kg, 52 kg, 63 kg and below 78 kg. Judokas can participate in the trials through JFI-affiliated States and departmental units. — TNS 

Merson’s ex advises cheated WAGs to leave hubbies
London: While Coleen Rooney, Toni Terry and Cheryl Cole may still be having ties with their infidel husbands, Lorraine Fletcher feels that the WAGs should have self-respect and penalize their husbands just the way she did by divorcing Paul Merson. Fletcher, 42, stood with the ex-England and Arsenal midfielder through his gambling, booze and drug addictions, domestic violence and flings until she could stand the ‘mental torture’ no more and divorced him in 2000, after 10 years of married life. “Every day I pick up the paper and see another scandal about a footballer my heart goes out to their partner,” she told the Sun. — ANI