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Sharapova marches on
Saina in 2nd round of Thai Open
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Indian paddlers leave for two-leg tour
Defending champions Spain must battle fatigue, history
AIU to field team in nationals
Pujara guides India A to thrilling win
Ankur, Tutul Ali qualify for world finals
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Sharapova marches on
Paris, June 6 "I won two tournaments coming into Paris in Stuttgart and Rome and they gave me a lot of confidence. But every event is different. I am just happy to improve and I know it'll get tougher from here." On another chilly, gloomy day in the French capital, Sharapova and Kanepi, who made the quarter-finals in 2008, exchanged breaks in the first two games before the Russian picked up two more in the third and seventh games. Kanepi, the 23rd seed, saved two set points in the eighth game, but was powerless on the third when Sharapova unleashed a fierce serve down the middle which the Estonian could only deflect into the stands. The start of the second set was just as untidy as the first with the world number two giving up a break to slip 2-0 down on a fourth double fault and then retrieving it immediately in the next to trail 2-1. Kanepi, who put out former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, was quickly another break down while a Sharapova hold to love gave the Russian a 4-2 lead. She squandered the opportunity to serve out the match in the eighth game when she was broken to love, but it was a brief respite for the 26-year-old Estonian who ballooned a forehand wide to hand Sharapova the tie in the next. Sania-Bhupathi enter maiden final Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi earned themselves a shot at their second Grand Slam title together by breezing into their maiden French Open mixed doubles final, here today. The seventh seed Indian pair thrashed unseeded Kazak-Italian combination of Galina Voskoboeva and Daniele Bracciali 6-3 6-2 to record a facile victory in an hour and 10 minutes. It is for the third time that Sania and Bhupathi have reached a Grand Slam final together. They won the 2009 Australia Open and had ended runners-up at the same tournament in 2008. Sania had become first woman from India to win a Grand Slam in 2009 while Bhupathi has so far won 11 Major titles, seven of which are mixed doubles trophies. Leander Paes is the most successful Indian tennis player with 13 Grand Slam titles, seven of which are men's doubles trophies with various partners. Interestingly, Sania and Bhupathi may find their compatriot Leander Paes along with Elena Vesnina as their summit clash opponents. Russian player Vesnina is Sania's regular partner on the circuit and with Bhupathi she had ended runners-up at last year's Wimbledon championship. Later today, Paes and Vesnina are playing their semi-final against Klaudia Jans-Ignacik of Poland and Santiago Gonzalez. Bhupathi was strong with his serve and Sania was sharp at the net as the Indian duo proved too strong for their rivals. A Bhupathi volley winner in the seventh game, gave the Indians a commanding 5-2 lead and Sania comfortably served out the match in the next game. Galina netted a forehand to give Indians their first match-point and Sania hit a crushing backhand winner to seal the issue. PTI |
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Saina in 2nd round of Thai Open
New Delhi, June 6 In the men's singles, Sameer Verma upset 11th seeded Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand 21-10, 22-20. In other matches, K Srikanth beat Marius Myhre 14-21, 21-12, 21-7, and Sourabh Varma thrashed Sukamta Evert 21-11, 21-12. PTI |
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Indian paddlers leave for two-leg tour
Patiala, June 6 The two back-to-back events have come as godsend for the players, especially the two who have qualified for the Olympics. These are the only two meets where both Ghosh and Ankita will be able to compete and assess themselves before the Games. Both Ghosh and Ankita were confident of a good show at the two events and admitted that the championships have come at the right time. We certainly needed these competitions. This will help me and the coach to assess our discrepancies, said Ghosh. Ankita seemed a bit anxious about the London Games, though she said she was trying to not think about the Olympics. This is our first Olympics and there is bound to be nervousness. Our coaches have been egging us on to take it as another championship, said Ankita. I have told them to play their normal game, while keeping the focus, said national coach Bhawani Mukherjee. The team will return on June 20 and the TTFI planning a special camp for Ghosh and Ankita. |
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Defending champions Spain must battle fatigue, history
The Manager: Vicente del Bosque
As winning major championships every two years is all that counts as success for Spain, the challenge facing Del Bosque could not be more exacting. "Winning for a third time may be the toughest task yet, but it is one this team will relish," believes Del Bosque. "While the experience of succeeding in big tournaments is likely to be more important for us, we know that teams are now looking for ways to disrupt and challenge what we do. "This is a generation of brilliance in Spain. As a coach, my job is to try and maximize potential of great players and for the last two tournaments, this team have been perfect. Our challenge is to repeat at Euro 2012. Clearly we are a favourite in the eyes of many, but others will believe their time has come. For me, Holland look to be the main threat to us this summer." The
Captain: Iker Casillas The Real Madrid stopper has been in fine form once again this season and he always commands the respect of his team-mates and opponents. He recently became his nation's most capped international and has rarely had a bad game in a Spain career spanning 12 years. Having lifted the European Championships and World Cup trophy as Spain skipper, Casillas's place in his nation's sporting folklore is secure. All he can do now is add to his legend.
The Formation Spain only have one way to play and that involves passing their opponents into submission. It worked a treat at Euro 2008 and the last World Cup, but are the opposition starting to find a way to nullify Del Bosque's masters. Defeats in friendly games ahead of Euro 2012 has raised the suspicion that defensive-minded teams, intent on halting the Spanish attacking armada, can frustrate and eventually overcome the reigning champions. Tragically, dour football has been proved to be a successful antidote to a more majestic form of the game, but winning is more important than grace at the highest level. Del Bosque's 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation is designed to win games long before the opposition have got to grips with Spain's spellbinding passing skills. It will be fascinating to see if his team of 'Invincibles' can continue to dominate for a third straight tournament. The Weak Spot Fatigue may be an issue for several Euro 2012 coaches, with their star names struggling to extract a final ounce out of energy from their weary bodies after long seasons with their clubs, yet this issue may affect Spain more than most. With most of Del Bosque's players involved in high profile domestic and European campaigns that continue until the final stages of competitions, the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Juan Mata, David Silva, Xavi and Xabi Alonso are heading into the finals looking tired. There are also doubts over their defence, with Barca duo Gerard Pique not always a first pick at club level and the absent Carles Puyol a desperate loss. Injury Nightmare In many ways, Spain have already lived through an injury nightmare in the last six months as leading marksman David Villa has been ruled out after breaking his leg in December, while natural replacement Fernando Torres has been in woeful form for much of the last 18 months at Chelsea. It remains to be seen whether in-form Athletic Bilbao marksman Fernando Llorente or Valencia's Roberto Soldado could fill the void up front, but coach Del Bosque has certainly had plenty of time to weigh up this problem and can have no excuses if he has not found an answer for Euro 2012. Meanwhile, absentee Carles Puyol will be replaced by Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos or Raul Albiol. Both have long been natural replacements for Puyol and the transition should happen smoothly. The Young Gun - Juan Mata The Spain squad is not flushed with youthful talent and that may be good news for Chelsea's Champions League-winning hero Mata, as his chance to shine on the international stage may not be far away. Barcelona's magnificent contingent have made it tough for the creative maestro to force his way into Del Bosque's starting line-up, yet he has shown his class as both a maker and taker of chances when opportunities have arrived. Two goals in three Euro 2012 qualifiers was a decent effort. The Verdict Spain's individual brilliance will take them into the latter stages of Euro 2012, but a lack of freshness in some of their key men may mean a third straight title triumph is out of reach. |
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AIU to field team in nationals
Patiala, June 6 Moreover, Indian universities will chip in with money to ensure India is represented in the maximum possible disciplines at the World University Games in case the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports or AIU are facing financial constraints. The idea is to provide greater opportunities to young athletes and to help raise Indias medals haul at the event. Also, coaches with these squads will be selected solely on merit rather than on the recommendations of AIU. Coaches of the winning teams at the All India Inter-University Championship will head preparatory camps and accompany the team to the Games. Last year, there were controversies on selection of venues, delay in camps, and selection of players and coaches with just a month left for the start of the Games. In another significant development, the Committee has given a nod to changing the wording of the eligibility conditions for the All India Inter-University Championships and another tournaments to ensure that no university could use any confusion in them as an excuse to field ineligible players. As far as holding of inter-university championships is concerned, it has been decided that right from setting fixtures to making arrangements to the announcement of results, everything will be done in the presence of an AIU representative. Many important issues ignored
Despite several sports-friendly decisions at the meeting, many important issues went unnoticed. For example, the issue of points-fixing. AIU awards certain number of points for winning the first four places in team and individual events, which are added up to determine the winner of the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, irrespective of the number of teams which participated in a particular sport. The minimum number of teams for holding the All India Inter-University Championship is fixed at seven and there are certain events like rowing, canoeing and kayaking in which the number of competing teams is often less than 10. Therefore, its alleged that some universities manage to invite fake entries in these events in order to get some easy points. Experts believe that AIU should either make efforts to promote these games in other universities to increase participation or should award fewer points for less competitive sports. More the number of participation in an event, more should be the points given awarded to the winners. |
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Pujara guides India A to thrilling win
Bridgetown, June 6 Chasing a modest 186, India were in doldrums at 5 for 68 before Pujara played the captain's role exceptionally well to guide the visitors to a nerve-wrecking win. Pujara added 73 runs with number 10 batsman Shami Ahmed (27) to steer the Indians home after a spectacular collapse had severely jeopardised the team's chances. Pujara, who has struck a 50 in the first innings, was once again patience personified as he held one end even as wickets tumbled at regular interval around him. The 24-year-old right-hander faced 222 deliveries and struck 10 fours in a calculated innings that should impress the selectors when the senior squad is picked. For the home team, lanky pacer Jason Holder, playing at his home ground, registered his third five-wicket haul in his 15th first-class match a performance that reduced India A to 115 for 8 at one stage. On a rain-interrupted day, a draw seemed likely when the two teams went off the field in the final hour with India 'A' needing 20 runs but the weather cleared and Pujara ensured that it was an opportunity grabbed . PTI
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Golf Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May Ankur Chadha bested the field with a score of 36 in category A while Tutul Ali led in category B with a score of 27. The India finals were the culmination of qualifying tournaments held across the country.
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Maria Sharapova reached her third French Open semi-final on Wednesday, defeating Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-3 to take another step closer to a career Grand Slam. The Russian world number two, who was also a semi-finalist in 2007 and 2011, will tackle either Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or Kazakh qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova for a place in Saturday's final.
The Manager: Vicente del Bosque
"I am happy to be back in the semi-finals. I love coming back here to challenge myself to go further in the tournament," said Sharapova, who can reclaim the world number one spot if she gets to the title match.
The statistic that no international side has won three major championships in succession suggests the odds will be stacked against this former Real Madrid and Besiktas coach at Euro 2012, yet he is convinced his magical team are capable of re-writing the history books once more.
They say goalkeepers cannot be successful team leaders, but Casillas has gone a long way to disproving that theory with club and country in the last few years.
Cheteshwar Pujara took a giant stride towards Test breakthrough as he led India 'A' to a thrilling two-wicket win with an unbeaten 96-run knock on the fourth and final day of the first unofficial cricket Test against the West Indies 'A' here.