Sania-Bhupathi enter final of Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi overcame a sluggish start to sail into the Australian Open mixed doubles final for the second consecutive year as they beat Czechs Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy in straight sets on Friday.

The Indian pair thrashed the Czechs in straight set of 6-4, 6-1 to reach the final stage of the tournament in Melbourne.

Sania and Bhupathi, who were runner-up at the Melbourne Park last year, trailed 1-3 in the opening set before storming back to seal the issue in 54 minutes.

In the summit clash, they will take on the unseeded French-Israeli combine of Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram, who stunned seventh seeded Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tommy Robredo 7-6 (9/7) 6-4.

It was hardly the kind of start Sania and Bhupathi, who have dropped just one set en route to the semis, would have wanted as Benesova and Dlouhy broke them in the opening game to race to a 1-3 lead.

However, the Indians got their act together soon after and broke back twice to take the first set in 32 minutes.

Sania and Bhupathi continued their dominance in the second set and broke their rivals thrice.

Such was their hold over the proceedings that the Indians did not face a single break point in the second set, which they wrapped up in a mere 22 minutes.

The win makes it a double delight for Bhupathi, who along with Bahamas' Mark Knowles, has also made the men's doubles finals to be played tomorrow.

Bhupathi has six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles under his belt with different partners.

His last mixed doubles Grand Slam was incidentally the Australian Open in 2006 when he had partnered Swiss Martina Hingis. Sania, however, would be aiming for her maiden Slam title.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4051787.cms

Sania-Bhupathi enter final of Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi overcame a sluggish start to sail into the Australian Open mixed doubles final for the second consecutive year as they beat Czechs Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy in straight sets on Friday.

The Indians, who were runner-up at the Melbourne Park last year, trailed 1-3 in the opening set before storming back to seal the issue in 54 minutes.

In the summit clash, they will take on the unseeded French-Israeli combine of Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram, who stunned seventh seeded Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tommy Robredo 7-6 (9/7) 6-4.

It was hardly the kind of start Sania and Bhupathi, who have dropped just one set en route to the semis, would have wanted as Benesova and Dlouhy broke them in the opening game to race to a 1-3 lead.

However, the Indians got their act together soon after and broke back twice to take the first set in 32 minutes.

Sania and Bhupathi continued their dominance in the second set and broke their rivals thrice.

Such was their hold over the proceedings that the Indians did not face a single break point in the second set, which they wrapped up in a mere 22 minutes.

The win makes it a double delight for Bhupathi, who along with Bahamas' Mark Knowles, has also made the men's doubles finals to be played tomorrow.

Bhupathi has six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles under his belt with different partners.

His last mixed doubles Grand Slam was incidentally the Australian Open in 2006 when he had partnered Swiss Martina Hingis. Sania, however, would be aiming for her maiden Slam title.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4051787.cms

Indian hockey squad named for Punjab Gold Cup

CHANDIGARH: Selectors on Thursday announced an 18-member Indian hockey team for the inaugural four-nation Punjab Gold Cup tournament to be played from Saturday.

The team, led by drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, will include Arjun Halappa and Ignace Tirkey. Midfielder Sardar Singh, who was also on the injury list with both these players, has not been included due to a hand injury.

The team was announced at the Sector 42 hockey stadium by selection committee chairman Ajit Pal Singh. Other selectors, Zafar Iqbal, Ashok Kumar and Dhanraj Pillay and coach in-charge Harendra Singh, were also present.

Besides India, Olympics champion Germany, European champion Holland and New Zealand are also participating in the tournament. The 10-day event is organised by the Punjab government.

All teams have arrived for the tournament.

Team:

Goalkeepers: Baljit Singh, Adrian D'Souza.

Fullbacks: Dilip Tirkey, Sandeep Singh, Raghu Nath.

Midfielders: Gurbaj Singh, VS Vinay, Vikram Pillay, Prabhod Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey.

Forwards: Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, Shivedra Singh, Rajpal Singh, Arjun Halappa, Tushar Khandekar, S.V. Sunil, Bharat Chhikara.

Stand-bye: Bharat Chetri, Ajitesh Roy, Sardar Singh, Sarwanjit Singh, Hari Prashad, Ravi Paul.

Officials: Harindra Singh (coach incharge), Ramandeep Singh (coach), Romeo James (coach), Mithai M.V. (trainer), Shrikant (physio) and Ashok Kumar (technical manager).

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indian_hockey_squad_named_for_Punjab_Gold_Cup/articleshow/4048928.cms

Coventry City not interested in Chhetri anymore

KOLKATA: English Championship club Coventry City will not pursue their interest with Indian striker Sunil Chhetri, the club's manager Chris Coleman r evealed on Thursday.

Praising the East Bengal striker for his popularity in India, Coleman however said they cannot pursue their interest with Chhetri as he does not fit into their scheme of things.

"A lot was made of him coming over and I think he is going to go around a few clubs. He has had a few days with us but that is it," said Coleman.

"I understand he has a big reputation in India and he is a very nice young man but we won't be following up our initial interest," he was quoted.

It may be noted Chhetri was given a wide coverage in English media after he landed in Coventry for a weeklong trial.

After his first training session with the Sky Blues, he received a warm welcome by the Coventry players and the coaching staff.

"I am really optimistic and I am looking forward to the week. I just want to give 100 per cent. (Bhaichung) Bhutia has been an inspiration both on and off the field," Chhetri had said then.

"After him the flow of players has slowed down so hopefully more can start coming over to England. It would mean a lot to me and to players from India," he had said.

In fact, the national captain was also optimistic about Chhetri's chances.

Having had a stint with Bury FC, Bhutia had said, "I hope things work out for Sunil. It would interest youngsters in looking beyond India and ultimately if they manage it, they can contribute immensely to the national team set up."

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Coventry_City_not_interested_in_Chhetri_anymore/articleshow/4048749.cms

OILFC maul Assam Police Blues in Premier League

By our Sports Reporter source: sentinel assam

GUWAHATI, Jan 28: A fine hattrick from foreign recruit Ezekiel forced Assam Police Blues to suffer a shocking defeat against Oil India Limited Football Club (OILFC) in the State Premier League Soccer Tournament match held at the Nehru Stadium on Wednesday. The Duliajan outfit blanked Assam Police Blues 6-0.The best four teams of the State are taking part in the main round of the premier league but nobody expected that there would so much differences between the two teams which are among the top four in the State. Even the coach of OILFC, Subrata Bhattacharjee, admitted after the match that the result was beyond expectation.The Nehru Stadium today probably witnessed a tsunami of a sort on the field. The initial stage of the match didn’t give any sign that OILFC is going to play some magical soccer in the match. But once Subrata made a few tactical changes in the team combination, OILFC became tough to handle and the side pumped in five goals in a span of just 13 minutes. There is no doubt that all departments of OILFC showed some gusty performance in today’s match. But the name of the two foreign recruits—Stephen and Ezekiel—should be taken separately as both were instrumental to give their team the big win. All six goals were scored by this two foreign recruits.It was Stephen who opened the flood gates for OILFC in the 32nd minute and later he added another two in the 35th and 81st minutes. Ezekiel got his hattrick scoring three consecutive goals in the 38th, 42nd and 45th minutes. Ezekiel’s second goal was the best one in the match as he outpaced two opponent defenders with sheer speed and placed the ball into the net.Talking to The Sentinel after the match, the coach of OILFC Subrata Bhattacharjee admitted that they were expecting a win in the match but never thought that the difference would be so big. “They are a good side but on the basis of assessment of our earlier performance we were optimistic that we would be able to win the game. But frankly speaking, we never thought the margin to be so big.” On the other hand, the coach of Assam Police Blues Tosen Bora was speechless during the post match briefing. In a brief interaction with the press he said, “I could say only one thing and that is we let the opponents pump in too many goals.”There would be no match on Thursday. On Friday ASEBSC will play against Assam Police Blues.

Serena marches into fourth Australian Open final

MELBOURNE: Serena Williams continued her love affair with Melbourne by easing to an emphatic 6-3, 6-4 victory over an in-form Elena Dementieva to advance to a fourth Australian Open final on Thursday.

Williams's victory under the closed roof of Rod Laver Arena ended the fourth seeded Russian's 15-game unbeaten streak in 2009 after Dementieva had earlier won titles at Auckland and Sydney.

The second seeded American, who had to battle back from a 0-3 deficit in the second set after comfortably taking the first, will be hoping to continue her flawless record in Australian Open finals following her three wins from as many appearances.

The 27-year-old Williams will meet another Russian in the title match, taking on the winner of Thursday's second semi-final between third seed Dinara Safina and seventh seed Vera Zvonareva.

"I am just really excited to be in the final, I don't care who I play," Williams said in a courtside interview. "I am just so happy to get this far all my work has paid off."

When asked how she would prepare for Saturday's final, she quipped: "Hopefully I will be playing a doubles final on Friday."

"Obviously I want to win doubles, I have the best partner," she added, referring to sister Venus before praising the crowd.

"You guys are so awesome, come back on Saturday and cheer for me please."

CLOSED ROOF

With Melbourne in the middle of a once-in-a-century heat wave and the air temperature above 40 degrees Celsius for a second successive day, organisers invoked the extreme heat policy at 1100 (0000 GMT) and the match began under the closed roof.

The opening two games lasted eight minutes apiece with both players earning break points as they slugged it out from the baseline.

Despite the nervous start, Williams had to wait until the eighth game to assert her authority, breaking Dementieva to earn an opportunity to serve for the first set.

The nine-times grand slam champion rattled through the game and sealed the first set in 44 minutes when Dementieva's audacious backhand drop shot landed narrowly wide.

The start of the second set was as tense as the opener, with the first game lasting a staggering 14 minutes as Williams fashioned a string of break points only for Dementieva to snatch the advantage back and eventually hold after six deuces.

The Russian then broke Williams and jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the world number two began another of her characteristic fightbacks.

She held to love, then broke Dementieva in the fifth game, despite suffering a heavy fall when she was wrong-footed by a forehand drive from the Russian.

Williams then held to level it at 3-3 before neither could hold serve, with Dementieva breaking once while Williams broke twice to give her the opportunity to serve for the match.

She managed two massive aces, the second of which prompted a frustrated squeal from Dementieva and set up match point, then sealed victory after she ran the Russian around and smashed an overhand into the open court.
Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Serena_marches_into_fourth_Open_final/articleshow/4045419.cms

Safina overpowers Zvonareva to set up Serena showdown

MELBOURNE: Dinara Safina overpowered her fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6 on Thursday to join Serena Williams in the final of the Australian Open.

The combination of Safina's heavier shot-making and aggression proved too much for Zvonareva as the third seed closed out victory in one hour and 46 minutes under a closed roof at the Rod Laver Arena.

Safina won four games in a row to take the opening set after trailling 2-3 then broke Zvonareva's brittle serve to force the tiebreak after the seventh seed blew her chance to force a deciding third set.

The winner of Saturday's final will receive an added bonus of taking over the world number one ranking from Serbia's Jelena Jankovic, who was knocked out in the fourth round at Melbourne Park this year.

"Since I was growing up it has been my dream one day to be number one," Safina said in a courtside interview.

"To play against Serena and to fight for the number one is just going to be unbelievable.

"I just hope it will be a good match that we can all enjoy and whoever wins, we'll shake hands at the end of the match and say 'well you deserve to be number one'."

Safina is also trying to complete a unique family double in Australia by emulating her older brother Marat Safin, who won the men's singles title in 2005.

"I watched my brother on TV winning this tournament and even when I watch it now I have tears in my eyes," Safina said.

"It is great that I can follow his footsteps because he was my idol and he is still my idol. That I'm doing as well as him is just amazing.

"It was his birthday two days ago, maybe I have earned some money to buy him a gift."

Safina had struggled throughout the tournament, surviving two match points in an extraordinary comeback to beat French teenager Alize Cornet in the fourth round, but was at her best against Zvonareva.

She still committed a whopping 42 unforced errors but there was no repeat of the lapses in concentration that plagued her in the early rounds.

Zvonareva, who had won all her previous matches in straight sets, made a nervous start to her maiden Grand Slam semi-final, double-faulting on the second point of the match to concede her opening service game to love.

The 24-year-old Muscovite steadied herself to comfortably hold her next service game then started attacking Safina's serve, which was starting to show signs of vulnerability.

Zvonareva broke back to level at 2-2 then held again to lead 3-2 before Safina seized control, cutting down on her errors and putting the pressure back on her opponent.

Safina, who has shed seven kilogram's in the last year and showed off her new figure in a canary yellow shirt and black skirt, reeled off the next four games to wrap up the opening set in 39 minutes off a Zvonareva backhand error.

Zvonareva, dressed in a more conservative all-white dress, broke Safina's serve in the fifth game of the second set but failed to capitalise on her advantage.

She dropped her next service game and her frustrations started to boil over when she disputed a line call with American chair umpire Lynn Welch then slapped the ball away in anger.

Zvonareva had the chance to force a third set when she broke in the 11th game but failed to hold and lost the tiebreak and the match on a crosscourt forehand winner from Safina.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4046274.cms

Federer beats Roddick to reach Open final

MELBOURNE: Switzerland's Roger Federer blasted Andy Roddick off-court in another fearsome display to reach the Australian Open final and stay on cour se for a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title on Thursday.

The second seed absorbed Roddick's serve and dominated the rallies to take it 6-2, 7-5, 7-5, with arch-rival Rafael Nadal playing Fernando Verdasco in the all-Spanish second semi-final on Friday.

Federer, now in his 18th Grand Slam final, has not lost any of his three previous Australian Open title matches and continues his unbeaten record against Roddick in Major tournaments.

"Andy's been playing really playing well so I knew I had a tough match ahead of me," Federer said.

"I thought I played really well tonight because Andy played good too, so it was fun."

Nadal is hot favourite for his semi with Verdasco, raising the prospect of a mouth-watering sixth Grand Slam final between the world's top two players and long-time rivals.

"People sort of forgot about him leading up to the Australian Open," Federer said of Nadal.

"But he's showing why he's the best player in the world. I would love to play him in the final, that's for sure."

It was demoralising for Roddick, who came into the match revitalised by a change in coach but got off to an appalling start and argued with the chair umpire as the first set slipped past in 32 minutes.

Federer had the seventh seed on a string and he reeled off 12 straight points to take the second, breaking for 6-5 and serving out with grim precision for the two-set lead.

Roddick tangled again with the umpire when he swore loudly and received a code violation, and was left staggered when Federer dug himself out of trouble with a brilliant drop shot, lob and stop-volley to hold for 5-5.

The American was then guilty of a howler as he patted the ball to Federer's feet with the court begging, gifting the crucial break point which the Swiss converted with an unstoppable forehand before calmly serving out the win.

Federer lost in the semis here last year and was beaten in the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals by Nadal, who ended his record 237-week stint as world number one.

But he rescued his season by winning his fifth US Open title to move to 13 Grand Slam victories, one fewer than American great Pete Sampras.

Federer moves to 16-2 against Roddick, the former number one who won the 2003 US Open but has not reached a Grand Slam final since 2006.

He beat Andreas Seppi, Evgeny Korolev and 2005 champion Marat Safin in the early rounds before fighting back from two sets down against Tomas Berdych.

Federer then thrashed Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals, winning 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 in his most comprehensive victory in the last eight of a Grand Slam.

Federer also reached the semi-finals at the previous five Australian Opens, winning in 2004, 2006 and 2007, and last failed to make the last eight in 2003.

He can join Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, Jack Crawford and Ken Rosewall as the only men to have won four or more titles here.

Roddick won against Bjorn Rehnquist, Xavier Malisse, Fabrice Santoro and Tommy Robredo to reach the quarter-finals, when defending champion Novak Djokovic retired with cramp in intense heat.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4047741.cms

Dementieva overpowers Suarez Navarro to reach semis

MELBOURNE: Russia's fourth seed Elena Dementieva overpowered Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-2, 6-2 in scorching heat on Wednesday to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time.

Dementieva, 27, had never been past the fourth round of the Open in 10 previous attempts.

But she underlined why she was one of the pre-tournament favourites with her straight sets demolition of the unseeded Spaniard in temperatures reaching 39.5 degrees Celsius (103 F).

"There were a couple of hot days up in Sydney but it gets much hotter on the centre court so I'm glad to have won in two sets," she said.

Suarez Navarro caused one of the shocks of the tournament when she dumped Venus Williams in the second round, but she could not repeat that type of form against an opponent who remains unbeaten in three tournaments this year.

The Russian will now play either Serena Williams or Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-finals, keeping alive hopes of an all-Russian Grand Slam final for the first time in history.

Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva play the other semi-final on Thursday.

Suarez Navarro, 20, won the toss and chose to serve first, but she started nervously and was broken immediately by the fourth seed.

Dementieva then broke again in the third game and after 20 minutes the Russian had a 4-0 lead.

Suarez Navarro had her first game point of the match at 40-30 in the fifth and managed to hang on to get on the scoreboard.

That seemed to give her some confidence and she began to find the range with her ground strokes which had caused so much damage in her win over Williams.

She had break points in the next game, which lasted an incredible 19 minutes, but she couldn't convert and any chance of getting back into the set was gone.

The players then took a 10-minute heat break and when they came back on Dementieva broke Suarez Navarro to get the perfect start to the second set.

Suarez Navarro had three chances to break back in the next game but Dementieva unleashed some big serves to cancel them out and open up a 2-0 lead.

The Spaniard held her next serve but was broken again in the fifth game, Dementieva then holding on for a comfortable win in one hour, 35 minutes.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4039885.cms

Perfect Rafa storms into Australian quarters

MELBOURNE: Top seed Rafael Nadal maintained his perfect record as breezed into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.

Nadal, who is yet to drop a set, dominated the 2007 finalist 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to a last-eight clash with France's Gilles Simon as he seeks his first hard-court Grand Slam win.

The Spaniard, capitalising on Gonzalez's four-hour marathon with Richard Gasquet, raced through the first two sets in less than 40 minutes each, pushing the 13th seed back to keep his giant forehand at bay.

Gonzalez mounted a brief revival in the third but Nadal hit back from 3-0 down and got the decisive break 4-3 with a forehand into the corner.

The Wimbledon and French Open champion, looking fit and revived after an extended off-season, is yet to be challenged here after easy wins against Christophe Rochus, Roko Karanusic and Tommy Haas.

Monday's victory also avenges his quarter-final loss two years ago to Gonzalez, whom he also beat in the Beijing Olympic final in August.

He has begun his first season as number one after ending a wait of more than three years by overtaking Roger Federer last year.

Nadal compiled one of the best seasons in tennis history in 2008, winning his fourth successive French Open and ending Federer's five-year Wimbledon reign in a classic final.

Including Olympic gold the 22-year-old claimed eight titles in all, more than any other player.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4032578.cms

India get tough draw for Men's Jr World Cup hockey

CHENNAI: India has been clubbed with Netherlands and New Zealand in Group-D in the Men's Junior World Cup hockey, scheduled to be held in Singapore a nd Johor Bahru in Malaysia from June 7-21.

Poland and Singapore are the other teams in Group-D, an International Hockey Federation (FIH) release said on Monday.

The 20 teams in the fray have been divided into four groups, with defending champions Argentina figuring in Group-A, the release said.

The draw for the BDO Women's Junior World Cup, which is scheduled in Boston, USA from August 3-16, would be released by the middle of next month, the release added.

Groupings:
Group-A: Argentina, Belgium, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia.
Group-B: Australia, Chile, Germany, Japan, South Africa.
Group-C: England, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, USA.
Group-D: India , Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_get_tough_draw_for_Mens_Jr_World_Cup_hockey/articleshow/4033634.cms

Lifter Kunjarani to make comeback at 40, aims CWG gold

NEW DELHI: Having virtually disappeared from the scene after her gold-winning feat at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games three years ago, 40-year-old Kunjarani Devi now wants to defy age and trains her gun on defending her title in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

The pint-sized 48kg lifter has won all the gold medals in the Commonwealth Games in her weight category after women's weightlifting was first introduced in Manchester in 2002.

She won three gold in Manchester where one medal each was allotted for snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift, before winning the yellow metal in Melbourne where only the total lift carried a medal.

Kunjarani said she is confident she would gain top form in the 20 months left for the Commonwealth Games at home.

"I have started serious training since December last year. I want to defend my gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and stand on the victory podium before my home crowd," she said in an interview.

Kunjarani will be 42 when the Commonwealth Games is held in October next year in Delhi, but the Manipuri lifter said her body is still in good shape and she is lifting a good weight in training.

"I know myself that I still have the capability to win gold in Delhi next year. My body has not said no I should not be doing this. I am lifting the minimum necessary weight from where you can go for more. Otherwise I would not have thought of making a comeback," said the Delhi-based Rajiv Khel Ratna awardee.

"My career-best has been the 190kg in Athens Olympics. That is still the best among Commonwealth lifters. I won gold with 166kg in Melbourne and I am lifting not much less than that now," explained the CRPF Deputy Commandant.

Kunjarani, who was last in action in the All India Police Games in Jalandhar in October 2006, though is not taking part in the Senior Nationals starting in Pune from January 28 because of the one-year ban that has been imposed on Police.

Five of the Police lifters flunked dope tests in the All India Police Games in Haryana last year which attracted one-year ban from the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

"I am targeting National Games in Jharkhand (to be held in June) for my comeback to competition mode. After that there are many national and international events lined up before the Delhi Commonwealth Games," she said.

"I have to take part in some national competitions otherwise IWF may not allow me to take part in CWG. So I will take part in the National Games," she said.

Kunjarani said she was concentrating more on the Delhi Games and not thinking much of the Asian Games in China - to be held after the Commonwealth Games - where the competition is much tougher.

"I am not thinking much about the Asian Games. I will concentrate on winning gold in Commonwealth Games," she said.

Kunjarani also feels that Indian women would dominate the lifting event in 2010 CWG.

"Except for one or two categories (out of seven) we should dominate. It should be better than Melbourne," she said.

She spends at least four hours a day training, out of which she devoted two hours lifting barbells at the CRPF headquarters here.

"Morning is one-hour outdoor warm up and running and then another one hour lifting barbells. In the evening I have another light warm up and then lifting again," she said.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lifter_Kunjarani_to_make_comeback_at_40/articleshow/4033159.cms

Mary makes women's boxing's Olympic case stronger: AIBA President

NEW DELHI: M C Mary Kom's unprecedented four World Championship titles don't just make her a legend but also strengthen women's boxing's case for inclusion in the 2012 London Olympics, says International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Ching-Kuo Wu.

Hailing the Manipuri pugilist's record feat, Wu said her remarkable achievement of winning medals in all the five World Championships held so far has added weight to AIBA's effort to get women's boxing included in Olympics.

"Having witnessed the excellent performances at the AIBA World Championships, especially those of the very impressive Mary Kom, it illustrates how popular and successful the sport of women's boxing is right now and adds further weight behind including women's boxing in the Olympic Games," Wu said.

Mary Kom, a mother of two, came back from a two-year sabbatical to clinch her fourth successive world championship gold last year, a feat that prompted AIBA to describe her as 'Magnificent Mary'.

The women's World Championship itself grew by leaps and bounds and in the fifth edition held in Ningbo City, China last year a record 41 countries competed.

Wu said all this has made AIBA confident of getting International Olympic Committee's (IOC) nod for the sport's Olympic debut in 2012 London Games.

"AIBA has filed its application to the IOC to have women's boxing included into the Olympic Games. We now must wait on the decision of the IOC Executive Board. We are confident but we must wait for the IOC, which is expected to make a decision in October this year," Wu said.

We have submitted a comprehensive proposal and we dearly hope that women's boxing in the Olympic Games will become a reality," he added.

Women's boxing is being considered for Olympic inclusion after squash and karate, shortlisted to replace baseball and softball, failed to get the required two-third backing in the IOC.

Lauding India's growing stature in boxing, Wu said the country's continuing rise augurs well for the Asian region.

"To have such a passionate sporting country as India so strong in boxing is a key ingredient to the development of the sport, especially in Asia which is becoming one of the most competitive continents in the sport," he said.

Men's boxing's format changes to three rounds of three minutes each from the earlier four rounds of two minutes each this year and Wu said this would make the sport more spectator-friendly besides presenting a tougher challenge to pugilists.

"Boxing has always been a sport of stamina, skill and concentration. The change to three rounds of three minutes will add weight to these key skill groups and provide a better spectacle for the boxing public and television audiences around the world," he said.

"The AIBA Medical Commission conducted a thorough study into the pros and cons of making such a change, and the AIBA Executive Committee was consequently thoroughly convinced about approving the move.

"All sports fans want to see the best athletes perform at their ultimate capacity and this change to the AIBA Technical and Rules will provide that," he added.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mary_makes_boxings_Olympic_case_stronger/articleshow/4032691.cms

Manchester City slap Robinho with 320,000 pound fine

LONDON: Manchester City's owner Sheikh Mansour has backed team coach Mark Hughes's decision to slap Brazilian striker Robinho with a 320,000 fine for
skipping a training session in the Tenerife to return to his hometown San Paolu in Brazil.

A Daily Express report said that Hughes has clearly told Robinho that he will not tolerate any further breaches of club discipline.

Hughes had the clear-the-air talks with Robinho when the player returned to training after going AWOL from the squad's mid-winter break in Tenerife last week to spend five days in Brazil.

Apart from fining Robinho two weeks' wages, Hughes made it clear to his 12-goal leading scorer there could be no special treatment for any players, regardless of status, reputation or transfer valuation.

Hughes knows he had to act because if he had not, his reputation for rigid discipline would have been left in tatters and he would have been open to accusations of favouritism from the other players.

Before the meeting, Hughes said: "I will deal with Robinho in such a way that I absolutely would not expect this to happen again. I feel confident that if there was a longer problem with any player, even Robinho, I would have the go-ahead from Sheikh Mansour to deal with it in whatever way I saw fit."

I have always felt that top players are easier to control because they have a professional maturity and a winning mentality," he added.

Hughes is angered by suggestions he constantly needs to reassure Robinho of City's ambitions.

Hughes said: "People talk about making assurances to Robinho but any reassurances would just be repetition. He knows how I feel. I have no problems with good footballers. The ones that are a problem are those that have a higher opinion of their ability than is apparent and a higher opinion of their worth to the team."

However, there was a conflicting report by The Sun that said Robinho breezed back into Manchester City yesterday and escaped the expected rocket from boss Mark Hughes.

After a week away in Brazil, Robinho did not have a care in the world as he laughed and joked at the training ground.

The pair had what was described as a "brief grown-up conversation" and Robinho, 25, was not fined.

Then the Brazilian departed for a meeting with a group that included his father Gilvan, his lawyer and accountant.

A source close to his advisors said: "There was no showdown between Robinho and Hughes. He doesn't feel he has done anything wrong."

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Manchester_City_slap_Robinho_with_fine/articleshow/4035535.cms

Zvonareva beats Bartoli to reach Aussie Open semis

Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva reached the Australian Open semi-finals with a crushing 6-3, 6-0 win over French 16th seed Marionoli on Tuesday in searing conditions at Melbourne Park.

Zvonareva kept her cool after going down 3-1 in the first set to win 11 straight games as Bartoli wilted in the heat.

"I like it when it's warm, so it's perfect for me," Zvonareva said of the conditions, which left Bartoli bent double and sucking for breath in the second set rout.

The 23-year-old Russian has been in ominous form in reaching her first ever Grand Slam semi-final. She is yet to drop a set in the tournament while holding her opponents to 6-0 in four of the 10 sets she has contested.

Her ability to deal with the testing conditions proved crucial against Bartoli, who could not find the red-hot form with which she ousted world number one Jelena Jankovic.

"It was a great match for me today because Marion is a very, very good player so I'm happy about that," Zvonareva said.

"I was trying to execute my shots and cut down on the unforced errors a lot, I think that helped me."

Bartoli, a Wimbledon finalist in 2007, came out swinging early in the match but her aggressive tactics proved unsuited to the hot conditions.

She drew first blood, taking advantage of a Zvonareva double fault and a rash of unforced errors from the Russian to go up a break in the first game.

Zvonareva, playing in only the second Grand Slam quarter-final of her career, managed to break back in the next.

But Bartoli, covering her head with a towel between games to provide some relief from the heat, lobbed an advancing Zvonareva on her way to another break.

The 23-year-old Frenchwoman surrendered the advantage three games later, committing two double faults and allowing Zvonareva to level the set at 3-3.

The Russian, who took a 6-1 winning record against Bartoli into the match, began to recover from her slow start, her penetrating ground strokes finally finding their mark.

She gained the upper hand with another break to go up 5-3, sending down her first ace of the match in the next as she went on to serve out the set after 38 minutes.

The conditions took their toll on Bartoli in the second set and Zvonareva moved her around the court, breaking her three times as she raced to a 6-0 lead in just 30 minutes.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4034747.cms

Do we still have to plead for recognition, asks Sushil Kumar

NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar is disappointed after being ignored for the prestigious Padma awards.

"Last week an official from the Sports Ministry informed us that I and Vijender have been shortlisted for Padma Shri winners. But I was shocked when I heard that both of us were ignored for this prestigious award," the wrestler said on Monday.

"It really hurts when your performance at the highest level goes unrecognised. This shows that Olympic sports in the country is not taken seriously and only cricketers get recognition."

"Do we still have to plead for recognition even after winning Olympic medals?" Sushil wondered.

Boxer Vijender Singh, who was also left out despite winning the country's maiden Olympic medal (bronze) in boxing, said he is not unduly worried.

"Our job is to perform and win medals for the country. It is up to the government to take notice. I am not in race for any awards," he said.

Sushil's coach Yahbir Singh said they were expecting the Padma award for the wrestler.

"We were surprised after learning that Sushil and Vijender were not selected for the award. This is how we treat our champions?," he asked.

Though it was India's most successful Olympic performance ever, only shooter Abhinav Bindra, who won the nation's maiden individual Olympic gold medal, has been conferred with the Padma Bhushan.

Cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, too, are in the list of Padma Shri awards, which has not gone well with the wrestling and boxing fraternity.

"Cricketers are given all the awards. What have they done this year to deserve the award? Even the world body of boxing has recognised India as upcoming power in the sport and it is a shame that we are treated in this manner at home," said a boxing official, declining to be named.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Only_cricketers_get_recognition_Sushil_Kumar/articleshow/4033645.cms

Roddick into Melbourne semis after Djokovic withdraws

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic's defence of his Australian Open title ended prematurely on Tuesday when the Serb was forced to retire from his quarter-final against Andy Roddick after the third game of the fourth set.

American Roddick had been leading 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 2-1 when a visibly distressed Djokovic said he could no longer continue.

The 21-year-old had called a medical time out after the third game of the third set, when he had held serve to take a 2-1 lead, but looked exhausted when play resumed and lost the next five games.

Roddick held four break points in the first game of the fourth set and while Djokovic battled back to hold serve it may have sapped any semblance of energy he had left, as the seventh seed won the next game then broke him to love.

The third-seeded Djokovic then walked off court, consulted the doctor and told chair umpire Carlos Ramos of Portugal "no more", before he went to congratulate Roddick, who has now advanced to his fourth Melbourne Park semi-final.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4035594.cms

Bhupathi-Knowles in doubles semi-finals

MELBOURNE: Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles sailed into the Australian Open doubles semi-finals, defeating Feliciano Lopez and F ernando Verdasco in searing conditions at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.

The third seeded Indo-Bahamian pair took 88 minutes to dispatch the Spanish duo 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in their quarter-final clash.

Lopez-Verdasco showed some resistance in the second set, winning it 6-2, but Bhupathi-Knowles eventually prevailed to move to the next level.

Among the juniors, top seed Yuki Bhambri moved to the third round after defeating Stephen Hoh of Australia 7-6(1), 6-0.

Earlier, Leander Paes, and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy advanced to the men's doubles quarter-finals defeating locals Paul Hanley and Jordan Kerr 6-2, 7-5 on Monday.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bhupathi-Knowles_in_semis_Paes-Black_out/articleshow/4035023.cms

Assam boys win hockey match

GUWAHATI, Jan 25 – Assam U-14 team trounced Andhra Pradesh 4-0 in the national championship being played at Lucknow today.In the U-16 national championship, which is going on in Kerala, Assam played 1-1 draw against Goa, informed Assam Hockey Association secretary Tapan Das.

Ivanovic bounced from Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Serb fifth seed Ana Ivanovic tumbled out of the Australian Open on Friday, losing to Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 as her form slump continued.

Ivanovic, the reigning French Open champion and a losing finalist here last year, staged an epic fightback in the second set of the marathon third round match, but it was not enough to overcome the Russian 26th seed.

Her loss is the second major upset in the women's draw in as many days, with the Serb pin-up following American sixth seed Venus Williams out of the season-opening Grand Slam.

Kleybanova said she played the game of her life against Ivanovic in the two-hour 33 minute clash, eclipsing her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

"I'm so happy that I did it," the ecstatic 19-year-old said.

"We both played great tennis and I really enjoyed the crowd over three sets. I'm happy to win because I was able to play my best tennis today."

The match began as a baseline slugfest, until Ivanovic broke the deadlock, capitalising on her first break point opportunity to go up 5-3.

Kleybanova switched tactics and came to the net, setting up a four-game winning streak that gave her the first set.

Her stunning form continued when she broke Ivanovic for the third time in the opening game of the second set, holding her opponent to love in the next game for a 2-0 lead.

Urged on by the Melbourne Park crowd, Ivanovic desperately searched for a way back into the match but Kleybanova was relentless, breaking the Serb again to go ahead 3-0 when her opponent hit her return into the stands.

Seemingly down and out, Ivanovic bludgeoned her way back into the match in a rollercoaster set stretching 66 minutes where eight games went against serve.

Both players appeared exhausted at times but kept at each other in a fiercely competitive match.

Every time Ivanovic cancelled out a Kleybanova break, the Russian edged ahead again, coming within three points of sealing a win when she served at 5-4, only for the Serb to make her fourth break-back of the set.

Ivanovic even had to stage a mini-comeback when the set went to a tie-break, trailing 3-1 but recovering to serve her way to a 7-5 win in the decider, sparking wild applause in the stands.

But Kleybanova refused to let her superstar opponent wrest the momentum in the third set, bringing up two break points in the second game and capitalising when Ivanovic netted a forehand return.

She held to lead 3-0. Yet again Ivanovic picked herself up off the canvas to break-back only to have Kleybanova break her again in the next game.

This time the Russian did not surrender her advantage, making her third and final break when Ivanovic served to try to stay in the match.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ivanovic_bounced_from_Australian_Open/articleshow/4022530.cms

Liverpool's Gerrard denies assault charge

England and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard told a court on Friday he would plead not guilty to assaulting a man in a bar brawl in December.

The Liverpool captain was arrested in the early hours of December 29 after police were called to the Lounge Bar nightclub in Southport, north of Liverpool in northwest England.

Company director Marcus McGee, 34, required hospital treatment after receiving facial injuries in the incident.

In a short hearing at North Sefton magistrates court, Gerrard, 28, said he intended to deny charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and affray, the Press Association reported.

He was released on bail and the case was adjourned until March 20. Two other men, John Doran, 29, and Ian Smith, 19, both from Liverpool are also charged with the same offences.

The incident occurred following Gerrard's man-of-the-match performance in a 5-1 win over Newcastle United in which he had scored twice.

After his arrest, the club pledged its full backing for the player.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/eplarticleshow/4022323.cms

Tsonga survives third set lapse

MELBOURNE: French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a third set lapse to overcome Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 and book his place in the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday.

Tsonga was cruising at two sets to love when he seemed to lose concentration and allowed Sela back in the match.

However, the 2008 runner-up quickly regrouped and overwhelmed the Israeli in the fourth set to win a highly entertaining match.

Tsonga made his breakthrough at the 2008 Australian Open, thrilling crowds with his athleticism and shot-making on his way to a memorable final against eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

But he suffered a knee injury in May which required surgery and forced him out of the game for three months and caused him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon.

He recovered in time for the US Open, where he made the third round, then went on to win the Paris Masters in November.

"I felt really good on the court today," he said. "I was happy to win -- we played a great match."

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Specials/Australian_Open_2009/Tsonga_survives_third_set_lapse/articleshow/4025465.cms

Cup offers Scolari banana skin

LONDON: Luiz Felipe Scolari's position has been strengthened after back-to-back wins but the Chelsea manager knows his future will once again be under the spotlight if his side falter against Ipswich this weekend.

On paper, the visit of the mid-ranking Championship team to Stamford Bridge should guarantee Scolari's side easy passage into the FA Cup fifth round. But Chelsea's season has so far been anything but routine and having lost their air of impregnability at home, the game suddenly carries far more significance than it would have done just a few weeks ago.

Scolari approached last weekend's league clash with struggling Stoke apparently battling to save his job after Chelsea had been humiliated by Manchester United and then required a replay to scrape past League One Southend United in the last round of the cup.

And with growing reports of player unrest - particularly in the case of Didier Drogba who was omitted from the squad and has this week been linked with a 15-million-pound move to Manchester City - the manager appeared to be losing his grip.

With Chelsea trailing against Tony Pulis' Stoke side with just three minutes to go, the odds on the Brazilian still being in charge for the visit of Ipswich had lengthened dramatically. A stirring finale, however, capped by a superb goal in added time from Frank Lampard transformed the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge and suddenly the talk at the club has been all about spirit and pulling together.

The reaction of the Chelsea players in mobbing the manager after Lampard's strike was an attempt to downplay reports of disunity in the camp. That upbeat mood will be shattered if Chelsea falter again and Scolari will take no chances in a clash that could consolidate his standing - for now, at least.

Nicolas Anelka, though, believes the Stoke win is a turning point in the club's season and could relaunch their bid for league and cup glory. "Against Stoke, we scored two goals in a short space of time to claim the victory," said the striker. "Winning after adversity is always positive. It proves that what goes around comes back around. This game can boost our confidence regarding our title chances. Manchester United are top. The Reds are hard to beat, they are really brilliant. But it's still possible."

Anelka's goals have been crucial to Chelsea's fortunes this season and the Frenchman insists he is ready to end his recent barren spell. "Okay, I haven't scored in the Premier League lately," he added. "But I scored in the FA Cup. Besides, I was played on the right wing in some games. I scored goals in the past. What I want to do is win titles. Happy days if I can finish top scorer, but it's secondary."

Drogba has been included in the squad for the match but could start on the bench, leaving Anelka to lead the attack. Scolari's hope that John Terry would be fit to return after a back problem were dashed with the centreback requiring more time to recover from an injury he suffered in the warm-up before last weekend's match against Stoke.

Ipswich's hopes of springing an upset won't been helped by the absence of German defender Moritz Volz who has a pelvic problem. But manager Jim Magilton has been lifted by a run of four unbeaten games culminating in last weekend's thrashing of Crystal Palace and is confident of springing a surprise.

Magilton said: "Saturday gives my players a chance to challenge themselves against some of the best players in the world."

Source; http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Didier_Drogba_returns_for_Chelsea/articleshow/4025178.cms

Kuznetsova continues steady progress

MELBOURNE: Svetlana Kuznetsova insisted on Saturday she doesn't care about the lack of attention she gets despite being a top 10 player as she continued her steady progress at the Australian Open.

The eighth seed is the forgotten Russian at this year's Australian Open, with most of the column inches devoted to Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva.

However, she won the US Open in 2004, beating Dementieva in the final, and has been in the top 10 for the last three years so cannot be discounted for the title. "I don't care about the (lack of) attention," she said.

"Before maybe I was thinking about it but now, no, I don't care. In the end what is important is the result." The 23-year-old from St Petersburg ensured a place in the fourth round when she downed Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

She survived three set points in the first set tie-break to clinch the set then broke Bondarenko early in the next set to take out a tense clash. "It was tough but I think I did the right things," Kuznetsova said. "I tried to play to my serve and wait for her mistakes, and she was waiting for my mistakes. Sometimes I went for too much and I made too many unforced errors."

Kuznetsova said saving the set points in the first set had been crucial. "It was great, I was just looking to fight for every point and that is what I did," she said.

The Russian next meets China's Zheng Jie, who beat Bondarenko's sister Kateryna 6-2, 6-2, and must be favoured to reach the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the first time since 2005.

"Zheng's tough -- I've never lost to her but I know she's very confident now and she's playing better," Kuznetsova said.

"She's very dangerous. I think I have to be very focussed. She plays very flat and she moves well."

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kuznetsova_continues_steady_progress/articleshow/4025568.cms

Bhupathi-Knowles reach doubles third round

MELBOURNE: Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles advanced to the Australian Open men's doubles third round after a straight-set victory but it was curtains for Rohan Bopanna and his Finnish partner Jarkko Nieminen who lost their second-round match on Saturday.

Third seeds Bhupathi and Knowles had to fend off a tough fight from the unseeded Russian pair of Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov before emerging 7-5, 7-5 victorious in a 92-minute duel.

The Indo-Bahamian pair will next take on Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador and Tommy Robredo of Spain who defeated Bopanna and Nieminen 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.

Bhupathi and Knowles played near flawless tennis with no double faults and just three unforced to their opponents' 14 in the whole match. Though they had a slower service, the third seeded duo converted four out of nine break points that came their way.

Bopanna and Nieminen, on the other hand, were error-prone and committed as many as 16 unforced errors to their opponents' 11.

Another Indian, Leander Paes, and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, seeded fourth, had also sailed into the third round defeating unseeded Italian-Croat pairing of Fabio Fognini and Ivan Ljubcic 6-3, 6-4 on Friday.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Specials/Australian_Open_2009/Bhupathi-Knowles_reach_doubles_third_round/articleshow/4025383.cms

Major upsets in junior tennis:

Major upsets in junior tennis:
Unseeded Lalruasaka of Mizoram caused an upset by defeating top-seed Partha Konwar of Jorhat 6-0 in the boy’s singles (under 14 years) pre-quarter final while Vanlal Rauta too made an upset by beating second-seed Parikshit Smani of Jorhat 6-3 in the boy’s singles (under 12 years) quarterfinal in the Oil India All Assam Junior Tennis Tournament played at Duliajan on Thursday. All the finals matches will be played on Friday which would be followed by the closing ceremony.

Results: Boy’s singles (under 12 years) Quarterfinal – Vishal Vivek Saikia bt Rishik Dutta 6-5, Subhankar Paul bt Animesh Sarma 6-3, Akrashish Talukdar bt Bijoy Mohanty 6-1, Vanlal Rauta bt Parikshit Somani 6-3.
Boy’s singles (under 14 years)

Pre-quarterfinal – Lalruatsaka bt Partha Konwar 6-0, Abhinandan Das bt Archis Borthakur 6-1, Subhankar Paul bt Trishant Talukdar 6-2, Innocent Lalrindika bt Anuresh Karmakar 6-2, Lalrammaiwa bt. Lalmalsawma 6-0, Manash Gogoi bt Rishik Dutta 6-3, Parikshit Somani bt Ruben Krishmattraya 6-3, Bedabrata Mohan bt Zathlangliana 6-2.

Boy’s singles (under 18 years) Pre-quarterfinal – Sabir Hussain bt Wasim Akhtar Ahmed 6-4, Sudhanta Mohanty bt Sidhartha Borgohain 6-0, Alok Tripathy bt Icirailee 6-0, Bikram Barua bt Izaz Ahmed 6-2.

Girl’s singles (under 18 years) Pre-quarterfinal – Sanghamitra Thakur bt Manmayuri Saikia 5-0, Manaswini Hazarika bt Meghna Dowerah 5-1, Upasana Nath bt Mitaksara Medhi 5-1, Nishigandga Misra bt Neha Roy 5-2, Sunita Mohanty bt Dpisikha Boro 5-1, Jyotishmita Khaund bt HT Lalengmawi 5-2, Somaya Begum bt Amrita Nath 5-2. (Correspondent, Tinsukia)

OILFC, Lajong FC in 2nd Division National League

OILFC, Lajong FC in 2nd Division National League
By our Sports ReporterGUWAHATI, Jan 22: Oil India Limited Football Club retained their position in the Second division National Football League which will kick off in February. On the other hand, Lajong Football Club of Shillong will make their maiden entry in the competition this year.
A meeting of the executive committee of the All India Football Federation was held on Wednesday in New Delhi and the teams for the forthcoming league was finalized in that meeting. The preliminary round of the tournament would be held in three clusters in three different venues. Asom will host the cluster ‘A’ matches where both OILFC and Lajong FC have been placed along with three other teams.
On the other hand, the cluster matches of group ‘B’ and ‘C’ would be held at Gurgaon and Kerala respectively. The top two teams of each group will qualify for the main round.
The secretary of the Assam Football Association Ankur Dutta while talking to The Sentinel over telephone from New Delhi said that the venue of the group ‘A’ matches of the Second Division National League would be decided very soon. It has been learnt that Guwahati and Silchar are the frontrunner for the venue of that cluster. Meanwhile, the meeting also decided to hold the 63rd edition of the Santosh Trophy Soccer Championship in the first week of May and the Tamil Nadu Football Association will host the championship.
Groups & VenuesGroup A — Venue : Asom:
Teams : ONGC , OIL India, Camelia George Telegraph & Bengal , Mumbai FC & Lajong FC
Group B—Venue: Gurgaon :Teams : Amity United SC, Pune FC, New Delhi Heroes, Simla Youngs and SESA Football Academy
Group C—Venue: Kerala Teams: Salgaocar SC, Viva SC, Happy Entertainment , Malabar United FC ,Chandni FC and Travancore Titanium.

Argentina beat India 4-2, level series

ARGENTINA: Indian hockey team succumbed to their second straight defeat, going down 2-4 in the final match to allow Argentina level the four-match Te
st series on Friday.

A shaky defence and a profligate forward line let down India as Sandeep Singh and his men squandered a 2-1 lead and conceded three second half goals to share the honours in the four-match series which they lead 2-0 at the midway stage.

Bharat Chikara opened India's account in the seventh minute with a field goal before captain Sandeep Singh sounded the board from a penalty corner set-piece.

Argentina struck in the 31st, 37th, 39th and 58th minutes through Matias Vila, Juan Gilardi, Facundo Callioni and Matias Paredes respectively to emerge winners at the Estadio Panamericano.

The Indian team kicked off its campaign on a positive note, blanking the hosts 2-0 in the series opener and following it with a narrow 3-2 win.

Trailing them 0-2, Argentina staged a brilliant comeback in the second half of the series and beat India 2-0 in the third Test to stay afloat and eventually drew level with Friday's win.

The Indian team now leaves for Mumbai en route to Chandigarh for the Four-Nation Punjab Gold Cup starting later this month. Apart from the hosts, the event will also feature Germany, Holland and New Zealand.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/opinions/4020590.cms

Redeemed Dokic continues Australian fairytale

MELBOURNE: Spurred on by a pumped up capacity crowd, Jelena Dokic continued her fairytale run through the Australian Open on Friday with her second successive victory over a seeded player.

Dokic, riding high on the wave of public sympathy and support, upset Denmark's 11th seed Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round of the year's first grand slam.

The Australian's victory came hot on the heels of her second round win over Russian 17th seed Anna Chakvetadze, which was her first over a player in the top-20 in five years.

Dokic, who was born in former Yugoslavia, will next meet either Alisa Kleybanova or 2008 runner-up Ana Ivanovic.

Wozniacki broke Dokic in the fourth game of the first set and established a 4-1 lead. She held on to the advantage to take the first set 6-3, despite some anxious moments in the final game when Dokic held three break points.

The former world number four, however, seemed to find an extra gear in the second set, breaking the Dane twice to go on a six-game winning streak.

That run only ended in the third set when Wozniacki broke her to tie at 1-1.

After the Dane held in the next game, Dokic set about demolishing her opponent by reeling off the next three games.

Dokic held three break points in the seventh game and let out a huge roar of 'C'mon' when she managed to clinch it, giving her the chance to serve out the match.

The 25-year-old held three match points and when Wozniacki's forehand sailed over the baseline, the crowd on Rod Laver Arena erupted.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Surprise_package_Dokic_into_fourth_round/articleshow/4021982.cms

Ecclestone confirms India F1 plans

LONDON: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Thursday that he is "fully committed" to holding a Grand Prix in India in 2011.

Asked in a BBC interview whether the event was still going ahead, after the announcement last year that it would be delayed from 2010 to 2011, he said: "Of course, otherwise we wouldn't have entered into an agreement with them."

The Indian side was "fully committed and we are too," he said, blaming the delay on the calendar of global sporting events and because "we have got one or two contracts we have to fulfill."

The BBC reported that the land had not yet been bought for the track on the outskirts of New Delhi, but it was expected to be resolved in April.

India's ambitious F1 plans were first unveiled in June 2007 when the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said it had received a letter from Ecclestone allowing the country to host a race.

The deal was subject to meeting certain conditions, like building a track. Millions of Indians watch F1 on television, often with the same passion they reserve for the country's most popular sport, cricket.

"It's a large, large country with a big population and it's good for the sponsors, good for the car manufacturers and its good for everyone involved in Formula One to be in their country," Ecclestone said.

He added: "I doubt in India anything will be a rival to cricket, but let's see."

Source: http://racing.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4019611.cms

Djokovic beats Delic to grab 4th round spot in Australia

MELBOURNE: Serbia's Novak Djokovic recovered from dropping his first set of the tournament to beat American Amer Delic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday.

The defending champion lost the second set after a brief lapse in concentration but regained his composure to win the next two, despite being pushed to a tiebreaker in the fourth.

Delic, who was promoted to the main draw as a lucky loser when Nicolas Kiefer pulled out, troubled the world number three with his booming serve but Djokovic's big-match experience proved decisive.

Djokovic's next opponent will be either Mardy Fish or Marcos Baghdatis.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Specials/Australian_Open_2009/Djokovic_beats_Delic_to_grab_round_4_spot/articleshow/4020423.cms

Sunil Chhetri for Coventry City trial

KOLKATA: India striker Sunil Chhetri will appear for trial at English club Coventry City.

Chhetri, who plays for East Bengal, has been granted a week's leave (from January 25-31) by his club, said an official.

"We have granted him a week's permission with an official letter. We hope he won't miss out on any matches on account of the trial," the official said.

East Bengal will play one match -- against Mumbai FC on January 31 -- in the I-League during that period, however the club official said Chhetri still might play the match if he returns in the morning.

Chhetri will play the match -- against United SC -- on January 24 before leaving for the English club which competes in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English league system.

The Delhi striker, who earlier represented JCT, has to his credit 15 goals in 35 appearances for the country.

Coventry City's only major title was in 1987 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 to win the FA Cup.

They also reached two League Cup semi-finals in 1981 and 1989

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sunil_Chhetri_for_Coventry_City_trial/articleshow/4017984.cms

Tsonga through to second round at Melbourne Park

Last year's runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a patchy first set to thrash Argentine Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 and advance to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Tsonga was broken once in the first set by the world number 49, though Monaco was broken twice himself and saved one other opportunity before the Frenchman won the set in 40 minutes.

The second set followed a similar pattern before world number seven Tsonga ran away with the third set.

Tsonga converted all three of his break opportunities in the final set and sealed the match when he served to love to set up a second round clash with either Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic or Russia's Igor Kunitsyn.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4006447.cms

I followed my heart, says Kaka

MILAN: Brazilian superstar Kaka has revealed that he followed his heart in choosing to stay at AC Milan rather than take up an offer of a reported 15 million euros a season to join Manchester City.

Milan president and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced the news late on Monday to end one of the most dramatic transfer sagas of all time. Moneybags City, owned by the Abu Dhabi Group, had bid a reported world record 100 million euros for the former World Player of the Year and Milan gave the 26-year-old permission to talk to the English Premier League club.

But Kaka has told Milan's official TV channel that the Italian giants' fans had played a significant role in convincing him to stay. "All the messages I received convinced me to choose with my heart and I think in the end that's what I did. It was definitely not a financial decision," he said.

"There were bits of information, claims, a lot of speculation which over these last few days even created a bad impression of my father. That's not the case, I've never argued with my father. I always make decisions within the family, my wife has also been wonderful, she helped me a lot and has always supported me in my decisions. My family have been great and never tried to push me one way or another. In the end it is my history which has been decisive, where my legacy is and where in reality my heart is."

Kaka denied that he was using the interest from City to try to get a pay rise at Milan, where he is already supposedly the second highest paid player in Italy behind Inter Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"There have also been claims made that every time offers are made for me it's because I want to renew my contract," he added. "That's not true. Every time a team has come and proposed something to me it's Milan who have tried to please me. For this I have to thank everyone who works at Milan."

Kaka, somewhat diplomatically, described Berlusconi and Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani as incredible people and thanked Milan's technical director and his compatriot Leonardo, a former player at the club.

"He is more than a friend, someone who is always close by," he said. "Right now I don't want to change anything, I want some peace and quiet."

A devout evangelical Christian who removes his jersey to display a T-shirt bearing the message 'I Belong to Jesus' whenever Milan win something, Kaka revealed he had prayed a lot over these last few days. "It was an emotional and unforgettable night," he said about Monday. "My team-mates have been great, they supported me, they touched me."

Fans who on Monday had protested against the proposed sale outside Kaka's home and Milan's headquarters on Monday quickly began celebrating. "He's staying with us, he's staying with us," went up the cheer after news broke that the Brazilian had rejected City.

Berlusconi, who had previously said Milan could not stand in Kaka's way with such a sum of money on the table, praised the attacking midfielder for rejecting financial riches. "We're all delighted," he said. "But he didn't want to leave even for a perfect offer from Manchester (City) and he said no without even knowing what the offer was. Hence, he is staying with us and we can't be anything but delighted because money is important but there are other things more important than money."

And the Italian prime minister insisted Milan had never accepted City's bid.

"No, we told Kaka to think about it, as we did with (Andrei) Shevchenko (when he joined Chelsea), we said we didn't want to prohibit someone from considering an offer that was double what Milan could pay, also because it was clear we could not make a counter offer because had we, we would have had to do likewise with all the other players and that wouldn't have been logical or in our budget. Kaka never expected us to make an offer and as a fan I have to say I'm delighted."

Galliani for his part said Milan's fans had to thank Berlusconi for not taking the money on offer. "Once more the fans should thank president Berlusconi for his economic strength," he said.

"Because there was a strong temptation in front of us and a number that was a stratospheric world record."

Source; http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I_followed_my_heart_says_Kaka/articleshow/4006977.cms

Nadal blows Rochus off court

MELBOURNE: World number one Rafael Nadal sent out an ominous warning to his rivals when he blew Belgium's Christophe Rochus off court 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

The Spaniard was in devastating form, serving 10 aces and blasting 44 winners in a virtuoso display of power and precision.

Rochus was almost reduced to a spectator at times as Nadal's ground stokes either landed deep in the corner or hugged the sidelines.

When the Belgian tried something different and came forward to the net, Nadal's passing shots whistled by, leaving Rochus either stranded on the service line or lunging at thin air.

Nadal broke Rochus three times in the first set and barely conceded a point off his own serve as he won the set 6-0 in only 19 minutes.

Rochus finally got on the scoreboard in the ninth game of the match, but with his first serves hovering just below 180kmh and his second serves barely passing 130kmh, every service game was a struggle.

The second set lasted just 10 minutes longer than the first but at least Rochus began to get into the match.

However, Nadal was never in danger and he broke Rochus another two times in the third to take the match in a lightning quick 77 minutes.

Nadal, who took over from Roger Federer as world number one during 2009, said he felt little different coming to the year's first Grand Slam as the world's best player.

"I feel the same -- I am just trying to play my best tennis," he said.

"All that's changed is a number." He said he had been happy being number two and now he was just as pleased being in the top spot. "But in tennis your career continues -- you can't just stop (because you're number one)," he said.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ruthless_Nadal_blows_Rochus_off_court/articleshow/4007958.cms

Man United tap Sahara for sponsorship deal

NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: Imagine the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney turning out to play for their club with the name of an Indian company prominently emblazoned on their shirts.

This is no idle fantasy. Manchester United, the world's biggest football club, has reportedly approached the Sahara group for a sponsorship deal.

Sources said the club has been seeking sponsors and has sent a proposal to Sahara - which supports the Indian cricket team - for sponsoring the team's shirt.

Abhijit Sarkar, the head of Sahara's corporate communication, confirmed receiving the proposal but declined to comment further.

When TOI contacted Man U, a club official said, "We have been in touch with a lot of sponsors and hope to strike something in the near future."

Currently, American International Group (AIG) has a contract for sponsoring Man U shirts for £56.5 million (about Rs 415 crore). The four-year deal began in 2006.

But with AIG being hit hard by the financial meltdown, the deal appears to have run into trouble. That could explain Manchester United's search for new avenues of sponsorship.

Sahara keen on Man U proposal

World's premier football club Manchester United has sent a proposal to Sahara group for sponsoring the team's shirt.

According to sources, Man U's commercial director Richard Arnold has sent a proposal letter to the Lucknow-based group along with a host of related material like the club T-shirt with Sahara logo and a detailed dossier displaying pictures of Ronaldo and Rooney wearing T-shirts with the company name.

Sahara currently pays BCCI more than Rs 400 crore for shirt sponsorship of Team India for January 2006 to December 2009. The original amount was Rs 313 crore for three years, but the payout increased after the Indian board decided to play more One-day and Twenty20 matches.

This is the first time that any English football club - leave alone Man U, which has around 333 million fans worldwide - has looked to an Indian firm for sponsorship. Evidently, Sahara India's association with Indian cricket and hockey teams for more than a decade attracted the attention of Man U's bosses.

Sources in Sahara said they were keen on opening a dialogue with Man U but officials were tightlipped on proposal details.

"We have a healthy partnership with BCCI and the Indian Hockey Federation. Our foray into sports sponsorship has been very fruitful. But I can neither confirm nor deny the latest Man U move at the moment," said a top Sahara official.

Sources said Sahara wants the English club to first come to India and play a few matches. If Sahara does put its name on the Man-U shirt it will join the likes of AIG, Vodafone and Sharp who have done so earlier.


Sponsor Team Deal amount
Sahara Indian cricket team Over Rs 400cr
Tamoil Juventus 15m pounds a year
BenQ Real Madrid 14m pounds a year (2006)
T-Mobile Bayern Munich 11.4m pounds a year
Samsung Chelsea 10m pounds a year
Emirates Arsenal 100m pounds
AIG Man United 14m pounds a year
Carlsberg Liverpool 8m pounds a year

Arsenal amount also includes a 15-year stadium naming rights and eight-year team’s shirt deal

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/eplarticleshow/4004105.cms

Murray eyes top spot in six months

MELBOURNE: Britain's Andy Murray on Tuesday said that his sublime form could make him world number one in six months as he targets a maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

Murray, 21, reached the Australian Open second round after just 12 games when veteran Romanian Andrei Pavel pulled out injured with the scores at 6-2, 3-1, and later quit.

The result means Murray has already bettered last year's first-round defeat to eventual finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he hunts the first British Grand Slam win since 1936.

The Scot is currently the hottest player in world tennis, defeating all his fellow top-four players over the past year and reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

"I'd obviously love to be number one. I'm sure all players would at some point in their career. But I'd want to try and win a Slam first. I think that's the next step for me," he said.

"But if I play well the first six months of this year, I don't have a whole lot of points to defend. So there is a chance that I'd do it.

"I'm going to have to play like I did for the second part of the year last year. I'm going to have to do the same in the first part of this year, try and be very consistent."

Despite searing heat on Rod Laver Arena, Murray was coasting through the match after breaking twice to take the opening set in 31 minutes.

Pavel, playing in his 10th Australian Open and the second oldest man here at 34, called for treatment on his long-standing back injury between sets and lasted just four more games before pulling out, grimacing with pain.

Murray said it was a "shame" the Romanian's career was over. But he was glad to limit his playing time on Rod Laver Arena as temperatures soared to 40 C (104 F) in bright sun.

"Even when you sit down at the change of ends, you're expecting to go and chill out a little bit in the shade and it's roasting even when you're just sitting there," he said.

"That was tough. And if you have a long point, you can feel your feet burning a little bit."

The Florida-based Murray admitted he wasn't sure how he would cope with the conditions in a longer match but hoped his playing style, which relies heavily on drop shots and changes of pace, would help.

"I've trained as hard as I could and prepared very well. But when it's as hot as this, I don't know," he said.

"I think you just got to trust the work that you put in, you know, is good enough. When it's this temperature everyone's going to feel it. You just have to try and make your opponent do more running than you."

Murray won back-to-back Masters series titles either side of the US Open last year, taking his total to five for the season and his ranking to fourth, both British records.

He has already beaten Nadal and 13-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in a six-match unbeaten run this year, raising hopes that the 73-year British Slam drought may be nearly over.

Soruce: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4004965.cms

I am ready to take on Nadia, says Sania

NEW DELHI: Sania Mirza survived a late onslaught from world number 61 Marta Domachowhska to set up a second-round clash with Russian 10th seed Nadia Petrova in the women's singles of the Australian Open, in Melbourne and Sania says 'she is ready'

Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW, Sania said, "I am playing well, serving well and my forehand is back as before. I am not thinking about the match and am ready to take on Nadia."

On beating Domachowhska, she said, "It is 1-all now. She beat me once and I beat her now."

The unseeded Indian battled past the Pole 6-1, 6-4 in the first round. Nadia beat Kazakhstan Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 7-6 (3) in her opening round match.

Sania, playing her first singles match of the season after a long injury-lay off, was happy with her comeback match.

"It was a great way to begin after such a long break. I've not played a match in almost six months now. I'm just happy to have come through," she said after the match. Sania raced away with the first set in just 25 minutes, breaking the Polish player thrice.

The Indian led 2-0 in the second set before Marta stepped on the gas, winning four games on the trot, breaking Sania in the third and fifth games.

From a comfortable 2-0, Sania found herself trailing 2-4 in no time.

Under pressure, the 22-year-old Hyderabadi got her act together and went on to win the next four games to seal the issue.

Sania broke Marta in the eighth and 10th games in the process.

Sania had lost to Marta in 2003 in their first meeting and now the head-to-head record stands at 1-1.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4004876.cms

Murray, Williams sisters take easy route as Open sizzles

MELBOURNE: Andy Murray and the Williams sisters took the easy route at the Australian Open on Tuesday, breezing into the second round in furnace-like conditions.

As temperatures soared past 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), fourth seed Murray barely broke a sweat against Romanian Davis Cup captain Andrei Pavel who retired with a back injury when the Scot was leading 6-2, 3-1.

Second-seeded Serena Williams was equally comfortable in her 6-3, 6-2 mauling of China's Meng Yuan, not needing the ice vests offered to players between games in such sizzling heat.

Matching her sister, sixth seed Venus barely broke stride as she sauntered past Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3.

While they cruised, Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva survived a gruelling test before grinding down Germany's Kristina Barrois in three sets, while Polish ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska became the biggest casualty so far.

Australian hope Lleyton Hewitt joined Radwanska on the scrap heap after slumping in five sets to Chilean 13th seed Fernando Gonzalez.

Murray is now undefeated in six matches this season as he goes in search of Britain's first Grand Slam title since 1936.

"Obviously you don't want to finish a match like that. Andrei's been having problems with his back for a year," said the world number four.

"It's unfortunate I had to stop but I felt like I was hitting the ball well. I guess if you want to do well in the tournament, it's good to conserve some energy. Hopefully that was a good thing."

The Scot, who was coasting through the match after breaking twice to take the opening set in 31 minutes, is the form player of recent months and is seen as a real chance to win his maiden Grand Slam title.

The experienced Williams is looking for her 10th major crown and her fourth in Melbourne.

Only a few select women, including Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, have won more major titles than the formidable 27-year-old.

Forgoing her usual flashy outfits for a nondescript dark blue number, the American powered past Meng in just 75 minutes.

"I think I hit some pretty solid shots, sometimes I even went for some shots just to try something different," she said, downplaying the effect of the heat.

"There wasn't so much humidity out there, the dry heat is actually better than the humidity. But it was definitely extreme conditions."

Venus, who has yet to lift the Melbourne title, was untroubled by Kerber.

"I'm feeling the best that I can and I'm glad to be in the second round," she said.

Dementieva is widely regarded as a dark horse for the championship after already winning two titles this year.

But the Beijing Olympic gold medallist was pushed to the limit in the 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-1 win, emerging victorious to take her recent unbeaten run to 11 matches.

"I'm just happy to survive," she said.

Other players to progress included 13th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, while China's unseeded Peng Shuai sent Italian 28th seed Francesca Schiavone packing. Wimbledon semi-finalist Zheng Jie beat France's Camille Pin.

Amelie Mauresmo, the champion in 2006, showed no signs of the thigh strain that forced her out of the Brisbane International in her 6-4, 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova.

On the men's side, French sixth seed Giles Simon quiety went about his business to beat unseeded Spaniard Pablo Andujar in straight sets.

World number one and top seed Rafael Nadal plays later on Tuesday.

Source: http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4004841.cms