Sania in pre-quarters of WTA Aegon Classic

Birmingham, Jun 10 (PTI) Sania Mirza quelled a late challenge from world number 49 and 11th seed Anne Keothavong to sail into the pre-quarterfinals of the USD 220,000 WTA Aegon Classic here today.

The unseeded Indian beat the British number one 6-1 7-6 (5) in the second round after battling it out for one hour and 27 minutes.

Sania will now run into the winner of the match between local wild card Elena Baltachs and Russian fifth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the last-eight stage.

Sania dominated the first set and did not give any chance to Anee, whom the Indian broke thrice to take lead.

However, Anee shrugged off the rustiness in the second set and put up a brave fight to stretch it to a tie-breaker, where Sania held her nerves and converted her second match point.

Sania had beaten Tatiana Poutchek in the first round last night. PTI

No plan to bat at No. 3 throughout the T20 World Cup: Dhoni

Trent Bridge, June 11 (PTI) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today made it clear that he has no plans to bat at the number three slot throughout the Twenty20 World Cup and claimed it was a part of the team's experiment with the batting order.

Even though an in-form Suresh Raina seems the more logical choice for the slot, Dhoni has been coming at one down in the Twenty20 World Cup but with little success.

After India's eight-wicket triumph over Ireland, the Indian captain was asked if he plans to continue occupying the slot for the remainder of the tournament to which Dhoni replied, "Not really." Dhoni said the team was experimenting with the batting order and hence he was coming at number three.

"We are trying a few things. I think we have to see what combination we are playing with and decide depending on that," he said.

Dhoni, meanwhile, was relieved with Zaheer Khan's sterling performance against Ireland as the left-arm seamer grabbed four wickets, besides the Man of the Match award.

"It's really good that he is back in form," Dhoni said of Zaheer who was nursing a shoulder injury till the other day.

"We knew he would take one more game to get back to groove and that's what we saw today. He was back in the groove, swinging the ball and hitting the right areas," Dhoni said. PTI

Bhaichung prepares for legal battle

Kolkata, June 9 (PTI) India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia who was yesterday suspended by Mohun Bagan club for six months, has started exploring legal options with his lawyer Usha Nath Banerjee today asserting that the footballer was no longer a registered player with the Kolkata club.

Stating that the football season was over and Bhutia was no longer a registered Bagan player, Banerjee said that he would be a "free footballer" till he registers himself again with the Indian Football Association (IFA) for 2009-10 season.

"Bhutia has a contract with Mohun Bagan till 2010. But his contract does not become operative until he registers himself with IFA," Banerjee told reporters here.

"Bhaichung has personally requested me to represent him. So I'm here for my client. However, I will not disclose our next move which you will come to know shortly," Banerjee said.

However, Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra said their decision to suspend Bhutia is completely in accordance with the rule. PTI

South Africa beat New Zealand by 1 run

LONDON: South Africa rode on some excellent bowling to clinch a one-run win over New Zealand in a thrilling Group D clash of the ICC World Twenty20 at Lord's.


With both teams having already qualified for the Super Eight stage, this was about keeping the momentum going and South Africa earned the bragging rights as they restricted New Zealand to 127 for five.


But things didn't go as planned for Graeme Smith's men as they managed just 128 for seven after they were put into bat by New Zealand stand-in skipper Brendon McCullum.

However, some excellent work in the field allowed Proteas to get even as they stifled the Kiwis, who at one stage were cruising along nicely with McCullum (57), who led the side in the absence of the injured Daniel Vettori, putting on 56 runs with Ross Taylor (22) for the third wicket.

New Zealand suffered a setback early on when they lost Martin Guptill (6) and Neil Broom (1) cheaply.

However, McCullum, who was rather cautious, managing just six boundaries in his 54-ball knock, and Taylor did a good job in repairing the innings.

Taylor fought gamely on despite suffering from a hamstring strain and needing a runner before his stumps was shattered by a RE van der Merwe delivery.

That dismissal put the brakes on New Zealand and they struggled to get going. McCullum fell trying to improve the run rate, Mark Boucher taking off the bails behind stumps from a Van der Merwe delivery.

Jacob Oram (24 off 18 balls) did his best to see the team through, but fell one run short.

Earlier, some brilliant bowling and excellent fielding helped New Zealand restrict South Africa to 128.

McCullum's decision to field first was vindicated with the bowlers keeping the dangerous South African batsmen in check. They were aided in their cause by two brilliant run outs that got rid of Jacques Kallis (24) and later the in-form AB Villiers (15).

Kallis' run out to a brilliant piece of fielding by McCullum put the brakes on South Africa after he and skipper Graeme Smith (33) put on 49 for the opening wicket.

Veteran Scott Styris then removed Herschelle Gibbs (3) and Ian Butler bowled Smith to put South Africa in even more trouble.

Van der Merwe (0) came and went and that brought de Villiers to the crease.

He showed his intent with a four off Mills but fell trying a non-existent second run as Martin Guptill's throw from the deep knocked off the stumps at the non-striking end.

JP Duminy (29) hit a couple of sixes towards the end to prop up the South African innings but fell trying to hit one too many.

Source:TOI

Nadal will fight to be fit for Wimbledon

MADRID: Champion Rafael Nadal will do all he can to fix problems with his knees and be fit to defend his Wimbledon title this month, he said on Tuesday after tests at a clinic in Barcelona.

The world number one was forced out of this week's traditional Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Queen's Club with tendinitis and said he faced two tough weeks of recuperation before Wimbledon gets underway on June 22.

"I will give 200 percent to be at 100 percent for the most important date in world tennis and the tournament that has always excited me the most," the Spaniard said in a statement.

"I have been playing with pain in my knees for several months and personally I cannot continue like this," he added.

"The pain was limiting me physically in certain movements which meant I was also suffering mentally. I will not take to any court, and certainly not the Wimbledon centre court, unless I know I am 100 percent."

After his shock defeat to Robin Soderling at the French Open nine days ago, Nadal said he had been advised to rest by doctors and pulled out of Queen's in London, where he was also defending champion.

He said he would have physiotherapy in the coming days and Spanish tennis federation (RFET) doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro said the treatment would include anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle work.

Nadal has blamed his injury problems on what he calls the overloaded tennis calendar and last season missed the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai and Spain's Davis Cup victory over Argentina.

He said he would travel to London next Tuesday.

Source:TOI

Anand wins 5-3 against Leko

Miskolc (Hungary), Jun 9 (PTI) World Champion Viswanatan Anand won the rapid match against Hungarian Peter Leko with a comfortable 5-3 margin after drawing the last two games on the final day here on Monday.

Both the games saw a keen tussle between the two players. Anand was seen pressing even as he was unable to overcome Leko's defence.

In the end both games ended in draws.

The Indian ace had won two of the eight games in this match earlier and with six draws it turned out to be another cherished performance by Anand.

The Indian maintained his match victories for the second time in a row as he had beaten Kramnik in the last world championship at Bonn in Germany.

This loss in the match on his home turf turned out to be the third in a row for Leko. The Hungarian had started this series way back in 2006 when he beat former world champion Anatoly Karpov of Russia but since then his hunt for an elusive victory against a world class player is on.

In 2007 Vladimir Kramnik turned out to be superior while in 2008 Norwegian Magnus Carlsen dented Leko's confidence.

It was a Semi Slav defense by Leko once again in the seventh game and Anand expectedly opted for a solid system with white pieces. Getting a nagging advantage in the middle game Anand tried to put pressure along the central files but found Leko well armed with his defense. PTI

Jeev 34th, Randhawa 134th in golf rankings

NEW DELHI: Jeev Milkha Singh hung on to his 34th place in the official World Golf Rankings after his sixth place finish in the Wales Open while compa triot Jyoti Randhawa slipped seven places to 134th.

Jeev, who shared the sixth place with Simon Dyson, Oliver Fischer and Richard Green at five-under 279 at the Celtic Minor Resort, maintained his previous week's place to remain the highest ranked Indian golfer.

Randhawa's tied 49th finish in the same European Tour event was not enough to avert a slide as he lost seven places to finish 134th.

US-based Arjun Atwal, who is out of action due to injury, remains static at 260th.

Soruce:TOI

Indian colts blank Singapore 10-0 in WC opener

Singapore, Jun 8 (PTI) Skipper Diwakar Ram smashed led from the front scoring five goals as former champions India opened their campaign in style by crushing co-hosts Singapore 10-0 in the Junior World Cup Hockey tournament here today.

Diwakar Ram flicked five goals from penalty corners in the 15th, 18th, 29th, 55th and 66th minutes at the Seng Kang Sports Complex.

Indians, who led 6-0 at the break, scored their other goals through Danish Mujtaba 5th and 51st, Dharamvir Singh 26th, Mandip Antil 30th and Vivek 47th minute.

This is also the highest victory margin so far in the event, being co-hosted by Singapore and Malaysia.

India dominated the proceedings from the beginning with constant attacks from their forwards.

They attacked at will with perfect coordination among the midfielders and the forwards. The strong bench strength of India afforded coach A K Bansal to shuffle his pack.

Indian medios and deep defence did not allow Singapore to advance too much in their territory as goalkeeper Choubey was not tested.

The Indian flankmen Mandip Antil and Mohd. Amir Khan tore open the seams of the Singapore defence and fed strikers Danish Mujtaba, Pramod Kumar and Jay Karan as they successfully won penalty corners in quick succession.

India play New Zealand in their Pool D match tomorrow.

In an earlier Pool D match, Holland registered their second successive win by beating Poland 7-2. PTI

Bagan suspends Bhutia for six months

Kolkata, June 8 (PTI) In a dramatic development, Mohun Bagan today suspended its captain Bhaichung Bhutia for six months from playing for the club, citing "violation of rules and regulations", which also virtually rules him out of joining any other club.

Bhutia had sought a release from Mohun Bagan after his commitment was questioned by the club in a showcause notice served on him on May 15.

Dismissing his request, the club in its executive committee meeting today suspended the iconic Indian footballer from playing for the club for six months.

"In a unanimous decision, we at our executive committee decided to suspend Bhutia for six months. During this time, he cannot play for Mohun Bagan," senior executive committee member Subrata Mukherjee told reporters.

In his acerbic best, Mukherjee added, "Despite being the captain, he has been defying rules and regulation of the club for a long time and thus breaching his contract. He has been irresponsible not only for practices but in international matches as well." "In the interest of football, we have taken this decision and set a precedent that he is just like anybody else. Bhaichung may be a great player in India but he is not an institution. Mohun Bagan, being a very old national club, we have taken this decision." PTI

Jitender in Asian Championships' quarterfinals

New Delhi, June 8 (PTI) Rounding off a second successive all-win day for India, Olympian Jitender Kumar (54kg) and Jai Bhagwan (60kg) advanced to the quarterfinals with contrasting wins at the Asian Boxing Championships in Zhuhai, China today.

Jitender was the first to take the ring and the Beijing Olympic quarterfinalist defeated Thailand's Chatchai Butdee in a thrilling contest.

The two boxers were tied 4-4 after the regulation three rounds and were locked 4-4 even on countback but Jitender won after three of the five judges officiating the bout declared him as the better of the two boxers.

"I was leading in the first two rounds but he became very aggressive in the final round and equalised. I was very tense after we were found to be tied even after the countback. It was such a relief when judges declared me winner for being a better boxer," a relieved Jitender told PTI from Zhuhai.

The 22-year-old Haryana-boxer now takes on Enkhjargal Iderkhu in the quarterfinals on Wednesday in what would be his first bout against the Mongolian.

"I have not seen this guy. The coaches are keeping an eye on his bouts and will formulate a strategy accordingly," said Jitender. PTI

Federer wins maiden French Open title

PARIS: Roger Federer gloriously completed a career Grand Slam on Sunday by capturing a record-equalling 14th major with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 win over Robin Soderling in the French Open final.

The 27-year-old world number two finally won a Roland Garros crown at the 11th attempt and in his fourth successive final having come up heartbreakingly short in the last three showdowns against Spanish nemesis Rafael Nadal.

Blog: Federer, the greatest ever

His victory, ironically over the Swedish 23rd seed who shocked four-time Nadal in the last 16, took him level with great friend Pete Sampras as the holder of 14 Grand Slam titles.

He also moved into a select group made up only of Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi as men who have won all four of the Grand Slam events.

"It was probably my greatest victory, I was under big pressure. I did it and it's phenomenal," said Federer who broke down in tears after being presented with the trophy by Agassi, the 1999 champion, and while the Swiss national anthem was played.

Soderling, who has now lost 10 times in 10 meetings with Federer, admitted the Swiss was a deserving winner.

"Roger was too good for me today, he played much better. He is a worthy winner and for me he is the best player in history," said Soderling.

"He gave me a lesson in how to play tennis."

Any doubts over Federer's ability to overcome his Paris jinx were quickly dashed as the Swiss star, playing in a record-equalling 19th Grand Slam final and riding a tidal wave of support, dominated Soderling.

He broke the first game on a Soderling double fault and was soon a second break to the good to lead 4-0 when a sweetly-timed drop shot left the Swede stranded behind the baseline.

Soderling, the first Swede in the Roland Garros final since his coach Magnus Norman finished runner-up to Gustavo Kuerten in 2000, stopped the rot with a hold to trail 4-1, but Federer quickly nipped further ahead to 5-1.

Soderling's uncompromising forehand, which was a dagger to the heart of Nadal, was looking more like a blunt instrument in the damp and chilly conditions.

His service game crumbled again in the seventh game as Federer claimed the opening set.

It had taken just 23 minutes with the Swiss losing just two points on serve.

The final was then delayed by a worrying security breach during the fourth game of the second set with Federer ahead 2-1.

A spectator, dressed in red, waved a flag of the Barcelona football club in the world number two's face before he was wrestled off Court Philippe Chatrier by security guards.

But the Swiss star wasn't disrupted from his elegant stride, either by the intruder or the rain which started to steadily fall.

Although Soderling slowly rediscovered his service power, it was Federer who was comfortably dictating the points and he fired down four aces in the tie-break to open up a two-sets lead.

He was a break ahead in the third set to lead 1-0 before Soderling carved out, and squandered, his first break point of the match in the fourth game.

Federer then sent down his 16th ace of the tie to stretch to 4-2.

He came out to serve for a place in history but faltered to 30-40 with a wild, running forehand.

With pregnant wife Mirka looking anxiously on, he averted the crisis and went to match point with a confident volley and claimed victory when Soderling netted a service return after 1hr 55min on court.

Federer slumped to the Paris clay in celebration and in tears as he secured his place as arguably the greatest player of all time.

Source:TOI

Kuznetsova wears French Open women’s singles crown

PARIS, June 6: Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Russian final of the French Open on Saturday to take away her second Grand Slam title.

It was a comprehensive win for the 23-year-old seventh seed who lost in the final here in 2006 to Justine Henin two years after she stunned the world of tennis by winning the US Open as a 19-year-old.

For Safina it was a crushing way to end a two-week-long campaign geared at securing a first Grand Slam title and proving that she is a worthy of the world number one spot.

It was the second straight year she has lost in the final here going down in straight sets to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia last year and her second successive Grand Slam final defeat having lost to Serena Williams in Melbourne this year.

“It was so many years since I won a Grand Slam and I thought it would never happen again,” Kuznetsova said.

20 teams to fight for Junior Hockey World Cup from tomorrow

Singapore, June 6 (PTI) Twenty countries drawn in four different pools will vie for top honours in the two-week long men's Junior Hockey World Cup beginning simultaneously at the Taman Daya stadium here and Johor Bahru, Malaysia tomorrow.

India, who won the title in 2001, are drawn in Pool D alongwith the Netherlands, Poland, New Zealand and co-hosts Singapore.

Captained by promising drag-flicker Diwakar Ram, India have had a good outing in the last three editions of the quadrennial event, being silver medalists in 1997 at Milton Keynes, UK, champions at Hobart eight years ago, and reaching the semi-finals at Rotterdam four years back.

In the last edition, the Indians lost to Spain in the bronze medal playoff match and had to be satisfied with the fourth position.

However, this time around the Indians are strong contenders for the title and have already made their intentions clear in the two practice matches they played before the tournament. PTI

Biography of Rafael Nadal

Nicknamed "Rafa", Rafael Nadal has took the tennis world by storm over the past 5 years as he has made his way on the professional tennis circuit to number 2 in the world with a staggering clay-court winning streak of 60 consecutive matches.

He was born June 3rd 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca to Sebastián and Ana María. He has great sporting heritage as his Uncle is former F.C. Barcelona footballer Miguel Ángel Nadal. Between 1986 and 2001 (the year in which he turned pro at only age 15) he developed a brilliant all round game playing left-handed despite being naturally right-handed.

His rise since then has been a quick and exhilarating one. In 2002, he won his first ATP match at Majorca at the age of 15, defeating Ramon Delgado to become the ninth player in the Open Era to win an ATP match before his 16th birthday. One year later in 2003 he became the second-youngest player to be ranked among the world's top 100 singles players and earned ATP Newcomer of the Year. At his Wimbledon debut, at only age 16, he became the youngest player to reach the 3rd round since 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984 and in July 2003 he reached the Spanish championships where he lost to Lopez.

He continued to improve in 2004 and by 2005 had climbed the world rankings to number 5. This made him the youngest player to make it into the Top 10 since Andrei Medvedev in 1993. During this season he won two ATP Masters Series events in Monte Carlo and Rome and managed an astonishing winning streak of 25 consecutive matches.

Among his other historical achievements he became the fourth-youngest Roland Garros champion in the Open Era defeating Argentina's Mariano Puerta in the final, the seventh player to win a Grand Slam in his first appearance at the event and the first teenager to win a Grand Slam since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open at age 19.

Biodata Roger Federer

Biodata Roger Federer

Name :Roger Federer

Birth Date :August8, 1981

Birth Place : Basel, Switzerland

Height : ''6'1"

Weight : 84 kg

Eyes : brown

Hair Color : Dark-Brown

Natinality : Swides

Play: Right handed(singel-handed back hand)
Profession : Long tenis

Former Idols : boris becker, stefan edberg

Hobbies : sports(Golf, Skiing, Soccer), Friends, Playstation, music, Playing Cards

Food : Tomatoes & Mozzarella di Buffa, Gnocchi & Gorgonzola, sausage & cheese-salad

Colours : Blue, Red, White

Defiant Federer keeps Paris dream alive

PARIS: World number two Roger Federer kept his dream of a maiden French Open title alive when he battled past Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Po tro 3-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a nail-biting semi-final on Friday.

The Swiss, playing in his 20th consecutive grand slam semi-final, was one set from defeat when he turned on the style to set up a final with Swede Robin Soderling, who ushered out four times champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

"I am a bit lucky but I fought," said Federer, who will on Sunday equal Ivan Lendl's record of 19 grand slam final appearances.

"I have an outstanding record against him (Soderling) but he played a fantastic match against (Fernando) Gonzalez," he added after the Swede earlier won in five sets against the Chilean.

"He (Soderling) has a lot of credit since he is the one who knocked out Rafa, who was the man to beat in this tournament," added the 13-times grand slam champion, who has beaten the Swede in all their nine previous encounters.

Federer, looking to equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles, got off to a miserable start as Del Potro relied on his big serve and punishing forehand to dictate the play.

Backed by a 15,000 capacity Centre Court crowd, he prevailed after three hours 29 minutes on his second match point to book his place in a fourth consecutive final on the Paris clay.

Federer had started confidently, moving Del Potro around the court and setting up two break chances in the second and fourth games.

The Argentine saved them with an ace and a service winner before taking control of the match, stepping into the court to dominate the points.

He broke for 3-2 when Federer netted a forehand and the same error from the Swiss in the ninth game gave Del Potro the first set after 38 minutes.

The 20-year-old Argentine had never taken a set from Federer in five previous matches.

The Swiss forced a tiebreak in the second after all games went with serve and that is when he showed glimpses of his brilliant best.

He won the tiebreak 7-2 when Del Potro sent a forehand long, triggering a prolonged roar from the crowd.

It failed to unsettle the towering Argentine, who broke in the first game of the third set and continued to look comfortable on his service games.

At 15-15 in the seventh game, it looked like Federer was warming Del Potro up at the net, simply feeding the Argentine with the ball instead of finding a passing shot.

Del Potro won the game when Federer sent a chipped forehand long. As the clock ticked past the two-hour mark, the Argentine bagged the set, his Swiss opponent firing a forehand wide.

Federer then started to mix up his game with sliced shots and was rewarded for his tactical change when the Argentine dropped serve in the fourth game of the fourth set by firing a forehand long to the delight of the partisan fans.

He broke again in the sixth game, following up on serve to send the contest into an unpredictable decider.

With his teeth now sinking firmly into his prey, Federer stole his opponent's serve in the first game of the fifth set as Del Potro's game continued to crumble.

The Argentine briefly regained his poise in time to break back for 3-3, only to drop serve again with a double fault.

Federer could sense victory and kept his composure. Del Potro saved one match point on his own serve but was helpless on the second when Federer followed a big first serve with a forehand winner to end the match.

Source:TOI

Prakash Amritraj enters ATP quarters

NOTTINGHAM: India's Prakash Amritraj registered a fighting win over seventh-seeded Australian Davis Cupper Chris Guccione to storm into the quarter-f
inals of 42,500 euros Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger.

Prakash played two tie-breakers before winning 7-6(5), 7-6(4) at the grass courts on Thursday. He next plays British qualifier Joshua Goodall.

Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna retired from his second round match against Ukranian Sergie Bubka while leading 5-4.6-1, 6-1

Soruce:TOI

Jeev tied 19th at Celtic Manor Wales Open

New Port (Wales), June 5 (PTI) A hole-in-one on the 13th was the highlight of Jeev Milkha Singh's card as the Indian brought home a two-under 69 to lie tied 19 after the opening round of the Celtic Manor Wales Open here.

Among other Indians in fray, Jyoti Randhawa turned in one-over 72 to be tied 62, while Shiv Kapur carded two-over 73 to languish at tied 87.

On a rollercoaster day, Jeev sank as many as three birdies and a hole-in-one against three bogeys at the Celtic Manor Resort for a strong start to his campaign.

Jeev had a poor start when he stumbled on a bogey in the second hole and although he made amends with a birdie at the eighth, a ninth hole bogey had him one-over at the turn.

On resumption, the Chandigarh golfer hit another birdie-bogey patch at the 11th and 12th hole before he fired a hole-in-one on the par-three 13th and followed it up with a birdie at the 15th to end the day on a positive note.

In contrast, Randhawa's card included a couple of bogeys on the fifth and 17th holes with the lone birdie at the 13.

Shiv Kapur was even-par after his front nine before he ran into trouble and his back nine included two birdies, as many bogeys and the 12th hole double bogey.

At the top, Thomas Bjorn blasted a five-under 66 to share the lead with England's Nick Dougherty, Scotland's Alan McLean and South African David Frost after the first round here. PTI

Olympians back formation of Hockey India

NEW DELHI: Formation of Hockey India seemed to have polarised the fraternity with the Olympian trio of Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal and Jagbir Singh on Friday backing the body, saying it was the only way to ensure 2010 World Cup stays in India.

A day after Joaquim Carvalho, Gavin Perreira and Gurbux Singh criticised the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for setting up Hockey India without consulting the states, Ajit Pal, Zafar and Jagbir saw logic behind the move, calling it a step in the right direction.

Ajit Pal said the IOA had to form Hockey India since it was under pressure from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to form a unified body comprising men and women's units or else lose next year's World as well as the nation's participation right in FIH events.

"In my opinion, Indian hockey had to start from somewhere. I'm happy IOA formed Hockey India to save the World Cup. The FIH has threatened to isolate India and under these circumstances, they had no options," Ajit Pal said.

He also oozed confidence that Hockey India's seven-member governing council would declare elections within the stipulated six months time and by then, all disputes would die down.

"Wait six months and see what exactly happens," he said.

Ajit Pal, who led the 1975 World Cup winning squad, also cast aspersions on the intentions of the state associations opposing the move.

"What were the state associations doing when hockey was gasping for breath? We never get any feedback states and now they are feeling left out," he wondered.

Member of India's last Olympic gold medal winning side, Zafar Iqbal also felt the state associations were sulking unnecessarily since they would become Hockey India members when elections are held.

"Hockey India is a step in the right direction. The IOA have put it in place of an ad-hoc body which didn't have any power. Now Hockey India can take right decisions and the FIH has Hockey India to deal with," said Zafar, a former captain and a member of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal winning side.

"If the state associations think IOA would contine to run the show, they are mistaken. Ultimately, after the elections, the final say would be of the states," he explained.

"I don't think the IOA would like to run hockey when it has other important things to worry about, especially the 2010 Commonwelath Games," he added.

Former India coach Jagbir Singh too backed the body and said it was a welcome step.

"As a player I welcome the decision of forming Hockey India because by doing so the IOA saved the next year's World Cup," he said.

Source:TOI

Bhupathi-Knowles out of French Open doubles

Paris, Jun 1 (PTI) Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas bowed out in the pre-quarterfinals of the mens doubles event at French Open here, losing in a tough three-setter against unseeded Jose Acasuso of Argentina and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.

The fourth seeded Indo-Bahamian pair toiled hard on the court for an hour and 56 minutes against the surprise package of Acasuso and Gonzalez before eventually losing the gruesome third round encounter 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Interestingly, there was nothing much to differentiate between the two pairs apart from the total number of points won. While Bhupathi-Knowles won 96 points in the entire match, their opponents scored a perfect 100.

With this loss, Bhupathi's campaign in this year's French Open came to a disappointing end as partnering Sania Mirza, he had already crashed out of the mixed doubles event, losing in the first round in straight sets against French-Israeli duo of Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram. PTI