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