Lakshmi, the trainee of the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy, defeated Amodini Naik 7-5, 6-2 in the singles final for the title
Published Date – 10:44 PM, Sat – 9 September 23
Lakshmi, the trainee of the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy, defeated Amodini Naik 7-5, 6-2 in the singles final for the title
Hyderabad: Lakshmi Siri Dandu bagged singles and doubles titles at the J30 Bengaluru ITF World Tennis Tour tournament in Bengluru on Saturday.
Lakshmi, the trainee of the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy, defeated Amodini Naik 7-5, 6-2 in the singles final for the title. Earlier in semifinals, she defeated Saumya Ronda 0-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Later, she joined hands with Durganshi Kumar to defeat the pair of GD Meghana and Shaivi Gaurav Dalal 6-1, 7-5 in the summit clash.
Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez has been ruled out of his team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Venezuela on Tuesday due to injury
Published Date – 11:15 AM, Tue – 12 September 23
Lima: Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez has been ruled out of his team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Venezuela on Tuesday due to injury.
The 20-year-old suffered a left thigh strain while training with the national team on the weekend, the Paraguayan Football Association said on Monday, reports Xinhua.
The entity did not immediately name a replacement for the Inter Miami player. Paraguay and Venezuela will both be seeking their first win of the South American zone qualifying tournament when they meet in the northeastern Venezuelan city of Maturin.
The Guaranies began their campaign with a goalless home draw against Peru while Venezuela suffered a 1-0 away loss to Colombia last Thursday.
Shanmukha Saigh is in lead with three others with three points from as many rounds in the junior category at the 208th Brilliant Trophy Chess Tournament
Published Date – 10:48 PM, Sat – 9 September 23
Shanmukha Saigh is in lead with three others with three points from as many rounds in the junior category at the 208th Brilliant Trophy Chess Tournament
Hyderabad: Shanmukha Saigh is in lead with three others with three points from as many rounds in the junior category at the 208th Brilliant Trophy Chess Tournament at the Brilliant Grammar High School, Dilsukhnagar, on Saturday.
The others in the lead with him were Aarudh Reddy, Mahaswin Reddy and Abhinav Gandham.
In Open category, Perumallu, Ritesh Maddukuri and Srivallabhaditya are in lead with 3 points each.
Important results: Juniors: Round 3: Shanmukha Saish (3) bt Anika Reddy (2), Parthiv D (2) lost to Mahaswin Reddy (3), Shravan Ambaru (2.5) drew with Anish Erukulla (2.5), Aarudh Reddy (3) bt Kushaal Srinandan reddy (2), Abhinav Gandham (3) beat Vallabha (2);
Open category: Kranthikiran (2) lost to Ritesh Maddukuri (3), Rishi Palagani (2) lost to Perumalu K (3), Srivallabhaditya (3) beat Srikanth B (2), Muralimohan (2.5) bt Agasthya Venkatesh (2), Rammohan Rao (1.5) lost to Satyanarayana .P (2.5).
Alongside focusing on the team goals, the Indian management will want to assemble the best possible 11 in the park against Pakistan, whom the Rohit Sharma-led outfit is facing for the second time in the event
Published Date – 08:00 AM, Sun – 10 September 23
India’s skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli indulge in a conversation during a practice session ahead of the Super Four’s match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. (ANI Photo)
Colombo: The Indian team management’s predicament to choose between KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan will be the dominating theme amid the usual edgy emotional quotient, when they face arch-rivals Pakistan in the most-awaited Super 4 match of the Asia Cup here on Sunday.
Alongside focusing on the team goals, the Indian management will want to assemble the best possible 11 in the park against Pakistan, whom the Rohit Sharma-led outfit is facing for the second time in the event. But for that, they need to find answers for the aforementioned puzzle, and hope that rains will stay away despite adding a controversial reserve day to the match on Monday.
The return of Rahul to the squad has widened the pool of players to select from, but that has also given them a happy headache. Kishan has impressed everyone in the last month or so, smashing four fifties in as many matches – three against the West Indies and one against Pakistan in the Asia Cup Group A match at Pallekele last week.
During the process, Kishan has also diversified himself, underlining his comfort in positions ranging from opening to No. 5. The 25-year-old Jharkhand man opened the innings against the Caribbeans while batted in the middle-order against Pakistan. Additionally, Kishan brings in a bit of variety to the Indian batting line-up as he is a left-hander.
So, it seems that Kishan has everything going for him. But Rahul’s claim for the No. 5 position is hard to ignore despite the fact that the Bengaluru cricketer has not played an ODI since March this year, courtesy a thigh injury and the ensuing phase of post-surgery convalescence.
The 31-year-old remains one of India’s steadiest ODI batters since 2019. In that year, he made 572 runs from 13 matches at 47.67. The trend continued in the following years – In 2020: 443 runs from 9 matches at 55.38, in 2021: 108 runs from 3 matches at 88.50, in 2022: 251 runs from 10 matches at 27.89 and in 2023: 226 runs from 6 matches at 56.50.
If one filters the stats further, while batting at No. 5, Rahul has amassed 742 runs from 18 matches at 53 with a hundred and seven fifties. Those are strong numbers and his wicket-keeping offers an additional arrow in the quiver. Rahul also engaged in intense wicketkeeping drills at nets on Friday, further indicating his readiness to make the return.
So, the team management will have to take a hard call on the match day. While that decision is important for the team to achieve the desired balance, they will also be eager to start the Super 4 with a win notwithstanding the combination they field.
Pakistan have already bagged two points after beating Bangladesh by 7 wickets at Lahore, and another win will place them comfortably on the way to the final. So, India will also want to enter the log sheet but they will have to counter a potent Pakistan bowling attack that can make an impact irrespective of the nature of the pitch.
Of course, Rohit and other Indian batters will be wary of the high-paced incoming deliveries of Shaheen Shah Afridi, but the Pakistan bowling unit has other equally explosive performers. Haris Rauf, with his express pace, is currently topping the Asia Cup bowling chart with 9 wickets from three matches, and seemed to have emerged from the shadows of Afridi (7 wickets).
While Naseem Shah also has taken 7 wickets, ensuring no let off point for opposition batters. Pakistan has an edge on paper in this department, but India will believe that they have the ammunition to strike back in kind.
The return of Jasprit Bumrah, who skipped the league match against Nepal, will bolster India’s bowling, while Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur can play the efficient support cast role. But once these two teams enter the arena, factors like playing 11, form, past records etc go irrelevant. It will be a storm force collision on the field.
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla praised team India and said that the win was “beyond people’s imagination”
Published Date – 10:20 AM, Tue – 12 September 23
Mohali: After India clinched their biggest victory over Pakistan in ODIs in a match of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla praised team India and said that the win was “beyond people’s imagination”.
Fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul powered India to 228 runs win over their traditional rival Pakistan at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.
“Today Virat Kohli and KL Rahul did wonders, 356 runs on 2 wickets… India made a huge score… It was beyond people’s imagination, the way they demonstrated,” Rajeev Shukla told ANI on Monday.
He also spoke about Virat’s achievement of breaking the record of Sachin Tendulkar by completing the fastest 13,000 runs in international cricket.
“Virat Kohli also completed his 13,000 runs in international cricket, he broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar, and this is a huge achievement. This is a big victory for us, so many congratulations to the Indian team,” Rajeev Shukla added.
While Sachin Tendulkar needed 321 innings to reach the milestone, Kohli did so in 267 innings. The only other three batters to reach the mark, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, and Sanath Jayasuriya, also required more than 300 innings.
In the match, Virat scored a brilliant 122 off 94 while KL Rahul, who was making his comeback after a long break, smashed a dashing 111 off 106. Kuldeep bagged his second ODI five-for as India clinched a huge 228-run win – Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s chase. With this mammoth victory, India clinched the top spot in of Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s table.
Earlier, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s century powered India to 356/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.
Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s half-centuries laid the foundation for India, while the unbeaten 233-run partnership between Kohli and Rahul added the icing on the cake as the former skipper finished the innings in style with a maximum.
Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 122, which came from 94 deliveries, while Rahul smashed 111 of 106 balls.
Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Harri Heliovaara, her partner from Finland, finished a fairytale run to their first Grand Slam title by beating the No.1 seeds Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek
Published Date – 08:15 AM, Sun – 10 September 23
New York: Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Harri Heliovaara, her partner from Finland, finished a fairytale run to their first Grand Slam title by beating the No.1 seeds Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek to claim the mixed doubles title at the US Open here on Saturday.
Anna Danilina and Harri Heliovaara won the final 6-3, 6-4 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to claim the title in their maiden Grand Slam competition as a team.
Heliovaara thus became the first Finnish man in the Open Era to win a mixed doubles title at the US Open, and Danilina, the first Kazakh.
Heliovaara is the second Finn to win a mixed doubles title after Henri Kontinen won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2016. Danilina is the first Kazakh to win any major in mixed doubles.
The pair had teamed up at the sign-in deadline in the referee’s office before the mixed tournament began. However, their experience individually as doubles players — both are ranked in the Top 30 on their respective tours — certainly helped their partnership gel from the opening round.
And continued to build on the partnership, eventually reaching the final.
In the first set in the final, it was all the Kazakh/Finnish duo after they broke in Krajicek’s opening service game to go up 2-0 and for them.
Although the all-American pair did earn three break points to get back on serve in the next game, they never managed to get even.
In the second set, despite giving up a break early, Pegula and Krajicek raised their level in their attempts to come back into the match. The Americans broke back to level the set 2-2 and stayed ahead with incredible shots as the set neared a close.
But Danilina and Heliovaara broke crucially in the eighth game to make it 4-4, affording them a chance to seal the match on serve.
They rose to the occasion in style with a hold to 15 on Heliovaara’s delivery, as Danilina smashed down a final forehand volley for the win.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed disappointment over his team’s batting performance, saying that it was not up to the mark
Published Date – 09:50 AM, Tue – 12 September 23
Colombo: Following a loss of 228 runs against India in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup, Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed disappointment over his team’s batting performance, saying that it was not up to the mark.
Fiery centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul followed by Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul powered India to 228 runs win over their traditional rival Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash here at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday.
“Weather was not in our hands but we tried our best. We were not up to the mark with our batting and bowling. They (Indian openers) had plans for our bowlers and started well and that was followed up by Virat and Rahul. Jasprit and Siraj bowled well in the first 10 overs and swung the ball both ways, but our batting was not up to the mark,” Babar said in the post-match presentation.
Pakistan suffered their biggest defeat in the one-day international against India after they stepped in to play on reserve day after rain washed out the majority of play on Sunday.
After Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn’t come out to bat in Pakistan’s chase, India clinched the top spot in of Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s table.
Earlier, Virat Kohli’s vintage performance and KL Rahul’s unbridled century powered India to 356/2 against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash.
Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s half-centuries laid the foundation for India, while the unbeaten 233-run partnership between Kohli and Rahul added the icing on the cake as the former skipper finished the innings in style with a maximum.
Kohli finished his innings with an unbeaten 122, which came from 94 deliveries, while Rahul smashed a fiery 111 of 106 balls.
Days after Pakistan had toppled them from the No. 1 place in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings, Australia reclaimed their spot with a win in the second ODI against South Africa
Published Date – 09:10 AM, Sun – 10 September 23
Bloemfontein: Days after Pakistan had toppled them from the No. 1 place in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings, Australia reclaimed their spot with a win in the second ODI against South Africa.
After winning a thriller in the first match in Bloemfontein, Australia won the second ODI by 123 runs.
Put in to bat first, Australia got a blistering start from Travis Head and David Warner. Head would score a quickfire half-century, while Warner brought up his 20th ODI ton as Australia got a solid foundation. Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s hero in the first ODI win, then continued his brilliant run with another ton. This allowed Australia to post a mammoth total of 392/8 in their 50 overs.
South Africa got off to a rapid start but simply could not sustain the momentum, despite valuable knocks from Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen. Adam Zampa was the star with the ball for Australia, ending with figures of 4/48, as South Africa were bowled out for 269.
With this win, Australia have 121 points on the Men’s ODI Team Rankings points table. This puts them one ahead of Pakistan, who are on 120.
Ever the dominant ODI side, Australia have continued doing well in the limited overs format.
In the 2022 season, they lost a closely-fought series against Sri Lanka away from home. Their hiccups continued after reaching the Australian continent when they were humbled by Zimbabwe in a dead rubber after having won the series. However, the Kangaroos followed that with a 3-0 drubbing of regional rivals New Zealand at home.
In November 2022, they whitewashed England 3-0, again at home. They then went on to beat India in India in March 2023. With the win against South Africa in Bloemfontein, they have now taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The two sides are evenly matched at the top, with India closely following them. With several ODI contests coming up, the equations and rankings might change even further.
Brief scores:
Australia 392/8 in 50 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 124, David Warner 106, Travis Head 64, Josh Inglis 50; Tabraiz Shamsi 4-61, Kagiso Rabada 2-79) beat South Africa 269 all out in 41.5 overs (David Miller 49, Heinrich Klaasen 49, Temba Bavuma 46, Quinton de Kock 45; Adam Zampa 4-48) by 123 runs.
American teenage tennis sensation Coco Gauff secured her maiden US Open title, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the title clash in New York on Saturday night
Published Date – 09:30 AM, Sun – 10 September 23
ANI Photo
New York: American teenage tennis sensation Coco Gauff secured her maiden US Open title, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the title clash in New York on Saturday night.
She defeated Gauff by 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to emerge victorious over soon-to-be number one Sabalenka. This win was Gauff’s 12th successive victory. In a span of 40 days, Gauff has won three huge titles and a total of 18 out of her 19 previous matches. She previously won the Washington Open and Cincinnati Open in August.
When Gauff was 12-years old, she was a 12-Under Junior Orange Bowl title, joining players like Steffi Graf (1981), Monica Seles (1985) and Jennifer Capriati (1986), who later went on to win a total of 34 Grand Slam titles combined. Now, Gauff is in their company with a Major title of their own.
She is the first American teenager to win the US Open singles title this century and only third overall. Serena Williams, another legendary women’s American player did it back in 1999 when Gauff was not even born. Gauff regained her composure after delivering the opening set to Sabalenka. Despite the circumstances, she was calm in the midst of the storm.
Sabalenka committed 16 unforced errors in the deciding set, while Gauff committed two unforced errors. Finally, it was Gauff’s tenacious defence that irritated Sabalenka, thereby driving her into a match-high 46 unforced errors.
This was her fourth three-set win in a row, demonstrating her fortitude. Gauff has now defeated Sabalenka once in each of the last four years, which no one else has done.
“Being in any sentence with her is great,” Gauff said of her idol Serena as quoted by WTA earlier during the tournament.
“It is something that I am used to a lot. So I am not going to sit here and be like, ‘Oh, I am shocked, but I feel like a lot of the stats have aligned with her, and people find new things to think about. I was the first teenager in the quarters and now semis, so I am guessing if I win they are going to be, like, finals. It is just going to keep going. I mean, she is the greatest player of all time. I am nothing close to that yet,” she added.
Following the match, she signed tennis balls and took selfies with fans. She will stay world number three among WTA Tour players when new rankings are issued on Monday. “Honestly, the French Open moment (where she finished runners-up)” she said in her post-match interview.
“I do not know if they caught it on camera but I watched Iga lift up that trophy. I watched her the whole time. I said, ‘I’m not going to take my eyes off her, because I want to feel what that felt like for her.’ That felt like craziness today lifting this trophy. It has not sunken in and I think it probably will maybe in a week or so,” she added. During the awards ceremony, Gauff made sure that she thanked her doubters.
“Thank you for the people who didn’t believe in me. A month ago, I won a 500 title — people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a Masters title, and people said that was as big as it was going to get,” she said. “Three weeks later, I am here with this trophy. To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, they were adding gas to it. Now I am burning so bright right now,” he concluded.
Australian batter David Warner went past legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar to become the opener with the most number of centuries in international cricket
Published Date – 09:50 AM, Sun – 10 September 23
Bloemfontein: Australian batter David Warner went past legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar to become the opener with the most number of centuries in international cricket. The 36-year-old batter accomplished this milestone against South Africa in the second ODI.
In the match, Warner was at his vintage best, smashing 106 runs in just 93 balls, consisting of 12 fours and three sixes. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 113.97. This is Warner’s 46th international century, the most by an opener. He has 20 centuries in ODIs, 25 in Tests and one in T20Is. He has gone past Tendulkar, who has scored 45 centuries in international cricket as an opener. All of his centuries as an opener have come in ODIs.
Also, David Warner now has levelled with England’s Joe Root to have the second-highest number of centuries among active players. Both players have 46 international centuries.
At the top is star India batter Virat Kohli, who has a total of 76 international centuries, which is the second-highest number of international centuries overall too. Virat has scored 46 ODI centuries, 29 Test centuries and one T20I century.
Also, Warner has gone past Matthew Hayden to become Australia’s eighth-highest ODI run-scorer. In 144 ODIs, Warner now has 6,136 runs at an average of 45.11. He has scored 20 centuries and 27 fifties in 142 ODIs, with the best score of 179. Hayden has scored 6,131 runs in 160 ODIs at an average of 44.10, with 10 centuries and 36 fifties.
The top run-scorer for Australia in ODIs is former skipper Ricky Ponting, who has scored 13,589 runs at an average of 41.81, with 29 centuries and 82 half-centuries. Coming to the match, South Africa opted to field first. Australia put on an opening partnership of 109 runs between Warner and Head (64 in 36 balls, with nine fours and three sixes).
Then knocks from Marnus Labuschagne (124 in 99 balls with 19 fours and one six) and Josh Inglis (50 in 37 balls with seven fours and a six) helped Australia reach 392/8 in 50 overs, which is their third-highest ODI total, with the second-best score being 417/6 against Afghanistan (2015) and 434/4 against South Africa (2006) being their best score.
Tabraiz Shamsi (4/61) was the pick of the bowlers for SA. Kagiso Rabada took two wickets while Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo took a wicket each. In the chase of 393, SA got off to a promising start with Quinton de Kock (45 in 30 balls with six fours and two sixes) and skipper Temba Bavuma (46 in 40 balls with four boundaries and three sixes) stitching an 81-run opening stand. After that SA sunk to 119/4.
Then a 58-run partnership between Heinrich Klaasen (49 in 36 balls with three fours and three sixes) and David Miller (49 in 52 balls with six fours) and 64-run stand between Miller and Marco Jansen (23) took SA near 250 runs, but they could not provide enough fight and bundled out for 269 in 41.5 overs.
Adam Zampa (4/48) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia. Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis and Aaron Hardie got two wickets each. Labuschagne won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his century.
