Saina Nehwal knocked out, set to lose No. 1 rank

HYDERABAD: Saina Nehwal is set to relinquish her No. 1 ranking after ending on the losing side in a gruelling encounter with Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the semifinals of the $500,000 Malaysia Open Super Series.

When the semifinals got underway, there was not much interest about who would reach the final. Saina, after all, was the newly-crowned world No.1 who had ended the Chinese Olympic champion's long reign over the world rankings. When the two met at the Putra Stadium on Saturday morning, it was more a fight for supremacy over the women's singles rankings.

At the end of a one-hour-seven-minute contest - quite long by badminton standards - and after treating the crowd to some scintillating action in the middle, a half-fit Xuerui prevailed over Sai na 13-21, 21-17, 22-20.

The margin of victory may be very small but the manner in which Xuerui won, slicing Saina's lead in slow and steady fashion, and the way she beat fatigue and pain in her right leg before emerging triumphant, will have enhanced the battered morale of the Chinese contingent.

The victory may also be enough to reclaim the No.1 rank next Thursday. But Xuerui has to do well in next week's Singapore Open to remain on top.

The defending champion will now square up against world champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the summit clash. Marin downed two-time All England champion Shixian Wang of China in straight games 21-17, 24-22.

The loss will rattle Saina a bit but she can take a number of positives from this Malaysian sojourn.

The fact that she played a mentally draining All England and India Open in the last three weeks must have affected her. It is learnt that she is taking a break by pulling out from next week's Singapore Open. The break will surely help her to rectify a few flaws and stay fresh.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Saina Nehwal,Malaysia Open Super Series,Li Xuerui

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five share lead after third round in Weekend Rapid Chess tourney

NAGPUR: Sharang Kapoor and four others shared the lead with five points each to their credit after the end of the third round in the eighth Nagpur District Chess Association (NDCA) Weekend Rapid Chess tournament at the NIT Recreation Centre, Surendra Nagar, here on Saturday.

Kapoor outwitted TS Patil on the top board to take his points tally to three. On the second board, Shubham Lakudkar prevailed over DS Mukherjee to join Kapoor at the top. The other players who also won all three rounds on Saturday were Sankalp Gupta, Sheikh Javed and Vaibhav Raut.

On Sunday, the fourth round will start at 9 am followed by the next rounds.

Meanwhile, NDCA will be conducting one-day event of Blitz chess on Tuesday at 6 pm at the same venue. Deputy director of sports Vijay Santan will inaugurate the event. Only 50 entries will be entertained on 'first come' basis. Entries will be accepted at the venue on payment of Rs 100 per participant. Entries will be accepted till 5 pm on April 7.

RESULTS (Round 3)
Sharang Kapoor (3) bt TS Patil (2), DS Mukherjee (2) lost to Shubham Lakudkar (3), Sankalp Gupta (3) bt Pujjam Bansod (2), Sheikh Javed (3) bt Umesh Lalwani (2), Vaibhav Raut (3) bt Ishwar Ramteke (1.5), Saurabh Lokhande (1.5) lost to Prasad Aurangabadkar (2), RN Hariramani (1) lost to Jayant Katdare (2), Omprakash Soni (1) lost to Priyanshu Patil (2), Shubham Manjare (1) lost to Raunak Sadhwani (2), Vinay Barhanpure (2) bt Aniruddha Indurkar (1).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Weekend Rapid Chess tournament,Sharang Kapoor,Nagpur District Chess Association

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jain gets top billing in SJAN Media Badminton tournament

NAGPUR: Last year's runner-up Ashish Jain of Lokmat has been given the top billing in the 11th SJAN Media Badminton tournament which will get underway here at the Subhedar Hall from Monday.

The Times of India pair Suhas Nayse and Madhav Soman will be top seeds in the men's doubles.

The three-day annual tournament will be jointly organized by the Sports Journalists' Association of Nagpur and Post Graduate Teaching Department for Physical Education, RTM Nagpur University. The tourney will be sponsored by Dr Dande Foundation. Matches will be played with Li Ning feather shuttles.

Former top Indian badminton star Uday Pawar will inaugurate the tournament on Monday at the Subhedar Hall at 11 am. However, the matches will begin at 9 am. The categories include men's singles, men's doubles and women's singles.

Seedings

Men's singles: 1. Ashish Jain (Lokmat), 2. Suhas Nayse (TOI), 3. Madhav Soman (TOI), 4. Sujan Masid (Dainik Bhaskar).
Men's doubles: 1. Suhas Nayse-Madhav Soman (TOI), 2. Sunil Warrier-Manish Sakharwade (TOI).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=SJAN Media Badminton tournament,Ashish Jain

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stevenson keeps WBC belt with decision over Bika

QUEBEC CITY: Canadian southpaw Adonis Stevenson retained his World Boxing Council light heavyweight world title with a lopsided decision over Australian Sakio Bika.

Haitian-born "Superman" Stevenson dropped Bika twice, but he couldn't finish him off.

Bika, who was born in Cameroon, and formerly held the WBC super middleweight world title, fell to 32-7 with three drawn and 21 knockouts -- but he's still never been stopped inside the distance.

"I know Sakio Bika is a tough guy, so I prepared for 12 rounds," Stevenson said.

Stevenson took some time to get to grips with Bika's awkward style, but got to him with some hard punches in the fifth when Bika went down in what was ruled a slip.

He sent Bika to the canvas in the sixth with a big left, and connected with a short left to the mouth to drop him again in the ninth -- Bika barely making the count before the bell sounded to end the round.

The ringside judges scored the bout 115-111, 116-110 and 115-110 in favor of Stevenson, who had the vocal support of the crowd in his adopted home of Quebec City.

With Bika dispatched, Stevenson appears headed for a light heavyweight unification bout against unbeaten Russian Sergey Kovalev.

Stevenson took plenty of flak for missing a chance to fight Kovalev last year, allowing Kovalev to face Bernard Hopkins in November in a fight the Russian won by unanimous decision to unify the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization belts.

The WBC had already declared that Kovalev would be Stevenson's mandatory WBC title opponent should Stevenson get past Bika.

"I'm ready," Stevenson said this week of a potential Kovalev showdown. "To unify the titles is no problem for me. I should have those titles."

On the undercard, Montreal-based Russian Artur Beterbiev crushed former title-challenger Gabriel Campillo, knocking out the Spaniard at 2:22 of the fourth round with a massive right-left combination in a light heavyweight bout.

It was the eighth knockout in as many pro bouts for Beterbiev, who enjoyed a standout amateur career.

Campillo fell to 25-7-1, with 12 knockouts, dominated the whole way by Beterbiev who proclaimed himself ready for a professional world title shot.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=World Boxing Council,Sakio Bika,Adonis Stevenson

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chen Long beats Lin Dan to win Malaysia Open title

KUALA LUMPUR: World number one Chen Long put on a powerful performance on Sunday to defeat his illustrious teammate Lin Dan 20-22, 21-13, 21-11 and win his maiden Malaysia Open title.

Both Chinese shuttlers adopted a cautious approach in the first game, testing each other with long rallies focused mainly on the baseline with the occasional net play.

Lin started the brighter of the two but as the game opened up, both men displayed their attacking prowess, with the highlight being a one and a half minute rally.

But the world number three appeared ragged in the second game as Chen upped the tempo with a flurry of mid-court forehand strikes coupled with some deft touches at the net.

Chen, the reigning world champion, took that form to the decider, racing to a 11-3 advantage before sealing his second title of the year.

"I performed well in the first game despite losing and was better prepared for the second and third, and I am happy with the win," said Chen, who received $37,500 for his victory.

Lin, a five-time world champion and twice Olympic gold medallist, has yet to win the Malaysia Open, one of the only titles missing from his glittering trophy cabinet.

"I started well in the first game but committed many mistakes in the second and third. My movement was also slow today and that contributed to my defeat," he said.

"I was injured for most parts of last year and I'm trying hard to recover my best form. I want to be at my best for the Olympics next year."

Spain's Carolina Marin recovered from a game down to defeat China's Li Xuerui 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 and win the women's singles title.

"After winning the All-England, my confidence has soared and I am happy to have won this, because I knew how hard a tournament like this can be," said Marin.

"I feel I am at the top of my game at the moment."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Malaysia Open,Lin Dan,Li Xuerui,Chen Long,Carolina Marin

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Saili upsets fifth seed at Finnish Open to enter quarters

NAGPUR: Saili Rane caused a major upset when the diminutive Indian shuttler shocked fifth seed Natalia Perminova to enter the quarterfinals of the Finnish Open Badminton tournament at Vantaa, Finland, on Friday.

Unseeded Saili dominated the 38-minute womens singles second round match against tall Russian girl Natalia to register one of her memorable wins. Natalia is ranked 43 in the world. Saili won 21-17, 21-13 to book her place in the last eight.

Mumbai girl Saili, world No. 87, dumped Nicola Cerfontyne of England 21-13, 21-18 in just 36 minutes in the first round earlier in the day.

Saili, who trains at Bangalore, will now take on the winner of Anna Rankin of New Zealand and Denmark's Mette Poulsen for a spot in the semifinals on Saturday.

The other Indian in the fray, Subhankar Dey went down fighting against Eetu Heino of Finland 18-21, 21-12, 21-13 in 47 minutes in the men's singles first round. World No. 85 and local lad edged out World No. 145 Dey, who earlier on Thursday won two matches to qualify for the main draw.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Saili Rane,Natalia Perminova,Finnish Open Badminton tournament

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

I am not proud of what I have done: Srikanth

The celebrations continue on the badminton courts of Hyderabad as Srikanth Kidambi shot up to the fourth position from 48 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after his grabbing the India Open title, his second Super Series win.

While the nation toasted Saina Nehwal's numero uno position in the world of badminton, Srikanth quietly did his bit in winning the title in the men's category, and is now in the third round of the Malaysian Open. "Yes, badminton has been about Saina Nehwal and she has been doing good, but I am glad that more players are contributing towards making the sport popular. And I hope our victories will make more youngsters take up a racquet and make a splash in the international circuit," says Srikanth.

"I have worked hard to reach here (No. 4), but I am not proud of what I have done. I want to be No. 1. If I can move from No. 48 to No. 4, I don't think becoming No. 1 is impossible so I am training for it. Even if the training appears tedious at times," says the 22-year-old champion who hails from Guntur.

Srikanth may be pushing himself to the No. 1 spot, but his parents are proud of what their son has achieved so far. "My father is a landlord while my mother is a homemaker. Though they stay in Guntur, they follow all my matches on TV and keep sharing their happiness," says Srikanth, who shares his room at Gopichand Academy with his elder brother, who is a doubles and mixed doubles player. "He is a man of few words, but I can feel how happy he is for me when I talk to him or the way he reacts every time I win a match. He is the one who takes pride in me," says Srikanth.

The BA final year student, who works with an oil company, will soon be receiving a cash prize of 5 lakh for his India Open win by the BAI. Ask him if he thinks players like him deserve more, considering cricketers get paid in crores for their win; and Srikanth says with a laugh, "I am happy with everything the way it is now and I don't want to talk or compare myself with anyone. Badminton is getting popular now, so maybe after a few years, even badminton players will get such huge sums of money."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Srikanth Kidambi,Saina Nehwal,Badminton World Federation

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Saina Nehwal knocked out of Malaysia Open

KUALA LUMPUR: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will lose her world No. 1 ranking after her gallant fight against Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the semifinals ended in heartbreak at the $500,000 Malaysia Open Super Series Premier badminton tournament, here on Saturday.

World number one Saina squandered a one-game advantage as she lost 21-13, 17-21, 20-22 to world number three Li in a gruelling semifinal that lasted one hour and eight minutes at Putra Stadium.

Saina, who won the India Open Super Series last week, once again failed to come good against Xuerui, who has now beaten the Indian nine times in 11 meetings.

The girl from Hyderabad, who has been on a rampaging run ever since winning the China Open last year, played out of her skin in a match where fortunes fluctuated too often but in the end it was Li, who emerged victorious.

Saina became the world No. 1 for her exploits at the India Open triumph last week and a semifinal finish here will give her 7700 points but Li reaching the finals means the Chinese will regain her No. 1 ranking.

Saina, who had beaten Li only on two occasions at the 2010 Singapore Open and 2012 Indonesia Open, started the match on a confident note as she broke off at 6-6 to gradually increase the lead with straight bursts of points.

The Indian led 11-6 at the break and soon moved to 15-7 after the interval. Li's movement seemed to be a little slow, probably due to the injury she suffered in her right knee. The Chinese tried to reduce the gap but Saina kept her tosses as accurate as possible as they landed just on the baseline. Soon the Indian pocketed the game comfortably to lead 1-0.

The second game was a close contest as lead changed hands too often right from the start after Saina had a narrow 3-1 advantage. After changing to the fast side of the court, Saina found the going tough as Li clawed back quickly and was neck and neck till 10-10, before managing to grab three points at 18-17 to bounce back.

In the decider, Saina grabbed an early 12-7 lead but Li used her height and reach to good effect and soon reeled off five straight points to catch up with the Indian. It then turned out to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller as Saina and Li fought tooth and nail for each point.

Li played some lovely overhead shots and was also good at the nets. The change of side at the break brought Saina back to the fast side and the drift once again affected the game as the match turned into a battle of nerves.

Saina was 19-18 up but Li eventually showed better nerves in a battle of attrition to grab a place at the finals.

Follow TOI Sports on Twitter >>> @TOISportsNews

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Saina Nehwal,Malaysia Open Super Series Premier,Malaysia Open,Li Xuerui

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Raina marries childhood friend in star-studded wedding

NEW DELHI: Star India cricketer Suresh Raina has tied the nuptial knot with fiancee Priyanka in a private ceremony attended only by family members and close friends, including his national and IPL teammates, at a posh hotel.

The couple tied the knot late on Friday night in a ceremony attended by among others, ICC chairperson N Srinivasan and India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The 28-year-old Raina and Priyanka, who is presently working in The Netherlands, have been friends since their childhood. Their family also has close association for a long time. In fact, Priyanka's father was reportedly Raina's sports teacher in Ghaziabad.

Big wigs from politics and entertainment world, besides fellow cricketers including Dwayne Bravo, Michael Hussey and Stephen Fleming, attended the ceremony.

Test captain Virat Kohli and his girlfriend Anushka Sharma had attended the couple's engagement ceremony on Wednesday.

Middle-order batsman Raina returned to the country with his India teammates after the semifinal loss to Australia in the World Cup last week.

Raina is contracted with the Chennai Super Kings, who are scheduled to kickstart their campaign in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League on April 9, barely six days after his wedding.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Suresh Raina,Priyanka,N Srinivasan,Michael Hussey,Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clash of the titans with Chen and Lin in finals

KUALA LUMPUR: World number one Chen Long and his illustrious compatriot Lin Dan will clash in the finals of the Malaysia Open on Sunday after both Chinese shuttlers overcame their opponents at the semifinal stage on Saturday.

Chen, the reigning world champion, qualified after a commanding performance ousting fellow countryman Wang Zhengming 21-18, 21-16.

Chen, who has yet to drop a game in the tournament, worked Wang into deep pockets of the courts with his signature penetrating drives and snapshot kills.

"This was the first time I was playing my teammate in the tournament, and I was more relaxed as compared to playing other shuttlers, where I tend to push myself harder," said Chen.

"I have another tough game in the final, but for now I don't want to think about that and just get some rest."

Lin Dan was off the pace initially but managed to dispatch Denmark's Jan Jorgensen 14-21, 21-19, 21-17 after overcoming two service faults and a lethargic first game.

Lin, a five-time world champion and twice Olympic gold medallist, has yet to win the Malaysia Open, one of the only titles missing from his glittering trophy cabinet.

After losing the first game, Lin rallied to take the second game by stamping his mark in the decider with furious mid-court attacks which forced the Dane to commit a flurry of unforced errors.

Despite the win, the Chinese shuttler was not pleased with the umpire.

"I felt the first game was not between us, rather it was between me and the umpire who kept interrupting our rhythm and did not let us play," said Lin.

"The second game was also hard as Jan had the crowd behind him and I am happy to pull through."

Lin also did not dismiss the possibility of featuring in the Olympics next year.

"If Lee Chong Wei goes, then I am going as well. We would probably be the oldest men's singles playing in the Olympics," he said, referring to his nemesis and Malaysia's badminton ace Lee Chong Wei, who is awaiting a hearing regarding doping charges.

Lee was suspended from competition after being informed by the sport's governing body in October that he had failed a drugs test at last year's world championships. He faces a maximum two-year ban if found guilty. A hearing is expected this month.

The women's singles, meanwhile, saw reigning world champion Carolina Marin defeat China's Wang Shixian 21-17, 24-22.

The Spaniard will face Chinese shuttler Li Xuerui in the final after she edged world number one Saina Nehwal in a closely-fought 13-21, 21-17, 22-20 victory.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Malaysia Open,Lin Dan,Lee Chong Wei,Chen Long,Carolina Marin

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More