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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manchester City slap Robinho with 320,000 pound fine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zvonareva beats Bartoli to reach Aussie Open semis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Roddick into Melbourne semis after Djokovic withdraws

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bhupathi-Knowles in doubles semi-finals

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

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

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

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

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

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

Assam boys win hockey match

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

Ivanovic bounced from Australian Open

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liverpool's Gerrard denies assault charge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tsonga survives third set lapse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cup offers Scolari banana skin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kuznetsova continues steady progress

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bhupathi-Knowles reach doubles third round

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Major upsets in junior tennis:

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

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

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

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

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

OILFC, Lajong FC in 2nd Division National League

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

Argentina beat India 4-2, level series

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Redeemed Dokic continues Australian fairytale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ecclestone confirms India F1 plans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Djokovic beats Delic to grab 4th round spot in Australia

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

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

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

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

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

Sunil Chhetri for Coventry City trial

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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