Sania, Zheng win New Haven title
New Haven: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza notched up her third title of the season and 17th overall as she lifted the women’s doubles trophy at the WTA New Haven Open along with new partner Jie Zheng here. Playing just their fourth event together, third seeds Sania and Jie pipped the second-seeded pair of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Katarina Srebotnik 6-3 6-4 in the summit clash.
India retain No 3 in T20 rankings
Dubai: India managed to retain their third spot among T20 teams while Virat Kohli has held on to his sixth spot in the ICC rankings for Twenty20 batsmen issued here on Sunday. India are placed at third with 121 rating points in the ICC T20 Championship table which is headed by Sri lanka and followed by Pakistan. The Indian batsmen figuring in top-20 list have also managed to cling on to their respective positions. Star India batsman Kohli has 731 points while Suresh Raina remains at eighth position with 719 points. Other Indians in the list includes Yuvraj Singh (16) and opener Gautam Gambhir at the 19th position.
Malinga set to miss ClT20
Colombo: Sri lankan speedster lasith Malinga is likely to miss playing for Mumbai Indians in next month’s Champions league T20 to be played in India due to some family commitments. Sri lanka Cricket (SlC) has confirmed receiving Malinga’s leave request while his Indian franchise Mumbai Indians, who won the IPl this year, have also been informed. Malinga’s wife is due with their second child during that time. “We haven’t had the time to approve his request yet, because we only got it from him on Friday. But since it is a personal reason, I don’t think there will be any problem,” SlC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
CA observers satisfied
Jaipur: A three-member observer team of Cricket Australia (CA) on Sunday visited the Sawai Man Singh stadium here to review the preparation for the scheduled One-day cricket match between Australia and India on October 16. CA’s media manager Adam Fraser, Sean Carroll and Graham Manou visited the SMS stadium and inspected the arrangements for players, spectators and media.
Paes, Nestor lift Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem (USA): leander Paes won his first title of the season when he triumphed at the Winston-Salem Open with Canadian Daniel Nestor as the veteran pair defeated Treat Huey and Dominic Inglot 7-6(10) 7-5 in the final, here. Paes and Nestor, both aged 40, were playing together for just the second time in their careers. Nestor and Paes edged their unseeded opponents in one hour and 33 minutes. They lost just one set all week. Their quarter-final win over Paul Hanley and John Peers saw Nestor become the first doubles player to reach the 900 match wins milestone (902-358 match record).
Tiwary returns home
Kolkata: India batsman Manoj Tiwary on Sunday said his knee surgery in london was successful and hoped to recover fully by four to five months. “I had a ligament tear (in my left knee). The doctors and physio have advised me complete rest for a few weeks. Thereafter, I will have to go to the NCA for rehab,” Tiwary, who landed from london on Sunday, told reporters here. PNS/Agencies
n IJ#eiIJIJψt five years). ... Ranked in top five for first time in career.
SERENA WIllIAMS
Seeded: 1 Age: 31
Country: United States
2013 Match Record: 60-4
2013 Singles Titles: 8
Career Singles Titles: 54
last 5 US Opens: ‘12-W, ‘11-F, ‘10-DNP, ‘09-SF, ‘08-W
Topspin: Trying to win two US Opens in a row for first time. ... As winner of the US Open Series — based on hard-court results during the North American summer hard-court circuit — eligible for $1 million bonus for a title at Flushing Meadows, giving her chance to take home $3.6 million. ... Her 34-match winning streak that ended with fourth-round loss at Wimbledon was the longest run in women’s tennis since older sister Venus won 35 in a row in 2000. ... Only Steffi Graf (22), Chris Evert (18) and Martina Navratilova (18) have won more Grand Slam titles in the Open era, which began in 1968.
VICTORIA AZARENKA
Seeded: 2 Age: 24
Country: Belarus
2013 Match Record: 36-4
2013 Singles Titles: 3
Career Singles Titles: 17
last 5 US Opens: ‘12-F, ‘11-3rd, ‘10-2nd, ‘09-3rd, ‘08-3rd
Topspin: Reached the final at the past three hard-court Grand Slam tournaments, winning two titles at the Australian Open and losing in three sets to Williams at last year’s US Open. ... Career record against Williams is only 3-12, but two of the victories came this season, making Azarenka only woman to beat the American twice in 2013. ... 16 career hard-court titles put her fourth among active women, behind only the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from the US Open with a right shoulder injury.
AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA
Seeded: 3 Age: 24
Country: Poland
2013 Match Record: 28-9
2013 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 12
last 5 US Opens: ‘12-4th, ‘11-2nd, ‘10-2nd, ‘09-2nd, ‘08-4th
Topspin: Master of using spin, changing speeds and angles, to fluster opponents. ... Finally had Grand Slam breakthrough at Wimbledon a year ago, reaching her first major final. ... Her 27-2 record in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments — 7-0 at the US Open — gives her the second-best winning percentage among active women, trailing Williams, who is 51-1. ... Moved up to No 3 seeding when Sharapova withdrew.
lI NA
Seeded: 5 Age: 31
Country: China
2013 Match Record: 32-11
2013 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 7
last 5 US Opens: ‘12-3rd, ‘11-1st, ‘10-1st, ‘09-QF, ‘08-4th
Topspin: 22-5 on hard courts this season, including a run to her second career Australian Open final plus two recent semifinal appearances at Toronto and Cincinnati. ... Straight-set victories over Sharapova and Radwanska put her in the title match at Melbourne in January, but lost to Azarenka in three sets.
CAROlINE WOZNIACKI
Seeded: 6 Age: 23 Country: Denmark
2013 Match Record: 27-18
2013 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 20
last 5 US Opens: ‘12-1st, ‘11-SF, ‘10-SF, ‘09-F, ‘08-4th
Topspin: Had won 20 first-round matches in a row at Grand Slam tournaments into back-to-back losses at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2012. ... Otherwise, though, has had plenty of success at Flushing Meadows, reaching at least the semifinals the three previous years, including her only major final in 2009. AP