Divij-Purav in leon ATP final
leon, Mexico: Divij Sharan and Purav Raja shocked top seeds Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals of the $ 35000 hard court event. For the title, they will clash with Australian pair of Chris Guccione and Matt Reid. Divij and Raja had beaten this very pair to win their first title of season in Kyoto, Japan, last month. So, the Indians will have that psychological advantage of going into the summit clash.
Kapur tied 3rd at panasonic open
New Delhi: Shiv Kapur braved tough conditions to manage an even par 72 to be tied third while Jyoti Randhawa fired a flawless five-under 67 to jump to sole fifth after the third round of the Panasonic Open India, here on Saturday. Manav Jaini (68) rose from tied 22nd to the sixth spot, which he shares with defending champion Digvijay Singh, who played a third straight one-under 71. Shamim Khan had a 67 with seven birdies and two bogeys as he is lying tied tenth.
Kashyap aims to win India Open
New Delhi: Top Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap says that he is geared up to use the home advantage to the hilt and win the Yonex Sunrise India Open which will be held here later this month. Asked about the pressure on being billed as one of the contenders for the tournament, Kashyap said, “The tag of being one of the tournament favourites is actually a good thing and motivating. At no point do I feel any pressure due to expectations from my fans. It only helps me perform better.”
Srinath retains Asian Junior title
New Delhi: Narayanan Srinath retained his Asian Junior chess title while compatriot J Saranya finished runner-up in the girls’ championship that concluded at Sharjah, UAE on Saturday. Srinath won seven games and drew two to defend his Asian title.
Pailan Arrows beat 10-man Dempo
Vasco: Pailan Arrows scored a goal in each half to down 10-man Dempo 2-0 in the 23rd round of the I-league here on Saturday. Pailan Arrows made best use of Dempo’s poor run as they scored through Holicharan Nazary(3rd) and Alwyn Geroge(85th) to take their tally to 23 points from 22 matches while the defending champions Dempo, who are clearly out of form, remained on 35 points from 23 matches. Pailan made early forays and took the lead in the 3rd minute after Holichandran Narzary, who saw his header hit the bar in the first minute, collected a pass inside the box and drilled a low shot past onrushing keeper Kattimani to have his team leading 1-0 at half time. Narzary, Doungel and Alwyn George combined well for Pailan Arrows as they made few darting runs to trouble the home side. Dempo slowly regrouped and tried to make inroads into the rival box and had the best chance in the 15th minute to restore parity but Koko Sakibo failed to beat the visitors keeper Sayan Roy with his header. Dempo who were looking to come back strongly in the second half received a set back after defender Cresent Antao was sent out by referee Santosh Kumar for a second bookable offence which helped the visitors controlled the proceeding.
Ace archer out of India team
Jamshedpur: Asian Grand Prix Gold medallist Ch. Jignas of Services suffered a fracture in his left hand on Saturday and lost the chance to be included in the Indian team for Stage I World Cup archery tournament next month. Jignas had a fall and fractured his hand during the National Ranking Archery Tournament (NRAT) here. He was operated upon and doctors advised him to rest for a month. Jignas was certain to make into the Indian team for Stage I and II but now his inclusion was out of question as he required at least two months to recover fully. Jignas had won gold in individual event at the 1st Asian Grand Prix held at Bangkok in March. PNS/Agencies