Sania-Cara in quarterfinals
Indian Wells: Fifth seeds Sania Mirza and Cara Black reached the quarterfinals of the WTA Paribas Open following a straight sets victory over Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, here. The Indo-Zimbabwean pair beat the unseeded American combo 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 12 minutes in the second round of the USD 5,946,740 hard court Premier WTA tournament. Sania and Cara saved five of the eight break chances they faced and converted five of the nine chances they got. They won 59 points to 44 of their rivals. Sania and Cara have not gone beyond the quarterfinals in four tournaments they have played this season. At Australian Open and Doha they reached the last-eight stage while at the season-opener in Sydney and in Dubai they made first round exit.
Modi outlines vision for sports
New Delhi: Outlining his vision for Indian sports, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has said that athletes should be treated “at par” with defence personnel of the country when it comes to training. The Gujarat Chief Minister also emphasised on the need to have a better infrastructure in place for paralympic sports, according to international para-athlete Deepa Malik, who was part of the ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ with Modi on the occasion of International Women’s Day yesterday. “Sportspersons should be treated like a soldier. Modi ji said that sportspersons’ status should be at par with soldiers and defence personnel of the country. The way they dedicate their life by sacrificing their family and time to the security of the country, similarly a sportsperson also undergoes rigorous training schedule, sacrifices a lot of things to win a medal for the country,” Malik quoted Modi as saying.
Vishnu is most promising driver
Mumbai: Vishnu Prasad was voted the most promising Motor Sport Man of the Year by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) which honoured its 2013 national champions here on Saturday night. Prasad was awarded the newly instituted rolling trophy promoted by Raymonds. longtime scrutineer K Krishnamurthy was presented with the lifetime Achievement award. Also present were FIA APRC Champion Gaurav Gill and Indian racer Armaan Ebhrahim.
Namdhari XI, MHA ltd post wins
lucknow: Namdhari XI registered their third consecutive win in Pool A by thrashing Bihar 10-3 in the 4th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2014 (Division B) at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium here on Sunday. Karandeep Singh Dhillon scored four goals for Namdhari XI at the 8th, 16th, 25th and 64th minute, followed by Baljot Singh’s two goals at 15th and 47th minute. For Bihar, Naveenminz, Bhim Kumar and Mangra Bhengra managed to strike one goal each at 12th, 40th and 51st minute. In a Pool B match, Mumbai Hockey Association ltd also posted their third straight victory as they defeated Uttarakhand 4-0 in their league match.
Mizoram thrash Railways 3-0
Siliguri: Mizoram on Sunday blanked Railways 3-0 in a one-sided final of the 68th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy here on Sunday. Zico Zoremsanga scored on either side of half-time and a second half injury time strike from F lalrinpuia helped the north eastern state to romp home in style. Railways came closest in the 43th minute when Rajesh S’s close-range header came off the horizontal.