Somdev wins in doubles
Barcelona: Somdev Devvarman finally tasted victory after a long while when he won his first round match of the doubles event of the ATP 500 Barcelona Open along with Croatian partner Ante Pavic, here on Wednesday. Somdev, who has been enduring rough patch in singles, and Pavic won 6-4 6-4 against local wild card entrants Roberto Bautista Agut and Albert Montanes in their opening round match of the euro 2,127,035 clay court event. The win is Somdev’s first in almost two months and also first in doubles in 2014 season, having suffered three defeats at the Challenger level. Somdev and Pavic converted one of three break chances and saved both the breakpoints they faced in the first set. They lost serve twice in the second set but managed to break the Spaniards thrice to clinch the issue in one hour. They next face unseeded pair of Jesse Huta Galung and Stephane Robert, who knocked out fourth seeds David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco, in the quarterfinals.
Pooja bags bronze in 58kg
New Delhi: India’s woman grappler Pooja Dhanda bagged the bronze medal in the 58kg freestyle category on an otherwise disappointing day for the Indians at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Pooja defeated lilya Shakirova of Uzbekistan by technical superiority 11-0 to earn a third-place finish. However, Rajneesh Kumar and Pawan Kumar bowed out in the men’s opening round competitions in the 65kg freestyle and 85kg freestyle respectively, according to a Wrestling Federation of India official. Other Indians in the fray, Amit Kumar (57kg freestyle) and Rajiv Tomar (125kg), who made a controversial return to the national squad after his international tournament since the India Grand Prix in 2012, opted out of the competition due to injuries.
lewis to grace 10k B’lore run
New Delhi: Carl lewis, the legendary sprinter who won 10 Olympic medals and as many in the World Championships, has been named as the event ambassador for the TCS World 10K Bangalore run, which will be flagged off from Kanteerava Stadium on May 18. “It gives me great joy to come to India, a country I love and respect, to spread the magic of running and sport amongst the beautiful populace. In the last decade or so, India has witnessed a running revolution and the sport has grown manifold in terms of strength, popularity and interest generated,” said lewis. The nine-time Olympic gold medallist added: “The TCS World 10K is an ideal blend of speed and endurance and I’m sure the run will attract many of the best in the world. It’s an honour for me to be associated with the event and witness, in action, these running enthusiasts. I hope my presence will only inspire and encourage them to reach greater heights of performance and success.” leading up to the event, he will meet and interact with the participants.
Adhiban beats Rahman
Sharjah: Grandmaster and former national champion B Adhiban bounced back from an inferior position to beat Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh and remain in joint lead after the end of the sixth round of Asian Continental Chess championship here. The Indian remained in pole position thanks to the hard-earned victory and he can now hope for a decent finish, which can find him in the coveted top five slots. The top five here will earn a seat in the 2015 World Chess Cup at Baku in Azerbaijan. With just three rounds remaining in this championship, which is a part of the next world championship cycle, Adhiban shared the lead with former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan and Yu Yangyi of China. With three leaders on five points out of a possible six, Chinese duo of Ni Hua and Bu Xiangzhi shared the fourth spot on 4.5 points apiece, while the likes of Krishnan Sasikiran and Parimarjan Negi were another half point adrift.
Bengaluru eyes AFC challenge
Bangalore: Having won the I-league crown in their debut season, Bengaluru Football Club have now set their sights on becoming the first Indian club to qualify for the prestigious AFC Champions league. India gets a play-off slot for the AFC Champions league and I-league champions Bengaluru FC will have a chance to have a shot at taking part in the continent’s top-flight club tournament. last year Pune FC lost in the first of the three-round play-off competition. “We want to continue to dream big and want to be the first Indian Club to ever qualify for the AFC Champions league,” BFC CEO Parth Jindal told reporters when asked about the future aim of his club. Jindal said the club’s another target is to try and retain the trophy next year also.
lahiri clashes with Dubuisson
Jakarta: Anirban lahiri, who defeated France’s Victor Dubuisson at the EurAsia Cup, will get another chance to prove his growing status as one of Asia’s rising stars when he tees off at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters here on Thursday. Dubuisson, world number 23, will seek revenge over lahiri who defeated him twice in the foursomes and singles matches at the Ryder Cup style event last month.