Patna rally to beat Telugu
Kolkata: Patna Pirates bounced back in the second half to edge past Telugu Titans 38-35 and register their first victory in the Pro Kabaddi at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Friday. ‘Best Raider’ Ravi Dalal was the chief architect in Patna Pirates’ resounding victory with 14 raid points and he also won the ‘Best Moment’ and received fine support from Rakesh Kumar with seven points. In search of their maiden victory, the Visakhapatnam franchise however began solidly, taking a four-point lead of 23-19 at the half-time. But Dalal turned it around for Patna with a successful raid in the 33rd minute as they scraped past Visakhapatnam to snatch the lead 33-31. In the closing quarter Telugu Titans lost both the mental and physical battle as Patna Pirates dished out a superlative performance both in raids and defence. Pakistani defender Wasim Sajjad who made his debut for Patna Pirates was adjudged the Best Defender. Patna Pirates now have six points from two matches, while Telugu Titans logged one point to be on four points after three outings.
Williams, Ivanovic in quarters
Stanford: Venus Williams feels like the hometown girl when she plays at Stanford even though she grew up in Southern California and resides in Florida. She has enjoyed a lot of success here, made her professional debut at the event, and the crowd was clearly supporting her. “It’s nice to have that support,” Williams said after advancing to the Bank of the West Classic quarterfinals by beating fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-6 (1) on Thursday. “It was good to hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ for both of us,” the unseeded Williams said. “I don’t want to let anybody down.” Williams and Azarenka, both former world No. 1s, are working their way back to high-level tennis following injuries and illness. Williams, who is 4-0 against the Belarusian, appears slightly ahead in her development. After the 10th-ranked Azarenka, who celebrated her 25th birthday, saved three match points to tie it 6-6, Williams won the first five points in the tiebreaker. Azarenka’s second serve was the biggest difference between the hard-hitting players. She won just 32 per cent of her second serves, handing Williams a significant advantage.
US man sues Ronaldo over CR7
Providence (Rhode Island): A US man has sued Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo over the catchphrase “CR7.” Christopher Renzi filed the lawsuit on Monday in federal court in Rhode Island against the Real Madrid forward and a Danish company, JBS Textile Group. The company sells underwear with the phrase “CR7,” a combination of Ronaldo’s initials and jersey number. Renzi says he uses the trademark granted in 2009 on clothing and that he’s also used it for a seven-minute exercise programme. He says in his lawsuit that “CR7” is a combination of his own initials and the day he was born, October 7. JBS Textile sells CR7 underwear, socks and other items in Europe and hopes to start selling in the US soon. Its lawyer would not comment.
Pospisil eliminates Berdych
Washington: Vasek Pospisil eliminated top seed Tomas Berdych at the Citi Open on Thursday, winning 6-2, 6-4 to progress to the quarterfinals. Berdych unofficially committed 21 unforced errors and had his serve broken four times, including the final game of each set. Two of Pospisil’s three career top-10 wins have come against Berdych, the first last year in Montreal. Berdych trailed 0-3 in the first set and never recovered. Pospisil, ranked 36th, only lost serve once, fighting back three of four break points. “The beginning was very key to the whole match,” said Berdych, who said his practice time had been reduced by a back injury. The Czech noted that Pospisil - who won the Wimbledon doubles title with American Jack Sock last month - was a player who does his best in big matches. “I prefer center courts. I just prefer playing in front of people and on bigger stages. ...It’s motivating,” said Pospisil. Pospisil only lost serve once, fighting back three of four break points. He will next face No. 10 Santiago Giraldo, a 6-2, 6-0 winner over Victor Estrella Burgos. American Steve Johnson knocked off another experienced seed, beating No. 9 Ivo Karlovic 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).
Plans to remodel Bernabeu blocked
Madrid: A Spanish court has temporarily stopped Real Madrid’s plans to remodel its Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with the club under investigation by the European Union for possibly receiving illegal state aid. The court says in a statement that it has temporarily blocked permission granted by the Madrid city government to allow Real Madrid to “build buildings around the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.” The court says it acted in response to a petition by the environmental group Ecologistas en Accion. last year, the EU began investigating Real Madrid, Barcelona and five other Spanish clubs to see if they received illegal state aid. The EU then said it was specifically checking a property swap involving Real Madrid and the city government.
Wozniacki to run NYC Marathon
New York: Caroline Wozniacki always feels confident she can outrun her opponent on the tennis court. The former world No. 1 believes that with a bit more training, she can cover 26.2 miles (42 kilometers). Wozniacki plans to play a full tournament schedule this autumn while fitting in time to train for the New York City Marathon. She typically runs for 30-40 minutes a day as part of workouts for tennis, and hopes that one longer session per week of an hour or more can get her through the Nov. 2 race. And, no, she’s not seeking this challenge in an attempt to distract herself from her personal life, Wozniacki insisted. Golfer Rory McIlroy broke off their engagement in late May, less than a month before Wozniacki decided to run a marathon. “Tennis helped me just get through the tough times,” Wozniacki said in Manhattan on Thursday. “Now I’m just feeling happy and I wanted to do something good for others. I think that this had nothing really to do with my personal life. It was something I was passionate about.”