Vishnu Vardhan lauds ATT
New Delhi: After scoring a dominant win in the tournament opener, top seed Vishnu Vardhan hailed the ambitious Asian Tennis Tour (ATT), launched by ATF. Vardhan thrashed Tenzin Dorji from Bhutan 6-1 6-1 in the opening round. Khanna said it is their sincere endeavour to help the Asian players, who struggle to make money in the demanding tennis world. “Only top-100 players are making money in today’s tennis world. We are trying to help our Asian players by offering them decent money,” Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) President Anil Khanna said. “The Asian Tennis Tour is a great initiative organised by the AITA and Asian Tennis Federation. It helps in the two ways; it’s a great opportunity in terms of transition when you make from juniors to men’s and also for other players who want to make extra money which they can use for training and travelling purposes in terms of lack of sponsorships,” Vardhan said.
Durga promoted as FIH I’ntl umpire
New Delhi: India’s Durga Thakur has been promoted to international outdoor umpire by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) following her good performance at the recently-held Hawkes Bay Cup in Hastings, New Zealand. Thakur started her career as an umpire from the third Hockey India Sub-Junior Men & Women National Championship (Finals) in Bhopal in 2013. A graduate of NSNIS in 2011, her first international assignment came in 2015 at the double six-Nation Cup in Breda, Netherlands. Thakur is an addition to a crop of young Indian umpires currently officiating at the international level. The list currently has 14 Indians in the elite league of international umpires (10 men, 5 women). A physical education teacher at Modern School, New Delhi, Thakur has represented her state Himachal Pradesh in the National Championships in three sporting disciplines — handball, basketball and hockey.
Borges to coach Mumbai City FC
Mumbai: Former Costa Rican midfielder Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimaraes would be the head coach of ISl outfit, Mumbai City FC, for the third season of the franchise-based football league. Borges is known for his fine achievements as the head coach of the Costa Rica national squad, leading the country past the qualifying stages of the 2002 and the 2006 FIFA World Cups, a Mumbai City FC media release said on Tuesday. He started coaching Costa Rican club Belen, then moved to another club Herediano in the summer of 1996, and had achieved good results with both teams, the release added. “I have been coaching in Asia for a few years now and the Indian growth story is something that has caught my eye for quite a while,” said Borges.
Snowboarder Estelle killed in avalanche
GENEVA: Swiss police say snowboarder Estelle Balet has been killed in an avalanche. Police say the 21-year-old Swiss athlete was struck by the snow slide early on Tuesday morning while filming above Orsieres, near Switzerland’s southern border with France and Italy. She had been following another snowboarder, who wasn’t caught in the avalanche. Valais state police said in a statement that rescuers were able to free Balet, who had been wearing special safety equipment, but she died at the scene. Balet recently won the Freeride World Tour. She was a member of watchmaker Swatch’s professional team. Police say they have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident.