India crush UAE in U-19 Asia Cup
savar: India recorded a thumping 227-run win over the UAE in the U-19 Asia Cup here Sunday, with openers Anuj Rawat and Devdut Padikkal hitting centuries and spinner Siddarth Desai picking up six wickets. Opting to bat, India were served well by a 205-run opening partnership between Rawat (102) and Padikkal (121). Skipper Pawan Shah (45), Sameer Choudhary (42) and Ayush Badoni (21) made quick runs to power India to a formidable 354 for six in 50 overs. Choudhary knocked off his runs in just 19 balls, while Badoni was quicker. During their chase, UAE lost wickets at regular intervals and were never in contention for challenging India's total. India's left-arm spin bowler Desai returned impressive figures of six for 24 in 8.5 overs. UAE were bowled out for 133 in 33.5 overs. Sri Lanka beat Hong Kong by 10 wickets in Chittagong.
Tomic wins first title in three years
beijing: Controversial Australian Bernard Tomic won his first significant tournament in three years on Sunday — and in the most dramatic of circumstances, saving four match points to triumph at the Chengdu Open. The 25-year-old defeated top seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) in a thrilling three-setter in southwest China, where he was a qualifier. Victory for Tomic — his first ATP World Tour crown since Bogota in 2015 — will propel the world-ranked 123 comfortably inside the top 100. It was double disappointment for Fognini, who had been attempting to become the first Italian man to win four titles in a season. For Tomic, it was a welcome change to be making headlines for the right reasons. Once seen as a rising star, he has had a number of run-ins with authorities over the years.
Nishioka claims maiden ATP title
shenzhen: Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka broke through for his maiden ATP singles title on Sunday, outlasting seasoned Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in a gruelling final at the Shenzhen Open. The 23-year-old Nishioka, ranked 171 in the world, played seven matches across eight days at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre but still had plenty of energy in a marathon final as he threw himself at everything Herbert could offer. As the match clock ticked towards two-and-a-half hours in the southern Chinese city, Nishioka sealed the victory on his fifth match point — and looked as though he could hardly believe what had just happened. He will now return to the world's top 100 after that injury saw his ranking plummet to as low as 362.
Garcia advances in China Open
beijing: French player and defending champion Caroline Garcia on Sunday defeated Wang Yafan of China in an intense first round women's singles battle of the China Open tennis meet. Yafan was defeated by Garcia 6-7 (10), 7-6(4), 3-6 in a gruelling match that lasted more than three hours. "I was waiting at the baseline for too long. I didn't do many attacks. That is something I should work on, that I wasn't very satisfied with," she said. As the defending champion, Garcia said that she was very happy to be back in China Open. "Every single time I was down, I was playing better. When I had the opportunity to go in front at the score, I was not going for it. Then she was just taking the chance, and I couldn't finish every single time," Garcia said.