Delhi to host Davis Cup tie against Italy
New Delhi: Delhi has emerged as frontrunner to host the Davis Cup qualifier between India and Italy in February next year. A total of 24 teams will play in the knockout Qualifiers on February 1 and 2 to decide which 12 teams will play the year-end Finals. India lost their World Group Play-off to Serbia but due to their world rank of 20, they have a chance to make it to the finals. Italy lost their quarterfinal this year and according to the new format, only four semifinalist from 2018 season along with two wild cards — Argentina and Britain — have a direct entry. 12 winners in February will join these six teams for the 18-team Finals in Madrid in November 2019. India will lock horns with Italy after 21 years as the last time the two teams clashed was in 1998 when Italy won the home tie in Genoa.
Malaysia appoint Oltmans as head coach
Kuala Lumpur: Former India coach Roelant Oltmans was on Monday appointed as the new head coach of the Malaysian men's national hockey team with an aim to take the side to the next level. "Welcome to Coach Roelant Oltmans @OltmansOltmans to the Malaysian Hockey Confederation after being newly appointed as the National Head Coach. Let's take Malaysian Hockey to the next level," the Malaysian Hockey Confederation tweeted. Oltmans' main priority will be to guide Malaysia to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games through next year's qualifying tournaments after missing out a golden chance to seal a direct berth through the Asian Games, where they lost to Japan in the final. Oltmans was sacked from the post of Indian men's team head coach in September last year after a string of unimpressive outings at the international level. Oltmans then took over as Pakistan coach in March this year but within six month after a string of unimpressive performances, was shown the door.
Pak recall Hafeez for Australia Tests
Karachi: Pakistan's national selection committee on Monday recalled former opener Mohammad Hafeez for the two-match Test series against Australia to reinforce its batting following a failed Asia Cup campaign. The 37-year-old was not part of the original 17-member squad announced last week, but after Pakistan suffered losses at the hands of arch-rival India and Bangladesh in the Asia Cup the squad reached out to Hafeez. Pakistan failed to qualify for the final in the tournament, which India won after beating Bangladesh by three wickets in Dubai on Friday. Pakistan had previously nursed high hopes for Shan Masood in the ongoing four-day match for Pakistan 'A' against Australia in Dubai but he fell for just 14, forcing the selectors to include Hafeez. Hafeez played the last of his 50 Tests against England in Birmingham in August 2016. Last week he scored a double hundred in a domestic first-class match, catching the eye of selectors.
Osaka powers into China Open round two
Beijing: US Open champion Naomi Osaka needed just 68 minutes to power into round two of the China Open with a dominant performance over Kazakh qualifier Zarina Diyas on Monday. Also safely through on Beijing's outdoor hard courts is another reigning Grand Slam champion, Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki. With world number one Simona Halep retiring from the tournament with a back injury and Serena Williams absent, Osaka and Wozniacki are among the favourites. The Japanese Osaka, who is enjoying a breakthrough season after stunning Williams to win in New York, breezed past a bewildered Diyas 6-4, 6-3. Former world number one Wozniacki was similarly emphatic with a 6-2, 6-3 demolition of Switzerland's Belinda Bencic.
Jayaram, Sourabh to lead at Taipei Open
Taipei City: Shuttlers Ajay Jayaram and Sourabh Verma will look to make a mark when they spearhead India's challenge at the Chinese Taipei World Tour Super 300 tournament starting here on Tuesday. With two Super 750 world tour events — Denmark Open (Oct 16-21) and French Open (Oct 23-28) scheduled this month, the top Indian shuttlers including P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth have decided to skip the $ 500,000 event this week. In their absence, former world No 13 Jayaram and former national champion Sourabh will look to keep the tricolour flying when they begin their campaign in the men's singles competition here. World No 65 Sourabh, who had won the $ 75,000 Russian Open in July and had qualified for the Indian team at 18th Asian Games after recovering from injury, will take on local favourite Lee Chia Hao.
Nishikori off to flier at Japan Open
Tokyo: Local hero Kei Nishikori began his quest for a third Japan Open title by thrashing countryman Yuichi Sugita 6-4, 6-1 to reach the last 16 on Monday. Third seed Nishikori failed to hit the heights that took him to the US Open semi-finals last month but still dominated his Japanese Davis Cup teammate, completing a one-sided victory with a fizzing backhand down the line after 81 minutes. While, three-time Tokyo finalist Milos Raonic crushed last year's runner-up Adrian Mannarino, the sixth seed taking a little over an hour to beat the Frenchman 6-3, 6-4. Elsewhere, France's Benoit Paire beat Chile's Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) while Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki upset Dutchman Robin Haase 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-1.