Sports Reception

Bouchard beats fallen idol Sharapova in Madrid
MADRID: Eugenie Bouchard claimed she had the support of the tennis world after matching her fighting talk with some thrilling tennis to shock Maria Sharapova 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

Bouchard called Sharapova "a cheater" last week and was also critical of the Russian´s welcome back to the sport after a 15-month doping ban with a series of wildcards for big events.

The world number 60 admitted she was extra motivated to face her former idol and it showed with signs of the form she has lost over the past few years since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014 in a bruising near three-hour contest.

"I was actually quite inspired before the match because I had a lot of players coming up to me privately wishing me good luck," said Bouchard.

"Players I don´t normally speak to, getting a lot of texts from people in the tennis world that were just rooting for me.

"I wanted to do it for myself, but also all these people. I really felt support.

"It showed me that most people have my opinion, and they were just maybe scared to speak out."

Sharapova claimed to have not been distracted by media circus surrounding the match and that her disappointment comes from losing, not who she lost to.

"I think I would be worried about myself if I sat here and said I´m pretty happy with losing a tennis match, no matter who I face, no matter what round it is, whether it´s the first round or final of a Grand Slam.

"I´m a big competitor. What you work for so many hours every single day is to be on the winning end of matches.

"Today was just not that day. Of course, I´m disappointed. That´s what´s going to make me a better player. That´s what´s going to win me more tournaments and more Grand Slams."

Bouchard battled back from 4-2 down to claim a topsy-turvy first set and she edged a marathon 11th game before serving it out for just her second set in five meetings with Sharapova.

However, adversity brought out the best in the five-time Grand Slam champion as Sharapova found the precision to match her power in the second set, reeling off four straight game from 2-2 to level at one set all.

Both players struggled to hold serve in the deciding set as a total of 14 break points were squandered.

However, Bouchard held her nerve when serving for the match at 5-4 as she saw off two break points and an unfortunate let cord on her first match point.

The Canadian jumped for joy after delivering the final blow before the two exchanged a very frosty handshake at the net.

Bouchard will face top seed Angelique Kerber, who fought back from 5-3 down in the deciding set to overcome Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 earlier on Monday, in the third round.

Kabaddi: Indian league signs multi-million dollar deal
DELHI: The Indian sport of kabaddi has received a major boost with Chinese mobile company VIVO signing a five-year deal worth $46.7 million to sponsor the game´s popular league.

Pro Kabaddi has held its own among the myriad professional sporting leagues to emerge in the wake of the lucrative and hugely successful Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament in 2008.

Kabaddi attracts impressive viewer ratings in a competitive market dominated by cricket, but where smaller shares are fiercely contested by other popular sports leagues including badminton and hockey.

"This association is important for us as Pro Kabaddi league has reached incredible heights and now proudly stands as one of the most successful leagues in India," Vivo India CEO Kent Cheng said.

VIVO, who are also title sponsors of the IPL, is not the first Chinese smartphone manufacturer to enter the massive Indian sporting market.

OPPO this year replaced Star India to become the major sponsor of India´s hugely popular national cricket side.

Star India, and its broadcaster Star Sports, already backs the Pro Kabaddi as it moves into its fifth edition with 12 teams duelling it out over more than 130 matches.

"Vivo coming on board as the title sponsor is a significant milestone in the growth story of the league. Star Sports will continue its efforts to elevate the stature of the sport further," Star India managing director Sanjay Gupta said.

Kabaddi, which originated in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was first included in the Asian Games in 1990 in Beijing. India has won every gold in the event since then.

Umar Akmal, Junaid Khan to receive warnings for verbal spat
ISLAMABAD: Cricketers Umar Akmal and Junaid Khan are likely to get a strict warning from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for making comments against each other ahead of a match of Pakistan One Day Cup at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi, last month.

“The inquiry committee set by the board will submit it’s report in a day or so. But it is clear both the players are not going to face any suspension. However, they will be given a strict warning with the advice to avoid such statements in future,” a source in PCB told APP on Tuesday.

The verbal spat between Umar Akmal and left-arm pacer Junaid Khan took place when the former captaining the Punjab province against Sindh in Rawalpindi was asked about his team combination.

He first informed that all-rounder Nasir Nazir would be playing in place of left-arm pacer Junaid. And then while expressing his shock at his (Junaid’s) absence stated that he had just come to know that the bowler was absent from the match. Within minutes, Junaid in a video message on his social media account from his hotel room expressed displeasure over what Akmal had said.

The PCB had set up a committee headed by General Manager (Domestic Cricket Affairs) Shafiq Ahmed to look into the matter and submit a report at the earliest.

The source said the committee had finalized its report adding “as per information no disciplinary action has been proposed against both the players and they’ll be receiving just warnings.”

Both Umar Akmal and Junaid Khan are also part of Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, to be played in England and Wales from June 1 to 18.

Dhawan, bowlers lead Sunrisers' cruise
HYDERABAD : Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on a counter-attacking second-wicket partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Moises Henriques to outplay Mumbai Indians and keep their playoff chances alive.

Dhawan and Henriques walloped a stand of 91 that came off just 11 overs as Sunrisers razed a target of 139 with 10 balls to spare and maintained their stronghold at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with their sixth win in seven matches at the ground.

The win was set up as their bowlers exploited a sluggish pitch to stifle Mumbai. That the visiting team was able to recover to 138 was down to their captain Rohit Sharma, who played an innings of class and poise to give his team a chance.

Sunrisers' position on the table remained unchanged, but they stayed afloat as the race to the playoffs got tighter. The win also brought the curtains down on Delhi Daredevils who do not stand to qualify for the final four anymore.

Sunrisers oscillated between sharp and lax in the early exchanges. Their bowlers made good use of a slow surface where shot-making wasn't at its easiest. Bhuvneshwar Kumar set the tone with a tight first over. And with Mohammad Nabi following suit, it took 10 deliveries for Mumbai to crack. Lendl Simmons lost his middle stump, swinging wildly and missing a quicker, non-turning offbreak from Nabi. Mumbai were 4 for 1 after two overs.

Mohammed Siraj undid some of that good work next over, when Parthiv Patel and Nitish Rana capitalised on poor lines and lengths to punish him for 16. The surge, however, was short-lived. While Nabi got a few to stop and turn, the odd ball kept the pacers interested as well. Siddarth Kaul got a shorter one to hurry on to Rana, who lobbed a catch to mid-off trying to fetch a pull. Kaul's next ball wasn't too dissimilar. This time Parthiv played the line, but couldn't keep the slap down, picking out point where Vijay Shankar let it burst through. Fortunately for Sunrisers, they weren't left to rue the chance, as Kaul took pace off and Parthiv chipped a knuckle ball to long-on two overs later.

took pace off, Rohit picked it early and pierced the cover region; when Henriques banged it in at pace, Rohit calmly opened the face to steer it into the gap.

Rohit stitch together 60 for the fourth wicket, tried to slog his way out and skewed a top-edge to cover. But Rohit continued to pinch singles and find the boundary. By the time he fell, he had struck over 50% of his team's runs. Following his dismissal, Mumbai added just 12 more off 11 balls and lost two wickets.

Murray makes strong start in Madrid
MADRID: World number one Andy Murray enjoyed a comfortable start to his quest for a third Madrid Masters title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Romania´s Marius Copil on Tuesday.

Murray has struggled for form and fitness since soaring to the top of the world rankings at the end of last year.

However, the Scot had far too much guile for the big-serving world number 104 as he didn´t face a single break point in sealing victory in just under 90 minutes on court.

Murray will face either Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert or Croatia´s Borna Coric in the last 16 on Thursday.

The Wimbledon champion passed up two chances to break the Copil serve in the second game of the match.

But Murray eventually made his move and let out a cry of joy with a brilliant cross-court half-volley to break Copil´s resistance and take the first set 6-4.

One break in the sixth game was also enough for Murray to take the second set as he easily served out for the match.

Murray´s conqueror in Barcelona last month and potential quarter-final opponent Dominic Thiem eased past American Jared Donaldson 6-3, 6-4.

Ninth seed David Goffin became the first man into the third round with a routine 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 win over Germany´s Florian Mayer.

Nicolas Almagro will face second seed Novak Djokovic as he begins life without long-term coach Marian Vajda on Wednesday after beating fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Rafael Nadal is also in action on Wednesday against Italy´s Fabio Fognini.

Halep reaches third round in Madrid Open
MADRID: In the women´s Madrid Open, defending champion Simona Halep came from 5-2 down in the final set to beat Roberta Vinci 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2) to reach the third round.

"I was close to losing the match, but I stayed strong, stayed focused and I didn´t give up," said Halep.

"That makes this match much bigger for me. It means a lot."

Halep very nearly became the latest seed to fall in a decimated bottom half of the draw after early exits for Karolina Pliskova, Garbine Muguruza and Johanna Konta.

"I don´t know who lost and who is still in the tournament," added Halep.

"I try to focus on myself a lot. As you saw today, I could have lost the match, so it doesn´t matter who is winning, who is losing. Every match is tough."

Halep next faces Australian 16th seed Samantha Stosur.

Only three of the top 10 seeds remain as the woman Halep beat in last year´s final, Dominika Cibulkova, was swept aside 6-2, 6-4 by 20-year-old Frenchwoman Oceane Dodin.

WIndies out to spoil Misbah, Younis farewells
ROSEAU, Dominica: West Indies will be looking to spoil the international farewells of Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and senior batsman Younis Khan in Wednesday´s decisive third and final Test at Windsor Park.

Buoyed by a series-levelling win five days ago the hosts are in pursuit of a first Test series success in five years against a team ranked higher.

But despite being routed for 81 on the final day of the second Test in Barbados, Pakistan are still in with a chance of pulling off their first-ever Test series triumph in the Caribbean.

"It´s a special game for us because we have a chance to make history," said Misbah, focusing instead on the importance of the result for the team.
Still, the fact that both himself and Younis will be retiring from international cricket after the match is a reality that could not be avoided.

"It gives us additional motivation and I hope it´s the same for the team as well," he explained. "Sometimes the emotion will come in when you have an occasion like this but it´s important for us to just focus on our jobs and score runs for the team."

After scoring 58 to become the first Pakistani to go past 10,000 Test runs in the first innings of the series in Jamaica, Younis has tallied just 11 runs in the next three innings.

In contrast, Misbah was unbeaten on 99 in setting up the first Test win before falling for 99 in the first innings of the second Test, a disappointment he was quick to put in perspective.

"Ninety-nine is far better than zero, which is what I got in the second innings," he noted. "If we perform up to our potential we can beat any side. We have to get our disciplines right and be at the top of our game."

Following severe criticism from both camps over the surface at Kensington Oval, there was general acceptance that the pitch for the series finale appeared much better on the eve of the match despite again being virtually devoid of grass.

"It doesn´t look too bad," was West Indies captain Jason Holder´s guarded verdict.

"It might be on the slow side to start but hopefully it quickens up as the game goes on."

With Shannon Gabriel leading the fast bowlers´ demolition of the opposition for just 81 to earn a 106-run win less than a week earlier, no changes are anticipated to the hosts´ bowling attack.

However the top-order batting remains a concern even if the selectors opt not to tinker with a winning line-up.

Pakistan had already decided on their final eleven 24 hours before the start but Misbah chose not to reveal it.

After enjoying tremendous success in the limited-over matches earlier in the tour, leg-spinner Shadab Khan struggled on Test debut in Barbados with match figures of one for 145.

He is expected to make way for fast-medium bowler Hasan Ali in support of fellow pacers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Abbas.

Pakistan´s greatest bowling threat remains Yasir Shah though, the leg-spinner´s match haul of nine for 177 in the losing effort in the second Test giving him 17 so far in the series.

Prolonged showers two days before the match disrupted preparations and despite a scorching eve of the fixture, a forecast for more rain raises the prospect of the elements playing a significant role in the final result.

India´s Jhulan Goswami becomes top women´s wicket-taker
NEW DELHI: India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami has become the highest wicket-taker in women´s one-day internationals after overtaking former Australia star Cathryn Fitzpatrick with her 181st dismissal.

Pace spearhead Goswami achieved the feat against hosts South Africa in the 50-over quadrangular tournament in Potchefstroom on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old Goswami, who took three wickets in India´s victory, got past Fitzpatrick´s long-standing record in her 153rd ODI. Fitzpatrick took 180 wickets in 109 matches between 1993 and 2006.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) congratulated the former captain for her incredible service to women´s cricket since making her debut as an 18-year-old in 2002.

The Bengal cricketer led India in 25 ODIs from 2008-2011 and has represented the country in 10 Tests and 60 Twenty20 matches. She was named women´s cricketer of the year in 2007.

PSL 2017: Karachi Kings qualify for playoffs, Qalandars eliminated
DUBAI: Karachi Kings defeated Islamabad United by six wickets in rain-reduced Twenty20 match and qualified for playoffs of the Pakistan Super League 2017.

Although, Islamabad United had already qualified for the playoffs but their encounter with Karachi Kings on Sunday was important for Lahore Qalandars too.

With the defeat of Islamabad United, Lahore Qalandars are now eliminated from the tournament.

Earlier, Islamabad United set a target of 124 runs for Karachi Kings after the match was reduced to 15 overs a side due to rain here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.

Karachi Kings reached the target at the loss of four wickets with 1 ball remaining. Chris Gayle scored quick-fire 44 runs off 17 balls —striking back-to-back three sixes.

Barca hit PSG for six in historic late fightback
Barcelona: Sergi Roberto scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Barcelona capped a sensational Champions League fightback to thrash Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

"I threw myself at it with everything," Roberto told BeIN Sports Spain as his outstretched leg turned home Neymar´s cross.

Despite Luis Suarez´s early opener, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and Lionel Messi´s penalty, Barca, who lost the first leg 4-0, looked down and out when Edison Cavani volleyed home what seemed to be the vital away goal for PSG.

However, Neymar restored Barca´s belief as he firstly fired home a sensational free-kick two minutes from time and then converted from the penalty spot.

And Roberto capped the biggest comeback in Champions League history when he stretched to turn home Neymar´s dinked cross to the delight of a near 100,000 at a rocking Camp Nou, making the score 6-5 on aggregate.

"It is a difficult night to explain with words," said outgoing Barca boss Luis Enrique.

"It was a horror movie, not a drama, with a Camp Nou that I have seen very few times as a player or coach.

"What defines this victory is the faith that the players and fans had."

PSG coach Unai Emery accepted his side lost their composure in the closing stages as he suffered a 12th defeat in as many visits to the Camp Nou.

"The truth is we have let a huge opportunity get away and we are aware of that," said Emery.

"In the last two minutes we lost everything we had recovered in the second-half. Barcelona are capable of this in their stadium. In the last few minutes they played all or nothing and they have beaten us."

Barca also enter the record books by reaching the quarter-finals for a 10th straight season.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was blunt in his summary.

"It´s a nightmare for everyone. Three goals in seven minutes is very difficult. Everybody is upset but now is not the time to talk about it."

Enrique warned the French champions on Tuesday that his side were capable of scoring six and they needed the full 95 minutes to pull of a miracle revival.

No side had ever come back from a 4-0 first leg deficit in the Champions League, but after much pre-match hype of a historic turnaround, Barca truly believed when Suarez opened the scoring after just three minutes.

The PSG defence was stationary as Marquinhos headed Rafinha´s cross high into the air and Suarez nipped in ahead of the flapping goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to nod in despite Thomas Meunier´s best efforts to clear off the line.

- Shambolic defending -

Barca´s hopes were further raised five minutes before the break thanks to more shambolic PSG defending.

Andres Iniesta reached Suarez´s hopeful through ball and his backheel provoked Kurzawa into shanking the ball into his own net on his weaker right foot.

The second period started just as the first ended as Barca edged closer to the history books when Neymar was clipped by the prone Meunier and, after consultation with one of his assistants, German referee Deniz Aytekin pointed to the spot.

Messi made no mistake with the penalty to rifle home his 11th Champions League goal of the season.

Only when 3-0 down did PSG begin to come out in search of the crucial away goal and were rewarded just after the hour mark when Kurzawa made amends for his earlier error by heading down a free-kick and Cavani connected sweetly on the volley to register his 38th and seemingly most important goal of the season.

PSG were then to rue to huge missed chances by Cavani and Angel di Maria to put the tie completely beyond Barca.

Just when Barca looked down and out Neymar restored hope when he curled home a sensational free-kick high into the top corner.

And as the match entered stoppage time, Barca were awarded a second controversial penalty when Suarez tumbled under a challenge form Marquinhos.

Neymar this time took responsibility to send Trapp the wrong way.

"This is the best game I have ever played. For what it meant, for what we experienced and because I am in great form," Neymar told BeIN Sports.

"I know that we have made history. A team like this can do anything."

And the Brazilian also showed a cool head amongst a mad final minute when he cut inside before chipping into the box for substitute Roberto to extend his right leg just enough to beat Trapp and leave PSG floored.

DUNEDIN, New Zealand: South Africa were all out for 308 in their first innings on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Thursday.

Jeetan Patel and Trent Boult took the last two wickets to wrap up the innings in the fifth over after lunch.

For South Africa, Dean Elgar made 140 and Temba Bavuma 64 while bowling for New Zealand Boult took four for 64 and Neil Wagner three for 88.

IPL 2017: Rising Pune Supergiant beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 27 runs, twitterati reacts
Rising Pune Supergiant managed to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 134 for the loss of nine wickets as they defended their total of 161 to win the match by 27 runs. Ben Stokes and Shardul Thakur led the pack for RPS taking three wickets apiece while Jaydev Unadkat and Imran Tahir chipped in with two and one respectively.
Pune bowlers choked Bangalore and gave their team the first win over their opponents in three tries. Chasing a target of 162 at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore failed to get going and ended by 27 runs short of the target after losing nine wickets in 20 overs.
It was a disappointing outing for the home team as they lost wickets at regular intervals and never looked like on course of chasing the total.
The Bangalore unit were so miserable that for 24th ball to the 91st ball, only a six was hit by its batsmen. At the end of the fourth over, Virat Kohli had hit Shardul Thakur for a four and it was only Stuart Binny who hit Ben Stokes for four off the first ball of the 16th over. Inbetween, a six from AB de Villiers at 8.4 overs was the only boundary.
Mandeep Singh and Kohli got the chase underway for Bangalore but Thakur had the former caught behind in the second over for a duck. Kohli was the second wicket to fall when he could not control a short ball from Stokes. He came down the pitch and was in no position to play the shot. He slapped it high and was caught by Rahane at sweeper.