Bhupathi-Sania win maiden French Open mixed doubles title

June 8, 2012
sania_bhupathi


India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza won their second Grand Slam mixed doubles title together, triumphing in the French Open here on Thursday with an excellent performance in the final.

Bhupathi and Sania defeated Klaudia Jans-Ignacik of Poland and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico 7-6 (3), 6-1 in one hour and 13 minutes, coming through a tough first set and then sailing through the second.

The Indians had won their first title together at the Australian Open in 2009 and their success today fetched Bhupathi his 12th Grand Slam title – eight ofthem from mixed doubles.

For Sania, it was her second title at a Grand Slam. “It's my first Grand Slam in a long while and the first one after I became a father. This is for her,”said birthday boy Bhupathi, dedicating the title to his four-month old daughter.

Sania, while thanking Bhupathi, joked she didn't have to hunt for a birthday gift for her partner. “He is one of the best doubles players in the world and I am lucky to havehim as partner,”said Sania. Sania and Bhupathi had their chances inthe first set but their rivals pushed it to a tie-break, where the Indians proved a cut above.

They carried the momentum to the second set and broke Gonzalez' serve in the very first game itself. They had chances to break Klaudia's serve in the third game but she hung on tomake it 1-2.

Sania then came up with some cracking winners off both the flanks to hold serve for a 3-1 lead and the Indians again broke Gonzalez serve to take a commanding lead. Bhupathi then held his serve comfortably before Klaudia, serving to stay in the match, crumbled, leaving the Indians worthy winners.

Sharapova faces Errani

It was little wonder Maria Sharapova's jubilant coach was holding aloft his index finger on Thursday as the Russian enjoyed a double celebration after sweeping into her maiden French Open final.

Not only did her 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova allow her to move within two sets of fulfilling her dream of completing a career Grand Slam but, after a four-year wait, she was finally back on top of the world.

Whether on not Sharapova becomes the newest member of the Roland Garros champions' club when she takes on Italian outsider Sara Errani, who upset sixth seed Sam Stosur 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, on Saturday, the statuesque Russian's name will be on top of the WTA rankings list on Monday. "A few years ago I don't know if I even had a ranking after having my shoulder surgery (in August 2008) and it's special to be back on top again," a beaming Sharapova told the crowd.

The swirling winds on Philippe Chatrier Court made life difficult for both players initially, with Sharapova facing break points on both of her opening service games but it was Kvitova who blinked first.


Two sloppy forehand errors handed Sharapova the break in the fifth game and the Russian barely needed to move off the baseline as she watched Kvitova implode while trying to stay alive in the set.

The fourth seed was broken to love, a forehand into the tramlines on set point summing up the kind of day she was having. Her day went from bad to worse as she dropped serve for a third time, this time with a double fault, to go 1-3 down in the second set.

She managed to show some fight to level for 3-3 but Sharapova kept on pounding winners from the baseline to break for 5-3 before wrapping up the one-sided contest in 77 minutes with an ace.

Errani upset the heavy-hitting sixth seed Stosur to reach her first Grand Slam final. The petite, yet nimble-footed, Italian had been expected to struggle with Stosur's high, kicking serve and heavy topspin groundstrokes, but contrived to out-think and outmanoeuvre the Australian.

"I have no words, it is incredible," a weepy Errani, who collapsed on to her back in her moment of victory, told an on court interviewer. Stosur had fallen into the 21st seed's intelligently contrived plan to force her opponent out of her comfort zone and nullify her principle weapons.



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Agencies
March 3,2020

Mumbai, Mar 3: India on Tuesday retained their number one spot and captain Virat Kohli remained static at second in the ICC rankings despite a dismal Test series against New Zealand.

India have 116 rating points, six more than New Zealand with third-placed Australia accumulating 108 points. The 0-2 result against New Zealand was India's first series loss in the World Test Championship.

Kohli remains in second position in the batting rankings despite a forgettable Test series in which he made 38 runs in four innings, the ICC said in a statement.

New Zealand opener Tom Blundell and his Indian counterpart Prithvi Shaw and debutant paceman Kyle Jamieson were among the biggest movers in the rankings, released on Tuesday.

Blundell had a successful series against India, scoring 117 runs in four innings, with one half-century, which put him among the top two run-scorers in the series.

The performance meant he was rewarded with a jump of 27 places to No. 46. Shaw, who returned for his first series since his Test debut against West Indies in 2018, and made a punchy 54 in the first innings of the Christchurch Test, rose 17 places to No.76.

Australia's Steve Smith retained his top spot, holding a 25-point advantage over Kohli. Smith's apprentice Marnus Labuschagne jumped one spot to round off the top three, taking the place of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India opener Mayank Agarwal moved a spot each and swapped places to break into and fall out of the top 10 respectively.

Among bowlers, Tim Southee's Player of the Series winning performance against India took him into the top five, with a jump of two places to No.4, while Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult returned to the top 10, gaining four places each to occupy the seventh and ninth positions respectively.

But the biggest gainer was Jamieson, who rose from No. 80 to 43.

There was only one change in the top ten among all-rounders, with Southee dropping a spot to No.10 and team-mate Neil Wagner falling out of the top 10 with a drop of four spots.

As with the bowling rankings, Jamieson, who frustrated India with handy lower order runs, gained big on the all-rounders' table, rising 26 places to No. 22.

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News Network
March 7,2020

Melbourne, Mar 7: Ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup against Australia, India spinner Poonam Yadav said that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has given her a lot of support.

"Harmanpreet has been of immense support. When I got hit for a six in the first over, she came to me and said, 'Poonam, you're one of the most experienced players in the team, and we expect better of you'," Poonam said.

The 28-year-old experienced bowler has played 68 shortest format games for India and taken 94 wickets at an average of 22.66.

She has been in devastating form throughout the tournament and has bagged nine wickets so far.

"So, that kind of stirred something within me. I told myself if my captain has that much faith in me, I should be able to make a comeback," she said.

"I took a wicket in the very next ball, and didn't look back since. Now when I look back at that moment, it means so much in the context of my individual performance and run to the final," she added.

In the opening game against Australia at Sydney Showground, Poonam came within a whisker of the third hat-trick in Women's T20 World Cup history, dismissing Rachael Haynes and Ellyse Perry before Jess Jonassen was dropped.

The final of the tournament will be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 8 -- International Women's Day.

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News Network
February 24,2020

Wellington, Feb 24: Indian batsmen's inadequacies in adverse conditions were laid bare as they crashed to an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat against a ruthless New Zealand side that wrapped up the opening Test in just over three days here on Monday.

Starting the day on 144 for four, India were all out for 191 in their second innings. This was only a shade better than their dismal 165 in the first innings, which eventually proved to be decisive.

Trent Boult (4/39 in 22 overs) and Tim Southee (5/61 in 21 overs), the most under-rated new ball pairs in world cricket, showed that when it boils down to playing incisive seam and swing bowling, this batting line-up is still a work in progress.

The required target of nine runs was knocked off by New Zealand without much ado for their 100th Test win.

India's last defeat was against Australia at Perth during the 2018-19 series but the loss at the Basin Reserve would hurt them more because the visitors have not surrendered in such a fashion of late.

There was no resistance from a star-studded line-up and more than intent, the failure was due to poor technique on a track that had something on the third and fourth day as well.

This is a team that plays fast bowling much better than their predecessors, the reason for their success on the bouncy Australian tracks.

But when it comes to facing conventional seam and swing bowling in testing conditions, they are yet to learn the art of saving a Test match.

India had lost the mental battle on the first day itself when they saw the moisture on the wicket.

The toss became a factor and not for one session did they look comfortable. Mayank Agarwal was the only batsman, who felt at home in patches, as New Zealand showed what a Test match strategy is all about.

If the first innings was about mixing back of length deliveries with fuller length balls, the second innings saw the pacers coming from round the wicket and targeting the rib-cage. The line was disconcerting and it stifled them for good.

It affected their mindset and once Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari stepped out on the fourth morning, defeat was written all over as both looked ill-equipped to handle such high quality seam bowling.

Rahane (29 off 75 balls) and Vihari (15 off 79 balls) are players who only play long-form cricket at the international level and both are known for their patience.

But little would have the Indian vice-captain apprehended that he would get a delivery from Boult, which he thought would move away after pitching but it held its line and he had no option but to jab at it, and all he got was an edge.

Southee, who bowls a lovely classical outswinger, then bowled an off-cutter from the other end and before Vihari could comprehend, it came back sharply to peg the stumps back.

Within first 20 minutes, the two seasoned practitioners of swing had knocked the stuffing out of India's resistance.

Rishabh Pant (25 off 41 balls) batted only in the manner he can and played one breathtaking shot off Southee, a slog sweep off a 130 kmph-plus delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.

But there was too much left to do with too little support from the other end. Bending on one knee, he tried another audacious slog scoop but couldn't clear.

Southee, who had a terrific match, deservingly completed his 10th five-wicket haul and all it took was 16 overs to end the innings and the match.

New Zealand now have 120 points in the World Test championship and India stayed on top with 36 points.

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