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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News Network
June 29,2020

Jun 29: The West Indies cricketers will sport a 'Black Lives Matter' logo on the collars of their shirts during the upcoming three-Test series against England to protest against racism in sports.

Skipper Jason Holder, who has voiced his support to the cause that has once again come to the forefront after the killing of American George Floyd, said in a statement on Sunday: "We believe we have a duty to show solidarity and also to help raise awareness."

The ICC-approved logo, designed by Alisha Hosannah, will be the one which featured in the shirts of all 20 Premier League football clubs since the sport's resumption earlier this month.

"This is a pivotal moment in history for sports, for the game of cricket and for the West Indies cricket team," Holder was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We have come to England to retain the Wisden Trophy but we are very conscious of happenings around the world and the fight for justice and equality. "As a group of young men, we know of the rich and diverse history of West Indies cricket and we know we are guardians of the great game for a generation to come."

Holder, who wants racism to be treated at par with doping and corruption, said they arrived at the decision to wear the logo after much thought.

"We did not take our decision lightly. We know what it is for people to make judgments because of the colour of our skin, so we know what it feels like, this goes beyond the boundary. There must be equality and there must be unity. Until we get that as people, we cannot stop," he said.

"We have to find some way to have equal rights and people must not be viewed differently because of the colour of their skin or ethnic background."

The West Indies players are likely to wear the shirts for the first time in this week's four-day warm-up match at Emirates Old Trafford, starting on Monday.

The opening Test of the series, which will mark the resumption of international cricket after the coronavirus-forced hiatus, will get underway at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 8.

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News Network
February 5,2020

New Delhi, Feb 5: IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has denied any financial dealings with the controversial Rose Valley Group except for it being a sponsor of the side's official jerseys in 2012 and 2013.

KKR issued the clarification after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Rose Valley's assets worth over Rs 70 crore on Monday. The attached assets include Rs 11.87 crore bank deposits of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd, that owns KKR, in connection with a money laundering probe.

The franchise said it hopes for the matter to be resolved expeditiously.

"Rose Valley Hotels was one of KKR's IPL jersey sponsors for IPL seasons 2012 and 2013. Rose Valley had paid KKR an approx. amount of Rs 11.87 crore as sponsorship fees," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

"KKR had no other dealings with the Rose Valley Group including Rose Valley’s micro finance business," he added.

The statement added that in July last year, KRSPL (Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd), received a "witness summon" from the ED in connection with an investigation relating to the Rose Valley Group, particularly its micro finance business.

"The ED continues the investigation of Rose Valley. KKR continues to cooperate with the authorities in all respects," Mysore said.

"As part of the investigative process, sometime in October 2019, the ED placed a lien on the said amount earlier paid by Rose Valley to KKR," he asserted.

The directors of KRSPL include Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri Khan, actor Juhi Chawla's husband Jay Mehta, Mysore and two others.

Mysore was questioned in this case by ED's Kolkata office in October last year.

Apart from KRSPL, the ED attached properties of two other entities -- Multiple Resorts Pvt. Ltd. and Kolkata's St Xavier's College on Monday.

The ED registered an FIR against the Rose Valley group, its chairman Gautam Kundu and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2014.

Kundu was arrested by the agency in Kolkata in 2015 and is in judicial custody at present.

The ED has filed multiple charge sheets in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar courts in this connection and total attachments are now worth Rs 4,750 crore.

The group has been charged by the ED and the CBI with "illegally and fraudulently collecting deposits from public with the intention to cheat them by falsely promising high returns on their investment", thereby perpetrating a ponzi-like fraud.

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News Network
April 22,2020

Dhaka, Apr 22: Star Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has decided to auction the bat he used during the 2019 ODI World Cup to help raise money for the fight against deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Shakib, who is currently serving a two-year ban from all forms of cricket -- one of which is suspended -- for not reporting corrupt approaches, is the second Bangladeshi cricketer after wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim to auction a personal cricketing gear to raise money for the cause.

"I had said before that I want to put up a bat for auction. I have decided to auction the bat I used in the 2019 World Cup. It's a favourite bat of mine," Shakib said during a Facebook live session.

The 33-year-old all-rounder had a hugely successful World Cup in England last year, scoring 606 runs in eight matches at an average of 86.57, which included two centuries and five fifties.

Besides, he also picked up 11 wickets in the tournament and became the only cricketer to score 600 plus runs and scalp 10 wickets in a single edition of the World Cup.

"I had a good World cup with the bat and ball. There were some good performances especially with the bat. I had used a single bat throughout the World Cup and even used tapes on it to get through games," Shakib said.

"It's not that this bat has only been used at the World Cup. I have scored over 1500 runs with this bat and had used it prior to the tournament and after it as well.

"Although I like the bat a lot but I have decided to put it up for auction with the thought that maybe it can leave some contribution to forming a fund during the ongoing coronavirus crisis."

The money raised from the auction will go to the Shakib Al Hasan foundation.

"This is a very special bat to me, but my people are even more special to me," Shakib said.

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