MELBOURNE, Jan 29: Serena Williams produced another fighting comeback to defeat world number one Lindsay Davenport and claim the Australian Open title for the second time here today...........more

Foreign media
put me under
pressure: Shoaib

ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar today accused the foreign media of making a concerted effort to put him under pressure ahead of next month’s crucial tour of India while expressing his determination to give his best in the series against the arch-rivals..............more

Alok Kumar, Devendra
to clash in snooker final

MUMBAI, Jan 29: Defending champion Alok Kumar of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and his teammate Devendra Joshi will clash in the snooker (senior) final of the national snooker and billiards championship at the Goregaon Sports Club here tomorrow.............more

Former IHF
official lashes out at Gill

BHOPAL, Jan 28: A former senior official of the Indian Hockey Federation today accused K P S Gill of "ruining" the game by "unleashing terror"..........more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 29: Khalsa Blues and Richi Land Sports Club won their respective matches to advance into the next round of ongoing 3rd Jammu Gold Cup hockey tournament at K K Hakhu Stadium............more

J&K Police to conquer
‘Stock Kangri’

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 29: Jammu and Kashmir Police is preparing its personnel for an ambitious mountaineering expedition to conquer ‘Stock Kangri’ in Ladakh region in the month of September.............more

Sameer, Ajay help
NCC win by 34 runs

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 29: The NCC Gurah Salathia outplayed Bishnah Cricket Club by 34 runs to enter into the quarterfinals of Koushal memorial cricket tournament........more

Vikrant made president
of Challenger Club

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 29: Challenger Cricket Club in an election meeting held here today named Vikrant Sharma as president while Amit Gupta was elected to the post.....more

Serena fightback downs Davenport to
win Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Jan 29: Serena Williams produced another fighting comeback to defeat world number one Lindsay Davenport and claim the Australian Open title for the second time here today.

Williams, who had saved three match points in the semi-finals to win through to the final, shrugged off a back injury and fought from one set down to defeat fellow American Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in 1 hr 29min at the Rod Laver arena.

Seventh seed Williams admitted she had been in trouble after wrenching her back as she stretched for a shot early in the first set of a match played under cover at a rain-lashed Melbourne Park.

"She was just killing me in the first set," said Williams after clinching her seventh career Grand Slam crown. "But I just said to myself `I’m not going to lose, I’m not going to lose.’

"When my back went, I thought ‘oh no, this is not happening’. But they manipulated it and it went back in and it felt fine after that."

It completed a difficult road back for the 23-year-old American, who had not won a Grand Slam title since her victory at Wimbledon in 2003 and had seen her ranking plunge during 18 months plagued by injuries and personal tragedy.

Davenport, who had delayed retirement at the end of last year after convincing herself that she could still challenge for major titles, paid tribute to her opponent’s fighting spirit.

"I have to congratulate serena. She’s had a tough couple of years and she’s come back like the great champion she is," said the 28-year-old. "Everyone should applaud her for coming through after what she’s gone through."

Williams had looked to be heading for defeat as a confident Davenport raced away with the first set, breaking her opponent twice to forge a 4-1 lead.

Williams, whose mobility was clearly hindered, needed a medical time-out for treatment but it wasn’t enough to prevent Davenport from closing out the set.

Yet, the match turned against Davenport in the fifth game of the second set after the opening four games had gone with serve.

Williams fought back from 15-40 down to level and then staved off four more break points to hold for a crucial 3-2 lead.

Williams admitted that holding serve in the fifth game had been vital.

"I was thinking to myself when she had all had those break points, `I’m not losing this game.’ I didn’t care if my arm fell off because I had to serve so much, I just wasn’t going to lose that game," Williams said.

Though both players held serve comfortably in the sixth and seventh games, the momentum had clearly swung Williams way and a disastrous service game from Davenport handed her opponent the initiative in the eighth.

Leading 40-0, Davenport’s composure deserted her and she allowed Williams to force deuce. A loose forehand gave Williams break point on advantage and a jittery Davenport then double-faulted to find herself 3-5 down.

That was all the encouragement Williams needed, and she served out the set to love, levelling the match with her eighth ace of the tie.

Scenting blood, Williams then went in for the kill in the third set as Davenport’s game disintegrated. She snatched breaks in the first, third and fifth games and then earned two match points with her 12th ace of the match.

Davenport sent a backhand long to hand the title to Williams. (AFP)

Black, Ullyett win doubles title

MELBOURNE: Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett overcame controversial over-rule on match point to defeat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-4 and claim the Australian Open men’s doubles title today.

It was the second Grand Slam title for the Zimbabwe pair, who also won the 2001 US Open title in their only other appearance in a Grand Slam final.

Their win over the ITF world champions came as revenge for their defeat by the Bryans in last year’s French Open final.

For the Bryans, it was a second defeat in two years after they were beaten in the 2004 Australian Open final by Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro.

In four Grand Slam final appearances, their only title so far came at Roland Garros in 2003. (AGENCIES)

Foreign media put me under pressure: Shoaib

ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar today accused the foreign media of making a concerted effort to put him under pressure ahead of next month’s crucial tour of India while expressing his determination to give his best in the series against the arch-rivals.

"I am hurt and this ugly campaign of fabricated pictures on the internet, they rub salt to my injury and I think it is character assassination," Shoaib said referring to pictures circulating on foreign television channels showing him with girls in a disco.

"All this is done because I am injured. I think this is aimed at putting me under pressure before the all important India tour," he told the media in Lahore on his arrival from Australia enroute Dubai.

"One day a friend came to me in India and protested I did not invite him to my wedding. When I told him I am not married yet he showed me an internet photo showing me as a groom and a girl with me as my bride."

"Even personalities like president George Bush is shown in nasty pictures on the net but you can’t believe all that. I am more hurt when my own people back that ugly campaigns."

Shoaib, who was forced to return home after suffering an injury during the tri-series in Australia, said he was aware that a difficult task awaits his side in India, but he hoped to regain full fitness before the start of the series. "It is a difficult task because every Pakistani would like us to win in India. I would regain full fitness and do my best to help my team do well in India," Shoaib said.

"I know I have to raise my fitness level but I assure everyone that I never fall short in commitment," he said. (PTI)

Alok Kumar, Devendra to clash in snooker final

MUMBAI, Jan 29: Defending champion Alok Kumar of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and his teammate Devendra Joshi will clash in the snooker (senior) final of the national snooker and billiards championship at the Goregaon Sports Club here tomorrow.

In the semi-finals here today local cueist Joshi pipped Aditya Mehta of Maharashtra 5-3 while in the other semi-final Alok Kumar beat back a determined challenge from his teammate Pankaj Advani with an identical scoreline.

Joshi, who was leading comfortably at 4-0, had breaks of 42 and 62 in the second and third frames while Mehta, who fought back into the match winning fifth, sixth and seventh frames, had a break of 86 in the sixth.

Joshi won 63-23 72-40 86-7 72-1 41-68 4-97 3-68 68-14.

Alok Kumar staved off a late comeback bid by the in-form Advani before cruising to a 72-29 77-29 28-68 75-67 21-70 8-122 69-41 79-0 win in an exciting first semi-final.

His significant break of 60 in the second frame reflected rather early that he was in no mood to give Advani a leeway.

Karnataka-based Advani, who was hoping to add the senior snooker crown to the junior billiards and snooker and senior billiards titles he already has pocketed, came back into the match and uncorked a mouth-watering unfinished 122 in the sixth frame to level at 3-3.

That effort, after trailing 1-3, set the stage for yet another cliff-hanger. But Alok, the current Asian champion, returned to snatch the next two frames and seal Advani’s fate.

Kumar had a break of 64 in the eighth frame.

Senior snooker (semi-finals): Devendra Joshi (PSPB) bt Aditya Mehta (Mah) 63-23, 72-40, 86-7, 72-1, 41-68, 4-97, 3-68, 68-14; Alok Kumar (PSPB) bt Pankaj Advani (PSPB) 72-29, 77-29, 28-68, 75-67, 21-70, 8-122, 69-41, 79-0.

5-8 play-off: Manan Chandra (PSPB) bt Rupesh Shah (Guj) 80-29, 67-33; Yasin Merchant (Mah) bt Rupesh Shah 0-53, 78-39, 78-21; Yasin Merchant bt Neeraj Kumar (Bihar) 52-50, 57-49; Neeraj Kumar bt Manan Chandra 66-45, 14-72, 49-48. (PTI)

Former IHF official lashes out at Gill

BHOPAL, Jan 28: A former senior official of the Indian Hockey Federation today accused K P S Gill of "ruining" the game by "unleashing terror" and sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention for his immediate removal as IHF chief.

"Gill has suppressed every voice raised against him by spreading terror and is dictating systematic end of the national game of hockey," former IHF vice-president Gufran-e-Azam said at a press conference here.

"He has held on as IHF president for a third term which is against the federation’s constitution," the Congress leader claimed.

"The game was systematically finished in bhopal — the city called nursery of hockey — by IHF dissolving the Bhopal Hockey Federation and gaining control over its affairs," said azam who has also written a letter to the Prime Minister, copies of which were distributed here.

In the letter, he has demanded fresh elections to the IHF and removal of Gill from the post.

"The Sports Authority of India can remove the IHF president from his post, as it had done earlier," the former MP said. (PTI)

Khalsa Blue, Richi Land win in Gold Cup hockey

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 29: Khalsa Blues and Richi Land Sports Club won their respective matches to advance into the next round of ongoing 3rd Jammu Gold Cup hockey tournament at K K Hakhu Stadium, here today.

In the first match, Khalsa Club defeated Gobind Club by four goals to one. Jasmeet Singh (3rd), Devinder Singh (10th), Daljit Singh (28) and Ranjit Singh (48th) were scorers from Khalsa Blues. From Gobind Club, Chanchal Singh reduced the margin netting the ball in the 26th minute.

In the second match, Richi Land Sports Club trounced Ranjit Club 4-1. Charanpreet Singh sounded the board twice (10th and 15th) while Inderjeet Singh (5th) and Jaswinder Singh (9th) added one goal each. Sandeep Singh scored the only goal for Ranjit Club through a penalty corner in the 4th minute.

Today’s matches were officiated by Jasbir Singh, Daljit Singh Bhatia, P P Singh, Maninder Singh and Jasvinder Singh Kuku.