Miami (USA), Apr 4:

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis are in line to win their second title in a row as they breezed into the final of the Miami Open with a straight sets win over Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic.
The top seeded Indo-Swiss pair got the better of seventh seeds 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals of the USD 5,381,235, WTA Premier tournament.
In the summit clash, they will take on Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, whom they had defeated in the final of the BNP Paribas Open two weeks ago.
The No.2-seeded Makarova and Vesnina beat No.9 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-2.
Asked what they would have to do to beat Makarova and Vesnina again, Sania said,”The same as we did last week!”
“We just have to keep focused and fight for every point. I keep saying this – names don’t win you matches, neither does any result. Every day is a different day,” she said.
“Now we know we can definitely beat the best, because they’re champions too. We’re still learning to play with each other, so it’s good to play against a tough team like that,” Mirza said after the match.
Talking about the match, the Swiss great said,”It was a great match. I’d never played this team before, and I know it was a good test for us in our second tournament together – it’s nice to get a tough team like that to play against.” (PTI)

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 4: After drubbing formidable side of Mohammedan Sports Club in the second round on the other day, Kashmir FC continued its winning streak with a hard fought (1-0) victory over PIFA in their 3rd round of I-league division 2nd at Siliguri in West Bengal.
Earlier, Kashmir FC dominated the proceedings from the word go, with S K Faiz and Bisheshwor displaying extraordinary soccer skills to help their side earn a penalty, which Kareem, however, wasn’t able to convert into the goal as he missed the target.
Kashmir FC started the second half again on a positive note as Bisheshwor penetrated a through ball which was calmly finished by Rohit with a fine placement, giving Kashmir FC (1-0) lead. The team didn’t stop attacking after the goal and went hard in search of another one with Ajay and Faiz making valiant efforts. The final score read (1-0) in favour of Kashmir FC.
Coach Hilal Parray said that it was a well earned win and the boys gave their best, WHILE THE secretary Majid Yousuf said that team needed to work on finishing and conversion rates, adding that there is a long way to go and the Management cannot afford to keep missing the scoring opportunities.
Iftikhar A Lone, chairman of this professional Club and Nazir Ahmad Khan, Executive Director have lauded the efforts of the players and their support staff for this achievement.
After this win Kashmir FC have created a wave of support and all the circles are now considering them as serious contenders and admire their style of play.

Miami, Apr 4:

Andy Murray will try to cap a milestone week, while Novak Djokovic is aiming for another hardcourt double victory when they square off in the Miami Open final on Sunday.
Murray will be gunning for his third Miami Masters title after beating Czech Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to secure his final berth. It marks the fourth trip to the championship match for Murray who earlier this week joined the elite club of players to win 500 career matches.
Djokovic, who defeated Murray in the Australian Open final earlier this year for his eighth Grand Slam crown, beat hard-serving John Isner 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in the other semi-final.
Djokovic, 27, is trying to become the first player to sweep the Indian Wells and Miami Masters hardcourt titles on three separate occasions. He achieved the US hardcourt double in 2011 and again last year.
“We have very similar games,” Djokovic said of Murray. “We already played twice this year, and in a big match in Australian Open final which was very, very physical and very close.
“I expect a battle, long rallies, and I know what is expected of me on the court. I know his game pretty well, as well as he knows mine.”
Djokovic won the first set against Isner in a tiebreaker then got the early break in the second set to go up 2-1.
Djokovic served brilliantly, blasting 10 aces and winning 80 percent of his first-serve points in the 90-minute match.
His two service breaks against Isner were the key as the towering American had not been broken coming into the semi-final contest. (Agencies)

Kuala Lumpur, Apr 4:

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will lose her world no. 1 ranking after her gallant fight against Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the semifinals ended in heartbreak at the USD 500,000 Malaysia Open Super Series Premier badminton tournament, here today.
World number one Saina squandered a one-game advantage as she lost 21-13 17-21 20-22 to world number three Li in a gruelling semifinal that lasted one hour and eight minutes at Putra Stadium.
Saina, who won the India Open Super Series last week, once again failed to come good against Xuerui, who has now beaten the Indian nine times in 11 meetings.
The girl from Hyderabad, who has been on a rampaging run ever since winning the China Open last year, played out of her skin in a match where fortunes fluctuated too often but in the end it was Li, who emerged victorious.
Saina became the world no. 1 for her exploits at the India Open triumph last week and a semifinal finish here will give her 7700 points but Li reaching the finals means the Chinese will regain her no 1 ranking.
Saina, who had beaten Li only on two occasions at the 2010 Singapore Open and 2012 Indonesia Open, started the match on a confident note as she broke off at 6-6 to gradually increase the lead with straight bursts of points.
The Indian led 11-6 at the break and soon moved to 15-7 after the interval. Li’s movement seemed to be a little slow, probably due to the injury she suffered in her right knee. The Chinese tried to reduce the gap but Saina kept her tosses as accurate as possible as they landed just on the baseline. Soon the Indian pocketed the game comfortably to lead 1-0.
The second game was a close contest as lead changed hands too often right from the start after Saina had a narrow 3-1 advantage. After changing to the fast side of the court, Saina found the going tough as Li clawed back quickly and was neck and neck till 10-10, before managing to grab three points at 18-17 to bounce back.
In the decider, Saina grabbed an early 12-7 lead but Li used her height and reach to good effect and soon reeled off five straight points to catch up with the Indian. It then turned out to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller as Saina and Li fought tooth and nail for each point.
Li played some lovely overhead shots and was also good at the nets. The change of side at the break brought Saina back to the fast side and the drift once again affected the game as the match turned into a battle of nerves.
Saina was 19-18 up but Li eventually showed better nerves in a battle of attrition to grab a place at the finals. (PTI)