India clinch Asia Cup
The floodlights came on, the stands filled out, the drumbeats reached a crescendo and Mahesh Bhupathi did a Leander Paes in the final of the $ 84000 Asia Cup tennis championships on Friday. After Syed Fazaluddin went down in straight sets to Vadim Kutsenko in the first singles, Bhupathi, like he has done for the last two days, stepped in to play the hero in yet another Indian comeback win.
Pakistan 272-6
Heath Streak became the first Zimbabwe bowler to take 100 Test wickets as Ijaz Ahmad’s 87 and 74 not out by Yousuf Youhana helped Pakistan reach 272 for six on the first day of the first Test today. Streak reached the 100 mark in his 25th Test when he had Azhar Mahmood caught behind by Andy Flower for 11.
Tussle on
The NTPC-Triveni World Junior Boys Chess Championship is at the crossroads after the 10th round today with an exciting race for supremacy between 12th seed Darmen Sadvakasov of Kazakhstan and fourth seed Banikas Hristodoulos of Greece. If Darmen kept his one point edge at the end of it, then it was only because he was conscious of Banikas’ progress and also out of his irresistible will to win every game.
IOA’s bunglings
Only medal prospects will go to the Asian Games, said the Indian Olympic Association some weeks back. And now with just over a week to go for the Games to begin, if the IOA were still to be believed, India is on its way to collecting its best-ever haul from the quadrennial Games. For, the IOA this evening announced that `about’ 320 sports persons and officials will be sent for the Games.
Anand wins
India’s Viswanathan Anand has won the Wydra Memorial Rapid chess tournament held in Israel from November 19 to 21. The tournament had an exciting end with Anand and Judith Polgar sharing the top spot with 11.5 points each from 14 games. The world number two Anand beat Polgar with white pieces in the tiebreaker to clinch the title.
FC Kochin lose
Central Railway (Mumbai) shunted fancied FC Kochin out of the 98th Bristol Rovers Cup football tournament in today’s quarter-final action. Churchill Brothers (Goa), smarting from surrendering the Goa league crown they held for three successive years, ushered Kerala sides out of the competition.