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THE HINDU DELHI TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 SPORT 17 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

IN BRIEF Manoj shocked will need to be on its toes against Malaysia by charge that Can ill­afford to concede another last­minute goal he hid injuries AZLAN SHAH after taking a 28th minute ta Asian Games to enable Ma­ Press Trust of India lead through Mandeep laysia draw level and even­ New Delhi Singh. But a defensive error, tually win the encounter 7­6 Indian boxer Manoj Kumar Fury to take on Press Trust of India just 22 seconds from the final in a dramatic penalty has written to Sports Minis­ Ipoh Schwarz in June hooter, enabled Jonghyun shoot­out. ter Rajyavardhan Singh LOS ANGELES Conceding last minute goals Jang score the equaliser from In Roelant Oltmans, a Rathore, rejecting allega­ Unbeaten British has continued to haunt India a penalty corner. former India coach and High tions that he hid injuries in heavyweight Tyson Fury will for long now and the team And come Tuesday, the In­ Performance Director, Ma­ the run up to last year’s return to the ring against would look to avoid that dians can ill afford to repeat laysia has a shrewd tactician Asian Games and reassert­ German Tom Schwarz on when it take on ‘new­found’ similar mistakes. Specially who knows the ins and outs June 15, fighting for the first ing that the system failed nemesis Malaysia in its third time in Las Vegas, promoter against Malaysia, which in of Indian hockey. him when he needed it. Top Rank has confirmed. Fury league match of the Azlan the recent past, has exploit­ A two­time CWG medal­ Caution will be fighting for the first Shah Cup hockey tourna­ ed such grey areas and re­ list, Manoj is currently be­ time since a controversial ment here on Tuesday. mains a thorn in the flesh for India should be wary of pe­ ing treated for a groin inju­ split­decision draw at Los After a not­so­convincing the Blue Sticks. nalty corner specialist Mu­ ry in Mumbai. He had Angeles in December against win over Asian Games gold hammad Razie Rahim. The alleged that the SAI did not American Deontay Wilder. AFP medallist Japan in the open­ Dark horse 31­year­old has flattened In­ cooperate in paying for his er, Manpreet Singh and his Considered as the dark hors­ dia on more than one occa­ treatment, a charge that men conceded in the final es of Asian hockey for long, sion, including in the Jakarta the SAI denied and instead minute of the match to draw Malaysia has repeatedly semifinal. The Indian de­ accused him of hiding inju­ 1­1 against Korea on Sunday. showed its capabilities by fence will also have to keep ries. “I am saddened by al­ India is currently third in upsetting big teams, at least at bay the ‘Saari brothers’ — legations that I hid injuries. the six­team standings with on the continental level, Fitri and Faizal — especially In fact, I am shocked given four points while Malaysia when it mattered. the latter who has already that my struggles have nev­ leads the chart with wins ov­ It all started back in 2010 scored a hat­trick and is cur­ er been a secret for them. I er Poland and Japan respec­ when Malaysia stunned India rently the leading scorer in would like to tell them that Ko Jin­young powers to tively. Korea has the same 4­3 with a last­minute goal at the competition with five. I achieved what I did on the Founders Cup title points — four — as India, but the 2010 Guangzhou Asian India can take heart from basis of merit. Yes, I lost in PHOENIX is ahead on goal difference. Games semifinals. the fact that it is the same the Asiad prelims but so South Korea's Ko Jin­young's On Sunday, India was well Eight years later, India Malaysian side that it did some others, why am I seven birdies included a late string of three in a row that on course to register its se­ conceded a last minute goal thrashed 5­1 at the same ve­ On guard: India will have to put behind the defensive deficiencies, which cropped up against the only one targeted?” pushed her to a third LPGA cond win in the tournament in the semifinals of the Jakar­ nue in the last edition. Korea, when it takes on Malaysia. * PTI Manoj wrote in the letter. title at the Founders Cup here on Sunday. She totalled 22­under 266 for a one­shot lead over Liu, Spain's Carlotta Aman advances Ciganda and American sisters Manika parts ways with coach Sandeep Gupta NEW DELHI: Third seed Aman Nikhil NIranjan (US) bt Suvrat Jessica and Nelly Korda. AFP Patel edged out Udit Gogoi Mall 6­2, 6­2; Aman Patel bt He has been guiding her since she was an eight­year­old 4­6, 6­3, 7­6(5) in the boys’ Udit Gogoi 4­6, 6­3, 7­6(5); first round of the ITF grade­5 Sarthak Suden bt Kartik Saxena TABLE TENNIS Last year, she also received mained her only coach all junior tennis tournament on 6­3, 6­1; Chirag Duhan bt Ro­ han Srivastava 6­1, 6­3; Ajay the Arjuna Award while San­ these years. Monday. In another match, deep missed out on the Dro­ The last time Manika Malik bt Aashutosh Kulkarni Rakesh Rao Chetan Prashant Gadiyar Prachet 6­3, 6­3. nacharya Award. Manika also trained under Sandeep was at beat sixth seed Tejasvi Mehra NEW DELHI became the first Indian to re­ Budapest during the Hungar­ Girls: Shreya Chakraborty bt 7­6(3), 6­3. In the girls’ sec­ Shreya Mandalapu (US) 6­0, Twin gold medal­winner from ceive the International Table ian Open in the third week of tion, Reshma Challarapu 6­1; Qinglin Zang (Chn) bt Van­ the 2018 Commonwealth Tennis Federation’s 2018 January. Earlier that month, knocked out fifth seed Deep­ shita Pathania 6­4, 3­6, 6­2; Aussie bowler Richardson Games Manika Batra has split Breakthrough Star award. Manika’s performance in the dislocates shoulder shika Sriram 6­4, 6­0. Renne Singla bt Lenien Jamir with long­time coach San­ National championship was 6­2, 6­3; Ameek Kiran Batth bt SYDNEY deep Gupta. Best wishes below expectations. The results (first round): Boys: Priyansshi Sharma 6­0, 6­0; Australia fast bowler Jhye It is learnt that the coun­ Though Manika could not be Understandably, Sandeep Pranjal Tiwary bt Shourya Ma­ Juliette Bovy (Bel) bt Vaishnavi Richardson has dislocated his try’s top­ranked women table contacted despite repeated did not want to elaborate on nik 6­4, 6­4; Sushant Dabas bt Adkar 6­0, 6­2; Veda Raju Pra­ shoulder and will head home tennis player, winner of four attempts, Sandeep confirmed Arjun Sriram (USA) 2­6, 7­6(4), purna bt Sai Bhoyar 6­3, 6­3. from the Pakistan tour, the subject. The Table Tennis medals at the Commonwealth the development and said, Federation of India (TTFI) se­ 6­2; Vansh Bhagtani bt Sanjith Riya Uboveja bt Emma Van officials said, as he faces a Devineni (USA) 6­0, 6­2; Poppel (Ned) 6­0, 6­3; Vi­ battle to be fit for the World Games in Gold Coast, has de­ “She told me she wanted to cretary M.P. Singh also chose cided to train with Pune­ move on and train with a dif­ to underplay the split. “I Dhruv Tangri bt Anargha Gan­ pasha Mehra bt Vidhi Jani 6­1, Cup. Richardson took two for guly 6­2, 6­0; Chetan Prashant 6­2; Reshma Challarapu bt 16 in the second ODI in based Sanmay Paranjape. ferent coach. I wished her the don’t want to comment on so­ Gadiyar bt Tejasvi Mehra 7­6 Deepshika Sriram 6­4, 6­0; Yi­ Sharjah on Sunday but fell Manika added a historic very best, as always.” mething personal between (3), 6­3; Prasanna Pravin Ba­ mei Zhao (Chn) bt Banhi Pan­ awkwardly on his bowling mixed doubles bronze medal Manika, who will turn 24 in the coach and his trainee. The gade bt Andrei Jovanovic (Srb) chal 6­2, 6­0; Jagmeet Kaur arm and left the field in the Master and pupil: Sandeep Gupta had been guiding in the company of Sharath Ka­ June, took to table tennis as Federation has nothing to do 7­6(4), 6­1; Yash Chaurasia bt Grewal bt Keya Patttavi 6­1, #70929 11th over. AFP Manika Batra since she picked up a TT racquet. * FILE PHOTO mal in the 2018 Asian Games. an eight­year­old. Sandeep re­ with it. We wish them well.” Parakram Bakiwala 7­5, 6­2; 6­0. Chance for Sindhu, Srikanth Looking to make amends to regain form at home RAKESH RAO NEW DELHI No overwhelming favourites in the singles draw P.V. Sindhu is looking to make amends for an ordin­ ary 2019 so far, after finish­ ing last season with a his­ toric triumph in the year­ending BWF World Tour Finals. She has set her eyes on the Indian Open, beginning here on Tuesday. “It hasn’t been a really good start (to 2019). I have been losing and winning. “It is these three tourna­ ments (Delhi, Malaysia and Singapore) and then the Olympic qualifications will also start. I have to be men­ tally and physically fit to give my best. “A couple of weeks break after the All England and I have prepared well. I have the confidence and hope to do well.” Talking about the first round exit from All En­ gland earlier this month, Not so tough: Given the draw, P.V. Sindhu should ease into the semifinals without being really she said, “I felt bad about it challenged, provided she plays to her potential. * RITU RAJ KONWAR because I had actually pre­ pared very well, but then I DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD INDIAN OPEN DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD gland earlier this month, Ax­ lost. I felt bad for a few days B Srikanth’s rival in the pre­ elsen is looking good to re­ but then I thought it’s not quarterfinals will be a tain his form of old. He could over with this and there is a Rakesh Rao Chinese, either Lu Guangzu well run into compatriot Jan lot more to come. Right NEW DELHI or Zhao Jungpeng O Jorgensen for a place in the now I am prepared and A new venue, a strong Chi­ semifinals. B Axelsen could run into back.” nese presence and the unin­ compatriot O Jorgensen for In the women’s section, Without a title for 17 spiring recent showings of a place in the semifinals third­seeded Chinese He months, K. Srikanth said, P.V. Sindhu and K. Srikanth DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Bingjiao, potentially the “The results haven’t really presents an unclear picture semifinal rival of Sindhu, come my way but happy in the minds of country’s Srikanth, looking to re­ former World champion and with the way I have been fans on the eve of gain his fitness of old, has fourth­seeded Thai Intanon playing. Working on to be the Indian Open here. looked a pale shadow of the Ratchanok, the 2012 Olym­ more consistent and look­ When the action com­ man who won four titles in pic champion on a come­ ing to do well at the Olym­ mences with the qualifying 2017. back trail Li Xuerui and last pics. I hope to keep the mo­ rounds on Tuesday, there Srikanth’s rival in the pre­ year’s surprise winner Bei­ mentum up to the are no overwhelming favou­ quarterfinals will be a Chi­ wen Zhang, seeded six, are Olympics. Keep training rites in the singles draw, hit nese, either Lu Guangzu or the ones to watch out for. and keep working hard.” by the withdrawal of the Chi­ Zhao Jungpeng. In all, the presence of a nese top seeds — Sai Praneeth, on a high large Chinese contingent and Chen Yufei. following his recent con­ across all five categories is a Given the draw, Sindhu quest of Chen Long, and fifth reflection of the country’s should ease into the semifi­ seed Sameer Verma are priority on gaining maxi­ nals without being really drawn to meet in the pre­ mum points aimed at quali­ challenged, provided the se­ quarterfinals, thereby ensur­ fying for the 2020 Olympic cond seed plays to her poten­ ing an Indian in the last­eight Games. tial. stage. It could get tougher for With Saina Nehwal decid­ some accomplished names ing to skip the event to recov­ Man to beat against the far lesser­known er from a bout of acute gas­ Among the other overseas Chinese rivals this week. For tro­enteritis, there is no challengers, the 2017 World the Indians, it will be their other woman player in the champion first experience of playing in field to give the home fans could well be the man to the large, main hall of the IG anything to cheer about. beat. Runner­up in All En­ Stadium. K. Srikanth. * K. MURALI KUMAR CM https://t.me/TheHindu_Zone_officialYK https://t.me/TheHindu_Zone_official https://t.me/TheHindu_Zone_official