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SINDHU BEATS OKUHARA, WINS KOREA SUPER SERIES AsianVoiceNews
PV Sindhu became the first Indian badminton player to lift the title in Korea after she beat Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the women’s singles final at Korea Open Super series in Seoul on Sunday. This was her third Super Series title and second this year. In a rematch of the World Championships final which was won by Okuhara, Sindhu avenged her loss from Glasgow and won the Korea Open Super Series final 22-20 11-21 21-18 and claimed the title. Sindhu and Okuhara played a neck-and -neck first game before the Japanese dominated the second game. Sindhu and Okuhara were once again playing a tense third game before Sindhu began edging ahead. Okuhara tried making a comeback late in the third game but Sindhu held fort. The Indian defended Okuhara’s smashes and came up with her own powerful shots to keep a slender lead. Okuhara saved one match point before surrendering the game 21-18 and eventually the title. Ajay Jayaram was the first Indian to reach the final of Korea Open in 2015 and Sindhu became the second one but went one step ahead of Jayaram by winning the title. Sindhu began the match with net play and Okuhara looked a little uncomfortable. The Indian took a small lead
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but as the game progressed, Okuhara was looking more confident. At the break in first game, Okuhara led 11-9 after a strong net game. Sindhu, who had relied on down the line smashes and then net drop shots, changed it to long crosscourt shots. She was trailing after the break but quickly levelled up things. It was a point-by-point tussle between the two as it went neck-and -neck till 17-17. Sindhu then faultered and committed unforced errors and Okuhara had two game points when a shot went wide. The Japanese could have claimed the game but Sindhu, with some luck, saved both match points
before taking the game 22-20. The match took a different shape in the second game. Okuhara stepped up her net game by returning Sindhu’s drop shots. Her returns were quicker from the net which disturbed Sindhu’s plans. Okuhara’s stunning net play forced the players to not get involved in long rallies and Sindhu took time to adjust to this change. Okuhara led 11-6 at the break. But, it was no different story as Sindhu kept falling behind. She looked tired as Okuhara continued to make her cover every part of the court. The number of unforced errors increased and Okuhara ran away with the game.
Sindhu dedicates her victory to Modi on his birthday Sindhu, meanwhile, dedicated her victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I dedicate this Victory for our beloved Prime Minister Shri Modiji on his Birthday for his untiring and self less services to our Country, (sic)” she wrote re-tweeting PMO India’s tweet where Modi had extended greetings to her. Modi, through the Prime Minister’s Office Twitter account had wished Sindhu earlier, “Congratulations to @Pvsindhu1 on emerging victorious in the Korea Open Super Series. India is immensely proud of her accomplishment.”
Davis Cup – Canada shut out India India lost 2-3 to Canada in the Davis Cup World Group play-offs at the Northlands Coliseum. The visitors were trailing 1-2 going into the final round of matches and needed to win both the reverse singles in order to win the tie. However, their hopes were dashed when Ramkumar Ramanathan lost in straight sets to 18year-old sensation Denis Shapovalov, which handed the Canadians an unassailable 3-1 lead. Ramanathan did try his best and gave his World No 51 opponent a tough time in the second set before eventually going down 3-6, 6-7, 3-6. Yuki Bhambri then defeated Brayden Schnur in the inconsequential fifth and final match to grab a consolation victory for the Indians. The 157 ranked Indian defeated the Canadian, ranked 202, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in an hour and 44 minutes. India have failed to cross the play-offs hurdle for the fourth year in row. They lost to Serbia,
India lost the tie after Denis Shapovalov defeated Ramkumar Ramanathan
Czech Republic and Spain in their previous three attempts. The Mahesh Bhupati-led side will have to start again in the Asia/Oceania Group I in 2018 to get to the play-offs stage. Canada thus have earned their spot back in the 16-nation World Group after losing the first round to Great Britain in February this year. In a nervous start, Ramanathan lost 11
straight points but gradually the serve and volley strategy helped him negate Shapovalov's fiery ground strokes. The Chennai youngster took some time to settle but by the time he controlled the butterflies in his stomach, Shapovalov had gone up 4-1 with a break of serve in the opening set. It was one-way traffic till the eighth game as the Canadian left-hander lost only three points
till he came out to serve out the opening set. Ramanathan tried to serve and volley but Shapovalov was quick with his returns, hardly giving time to the Indian to charge the net finish the points. Ramanathan did pose a few questions in the ninth game with some sharp returns, earning two breakpoints, but Shapovalov used his big serve to save both and served it out with an ace.
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Asian Voice | 23rd Septmeber 2017
Pakistan mark cricket’s return with series win
Pakistan celebrated the return of international cricket with a thumping 33-run win to clinch the final Twenty20 match and the series against a World XI team at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium last week. The hosting of the short series is a major step towards convincing international teams to begin touring Pakistan again, with Sri Lanka already due to play a Twenty20 match in Lahore on October 29. Foreign teams have refused to tour Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009. Under Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan team outplayed the World XI - with cricketers from seven countries - in the decider to match the important occasion by claiming the series 2-1. Pakistan had won the first match by 20 runs before World XI levelled the series with a sevenwicket victory in the second ODI. World XI captain Faf du Plessis hailed the series as a big step and success. “This has been a huge success,” said du Plessis. “We wanted to come here and play a small part in cricket coming back to Pakistan. Thank everyone for the opportunity for coming here. We were joking about it, the blokes were saying we should do this every year. For a lot of guys who don’t play a lot of international cricket these days, this was terrific competition against a strong Pakistan side.” Batting for World XI, only Thisara Perera, with a 13-ball 32 including three sixes and two fours, and David Miller, who hit a 29-ball 32, made significant contributions. Others never got going in a shaky chase which saw three World XI batsmen run out. Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali finished as the best bowler with figures of 2-28. Pakistan had piled up 183-4 after they were sent into bat. Pakistan’s innings was built around opener Ahmed Shehzad’s 55-ball 89 and a 31-ball 48 by Babar Zaman. The two added 102 runs for the second wicket after Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman for 27. Shehzad fell 11 short of his second Twenty20 hundred as he attempted a single off a wide ball. He cracked eight boundaries and three sixes. His and Pakistan’s only hundred in a Twenty20 international had come against Bangladesh during the World Twenty20 tournament in 2014. Shoaib Malik hit two sixes in his seven-ball 17 not out as Pakistan added 58 in the final five overs to reach 183. Sri Lankan seamer Perera was the pick of World XI’s bowlers with 2-37 in his four overs. During the innings break the Pakistan Cricket Board arranged a lap of honour for retired greats Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq. The two were given a standing ovation by a packed 25,000 crowd. The series was arranged as part of Pakistan’s efforts to bring back international cricket to the country, which has only hosted Zimbabwe for a limited-over series in 2015.
Pak batsman faces 10- year ban for spot-fixing Pakistan batsman Khalid Latif is likely to be handed a ban of up to 10 years by the threemember anti-corruption tribunal of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The tribunal headed by a former judge of the Lahore High Court is expected to announce its verdict on Khalid's spot-fixing case at the earliest. The tribunal has imposed a five-year ban on another Pakistan batsman Sharjeel Khan for similar offences in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this year. Sharjeel and Khalid were sent home from Dubai at the start of the PSL in February after being suspended under the PCB's anti-corruption code. A top PCB official said that the tribunal, which also included a former chairman of the board and former Test captain Wasim Bari, could end up finding Khalid guilty on all eight counts of breaching the PCB's anti-corruption code.