Indian players set for world badminton meet

Wembley Arena Indoor Stadium, London

Saina Nehwal lone trust in women’s singles as world meets to be dress rehearsal for 2012 Olympics.

A young Indian contingent will be testing its skills at the World Badminton Championships which get under way in London on Monday. The tournament, which ends August 14, will be will be held at the 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena Indoor Stadium, which will also be the venue for the sport at the 2012 London Olympics.

This will be a great chance to impress national coach Pulela Gopichand as Kashyap Parupalli and Ajay Jayaram will spearhead the dispute in the men’s draw.

This would be Kashyap’s third outing in the World Championships. In 2009, when the event was carried on first time in India at his hometown Hyderabad, he lost in the second round and in 2010; he lost in the first round in Paris.

Kashyap Parupalli

However Kashyap has improved extremely over the last year with remarkable wins over higher ranked players and has also bagged the Commonwealth Games bronze medal. Going into the tournament as India No. 1, Kashyap would be looking to showcase his talent and go as far as achievable. He will face Dieter Domke of Germany in the opening round.

Ajay Jayaram

Indian No. 2, Ajay Jayaram will be playing his awfully first world championship. He will be against Japan’s Kenichi Tago who is the 15th seed. “The preparations have been good and I am up for the challenge. This is a huge occasion and probably the biggest tournament, so, I am very excited,” said Jayaram.

“I have been training hard for this and tried to improve my game, I feel quite fit, so, let’s hope for the best,” he added.

Jayaram has impressed against the likes of world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, 2010 world champion Chen Jin, world No. 3 Peter Gade a moment ago. Although he has not defeated them, Ajay has taken his matches versus them till the very end, where higher ranked players have withered away fast.

He said, “I have come quite close against top players, but could not finish of the games. Hopefully, if I meet them now I can beat them.”

Saina Nehwal

The women’s draw has the only entry of Saina Nehwal, who has got a first round bye. The seed No. 6, has shown that she can easily arise to the dominant Chinese players. The world No. 6, a winner of three Super Series titles, would be looking to win the honored tournament.

In men’s doubles, India’s No. 1 seasoned pair Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas will face Michael Fuchs and Oliver Roth of Germany. Young pair of Pranav Chopra and Tarun Kona will fight it out versus Hung Ling Chen and Yu Lang Lin of Chinese Taipei.

Kona, who played in the 2009 world championships in India with Arun Vishnu, would be facing the same opposition in the first round. He said, “We were too young when we played them last time. This time we are more prepared and our aim is to win.”

Jwala Gutta and Ashvini Ponnappa

In the women’s doubles event, 2010 Commonwealth gold medallists Jwala Gutta and Ashvini Ponnappa are up against Eva Lee and Paula Lynn Obanana of USA in the first round.

In mixed doubles Diju Valiyaveetil is approaching back after his long have a rest after recovering from the medical treatment he had to undergo along with Jwala. The 16th seeds have got a first round bye.

Winning the tournament would be intend for all, but in hindsight the Indian players would be looking at the World badminton Championships as a springboard to next year’s Olympics.

David Nalbandian crashes out in Washington

Defending champion David Nalbandian dropped out of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington DC at the first hurdle as he was defeated by James Blake.

David Nalbandian, seeded eighth, never establish his rhythm as he lost 6-2 6-4 in the second-round clash.

The Argentinian was the only seed to lose as number 11 John Isner topped Tobias Kamke 6-1 6-3, 13th seed Kevin Anderson beat up to dispatch qualifier Chris Guccione 3-6 6-2 7-6 (7-0) and number 16 Jarkko Nieminen beat Igor Kunitsyn 7-5 6-4, all in second-round clashes.

David Nalbandian

The balance of the action was in the first round, and was highlighted by a lengthy battle between Grigor Dimitrov and Tim Smyczek, which finally saw Dimitrov come through 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3).

Ryan Sweeting beat Alex Bogomolov Jr 6-2 6-4, Flavio Cipolla dispatched Marsel Ilhan 7-5 6-0 and Michael Berrer was a 7-5 6-1 winner over Paolo Lorenzi.

Wildcard Ryan Harrison advanced with a 6-4 1-6 6-1 win over Mischa Zverev, Somdev Devvarman beat Denis Gremelmayr 6-2 6-3 and Tommy Haas beat Amer Delic 6-2 6-3.

"How can India expect to beat us?"

Ian Botham

Ian Botham considers England as "cricket kings of the world" and can predict them displacing India from the number-one position.

"What we saw at Lord's was the sort of performance you would need from the best team on the planet and there will be more to come before this series is over," said the former all-rounder.

"At some point, England will take the No.1 title from India officially and then an era of dominance should go behind, because we are well in front of the pack. Every department is covered and without a weak link," he added.

England beat India by 196 runs in the opening Test of the four-match series, putting up a proven performance against their depleted opponents, who were a bowler short after Zaheer Khan's hamstring injury.

And Botham feels that India's hopes of beating a strong English side - on home soil - with a depleted unit are in vain.

"How can India hope to beat us, especially with their injury worries?," asked the 55-year-old.

"And as good as some of India's players have been over many years, I don't see how they can get back into this series against a side as confident as England. And they will get better, because there is a hunger in the dressing room to search for that bit extra."

The second Test of the series is to be played at Trent Bridge from Friday and the legendary all-rounder warns India to beware of some fierce bowling from the hosts.
"England will have two bowlers on home turf, while a third - Jimmy Anderson - never leaves without a five-fer in his back pocket. And judging by the way he is bowling at the moment, India should be happy if all he takes is five wickets," Botham said.

"The great thing about this England team is that they are all peaking together and dovetail like the best teams do."

Botham also appreciated Kevin Pietersen for his unbeaten 202 innings at Lord's.

"In terms of the way it started when things weren't easy and then ensuring he was still there and cashing in after he had made his first hundred. That is what Test match batting should be about," the former cricketer said.

Strauss and Dhoni

"Matt Prior performed magnificently again. We know his batting ability is as good as any Test middle order batsman, but his glovework was in the top bracket too."

Botham also confessed that Stuart Broad had silenced his critics with seven wickets from two innings in the first Test, but stands by his previous comments about the 25-year-old.

"On an unhelpful wicket the bowlers hunted as a pack and I have to doff my cap to Stuart Broad, who took all the criticism that came his way then hit back in the best possible way with wickets.

"I was one of those calling for him to be dropped before the game and I stand by those words because the Broad we saw at Lord's was not the one we had been watching earlier.

"I hope he pushes on from here and doesn't let it be his only performance of the series. He also showed maturity in the way he handled his lbw knock-backs, although it is ridiculous that the DRS is not being used," he said.

Criticising Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) for not using the full Decision Review System in the series, Botham said, "It is time India accepted it and understand that the game is not here just for them. Everybody wants the full DRS."

Tiger Woods tumbling down world golf rankings

Tiger woods in press conference

Tiger Woods is out of the world's top 20 for the first time since January 1997.

The man who is expected to declare later this week that he is returning to action at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Thursday, held the number one spot for more than 11 years in 10 different spells has not played since May 12 because of knee and Achilles tendon hurts.

He has dropped from eighth to 21st in the golf rankings in that time and last Wednesday announced on his website that he will not have New Zealand caddie Steve Williams by his side on his return.

"I think it's time for a change," he said without naming a replacement.

Sad Tiger woods

In a television interview in his home country Williams, with Woods for 13 of his 14 major wins and surprised by the decision, said: "You could say I've wasted the last two years of my life. I've stuck with Tiger and been incredibly loyal.

"I'm not disappointed I've been fired - that's part of the job - but the timing is extraordinary."

Referring to the sex scandal that rocked sport at the end of 2009 Williams also stated: "I, along with a lot of people, lost a lot of respect for Tiger.

Disappointed Tiger woods

"I pointed out before his return at The Masters at Augusta in 2010 that he had to earn back my respect."

Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia has earned a place in next week's world championship by keeping his place in the game's top 50.

Back to form with two consecutive top-10 finishes in majors and a play-off defeat in Germany in between, Garcia is 48th going into this week's Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.

Alex Noren's runaway win in Sweden moved him up from 92nd to 70th, but he already had a place in Akron thanks to his Wales Open victory last month.

Latest leading positions in the world golf rankings:

Position	Name	Points
1.	Luke Donald	9.72
2.	Lee Westwood	8.33
3.	Martin Kaymer	7.26
4.	Rory McIlroy	7.06
5.	Steve Stricker	6.94
6.	Phil Mickelson	6.27
7.	Dustin Johnson	5.75
8.	Jason Day	5.44
9.	Matt Kuchar	5.38
10.	Nick Watney	5.24
11.	Charl Schwartzel	5.21
12.	Graeme McDowell	5.20
13.	Bubba Watson	4.77
14.	KJ Choi	4.71
15.	Paul Casey	4.62
16.	Ian Poulter	4.45
17.	Adam Scott	4.05
18.	Hunter Mahan	3.78
19.	Robert Karlsson	3.75
20.	Retief Goosen	3.67

Eidur Gudjohnsen signs two year deal with AEK Athens

Eidur Gudjohnsen seriously thinking

Former Chelsea and Barcelona forward Gudjohnsen has signed for Greek Super League side AEK Athens on a two-year contract.

Eidur Gudjohnsen, 32, had been close to a move to npower Championship club West Ham, but after the deal stalled he quickly decided on a move to AEK.

The Icelandic international has played for Tottenham, Stoke and Fulham in the past 18 months but told AEK's official website he is now looking further to the challenge of playing in a new country.

Disappointed Eidur Gudjohnsen

He said: "I'm happy and excited to be here. It is a new step in my career and a challenge for me. I will give it my all."

Eidur won the Eredivisie with PSV also as back-to-back Premier League titles during his time at Chelsea, while his spell at Barcelona culminated in winning the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

Russia's Alisa Kleybanova diagnosed with cancer

Alisa Kleybanova

Russian tennis player Kleybanova, who feted her 22nd birthday on Friday, has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer.

Alisa, the world number 28, is suffering from Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

"It's my birthday today and I want to thank all of you for the wonderful messages. I haven't written anything for a long time about why I haven't been on Tour, so that's why I'm writing this today," she said in a statement.

"It's not an easy time for me right now. I've been a bit unlucky with my health. I have Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer.

"I've been having treatment in Italy and it has been going well, but it takes lots of patience and I've had to be really strong to get through this. The good news is after I do treatment for a few more months, if I feel well, there's a chance I'll be able to play tennis again.

"I really miss playing - I miss seeing fans and friends Around the world, I miss hitting the ball, I miss everything. Tennis has been my life for the last 15 years."

The Moscow-based player reached a career high of 20 after the Dubai tournament in February, but illness pulled her out of the French Open and Wimbledon.

The Fed Cup team member is undergoing treatment in the Italian city of Perugia.


"Second, they have a really great hospital here that specializes in this problem; I've been going there since the problem started, so the doctors know me well. It's the best place for me to be - the surroundings help me stay strong.

"This is the toughest time in my life, and I hope it always stays the toughest time in my life. I'm sure I'll be able to overcome this - it's just a matter of patience and time. When this is over, everything will be even better than before.

"I won't be on tour for a little while, but I will see you all again soon."

The WTA praised Kleybanova's courage.

"The thoughts of the WTA and the entire tennis family are with Alisa and her family at this difficult time," said a WTA statement.

"Alisa is a very strong and optimistic person and we wish her a speedy and full recovery."

Fellow players also sent their best wishes to Kleybanova.

"Wishing Alisa Kleybanova all the best as she battles Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Will miss her on Tour, great player and lovely person," tweeted Britain's Laura Robson.

Germany's Julia Goerges also tweeted: "girl I wish u all the best."

Kleybanova has collected two WTA titles at Kuala Lumpur in 2010 and in Seoul in 2008 with her best Grand Slam performances coming at Wimbledon in 2008 and the Australian Open in 2009, where she attained the fourth round on both occasions.

Bobby Labonte searches rebound

Bobby Labonte

Bobby Labonte doesn't want to talk about past season. It was one of his most difficult ones, driving for four owners, and he failed to record a top-10 finish.

Instead, Labonte is concentrated on this season and has a rejuvenated energy with his new team, JTG Daugherty Racing. He opened the season with a fourth-place run at the Daytona 500, and has had a competitive car in every race since, including a 13th-place finish in Bristol, Tenn., three weeks ago.

Labonte looked to have another top-15 finish in him during the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, but a five-car wreck on Lap 229 knocked him out of contention. He wound up 27th.

Labonte said he believes he can rebound this week at Texas Motor Speedway, driving the No. 47 Bush's Beans Toyota in the Samsung Mobile 500 on Saturday night.