Pete Sampras kisses the ATP Championship Trophy after defeating Patrik Rafter 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 in Mason, Ohio on Sunday — AP/PTI

Pete Sampras outplays Rafter for title MASON (Cincinnati), Aug 16 — Pete Sampras avenged last year’s loss to Patrick Rafter in the ATP Championship, beating the Australian 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 last night for his 60th tournament title. Replacements inferior, says ex-coach NEW DELHI, Aug 16 — Former Indian chief hockey coach M.K. Kaushik today criticised the continued omission of six senior players from the national squad and charged the hockey federation (IHF) with inducting players far inferior to them in the name of youth.

Akopian stuns Adams; Khalifman held
LAS VEGAS (USA) Aug 16 — Hot favourite grandmaster Michael Adams of England was shocked by grandmaster Vladimir Akopian of Armenia after the Englishman squandered his winning advantage in the first game of their four game-semifinal match of the $3 million World Chess Championship today.

Holland thrash India juniors
BERLIN, Aug 16 — Indian juniors put up yet another pathetic display in the face of Taeke Taekma’s four-goal second half-blitz, including a hattrick, to crash 1-6 against Holland in the second and final under-21 hockey tie at Amstelveen in the Netherlands yesterday.

NZ badminton in Jammu
CHANDIGARH, Aug 16 — The North Zone Inter State Badminton Championship will be held in Jammu from September 22 to 25, as per information reaching here.

Greene favourite to retain title
SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 16 — World 100 metres record holder Maurice Greene goes into the world championships as favourite to retain the title, but the absence of his training partner and close friend Ato Boldon may hurt his chances.

Romanian athlete banned for doping
BUCHAREST, Aug 16 — The Romanian Athletics Federation (FRA) has banned long distance runner Cristina Costea for life after she tested positive for methanolone, a federation official said today.

Simi finishes 11th in British Open
NEW DELHI, Aug 16 — India’s Simi Mehra overcame a third round slump to fire a fine two-under par 71 to finish creditable 11th in the prestigious women’s British Open Golf Championship at Woburn, England.

IHF scuttled my chances: Kaushik
NEW DELHI, Aug 16 — Olympian M. K. Kaushik today said it appeared the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) scuttled his chances of being bestowed with the Dronacharya Award for excellence in coaching.

South Africa upset India 2-1

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 16 (PTI) — The Indian hockey team was upset 1-2 by South Africa in the second of their five-Test series here yesterday in an encounter marred by controversial umpiring.

The team management has lodged an official protest against the two South African umpires and told PTI that at international level neutral umpires should be the norm.

“We should not be made to suffer because of the bias of home umpires,” a member of the Indian team management said.

The team, described as India “A” but virtually the national side, dominated play for most part of the game and took a seventh minute lead through Samir Dad.

But poor umpiring thwarted Indian hopes to increase the lead before South Africa equalised through Steven Vivian off an indirect penalty corner conversion a minute from halftime.

The visitors continued to dominate, but were frustrated time and again by poor officiating and defensive play by the hosts before Bram Denny found the winner against run of play in the 56th minute.

India went all-out in search of an equaliser, but their efforts were in vain. The visitors, struggling to get used to the cold conditions here, were held goalless in the first Test on August 13.

“We have three more Tests to play and I am certain we will take the series,” chief coach Vasudevan Baskaran said.

India took the initiative from the word go and dominated in all areas. In the seventh minute, skipper and centre half Mohd Riaz dribbled past a host of South African defenders and passed to tall forward Samir Dad, who made no mistake from close range.

The Indians continued to dominate, but without further success and had to contend with poor umpiring. In the 34th minute, the hosts were awarded a penalty corner following an infringement and Vivian converted the indirect attempt.

South Africa, who aim to clinch a direct berth for next year’s Sydney Olympics by winning the All-Africa Games to be held from September 8 to 18, played second fiddle to the visitors, but were left complaining about the officiating.

India came up with several goalbound moves, but were thwarted by the tight defence mounted by South Africa. The hosts found the winner in the 56th minute when Denny struck to send them into raptures.

The South Africans, beaten 1-2 by India at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games last year when the two met before the current series, will be high on morale for the third Test.

Akopian stuns Adams; Khalifman held

LAS VEGAS (USA) Aug 16 (UNI) — Hot favourite grandmaster Michael Adams of England was shocked by grandmaster Vladimir Akopian of Armenia after the Englishman squandered his winning advantage in the first game of their four game-semifinal match of the $3 million World Chess Championship today.

At hotel Caesars Palace here Romanian grandmaster Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu continued his good showing by holding Russian Grandmaster Alexander Khalifman from the black pieces.

The first game of the semifinals started after the chief umpire of the world championship Geurt Gijssen cut a huge chocolate cake on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Geurt, who is strictly vegetarian, is immensely popular with all the grandmasters and perhaps the only person to earn the respects of both Kasparov and Karpov without any disagreement.

Gradmaster Adams opened the game confidently attacking Akopian’s modern defence. He developed his pieces menacingly while Akopian’s pawn pushes were criticised by the commentators.

Adams’ 9th move of a pawn push was a novelty. It imprisoned two of Akopian’s pieces out of the game. All the grandmasters analysing the game had no doubt that Akopian was heading for a disastrous defeat.

On the 14th move, Adams played an imaginative sacrifice to destroy the black king side. Akopian had no choice but to run with his king on the other wing away from the menacing white pieces. All the white pieces occupied best possible squares and soon one white pawn too appeared closer to coronation.

However, shortage of time took its toll on Michael Adams. Instead of saving his bishop on 33rd move, the Englishman pushed a pawn overlooking a mating threat from Akopian’s queen and bishop. In fact Akopian’s pieces were so disorganised that Michael Adams could not think of any threatening gesture from them.

The tables were turned completely. Akopian with his queen and bishop plus renewed confidence sent back Adams’ pair of rooks for defence. The spectators had an exciting tug-of-war to witness. Adams was trying to save the game while Akopian was bent upon utilising his battery of queen and bishop to checkmate the white king.

Akopian’s technique was immaculate. He manoeuvred his queen and bishop on the long diagonal and forced the white monarch to flee its castle.

Woods pips Garcia

MEDINAH (USA), Aug 16 (AFP) — Tiger Woods edged Sergio Garcia to win the 81st PGA Championship as the field’s two youngest players staged one of the most dramatic back-nine duels in major tournament history.

Woods owned a five-stroke lead with seven holes to play yesterday but hung on for a one-stroke victory over the 19-year-old Spaniard, denying Garcia’s bid to become the youngest major champion in 131 years.

“A five-shot lead can disappear pretty quickly. I made a few mistakes and that’s what happened”, Woods said. “Even though I lost four shots in two holes, I still had the lead. That’s what I focused on. He has better momentum than I do. But he’s still chasing me”.

With fans cheering Garcia and heckling Woods, the 23-year-old American fired a final-round par-72 at Medinah Country Club to finish at 11-under-par 277 and win his second major title, the first being the 1997 Masters.

Neither the second-longest course in major history, at 7,401 yards, nor the toughest field in major golf history with an unprecedented 92 of the world’s 100 top-ranked players could compete with Woods and Garcia.

Canada’s Mike Weir began the round level with Woods but a run of four bogeys in five holes on the front nine and a double bogey at the 11th sent the southpaw sliding into a share of 10th at 280.

Woods won Wanamaker Trophy and reclaimed the world No 1 ranking from David Duval.

A missed 15-foot par putt after finding a bunker at the 16th hole left Woods ahead by one stroke with two holes to play. He then overshot the 17th green into rough but clipped on and sank a pressure-packed six-foot putt to keep his lead.

Meanwhile, fans at the 18th hole chanted “Sergio, Sergio” as Garcia walked onto the final green with a 15-foot birdie putt to grab a share of the lead. It rolled two feet past but his par ended a round of 71.

Woods safely reached the 18th green, tapped in a one-foot par putt for the victory, raised his right fist and smiled but then looked down in an image of relief.

Woods seized command with three birdies on the front nine while Garcia was lucky to play the front nine at par after sending his tee shot into the water on the par-three second hole.

Woods sank a curling six foot birdie at the 11th to pull five strokes ahead, pamping his right first and sticking out his tongue the way his friend and Medinah member Michael Jordan once did on basketball courts.

But the Woods-Garcia golf rivalry for the new millennium came together when Woods missed a five-foot par putt on the 12th and Garcia sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-three 13th, then turned to look at Woods on the tee across a lake.

Moments after the gauntlet was tossed, Woods soared his approach beyond the 13th green, chipped back across the green into rough that stopped the ball from rolling into the lake, then chipped beyond the hole on his way to a double bogey that trimmed his lead to a single stroke.

Garcia missed a 10-foot par putt at 15th, then scrambled for a stunning par on the 16th that evoked memories of wild escapes by Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros after horrible tee shots.

Garcia’s drive landed next to a tree in the right rough. He smacked an off-balance six-iron 180 yards onto the green, running down the fairway after the shot and jumping into the air to glimpse when it had landed.

Garcia would have been the second youngest major winner, outdone only by Tom Morris Jr, who was 17 when he won the 1868 British Open.

Americans Stewart Cink and Jay Haas shared third at 280, one stroke better than Zimbabwe’s Nick Price, who made an early run but faded on the back nine.

Bob Estes and Steve Pate fired 69s but failed to bump Jeff Maggert from the last of 10 automatic US Ryder Cup spots.

US captain Ben Crenshaw names two final players to his team here tonight.

Estes shared sixth with Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie at 282, his bogey on the 17th dropping him one spot shy of what he needed to qualify. Pate shared eighth with Jim Furyk at 284, three shots shy of what he needed.

Pete Sampras outplays Rafter for title

mason (Cincinnati), Aug 16 (AP) — Pete Sampras avenged last year’s loss to Patrick Rafter in the ATP Championship, beating the Australian 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 last night for his 60th tournament title.

Sampras has won 22 consecutive matches and four tournaments, including the Queen’s Cup, Wimbledon and Los Angeles, in the second longest streak of his career. He won 29 in a row in 1994.

“Pete never let me play well, it’s as simple as that,” Rafter said. “Couldn’t get into the game. He just served too big and too hard. There weren’t long points out there, and it’s just too hard to play tough tennis.”

Sampras had 12 aces, landing 67 per cent of his first serves.

The first set, all serve and sometimes volley, was played in 36 minutes — 12 games averaging three minutes each. But as precise as the first set was, the second was that ragged, and the pace slowed as well.

In the tie-breaker, Sampras’ consistent 210-kph-plus serves took a double toll. Rafter aggravated a shoulder injury, and broke four strings on his racket trying to return a let serve giving Sampras another first serve because of the delay to replace equipment.

Rafter wore an ice pack to his postmatch interview, but said he was making no excuses for his play. The injury may have affected the amount of “kick” he could put on his serve, but not other aspects of his game, he said.

After Sampras held serve in the first game of the second set, the players traded breaks. Rafter, who had faced only one break point all week in winning 35 service games, double-faulted to give Sampras the second game. Sampras hit into the net to give Rafter the third game.

But Sampras broke Rafter again in eighth game, scoring one point on a passing shot so precise that he threw back his head in surprise and celebration — a rarity for Sampras.

Sampras said he was surprised that so many of his serves were clocked over 210 kph.

“We played at a time when it was hot and dry and the ball was going through the air very quick,” Sampras said of the early evening match. “Two guys who serve and volley very well on a quick court with really quick conditions and balls, I think we both were struggling to return serve.”

Sampras is 9-4 against Rafter, but Rafter had beaten Sampras three straight times, including here and at the US Open last year.

Rafter, who has won the past two US Opens, received treatment for his shoulder during and after the match and said it would have to fully mend for him to defend his title.

Only five players in the open era have more victories than Sampras — Jimmy Connors (109), Ivan Lendl (94), John McEnroe (77) and Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas (62).

Replacements inferior, says ex-coach

NEW DELHI, Aug 16 (PTI) — Former Indian chief hockey coach M.K. Kaushik today criticised the continued omission of six senior players from the national squad and charged the hockey federation (IHF) with inducting players far inferior to them in the name of youth.

“The six, they should continue to fightback. They’ll be called back. The IHF will be forced to take them back. They’re much better than the youngsters, but the IHF is selecting third or fourth best players”, Kaushik told PTI about the controversial omission of six top players led by mercurial forward Dhanraj Pillay.

Kaushik guided India to the Asian Games gold after a gap of 32 years at Bangkok in December last year, but was unceremoniously ousted along with Pillay, fellow forwards Mukesh Kumar and Sabu Varkey, halfback Sandeep Somesh and goalkeepers Ashish Ballal and A.B. Subbaiah.

The Olympian severely criticised IHF President K.P.S. Gill for his recent comments that none of the six barring Pillay and Mukesh Kumar will be considered for the Indian team and also came down on him for saying that there was nothing to gloat about the Bangkok victory.

“Gill will be advised to watch the video-cassettes of the matches. We beat South Korea in open play in the league stage before beating them on penalties in the final.

“In my opinion the four — Pillay, Varkey, Mukesh Kumar and Ballal — were the best in Bangkok, Varkey was even named best forward at the Murugappa Gold Cup Tournament in Chennai recently, but the IHF continues to ignore him. How can they justify such decisions” he asked angrily.

Kaushik, a key forward of the Indian team that won its eighth and last Olympic gold at Moscow in 1980, said he had incurred the wrath of the IHF officialdom for consistently supporting the “senior” players.

“I am always for the game. If they take the seniors (in the Indian team) and provide good results under another coach, still I will be a happy man” he said.

“Can the cricket board afford to drop someone like Sachin Tendulkar without incurring the wrath of the public? But this does not happen in hockey and this is why the IHF takes such decisions”, he said.

Holland thrash India juniors

BERLIN, Aug 16 (PTI) — Indian juniors put up yet another pathetic display in the face of Taeke Taekma’s four-goal second half-blitz, including a hattrick, to crash 1-6 against Holland in the second and final under-21 hockey tie at Amstelveen in the Netherlands yesterday.

Short corner expert Taekma, who struck two goals in the first match as India were routed 0-5, slammed in three penalty corners and converted a ‘stroke’ in the space of 18 minutes to give the hosts another massive win.

The Indians, preparing for next week’s eight-nation junior event at the Polish city of Poznan, fought well in the first half to hold their superior rivals 1-all at halftime.

Holland went ahead in the third minute through Ronald Bouxier’s field goal, but the Indian boys checked their aggressive forays and equalised through centre forward Inderjit Singh’s completed-22nd-minute field goal.

But Holland regained the lead four minutes into the second half through Karel Keller. That opened the floodgates as Taekma, from the 44th minute onwards, capped the Dutch superiority with four goals to break the Indian resolve.

Indian junior coach, C.R. Kumar, when contacted told PTI that all 18 players in the side — most of them probables for the 2001 Sydney Junior World Cup — had received “very good exposure” ahead of the Poznan tournament.

He maintained the matches were not “Tests”, but only “warm-up” matches.

“We gave a good fight to them (Holland) in the first half,” Kumar said over phone from Amsterdam.

India, were scheduled to play four “Tests” followed by warm-up matches in the Netherlands before proceeding to Poland, but the coach said they were only warm-up ties.

The fixtures with Holland are over and India will now play another warm-up match in Amstelveen with Belgium tonight.

India and Belgium are in the same pool in Poznan with Germany and Egypt. Hosts Poland, England, Scotland and South Korea are in pool “B”.

NZ badminton in Jammu
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Aug 16 — The North Zone Inter State Badminton Championship will be held in Jammu from September 22 to 25, as per information reaching here.

In this championships seven states — Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh — will take part in Rahimtoola Cup (for men), Chadha Cup (for women), Narang Cup (for boys), and Shafi Quereshi Cup (for girls).

As per the draw released by the Badminton Association of India, in men’s and women’s sections Chandigarh will play their first match against Haryana and the winners will take on winner of Delhi/J&K in men and with Delhi in women.

Greene favourite to retain title

SEVILLE (Spain), Aug 16 (AFP) — World 100 metres record holder Maurice Greene goes into the world championships as favourite to retain the title, but the absence of his training partner and close friend Ato Boldon may hurt his chances.

The 26-year-old, nicknamed the ‘Kansas Comet’, has scarcely suffered a bad moment since he took gold in Athens, claiming the world indoor title and culminating in that electric run back in Athens in June 1997 with Boldon running second.

While Boldon’s absence because of a hamstring injury makes his task to do the 100 and 200 metres double easier, Greene has always blamed his rare below-par performances on the fact his Trinidadian stablemate wasn’t there in the race.

“Ato and I are so close and this translates itself onto the track where his presence gives me an extra gear because I know that

he is capable of breaking records as I am,” he said.

“I still feel that given the right conditions in Seville I can take the record to 9.76 but Ato would have been a great help,” he added.

That time would be a genuine landmark as it would eclipse Greene’s current record time of 9.79, which is the same as that run by Ben Johnson in his infamous Seoul Olympics 100 metres victory that wasn’t. Of course Johnson’s victory, gold medal and time have since been erased from the record books in the light of the Canadian testing positive for steroids but the 9.79 time still is an eerie reminder of the biggest scandal in the history of athletics.

But if Greene were to surpass that mark in Seville then the ghost of Johnson that still haunts the glamour event of athletics may finally be exorcised.

Greene, who is also the world indoor champion, has matured considerably since he won in Athens two years ago and made some derogatory remarks about his predecessor Donovan Bailey, who he beat into second place.

Much of the credit should go to the way that coach John Smith, to whose Los Angeles base Greene’s father drove him in 1996 when Maurice decided his then coach could not take him any further, and manager Emmanuel Hudson have looked after him and to the fact that the kid who came from a small town in Kansas has learnt to cope with the big bad world of the sport and the media spotlight that comes with it.

Bailey has already pulled out of the 100 metres still struggling since returning from the ruptured achilles tendon that put him out for nine months last September. Instead he will only run in the relay.

“It doesn’t really matter if Bailey is in the field or not although it would be better if we met with both of us in peak fitness so he cannot sit on the sidelines and say ‘well I wasn’t there so how can Greene say I am champion of this and that”, Greene said.

Bailey, who is playing the brooding presence on the sidelines to perfection, meanwhile says that the American may feel on top of the world at the moment but that his two training partners Obadele Thompson from Barbados and his experienced Haitian-born Canadian team-mate Bruny Surin could well douse his fire.

Romanian athlete banned for doping

BUCHAREST, Aug 16 (Reuters) — The Romanian Athletics Federation (FRA) has banned long distance runner Cristina Costea for life after she tested positive for methanolone, a federation official said today.

“The FRA agreed on a maximum ban for Costea after her second drug offence,’’ FRA General Secretary Nicolae Marasescu said . ‘‘The decision is final as a second sample also tested positive.’’

Costea, who won a marathon in Paris earlier this year, tested positive after running a 25-km course in Berlin last May.

Simi finishes 11th in British Open

NEW DELHI, Aug 16 (PTI) — India’s Simi Mehra overcame a third round slump to fire a fine two-under par 71 to finish creditable 11th in the prestigious women’s British Open Golf Championship at Woburn, England.

Simi, sharing the third spot at halfway stage, slumped to joint 15th after the third round but rallied superbly yesterday to move up four places with an aggregate of five-under 287 at the Woburn Golf and Country Club’s Dukes Course.

The Calcutta-based Simi, the lone Indian on the highly-competitive Ladies Professional Golfer’s Association (LPGA) Tour, had an indifferent start to her second season on the Tour missing the cut in couple of tournaments, but came up with a much improved performance in the British Open.

With three-under 70 each on the first two days, Simi was all set to improve upon her sixth placed finish last year but went three over in the third round on Saturday.

She returned scores of 70, 70, 76, 71 in the one million dollar event to finish four shots adrift of the winner, Sherri Steinhauer of the USA who shot level par 73 on the final day.

IHF scuttled my chances: Kaushik

NEW DELHI, Aug 16 (PTI) — Olympian M. K. Kaushik today said it appeared the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) scuttled his chances of being bestowed with the Dronacharya Award for excellence in coaching.

“The IHF appears to have had a hand in denying me the award. I don’t think I’ve done any wrong or harm to the federation or players,” Kaushik, who was part of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal winning squad and coach of the Bangkok Asian Games title-winning side last year, told PTI here.

Kaushik, who was among the front-runners for the Dronacharya Award but was given the Arjuna Award, said as a member of the team in Moscow and a goal-scorer in the final — India beat Spain 4-3 for the title — he fully deserved it.

“When so many seniors like Merwyn Fernandis and Rajinder Singh were given, I also followed the procedure by applying to the government,” he said.

Asked about the if’s reported opposition to his receiving the Dronacharya Award, Kaushik said “I have contributed enough to be worthy of it”.

Cricket tourney

CHANDIGARH, Aug 16 (TNS) — The Panchkula District Cricket Association will organise the inaugural Major Sandeep Sagar Memorial Cricket Tournament from August 21 to 28. Major Sandeep Sagar, a keen lover of the game who was also a good cricketer, laid down his life defending the motherland in the recent operations.

Entries close on August 18 with the secretary, 240, Sector 14, Panchkula.