Harika stuns world champ Ju Wenjun, shares lead in Women's GP
Harika stuns world champ Ju Wenjun, rises to joint lead in FIDE Women’s GP
Lausanne, March 5
Indian Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli stunned world champion Ju Wenjun in the third round to grab a share of the top spot in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix chess tournament. World No. 9 Harika has two points after three rounds along with four others. The Indian outlasted the 29-year old Ju Wenjun of China, ranked No. 3, in 54 moves with white pieces. The others on two points include Russians Alina Kashlinskaya and Aleksandra Goryachkina, Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine and Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze. Three of the six games on the day were decisive ones with Kashlinskaya and Muzychuk registering wins. Kashlinskaya defeated former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk while Anna Muzychuk got the better of France’s Marie Sebag in 38 moves. The 29-year old Harika faces Dzagnidze in the fourth round. The tournament is the third in the series of four Grand Prix from which two with the highest points would qualify for the next Candidates Tournament.
India look to upset Croatia in Davis Cup qualifiers
Zagreb, March 5
A full-strength India, led by Sumit Nagal and Prajnesh Gunneswaran, will take on Croatia in the Davis Cup qualifiers with a realistic chance of upsetting the top seeds here tomorrow. The hosts will be led by world No. 37 Marin Cilic, and the 2014 US Open champion is the only top-50 singles player in their ranks.
The absence of Croatia’s best-ranked player, Borna Coric (world No. 33), means that Nagal and Gunneswaran can go after their second singles player Borna Gojo, who is yet to win a match in the Davis Cup. Getting two points from Gojo is very much possible for the visitors, considering that he is placed 277th in the ATP rankings chart, which is below the two Indian singles players. Both Nagal (127) and Gunneswaran (132) are capable of beating Gojo though they have not competed against him as yet.
Gunneswaran, who missed India’s last Davis Cup tie because of his marriage, said that the lack of a strong second singles player in the rival line-up could work to India’s advantage. “We are hoping to come with our A game. We definitely have a better chance in the absence of Borna Coric and hopefully we can capitalise on that. The hard indoor courts suit us,” said Gunneswaran. Ramkumar Ramanathan is set to be benched since Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna will most likely play the doubles rubber. The doubles will be a crucial match in the tie, the winner of which will qualify for the year-end Davis Cup Finals, to be held in November in Madrid. — PTI
BOX BOX BOX
Best bet?
India have not won an away tie against a strong opponent for a long time and now seems to be their best chance. They lost to Serbia (2018) and Canada (2017), missing out on the World Group qualification. The last time India played Croatia in the Davis Cup, India won 3-2 in New Delhi in 1995 on grass.
Dsport 7:30pm
Sylhet
Mashrafe steps down as Bangladesh ODI captain
Bangladesh pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, one of the country’s biggest sports stars, stepped down as the captain of the national ODI side, possibly ending his international career. Friday’s 50-overs game against Zimbabwe in Sylhet will be his last as captain, said the 36-year-old, who already has a new career as a Member of Parliament. Mashrafe said he would remain available for selection as a player, but selectors are under pressure to bring in fresh blood ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India.
Saina, Sindhu get tricky draw at India Open
New Delhi, March 5
PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have been handed tricky draws at the upcoming India Open, which remains under the scanner due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus.
Sindhu, the 2017 winner, will open her campaign against Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi and is expected to face seventh seed Michelle Li of Canada in the quarterfinals. Saina, who had claimed the title in 2015, faces Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po in the first round and is likely to meet South Korean Sung Ji Hyun in the second round. The London Olympic bronze medallist is racing against time to qualify for her fourth straight Olympics.
In the men’s singles, Kidambi Srikanth, who is also trying to squeeze into the world top-16 by the April 28 deadline to make it to Tokyo, will square off against a qualifier and is expected to later face compatriot Lakshya Sen, who too will open against a qualifier. B Sai Praneeth, who is almost assured of a place in the Olympics, faces HS Prannoy in the opening round. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will open against Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi. — PTI
Ashish in quarters of Asian Olympics Qualifiers
Amman, March 5
Ashish Kumar (75kg) sailed into the quarterfinals of the Asian Olympics Qualifiers for boxing with a thumping win over fourth-seeded Kyrgyz Omurbek Bekzhigit Uulu in the last-16 stage. Ashish prevailed 5-0 in a lopsided contest to set up a clash with Indonesia’s Maikhel Roberrd Muskita. Muskita defeated New Zealand’s Ryan Scaife in his pre-quarterfinal bout. A win against Muskita would put Ashish in the semifinals, assuring him of his maiden Olympics ticket.
Up against a spunky rival, whom he defeated in the Asian quarterfinals last year, the Himachal Pradesh boxer played the waiting game to perfection, allowing Uulu to expend himself trying to connect. Uulu swung his arms more than the Indian but it was Ashish who connected more accurately in the opening three minutes.
However, Uulu kept up the pressure in the second round as well and managed to land a couple of solid rights, which caught the Indian off-guard and led to points being split. Ashish’s powerful and precise right punches served him well in the final three minutes as the judges ruled unanimously in his favour. Earlier, Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg) notched up hard-fought victories to enter the quarterfinals. — PTI
