London, July 9 (IANS) The No.13 seed and former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko raced past Yulia Putintseva to reach her third quarterfinal at Wimbledon, the first since 2018, and was joined in the last-eight stage by No.4 seed Elena Rybakina and No.21 seed Elina Svitolina, who set up a mouth-watering meeting at the grass-court major on Monday.

Ostapenko raced past Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 in 68 minutes while Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, moved into the quarterfinals after an ailing No.17 seed Anna Kalinskaya retired from their Centre Court match due to a right wrist injury. Rybakina led 6-3, 3-0 when Kalinskaya stopped play after 53 minutes. Svitolina, a Wimbledon semifinalist last year, joined Rybakina in the last eight with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over 42nd-ranked Wang Xinyu in just 55 minutes.

Ostapenko was in the spotlight as she defeated giant-killer Putintseva.

In four matches so far this fortnight, the Latvian has dropped just 15 games — the lowest number of any player to get to the last eight since Victoria Azarenka’s 14 in 2012 — and spent 4 hours and 5 minutes on the court. Her tally of 29 winners against Putintseva took her tournament total to 88 in 63 games played.

Ostapenko and Putintseva had come into this match, their fifth overall meeting, with a tied head-to-head at two wins apiece. Three of the previous four matches had gone the distance. Moreover, Putintseva had been on an eight-match winning streak that included her first grass-court title in Birmingham two weeks previously, and an upset of World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the previous round.

However, Ostapenko’s emphatic victory moved the former Roland Garros champion into the last eight of a major for the sixth time overall. She will bid for a third Grand Slam semifinal against either No.11 seed Danielle Collins or No.31 seed Barbora Krejcikova. Ostapenko is also the only player so far to reach both the singles and doubles last eight. On Sunday, No.9 seeds Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok defeated Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

Krejcikova can potentially join her, if she defeats Collins and also wins her doubles third-round contest, partnering Laura Siegemund, over Chan Hao-Ching and Veronika Kudermetova.

Rybakina and Svitolina have split their four previous meetings. Their last meeting came at this year’s Roland Garros, which Rybakina won in straight sets. Rybakina also won their only prior grass-court match, at 2021 Eastbourne.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina is the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, and the only player left in the field who has previously won the Wimbledon title.

Rybakina continues to increase her strong win-loss record at the grass-court major, where she is 18-2 lifetime and has made the quarterfinals for the last three years. After defeating Ons Jabeur in the 2022 final, she fell to Jabeur in last year’s quarterfinals.

Monday’s victory pushes Rybakina’s main-draw winning percentage at Wimbledon to 90 percent. She is the third player in the Open Era to register a career win rate of 90 percent in the Wimbledon ladies’ singles draw, joining Ann Jones and Stefanie Graf.

Ukraine’s Svitolina eased through her fourth-round match on No.2 Court, slamming 21 winners (including eight aces) to just 10 unforced errors. Svitolina won 80 percent of her first-service points and saved all three of the break points she faced against China’s Wang.

Svitolina is in her third career Wimbledon quarterfinal. She reached the semifinals in 2019, then returned to the final four last year after her maternity leave. Svitolina has won 96 Grand Slam matches in her career, ninth-most among active players.

After the win, Svitolina spoke of the challenge of taking the court after waking up to the news that a children’s hospital in Kyiv had been hit by a Russian missile strike.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) India’s top international off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was on Monday thrilled to introduce a chess team, as co-owner of American Gambits, which will make its debut in the second season of the Global Chess League which will be played from October 3 to 12, 2024, at the Friends House in London.

Ashwin along with former chess player Prachura PP and Venkat K Narayana (KVN) will own the American Gambits in the second edition of the Global Chess League, a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, the sport’s world governing body.

R Ashwin, who has taken 516 wickets in 100 Test matches for India, said “We’re thrilled to introduce the American Gambits to the chess world. With a blend of strategic brilliance and unwavering determination, our team aims to redefine the game. As the co-owner, I’m excited to witness their journey and contribute to their success.”

The entry of Prachura PP, a known figure in the chess community, has set a new precedence in the sport by joining the first-of-its-kind innovative league in the world of chess.

Expressing his excitement to join the Global Chess League bandwagon, an ardent chess lover Prachura, said, “The Global Chess League is the most exciting league to emerge in the world of chess where the topmost players in the world battle for their teams. For a sport played in over 190 countries and one that has no age or gender bar, owning a franchise is a wonderful opportunity.”

The second edition of Global Chess League will feature top players from around the world, including reigning world champions and rising stars, competing in a unique team format that emphasises strategy, collaboration, and high-stakes play.

On the occasion, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “Prachura’s deep affection for chess and business acumen, Ashwin’s credentials both as an ace sportsman and chess lover, and KVN’s leadership in business and the film industry are well known. The trio’s franchise ownership is expected to bring fresh perspectives and dynamic growth to the league. We are delighted to have them on board for our fast-growing and innovative Global Chess League.”

In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system. Each team will play ten matches across black and white pieces.

The teams will play five matches, with all six players in each team initially playing with the white or black pieces against their opponents, followed by a reverse round in which the entire team will play five matches with the reversed colour pieces against the same opponent.

The winning team for every match will be determined by the points aggregated from wins and draws across all six games played in the match. The top two teams will advance to the final round.

The Global Chess League is the world’s first and largest official franchise league of its kind, with chess players from all over the world competing in a unique joint team format. It is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra, a part of the Mahindra Group, and FIDE. The league will feature male and female chess champions competing in the same team.

Playing on the popular rapid format, the league’s joint male-female teams will have the rare distinction of being a unique multiplayer team in the world of professional sports.

In addition, the league is a one-of-its-kind live televised chess event offering fans a unique viewing experience. Tech Mahindra and FIDE will explore innovative ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, among others.

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, July 8 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday announced an incentive of Rs 15 lakhs each for the two young sports stars of Odisha- ace javelin thrower Kishore Jena and Indian field hockey player Amit Rohidas-qualified for the Paris Olympic to further motivate the duo to achieve their goal

The Chief Minister expressed hope that the cash incentives will inspire and motivate Jena and Indian hockey star Rohidas. The cash incentive will bring laurels to the nation by presenting an excellent performance in the Olympics going to be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Majhi termed the Olympics as a mega event in sports and games while by qualifying to participate in this global sports event, Jena and Rohidas have made their native places as well as the whole of Odisha proud.

“I am fully assured that their tireless willpower, hard work, dedication and perseverance displayed by the two sportspersons will inspire young and budding talents in Odisha. I wish them success on behalf of the people of Odisha,” said Majhi.

He expressed that the people of Odisha have full faith in the duo and with the blessings of Lord Jagannath, Rohidas and Jena will present an excellent performance in the Olympics.

–IANS

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London, July 8 (IANS) Lorenzo Musetti of Italy overcame French lucky loser Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in four sets to storm into his maiden quarterfinal of a major and was joined by top Australian Alex De Minaur, who too advanced to the last-eight stage of men’s singles for the first time at Wimbledon 2024 on Monday.

The Italian reached the last eight of men’s singles at a major for the first time at Wimbledon, where he ended the superb run of Perricard with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory in a Round of 16 clash at Court No. 2.

On No. 1 Court, de Minaur advanced to the last-eight stage at Wimbledon for the first time by beating another French player, Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in an entertaining clash.

Mpetshi Perricard was celebrating his 21st birthday and entered the match high in confidence. The big-serving Frenchman defeated Sebastian Korda, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Emil Ruusuvuori en route to his first fourth-round appearance at a major, hitting 105 aces across his first three matches.

The Lyon champion was unable to fire at his best level against Musetti in the pair’s first ATP head-to-head meeting. The 25th seed broke Mpetshi Perricard’s serve five times and was the more consistent in the baseline exchanges, committing just eight unforced errors compared to 42 from his opponent.

With his two-hour, five-minute win on No. 2 Court, Musetti joined World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. It is the first time in history that multiple Italian men have reached the last eight at SW19, with Musetti becoming just the seventh Italian man in history to advance to that stage.

The 22-year-old will next face Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.

The 6 feet 8-inch Mpetshi Perricard, who hit several serves above 145mph during his run, was aiming to become the first lucky loser to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final. He is up 14 spots to No. 44 in the ATP Live Rankings.

De Minaur storms into quarters

The ninth seed De Minaur produced an intense performance to outlast Fils, scampering around the court to hang in, before turning the tables with his flat groundstrokes. The 25-year-old recovered from squandering a 4-2 lead in the third set to eventually finish the job in four, avenging his defeat to the 20-year-old in April in Barcelona.

De Minaur has reached consecutive major quarterfinals, having fallen to Alexander Zverev in the last eight at Roland Garros. He will aim to go one step further and reach his first Grand Slam semifinal when he takes on Novak Djokovic or Holger Rune on Wednesday.

Last month, De Minaur won his second grass-court tour-level title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. With his run to the quarters in west London, he has climbed one spot to sixth in the ATP Live Race To Turin. The Australian is aiming to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in November.

Fils was competing in the fourth round at a major for the first time. The World No. 34 moved past Dominic Stricker and Hubert Hurkacz before he survived in five sets against Roman Safiullin.

–IANS

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Ahmedabad, July 8 (IANS) With the Indian contingent in the last leg of its preparations for the 2024 Olympics, its principal sponsor, the Adani Group, has pledged its whole-hearted support to the champions of the nation through a campaign with the theme #DeshkaGeetAtOlympics. The campaign centres around the athletes, who have spent hours and years in training to win and hear the national anthem after the victory.

The social media campaign has been launched even as the Indian sportspersons continue to put in the hard yards before flying out to Paris for the Olympic Games set to be held from July 26 to August 11.

The campaign, anchored by an inspiring film, encapsulates the relentless dedication of Indian athletes and reignites the feeling of patriotism amongst the audiences as India’s best athletes take centrestage once again.

The film showcases India’s top sporting talent sweating it out as they prepare to head to Paris, aiming to surpass the Tokyo Olympics ‘medal haul and earn the honour of hearing the national anthem at one of the most anticipated global sporting events. In the last Olympics, India finished with a record tally of 7 medals, Adani Sportsline informed in a release on Monday.

The Adani Group is committed to elevating and developing the sporting ecosystem in India in a way that inculcates and drives a sporting culture across the nation. Through its contribution, the Group aims to develop India’s next generation of sporting champions and support them in their journey towards representing India on national and international platforms like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.

Since 2016, the Adani Group has supported more than 28 athletes in sports like boxing, wrestling, tennis, javelin throw, shooting, running, shotput, brisk walking, archery, and more.

Among those who benefited are Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia and boxer Amit Panghal. Dahiya and Punia also secured silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 2020 and the 2023 Asian Games. The Group also sponsored the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics. The Group was associated with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, and Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 contingents as official partners as well.

Speaking on the launch of the film, Sanjay Adesara, CBO, Adani Sportsline, said, “At Adani Sportsline, we extend our best wishes to our champion athletes, and hope that we have more success than ever before. With the help of our programmes, we are fully committed to supporting our athletes all the way in their quest for excellence at the highest level in sport. And while they are fighting it out for the top prize, we must support them, cheer them on, and motivate them.”

–IANS

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