Lahiri finishes 10th, Westwood emerges winner in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur: Anirban Lahiri went without a birdie in his last 13 holes and ended in tied 10th, leaving him with somewhat mixed feelings at the end of the Maybank Malaysian Open here on Sunday. Lahiri, the highest ranked Indian on World rankings, carded a final round of 70 and finished at eight-under 280. Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Lee Westwood enhanced his reputation in the East as he marched to a convincing seven-stroke victory for his first title in two years after a flawless four-under-par 68. The Englishman completed his wire-to-wire win in style when he holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the last for an 18-under-par 270 winning total at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Aiming other Indians, Shiv Kapur added a 71 to finish at three-under 285 in tied 31st place while SSP Chowrasia dropped two double bogeys on the back nine to end with a card of 76 that saw him drop to two-under 286 and in tied 33rd place. Rahil Gangjee (76) was tied 45th, Chiragh Kumar (71) was tied 55th and Rashid Khan, who began so well on first two days carded 74 and was tied 68th. EurAsia Cup star Lahiri, a three-time winner in the region, was the best placed Asian in tied 10th place after a closing 70 while Masahiro Kawamura of Japan, who won his first Asian Tour title last year, finished a further shot back. “I played really good but I’m disappointed I didn’t make any birdies on the back nine. All in all it has been a solid week but I can’t help but feel that I left a lot out there. I’ve been hitting it really good. I hit 16 greens but didn’t make the putts, which I needed to. I gave myself a lot of opportunities but couldn’t hole the birdies,” said Lahiri. (PTI)
Angelique Kerber puts Germany into Fed Cup final
BRISBANE: Angelique Kerber put Germany into their first Fed Cup final in 22 years with a fighting victory over Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the semifinal in Brisbane on Sunday. World number seven Kerber fought back from dropping the opening set to beat former US Open champion Stosur 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 in two hours 14 minutes to give Germany an unassailable 3-0 lead over Australia. Germany will play either the Czech Republic or Italy in the final. Left-hander Kerber showed great resilience to bounce back and win seven games straight after the opening set to turn around the momentum, fighting off the 19th-ranked Stosur to take victory and put Germany into this year’s final. Germany last won the competition in 1992 when Steffi Graf and Anke Huber starred in the team which defeated Spain. The Germans took a firm grip on the semifinal winning Saturday’s opening two singles rubbers in the best-of-five match tie. “It’s a really special moment for us,” Kerber said. “We are all working hard to get to the final and win against Australia.” It was Kerber’s first win in three encounters against Stosur. (Agencies)
Vekic upsets Cibulkova for maiden WTA title
KUALA LUMPUR: Croatia’s Donna Vekic became the first player under 18 to win a WTA title for eight years on Sunday when she stunned top seed Dominika Cibulkova 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) in the Malaysian Open final. The 17-year-old shrugged off another rain-hit day to beat the world number 10 Slovakian and win her first title after two unsuccessful final appearances in Tashkent in 2012 and Birmingham in 2013. Vekic, the youngest player in the main draw, had a healthy 5-1 lead in the third set and should have served out the match. However, Australian Open runner-up Cibulkova clawed her way back into the match to 5-5 in an absorbing final at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur. “It was a tough match, she played very well. I was 5-1 up in the third set but she played insanely well to get back. The fans here really helped, so this win is for them as well,” said Vekic. Vekic’s win was also her first victory over a top 10 player. (Agencies)
Solanki enters quarters of World Championships
New Delhi: Down with fever and without a team doctor due to India’s international termination, Asian silver-medallist Gaurav Solanki (52kg) fought through to enter the quarterfinal of the World Youth Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday. Solanki defeated Ireland’s William Donoghue 3-0 to set up a clash against China’s L V Ping, who got the better of Spain’s Gabriel Escobar in the pre-quarterfinal bout. (PTI)