Sourabh in Vietnam Open semis
Ho Chi Minh City: Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma stormed into the men’s singles semifinals of the Vietnam Open BWF Tour Super 100 after beating local hero Tien Minh Nguyen in straight games here on Friday. Second seed Sourabh, who had won the Hyderabad Open last month, defeated Tien Minh 21-13 21-18 in a 43-minute clash. The reigning national champion will face either Japan’s Minoru Koga or Thailand’s sixth seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk next. Sourabh jumped to a 4-1 lead early on and then entered the break with a 11-6 advantage. The Indian kept the proceedings under control after the interval to eventually pocket the opening game comfortably. The second game was more competitive as Sourabh and Tien Minh exchanged the lead frequently before the Vietnamese shuttler managed a slender 11-10 lead at the breather. However, Sourabh soon turned the tables, moving to 17-12. Tien Minh managed to narrow the deficit to 18-19 but the Indian reeled off the required two points to shut the door on the Vietnamese. The 26-year-old Indian had lost in the round of 16 at the Chinese Taipei Open earlier this month. (PTI)
Ban on Russian fans organiser
Zurich: Russian fans organizer Alexander Shprygin has been banned from soccer for two years by FIFA for posting far-right content online. FIFA said Friday its ethics committee judges found Shprygin, a former member of the Russian Football Union executive committee, guilty of discrimination. He was fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,125). Shprygin achieved notoriety at the 2016 European Championship in France, and was deported twice after Russia games. French authorities linked Shprygin to violence in Marseille where Russians attacked England fans in the city and at the stadium. He returned from Moscow within days and evaded authorities by entering France to visit Toulouse for Russia’s next game against Wales. FIFA said its investigation of Shprygin related to “media statements and content published on social media in 2014 and 2015.” (AP)
Indian eves squad for Eng tour
New Delhi: Hockey India on Friday named the 18-member Indian women’s team for their upcoming Tour of England which is scheduled to take place from September 27 to October 4 in Marlow, England. Rani Rampal will lead the side while Savita will play as her deputy during the five matches against Great Britain. “The balance and mixture of players in our team remains the same from previous tournaments as go into an important phase in our objective of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020,” expressed chief coach Sjoerd Marijne about the team. “We still have ten days of training before we leave for the matches in England, and I am sure these matches will serve as good preparation for our vital FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Odisha against USA in November 2019. The Dutchman also spoke about how the tour will help in preparing to face USA in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Odisha. “I think both the Great Britain team and USA play with a similar approach to their game, so it is beneficial for us to be playing against a strong opponent in their own backyard,” he said. “We now focus on preparing well for the matches in England, but our main objective will remain to finalise some points we can improve from the Olympic Test Event as we go into the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Odisha.” Squad: Goalkeepers: Savita (Vice-Captain), Rajani Etimarpu; defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Salima Tete; midfielders: Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Namita Toppo; forwards: Rani (Captain), Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Navjot Kaur and Sharmila Devi (IANS)