Roger Federer beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his first Paris Masters

Roger Federer beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 on Sunday to win the Paris Masters for the first time and clinch the 69th title of his career. The winner of 16 majors had never reached the final of this event but gave the sixth-seeded Frenchman little chance after saving two break points in his opening service game.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Federer said. "I'm really happy to have finally made it."

Federer's 18th Masters title puts him one ahead of Andre Agassi and one behind the all-time leader, Rafael Nadal. The 30-year-old from Switzerland is on a 12-match unbeaten run after winning the Swiss Indoors in Basel last week.

Tsonga improved his serve in the second set but Federer was too strong in the tie‑break, taking victory on his third match point when Tsonga's return landed out. Tsonga won the tournament in 2008 but was let down by too many unforced errors on his forehand as he tried to find a way to pressure Federer in their sixth meeting this year. "I just wish I could have competed more," said Tsonga, who beat Federer in the quarter‑finals at Wimbledon but lost at the same stage to the Swiss at the US Open. Overall, Federer now leads Tsonga 6-3.

Federer took 80 minutes to beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the semi-finals on Saturday whereas Tsonga laboured for three hours and saved three match points before getting the better of the unseeded American John Isner.

Federer's sharpness showed as he attacked Tsonga's weak second serve in the first set. He opened up a 4-0 lead after Tsonga, remonstrating with himself over too many loose forehands, served a double fault. The opening set lasted 30 minutes, Federer clinching it with a whipped forehand winner into the open court.

Tsonga had to raise his game in the second set or risk a thrashing and he dug out a cross‑court winning forehand in the fourth game to set up break point. With Federer on second serve, Tsonga missed his chance when his hurried forehand went out. With Federer's seemingly impregnable serve dipping for the first time in the match, the Frenchman missed another opportunity at 30-40 in the eighth game when he sent a forehand long.

Federer hardly had to dig deep but he did thrill the crowd with one moment of brilliance in the next game. A closely contested rally saw Tsonga send Federer scampering to the back of the court to retrieve a lob. Federer waited for the ball to sit up, spun round and hit a devastating backhand pass.

Tsonga looked nervous in the tie‑break, hitting a forehand long and a backhand into the net – either side of Federer's forehand winner and service winner – to trail 0-4. Federer raced to 6-1 and, though Tsonga saved two match points with a neat drop shot and a service winner, it was a brief reprieve.

Having won the Swiss indoors and Paris Masters back to back, Federer heads to London in fine form for the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Source: Guardian

MARIA SHARAPOVA

GOOD LUCK FOR NEXT SEASON 2012!!

Rosberg signs new deal with Mercedes F1 team

ABU DHABI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Germany's Nico Rosberg has signed a new deal keeping him at Mercedes beyond the 2013 season, the Formula One team said on Thursday.

In a statement issued ahead of Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes added that seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in the sport, would again be Rosberg's team mate next year.

The team said Rosberg, who joined from Williams in 2010, had agreed "a multi-year contract extension to include the 2013 season and beyond".

Rosberg, the 26-year-old son of Finland's former champion Keke, has yet to win a race since his debut in 2006 but is highly regarded.

He has had three podium finishes and scored 217 points since he joined Mercedes. This season he has scored five more points than Schumacher and is seventh overall with two races remaining.

"To win in a Silver Arrow (Mercedes) will be one of the highlights of my life so far," he said.

"I have every confidence that the team will provide me with a winning car and that we will be able to contribute to the fantastic racing heritage of the Silver Arrows."

Team boss Ross Brawn hailed the German as a driver who can win races and championships and said he had already achieved "results at the very limit of the technical capabilities of our current car."

"He has an excellent work ethic and, together with Michael, this gives us a driver pairing who consistently push the team to improve and progress," he added.

"We look forward to providing Nico with a car which will enable him to compete right at the front of the field and achieve his deserved first win in Formula One."

Before his long-term commitment to Mercedes, Rosberg had been one of the candidates tipped by the media as a possible replacement for Brazilian Felipe Massa at Ferrari after next season

Source: Thestar

JAKARTA: Three days ago, Izzaq Faris Ramlan was down with food poisoning but, yesterday, the lanky striker gave fancied Thailand the runs when he scored a late winner in Malaysia’s 2-1 triumph in their Group A football match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan yesterday.

Skipper Baddrol Bakhtiar had put defending champions Malaysia ahead in the 25th minute but a stubborn 10-man Thailand drew level through substitute Natarid Thammroddodpon in the 76th.

Just when the game looked headed for a draw substitute Izzaq scored the winner from the top of the box beating Thai goalkeeper Weerawut Kayem in the 85th minute. It was just reward for a dominant display which should have seen Malaysia win by a bigger margin.

Malaysia’s Izzaq Faris Ramlan (R) celebrates with his team-mates Baddrol Bakhtiar and K. Gurusamy after scoring the winning goal in their Group A match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. – EPA/ADI WEDA

Their profligacy in front of goal spared Thailand a hiding. But it was the second time in consecutive Games that Malaysia had put the skids on Thailand’s title aspirations with a late goal.

Now, Malaysia have an edge in the battle for a semi-final berth from the Group of Death which also has Singapore, Cambodia and hosts Indonesia, while Thailand have a whole lot of running to do to keep up the chase.

“I thought I wouldn’t be playing because I was recovering from food poisoning. I feel much better now with the goal under my name and that too the winner against Thailand,” said Izzaq.

The Thais saw their game plan go awry when coach Parapol Pongpanich used up all three substitutions by the 70th minute. He was reduced to 10 men when midfielder Sarach Yooyen was stretchered off in the 75th minute. Yet, the Thais scored the equaliser a minute later through Natarid.

Way off the mark: Malaysia striker Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim attempting a shot at goal against Thailand in a Group A match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan yesterday. Malaysia won 2-1. — S.S. KANESAN / The Star

But Thailand could not hold off the relentless pressure applied by the Malaysians and their defence finally caved in for the second time when Izzaq found the net.

It was a more positive approach by the Malaysians compared to their insipid performance against Singapore, which ended in a goalless draw in the opening match on Monday.

This time, they showed why they are the defending champions.

Coach Ong Kim Swee made four changes, opting for 19-year-old Mohd Nazmi Faiz and Mohd Irfan Fazail over seasoned campaigners K. Gurusamy and Abdul Shukur Jusoh in the engine room. There was certainly more spark in their offensive play as they attacked with panache.

Kim Swee also switched players around, pushing Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim up front with Baddrol, Mahalli Jasuli to right-back and Mohd Fandi Othman to left-midfield. Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria also came in for Ahmad Fakri Saarani in right midfield.

The new strategy worked well with the Malaysians having the Thais pegged for most of the game. It would have been a rout if only the Malaysians had kept their composure in front of goal. The wayward forwards missed half a dozen clear chances as Malaysia dominated their rivals.

A delighted Kim Swee said it should have been all over in the first-half.

“We should have been up by two or three goals but we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure when Thailand equalised in the second-half. In the end, my boys showed character and deserved the win.

“I must also say that 17-year-old Mohd Nazmi Faiz did well in midfield and played like a pro. He was taken off with a knock but we hope it is not a bad injury,” said Kim Swee.

Thai coach Parapol offered no excuse for their defeat and accepted that they had lost to a better team. However, he said that some of the players had been affected by the devastating floods in Thailand.

“The homes of some players, including skipper Ronnachai Rangsiyo, were hit by the floods in Bangkok. But this is no excuse for the way we lost the match,” said Parapol.

MALAYSIA: Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Mahalii Jasuli, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar, Mohd Irfan Fazail (Ahmad Fakri Saarani), Baddrol Bakhtiar, Mohd Fandi Othman, Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim, Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria (Izzaq Faris Ramlan), Muhd Nazmi Faiz (K. Gurusamy), Mohd Muslim Ahmad.

THAILAND: Weerawut Kayem, Adisak Krisom (Attapong Nooprom), Chalermsak Kaesooktae (Isarapong Lilakorn), Sarach Yooyen, Ronnachai Rangsiyo, Kroekrit Thawikan, Phonlawut Donchui (Natarid Thammroddodpon), Sutjarit Jantakol, Pokklaw A-Nan, Ukrit Wongmeena, Komkrit Cumsokcheak.

Source:Thestar

Djokovic hits bonus jackpot in Paris

PARIS, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic pocketed a $1.6-million bonus just for turning up on court before making light of shoulder pains to beat Croatian Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-3 in the Paris Masters second round on Wednesday.

An ATP rule designed to entice top players to take part in the main events states that, as world number one, Djokovic is entitled to a $2-million bonus if he plays in all eight Masters tournaments.

The bonus drops to $1.6 million if he misses one - and to nothing if he misses two.

Having skipped the Shanghai Masters through injury, the Serbian suffered a recurrence of a shoulder problem in his semi-final defeat in Basel by Japan's Kei Nishikori last week.

Djokovic, who said he spent his time between Basel and Paris recovering from the injury, dismissed talk that he had turned up in Paris just to cash in the cheque.

"It was really somehow funny for me to see how people are coming up with that story...I even heard that I would get on the court and play a game just to get this money. This is ridiculous, " he told a news conference.

"I need more matches before (the ATP World Tour finals in) London. I think it's obvious that I'm still not (at the) top of my game. But I'm taking things quite slowly knowing that the form will improve each day that I play. "I believe in that. I have been working quite hard in the last couple of weeks after my injury, and I think things are going in the right direction." STRONG SERVE

Djokovic, who has won three grand slams and five Masters titles this year, struggled at times against world number 39 Dodig, but served strongly throughout and took his chances when it mattered to book his place in the third round.

A break in the 10th game was enough to take the lead and another in the sixth game of the second helped him wrap it up.

Swiss Roger Federer, seeded three, barely broke sweat in a 6-2 6-3 dismissal of French wildcard Adrian Mannarino to reach the third round where he will face local favourite Richard Gasquet on Thursday.

Second seed Andy Murray started his campaign in ruthless fashion, beating France's Jeremy Chardy 6-2 6-4 to reach the third round.

World number three Murray, who withdrew from the Basel tournament because of injury, had little difficulty with Chardy, setting up a meeting with 13th seed Andy Roddick in the next round.

Briton Murray completed a stunning hat-trick of titles in as many weeks on the Asian swing of the ATP tour after winning the Shanghai Masters on Oct. 16. He also won in Bangkok and Tokyo.

"I take a few weeks off and the first match is always a tough one, even if you've been winning a lot of matches," Murray told reporters.

"But always after taking a break things feel a little bit different.

Hopefully I can build on today's win. Maybe if I get through a couple of rounds, I'll feel that momentum."

Serbian Janko Tipsarevic kept alive his slim hopes of reaching the ATP World Tour finals when the 11th seed thrashed American Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-1 6-0 to reach the third round.

Source:Thestar

Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, however, was ruled out of the London event when he lost 6-3 7-5 to Italian Andreas Seppi.

Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Murray, Federer and David Ferrer have qualified and four players are now vying for the three remaining spots after Mardy Fish's 6-1 6-2 win over German Florian Mayer ruled out Gael Monfils, who later lost to Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4.

American Fish, the seventh seed, is now only one win away from securing his London spot.

Frenchman Gilles Simon's chances also vanished into thin air when the 10th seed suffered a 6-3 6-0 drubbing by Argentine Juan Monaco in which he was booed by the crowd in the last game.

Tributes pour in as Frazier wins top billing at last

NEW YORK (Reuters): Joe Frazier had to wait until death to win rightful appreciation after a boxing career spent in the shadow of the magnificent Muhammad Ali, boxing historian Bert Sugar told Reuters.

"He never got his due," Sugar told Reuters Tuesday when asked about the former world heavyweight champion, who fought three epic bouts with Ali in the 1970s and died late Monday from liver cancer at age 67.

"People say Ali-Frazier, and the winner of that fight was Frazier," Sugar said about their first clash in March of 1971, a battle of undefeated heavyweights at Madison Square Garden that left both boxers hospitalised.

"This is the day for Joe Frazier, who has always been the second slot to Muhammad Ali, even when he won. Today is the day when he stands up as his own and he's Joe Frazier, period, paragraph, and he can stand up to anybody on his own."

Boxing promoter Bob Arum said the three bouts between the fighters stood as a hallmark in sport.

"He gave the world what had to be one of the most thrilling trilogies in any sport," he said about Frazier's bouts against Ali. "There was nothing like it in this country and in the world for the attention those fights received."

Ali returned after a three-year exile imposed after he refused induction for the Vietnam War due to his Muslim beliefs to face Frazier and the build-up was intense.

"I think the first, certainly was the biggest event I ever covered. It seemed like the world stopped in anticipation of it," HBO fight commentator Larry Merchant told Reuters in a phone interview from his California home.

"It was building up for several years, two heavyweight champions. Ali in exile.

"And then to have the fight and the drama exceed the highest expectations, was a once-in-a-half-century, thrilling event."

Merchant did not think Frazier was slighted by his association with Ali, but rather enhanced.

"Regardless of the fact that Ali was such a towering figure in his time, a worldwide figure, he brought out the best in Joe Frazier," said Merchant.

"Indeed Frazier was admired and respected widely and had the heavyweight stage to himself during Ali's exile... in boxing, nobody didn't love Joe Frazier and what he represented in his honesty, dedication and toughness as a champion.

"It was one extraordinary man against an ordinary Joe in terms of personalities and how they reached out to the world."

BETTER FIGHTER

Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Dave Anderson of the New York Times wrote that he considered Frazier a better fighter.

"I've always believed that, each at his best, Joe Frazier... was the better fighter," Anderson wrote in his column.

Ali won their Garden rematch by decision, setting up the "Thrilla in Manila" rubber bout in 1975. Ali won that rough bout, but Anderson said Frazier inflicted more punishment.

"The Thrilla in Manila in 1975 was awarded to Ali when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, wouldn't let him answer the bell for the 15th round because he couldn't see the right hands coming out of his closed left eye," recalled Anderson.

"But Frazier soon talked freely in the interview area. When an exhausted Ali finally arrived, he described their epic in brutality as 'next to death.'

"That evening, at a party in an old Filipino palace, Ali, his ribs battered, walked stiffly and sat stiffly, painfully offering a finger or two instead of shaking hands. At his hotel, Frazier sang and danced. Seeing them both, if you didn't know what had happened in the fight you had to think Frazier was the winner."

Said Sugar: "Had he stood up off his stool and gone to the centre of the ring, Ali would have collapsed. Ali has no legs, they have to almost drag him to the corner after the last round. He would have lost. That's one of the ironies."

Some diminish Frazier in historical terms because his career ebbed after his three epic fights against Ali.

"It is no surprise that after that night of greatness, he was never the same," Wally Matthews wrote for espn.com about Frazier's ferocious victory in their first fight.

"But to knock Frazier for being unable to match the greatest athletic performance ever seen at Madison Square Garden is like criticizing Michelangelo for being unable to sculpt another David."

MALAYSIA BEATS THAILAND 2-1

JAKARTA: Izzaq Faris Ramlan's late strike saw Malaysia walk out 2-1 winners against SEA Games favourite Thailand at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here Wednesday night.

The win will not only help restore the confidence of the players who had lost two valuable points in their opening match against Singapore after a goalless draw on Monday, it will also provide the right tonic to face the home team on Nov 17 after meeting Cambodia on Nov 13.

Malaysia, hoping to defend the gold won in Laos two years ago, however, had to wait until the 25th minute for the Midas touch of skipper Baddrol Bakhtiar.

Baddrol, who received a beautiful pass from left back Asraruddin Putra Omar, beat Thailand goalkeeper Ukrit Wongmeema for the opening goal but credit must go to goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat for stopping numerous goal-worthy attempts from the Thais, especially skipper Ronnachai Rangsiyo.

Stunned by the goal, Thailand increased their presence in the Malaysian half and managed to find the equaliser through substitute Natarid Thammroddodpon's strike in the 76th minute.

Sensing a need for more bite upfront, coach Ong Kim Swee decided to throw his ace in the pack, Izzaq Faris, to replace Wan Zaharulnizam in the 80 minute and the move immediately paid dividends.

Four minutes later (84th minute) Izzaq Faris struck an unstoppable shot that not only beat the Thailand goalkeeper but ensured all three points for the Malaysian squad.

Team list: MALAYSIA: Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Mahali Jasuli, Mohd Fadhli Mohd Shas, Mohamad Muslim Ahmad, Mohd Asraruddin Putra Omar, Mohd Irfan Fazail (Ahmad Fakhri Saarani), Muhd Nazmi Faiz Mansor (K.Gurusamy), Mohamad Fandi Othman, Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria (Izzaq Faris Ramlan), Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim, Baddrol Bakhtiar.

THAILAND: Ukrit Wongmeema, Weerawut Kayem, Chalermsak Kaewsooktae, Sutjarit Jantakol, Komkrit Cumsokcheak, Sarach Yooyen, Kroekrit Thawikan, Phonlawut Donchui (Natarid Thammroddodpon), Pokklaw A-Nan (Isarapong Lilakron), Adisak Krisorn, Ronnachai Rangsiyo. - Bernama

HALL OF FAME- NICOL DAVID

BADMINTON WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION

Joe Frazier dies after fight with cancer

WASHINGTON: Joe Frazier, the relentless slugger who became the heavyweight champion of the world and earned boxing immortality with three epic battles against Muhammad Ali, died Monday at age 67, his personal manager said.

"Smokin' Joe" Frazier, who was the first boxer to beat Ali, died in Philadelphia a month after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Leslie Wolff, Frazier's personal trainer, confirmed his death.
Frazier won the Olympic heavyweight boxing gold medal for the United States in 1964 in Tokyo and held the world heavyweight boxing crown from 1970 to 1973.
He is eternally linked with Ali thanks to their trilogy of fights in the 1970s, among the most famous in the history of the sport. Frazier won the first and Ali took the next two.
While both fighters were American blacks and Olympic gold medallists, their personalities could not have been more different. Ali was a charismatic self-promoter. Frazier was a proud, no-nonsense man who dropped out of school at age 13.
Frazier won the world heavyweight title in 1970, knocking out champion Jimmy Ellis, after Ali had been stripped of the championship in 1967 for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War due to his Muslim beliefs.
Ali was reinstated in boxing and met Frazier on March 8, 1971 at New York's Madison Square Garden, in a bout billed as "The Fight of the Century." Frazier sent Ali to the canvas with a left hook in the 15th round. Ali got up but Frazier won by unanimous decision.
The brutal encounter left both men hospitalized. Frazier later lost his title in 1973 to hard-hitting George Foreman.
The second Ali-Frazier fight was on January 28, 1974, again at Madison Square Garden, with Ali winning a 12-round decision.
Ali then beat Foreman to reclaim the championship. He defended it in the third Frazier fight on October 1, 1975, in an encounter in the Philippines known as "The Thrilla in Manila" -- one of the most famous sporting events of the 20th century.

TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT
The two punished each other for 14 rounds, then Frazier's trainer and cornerman Eddie Futch stopped the fight before the 15th round, while Frazier fumed in the ring corner, one of his eyes swollen shut. Frazier never forgave Futch for giving Ali a victory by technical knockout.
The Ali-Frazier rivalry was waged not only in a boxing ring. Ali ridiculed Frazier as a "gorilla" and an "Uncle Tom," a deeply insulting term referring to a black who acts in a humiliatingly subservient way towards whites.
For his part, Frazier insisted on calling his foe Cassius Clay, the birth name that Ali changed in 1964 for a Muslim name.
Frazier remained bitter towards Ali for decades.
"I am who I am, and yes, I whipped Ali all three times," Frazier told the New York Times in 2006.
"Ali always said I would be nothing without him," Frazier said. "But who would he have been without me?"
Frazier was born in segregated South Carolina in 1944, the youngest of 12 children. He said his uncle told him when he was a boy he would become the next Joe Louis, the celebrated black heavyweight champion of the 1930s and 1940s. Moving to Philadelphia, he aimed to make good on that prediction.
Frazier amassed a career record of 32-4-1. He retired after a second loss to Foreman in 1976, then came out of retirement for a fight in 1981 before ending his career for good. His only losses were to Ali and Foreman.
Ali became a beloved sports legend but Frazier was never embraced the same way. He also lost almost all of his money. He lived alone in an apartment above the gym where he trained young fighters in a run-down section of Philadelphia.
Frazier in the 1980s managed the boxing career of his eldest son, Marvis, who was best known for devastating knockout losses to champions Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson. Frazier's daughter Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde entered women's boxing and fought Ali's daughter Laila, losing on a decision in 2001.
 
FRAZIER FACT BOX
* Born Jan. 12, 1944, in Beaufort, South Carolina. * Won the Olympic heavyweight boxing gold medal for the United States in 1964 in Tokyo. * Won the world heavyweight title in 1970 after knocking out champion Jimmy Ellis. * Hands Muhammad Ali the first defeat of his pro career on March 8, 1971, winning a 15-round bout at New York's Madison Square Garden billed as "The Fight of the Century." * Lost his title in 1973 to hard-hitting George Foreman. * Frazier loses second fight with Ali, again at Madison Square Garden, in a 12-round decision on Jan. 28, 1974. * In one of the most famous sporting events of the 20th century, Frazier lost to Ali in a brutal encounter in the Philippines known as "The Thrilla in Manila" on a technical knockout when trainer Eddie Futch would not allow Frazier to fight the 15th round. * Inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. * Frazier retired in 1976 before staging an unsuccessful return in 1981. * Career record of 32-4-1 with 27 knockouts.

Source : Thestar

OFFICIAL SONG SEA GAMES 26th 2011

Official song-sea-games-26th-2011-indonesia

26th SEA GAMES INDONESIA 2011

Roger Federer thrashing of Japan's Kei Nishikori to win a fifth Swiss Indoors

BASEL, Switzerland: Roger Federer has emerged as the fittest of the tennis elite heading into Monday's start of the final regular event of a long ATP season, the Paris Masters.
The 30-year-old world No.4, who has remained remarkably injury-free throughout a career that has yielded 16 grand slam titles, earned a 58th trophy with Sunday's 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of Japan's Kei Nishikori to win a fifth Swiss Indoors.
''It's been a long time since I felt so good physically,'' Federer said.
''I'm feeling ready and fit and fired up, that's how it's supposed to be. This is the last push of the season and I'm ready for it.''
Federer aside, the top of the Paris field looks particularly vulnerable as another marathon season draws to a close, with next week and the year-end World Tour Finals still to come.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic is doubtful for Paris after re-injuring his right shoulder in his semi-final loss in Basel to Nishikori. Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Bercy indoor event, ostensibly on fitness grounds.
World No.3 Andy Murray created a stir a week ago when asking for a Basel wildcard. But the Scot then said that an injury to a glute muscle sustained in his sleep left him as another question mark.
Federer, by contrast, appears to be ready to go after another triumph at home. The Swiss leaves with a 29-1 record at his home event over the past six years after playing six straight finals. The tournament is the only non-grand slam tournament where he has won more than 40 matches.
''It's been a great start to the autumn; I think my pause paid off,'' he said. ''I've got different priorities than some of the younger guys who are ranked around me.
''I needed to take that time off. It was best for my mind, my body, my family and my fitness. There is a lot of tennis to be played until the end of the season and it will be packed in early 2012. I want to be a danger everywhere that I play.''
Federer improved to 54-12 this season as he competed in his first final since losing to Nadal at Roland Garros in June.
Federer nailed five aces and broke on four of 13 chances against Nishikori, who was playing his second final of the season after Houston in the spring. The Swiss saved the only break point he faced.
AFP 

Source:SMH

World champion Nicol vows to keep on breaking records

ROTTERDAM: The past few days have been a dream for Nicol David and she has had more than her share of priceless moments.
First, the squash legend from Pe­­nang, who has been based in Am­­sterdam since 2003, was inducted into her sport’s Hall of Fame on Sa­­turday for her amazing accomplishments.
A day later, the long reigning world No. 1 created history by winning a record sixth world title - the first woman to do so in the 35-year history of the championships.

Moving forward: With the world title under her belt, Nicol David will now go for a record sixth Hong Kong Open title this month.

Nicol has won all the major tournaments her sport has to offer and no other Malaysian athlete comes close to matching her achievements – 56 titles and still counting.
What was really amazing is the way she played in the final, pummelling world No. 2 Jenny Duncalf of England into submission in straight sets - 11-2, 11-5, 11-0 - in just 29 minutes. Such was her domination that Duncalf simply surrendered.
The 28-year-old Nicol, who has been the world No. 1 since August 2006, said that the win over Duncalf was the pinnacle of her professional career which began in 2000.
“It was my best performance to date. I didn’t want anyone else, but me, to put their hands on the trophy,” she said.
“Winning was great and the record means the world to me,” said Nicol, who surpassed the previous milestone of five titles she jointly held with her mentor, Australian Sarah FitzGerald.
But far from being satisfied, Nicol is hungry for even more success and plans to play on for another five to seven years. That is bad news for her rivals.
“I hope to stay injury-free and win many more tournaments. Per­haps even a few more world titles so that nobody can overhaul my record,” she said with a glint in her eye.
Nicol’s 56 Wispa titles put her level with former world champion Michelle Martin of Australia. She now wants to beat FitzGerald’s record of 62 to seal her reputation as the best player in the history of the game.

That should be a breeze if Nicol keeps playing like she did in Rotter­dam. And given her insatiable appetite for records, it will be some time yet before the final chapter of the Nicol David legend is written.
“Winning always feels good. But the pressure is mounting as there are several young players beginning to make their mark. The Egyptian girls have plenty of potential and are a real threat,” said Nicol.
“I have to work two to three times harder to stay on top. I will continue training in Amsterdam under coach Liz Irving as it has been a highly successful arrangement.
Nicol’s only regret is that she will not be able to add an Olympic gold medal to her impressive collection of trophies.
“It’s a pity that the IOC (Inter­na­tion­al Olympic Committee) have not deem­ed it fit to include squash in the Games,” lamented Nicol, who won the world junior title in 1999 and 2001.
She has also won the World Games title twice - Duisburg, Germany, in 2005, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 2009 - and bagged three British Open titles - in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
Nicol is the first Malaysian to win the Commonwealth Games squash gold medal - at New Delhi last year - and has won eight Asian championships and three Asian Games -1998, 2006 and last year - gold medals.
She has also won the Wispa’s Player of the Year award five times since 2006.
That is a giddy list of achievements by any standard and Nicol is taking a well-deserved break after her Rotter­dam high. She is going on a Roman holiday with her parents Desmond and Mary Ann.
“My parents have never been to Rome and I need a rest after winning the world title,” said Nicol, whose next last assignment of the year is the Hong Kong Open starting on Nov 15.
She will be gunning for another record in Hong Kong too – her sixth consecutive title.
Nicol’s male counterpart, Nick Matthew also lived up to his top ranking in the world championships. Matthew beat Gregory Gaultier of France 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 to win the crown for the second time on Sunday.

Source : Thestar

SQUASH WORLD OPEN 2011-NICOL DAVID THE CHAMPION

BADMINTON WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION 2011-GIRL SINGLE

BADMINTON WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION 2011-MIXED TEAM

BADMINTON WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION 2011-BOYS DOUBLE

BADMINTON WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION 2011-SINGLE

ZULFADLI ZULKIFLI

PETRA KVITOVA IN ISTANBUL

ANA IVANOVIC IN BALI

BADMINTON WORLD JUNIOR 2011

Nelson Heg and Teo Ee Yi beat Hong Kong’s Chang Tak Ching-Man Tang Chun 21-16, 21-6 in the second round yesterday.

ZULFADLI Zulkifli and boys' doubles Nelson Heg-Teo Ee Yi advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Junior Championships in contrasting styles in Taipei yesterday.

Zulfadli, the Asian Junior champion, secured an easy 21-15, 21-15 win over Vietnam's Pham Cao Cuong in the third round and then defeated Gerald Ong of Singapore 21-9, 21-19 to book his berth in the last eight.

He will face a tougher hurdle when he meets Indonesia's Wisnu Yuli Prasetyo, who beat Thammasin Sitthikom of Thailand 21-16, 21-16, today.

Nelson-Ee Yi cruised to a 21-16, 21-6 win over Hong Kong's Chang Tak Ching-Man Tang Chun in the second round but were stretched to the limit by Japan's Kento Momota-Taichi Saito before securing a 15-21, 22-20, 21-19 in the third round. 

Nelson-Ee Yi, runners-up to compatriots Ow Yao Han-Yew Hong Kheng last year, will play Indonesians Lukhi Apri Nugroho-Kevin Sanjaya Sakamuljo in the last eight today.

The fact that Nelson had also been doing well in the mixed doubles, where he made the quarter-finals with Chow Mei Kuan, could have affected his performance in the boys' doubles.

Nelson had to play four matches yesterday.

In the mixed doubles, Nelson-Mei Kuan defeated Hafiz Faizal-Shella Devi Aulia of Indonesia 18-21, 21-19, 23-21 and play Denmark's Kasper Antonsen-Line Kjaersfeldt today.

In the girls' singles, Sonia Cheah saved eight match points against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong to earn a 21-6, 15-21, 24-22 win to sail into the quarter-finals.

Sonia, who trailed 14-20 in the deciding game before staging a spirited fightback against Ngan Yi, will take on third seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan today.

Sonia and Yang Li Lian also made it to the girls' doubles quarter-finals when they beat Chloe Birch-Emily Westwood of England 21-18, 21-12 and meet South Korea's Lee So Hee-Shin Cheung Chan next.

RESULTS -- (Malaysia unless stated) Boys' Singles 3rd Rd: Viktor Axelsen (Den) bt Lee Hong Je (Kor) 21-11, 21-16; Zulfadli Zulkifli bt Pham Cao Cuong (Vie) 21-15, 21-15; Sameer verma (Ind) bt Goh Giap Chin 21-13, 21-17; Khosit Phetpradab (Tha) bt Soon Joo Ven 21-18, 22-20.

4th Rd: Viktor Axelsen (Den) bt Kai Schaffer (Ger) 21-10, 21-14; Zulfadli Zulkifli bt Gerald Ong (Sin) 21-9, 21-19.

Doubles 2nd rd: Nelson Heg-Teo Ee Yi bt Chang Tak Ching-Man Tang Chun (HK) 21-16, 21-6; Sant Enos Jani-Low Juan Shen bt Le Tan Than-Pham Cao Cuong (Vie) 21-18, 21-12.

3rd rd: Nelson Heg-Teo Ee Yi bt Kento Momota-Taichi Saito (Jpn) 15-21, 22-20, 21-19; Lee Chun Hei-Ng Ka Long (HK) bt Sant Enos Jani-Low Juan Shen 21-15, 21-16.

Women's Singles 2nd rd: Sonia Cheah bt Gayle Mahulette (Fra) 21-13, 21-9; Romina Gabdulina (Rus) bt Yang Li Lian 16-21, 21-19, 21-19.

3rd rd: Cheung Ngan Yi (HK) v Sonia Cheah

Doubles 2nd rd: Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean bt Chisato Hoshi-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) 23-21, 21-16; Sonia Cheah-Yang Li Lian bt Ramona Hacks-Jennifer Karnott (Ger) 21-13, 21-16.

3rd rd: Sonia Cheah-Yang Li Lian bt Chloe Birch-Emily Westwood (Eng) 21-18, 21-12; Chae Yoo Jung-Kim Chan Mi (Kor) bt Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean 23-25, 21-16, 21-15.

Mixed Doubles 4th rd: Nelson Heg-Chow Mei Kuan bt Hafiz Faizal-Shella Devi Aulia (Ina); Lin Chia Yu-Shuai Pei Ling (Tai) 21-19, 21-16.

Sonia and Nelson enter two quarter- finals each in world juniors

PETALING JAYA: Sonia Cheah served up a double joy for Malaysia in the World Junior Badminton Champ-ionships when she checked into two quarter-finals in Taipei yesterday.

The 17-year-old Sonia exacted sweet revenge over Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi 21-6, 15-21, 24-22 to set up a clash against Nozomi Okuhara for a place in the girls’ singles semi-finals.

She and Yang Li Lian then scored a convincing 21-18, 21-12 win over Chloe Birch-Emily Westwood of England to advance to the doubles quarter-finals. Awaiting them are the formidable South Koreans Lee So-he-Shin Seung-chan.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) junior programme coordinator Hau Kim Tho was happy that Sonia had made a quick rebound.

Living dangerously: Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi (front) and Nelson Heg Wei Keat slogged for a 15-21, 22-20, 21-19 win over Japan’s Kento Momota-Taichi Saito in their World Junior Badminton Championships’ boys’ doubles third round match Thursday.

“She lost to Ngan Yi in the team tie after taking a 20-18 lead. She didn’t make the same mistake again. It was very close but Sonia showed true grit to win the decider (24-22),” said Kim Tho.

“She is looking confident and we hope that she will continue to keep the national flag flying high.”

It was also a great day for Malaysia in the boys’ singles, boys’ doubles and mixed doubles.

Asian junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli, the second seed, did not allow painful blisters to stop him from marching on. He defeated Gerald Ong Soon Lee of Singapore 21-9, 21-19 to emerge as the only Malaysian survivor in the boys’ singles following the defeats of Soong Joo Ven and Goh Giap Chin.

Zulfadli faces his first big test of the competition when he takes on Wisnu Yuli Prasetyo of Indonesia in the quarter-finals.

“I picked up the blister during the team final against South Korea. It affected my play today. I hope to get a good rest and come back stronger for my clash against Wisnu,” said Zulfadli.

It was also a good day for Nelson Heg Wei Keat who checked into two quarter-finals.

He and Teo Ee Yi lived dangerously for a 15-21, 22-20, 21-19 win over the gritty Japanese pair of Kento Momota-Taichi Saito in the boys’ doubles. The duo will have to be more cautious when they take on Indonesia’s Lukhi April Nugroho-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo next.

In the mixed doubles, Nelson made it to the quarter-finals with Chow Mei Kuan. The duo take on Denmark’s Kasper Antonsen-Line Kjaersfeldt next and should make it to the semi-finals.

Said Kim Tho: “It is good to see Malaysia being well represented in every event.

“It will get tougher from this stage on. I hope our players will keep their feet on the ground.”

Source: Thestar

Nicol in Hall of Fame

ROTTERDAM: Nicol David will receive the ultimate recognition when she is inducted into the World Squash Federation (WSF) Hall of Fame here tomorrow.

The 28-year-old from Penang, who is going for a record sixth crown at the World Open this week, will be inducted by Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar (pic), the WSF Patron and IOC member who is himself a former national squash champion.

Nicol rules supreme in the women’s game and has already achieved legendary status. After becoming the first ever double winner of the biennial world junior title in 2001, she went on to begin an unbroken reign at the top of the world rankings from August, 2006. She is now the second longest-standing world number one of all-time behind Australia’s Susan Devoy, who reigned for 105 months.

Nicol already has 55 Women’s International Squash Players Association (Wispa) titles and equalled the five world titles won by her mentor Sarah Fitz-Gerald.

She has almost single-handedly put Malaysia on the world squash map through her achievements and, earlier this year, won a record eighth national sportswoman of the year award.

Legendary status: Nicol David is now the second longest-standing world No. 1 of all time behind Australia’s Susan Devoy.

Nicol captured the first of her three Asian Games gold medals in 1998, aged just 15, and, in April this year, claimed her eighth successive Asian Championship in Penang.

“It’s great to be recognised in this way while I am still a player and have my achievements compared with the best players the game has seen,” said Nicol. “It’s truly fantastic and I am really honoured.

“But this does not mean I am ready to ride off into the sunset. I am far from finished even though I have been playing the professional circuit for over 10 years.”

Nicol intends to prove just that by bagging her sixth world crown on Sunday.

Source: Thestar