Dubai: Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina suffered a crushing 2-6, 1-6 defeat against top seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond to end runners up at the WTA Dubai Open here on Saturday. The second seeded Indo-Russian pair had started well and gave a good fight in the first 30 minutes of the match but were blown away after that. It was the pair of Sania and Vesnina, who earned the...
08:38 PM, Feb 25, 2012
Dubai: India's Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina edged out Shuai Peng of China and Chinese Taipei's Su-Wei Hsieh to book a place in the doubles final of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Tennis Championships. The second seeded Indo-Russian pair took an hour and 40 minutes to beat their opponents in the super tie-break, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (13/11) here late Friday night. The duo converted five of...
11:58 AM, Feb 25, 2012
Dubai: Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki lost in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, falling to Julia Goerges 7-6 (3), 7-5 on Friday. The former top-ranked Dane led 4-2 in the second set before Goerges regained control to close out the match in just over two hours. "I didn't play my best game today," Wozniacki said. "Made way too many unforced errors, and Julia took advantage of that." Goerges will...
11:56 PM, Feb 24, 2012
Dubai: Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 on Friday to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The fifth-seeded Radwanska took an early 4-1 lead and won the first set in 33 minutes. The Polish player faltered in the second when Jankovic broke twice. Radwanska regrouped and wrapped up the match without losing a game in the third set. Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki...
09:12 PM, Feb 24, 2012
Dubai: Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina entered the women's doubles semifinals of the Dubai Open tennis event on Thursday, defeating Maria-Jose Matrinez Sanchez and Shahar Peer. The second seeds got the better of the Spanish-Israeli combine 6-1, 4-6, 10-8 in the quarterfinals, which was their first match of the tournament after getting a bye in the opening round. The Indo-Russian duo next play China's Peng Shuai and Taipei's Su-Wei Hsieh,...
09:08 PM, Feb 23, 2012
Dubai: Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki reached the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Thursday, while US Open champion Sam Stosur was beaten by Jelena Jankovic of Serbia. Caroline Wozniacki ousted Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-5 in a meeting of former No. 1s, after Jankovic had beaten Stosur 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday. The 22-year-old Wozniacki eased through the first set and then overcame tougher resistance in the second before...
08:48 PM, Feb 23, 2012
Dubai: The UAE's Ministry of Economy has ordered removal of certain cans and bottles of Pepsi and Coca Cola from the market within one month, saying that the companies have reduced quantities without prior permission. The decision was taken after meeting between the Ministry and local departments following complaints the two multi-national companies have reduced the size of their cans or bottles without prior approval. The meeting concluded that reducing...
02:00 PM, Feb 23, 2012
Dubai: U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur defeated Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1 Wednesday to advance to the third round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki topped Romania's Simona Halep 6-2, 6-3. She'll face Ana Ivanovic, who defeated Maria Kirilenko of Russia, 6-2, 7-6 (4). Stosur broke twice in the first and third sets and saved all nine break points she faced in...
09:34 AM, Feb 23, 2012
Dubai: Ana Ivanovic defeated Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 7-5 on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Peng Shuai of China ousted six-seeded Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-3, winning six straight games to wrap up the final set. Ivanovic breezed through the first set, holding her Italian opponent to just one game in 33 minutes. Schiavone made it competitive in the second set, but was no match...
11:57 AM, Feb 22, 2012
Dubai: Two more players have pulled out the Dubai Tennis Championships on the second day of the tournament that was hit by a rush of withdrawals on Monday. Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova withdrew due to illness. French Open winner Li Na and Vera Zvonareva also pulled out on Monday because of injury. On Tuesday, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia retired with a hamstring injury during a match against Iveta Benesova of...
08:32 PM, Feb 21, 2012
Dubai: Sania Mirza squandered a one-set lead to crash out of the qualifying event of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, losing the first round match to Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak. Sania won the first set comfortably but lost steam as the match progressed to lose 6-2, 3-6, 2-6 in the opening round of the USD 2,000,000 hard court event. The Indian will now hope to do well in the doubles...
06:31 PM, Feb 20, 2012
Dubai: Rafael Cabrera-Bello held his nerve against a star-studded field Sunday to win the Dubai Desert Classic, shooting a 4-under 68 to beat Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher by one shot for his second European Tour victory. Westwood and Gallacher could have forced a playoff in the windy conditions but both players missed their birdie putts on the 18th. That brought a groan from the packed gallery but a broad...
12:12 PM, Feb 13, 2012
Dubai: Jeev Milkha Singh signed off the Dubai Desert Classic with a tame 73 and dropped to tied 37th even as Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello held his nerve to beat Lee Westwood (70) and Stephen Gallacher (64) on Sunday. Cabrera-Bello tallied 18-under 270, while Westwood and Gallacher were at 17-under 271. Jeev, making his 14th appearance in the Middle-East's oldest event on the European Tour, had a birdie on the fourth...
08:14 PM, Feb 12, 2012
Dubai: Jeev Milkha Singh shot a two-under 70 but still found himself falling three places at the end of third round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic here on Saturday. He shot 70 but still dropped to tied 29th, down from overnight 26th. The Indian had three birdies on the front nine on fourth, fifth and seventh and one on 12th on the back stretch, but bogeys on sixth and...
07:29 PM, Feb 11, 2012
Dubai: Jeev Milkha Singh found the going tough as he dropped five bogeys, two in his last thee holes, to end up with a card of 73 and slip from overnight 11th to tied 26th at the midway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday. Another Indian, SSP Chowrasia, however, missed the cut with a 79. On a day when the scores and scoring conditions were once again good,...
07:31 PM, Feb 10, 2012
Dubai: India's Jeev Milkha Singh shot a 5-under 67 to tie for 11th after the opening round of the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday. SSP Chowrasia earned three strokes fewer than his compatriot to share the 35th spot. Meanwhile, Rafael Cabrera-Bello made nine birdies in his first 11 holes to take the lead, finishing with a 9-under 63 to sit two strokes ahead of Marcel Siem and Scott Jamieson. The...
07:49 PM, Feb 09, 2012
Islamabad/Dubai: Indians worldwide soaked in the spirit of patriotism as they celebrated the Republic Day with fervour on Thursday to mark 63 years since the establishment of the Indian constitution. At the Indian High Commission in the Pakistani capital, High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal hoisted the national tricolour at an official function. Sabharwal read out President Pratibha Patil's address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day and children of...
01:11 PM, Jan 26, 2012
Islamabad: Pakistan's ISI chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha held a secret meeting with former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in Dubai recently and "strictly advised" him not to return to the country, according to a media report. "Gen Pasha, who has remained very close to the former President, held a meeting with (Musharraf) in Dubai and advised him not to return to the country as the situation is not conducive...
06:56 PM, Jan 24, 2012
Dubai: Having regained his full fitness after a long time, Jeev Milkha Singh is now aiming to make a winning start to the new season as he tees it up at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic from February 9 to 12. "The aim is to try and win the tournament. It's been a long since I felt that fit and healthy. I know I am close, but when it comes...
08:56 PM, Jan 16, 2012
Islamabad: Amidst fears of a military coup in Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari left for Dubai for a one-day visit, according to reports. Senior reporter of Dawn News Mateen Haidar said that Presidential sources have termed Zardari's visit as a private visit. Sources also said that Zardari will meet his children and doctors in Dubai. Sources also indicated that Zardari may meet former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Meanwhile, responding to...
02:16 PM, Jan 12, 2012
