Sania enters title-round

Hyderabad: Sania Mirza thrashed Jaslyn Hewitt of Australia 6-0, 6-1 to storm into the final of the $ 10,000 ITF women’s tournament being played at Wrexham, england.

The 17-year-old Indian adopted an aggressive approach right from the start and her plans paid off as her Australian opponent could never find her rhythm. The former Wimbledon girls’ doubles champion has been in fine form in this tournament and has lost just one game in the four sets during here quarter final and semi-final ties.

India clinch bronze

Chennai: India beat China 3-0 to claim the bronze in the 8th Rashid international volleyball championship in Dubai on Friday.

The Indian men scored a 25-18, 25-22, 25-15 win in 60 minutes against china while Iran defeated Egypt 25-23, 25-22, 24-26, 25-17 for the gold medal, according to a press release by K. Murugan, secretary, Volleyball Federation of India. Defending champions India had defeated Iran in their first league tie in the tournament 27-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20 and led its four-team group with two more victories over United Arab Emirates and Kazakstan but lost to Egypt in the semi-finals. Indian players, Y. Subba Rao and K. J. Kapildev, were adjudged best blocker and setter.

Rooney doubtful

London: Teenage striker Wayne Rooney is doubtful for England’s opening World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Poland next month as he recovers from breaking a bone in his foot at Euro 2004 in June. Rooney has been told he can only begin light jogging in two weeks’ time but that would leave him with little time to get match fit for England’s Group VI games in Austria on September 4 and Poland four days later.

Mick Rathbone, the head physio at Rooney’s Premier League club Everton, told their website: “He has had his six-week x-ray and consultation and there are good signs of healing...”

Greek champ critical

Athens: Greek judo champion Eleni Ioannou was in a critical condition on Saturday after an accident in the early hours of the morning, a Greek Olympic team official said.

The 20-year-old went into surgery at a central Athens hospital with serious injuries from a fall.

“She was taken straight to the emergency ward at the hospital after an accident at her home in Athens,” said team spokesman George Gakis. Ioannou and the rest of the judo team were not scheduled to transfer to the Olympic village until Thursday.

Gaudio pulls out

Buenos Aires: French Open champion Gaston Gaudio has withdrawn from the Olympic Games tennis tournament with injuries to his heel and shoulder, the Argentina tennis federation has announced. Gaudio is the second top Argentine player to pull out following Guillermo Coria. With both Coria and Gaudio out, Argentine hopes in Athens rest with David Nalbandian.

Plans intact

Minsk (Belarus): Belarusian sports minister Yuri Sivakov said he would attend the Olympics in Athens despite the Greek government’s announcement that it would ban him from entering the country.

The Greek government said it would place a visa ban on Sivakov because of allegations that he has been involved in human rights abuses in Belarus.

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