By IANS,

New Delhi : The International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday denied that it goofed up the holding of Champions Trophy in Pakistan, and said the tournament would have lost its sheen with top teams refusing to participate.

The ICC also rubbished media reports that world cricket has been split into two groups on the issue of Champions Trophy.

By IANS,

New Delhi : Sania Mirza's steep slide in tennis rankings continued as she lost 21 places to be placed 91st in the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released Monday.

Sania, who is suffering from a wrist injury, was at the 70th position last week. The Indian has seen a massive dip in her rankings since undergoing a wrist surgery in April. She made an early comeback on the circuit with the DFS Classic tournament in Birmingham in June which though was followed by a series of early exits.

By IANS,

Lucknow : The Uttar Pradesh Rowing Association (UPRA) has started hectic preparations to host the National Junior Rowing Championship (NJRC), to be held here for the first time, Nov 17-22, an official said.

"The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has already granted us Rs.8 lakh (Rs.800,000) for organising the event," UPRA secretary Harish Sharma told IANS.

He said the association already has 18 boats for the event. A rowing club is also being set up to offer various facilities for the sportspersons who will assemble here from several states.

By IANS,

Mumbai : The second edition of the Twenty20 Champions League will be held Sep 25-Oct 10 next year, it was jointly announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) here Monday.

The three boards, who are also the founding members of the Champions League, had already announced the dates for the inaugural edition of the league slated for Dec 3-10 this year.

The second edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will feature 12 teams and will see 23 matches played.

By IANS,

Mumbai : Yuvraj Singh and former India captain Sourav Ganguly were not picked for the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy against Ranji Trophy champions Delhi in Vadodara Sep 24-28.

The selectors, who met here at the Wankhede Stadium, selected Anil Kumble as the captain of the 14-member squad announced Monday. They also picked Sachin Tendulkar, who will be looking to get over his poor from in the three-match Test series against Sri lanka.

By IANS,

Mumbai : The second edition of the Twenty20 Champions League will be held from Sep 25-Oct 11 next year, it was jointly announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) here Monday.

The three boards, who are also the founding members of the Champions League, had already announced the dates for the inaugural edition of the league slated for Dec 3-10 this year.

The second edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will feature 12 teams and will see 23 matches played.

By Bill Scott, DPA,

New York : Serena Williams has come full circle with a third US Open title earned nine years after her first of nine majors and counting.

The venue for her initial 1999 success was also the massive Ashe stadium at Flushing Meadows with the teenager beating Martina Hingis nearly a decade ago.

Williams, soon to turn 27, enters the remainder of her autumn WTA season invigorated after lifting another honour with a 6-4, 7-5 defeat of Jelena Jankovic.

In addition, the American returned to world number one status for the first time in five years.

By IANS,

Nalchik (Russia) : Title favourite Koneru Humpy opened with a fine win the quarter finals of the Women's World Championships beating China's Shen Yang in the first game of their two-game mini-match.

The other player to register a win Sunday was Pia Cramling of Sweden, who beat Antoaneta Stefanova. The other two games were drawn.

By DPA,

New York : Andy Murray will try to halt the tide of history when he plays Roger Federer in Monday's delayed final at the US Open after stunning Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4 in a semi-final spread over two days.

Murray after the win Sunday became only the third British player in the post-1968 Open Era to reach a Grand Slam final, and first since Greg Rusedski in New York in 1997.

Murray hung tough mentally overnight after his match against the Spanish top seed was halted Saturday by torrential rain with Murray leading two sets to love but down a break.

By DPA,

New York : Smiling Serb Jelena Jankovic kept her sunny disposition even in defeat, unable to stop glancing at herself repeatedly on the big stadium screen during a 6-4, 7-6 US Open finals loss to Serena Williams.

Even defeat in her first career Grand Slam final could not prevent the world No.2 from revelling in the thrill of the moment in front of a 23,000-capacity stadium full of fans here Sunday.

And instead of burying her head in a towel or picking at her racquet strings during changeovers, the 23-year-old instead watched replays of herself on the Jumbotron screen.