EB and Bagan in ISL?
City football giants East Bengal confirmed that they have sent their representative to pick up the Indian Super League (ISL) bid document. "Our representative has gone to pick up bid documents for the Indian Super League," club general secretary Kalyan Mazumdar said. Mohun Bagan General Secretary Anjan Mitra said they are still to decide and the "discussions are on". Football Sports Development Limited, the ISL organisers, invited bids on May 12 and the deadline for submitting is May 25 as a maximum of three teams would be up for grabs.Earlier, both traditional clubs had said they would not pay the franchise fee or play in any other venue than Kolkata if they are to participate in the ISL.
Murray knocked out of Italian Open
Defending champion Andy Murray was eliminated from the 2017 Italian Open, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Italy's Fabio Fognini in a second round match. The Scotsman and current world No. 1 took the title in Rome last year without losing a set, but has yet to return to top form after coming back from an elbow injury. The 29-year-old underdog broke Murray's serve early and jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the way to winning the first set 6-2. The 30-year-old Murray trailed 1-4 in the second set before breaking Fognini's serve and battling back to 5-4, but the Italian hung on to win the set and the match. Spanish tennis star and World No. 4 Rafael Nadal reached the third round of the Rome Masters after compatriot Nicolas Almagro pulled out due to injury. Almagro was trailing 0-3 to Nadal, a record seven-time champion, when he decided to withdraw due to a left knee injury. Meanwhile, Sania Mirza and her doubles partner Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan entered the quarterfinals. The Indo-Kazakh pair got a walkover from Ukrainians Olga Savchuk and Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16 match.
PCB bans Nawaz in spot-fixing probe
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) banned all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz for two months and imposed a fine of approximately $2,000 on him after the cricketer admitted failing to disclose an approach by a bookmaker to engage in corrupt practices. The all-rounder accepted the charges levelled against him that he had failed to timely disclose details of the bookies' approach to the board's Vigilance and Security Department. During the period of ineligibility, Nawaz's central contract executed with the PCB stands suspended. The 23-year-old Nawaz was part of the Twenty20 squad in the West Indies in March but returned home without playing a match. Nawaz is the second cricketer to be banned in recent times after fast-bowler Mohammad Irfan, who was banned for six months and fined one million rupees ($10,000) after admitting to similar charges. Four other cricketers—Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Nasir Jamshed and Shahzaib Hasan—are also under the lens for their alleged involvement in corruption-related activities in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Harikrishna beats Adams in Moscow meet
Indian Grand Master Pentala Harikrishna registered his first win of the Moscow FIDE Grand Prix after he got better of English GM Michael Adams. The Hyderabadi playing with white pieces on Tuesday night took the aggressive route from the word go and the Englishman could not do much and wilted under the pressure to concede the game. With the win, the World No. 16 Indian now has maintained his unbeaten run against Adams this year and recorded his second successive victory against him. With one win, three draws and a loss in five games so far in the campaign, Harikrishna has accumulated a total of 2.5 points and is placed 13th on the leaderboard. After a day's break, Harikrishna will resume his campaign against Greek GM Boris Gelfland in the next round of this elite tournament, which gives the participants a chance to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
Sharapova vows to 'rise again'
Maria Sharapova vowed to "rise up again" after she was refused a wildcard for the French Open following her 15-month ban for doping. The Russian former world number one also earned the backing of the head of women's tennis, a day after the French tennis federation's announcement that it would not grant her a wildcard for the event she won in 2012 and 2014. "If this is what it takes to rise up again, then I am in it all the way, everyday," Sharapova wrote on Twitter, in her first remarks on her snub. "No words, games, or actions will ever stop me from reaching my own dreams. And I have many." The five-time Grand Slam champion, 30, was banned for two years for using meldonium, with the penalty later reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled she was not an intentional doper.
