No cricket series between India and Pakistan
India said it won't play a bilateral cricket series with Pakistan as long as Islamabad continues to support and sponsor cross-border terrorism. Sports Minister Vijay Goel made it clear that the Indian government will not allow the bilateral cricket series as long as Pakistan continues to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. India and Pakistan, however, will continue to play each other in international tournaments. The arch-rivals from the sub-continent will meet each other in a group clash of the upcoming Champions Trophy at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4. Goel's remarks came ahead of a meeting between officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in Dubai to discuss possibilities of a bilateral series. The meeting, however, ended in a stalemate.
Nadal, Muguruza in second round
Rafael Nadal smoothly negotiated the potential stumbling block presented by Frenchman Benoit Paire, launching his bid for a 10th French Open trophy with a largely routine 6-1 6-4 6-1 win. Defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain reached the second round of the women's singles category after defeating Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-4 in just an hour and a half. Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic started his journey with a victory against Belgian Steve Darcis. The world No. 6 was able to finish the match in an hour and a half with the score 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Murray, Kerber top ATP rankings
Briton Andy Murray continued to lead the men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world singles rankings released on Monday, in a week with no changes in the top 10. With 10,370 points, Murray continued to lead the rankings of the last week, a position he has managed to maintain since November 7. In second place was Serbian Novak Djokovic with 7,445 points, ahead of Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who held third place with 5,695 points.
German Angelique Kerber remained at the top of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) world singles rankings, while the top ten saw no changes from last week. Serena Williams, who is not expected to play again in 2017 because of her pregnancy, was again in the second place of the ranking and the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza still occupied the fifth position.
Mary Kom all set to return to action
Out of competitive action for over a year, five-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom will return to the ring in an invitational tournament to be held in Mongolia next month. Kom, an Olympic bronze-medallist, will compete in the 51kg category at the tournament scheduled from June 20 to 26. The celebrated boxer decided to return to the light flyweight last year after the Commonwealth Games organisers decided to introduce the category in the 2018 Gold Coast edition. Kom's last world title, in the 2010 Barbados edition, had come in the 48kg category, while four others had been achieved in pinweight (46kg) prior to that. She had jumped to flyweight 51kg after it was included in the 2012 Olympic Games. The Manipuri went on to win the bronze medal in the Games, besides claiming a gold in the 2014 Asian Games where women's boxing made its debut.
Mary Kom has not competed since last year's World Championships, where she lost in the second round and missed qualification for the Rio Olympics.
Tearful farewell for Totti
Even Daniele De Rossi, one of the hardest men in football, was reduced to tears as AS Roma talisman Francesco Totti brought down the curtain on a remarkable 25 years at his only professional club. A capacity crowd stayed behind for more than an hour after the end of the win over Genoa to bid farewell to a hugely gifted player who, many believed, could have won much more had he moved elsewhere but remained loyal to Roma throughout. Totti, 40, came on in the 54th minute of the Serie A match and helped his team to a 3-2 win which guaranteed a second-place finish and an automatic place in the Champions League group stage next season. Totti, who confirmed only on Thursday that the game would be his last for the club, walked around the stadium and stood in front of the Curva Sud, tears welling in his eyes, for several minutes before kicking an autographed ball high into the stands. Totti made his debut as a 16-year-old in a 2-0 win against Brescia in 1993 and played under 16 different coaches during his 25 seasons at the club in the city where he was born. In all he made 786 appearances, scoring 307 goals including 250 in Serie A—the second-highest total by a single player after Silvio Piola between 1929 and 1954. A World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 when he played in all seven games, his trophy haul with Roma was surprisingly modest—a single Serie A title in 2001 and two winners' medals from the largely unloved Coppa Italia.
