Easy for Paes-Raja in Petersburg Open
IN THE LASTEIGHT STAGE, PAES AND RAJA ARE UP AGAINST FOURTH SEEDS MARCUS DANIELL AND MARCELO DEMOLINER,
NEW DELHI: Leander Paes and Purav Raja, who are trying to establish as a pair on the ATP World Tour, progressed to the quarterfinals of the St Petersburg Open with a straight-set win over Fabio Fognini and James Cerretani.
The Indians brushed aside the challenge of the Italian- American 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and seven minutes.
Paes and Raja converted four of the 10 break points they earned and saved three of the five break points they faced on their serves.
In the last-eight stage, Paes and Raja are up against fourth seeds Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner, who rallied to beat Austrians Julian Knowle and Alexander Peya 3-6 6-4 10 -6 in their first round match.
INDONESIA TO STAGE 40 SPORTS AT 2018 ASIAD
Indonesia will host a total of 40 events at next year’s Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang after reaching a deal with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the head of Indonesia’s organising committee said.
With less than a year to go until the Games open next August, the final programme had been in doubt before an agreement was reached during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, currently taking place in the Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat.
Under the agreement, the Games -- larger than the Olympics both in terms of the number of sports and competitors -- will incorporate 40 sports and 462 gold medal events.
The final number is down from the 42 sports that the OCA announced in March, but one more than the 39 that Indonesia’s organising committee (INASGOC) had proposed.
“Basically, we had already agreed on 39 sports but the policy that we have to follow is what is on the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan so that is why a new one has come up,” INASGOC secretary general Eris Herryanto said, after Indonesia presented their final plans to the OCA general assembly on Wednesday
AUSTRALIA INVITED TO 2022 ASIAN GAMES
: Athletes from Australia and the rest of Oceania have been invited to compete at the 2022 Asian Games, Australian Olympic chief John Coates said Thursday, days after the Olympic Council of Asia said such a move was unlikely.
The OCA’s invite to the Games in China’s Hangzhou is for selected sports only to enable regional athletes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics through Asian competition, Coates said.
Oceania --- Australia, New Zealand and a swathe of Pacific islands --- has not taken part in the regional Olympics before, but sporting ties with Asia have been growing.
Australia has been a member of the Asian Football Confederation since 2006