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Serena Williams beats Azarenka in US Open final
Serena Williams beats Azarenka in US Open final (Reuters) / 9 September 2013 Serena Williams repeated as US Open women’s champion by holding off a battling Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1 in a windblown final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. Serena Williams of the US holds her winner’s trophy as Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (L) holds the runner up trophy after Williams won their women’s singles final match at the US Open tennis championships in New York on September 8, 2013. – Reuters Williams bounded in a series of joyous jumping jack leaps after Azarenka’s backhand sailed long on the second match point of a thrilling, two-hour 45-minute final that earned her a fifth US Open singles title that took her total to 17 grand slams. The big-hitting American, who turns 32 later this month, became the oldest US Open women’s winner since tennis turned professional 45 years ago, eclipsing Australian Margaret Court, who was 31 years and 55 days when she won the title in 1973. The triumph moved Williams to within one grand slam singles crown of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for a tie for fourth place on the all-time list behind Court (24), Steffi Graf (22) and Helen Wills Moody (19). Serena Williams of the US raises her trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their women’s singles final match at the US Open tennis championships in New York on September 8, 2013. – Reuters It had looked like it was going to be plain sailing for Williams after she won a difficult first set, boosted by a late break in the 11 th game for a 6-5 lead and then served out a love game before racing to a 4-1 second-set lead. Williams, who earlier looked confounded by the gusty wind that affected service tosses and the direction of bounces off groundstrokes and was muttering to herself between points, finally settled into a rhythm in the second set. “The wind was unbelievable,” said the champion. “And it just got worse and worse and it never let up. But at this point you have to play under any circumstance.” She claimed the 4-1 lead after Azarenka double-faulted three times in the fifth and her US Open repeat looked a certainty as she begun to find her range on her imposing service game that saw her serve broken only twice in six previous matches. But Azarenka was not ready to capitulate. “I think it was raising from the first point, the tension, the battle, the determination,” the second seed said about the quality of the match. “It was really kind of like boiling the water. It felt from every point, it was rising the level.” ‘Great match’ The Belarusian showed her fight and took advantage of a string of Williams errors to break right back for 4-2 and rode that momentum. Twice Williams served for the match, at 5-4 and again at 6-5, but Azarenka rose up to break the American’s serve and force a tiebreaker. Williams took a 3-1 lead but Azarenka won five of the next six points to seize a 6-4 advantage and sent the match to a third set when Williams belted a backhand long to lose it 8-6. Serena Williams of the US celebrates after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their women’s singles final match at the US Open tennis championships in New York on September 8, 2013. – Reuters “I think I got a little uptight,” Williams said about squandering her chances. “I wasn’t playing smart tennis. (But) you have to keep fighting for everything.” The third set stayed on serve until the fourth game when another double fault, her seventh of the match, sank Azarenka and handed Williams a 3-1 lead. With the stadium crowd roaring their support for the home favorite, the American broke Azarenka two games later for good measure to make it 5-1 before she claimed victory when the Belarusian sent a backhand long on the second match point. Williams blasted 36 winners in the match against 17 for Azarenka, and blasted nine aces against just two for the Belarusian, who won an impressive 10 of 15 points at the net when she stepped up the pressure on Williams. “Victoria, you played unbelievable,” said Williams at the trophy ceremony. “What a great match and what a great person. Vika is such a great opponent, she’s such a great fighter. It was never over until match point,” added Williams. The top seed collected the $2.6 million top prize and pocketed an addition $1 million bonus for having won the US Open run-up series of tournaments. Azarenka said she had been beaten by the better player. “It is a tough loss. But the best player deserves the win today. I gave it all again this year,” said Azarenka, who lost 7-5 in the third set to Williams in last year’s final. “We gave it everything we got.” In the men’s doubles final, Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were convincing winners over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares. The India-Czech pairing of Paes and Stepanek dominated the title match to record a 6-1 6-3 victory over their Austria-Brazil rivals. Paes, 40, won his third US Open doubles title and eighth major doubles title of his career. It was Stepanek’s second major doubles win after claiming the 2012 Australian Open with Paes. Stepanek, 34, said the win enabled them to qualify for an important goal. “There is one thing we would like to achieve, and that’s winning the world championships at the end of the year, because that’s the trophy which is missing in Leander’s showcase,” the Czech said. Croatia made a clean sweep of the junior singles titles when Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh posted victories at Flushing Meadows. The fourth-seeded Coric beat Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6 6-3 6-1 in the boys’ final before second-seeded Konjuh beat US wildcard Tornado Black 3-6 6-4 7-6(6). Coric, 16, said the US Open would be his last junior tournament. “I’ve won the slam” he said about his Sunday victory. “That was the goal at the beginning of the year.” Coric has been named to Croatia’s Davis Cup team for the tie next week against Britain at Umag. Continue reading
NRIs warned against taking cash to India
NRIs warned against taking cash to India Sajila Saseendran / 6 September 2013 The Central Bank of the UAE has asked banks and exchange houses operating in the country to advise their customers travelling to India to abide by the laws on carrying cash to India. In a notice issued on Tuesday, the Central Bank also asked the banks and money exchangers to warn their customers of the consequences of failing to do so. “The penalties stipulated in the new law include confiscation of money, prosecution and imprisonment,” the notice said. It advised the firms that the Indian Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) had implemented a new Law on 22/05/2013, criminalising bringing cash in Indian currency into India. As per the law, foreign travellers to India are strictly prohibited from carrying cash in Indian currency into India, while Indian nationals are permitted to carry cash not exceeding Rs7,500. The law also stipulates that all travellers to India must declare all cash in foreign currencies they might be bringing into India, including the UAE dirham, where its value exceeds $5,000. Foreigners should also make a declaration when the aggregate value of all foreign bills in the form of currency notes, financial instruments, travellers’ cheques etc. is equal to or exceeds $10,000, the notice added. The Central Bank’s move follows another advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi in March. The mission advised non-redident Indians staying in the UAE against carrying Indian currency notes when they visit their homeland. According to the mission, there is a general misconception that NRIs are allowed to carry Indian currency and there had been some instances when NRIs were found carrying large amounts of cash in the form of Indian currency while visiting India and faced problems at the airport. “In some cases, the currency being carried by NRIs has even been found to be counterfeit,” the Embassy had said. Its counterpart in Oman had also issued a similar advisory after “cases of counterfeit Indian currency involving Omani visitors” which the mission described as a cause for concern for the Indian government. When contacted, Indian Ambassador to the UAE M.K. Lokesh denied the Embassy requesting the UAE Central Bank to issue any advisory on the law. Promoth Manghat, vice-president of global operations at UAE Exchange, confirmed receiving the notice from the Central Bank. “We have already started informing our customers about this law when they come for Indian currency. The new law hasn’t had much of impact in the market.” A section of the Indian expatriates feels they should also be allowed to carry a minimum amount of cash in Indian currency for emergency use after landing in India. However, officials point out that NRIs can exchange the UAE Dirham or any other foreign currencies with the Indian rupee on arrival in India, where there is a better system to check counterfeit Indian currency. – sajila@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Syria refugees see no end to their exile as strikes loom
Syria refugees see no end to their exile as strikes loom (AFP) / 6 September 2013 Eyes glued to a television news report on Syria in a Jordan refugee camp, Said Salem has lost hope of returning home, where the 30-month war has forced two million to flee abroad. “The conflict has lasted too long, there is only death and destruction and the world is watching on as a spectator. It must end,” says Salem. Syrian refugees arrive at the Turkish Cilvegozu gate border. – AP file Salem is originally from the southern Syrian province of Daraa like most of the refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari camp which stretches into the desert as far as the eye can see. “We spend most of our time watching the news. It breaks our hearts to see Syria ruined and sinking into a civil war while the world sits still,” says the father of 11. As talk of possible US strikes on targets in Syria grows louder, Salem, who lost his right hand in an army raid a year ago, says that he wants an end to the suffering. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel,” he laments. US President Barack Obama says he is confident he will win congressional approval, as early as next week, for strikes on Syria in response to alleged chemical attacks by the regime on August 21. “The question that always comes up as I talk with my husband is: are we going to return to our country?” asks Hanan, a mother of four daughters. “Our children do not go to school, we no longer have a source of income and nobody is helping us,” the 38-year-old complains. Some refugees managed to flee Syria with money, while others subside on handouts from relatives who work abroad. But many are totally destitute. Opened one year ago to house Syrians fleeing the war, the Zaatari camp today has some 130,000 residents, living in extremely tough conditions. Over the months it has become Jordan’s fifth-biggest city in terms of population. Most of its residents originally come from Daraa, the town in southern Syria where protests against President Bashar Al Assad broke out in March 2011, before morphing into a bloody civil war that has killed more than 110,000 people. On Tuesday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said the number of Syria refugees had already topped two million. “There are no words to express… this tragedy,” Guterres told reporters in Geneva, adding that the exodus showed no sign of abating and risked destabilising the region. In addition to refugees who have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and Egypt, the fighting has also displaced more than six million people, over one quarter of Syria’s population of 22 million. “What is the world waiting for to act?” asks Ali Salman, 38, taking a drag on his cigarette. His five children, who seem weakened, are playing nearby. “We are eating very badly, we are drinking dirty water and there is no care when we get ill. “Why is the world watching the massacres without taking action? Why are they not doing anything for us and our children? More than 100,000 people have died, is that not enough for the world to intervene.” Hassan Nashwa was able to open a store to support the needs of his large family, but says that he cannot see any future for his children, who do not have any education. “The only solution is to return to Syria, because this camp is nothing but a huge prison”. “My main hope is to find my house, my school and my friends again,” adds Mahmud Jamal, 12, who does odd jobs to help the eight members of his family in the camp, including his sick father and a brother wounded by shrapnel. The Jordanian government puts the number of refugees currently in the kingdom at 550,000. But their numbers could rise again as the violence in Syria rages, stretching Jordan’s limited water resources and threatening its fragile social makeup. “Life is difficult in the camp,” says Mohammed Al Darawi. “We are in the middle of a desert… without work of money and our problems are only growing.” Continue reading
