Singles

asiad torch reaches Jakarta

jakarta: The torch for the 18th Asian Games reached Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Wednesday, ending a month-long journey across the Southeast Asian archipelago nation. It was welcomed in style by marching bands, traditional dances and concerts, after starting its journey in the host country's cultural centre Yogyakarta on July 17. The flame was lit in India's capital New Delhi, which hosted the first Asian Games in 1951. Organisers hope the torch relay will attract at least a million spectators across the sprawling Indonesian capital. Some 10,000 torch bearers, including Indonesian badminton legends Rudy Hartono, Icuk Sugiarto and Ricky Subagja, will be taking part in the relay. The torch is set to arrive on Saturday at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium for the Games' opening ceremonies, ending its 18,000-kilometre (11,200-mile) journey across 54 cities.

Messi to skip intn’l friendlies

buenos aires: Captain Lionel Messi will miss Argentina's next four friendly matches, according to local press reports. Messi previously retired from the national side after their 2016 Copa America final defeat by Chile before returning to help them qualify for this year's World Cup.The two-time world champions will face Guatemala in Los Angeles on September 7 and Colombia in New York four days later, before two friendlies later in the year against as-yet unnamed opponents. "It is the coach who will say, when the time comes, what the situation is concerning Messi," a team spokesman revealed.

bfc lose to fcb- ‘b’

barcelona: Bengaluru FC ended their 2018 tour of Spain with a 3-0 loss to FC Barcelona B at the Mini Estadi here. It was the proverbial game of two halves as the Blues opted to be cautious in the opening exchanges. In the second half the hosts upped their game. Quick passes in the final third caught the Blues' defence off guard as Barcelona B went 2-0 up in seven minutes around the hour-mark. While a few half chances fell for Bengaluru, Barcelona B managed to see out the game 3-0.

Anand struggling in last place

st louis: Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand again had an average day scoring 3.5 points out of a possible nine and was pushed to the last spot in the St Louis Rapid and Blitz competition here. Anand began the day with two losses on the trot and then stabilised a little by settling for a few draws and a win. However, a last round loss to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan did not help, leaving the Indian ace with a lot of ground to cover in this leg of the Grand chess tour. Anand, with 9.5 points, currently is on last spot but, like in the past, the Indian will hope for a reversal of fortunes on the final day.

Sarin becomes Grandmaster

abu dhabi: International Master Nihal Sarin on Wednesday became the 53rd Grandmaster of India despite losing his final round game to Richard Rapport of Hungary in the ninth and final round of Abu Dhabi Masters here. The 14-year-old Nihal tallied 5.5 points out of a possible nine and the final GM norm came the Kerala boy's way with one round to spare.

mario, subasic quit national team

zagreb: Croatian World Cup hero and star striker  Mario Mandzukic has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 32, the country's national football federation said. Shortly, Danijel Subasic also announced his retirement from international football, becoming the third Croatian player who reached the World Cup final to leave the national team.