“It was a great feeling to see him for the first time. I saw him only on TV. He had very encouraging words for me,” said Sathwika, a class VIII student of Nasr School.

“I reached quarters and semis of Asian-level tournaments quite a few times but winning it for the first time has made feel good and look far beyond,” she said.

For someone who was taken by her father to the Baghlingampally tennis court under the tutelage of Nellore Kiran only to see that she doesn’t get addicted to watching TV during free hours, Sathwika has been making rapid strides in the girls circuit with impressive performances.

This national under-12 champion, who began playing tennis at the eight, had been to Spain last year for a three-month intensive training session and also to Sydney earlier for a similar stint to keep improving her game. “It is expensive but thanks to my friends who are pooling in some sponsors, I am managing her tennis career,” said her father Sama Jayaram, Inspector at Rajendranagar police station.

Sathwika, now also trained by former Davis Cupper Vasudev Reddy at NVK Tennis Academy (Madhapur), is working hard to improve her game. “I need to work on every aspect of my game including fitness, mental conditioning and improve my all-court game,” says the youngster

The Delhi Police had launched a manhunt for these players just after the questioning of Mohammed Yahya alias Yusuf, 45, one of the bookie who was arrested Friday morning from Hyderabad airport in connection with the IPL spot fixing scandal when he was trying to flee to Dubai.

A Delhi Police source said that Yahya revealed some names of the players who were also involved in the spot fixing.

“A team of Delhi Police has arrived in Kolkata,” said the source, adding that police is also in search of some more punters and bookies who contacted the three arrested players of Rajasthan Royals – S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.

“Now, we are in search of three to four players whose name came during the question of Yahya,” told another senior official associated with the probe.

The official did not ruled out the names of any foreign players but he did not expose the names of the players who are under Delhi Police’s scanner.

Till date, Delhi Police have arrested 19 people.

Chavan was sent to judicial custody Sunday by Saket court till June 4 after police told the court that he was not required for any further questioning by it. However, Sreesanth, Chandila and two bookies – Chandresh Patel and Ashwani alias Tipu – were sent to two days police custody.

New Delhi, Feb 4: The Enforcement Directorate fined the IPL team Rajasthan Royals Rs. 100 crore.

The ED has taken this drastic step after finding that the IPL team had violated foreign exchange violations.

New Delhi: Deccan Chargers, the Indian Premier League team is expected to be sold today. Having discussed the issue with BCCI, the Deccan Chronicle Group is expected to hand over the team to a buyer today.

As the Videocon group, Actor Salman Khan, the RPG group and the Adani Group all showing interest in buying the IPL team, have already submitted their bids. BCCI would be opening the bids for the financially depleted franchise today.

The Telugu Desam Party is weighing the pros and cons of supporting PA Sangma during the Presidential elections to be held on July 19.

Though the party is yet to take a final decision in this regard, the party leaders are veering round the idea of supporting the former Lok Sabha Speaker.

Party sources said that TDP leaders were of the opinion that though Sangma was the Presidential candidate of BJP-led NDA, the tribal leader was not a member of BJP all through his political career and hence, the fear that TDP will lose the support of minorities’ was unfounded.

With Sangma having secular credentials and TDP not being a part of NDA, the party leaders felt that extending support to him will not send any wrong signal in public.

The leaders observed that secular parties including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa and Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik having already extended support to Sangma, sought the support of other political parties.

Senior leaders pointed out that TDP’s support to Pranab will send a wrong message, that the main opposition to Congress in State has joined hands with Congress in the prestigious Presidential election.

Party leaders, who do not want to be named, told The Hans India that the TDP’s decision on supporting Presidential candidate will be crucial for its survival or strengthening its base in state politics.

In the wake of reports that TRS and YSR Congress will support Pranab, as a main opposition party, Telugu Desam should take its decision reflecting the party’s political ideology and also its role in national politics in future.

Here’s your 10-point cheatsheet to the latest developments:

1. Leander Paes on Wednesday wrote a strong letter to AITA saying that he is not in favour of sending two teams to London. “It would not be acceptable, if with my ranking as the best Indian tennis player, I give up the best option of partner for winning a medal for my country and am made to play the Olympics with a player ranked 207 / 306 in the world while the No.13 and No. 15 ranked players form another team together based on their refusal to play with me.”

2 The tennis association originally wanted Leander Paes to be paired with Mahesh Bhupathi. However, after his refusal they asked Rohan Bopanna to partner Paes but he also declined.

3. Bhupathi and Bopanna are in favour of AITA sending two teams as that would allow them to pair together. Both of them had written to the association, saying, “We have worked together on strengthening our partnership and have proved its benefits. As a result, we have maintained our position as one of the top Men’s Doubles teams in the world.”  The pair won a Masters 500 title in Dubai, in February this year.

4. Paes, however says in his letter to the Tennis Association, “We cannot be condoning or rewarding the drama enacted by Mahesh and Rohan. This would be a bad precedent.”

5. Despite The AITA has indicated that it will stick to its original decision of sending only one team and said that it is difficult to imagine a team without Leander. AITA was expected to announce its decision on Wednesday but postponed the announcement till Thursday, which is the last day to submit names for the Olympics.

6. Sports Minister Ajay Maken had tried to intervene, and asked why the Tennis Association is adamant on sending just one team.

7. The tennis association wrote back saying that it would be meaningless to send Paes with a younger player who has not played a Grand Slam. “Leander being the best player must be paired with either Rohan Bopanna or Mahesh Bhupathi,” the letter said.

8. Paes is also keen on partnering Sania Mirza. Paes’ ranking as World No. 7 and Sania’s as World No. 12 give them a combined rank of 19, which means they qualify directly but Mahesh, ranked 15, and she come at 27 and don’t qualify directly.

9. In the mixed doubles, AITA wants Sania to pair with Bhupathi as the duo has had success together and recently won the French Open title. They had also won the 2009 Australian Open. AITA has asked for a singles and doubles wildcard for Sania.

10. However, according to the rules if Bhupathi does not feature in the men’s doubles event, he cannot play in the mixed doubles.

NEW DELIH: Leander Paes has expressed his unhappiness to have junior partner for London Olympics after Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to pair with him.

In a letter to AITA on Wednesday, Paes wrote that he is willing to withdraw from Olympics for the sake of Indian tennis. Paes also brought up the mixed doubles issue in the letter, saying he deserves to partner Sania Mirza.

Paes also said he is comfortable to partner either Bhuapthi or Bopanna despite their rejection but not with lower ranked player in a quadrennial mega-event.

The AITA will make the final announcement on the men’s doubles team for the London Olympics on Thursday, which is also the last day to submit the names.

They were to make the announcement on Thursday but postponed the press-conference.