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Djokovic wins opener in Rogers Cup
Toronto, Aug 8 (IANS) Reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic has gotten off to a solid start in the North American summer hard-court season, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Mirza Basic 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in the first round of the Rogers Cup here.
Also on Tuesday, a pair of top-10 players — Bulgarian No. 5 seed Grigor Dimitrov and Croatian No. 6 seed Marin Cilic — moved through to the third round with three-set victories over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco and Croatia’s Borna Coric, respectively, reports Efe.
The ninth-seeded Djokovic had initially been due to face Hyeon Chung, in what would have been a rematch of a 2018 Australian Open contest won by the promising young South Korean.
But when Chung withdrew from this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament with a back injury, lucky loser Basic took his place in the draw.
Djokovic dominated the first set, but he had to win the second set in a tiebreaker after twice squandering service-break leads due to sloppy play on serve.
“I thought I served very well today … except those double faults in the game (4-3 in the second set) when I lost the break. But, in general, I worked a lot on that shot (recently),” the 13-time Grand Slam champion, who will next play Canadian wildcard Peter Polansky in the second round, was quoted as saying on the ATP World Tour’s Web site.
In action later Tuesday, Dimitrov edged Verdasco 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in a match that had been delayed by rain in the final set.
Dimitrov, who has struggled in recent months and has not reached an ATP World Tour semi-final since April’s Monte-Carlo Masters, clinched the victory by winning a 35-shot rally on match point.
“Sometimes one, two, three matches, it can really turn it around for you again. If you stay compact, stay smart and do the right things you just never known when the tables might turn for you,” the Bulgarian was quoted as saying on the ATP World Tour’s site.
Next up for Dimitrov in the third round will be either big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic or American Francis Tiafoe.
Also Tuesday, Cilic got past Coric 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the third round and will next take on either speedy 11th-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman or American Sam Querrey.
In Rogers Cup women’s action Tuesday in Montreal, eight-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova defeated Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-4 in the second round and Russia’s Maria Sharapova routed Bulgarian qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.
Kvitova will play either ninth-seeded Karolina Pliskova or the Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens in the third round of this Premier 5 event.
Sharapova will take on 12th-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina in second-round action.
The world’s top tennis players are in action this week at the Rogers Cup in preparation for the US Open, which gets under way on August 27.
–IANS
gau/sed
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.