Muralitharan cross 800 wickets

But sport rarely serves up freebies, and the truth is that Muralitharan was only inches away from ending his career on the bathetic total of 799. Not just once, either. Anti-climax threatened on three separate occasions.

Muralitharan had started the final day of his final Test match just two wickets away from this extraordinary landmark - a landmark that Shane Warne believes no-one will ever conquer again. And when he had Harbhajan Singh lbw, in the fifth over of the day, the summit was only a single step away.

But that was the point when things started to go wrong. Test debutant Abhimanyu Mithun hung around for nearly an hour before planting his pad in front of a lethal yorker from Lasith Malinga. VVS Laxman, the old maestro, ran himself out with a dozy single.

Suddenly India were nine down, and while victory for Sri Lanka appeared a formality, the great Murali soap opera stood in danger of ending on a bum note. A total of 799, like Don Bradman’s final Test average of 99.94, would have gone down as a job left unfinished.

The final-wicket partnership, between Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha, was slow and anxious. After a quarter-hour or so, Murali himself came within a couple of inches of running Ojha out, but his throw flew just wide.

What a conclusion that would have been: the great man stranded by his own dead-eyed accuracy. And the irony would have been all the greater because so many critics, thoughout Muralitharan’s career, have accused him of throwing.

Two more heart-stopping moments remained: the first when Tillakaratne Dilshan came close to having Sharma stumped; and the second when Ojha popped an almost-catch back to Rangana Herath.

Then, finally, after 54 minutes of agony, the tension resolved itself. Another of Muralitharan’s sizzling off-breaks bit and took the edge of Ojha’s bat; Mahela Jayawardene, perhaps the safest slip fielder in world cricket, darted to his left to claim the catch.

The sound of fireworks rang out around the Galle International Stadium, while Muralitharan’s whole family - his parents, wife and four-year-old son - danced in celebration. The only notable absentee was Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rakapaksa, who had flown in from Colombo to watch part of the morning session, but left before the crucial wicket fell.

"Getting to 800 was not as important as winning the match," said Muralitharan afterwards. "By God's grace, both things happened which made it the greatest day of my life.”

It was a typically modest reaction from a man who, despite his mind-boggling achievements, has a smaller ego than many less successful cricketers.

Muralitharan gave every impression of being relaxed and carefree yesterday morning, even smiling in his infectious way whenever it seemed as if he would be robbed of that historic final wicket. Deep down, though, he cared deeply about reaching 800.

“It meant a lot to him,” said Charlie Austin, the co-author of Muralitharan’s autobiography, who was sitting in the stands yesterday. “Especially as he didn’t really believe, at the start of the match, that he could get there. His body is creaking now and once he has bowled 20 overs, he starts to get very tired.

“We were almost giving up hope as that last partnership dragged on. The pitch had gone very flat and he had been twirling away for so long that I thought his arm was going to fall off. But he got there in the end, and rightly so. If anyone has ever deserved to take 800 wickets in Test cricket, it is Murali.”

Now the ‘mouseless' mouse

KOCHI: Can an invisible computer mouse be a more useful and ‘cool' alternative to the real one?

This virtual mouse can be used more or less the way one would use the real one, except that some of the interactive gestures are different. Users rest their palms and fingers on a flat surface and perform the actions. The ‘Mouseless' device has been developed by the Fluid Interfaces Group at the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Pranav Mistry of Sixth Sense fame, who leads the project, says it is made up of an infrared laser beam and an infrared camera. The laser beam module is fitted with a filter which converts the laser point into a laser line, and an infrared layer of sorts is created just above the surface on which the computer is placed. Motions of the hand are detected by the infrared camera and then interpreted in terms of cursor movements and mouse clicks.

Both the laser beam module and camera are embedded in the computer.

A fully functional prototype of ‘Mouseless' cost $20 to build.

But what are the chances of an invisible mouse catching on in a world dominated by the real mouse? What about the ease-of-use factor?

Mr. Mistry says: “We haven't done any long-term user study with ‘Mouseless' yet. But it is certainly more ergonomically relaxing to use. The reason is that one can use the pose one wants to use. We did some preliminary studies, and the results are amazing.”

Library of gestures

With improved computer vision algorithms, “an extensive library of gestures” could be implemented, apart from the common ones related to the mouse movement and clicks.

For instance, gestures to zoom in and out, as well as novel ones such as balling one's fist, could be included. A wider range of free hand motion could be possible if multiple laser beams were used. The resulting gestures would be indicative of actions that a hardware mouse could not typically support.

Mr. Mistry had earlier drawn global attention with his ‘Sixth Sense' project, a ‘wearable gestural interface' that projects a digital interaction plane into the immediate physical environment and lets users interact with it by way of gestures. The ‘Mouseless' project fits in well with the kind of research that he has been doing on virtual interfaces. It remains to be seen whether it will make its way to the desktops, and hearts, of users.

----T. Ramachandran

152 die in Pakistan plane crash

- Anita Joshua

Futile Search:Rescue workers look for survivors in the wreckage of a plane that crashed in Islamabad on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani aircraft with 152 people on board crashed into the Margalla Hills skirting the capital in the north on Wednesday morning; leaving no survivors and an entire hillside charred. Though hopes of survivors were kept alive for some hours after the crash, the government announced six hours later that all on board were dead. Efforts were afoot to get the bodies till late in the evening.

The Airblue flight ED 202 was flying in from Karachi to Islamabad and had been asked to await landing clearance at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. While circling through heavy rain, it flew very low over the capital before it headed off towards the thickly wooded Margalla Hills which, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, is a “no fly zone”.

Eye-witnesses claimed to have seen the aircraft fly very low over Blue Area — the commercial quarters of the capital — and from all accounts, the Airbus 321 had its landing gear down. According to a statement put out by Airblue, the flight crashed due to poor weather and thick fog.

The plane lost contact with the control tower shortly before the crash and late in the evening television networks reported that it had been warned against heading towards Margalla Hills.

An enquiry has been ordered into the crash and the government announced a day of mourning for the victims of what is being billed as one of the worst tragedies in Pakistan's aviation history.

While the crash site itself was a good kilometre-and-a-half from the nearest road, rescue operations were further slowed down because much of the debris fell into a gorge.

Accessing the debris and the site was made more difficult by the steady rain since Tuesday rendering the terrain slippery and slow to negotiate. Helicopters were pressed into service to send commandoes into the gorge with ropes to cut through the debris and pull up the bodies.

To ensure against a traffic snarl on the approach road, only rescue vehicles were allowed up. Since the crash site was visible from much of Islamabad — particularly Margalla Road — cars were lined up through the picturesque avenue as people tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Several Islamabad-based relatives of passengers on the aircraft could be seen trying to access the site from other pathways suitable for trekking.

Emergency was declared in all hospitals in the city soon after the crash in anticipation of survivors.

However, as the day wore on, hopes faded and the focus changed towards identifying the bodies that were being brought in charred and mutilated. The deceased include two American nationals besides a couple of other foreigners. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani made an aerial survey of the crash site along with senior Cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa who were present in the capital for a Cabinet meeting which has since been postponed as the terror-struck nation steeled itself for another pile of body bags.

Alonso leads Ferrari one-two

Hockenheim: Fernando Alonso led home a Ferrari 1-2 in Sunday's German Formula One Grand Prix at Hockenheim to register his first win since the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

There could be disciplinary consequences, however, as Alonso's 23rd victory of his career was assured when the Spaniard passed teammate Felipe Massa on lap 49, just one round after the Brazilian was clearly told on his team radio that Alonso was faster than him.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel started the race from pole position ahead of Alonso and Massa but had to be satisfied with third place after falling behind the two Ferraris in the opening corner.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, by contrast, jumped two places in the opening lap to eventually finish fourth ahead of defending world champion and McLaren teammate Jenson Button.

Hamilton now leads the drivers' standings with 157 points from 11 of 19 races, followed by Button on 143. Vettel sits joint third with Webber on 136 while Alonso now has 123 points in fifth place.

Pivotal slow start

While Vettel's slow start was pivotal as to how the race eventually panned out, the major talking point was whether Alonso's passing of Massa to ensure victory was done under team orders.

“At the exit at turn six I saw Felipe was a little bit slow and tried to overtake,” said Alonso.

“At that point I overtook the other car and then it was 15 or 20 laps to the end.”

Massa, meanwhile, made clear that he felt he deserved to win the race but stopped short of stating that he had followed team orders and let Alonso pass him.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner refused to rule out lodging an official protest about the incident, though, saying he would first see how motorsport's ruling body, the FIA, and race stewards at Hockenheim dealt with the issue.

The results: 1. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:27:38.864s, 2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) + 4.196s, 3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) + 5.121, 4. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) + 26.896, 5. Jenson Button (McLaren) + 29.482, 6. Mark Webber (Red Bull) + 43.606, 7. Robert Kubica (Renault) + 1 lap, 8. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) + 1, 9. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) + 1, 10. Vitaly Petrov (Renault) + 1, 11. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) + 1, 12. Rubens Barrichello (Williams F1) + 1, 13. Nico Huelkenberg (Williams F1) + 1, 14. Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) + 1, 15. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) + 1, 16. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) + 2, 17. Adrian Sutil (Force India) + 2, 18. Timo Glock (Virgin Racing) + 3, 19. Bruno Senna (Hispania) + 4. Retirements: Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso): mechanical problem second lap; Jarno Trulli (Lotus): mechanical problem fourth lap; Sakon Yamamoto (Hispania): mechanical problem 20th lap; Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Racing): mechanical problem 51st lap; Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus): mechanical problem 57th lap.

2010 German Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

Formation lap: Local hero Sebastian Vettel starts from pole position ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Third place on the Hockenheim grid for Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, fourth for Mark Webber, fifth for reigning world champion Jenson Button and sixth for Lewis Hamilton. Position seven for Robert Kubica, eight for Rubens Barrichello, nine for Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes, ten for Nico Hulkenberg and eleven for seven time world champion Michael Schumacher.

Race start: Lights go off..Massa first into Turn 1. Alonso in P2, Vettel P3. Webber P4, Hamilton P5.

Lap 2/67: Sutil, Liuzzi, Buemi and Alguersuari all pit. Buemi retires.

Lap 3/67: Trulli running slowly on the track. Replays show Alguersuari hitting Buemi’s rear end.

Lap 4/67: Trulli being wheeled back into the garage.

Lap 5/67: Massa first followed by Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Webber, Button, Kubica and Schumacher. Sutil makes another pit stop.

Lap 6/67: Liuzzi pits. Trulli back on track but running slowly again.

Lap 8/67: Trulli pits again and retires after a gearbox failure.

Lap 9/67: Massa P1, has a +1.5s gap to team mate Alonso.

Lap 10/67: Fastest lap for Alonso: 1:18.965.

Lap 11/67: Fastest lap for Massa: 1:18.915.

Lap 13/67: Vettel pits from P3. He rejoins in P6.

Lap 14/67: Alonso pits from P2. Webber pits from P4. Webber rejoins in ninth. Alonso in fourth.

Lap 15/67: Massa pits from P1. Hamilton pits. Massa rejoins in P3. Schumacher and Barrichello pit.

Lap 16/67: Kobayashi pits from P10. Alonso pressuring Massa for P2.

Lap 18/67: Kubica pits from P8. Button leading the race but he still has to pit. Kubica rejoins in P11, ahead of Schumacher.

Lap 19/67: Button P1, Massa P2, Alonso P3, Vettel P4, Hamilton P5, Rosberg P6, Webber P7, Petrov P8.

Lap 20/67: Vettel P4, is closing rapidly on the two Ferraris.

Lap 21/67: Massa and Alonso battling for P2.

Lap 23/67: Button pits from P1. He rejoins in fifth.

Lap 24/67: Fastest lap for Massa: 1:18.711. Massa P1, Alonso P2, Vettel P3. Petrov pits from P8.

Lap 25/67: Another fastest lap for Massa: 1:18.646. Rosberg has pitted from P7. Rosberg rejoins in P10, ahead of Schumacher.

Lap 26/67: Kovalainen pits from P17.

Lap 27/67: Fastest lap for Massa: 1:18.560. Massa has a +3s gap to the Spaniard.

Lap 28/67: Another fastest lap for Massa: 1:18.399.

Lap 29/67: Alonso sets a 1:18.075. Alguersuari pressuring Sutil for P15.

Lap 31/67: Massa clocks a 1:17.991, fastest lap so far.

Lap 32/67: 1:17.751 for Fernando Alonso.

Lap 35/67: de la Rosa passes Hulkenberg for P7. Hulkenberg makes his first pit stop. Meanwhile the gap between Massa and Alonso is coming down, now 2.3s.

Lap 36/67: Sutil pits for the third time.

Lap 37/67: Fastest lap for Alonso: 1:17.666. Massa P1, Alonso P2, Vettel P3, Hamilton P4, Button P5, Webber P6, de la Rosa P7, Kubica P8, Rosberg P9, Schumacher P10.

Lap 38/67: 1:17.495 for Alonso.

Lap 39/67: de la Rosa, Di Grassi and Glock, have yet to pit.

Lap 41/67: Sutil sets the fastest lap from P17: 1:17.300.

Lap 42/67: Senna pits from P21.

Lap 43/67: Fastest lap for Vettel: 1:17.242.

Lap 45/67: Vettel clocks another fastest lap: 1:17.122.

Lap 46/67: Webber being told over the radio he has an oil consumption problem.

Lap 48/67: Fastest lap for Alonso: 1:17.012. Massa being told over the radio that Alonso is faster than him. “Alonso is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood the message?”, said Massa’s engineer, Rob Smedley.

Lap 49/67: Massa lets Alonso pass. Alonso P1, Massa P2. There is going to be a controversy…Article 39.1 of the Sporting Regulations states that team orders are prohibited.

Lap 52/67: Fastest lap for Vettel: 1:16.669.

Lap 53/67: de la Rosa makes his first pit stop.

Lap 55/67: di Grassi being wheeled into the garage, he retires.

Lap 56/67: Fastest lap for race leader Alonso: 1:16.625.

Lap 57/67: Fastest lap for Vettel: 1:16.536. Alonso P1, Massa P2, Vettel P3, Hamilton P4, Button P5, Webber P6, Kubica P7.

Lap 58/67: Vettel just 1.5s to Massa.

Lap 60/67: de la Rosa pits for a new front wing after a collision with Kovalainen.

Lap 61/67: Vettel now pressuring Massa for P2. Kovalainen pits and retires.

Lap 66/67: Fastest lap for Alonso: 1:15.880.

Last lap: Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso wins the 2010 German Grand Prix at the Hockenheim circuit ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa. Third place for local hero Sebastian Vettel, fourth for Lewis Hamilton, fifth for Jenson Button, sixth for Mark Webber, seventh for Robert Kubica, eighth for Nico Rosberg, ninth for Michael Schumacher and tenth for Vitaly Petrov.

Overall championship standings:

Drivers: 1. Hamilton 157 points,

2. Button 143,

3. Webber 136,

4. Vettel 136,

5. Alonso 123,

6. Rosberg 94,

7. Kubica 89,

8. Massa 85,

9. Schumacher 38,

10. Sutil 35,

11. Barrichello 29,

12. Kobayashi 15,

13. Liuzzi 12,

14. Vitaly Petrov 7,

15. Sibastien Buemi 7,

16. Alguersuari 3,

17. Huelkenberg 2.

Constructors:

1. McLaren 300 points,

2. Red Bull 272,

3. Ferrari 208,

4. Mercedes GP 132,

5. Renault 96,

6. Force India 47,

7. Williams F1 31,

8. Sauber 15,

9. Toro Rosso 10 .

— DPA

Inception::Movie Review Inception (2010) Review

The relationship between movies and dreams has always been — to borrow a term from psychoanalysis — overdetermined. From its first flickerings around the time Freud was working on “The Interpretation of Dreams,” cinema seemed to replicate the uncanny, image-making power of the mind, much as still photography had in the decades before. And over the course of the 20th century, cinema provided a vast, perpetually replenishing reservoir of raw material for the fantasies of millions of people. Freud believed that dreams were compounded out of the primal matter of the unconscious and the prosaic events of daily life. If he were writing now, he would have to acknowledge that they are also, for many of us, made out of movies.

And movies, more often than not these days, are made out of other movies. “Inception,” Christopher Nolan’s visually arresting, noir-tinged caper, is as packed with allusions and citations as a film studies term paper. Admirers of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” and Stanley Kubrick’s “2001” will find themselves in good company, though “Inception” does not come close to matching the impact of those durable cult objects. It trades in crafty puzzles rather than profound mysteries, and gestures in the direction of mighty philosophical questions that Mr. Nolan is finally too tactful, too timid or perhaps just too busy to engage.

So “Inception” is not necessarily the kind of experience you would take to your next shrink appointment. It is more like a diverting reverie than a primal nightmare, something to be mused over rather than analyzed, something you may forget as soon as it’s over. Which is to say that the time — nearly two and a half hours — passes quickly and for the most part pleasantly, and that you see some things that are pretty amazing, and amazingly pretty: cities that fold in on themselves like pulsing, three-dimensional maps; chases and fights that defy the laws that usually govern space, time and motion; Marion Cotillard’s face.

Leonardo DiCaprio in “Inception.”

Ms. Cotillard, her most famous movie role evoked by occasional eruptions of Édith Piaf on the “La Vie en Rose” soundtrack, is the film’s principal enigma and its chief signifier of emotion. She is not, however, exactly a character in “Inception.” Rather, at least as far as a first-time viewer can guess, she is a projection in the subconscious of her husband, a specialist in corporate mental espionage known as Cobb and played by Leonardo DiCaprio with some of the same twitchy melancholy he brought to “Shutter Island.”

Indian rupee got new symbol

NEW DELHI: The Indian rupee will soon have a unique symbol — a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R' — joining elite currencies like the US dollar, euro, British pound and Japanese yen in having a distinct identity.

The new symbol, designed by Bombay IIT post-graduate D Udaya Kumar, was approved by the cabinet today — reflecting that the Indian currency, backed by an over-trillion dollar economy, was finally making its presence felt on the international scene.


"It's a big statement on the Indian currency... The symbol would lend a distinctive character and identity to the currency and further highlight the strength and global face of the Indian economy," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

Though the symbol will not be printed or embossed on currency notes or coins, it would be included in the 'Unicode Standard' and major scripts of the world to ensure that it is easily displayed and printed in the electronic and print media.

Among currencies with distinctive identities, only the pound sterling has its symbol printed on the notes.

Unicode is an international standard that allows text data to be interchanged globally without conflict. After incorporation in the global and Indian codes, the symbol would be used by all individuals and entities within and outside the country.

The symbol will be adopted in a span of six months in the country, and within 18 to 24 months globally, Soni said, adding that it will feature on computer keyboards and softwares for worldwide use.

Soni said that the symbol, which reflects the Indian ethos and culture, would help distinguish the currency from the rupee or rupiah of other countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Besides this, state governments would be asked to proactively promote the use of the new symbol, she added.

Kumar's entry was chosen from 3,000 designs competing for the currency symbol. He will get an award of Rs 2.5 lakh.

"It is a perfect blend of Indian and Roman letters — capital 'R' and Devanagri 'Ra' which represents rupaiah, to appeal to international and Indian audiences... My design is based on the tricolour, with two lines at the top and white space in between," a visibly-happy Kumar said.

The jury, which had sent the five short-listed entries for the cabinet's approval, was headed by a Reserve Bank Deputy Governor.

MADHARASAPATTINAM: MOVIE REVIEW

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MADHARASAPATTINAM MOVIE REVIEW Review by : Behindwoods review board Starring: Arya, Amy Jackson, Nasser, VMC.Haneefa, M. S. Bhaskar. Direction: A L Vijay Music: G V Prakash Kumar Production: Kalapathi S. Aghoram Get ready to be transported back into Madras. The makers have promised a trip from Chennai to Madharasapattinam and that is exactly what has been delivered through this movie. But, is it just a trip back in time or is there more to look forward to? Before we begin analyzing Madharasapattinam for what it is, let us lay down

lines that quite clearly define what it is not. Any movie set in the pre-independence era carries the expectations of portraying the freedom struggle. Madharasapattinam makes little or no attempts to get into that. Yes, the events of the freedom struggle and subsequent achievement of independence from British rule are important events that have a bearing on the story. But, those events have not been shown in detail, nor have any of the legendary names associated with the freedom been depicted. So, Madharasapattinam is not a documentation of the freedom struggle and events associated with it. Then what is it? It is a love story set against the backdrop of India that is on the verge of independence. A young British lady (Amy Jackson) is visiting India. She is from a family that is well connected to the highest echelons of power in the Madras presidency. As it is, tensions are brewing between the British and Indians all over the country. That rubs off on a small washer man community in Madras who stand in the way of the powerful British personnel when they attempt to evict them from their place. It hurts the ego of a highly placed British officer who challenges a young dhobi (Arya) for a one-on-one which would decide the fate of the place. The British lady happens to be a silent spectator to all that transpires between the British and the dhobi community; she notices the young man who has the courage to stand up to a mighty force. Soon, she finds herself attracted to this man who also seems to be reciprocating those feelings. But, the proximity between the two does not escape the eyes of the power hierarchy who look down upon the relation as a disgrace to the family and the empire. With freedom fast approaching and the British getting ready to leave the country, time is running out for the couple who have to make a decision between love and country. What happens to the love story that faces the wrath of mighty empire whose ego has been badly bruised by the freedom struggle? Watch Madharasapattinam to find out. The storyline and the events might sound a bit familiar to you. Yes, there are points in the movie where one is able to draw parallels to other great movies. The opening portions remind us of Titanic, while the challenge thrown by the British at the dhobi community gives us a Lagaan feel. But, in spite of all this, Madharasapattinam has a unique identity and the reason for that is in the title of the film itself - Madras. That is the single biggest highlight of the movie. Full marks to the team of Madharasapattinam for recreating Madras, which existed only in photos, history books and minds of people who lived during that era. Though most of us do not have a very clear idea about how Madras would have looked like before 1947, the picturisation is good enough to convince us that this is an authentic representation. First on the order of merit for making this possible is the art department headed by Selva Kumar. We are taken to a Mount Road (not Anna Salai) that is not overflowing with traffic, the old Washermanpet, the haloed building of the Madras Central and the Buckingham Canal which once was the backbone of a very efficient drainage system of the city. We are even shown a Cooum that is not filthy; which is hard to imagine, considering the state of the river these days. All sets are exquisitely constructed and look very original. Hordes of junior artistes have been employed in proper period attire to add to the authentic feel. What is provided by the art department in terms of magnificent sets has been enhanced into a wonderful on screen experience through Nirav Shah’s lens. The cinematographer is in top form capturing Madras in all its glory. The tone adopted to give a period theme is apt. Other technical aspects of Madharasapattianam also a delight, especially G.V. Prakash’s background music. The small touches that he has provided, especially when the love between the lead couple begins to bloom, are wonderful. The songs too are a treat, especially ‘Vaama Dorayamma’ and ‘Aaruyire’. Though there is a feeling that adding a few western pieces here and there would have made it even more perfect for the movie. Costumes of the entire cast are almost perfect, especially Amy Jackson’s. Performances are a real delight in Madharasapattinam. The one who walks away with the top honors is Amy Jackson for a beautiful portrayal of a lady torn between her love and the mighty empire. She looks absolutely beautiful, emotes well through her expressive eyes and is able to earn the sympathy of the audiences during tough times. Arya is perfect for the character of the dhobi who is also a wrestler. He is intense, manly, yet soft and romantic when it is required. A convincing performance. The rest of the cast too is spot on in delivering the goods. The British cast looks convincing as the colonial power. VMC Haneefa delights as the dubashi (translator) lending many moments of fun as he plays around with languages that he does not know. Nasser brings power and intensity to the character that he portrays. The lady who portrays the aged Amy Jackson, through whose memory the story is told, also impresses a great deal While there are positives aplenty for Madharasapattinam, there are one or two aspects that could have been better. The dialogues do not seem to be the kind that would have been spoken before 1947, the lines look very contemporary, especially the Tamil dialogues. One can overlook this in a commercial film. Using the proper 1940s Madras Tamil could have worked either way for the movie. There are quite a few English dialogues (understandably), but they do not look like an inconvenience or act as a barrier between the film and the audiences; the subtitles have been done well. Overall, Madharasapattinam is a film that takes you back in time and shows you a Madras that exists only in photos and memory. Hats off to the entire team for making this possible and kudos to Vijay for heading this team and pulling off the huge task. Also thanks to AGS Films for taking up such a subject which would have definitely cost a lot. Madharasapattinam is a pretty often seen love story where poor boy meets rich girl, much to the angst of the family. But, it is the backdrop and the treatment that make it a different experience. Watch Madharasapattinam for some great art work, cinematography, performances and to appreciate an effort that is a rare occurrence in Tamil cinema. But, do not look for a documentation of the freedom struggle and other historical milestones. Just enjoy the trip from Chennai to Madharasapattinam Verdict: Enjoyable trip to Madras Presidency!

The Last Airbender :Movie Review

Cast: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi, Cliff Curtis, Seychelle Gabriel, Katharine Houghton
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: **

Manoj Night Shyamalan’s latest film follows close on the heels of his last two disasters ‘Lady in the water’ and ‘The Happening’ but this time the genre is different. The film is a creatively censored
children’s film with stagey effects , non-violent theme anda
distinctly oriental bent- one which Shyamalan as helmer, appears to be distinctly uncomfortable with. The fantasy-action realm of myth and adventure is certainly not an easy one to depict and Shyamalan’s film shows how difficult it is. The director appears to have appropriated this genre, picking out an adaptation of the cult animated series ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’with an eye to increasing his box-office chances and it may well do that but that’s not to say that this isn’t going to appear as a stinker for anyone with even a semblance of intelligence or imagination.

The concept is solid and the preposterous premise lends itself well to a big-budget special effects adventure. The story is as simple or as complicated as you want it to be- depending on how you look at it. The Fire Nation is the usurper trying to expand it’s power across all the four worlds-earth, fire, water and air. They have already wiped out the air people while the water and earth people are lying in wait for a surprise attack. Katara and his sister a water bender named Sokka find a young boy, Aang(Noah Ringer) with all the markings of an incarnation, trapped in a bubble of ice. He appears to be the only one who can lead them out of the trouble caused by the Fire people.

Intermingling with this is the sub-plot of young Prince Zuko(Dev
Patel) who is out of favor with his father, the reigning monarch of
the fire people and he is further unhinged by the evil machinations of Jhao (Aasif Mandvi). All this does not make for much drama.
Shyamalan’s way of telling it is too serious and unyielding to createany effect. The solemn tone, long winding explanations, ineffective and shallow narration, caricatured performances and unworthy effects fail to create any kind of intrigue, whimsy or humour. Mood is also non-existent here. The film is also quite different in appearance as compared to the Nickelodeon series so even the very young who are hooked to it, will find this unexciting.

FIFA World Cup 2010 - A to Z

The World Cup in South Africa would not have been the same without certain elements. Our in house expert has picked Footballindia.com's A to Z list of key factors that made the tournament a global success.

Source:Footballindia.com

Andres Iniesta: The diminutive midfielder created history as he scored the winner that gave Spain their maiden World Cup win. He finished with two goals in the campaign and a Man of the Match Award in the final.

Bafana Bafana: The Soccer City stadium was filled in a sea of yellow as the South African team opened the FIFA World Cup against Mexico. Although a respectable 4 points beating France en route wasn’t enough to progress.

Creme de la crème: How the elite of World football failed so miserably? The long list includes Rooney, Ronaldo, Ribery, Gerrard, Kaka, Torres, van Persie and Messi (to some extent).

De Jong: He stamped his authority on the final, ‘literally’, printing his stud marks on Xabi Alonso’s chest with a karate kick.

Europeans: The Europeans arrived very late in the tournament with last World Cup’s finalists - Italy and France exiting rather early followed by England. But they proved their class in the quarters dominated by four South American teams. An all European final (second in a row) settled that argument.

French Revolution: The French created a mutiny against their coaching staff refusing to train in a session open to fans, two days before their last match. The rebellion no.1 Anelka was sent home early and then the rest followed after two losses and a draw with only a goal scored in the group stage.

Ghana: The new African pride, the ‘Black Stars’ kept the flag waving high not only for their country but for the entire continent. They were the only African representation in the final 8. They went out somewhat cruelly.

Handshake: French coach Raymond Domenech refused to shake Alberto Parreira’s hand after their loss to South Africa in the last group match only because the latter has criticized France’s controversial entry into the finals.

Italy: The champions came, they saw and they left. Handed a relatively easy group with Slovakia, Paraguay and New Zealand, the Azzurri looked dull as their trademark defence was found sleeping on several occasions. They couldn’t get past the first round.

Jabulani: The official ball came under heavy criticism more than usual with outfield players joining goalkeepers in their disapproval of the ball. Some called it “a supermarket ball” while others branded it as “a beach ball.” The Jabulani was unpredictable in flight and difficult to control in the thin air of some of the high altitude cities of South Africa.

Kaka and Keita: How could the World Cup be complete without any moments of play acting and theatrics from players? Kader Keita of Ivory Coast made the most of Kaka’s supposed elbow getting him sent off.

Luis: The two Luises i.e. Fabiano and Suarez showed the world that South Americans have some class when it comes to cheating. While Fabiano double-handed on his way to scoring a goal against Ivory Coast his South American pal Suarez intentionally handled the ball on the line in the last minute of extra-time and denied Ghana a goal that would have won them the game. After a span of 24 years the ‘Hand of God’ was back and how.

Maradona: Diego attracted all the attention from the lens men as he limped in the technical area. He heavily showered his players with some ‘Love of God’ not to forget his gems thrown in the direction of Pele and Platini.

Netherlands: The Dutch reached the final of the World Cup for the third time in their history but even after 116 minutes of play they couldn't break the jinx of being runners-up.

Outrageous strikes: Diego Forlan, the player of the tournament had a couple along with van Bronckhorst, Tshabalala, Villa, Sniejder and Honda.

Paul: The Octopus oracle- Paul from Germany got all his seven predictions right pertaining Germany’s matches in addition to correctly predicting the winner Spain. In all he got all 8 predictions right, quite an irony.

Quotes: Some lovely quotes thanks to Diego Maradona e.g. "This was (like) a punch from Muhammad Ali. I have no strength for anything. The day I quit playing football could (have been) similar but this is much harder“, he said, on Argentina’s exit and Uruguay’s Osacar Tabarez, "Football is like a short blanket, it either covers your head or it covers your feet", he said, on South Korea's defence problems ahead of beating the Asians in the knockout stages.

Rooney and Ronaldo: Both had a moment together in 2006 but this time they reserved their fury for the cameras. Post England’s disastrous draw against Algeria, Rooney lashed at the England fans in front of the camera, he said, "Nice to see your own fans booing you, if that's what loyal support is.” Ronaldo also saved something for the cameras after Portugal’s exit, first spitting towards the camera and then lashing out, "How do I explain Portugal's elimination? Ask Carlos Queiroz."

Spain: The Champions for the first time and the eighth nation in the history of the tournament. Also the first European team to win outside the European continent and the first to win after losing the opening match.

Top Scorer: There were four joint top scorers with Müller, Sneijder, Forlan and Villa all tied on five goals in the tournament. But it was Thomas Müller who took the golden boot with five goals and three assists.




Unbeaten: The only team which went out without defeat was New Zealand.

Vuvuzela: The long blow horns were quite a nuisance nevertheless the fans revelled in the fun.

Wembley revisited: The ghost of 1966 was finally buried for Germany. Frank Lampard’s goal that crossed the line was wrongly disallowed by the referees just the opposite of what happened with Geoff Hurst’s goal in the final of 1966 against Germany.

Xabi and Xavi: The true masters of the Jabulani, these two Spaniards passed, passed and passed. Alonso’s switches to Ramos were accurate on every occasion while Xavi’s passing was more intricate.

Yellow cards: 14 in total were awarded in the final between Netherlands and Spain, a record.

Ze Germans: They were there yet again with a semi-final appearance. It has become a bare minimum for a nation that always seems to excel in big tournaments. Least expected to do well from the big nations, the youngest German team ever, livened up the World Cup especially the first round, scoring 16 goals in total.

Mark Webber wins British Grand Prix

— PHOTO: AFP

THE CHAMPION:Red Bull's Mark Webber celebrates after winning the British GP in Silverstone on Sunday.

Australian Mark Webber cruised to his third win of the season when he dominated the British Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday.

The 33-year-old driver made a dazzling start from second on the grid, and fought his way past his German teammate and pole sitter Sebastian Vettel going into the first corner.

It was a special win for Webber, not only the fifth victory of his career, but coming after an in-team row over favouritism on Saturday when Vettel was given a special front wing part taken from his car.

“Not bad for a number two driver,” said Webber to his team chief Christian Horner afterwards. Webber's win lifted him back into contention for the drivers' World championship after a barren spell since winning the Monaco GP.

Home-favourite Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion, finished second for McLaren ahead of third-placed German Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes.

Hamilton's McLaren teammate and fellow Briton, defending champion Jenson Button, came home fourth after starting 14th on the grid.

Brazilian Rubens Barichello finished fifth for Williams ahead of Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi.

Vettel finished seventh, after a first lap pit-stop for a puncture, in the second Red Bull.

Reflecting on his bad start Vettel said: “I got a bad start, I had lots of wheel spin, but that's life, I had to let Mark pass. People then said Lewis (Hamilton) touched me, I didn't feel anything... I'm sure it wasn't his intention to give me a puncture but so early it was a big minus having the puncture.”

Vettel was followed home by fellow Germans Adrian Sutil of Force India and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in the second Mercedes.

Another German, rookie Nico Hulkenberg, finished 10th in the second Williams.

Adrian Sutil lost a dramatic duel with Vettel in the final lap to finish eighth as Force India added four valuable points from the eventful British GP.

His teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi also featured in a wheel-to-wheel duel with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso before finishing 11th, just outside the points bracket. The lone Indian F-1 driver Karun Chandhok came 19th, ahead of his Hispania teammate Sakon Yamamoto, whose was the last car to the chequered flag.

Starting 11th on the grid, Sutil rose to the fifth place before his only pit-stop and the German rejoined the race 14th.

From there, Sutil worked his way up to the seventh place after an eventful stint that saw him coming in contact with Pedro de la Rossa, sending some debris flying.

The results: 1. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1hr 24min 38.200sec; 2. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1.360s; 3. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) 21.307; 4. Jenson Button (McLaren) 21.986; 5. Rubens Barrichello (Williams F-1) 31.456; 6. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 32.171; 7. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 36.734; 8. Adrian Sutil (Force India) 40.932; 9. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 41.599; 10. Nico Hulkenberg (Williams F-1) 42.012; 11. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) 42.459; 12. Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) 47.627; 13. Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 59.374; 14. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 1:02.385; 15. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:07.489; 16. Jarno Trulli (Lotus) 1 lap; 17. Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus) 1 lap; 18. Timo Glock (Virgin Racing) 2 laps; 19. Karun Chandhok (Hispania) 2 laps; 20. Sakon Yamamoto (Hispania) 2 laps.

Drivers' standings (top 10): 1. Lewis Hamilton 145 points; 2. Jenson Button 133; 3. Mark Webber 128; 4. Sebastian Vettel 121; 5. Fernando Alonso 98; 6. Nico Rosberg 90; 7. Robert Kubica 83; 8. Felipe Massa 67; 9. Michael Schumacher 36; 10. Adrian Sutil 35; 13. Vitantonio Liuzzi 12.

Constructors' standings: 1. McLaren 278 points; 2. Red Bull 249; 3. Ferrari 165; 4. Mercedes GP 126; 5. Renault 89; 6. Force India 47; 7. Williams F-1 31; 8. Sauber 15; 9. Toro Rosso 10 .

Spain Crown their First FIFA World Cup

Spain's Gerard Pique holds the World Cup trophy as the team celebrates their historic win in the final against the Netherlands at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday.

A late goal from Andres Iniesta gave Spain victory over the Netherlands at the death of a cynical and ill-tempered final. To Spain the glory of a World Cup triumph in which they prevailed over a deplorable Netherlands side that was reduced to 10 men when the English referee Howard Webb eventually dismissed the Dutch defender John Heitinga with a second caution in the 109th minute. Cesc Fabregas, on as substitute, fed Andres Iniesta to score the winner seven minutes later. An unforgettably ugly World Cup final ground its way to a penalty shoot-out, after offering cautions in place of goals. The Netherlands were overwhelmingly the guilty party, with eight bookings to Spain's four. Although football was not wholly excluded, chances were shunned and the S pain right-back Sergio Ramos put a free header high from a corner kick in the 77th minute. A little later, Arjen Robben broke clear for Holland but Iker Casillas saved at his feet. The goalkeeper's team-mates had not been incisive enough until the very end. The mayhem and nastiness of the occasion was an encumbrance for Spain, who will have visualised a wholly different type of game. It was potentially unsettling that victory should be seen as their destiny considering that they had never even reached the final before. Vicente del Bosque's side, for that matter, have developed a highly individual style founded on exceptional technique that exhausts and demoralises opponents as a midfield of supreme artistry confiscates the ball. Possession The flaw lies in the fact that possession can be an end in itself for Spain. European champions though they might be, the team began its World Cup programme in South Africa with a defeat by Switzerland. They went behind then and a single goal sufficed for the victors. That occasion must have been prominent in the thoughts of the coach Bert van Marwijk and the Netherlands players. It can certainly be agreed that adversity of another sort lay before Spain in Johannesburg. There had been an expectation that the Dutch would be much less respectful than the young Germany side that lost to Spain in the last four. The Netherlands have a hard-bitten air and Mark van Bommel, the defensive midfielder, is utterly at peace while making enemies. Curiously, the Bayern Munich player attracts the bulk of the animosity despite the fact that it was his abrasive colleague Nigel de Jong, of Manchester City, who was suspended from the semifinal. Van Bommel did collect a caution here but notoriety was being dispersed liberally. His yellow card was the third of four that Webb had flashed by the 22nd minute. The teams had a pair apiece by then and there was a kind of parity as an initially nervous the Netherlands settled down. De Jong took up old habits unacceptably later in the first-half, but escaped with a yellow card after landing his studs in the chest of Xabi Alonso. The midfielder was unscathed, but Spain had a fragility of sorts. Fernando Torres, out of form since a knee injury in March, was again among the substitutes. That had not left the team toothless, but they had to step out of character for the semifinal, when the centre-back Carles Puyol scored the single goal with a pounding header at a set-piece. As it turns out, the direct approach may not be as alien to this side as we suppose. Ramos leapt to connect with a Xavi set-piece after four minutes and Maarten Stekelenburg was fully extended to parry to his right. The finer points of open play were forgotten before the interval. Spain, as anticipated, had more polish but the final assuredly did not gleam. Intrigue lay, after a further foul or two, in speculation as to how close Webb had come to giving Van Bommel a second yellow card.

The Netherlands were also menacing in laudable ways. A prepared move for instance involved Arjen Robben pulling back a corner to an unmarked Van Bommel, but the midfielder miscontrolled his attempt. That was in keeping with the shabby character of the final then, but the Dutch may have found satisfaction in being in contention against Spain. In the 45th minute, the goalkeeper Iker Casillas had to be alert to turn behind a Robben effort that could have sneaked past him at the near post. Whatever was said at half-time did not lead to many people changing their way. Before an hour was completed, it had been necessary for Webb to caution Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Johnny Heitinga of the Netherlands.

Spain's Andres Iniesta scoring the winning goal in the extra-time against the Netherlands in the World Cup finals. Van Bronckhorst is captain, veteran and cultivated left-back but not even he could rise above the ugliness. The tone might have altered swiftly with a goal that looked likely in the 62nd minute. Wesley Sneijder suddenly introduced artistry with the lovely pass that freed Robben and the winger attempted to take care, yet Casillas got his right leg in the path of the shot and conceded merely a corner. It was a spell in which Holland were in the ascendancy. The better moments made it all the more infuriating that Webb still had to keep reaching for a yellow card. For convenience sake, he would have been as well keeping it in his hand at all times. Football did break through now and again, with Spain squandering an excellent opportunity. A piercing cross from the substitute Jess Navas went through the legs of Heitinga, but David Villa met the ball cleanly and it was deflected for a corner. By that stage both sides must have understood the unpalatable nature of the final, with the Netherlands the principal offenders, but it was beyond them to mend their ways. - c Guardian News and Media 2010

Federer at No. 3 for 1st time since November '03

WIMBLEDON, England — Roger Federer fell to No. 3 in the ATP rankings Monday, the first time since November 2003 he's been that low.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion's quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon, following seven consecutive appearances in the final, dropped him one spot. He trails No. 1 Rafael Nadal and new No. 2 Novak Djokovic.

Federer was No. 1 earlier this season, but he was overtaken in the rankings by Nadal on June 7, after the French Open. Nadal won his fifth title at Roland Garros, while Federer lost in the quarterfinals there, too. That left Federer one week shy of tying Pete Sampras' career record of 286 total weeks at No. 1.

Nadal's second title at Wimbledon, a year after missing the tournament because of bad knees, increased his lead atop the rankings. Runner-up Tomas Berdych, who upset Federer at the All England Club, climbed from 13th to a career-high No. 8 by reaching his first Grand Slam final.

Andy Roddick, who lost the 2009 Wimbledon title match to six-time champion Federer, dropped two spots to No. 9 after losing in the fourth round. The man who beat him, Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan, leaped 40 spots to No. 42.

Like Nadal, Wimbledon women's champion Serena Williams remains at No. 1. But her older sister, Venus, dropped from No. 2 to No. 4. Jelena Jankovic moved to second, with Caroline Wozniacki third.

Vera Zvonareva's run to her first major final allowed her to rise from No. 21 to No. 9.

Nadal and Serena won Wimbledon tournaments 2010

In one of the wackiest Wimbledon tournaments ever staged, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams came out on top when all the smoke cleared at the storied All England Club.

Oddly enough, one constant throughout the fortnight was unusually clear and hot conditions, as play was not once interrupted by rain. For the second year in a row, Wimbledon enjoyed basically sun-spanked playing conditions, which is a far cry from the weather that they typically get around London in late-June and early-July.

Since the All England Club installed that very expensive retractable roof on Centre Court, they've only had to use it once because of the weather, and that day came last year, and the rain only lasted for about 30 minutes.

On the courts at the AEC, Nadal and Serena were busy adding major hardware to their ever-growing collections.

The world No. 1 Nadal, who was somehow seeded second behind defending champion Roger Federer, nailed down his second overall, and second straight (for him), Wimbledon title, while Serena recorded her second straight and fourth overall championship at The Championships. Nadal hasn't actually won it two years in a row, because he missed the tourney last year due to knee injuries. He won it in 2008, capped by his incredible win over Federer in a final that turned out to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tennis matches of all- time, and won seven straight matches again there this year, giving the super Spaniard a 14-match winning streak at the venerable Club.

The top-ranked Serena, meanwhile, now owns 13 career major titles after pasting Russian Vera Zvonareva in the women's finale. She improved to 4-2 in her career Wimbledon finals, while Nadal is now 2-2, with his losses coming at the hands of Federer, back-to-back, in 2006 and 2007.

The seemingly-unbeatable Nadal, who's won 31 of his last 32 matches on tour, now boasts eight Grand Slam singles titles and currently holds both the Wimbledon and French Open crowns. It was 28 years before someone matched Bjorn Borg by winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year when Rafa finally turned the trick two years ago, but it's now be done three years in a row, as Federer did it last year and Nadal did it for a second time this season.

A rarity that's no longer rare, I guess.

Note: The 24-year-old Nadal still needs a U.S. Open title to complete the coveted career Golden Slam (Aussie Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, Olympic gold medal). Only Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have turned the trick in singles.

Nadal is now tied for seventh on the men's all-time list with his eight major titles, joining legends Fred Perry, Ken Rosewall, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, and Agassi. Federer is the all-time leader with 16. In the Open Era (since 1968), Nadal is tied for fourth, behind only Federer, Pete Sampras (14) and Borg (11).

The 28-year-old Serena currently holds the Wimbledon and Aussie Open crowns and will be the heavy favorite to prevail at the U.S. Open in September. It's hard to say whether or not Nadal will be the men's favorite in Flushing at this point, but only time will tell if the Mallorcan strongman can break through and reach his first-ever final and capture his first-ever title in New York.

Serena, who was tied with Billie Jean King (12), is now alone in sixth place on the women's all-time list with her 13 majors. She'll have to win five more to move up and join legends Martina Navratilova (18) and Chris Evert (18) for a share of fourth place. Aussie Margaret Court is the all-time leader with 24 majors (11 in the Open Era). Serena's already fourth on the list in terms of Open Era Grand Slam titles, behind Steffi Graf (22), Evert and Navratilova.

Outside of the singles titlists at the Big W, the biggest story at the AEC was the record-setting match played between 6-foot-9 American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. They played a first-round affair that took three days, or 11 hours and 5 minutes, to complete. They set a ton of records in that one, like longest-ever match played, most aces in a match, and most- incredibly, the longest-ever tiebreak, which carried on for an astounding 138 games, with the 23rd-seeded seeded Isner coming out on top 70-68. The marathon of all marathons started on a Tuesday and ended two days later. The previous longest-ever match lasted a paltry 6 1/2 hours.

It's safe to say that Isner and Mahut set a record that will never be touched. Maybe some adjustments will be made to assure that we never have to see another 11-hour, 5-minute encounter. Who could possibly want to watch one match for that long? And surely, no one wants to play in one that's that long either.

Of course Wimbledon 2010 was the year of the upset, so much so that a pair of unexpected finalists were produced.

On the men's side, Tomas Berdych made it all the way through to the final as a 12th seed, while Zvonareva landed in the women's final, opposite Serena, seeded 21st.

Berdych upended the six-time champion Federer in the quarters, and sent current world No. 2 Novak Djokovic packing in the semis. Federer, who has now lost in the quarterfinals in his last two majors (hmmm), hadn't missed out on the Wimbledon final since way back in 2002. The iconic Swiss had appeared in seven straight finals there, going 6-1, before succumbing to the 6-foot-5 Berdych in the round of eight last week. Could this now be the beginning of the end for Federer, who complained of back and leg problems just minutes after falling to Berdych?

We'll see.

Note: The former long-time No. 1 Federer is now down to No. 3 in the ATP rankings.

The surging Berdych wound up in his first career Grand Slam final, just four weeks after appearing in his first-ever major semifinal, at Roland Garros.

Unfortunately for the big Czech, who's now up to No. 8 in the world, he lost to Nadal in straight sets on Sunday.

Zvonareva, like Berdych, also appeared in her first-ever Grand Slam final. Unfortunately for her, the great Serena was waiting for the capable Russian, who also lost in the women's doubles final on the second Saturday of the fortnight.

The 25-year-old Zvonareva helped clear her path to the final by stunning U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals. The two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Clijsters was playing her first Wimbledon tennis in four years.

The two-time U.S. Open champion Clijsters reached the quarters by posting an upset, of sorts, by ousting her long-time fellow Belgian rival and fellow former No. 1 Justine Henin in the fourth round last week. It's a shame that these two greats had to play so early on in the draw...but those are the breaks. Henin, like Clijsters, hadn't played at Wimbledon in years...three years to be exact. The 2010 Aussie Open runner-up to Serena (Henin) was trying to capture her first-ever Wimbledon title, but, obviously, didn't come close this time around. As it turns out, Henin played hurt against Clijsters after taking a spill on the court early in the first set of their fourth-rounder at the AEC. Henin won the first set against Clijsters before losing the next two and was later diagnosed with a partial tear of a ligament in her right elbow, an injury that will sideline the seven-time major champion for two months, which means she'll skip the final Grand Slam event of the year, the U.S. Open.

Henin has won just about everything there is to win, with the exception still being Wimbledon, where she was a runner-up in 2001 and 2006.

Better luck next year, Juju!

The biggest upset of the tournament came on the men's side, where 2009 runner- up Andy Roddick was shocked by unheralded Taiwanese Yen-Hsun Lu in five sets in the fourth round.

How did that happen?

I don't know!

Roddick headed to the AEC as a three-time runner-up (to Federer) and was one of the favorites to go deep into the draw, but no one told Lu, who was ranked No. 82 in the world at the time.

The former No. 1 Roddick pushed the mighty Federer to the brink in last year's epic final, as the super Swiss needed 30 games to capture the fifth and final set on the famed Centre Court.

The British faithful had their hearts broken for a 74th straight year (on the men's side), as Aussie Open runner-up Andy Murray gave way to the powerful Nadal in the semis. The Dunblane, Scotland native was trying to give the Brits their first male champion there since the aforementioned Perry in 1936, but, of course, that didn't happen...again.

Murray is a two-time Grand Slam runner-up who has yet to reach a final at the All England Club. Tim Henman would almost annually punish the British faithful by coming up short in the semis, which he did on four occasions.

Clearly, Murray is a bigger threat to capture Wimbledon than "Our Tim" was, but, just like "Tiger" Tim, he has yet to break through at his home Slam.

Let's get back to the upsets.

The biggest upset on the women's side came when five-time champion Venus Williams was shown the door by upstart Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in the quarterfinals. Pironkova also stunned the tall American (in the first round no less) at the Aussie Open four years ago.

The former world No. 1 Venus was last year's Wimbledon runner-up to her younger sister and captured the title back-to-back in 2007 and 2008, as she was trying to reach a fourth straight and ninth overall final at the AEC.

Former champion Maria Sharapova failed in her bid to win a second Wimbledon title when she was dismissed by Serena in the fourth round last week. The former No. 1 Sharapova captured the first of her three major titles by stunning Serena in the 2004 Wimbledon finale.

Additional upsets came when U.S. Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki was doused by Czech Petra Kvitova in the fourth round, French Open champ Francesca Schiavone was vanquished by Russian Vera Dushevina in the first round, and Roland Garros runner-up Samantha Stosur was also knocked out in the opening round, by Estonian Kaia Kanepi. Kvitova advanced all the way to the semis before running into Serena, while Kanepi was a surprise quarterfinalist who ultimately fell against the ultra-surprising Kvitova.

Another huge upset came, in the doubles, when a top-seeded tandem of Serena and Venus lost to a Russian duo of Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals. The sisters were the two-time defending champs and had won four straight and five of the last six major titles coming in.

FYI, it was 30 years ago today (July 5th) when Borg outlasted John McEnroe in arguably the greatest tennis match of all-time -- the 1980 men's Wimbledon final. My tennis hero Borg prevailed in five sets that day to corral his fifth and final Wimbledon title, despite the fact that Johnny Mac pulled out that memorable fourth-set tiebreak, 18-16.

Where have you gone (obscure '80s unseeded Wimbledon finalist) Chris Lewis?

Source: miamiherald.com