Gyanubaba maintain lead

KATHMANDU: Gyanubaba maintained the lead with a 25-19, 25-23, 27-25 win over Fishtail Academy at the third Dhorpatan Blue Sky Cup IME Women’s Volleyball Championship on Sunday. Gyanubaba are on top with 39 points while Fishtail dropped to third with 33 after Nepal Police Club (NPC) beat New Diamond 25-10, 25-10, 25-17. NPC are second with 35 points. In other matches, Nakhipot defeated Third Division 25-17, 22-25, 26-24, 25-10 before going down 25-20, 25-12, 25-17 against Nepal Volleyball Club. — HNS

Rupesh holds Farahan

KATHMANDU: Nepal champion Surbir Lama lost to an unrated Indian player Ragavendra in the first round of the seventh Parswanath International Open Chess Tournament in New Delhi on Sunday. Teenager Rupesh Jaiswal, however, forced FIDE Master Mohammad Farahan of Jordan to a draw. Of the 21 Nepali players, six won their first round matches while 11 others lost. Manish Hamal, Lava Kumar Shrestha, Sanjay Maharjan, Rabindra Shakya and Prem Krishna Maharjan won their matches while Sujendra Prasad Shrestha received walkover. — HNS

Sharapova pulls out

SYDNEY: Maria Sharapova will not defend her title at the Australian Open next week after withdrawing from the year’s opening grand slam tournament, officials said. The Russian world No 9 advised tournament officials that she was not confident of her fitness levels after a shoulder surgery late last year. The Australian Open gets under way in Melbourne on January 19. — AFP