SQUASH
Salunkhe moves into quarters of Asian Qualifying event of World Championship squash
Indian women squash player Akanksha Salunkhe defeated Malaysia’s Thanusaa Uthrian in the opening round of Asian Qualifying event for the World Championship in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The second-seeded Indian edged out Uthrian 11-7, 8-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-5 in the first round.
The world No 71 Akanksha, the 2023 National Games champion and the lone Indian in the fray, will meet another Malaysian, Sehveetrraa Kumar, in the quarterfinals of the 16-player draw on Friday.
The men’s and women’s winners of the Qualifier will earn a spot in the World Championships to be held in Egypt next month.
- PTI
TENNIS
Anirudh Chandrasekar in Challenger quarterfinals
Anirudh Chandrasekar in partnership with Hans Verdugo of Mexico beat Charles Broom and Adam Walton 4-6, 6-4, [11-9] in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $164,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico.
In the $40,000 ITF women’s event in Shenzhen, China, Rutuja Bhosale was beaten 7-5, 6-3 by Liu Fangzhou of China in the pre-quarterfinals.
- Kamesh Srinivasan
The results:
$164,000 Challenger, Acapulco, Mexico
$25,000 ITF men, Hammamet, Tunisia
$15,000 ITF men, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
$40,000 ITF women, Shenzhen, China
$15,000 ITF women, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
GOLF
Dharma fires 67 for two-shot lead on penultimate day in Gurgaon Open
Bengaluru’s M Dharma fired a third round of five-under 67 to establish a two-shot lead at a total of 14-under 202, at Rs 1 crore Gurgaon Open 2024 being held at the Classic Golf & Country Club in Nuh on Thursday.
Sachin Baisoya of Delhi ended the penultimate day in second position at 12-under 204 after he carded a 66.
In relatively calmer conditions on Thursday when the wind didn’t play a role as big as it did on Wednesday, Saarthak Chhibber, another Delhi-based professional, returned the day’s best score of 64 to climb 15 spots to tied third at 11-under 205.
Besides Chhibber, the three other players in joint third were Bangladesh’s Md Akbar Hossain (66), Jaipur-based Prakhar Asawa (67) and Mukesh Kumar (67) of Mhow.
- PTI
Good start for Tvesa, Diksha and Ridhima at Joburg Ladies golf
Indian golfer Tvesa Malik got off to a good start with a 2-under 71 to be placed Tied-16th at the Joburg Ladies Open here on Thursday.
There are three other Indians in the field and of them, Diksha Dagar (73) and Ridhima Dilawari (73) carded even par 73 each to be tied 30th, while Vani Kapoor shot 76 and was T-80 at the Modderfontein Golf Club.
Thailand’s April Angurasaranee led the field with a card of 6-under 67 that included nine birdies and three bogeys, while six players including Singapore’s rookie Shannon Tan were tied second at 4-under each.
Eight others were tied at 3-under in T-8th place.
Tvesa, a multiple winner on Hero WPGT Tour, and eight others were Tied 16th in a crowded leader board.
Tvesa, winner of Supersport Ladies Challenge on the Sunshine Ladies Tour for her first International pro title outside India last month, opened with a bogey on the 10th and turned in 1-over after a birdie on 16th and a bogey on 18th.
On her second nine, she was bogey free as she birdied the second and landed an eagle on the Par-5 fourth and parred the last four holes for 71.
Diksha, also starting on the 10th, had three birdies, including two in her last five holes, and three bogeys.
Ridhima was off to a brilliant start with four birdies in first five holes, but then slowed down.
She bogeyed eighth and 15th but got one birdie back on 16, only to close with a double bogey and a bogey and drop out of Top-10.
Vani had mixed luck with three birdies against six bogeys and three birdies.
This is the seventh event on the Ladies European Tour, which had its last two events in Australia.
Next week the Tour stays in South Africa for the South African Open, which in 2019 was won by Diksha.
- PTI
Three Indians make cut at Saudi Open
Three Indian golfers including Shiv Kapur, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Gaganjeet Bhullar have made the cut at the USD one million Saudi Open here.
The Indian trio was led by Kapur (72-69), Sandhu (76-65), who both were Tied-33 with 1-under totals, while Bhullar (70-72) made the cut at even par.
The eight Indians, who missed the cut included Veer Ahlawat (74-70), Saptak Talwar (76-68), Kartik Sharma (75-70), S Chikkarangappa (73-73), SSP Chawrasia (77-73), Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (73-79) and Honey Baisoya, who withdrew after the first round. The cut fell at even par.
John Catlin kept the lead by adding a four-under-par 67 to his opening 65.
The American, who is chasing back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour having won the International Series Macau last month, is 10-under and a shot ahead of China’s Li Haotong and Australia’s Scott Hend.
- PTI
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