Indian sports wrap, July 17: FC Goa midfielder Raynier Fernandes joins Odisha FC on loan for 2024-25 season

Here are all the major updates, scores, and results of Indians in the world of sports on July 17.

FILE PHOTO: Raynier Fernandes in action. | Photo Credit: Sportzpics for ISL

SWIMMING

Delhi State Championship

Titiksha Rawat emerged the best swimmer in the under-17 girls section, as she asserted her dominance by sweeping five individual gold medals in freestyle, from 100 metres to 1,500 metres, in the 58th Delhi State swimming championship at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Pool.

Awesome and Veronika Kaila were the best swimmers in the under-14 and under-11 girls sections, respectively.

In the under-17 boys section, the honour of the best swimmer was shared by Bhagya Gahlot and Prateek Singh.

Veer Chawla and Ketan Verma emerged the best in the under-14 and under-11 boys events, respectively.

- Kamesh Srinivasan

FOOTBALL

Indian Super League outfit FC Goa announced on Wednesday that Raynier Fernandes would be plying his trade with Odisha FC in the upcoming 2024-25 season after the midfielder completed a loan move to the Juggernauts.

- Team Sportstar

Hardik Bhatt returns to Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC are happy to confirm the signing of defender Hardik Bhatt on a one-year contract until the end of the 2024-25 season. The 27-year-old returns to the Islanders after a loan stint earlier, in the second half of the 2022-23 season.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Hardik is a versatile right-footed full-back. He began his professional career with ARA FC in Ahmedabad in 2019. Since then, he has played for Bengaluru United, Hyderya Sports, and Rajasthan United before joining Mumbai City FC in January 2023. Hardik made four appearances for the Islanders during the 2022-23 season, representing the club in both the Indian Super League and the Super Cup. He was also part of the squad that won the ISL League Winners’ Shield in 2023.

After the end of the 2022-23 season, he returned to Rajasthan United, where he played 14 games in the I-League last 2023-24 season, providing two assists and helping the team stay in the league.

Overall, Hardik has played 47 games across domestic tournaments in India, scoring 2 goals and registering 2 assists. He now aims to contribute to Mumbai City’s targets in the upcoming season.

- Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Nagal-Drzewiecki pair bows out of Nordea Open

Olympic bound Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal and his Polish partner Karol Drzewiecki made a first round exit after suffering straight-set loss in the Nordea Open here.

The Indo-Polish pair suffered a 3-6, 4-6 defeat in the hands of the French duo of Alexandre Muller and Luca Van Assche in a 59-minute round of 16 contest on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old however is still alive in the singles event. Nagal, who is now placed 68th in the ATP singles chart, next faces world number 36 Mariano Navone from Argentina.

Meanwhile, veteran Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji’s men’s doubles first round match against the German duo of Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner at the Hamburg Open in Hamburg, Germany has been postponed to Thursday.

Bopanna and Balaji will also be pairing up for the Paris Olympics later this month.

In the same event, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth won their second round qualifying match to advance to the main draw.

The Indian pair came from behind to defeat the Spanish combine of Sergio Martos Gornes and Jaume Munar 4-6 6-2 10-8 on Tuesday.

They will take on the local duo and second seeds Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz in the round of 16.

- PTI

Ankita Raina makes progress in ITF Nottingham tournament

Ankita Raina progressed both in singles and doubles in the $40,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Nottingham, Britain.

Ankita beat Cadence Brace of Canada 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the first round of singles. Later, she partnered Viktoria Hruncakova of Slovakia and overcame an indifferent start to beat Brooke Black and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis of Britain 0-6, 7-5, [10-3] in the doubles pre-quarterfinals.

- Team Sportstar

The results:

€651,865 ATP, Bastad, Sweden

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Alexandre Muller & Luca Van Assche (Fra) bt Karol Drzewiecki (Pol) & Sumit Nagal 6-3, 6-4.

€651,865 ATP, Gstaad, Switzerland

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Yuki Bhambri & Albano Olivetti (Fra) bt Boris Arias ( Federico Zeballos (Bol) 6-4, 6-4.

$742,350 ATP, Newport, USA

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Luke Saville & Aleksandar Vukic (Aus) bt Rithvik Choudhary & Niki Poonacha 6-1, 6-4.

$25,000 ITF men, Tianjin, China

Singles (first round): Aliaksandr Liaonenka bt S Mukund 1-1 (retired).

$15,000 ITF men, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia

Singles (first round): Sebastian Dominko (Slo) bt Manas Dhamne 6-3, 6-0; Jan Kupcic (Slo) bt Yuvan Nandal 6-2, 6-1.

$15,000 ITF men, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Singles (first round): Dhakshineswar Suresh bt Anthony Susanto (Ina) 6-3, 7-6(10); Vishnu Vardhan bt Matteo Lavizzari (Sui) 6-2, 7-6(5).

$60,000 ITF women, Porto, Portugal

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Karola Bejenaru (Rou) & Riya Bhatia bt Zoziya Kardava (Geo) & Anastasiya Poplavska (Ukr) 7-6(2), 7-6(9).

$60,000 ITF women, Evansville, USA

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Anna Frey & Elizabeth Ionescu (USA) bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty & Tian Fangran (Chn) 7-6(4), 6-4; Hiroko Kuwata (Jpn) & Sahaja Yamalapalli bt Sara Daavettila (USA) & Maria Kononova 6-4, 4-6, [10-7].

$40,000 ITF women, Nottingham, Britain

Singles (first round): Ankita Raina bt Cadence Brace (Can) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Viktoria Hruncakova (Svk) & Ankita Raina bt Brooke Black & Sophie Drakeford-Lewis (GBR) 0-6, 7-5, [10-3].

$15,000 ITF men, Casablanca, Morocco

Singles (first round): Vaishnavi Adkar bt Zineb El Mouttaki (Mar) 6-0, 6-0.

$15,000 ITF women, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Singles (first round): Ayumi Kshiishi (Jpn) bt Humera Baharmus 6-0, 6-3; Shihomi Leong (Mas) bt Abhaya Vemuri 6-3, 6-1; Vanshita Pathania bt Abhilasha Bista (Nep) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3; Akanksha Nitture bt Tanuchaporn Yongmod (Tha) 6-4, 6-0.

$15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia

Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Tanisha Kashyap bt Milana Maslenkova (Uzb) 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-2.

HOCKEY

Roshni scores hat-trick as Hockey Jharkhand wins in the 2nd Hockey India Junior Men & Women East Zone Championship

Hockey Jharkhand thrashed Assam Hockey 13-0 in the women’s category with the young Roshni Aind (24th, 32nd, 33rd) scoring a hat-trick in the 2nd Hockey India Junior Men & Women East Zone Championship on Wednesday.

The other goal scorers for the winners at the Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre were captain Rajni Kerketta (11, 27), Barwa Purnima (31, 46), Mundu Sukarmani (46, 56), Parwati Topno (21), Pinki Kumari (29), Hemrom Leoni (43) and Aupriya Soreng (59).

Hockey Association of Odisha too scored a lopsided 11-0 win against Hockey Bihar with Kachhap Rimjhim (20, 21, 31, 36) scoring four goals. Najiya Khatun (8, 34), Marandi Rajina (38), Khushi Kumari (44), Sugandha Sonam (49, 50), and Kumari Sharda (57) too were on target.

Hockey Bengal defeated Manipur Hockey 8-3 with Laltlanchhungi (4, 39, 49, 56), Shanti Horo (6, 33), and Lalpeksangi (23, 24) on target.

For Manipur Hockey, Tanu Shorensangbam (26), Devi Mutum Priya (41) and Devi Laishram Ritu (48) scored the consolation goals

- PTI

GOLF

Shubhankar, several Indian-origin players to vie for 152nd Open at Royal Troon

Shubhankar Sharma will be the only Indian passport holder teeing off at the 152nd Open Championship in Royal Troon, Scotland on Thursday even as several Indian-origin players, including Akshay Bhatia, would aim to hold aloft the Claret Jug at the oldest Major over the weekend.

Last year Sharma finished tied-eighth at Royal Liverpool for the best-ever finish by an Indian at the British Open. Apart from Sharma, the other Indian touch at Liverpool was Sahith Theegala, who missed the cut.

However, this time around, there is a strong Indian flavour in the field, including Theegala, one of the most exciting young stars, Bhatia, the left-hander who defied the popular norm of playing college before turning pro, and Aaron Rai, whose habit of wearing gloves on both hands, turns head in the golfing world.

The trio of Theegala, Bhatia and Rai, all have Indian blood in them, though the first two represent the United States and the third is now an Englishman.

- PTI