TENNIS
ATP Perugia Challenger: Nagal reaches second straight final, Balaji-Begemann pair finishes runner-up
India’s top-ranked player Sumit Nagal made it to his second final on the ATP Challenger Tour in as many weeks as he beat Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-2 in Perugia, Italy, on Saturday.
World No. 77 Nagal is coming off a title triumph during the Heilbronn Challenger last week, which happens to be his second Challenger title this season after the Chennai Challenger in February. The title-winning run in Heilbronn has likely ensured Nagal a spot at Paris Olympics.
The sixth-seeded Indian faces either fourth-seeded German Daniel Altmaier or top-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi in the final on Sunday.
Sriram Balaji and Andre Begemann were beaten 6-4, 7-5 by the top seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela in the doubles final.
In the €812,235 ATP event in Stuttgart, Germany, Yuki Bhambri in partnership with Albano Olivetti of was beaten 7-5, 6-4 in the doubles semifinals by Julian Cash and Robert Galloway.
The Indo-French pair collected €12,180 and 90 ATP points.
The results:
- Kamesh Srinivasan
Shanker Heisnam beats Aashravya Mehra in AITA National series junior final
Shanker Heisnam had to be at his competitive best as he beat Aashravya Mehra 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(3) in the under-18 boys final of the AITA National series junior tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Saturday.
In the girls final, Mahika Khanna beat Ananya Jain 6-2, 6-4. It was a double crown for Mahika as she had won the doubles title earlier with Sia Mahajan.
The results (finals):
- Kamesh Srinivasan
GOLF
Diksha off to a strong start, lies fourth in Italian Open
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar made good use of a hat-trick of birdies at the start of the back nine to compile a solid 5-under 67 and be one shot behind the trio of leaders at the Ladies Italian Open.
After the opening day, Diksha trailed Australian Kirsten Rudgeley, Spain’s Fatima Fernandez Cano, and Swiss Tiffany Arafi by one shot. The leaders shot 6-under 66 each on a sun-soaked Friday at Golf Nazionale.
Diksha at sole fourth was best among the five Indians in the field, while Vani Kapoor (72) was T-30, Pranavi Urs and Tvesa Malik with 73 each were T-41 and Ridhima Dilawari (75) was T-76.
-PTI
Aditi Ashok is T-16 on the LPGA at Meijer Classic
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok carded two under 70 to be placed Tied-16th at the halfway stage of the Meijer LPGA Classic.
The Bengaluru player, who is enduring an average season, is due to play her third Olympic Games in August and a return to form will be a relief.
Still without a top-10 finish in 2024, Aditi had a bogey start but made up with birdies on the sixth, eighth and the 18th for a 70 and a total of 6-under 138.
She is five shots behind three-time LPGA Tour winner Ally Ewing who shot the round of the week through 36 holes with a 9-under 63 second round.
-PTI
Randhawa moves into Round of 16, Jeev exits
Jyoti Randhawa won his second match play round to move to the third round on the Legends Tour Europe.
Randhawa, playing his first full season on the Legends Tour for players over 50 years of age, outplayed Malcolm Mackenzie 5 and 4. He will now take on Keith Horne, who beat Jeev Milkha Singh 4 and 3 in the second round.
Jyoti Randhawa of India in action during day two of the Paul Lawrie Match Play. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Randhawa and Mackenzie were tied after six holes before the Indian pulled away to win five holes between the eighth and the 14th and finished the match with four holes to go.
Jeev went 1-up on the third but then Horne, who has played with Jeev in Asia and Europe over the years, won five holes between the fifth and the 14th to close the match.
-PTI
Gaurika Bishnoi wins 7th leg of Hero WPG Tour
Gaurika Bishnoi won the seventh leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, producing a stunning finish with a hat-trick of birdies in the last three holes for the week’s best round of 4-under 66 at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club, here on Saturday.
Gaurika, who was tied third after the second round and two shots behind the leader at the start of the day, totalled 1-under 209 as overnight leader Khushi Khanijau (71) cracked under pressure at the end.
Khushi gave away bogeys on the 16th and the 17th and carded 2-over 212 to finish three shots behind in runner-up position.
It was Gaurika’s first win of the 2024 season. She had two wins in 2023.
File Photo: Gaurika Bishnoi’s experience proved crucial as she birdied the 16th and the 17th, while Khushi bogeyed the 16th and the 17th. That four-shot swing in Gaurika’s favour in a matter of just two holes changed the storyline. | Photo Credit: PTI
Amateur Mannat Brar had a superb final round of 3-under 67 that had six birdies including four on the back nine and three bogeys overall. That took her to 4-over 214 and she was tied-third.
Vidhatri Urs, who took the lead on the first day in her first-ever round as a pro, shot 71 on the third day and finished at 4-over 214 to be tied-third with Mannat.
Gaurika, who began the final day two shots behind Khushi, was still two behind with three holes left. At the end of the front nine, Khushi seemed the likely winner as she stretched her overnight lead from two to four shots. Gaurika turned in even par, while Khushi with birdies on the seventh and ninth was 2-under.
Then things began changing. A bogey by Khushi on the 11th and a birdie by Gaurika on the 15th reduced the gap from four to two.
Then came the big turnaround.
Gaurika’s experience proved crucial as she birdied the 16th and the 17th, while Khushi bogeyed the 16th and the 17th. That four-shot swing in Gaurika’s favour in a matter of just two holes changed the storyline.
From two behind Gaurika was now two ahead. She added another birdie and Khushi just about managed a par and settled for the runners-up position.
Jasmine Shekar, looking for her maiden win, started the day one behind the second-round leader Khushi.
However, Jasmine, who has finished runner-up several times, faced disappointment yet again. Jasmine was 1-under for the front nine but a bogey on the Par-3 14th was followed by a series of three bogeys from the 16th to the 18th. She carded 73 and ended fifth at 5-over 215.
Astha Madan (73) was sixth while amateur Saanvi Somu (70), with one of the only three cards of par or better for the final day, was seventh.
Shweta Mansingh (72), Ananya Garg (73), Rhea Purvi Saravanan (74), Amandeep Drall (74) and new pro Anvitha Narender (75) were in a big bunch tied at eighth at 11-over 221.
Last year’s Hero Order of Merit winner Sneha Singh was 13th after a final round of 74.
On the Hero Order of Merit, Hitaashee Bakshi stays on top despite not teeing up this week as she is playing in Singapore, while Amandeep Drall is now second with Khushi Khanijau third.
-PTI
CRICKET
Bengal Pro T20 League: Servotech Siliguri Strikers defeats Shrachi Rarh Tigers by eight wickets
Ankur Pal’s unbeaten 43-ball 62, including seven fours and three sixes, helped Servotech Siliguri Strikers beat Shrachi Rarh Tigers by eight wickets in the Bengal Pro T20 League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
SCORES
- Y.B. Sarangi
SQUASH
Asian Team Championships: Indian men, women to fight for fifth-place finish
India women will play Iran for fifth place in the Asian Team Squash Championships in Dalian, China, on Sunday while the men will take on South Korea to decide the fifth and sixth positions.
On Saturday, the penultimate day of the competition, India women put it past Singapore in the classification stage that saw Sunita Patel and Rathika Suthanthira Seelan win in five games each in dramatic fashion.
Meanwhile, the men beat Iran to advance in their classification round, with Om Semwal and Velavan Senthilkumar also winning in five games each.
RESULTS
- Team Sportstar
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