Golf
Shubhankar Sharma, three others in join-lead at Italian Open after three rounds.
Looking to end his title drought which has lasted six years on the European Tour, Shubhankar Sharma carded a bogey-free 4-under 67 to get into a four-way lead after three rounds at the Italian Open in Rome.
Sharma, who had already secured his berth at the Open in Royal Troon next month by the virtue of a top-10 finish in 2023, is now 10-under with rounds of 68-68-67.
He shared the lead with Marcel Siem (66), the winner of the 2023 Indian Open.
Siem is ahead of Sharma, Antoine Rozner (62), who won the Mauritius Open in 2022 and Sebastian Friedrichsen (68).
Sharma, whose second of the two European Tour wins came in 2018, birdied third, fifth, 14th and 15th.
His first win came in 2017 at the Joburg Open and he then won the 2018 Maybank Championship in Malaysia. Sharma had a 61 in the second round at Joburg and closed the Malaysian win with a 62.
Rozner was the star of the day with a 9-under 62, after making the cut on the line with a birdie on his last hole in the second round.
Rozner’s 62 was a new course at the Adriatic Golf Club.
Siem, who suffered an injury earlier in the year and missed defending his title at the Indian Open, birdied first, third, fifth and eighth and then picked birdies on 12th, 15th and the 18th.
Siem bogeyed 11th and the 14th.
-PTI
Aditi misses cut at Dow Championship golf
India’s Aditi Ashok and her Thai partner, Pajaree Anannarukarn missed the cut despite a good second round of 4-under 66 in the Dow Championship golf championship on the LPGA Tour here.
The Indo-Thai combination, which had finished in the Top-10 of this event before, shot 72 and 66 to be 2-under for T-59 position but missed the cut, which fell at 7-under.
There was plenty of action in the second round of the Dow Championship as five teams zoomed to the top of the leaderboard.
The teams of Jaravee Boonchant and Chanettee Wannasaen, Jennifer Kupcho and Ally Ewing, are among those at the top.
The others are Auston Kim and Grace Kim, Ssu-Chia Cheng and Wei-Ling Hsu, and Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Nicole Broch Estrup. They are all at 12-under.
The format was switched to four-ball for the second round at the Midland Country Club.
Grace Kim and Japan’s Hinako Shibuno recorded aces in the round.
-PTI
Badminton
Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships: India books spot in quarterfinals
India sealed its spot in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championship with a 3-2 win over Philippines in its second Group C clash at Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday.
The Indian team, which had blanked Vietnam 5-0, in its tournament opener, made a couple of changes to its line-up with Rounak Chauhan replacing Pranay Shettigar in boy’s singles and K Vennala combining with Shravani Walekar in girls doubles.
Senior Nationals runners-up Tanvi Sharma started India’s march with a 21-9, 21-17 win over Funtespina Christel Rei but Chauhan could not maintain the momentum after winning the opening game against Jamal Rahmat Pandi and lost 15-21, 21-18, 21-12.
Vennala and Shravani then put India ahead once again as they defeated Hernandes Andrea and Pecious Libaton 23-21, 21–11 in 39 minutes.
The boys doubles combination of Arsh Mohammad and Sankar Sarawat then put the result beyond doubt with a 21-16, 21-14 win over Christian Dorega and John Lanza.
The mixed doubles pair of Bhargav Ram Arigela and K Vennala lost the final rubber.
India will now face host Indonesia to decide the group winner on Sunday. Indonesia is also through to the quarterfinal, having beaten Philippines 5-0 and Vietnam 4-1 in its two group matches.
RESULTS
- Team Sportstar
Cricket
CAB to launch Vision 2028
From left to right: Former India cricketers Venkatesh Prasad, Manoj Tiwary and Narendra Hirwani. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Three former India cricketers, Manoj Tiwary, Venkatesh Prasad and Narendra Hirwani, will groom cricketers of West Bengal under Vision 2028 initiative.
The first phase of the initiative, featuring under-16 and under-19 cricketers, will start on Sunday and will continue till July 7.
Former Bengal captain Tiwary will be the batting coach, Prasad will oversee the pace bowling department and Hirwani will look after the spinners.
While the short-term goal will be to make various age group squads and the senior Bengal side ready for the domestic season, the long term goals will be to prepare players for the future and integrate them into various age group squads.
The three coaches interacted with Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials and coaches on Saturday and shared their ideas.
- Team Sportstar
Bengal Pro T20: Sobisco Smashers Malda, Murshidabad Kings declared joint-winners after washout in final
Sobisco Smashers Malda and Murshidabad Kings became joint winners of the men’s title in the inaugural Bengal Pro T20 League after the final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was abandoned due to rain here on Friday night.
Malda scored 116 for eight. In reply, Kings was seven for no loss in the second over when rain intervened.
SCORES
- Team Sportstar
Vizag Warriors’ owner expects APL to be complete entertainment package
Dr. Narendra Ram, owner of Vizag Warriors with the team members in the Andhra Premier League. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For Dr. Narendra Ram, an entrepreneur and chairman of LifeSpan Industries, it was a dream come true to own a cricket team in a professional league when he bought the Vizag Warriors which will take part in the Andhra Premier League starting from Sunday in the Port City of Visakhapatnam.
“Honestly, I have a deep passion for sports and more so for cricket. I feel that by owning a cricket team, I can actively contribute to the growth and popularity of cricket and provide a platform for young, talented players to shine,” Dr. Narendra said in a chat with ‘The Hindu’ on Saturday.
“Well, having captained the district under-13 team, cricket tops my priority list even as I plan to venture into other disciplines soon. I feel sports is the best platform to give back something to the society,” he said. “Cricket has taught me the importance of discipline, teamwork, and resilience. Sports have been my passion and a driving force in my life,” he added.
“We believe that the APL is a truly professional league launched with great ideas and a cause too. The fact that it attracts the cream of domestic talent in Andhra Pradesh, including those who have played for India, is proof that it has come to stay,” Dr. Narendra said.
“It’s not just about cricket, as the APL offers a complete package of entertainment, had a viewership of more than two crores last season and a huge fan base which provides a perfect platform for effective marketing, social media interaction and community involvement,” Hyderabad-based Dr. Narendra said.
“Importantly, APL happens to be the biggest platform for young talent, offering a unique opportunity for emerging players to showcase their skills on a big stage, often under the mentorship of seasoned international stars and experienced coaches,” he said.
“This exposure, we feel, is important for their development for several reasons including high-level competition, art of learning, increased visibility, professional environment to name a few,” Dr. Narendra said.
“The professionalism in picking the teams for the APL franchisees is proof of the commitment, passion and sincerity in promoting genuine talent,” he said.
“Our long-term vision is to create a holistic sports ecosystem that nurtures talent, promotes healthy lifestyles, and brings communities together through the love of sports. We aim to leave a lasting legacy that inspires future generations and elevates the standard of sports in our region and beyond,” Dr. Narendra said.
-V V SUBRAHMANYAM
Squash
Asian Junior squash: Agarwal (U-15), Aadya (U-13) emerge champions
India’s Shiven Agarwal and Aadya Budhia emerged the boys’ U-15 and girls’ U-13 champions respectively in the 31st Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships which concluded in Islamabad on Saturday.
Second-seeded Agarwal got the better of Malaysian top seed Muhammad Raziq Putra Mohd Fakhrur Razi 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 13-11 in the final, while second seed Aadya put it past fourth-seeded compatriot Goushika M 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.
Agarwal avenged his loss to Muhammad Raziq in the U-13 semifinal in 2022, while Aadya’s medal was India’s first gold in the girls’ U-13 category of the competition.
India won two gold medals in the championship after a gap of 12 years.
-Team Sportstar
Football
Punjab FC appoints Panagiotis Dilmperis as new head coach
Punjab FC (PFC) has appointed Panagiotis Dilmperis as the head coach for the upcoming ISL 2024-25 season.
Konstantinos Katsaras will join him as the assistant coach and Papaioannou Ioannis as the strength and conditioning coach. Before joining PFC, Dilmperis served as the head coach of A. E Ermionida FC in the previous season.
-Team Sportstar
TENNIS
Vaidehi Chaudhari storms into final
Vaidehi Chaudhari outclassed Monique Barry of New Zealand 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Taipei, Taiwan, on Saturday.
In the final, Vaidehi will take on Kyoka Okamura of Japan.
The results:
-Kamesh Srinivasan
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