TENNIS
Bopanna and Ebden win doubles title in Doha
Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden won the doubles title in the $1,485,775 ATP tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, beating Constant Lestienne and Botic van de Zandschulp in the final on Saturday.
It was the first title as a pair for Bopanna and Ebden who had made the final last week in Rotterdam.
It was the 23rd doubles title in the professional circuit for the 42-year-old Bopanna.
The champion team collected 250 ATP points and $72,780. The runners-up won 150 points and $38,940.
The results:
$1,485,775 ATP, Doha, Qatar Doubles (final): Rohan Bopanna & Matthew Ebden (Aus) bt Constant Lestienne (Fra) & Botic van de Zandschulp (Ned) 6-7(5), 6-4, [10-6].
$40,000 ITF women, Macon, France Doubles (semifinals): Darya Astakhova & Prarthana Thombare bt Emily Appleton (GBR) & Jessy Rompies (Ina) 6-3, 3-6, [12-10]; Quarterfinals: Darya & Prarthana bt Jenny Duerst (Sui) & Yuki Naito (Jpn) 7-5, 6-4.
$15,000 ITF women, Monastir, Tunisia Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Naho Sato (Jpn) bt Tanisha Kashyap 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles (quarterfinals): Fernanda Labrana (Chi) & Elena Milovanovic (Srb) bt Nina Vargova (Svk) & Tanisha Kashyap 6-7(2), 6-2, [11-9].
- Kamesh Srinivasan
Ankita, Karman top Indian draws at ITF Women’s 25K in Bengaluru
FILE PHOTO: Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS
India’s top-ranked singles players Ankita Raina and Karman Thandi will be seen in action at the ITF Women’s 25K event, scheduled to begin on February 26 at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, here Apart from Raina (world no 245) and Thandi (265) youngsters such as Sahaja Yamalapalli and Soha Sadiq, who train at the PBI-CSE Academy in Bengaluru, will also compete.
The qualifying rounds will be played on February 26 and 27.
The spectators’ entry to the tournament will be free, according to the organisers.
-PTI
CRICKET
Irani Cup tie to be a day affair
The Irani Cup tie will continue to be a day affair and not a pink ball contest as planned initially. Madhya Pradesh, which won the Ranji Trophy in the 2021-22 season, will take on Rest of India from March 1 to 5 at Gwalior for the 2021-22 edition of the Irani Cup.
This will be the second Irani tie of the current season as Saurashtra, the 2019-20 Ranji winner, played Rest of India at Rajkot in October 2022.
It is understood that following the inspection of the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, the BCCI team felt that the floodlights did not meet the standards for the pink-ball fixture.
The match was originally scheduled to be played at Indore, but had to be shifted after the Holkar Stadium replaced Dharamsala as the venue for the third Test between India and Australia.
- S. Dipak Ragav
COMBAT SPORTS
Trainees from 21 SAI centres to compete in All-India Inter SAI Taekwondo C’ship
Korean players display their skills during the opening ceremony of all India Inter SAI Taekwondo Championship 2023, organised in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Korea-India diplomatic relations, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI
A total of 265 taekwondo players from 21 Sports Authority of India centres will compete at the All-India Inter SAI Taekwondo Championship which began at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex here on Friday.
The players are part of four SAI National Centres of Excellence in Lucknow, Bangalore, Guwahati and Trivandrum as well as 17 SAI Training Centres.
The three-day tournament is being organised in commemoration of the 50th year of India-Korea diplomatic relations.
Present at the opening ceremony were Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, SAI Director General Sandip Pradhan, Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae Bok, Deputy Minister & Ambassador for Public Diplomacy of Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sang-hwa Lee, Korea National Sports University Chancellor Yong-gyu Ahn among others.
The three-day event will have cadet (U-14), junior (U-17) and senior age groups.
The competition is divided into two parts -- Poomsae and Sparring called Kyorugi. The sparring, Kyorugi division is divided according to the competition rules of the World Taekwondo Federation in players’ age and weight, and the Poomsae division will be divided into men’s and women’s categories only.
The 10 Kyorugi and two Poomsae winners, who will win gold medals in each category, will visit Korea National Sports University with the support of the Korean government and receive an education and training program for about three weeks.
-PTI
ATHLETICS
Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) set to host the second edition of the Indian Open – Throws and Jumps Competition
The Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) is all set to host the second edition of the Indian Open – Throws and Jumps Competition from March 1, 2023 (Throws Competition) – March 2, 2023 (Jumps Competition) in Vijayanagar, Karnataka. This will be the first Athletics Federation of India (AFI) sanctioned senior competition to be held at the IIS.
With the domestic athletics season only just having begun, the Indian Open will be the first major competition where the Asian and Olympic Games prospects will get to test their mettle against each other in a field that has some serious firepower. A total of 195 athletes will compete across two days, in eight disciplines, namely – Shot Put, Discus Throw, Hammer Throw and Javelin (Day 1) and Long Jump, High Jump, Triple Jump and Pole Vault (Day 2).
“The 2nd AFI Indian Open Throws and Jumps Competition, hosted at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary, will be an opportunity for our athletes to earn qualification for the Asian Games, World Championships and next year’s Olympic Games. The quality and depth of our jumps and throws athletes in the past few years will ensure that we will see a great competition in Bellary,” said Dr Adille Sumariwalla, President, of the Athletics Federation of India.
Representing IIS at the competition will be Praveen Chithravel, fresh from his silver medal and national indoor record-breaking triple jump at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. Accompanying him in the same discipline will be 2022, Commonwealth Games Gold and Silver Medallists – Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker respectively who would be eager to get their season up and running.
Speaking before the event Chithravel said, “I am pleased that IIS is the venue for this competition. I’ve been training here for the last four years, so you can say it’s my home in many ways. The IIS is on par with the best in the world when it comes to facilities, and I hope it hosts more such competitions in the future. I had a good start to the season at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, and this is an opportunity for me to build on that success.”
Long-jumper Jeswin Aldrin, who also started his season on a high with a silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships will also be in action for his first outdoor competition of 2023. While Jesse Sandesh will be carrying the IIS baton in the men’s high jump competition.
Among the women, Abhinaya Shetty will look to put up a strong show yet again, after making it to the top eight at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships with a 1.75m jump. Abhinaya will be up against her fellow IIS athlete Rubina Yadav, while, Sharvali Parulekar will be in contention in the women’s triple jump.
Abhinaya, looking forward to the meet, said, “The IIS is a place that creates such an amazing environment for any athlete and I am certain everyone who competes here over the two days of the competition will experience it. I’ve been here for the last nine months now, and I’m looking forward to what this place will be like during a competitive meet.”
Further, lighting up the competition will be Olympian, Arjuna Awardee and 2018 Asian Games Gold Medallist – Tajinderpal Singh Toor who, having already clinched gold at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, will be looking to start the domestic season with a medal. He will be up against his fellow medallist from the same competition, Karanveer Singh. In the women’s category, the lead attractions will be Manpreet Kaur and Abha Khatua (Shot Put), who have had fierce competition with each other since 2022. Lastly, in the women’s pole vault event coming fresh at the back of a silver medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, will be Pavithra Venkatesh.
-Team Sportstar
FOOTBALL
I-League: Mohammedan Sporting shocks Deccan in 10-goal thriller, come up from drop zone
Mohammedan Sporting lifted its sagging fortunes under new coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo, securing an incredible 6-4 win over table topper Sreenidi Deccan in the I-League match in Kolkata on Friday.
Kean Lewis (2nd and 67th) and Abiola Dauda (21st, 30th) struck a brace, while Sheikh Faiaz (48th) and Nikola Stojanovic (80th) sealed the 10-goal thriller.
The win also allayed the Black Panthers relegation fears as they jumped to eighth place in the 12-team standings with 23 points from 19 matches.
For the Deccan, Rilwan Hassan (3rd), David Castaneda (28th-penalty), Louis Ogana (79th) and Rosenberg Gabriel (93rd) found the target but only to fall short.
It was, however, a big blow to the Sreenidi’s title aspiration as they remained on 40 points along with Punjab FC who have a match in hand.
Punjab will have the opportunity to climb up to the top of the standings when they face Sudeva Delhi on Sunday.
- PTI
Gokulam Kerala looks to maintain winning momentum
Gokulam Kerala training ahead of its I-League match against Aizawl at Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
The last two games have brought some cheer to the fans of Gokulam Kerala. The away wins against Rajasthan (2-1) and Churchill Brothers (1-0) could not have come at a better time for a side that had lost three matches in a row.
Gokulam, the champion for the last two seasons, should be looking to continue the winning streak against Aizawl here on Saturday. The host may not be satisfied with anything less than three points in the match against the Mizoram team, which has arrived here after suffering three losses back-to-back, against RoundGlass Punjab (0-1), TRAU (1-3) and Real Kashmir (1-2).
The Mizoram men should indeed be desperate to put an end to the series of defeats. With 23 points, they are placed eighth on the table.
Gokulam has 30 points, 10 behind the two leading teams, Sreenidi Deccan and RoundGlass.
When the two sides met for the first time this season, at Aizawl, Gokulam had won 1-0.
- P.K. Ajith Kumar
EQUESTRIAN
National Equestrian Championship preliminary rounds held
Equestrians from all over the nation participated in the National Equestrian Championship (NEC) preliminary held at the Amateur Riders’ Club in Mumbai.
Yashaan Khambatta, Navyashree Sai, and Raju Singh were among the top performers today. Equestrians from Bhopal, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Bangalore participated in this competition.
- Team Sportstar
WEIGHTLIFTING
Purnima claims gold
Purnima Pandey aggregated 218kg to claim the +87kg gold medal at the Khelo India women’s National Ranking Weightlifting Tournament in Patna on Friday.
Komal Kohar (45kg) was adjudged the ‘best lifter’ in the senior section.
The results (seniors only):
+87kg: 1. Purnima Pandey (UP) snatch 96kg, clean and jerk 122kg, total 218kg; 2. Ann Mariya M.T. (RSPB) 87kg, 118kg, 205kg; 3. Mehak Sharma (PUn) 81kg, 115kg, 196kg.
SHOOTING
Kaur misses medal round by two points in Egypt
Sift Kaur Samra shot 585 and missed the medal round by two points in the women’s rifle 3-position event in the World Cup in Cairo, Egypt.
The last event, as an exception, did not fetch any medal for the Indian team, which dominated the championship winning four of the 10 gold medals, apart from three bronze.
Hungary was second on the medals table with two gold and a silver.
Italy, Switzerland, Britain and Slovakia won a gold each.
Germany, Serbia, Austria, Norway, France, Croatia, Greece and Singapore were the other teams to figure in the medals table.
The results:
Women: 50m rifle 3-position: 1. Nina Christen (Sui) 17 (409.7) 588; 2. Jeanette Hegg Duestad (Nor) 13 (411.1) 591; 3. Jenny Stene (Nor) 406.9 (592); 4. Judith Gomez (Fra)406.7 (588); 16. Sift Kaur Samra 585; 22. Manini Kaushik 584; 27. Anjum Moudgil 583. RPO: Ashi Chouksey 579; Shriyanka Sadangi 579.
GOLF
Sai Praneeth makes winning start
Former World Championship bronze medalist B Sai Praneeth eased past Pruthvi Roy K 21-13 21-19 to move into the men’s singles second round of the 84th Senior Nationals here on Friday.
Maharashtra’s 10th-seeded Harshil Dani had to sweat hard before beating Kiran Kumar 16-21 21-17 21-12 in the first round.
Having won the first game, Kiran had a 11-7 lead in the second to put Harshil under pressure.
Harshil put all his experience into count and focussed on speed and accuracy to make it 13-13 and then went on to win the next five points in a row to pocket the game.
There was no turning back for him as Harshil didn’t allow his opponent to pose a threat to his victory and sealed the issue with a 21-12 win in the third game.
In the women’s singles, Ashmita defeated Gowrikrishna TR 21-9, 21-12 while Prerana Alvekar prevailed over Pinky Karki 21-6, 20-22, 21-14. Malvika Bansod defeated Jananika R 21-16, 21-11.
In the men’s singles’, Arya Bhivpathaki started his campaign on a winning note. He defeated Riku Khape 24-22, 21-11.
-PTI
ROWING
Navy-man Satnam denies Services clean sweep; Odisha dominate women’s section
Young Navy-man Satnam Singh upset Tokyo Olympian Arvind Singh and Army’s Karmajit in the men’s single sculls events to deny a Services clean-sweep in the 40th Senior Rowing Championships here on Friday.
Services bagged all-but-one of the eight titles up for grabs in the men’s section, which included the para men’s single sculls on Thursday.
The coxed eights, quadruple sculls, coxless fours, double sculls, lightweight double sculls events saw Service-Army top-two finishes.
But in the men’s single sculls, 22-year-old Satnam, who represented India at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics, pipped his fancied rivals, clocking seven minutes, 11.9 seconds en-route to his maiden National title in an event he picked up just a month and a half back.
Arvind Singh of Services (7:13.8s) and Karamjit of the Army (7:15.4s) had to settle for second and third spots.
Odisha dominated the proceedings in the women’s section claiming three titles (coxed eights, coxless pairs, light weight double sculls).
Manipur came next with two titles -- quadruple sculls, double sculls. Kerala (coxless fours) and hosts Maharashtra (single sculls) settled for one each.
The 24th Open Sprint National will get underway on Saturday.
-PTI
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