Indian sports wrap, February 28

Here are all the updates, results and developments from the world of Indian sports on February 28.

Sahaja Yamalapalli stroked with intensity to beat Ayumi Koshishi of Japan in the ITF women’s tennis tournament in Gurugram on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Kamesh Srinivasan

TENNIS

$25,000 ITF women’s tennis: Fifth-seed Yamalapalli beats Japan’s Koshishi in first round

Fifth seed Sahaja Yamalapalli warmed up for the challenges ahead with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ayumi Koshishi of Japan in the first round of the Federal Bank $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Project, Baliawas, on Wednesday.

Sahaja stroked with intensity and converted four of eight break points to snuff the Japanese challenge. She did drop serve once but overall handled her service games with competence.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Sahaja will play Riya Bhatia who has been without match practice for some time. Riya overcame the fluent play of qualifier Anjali Rathi 7-6(5), 6-4.

Riya did well to make the doubles quarterfinals with Michika Ozeki of Japan.

Qualifier Vaishnavi Adkar unleashed her forceful strokes on both flanks to beat Akiko Omae of Japan in three sets. Vaishnavi will next face the top seed, the 218th ranked Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia.

Shirvalli Bhamidipaty had little trouble in getting past the Japanese qualifier Ikumi Yamazaki. She will face seventh seed Jacqueline Cabaj Awad of Sweden in the second round.

The results

Singles (first round): Dalila Jakupovic (Slo) bt clara Vlasselaer (Bel) 7-5, 6-4; Vaishnavi Adkar bt Akiko Omae (Jpn) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1; Riya Bhatia bt Anjali Rathi 7-6(5), 6-4; Sahaja Yamalapalli bt Ayumi Koshishi (Jpn) 6-4, 6-2; Yasmine Mansouri (Fra) bt Ranah Akua Stoiber (GBR) 6-1, 7-6(4); Ekaterina Kazionova bt Ekaterina Yashina 7-5, 6-2; Anastasia Gasanova bt Abhilasha Bista (Nep) 6-3, 6-0; Fanny Ostlund (Swe) bt Michika Ozeki (Jpn) 6-2, 6-4; Yeonwoo Ku (Kor) bt Madhurima Sawant 6-0, 6-2; Zhibek Kulambayeva (Kaz) bt Humera Baharmus 6-1, 6-2; Rinon Okuwaki (Jpn) bt Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) 7-5, 6-4; Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Ikumi Yamazaki (Jpn) 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Zhibek Kulambayeva (Kaz) & Ankita Raina bt Zeel Desai & Rinon Ikuwaki (Jpn) 2-6, 6-3, [11-9]; Riya Bhatia & Michika Ozeki (Jpn) bt Akanksha Nitture & Saumya Vig 6-3, 6-1; Shrivalli Bhamidipaty & Vaidehi Chaudhari bt Kashish Bhatia & Sahira Singh 6-0, 6-1; Jacqueline Cabaj Awd (Swe) & Justina Mikulskyte (Ltu) bt Snehal Mane & Madhurima Sawant 6-2, 6-1.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

SHOOTING

National selection trials: Chouksey tops women’s 50-metre rifle with world record score

Ashi Chouksey was in brilliant form as she topped the women’s 50-metre rifle 3-position event, with a world record score to boot, in the National shooting selection trials at the Madhya Pradesh Academy on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old Ashi shot 597 out of 600 in qualification, one point better than the world record shared by Jenny Stene of Norway and Sagen Maddalena of the USA, and won the final with 461.8, She was 4.3 points ahead of second-placed Vidarsa Vinod who had 588 in qualification. Himani Poonia placed third ahead of Lajja Gauswami, Priya, Dhyaneshwari, Heena Gohei and Surabhi Bharadwaj.

Vidarsa Vinod, topper Ashi Chouksey and Himani Poonia in women’s rifle 3-position event in National shooting trials in Bhopal on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Ashi had been beaten by 0.1 and 0.2 points in the two selection trials earlier in air rifle. In the 25-metre women’s sports pistol, Asian Games gold medallist and multiple World Cup gold winner, Rahi Sarnobat topped with 33, three points ahead of Jaspreet Kaur. Olympian Annu Raj Singh placed third, ahead of Anisa Sayyed, Shital Desai, Kirandeep Kaur, TS Divya and Esha Singh.

Arjun Babuta topped men’s air rifle with 252.5 as he beat Sri Karthik Sabari Raj by 0.3 point. The latter had an impressive 634.2 in qualification. The qualification topper Dhanush Srikanth (635.4) did not shoot the final.

The results

10m air rifle: Men: 1. Arjun Babuta 252.5 (630.6); 2. Sri Karthik Sabari Raj 252.2 (634.2); 3. Yash Vardhan 230.8 (632.0).

25m sports pistol: Women: 1. Rahi Sarnobat 33 (583); 2. Jaspreet Kaur 30 (579); 3. Annu Raj Singh 27 (577).

50m rifle 3-position: Women: 1. Ashi Chouksey 461.8 (597); 2. Vidarsa Vinod 457.5 (588); 3. Himani Poonia 446.5 (585).

-Kamesh Srinivasan

POLO

Radha Mohan Rajinder Mohan Gold Vase: Shergill scores four in Jindal Panther win

Simran Shergill scored four goals to help Jindal Panther to a 6-5 victory over Rajnigandha Achievers in a league match of the Radha Mohan Rajinder Mohan Gold Vase polo tournament at the Army Equestrian Centre, Delhi Cantonment, on Wednesday.

The results (league)

Mayfair Polo 8 (Daniel Otamendi 4, Gaurav Sahgal 3, Salim Azmi) bt Delta Polo 7 (Santiago Marambio 5, Shamsheer Ali, Akshai Malik).

Jindal Panther 6 (Simran Shergill 4, Siddhant Sharma 2) bt Rajnigandha Achievers 5 (Chris Mackenzie 4, Dhruvpal Godara).

-Kamesh Srinivasan