Indian sports news wrap, April 24

Here are all the major updates in Indian sports on April 24.

Arjun Atwal in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

GOLF

Arjun Atwal makes his debut with 11th place on the PGA Tour Champions

India’s Arjun Atwal marked his debut on the PGA Champions Tour (for Over 50) with an impressive Tied-11 place finish at the Invited Celebrity Classic here.

The only Indian to win on the PGA Tour, Atwal, who celebrated his 50th birthday last month, shot rounds of 70-68-70 and finished 5-under 208 in the 54-hole event at the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.

The final round saw Atwal, who played this week on a sponsor’s invite, hole three birdies, the third of which came on the closing 18th hole. He dropped a double bogey on the Par-4 ninth, which he had bogeyed on the first day also.

Atwal plans to play the Seniors, while also playing the main PGA Tour. He is also likely to feature in some Senior Majors this season.

Next week Atwal plays the Mexico Open at Vidanta as will American-Indian Akshay Bhatia. World No. 1 Jon Rahm, the Masters champion headlines the field. Also in the field will be Tony Finau (No. 11) and Wyndham Clark (No. 14).

Mark Hensby captured his first win on PGA TOUR Champions in a four-hole playoff over Charlie Wi.

After tying each of the first three playoff holes (Nos. 18, 18, 17) with pars, Hensby made par on the fourth playoff hole (No. 18), while Wi made double bogey after hitting his second shot into the penalty area. This was the first playoff of the 2023 season on PGA TOUR Champions.

-PTI

TENNIS

Sumit Nagal, Mukund Sasikumar qualify for main draw at Challenger events

India’s top two male tennis players, Sumit Nagal and Mukund Sasikumar, qualified for main draws of the ATP Challenger Tour events in Rome and Seoul, respectively on Tuesday.

Nagal won 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 against Norway’s Viktor Durasovic in the final qualifying round in the Italian capital.

In South Korea, Mukund beat Israel’s Eden Leshem 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 to progress to the main round.

RESULTS (Qualifying)

ATP Rome Challenger

Singles, Final Round: [12] Sumit Nagal bt [2] Viktor Durasovic (NOR) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2

First Round: [12] Sumit Nagal bt Jacopo Berrettini (ITA) 6-4, 6-1

ATP Seoul Challenger

Singles, Final Round: [10] Mukund Sasikumar bt [6] Eden Leshem (ISR) 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-4

First Round: [10] Mukund Sasikumar bt [WC] Woobin Shin (KOR) 6-3, 6-4

ITF W60 Oeiras

Singles, First Round: [16] Claudia Hoste Ferrer (ESP) bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 6-3, 6-0

ITF M25 Jakarta

Singles, Second Round: [11] Bharath Nishok Kumaran bt Lucky CandraKurniawan (INA) 7-5, 6-2

First Round: Hanyi Liu (CHN) bt Theertha Shashank Macherla 6-0, 6-3

ITF M25 Tbilisi

Singles, Second Round: [13] Arslanbek Aitkulov (KAZ) bt Sanisth Juneja 6-2, 6-3

First Round: Sanisth Juneja bt [WC] Giorgi Chipashvili (GEO) 6-1, 6-3

ITF M25 Santa Margherita Di Pula

Singles, First Round: [16] Biagio Gramaticopolo (ITA) bt Ritabrata Sarkar 6-2, 3-0 retd.

ITF W25 Nottingham

Singles, Final Round: [15] Michelle Dzjachangirova (NED) bt [5] Humera Baharmus 6-3, 6-0

First Round: [5] Humera Baharmus bt Josie Ward (GBR) 6-3, 6-3

ITF W25 Guayaquil

Singles, First Round: Alejandra Alvarez (ECU) bt [14] Priyanka Rodricks 5-7, 7-6(2), 10-7

ITF M15 Monastir, Tunisia

Singles, Second Round: [6] Yamato Sueoka (JPN) bt Atharva Sharma 6-3, 6-4

First Round: Atharva Sharma bt Stefano Papagno (ITA) 6-2, 6-4; [WC] Rayen Hermassi (TUN) bt Babji Siva Atturu 6-1, 6-0; Yusuke Kusuhara (JPN) bt Drona Walia 6-1 retd.; [12] Antoine Berger (FRA) bt Chirag Duhan 6-2, 6-1, [14] Max Wiskandt (GER) bt Tushar Sharma 6-0, 7-5;

ITF W15 Telde

Singles, First Round: [12] Elena Giovanna Giessler (GER) bt Kanupriya Rajawat 6-0, 6-1

ITF W15 Monastir, Tunisia

Singles, Second Round: Vaishnavi Adkar bt [8] Viktoria Veleva (BUL) 6-2, 6-1; [13] Beverley Nyangon (FRA) bt Isha Budwal 6-2, 6-0

First Round: Vaishnavi Adkar bt Tara Gilich (AUS) 6-0, 6-1; Isha Budwal bt Anna Peres (ITA) 6-4, 6-3

ITF W15 Antalya

Singles, First Round: Kira Matushkina (RUS) bt Kaaviya Balasubramanian 6-1, 6-3

- Team Sportstar

MOTORSPORT

Arjun Maini scores podium at Monza

Indian driver Arjun Maini and his team Haupt Racing got their first podium in the bronze category of the GT World Challenge Europe here.

Bronze category stipulates that there is a requirement of one driver in the bronze, silver and gold category. Arjun was the gold rate driver for Mercedes AMG.

The team got off to an excellent start with Hubert Haupt (the team is named after him) making some places despite multiple yellow flags and safety cars. Sebastian Baud then took over and maintained the momentum going till the end of his stint which was just past the two-hour mark out of the three-hour endurance race. Arjun got into the car for the final hour and came out of the pits in P3 in the bronze class.

“It felt really good to be Standing on the Podium with my teammates in Monza on the Opening Round of the Championship. This is also the First Race of the Championship and to get a Podium means a lot to me,” said Maini.

-PTI