TENNIS
Top seed Evgeny Donskoy wins ITF men’s tournament
Top seed Evgeny Donskoy served and stroked with authority to outwit Yusuke Takahashi 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the $25,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex on Sunday.
With his quicksilver footwork and explosive game, the 32-year-old Donskoy silenced the Japanese fans who had hoped for a good fight from Takahashi.
The Japanese, playing his first final in five years, did play well and hit a string of delightful backhand down-the-line winners to catch Donskoy short of his stride.
However, Takahashi admitted to the better quality of the game of Donskoy and said that he would continue to work hard and get better.
Donskoy converted four of five breakpoints that he forced and did not face a breakpoint in the match.
In his prime, Donskoy was ranked No.65 in the world and had beaten several top players, including Roger Federer, Ivo Karlovic, Mikhail Youzhny, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov,
Yet, Donskoy, who had won his last singles title in a Challenger in Kazakhstan in 2019, recalled losing to Somdev Devvarman in the semifinals of the Challenger in Delhi in 2014. He praised the Indian players and hoped to play a Challenger at the venue next time.
Both the champion and runner-up will move to Lucknow for the next tournament in their attempt to collect valuable ATP points that would help them compete at a higher level.
RESULT
-Kamesh Srinivasan
MOTORSPORTS
Gaurav Gill wins FIA-APRC (Asia Rally Cup) round
Gaurav Gill (left) and co-driver Aniruddha Rangnekar celebrating victory in the second round of the FIA-APRC. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
India’s Gaurav Gill did just enough to clinch the second round of the FIA-Asia Pacific Rally Championship (Asia Rally Cup) here on Sunday.
Finishing second behind Delhi-based Gill who was partnered by Aniruddha Rangnekar for the first time in his career in a Subaru Impreza, was Thailand duo of Mana Pornsiricherd and co-driver Thanyapat Meenil, representing the Toyota Rally Team while Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) moved up a spot to third when Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) retired after stalling in the day’s last Stage which was subsequently cancelled.
Meanwhile Mangaluru’s Aroor Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) took the Overall title in the Blueband Sports Fmsci Indian National Rally Championship, his first win in seven years. Sahil Khanna (Harish KN Gowda) topped the INRC-2 category while Daraius Shroff (Shahid Salman) sealed his maiden win in the National championship crown by finishing first in the INRC-3 category.
Abhin Rai (D Uday Kumar) emerged champion in the INRC-4 category while Pragathi Gowda (Trisha Alonkar) took the honours in the Ladies class and Arjun Rajiv (Rohit Gowda) topped the Junior INRC category.
Of the two physical Stages that were to be run twice each in reverse direction today, both the loops of the MIC Track Stage were cancelled. Thus, the final day’s schedule was reduced to two runs of the Aavisa Stage that held up well to the heavy rains and were dry.
- Team Sportstar
TENNIS
Riya Sachdeva wins singles, doubles titles
Riya Sachdeva won both the singles and doubles titles in the Asian under-16 tennis tournament at the Singha Sports Academy.
Riya beat Aakruti Sonkusare 6-2, 6-4 in the girls final. She partnered Sejal Bhutada to beat Akanksha Ghosh and Arzan Khorakiwala 6-0, 6-3 in the doubles final.
Top seed Aradhya Kshitij won the boys title, beating second seed Levin Safoor Mydeen for the loss of two games. He, however, lost the doubles final in partnership with Lethaeesh Kombila to Shaurya Bhardwaj and Ranvir Singh.
Riya Sachdeva with the singles and doubles winner’s trophies in the Asian under-16 tennis tournament in Jalandhar. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The results (finals):
Boys: Aradhya Kshitij bt Levin Safoor Mydeen 6-2, 6-0.
Doubles: Shaurya Bhardwaj & Ranvir Singh bt Lethaeesh Kombila & Aradhya Kshitij 6-4, 6-4.
Girls: Riya Sachdeva bt Aakruti Sonkusare 6-2, 6-4.
Doubles: Sejal Bhutada & Riya Sachdeva bt Akanksha Ghosh & Arzan Khorakiwala 6-0, 6-3.
- Kamesh Srinivasan
ARCHERY
Indian archers claimed seven medals in the compound division and three in recurve in the Asia Cup World ranking tournament Stage-1 in Chinese Taipei on Sunday.
In the compound, Pawan Gat beat compatriot Priyansh 145-145 (10-9) in the final to take the men’s individual gold. Pragati pipped Parneet Kaur 141-141 (9*-9) in the women’s title clash.
The women’s Indian team of Parneet, Pragati and Aishwarya Sharma beat Kazakhstan 227-225 for the yellow metal.
India’s men’s team, comprising Pawan, K. Venkatadri and Priyansh, lost to Malaysia 225-226 to bag silver. The mixed team of Priyansh and Pragati defeated Philippines 153-151 for the bronze.
In the recurve, Rahul R. got the better of Rampal Choudhary 6-2 in the men’s individual summit clash. Rahul and Rampal joined hands with Parth Salunkhe to beat Saudi Arabia 5-3 and secure the men’s team crown.
-Y. B. Sarangi
HOCKEY
Hockey Chandigarh Men; Hockey Punjab Women & Hockey Haryana Women secure big win in North Zone
The first Hockey India Junior Men and Women Intra Zonal Championships 2023 kicked off today in the North, South, East, and West Zones with some notable performances that put their home teams in title contention right away.
Hockey Chandigarh opened play in the junior men’s category of the inaugural Hockey India Junior Men and Junior Women North Zone Championships 2023 in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, by defeating Hockey Uttarakhand 8-0. Captain Pankaj Sharma (15’), Gurpreet Singh (17’, 36’), Sukhmanpreet Singh (19’), Gurjeet Singh (28’, 39’), Damandeep Singh (52’), and Rishav (58’) scored goals for Hockey Chandigarh. The second match of the day between Hockey Haryana and Hockey Himachal was forfeited in the favour of Hockey Haryana, giving Hockey Haryana a 5-0 victory.
In the Junior Women’s category, Hockey Punjab beat Hockey Chandigarh 12-1. Sweena Rani (9’, 17’), Sukhjeet Kaur (14’), Lakhvir Kaur (16’, 38’), Pawanpreet Kaur (26’, 33’, 37’, 38’, 59’), Daljeet Kaur (41’, 52’) and Ravneet Kaur (54’) scored for Hockey Punjab while Tamanna (49’) scored the consolation goal for Hockey Chandigarh.
Hockey Haryana defeated Hockey Uttarakhand 12-0 in the second match. Ravina (7’), Saavi (14’), Pooja (19’, 47’, 60’), Bhavya (22’), Shashi Khasa (32’), Ritika (41’, 57’), Khushi (44’), Ritika Mann (58’), and Captain Bhateri (59’) all scored for Hockey Haryana.
In the third encounter of the day, Uttar Pradesh Hockey beat Delhi Hockey by a 6-0 scoreline. Peetambari Kumari (11’), Kanchan Kumari (15’, 27’), Purnima Yadav (18’), Pushpanjali Sonkar (23’) and Vandana Patel (50’) scored for Uttar Pradesh Hockey.
South Zone: Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu men and women’s teams register victory
In the opening game of the junior men’s category of the 1st Hockey India Junior Men and Junior Women North Zone Championships 2023 in Ramanathpuram, Tamil Nadu, Hockey Karnataka defeated Telangana Hockey 25-0. Akhil Aiyappa Bn (2’, 7’, 41’, 41’, 48’), Sunil P B (5’, 47’), Captain Pavan Dr (9’, 18’, 28’, 51’, 56’), Rohan Gokak (23’, 53’), Dhruva Kr (30’, 45’), Dhruva Bs (31’, 51’, 56’), Yashash Panappa (37’), Chengappa K.S (42’, 53’, 59’), Shrijith K.C (49’) and Dhanush Shane D (54’) scored for Hockey Karnataka.
The second match of the day, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu defeated Le Puducherry Hockey 10-0. Captain Srinivasan M (5’), Rakesh (16’, 28’), Hariharan Sudhakaran (20’), Anand Y (29’, 38’, 48’, 58’) and Sugumar M (56’) scored for Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu.
The third Junior Men match of the day saw Kerala Hockey register a 1-0 win against Hockey Andhra Pradesh with Ashish Lakra (29’) registering the only goal of the game for Kerala Hockey.
In the Junior Women’s category, Hockey Karnataka beat Le Puducherry Hockey by 20-0. The goals were scored by Sowmya HV (2’, 9’, 34’, 36’), Manish Ponnamma Cd (7’, 36’, 49’), Captain Yamuna (12’, 13’, 15+’, 19’, 23’, 26’, 39’, 56’), Disha Ponnamma Mu (29’, 48’, 57’), Bollamma Pm (34’) and Punya SR (40’).
The second game ended in a 2-2 draw between Hockey Andhra Pradesh and Kerala Hockey. Lekshmi D (12’) scored for Kerala Hockey, but Captain Bobbili Jhansi (28’) and Dokku Himaja (44’) scored a goal each to put Hockey Andhra Pradesh ahead. A penalty corner conversion by Abhay Jyothi AS (47’) ensured that the points were shared at the end of the game.
The last match of the day saw the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu beat Telangana Hockey by a 9-0 scoreline. Archana S (19’, 44’), Swathi S (22’), Priya Dharsini (26’, 47’, 58’) and Captain Gobika M (28’, 50’, 51’) scored for the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu.
East Zone: Hockey Mizoram and Hockey Jharkhand women’s teams win big
In the 1st Hockey India Junior Women East Zone Championship 2023 being held in Khunti (Ranchi), Jharkhand, Hockey Mizoram beat Hockey Bengal 18-0. Goals were scored by Lalpeksangi Lalpeksangi (8’, 42’, 54’), Lal Tlanchhungi (10’), Captain Lalthantluangi (12’, 16’, 39’, 58’), Vanlalrinhlui (19’, 29’, 30’, 37’), Lalrinpuii (27’), Vanlalhriatpuii (28’, 36’, 41’, 45’), F. Vanlalhriatlawmi (48’).
In the other match, Hockey Jharkhand beat Hockey Bihar 11-0. Captain Edlin Bage (2’, 10’), Niru Kullu (7’), Rajni Kerketta (9’), Pinki Kumari (12’, 24’), Roshni Aind (20’, 56’, 59’), Nisha Minj (37’) and Parwati Topno (58’) scored to win.
The match between Hockey Association of Odisha and Assam Hockey was underway, with Hockey Association of Odisha leading 11-0.
West Zone: Hockey Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh Hockey secure win in both categories
In the 1st Hockey India Junior Men and Junior Women West Zone Championship 2023 being held at Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, Hockey Maharashtra beat Hockey Rajasthan 5-1 in the men’s category. Kartik Ramesh Patare (30’, 55’, 55’) scored a hat-trick, while Captain Jay Kale (8’), and Raj Rajesh Pawar (56’) scored a goal each for Hockey Maharashtra. Rahul Choudhary scored the consolation goal for Hockey Rajasthan in the 18th minute.
In the second match of the day, Chhattisgarh Hockey beat Hockey Gujarat 15-1. Harsh Sahu (8’, 14’, 32’, 58), Karan Kumar Sahu (22’, 24’, 40’), and Prakash Patel (41’, 59, 52’) scored a hat-trick each, while Shreyansh Chourasia (9’), Himanshu Singh Rautela (26’), Sharik Ahmad Khan (42’), Captain Vishnu Yadav (49’), and Neeraj Kumar Singh (60’) scored a goal each for Chhattisgarh Hockey. Mayankkumar Halapati (45’) scored the only goal for Hockey Gujarat.
In the Junior Women’s category, Hockey Maharashtra beat Hockey Rajasthan 4-2 in the first match. Tanishka Sanjay Shinde (29’, 31’, 55’) scored a hat-trick while Sanjana Khetawat (12’) scored a goal for Hockey Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Captain Chetna Rani Das (45’, 60’) scored a brace for Hockey Rajasthan.
In the second match of the day, Chhattisgarh Hockey beat Hockey Gujarat 16-0. Skipper Mamteshwari Lahare (35’, 45’, 48’, 50’, 60’) scored five goals, while Geeta Yadav scored four goals (27’, 30’, 37’, 59’) to set up the win for Chhattisgarh Hockey. Sonam Sahu (40’, 41’, 53’) scored a hat-trick, while Aksa Parveen (23’), Janvee Yadav (28’), Anjali (32’), and Rohina Kerketta (54’) scored one goal each.
- Team Sportstar
BILLIARDS
Pankaj reigns supreme at Asian men’s billiards ch’ships
Pankaj Advani poses with the trophy at the Asian Billiards championship. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani reigned supreme at the Asian Billiards Championship held in Doha on Sunday. He defeated Brijesh Damani (India) 5-1 [Frame Scores: 100(51)-18, 100(88)-9, 86-(54)-101(75), 100(100)-26, 100(66)-2, 101(64)-59]
S. Shrikrishna won the bronze medal, defeating Indonesia’s Pauk Sa 4-1 in his first round-robin league match that practically decided the group-topper. He beat India’s Sourav Kothari in the quarterfinal, but lost to Damani in the semifinal.
- Team Sportstar
FOOTBALL
Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink held a special football coaching clinic in Dharavi. In the city as part of The Famous CFC tour, the Dutch veteran interacted with 16 to 18-year-old at-risk youth from the community during the clinic which also involved fun games and drills.
Ahead of the coaching session, Hasselbaink was given a guided tour of the community to understand some of the key challenges young people face on a daily basis, with 25 young leaders identified for the same.
Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“The kids here participated with such infectious enthusiasm, As we looked to use the power of sport to make them have fun. I am glad that we were able to meet the children and I hope today’s session will stick with them and inspire them in their future.”, he said after the clinic.
As part of the tour, Hasselbaink also attended a fan watch party in Juhu for the Chelsea vs Everton Premier League clash.
Comments
SHARE