Indian sports news wrap, January 6: Suhitha Maruri wins ITF junior doubles title

Here are all the major developments in Indian sport on January 6, 2023.

Doubles champions Kitti Molnar and Suhitha Maruri in the ITF junior tennis tournament in Chandigarh on Friday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

TENNIS

ITF juniors tennis tournament

Suhitha Maruri, seeded No.1 in partnership with Kitti Molnar of Hungary, beat second seeds Lidia Podgorichani and Kamonwan Yodpetch of Thailand 7-5, 7-6(3) for the girls doubles title in the ITF junior tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Friday.

Lidia made the singles final, beating Maya Dutta in three sets, and will play Dominika Podhajecka of Poland in the final.

The boys final will be between Timofei Derepasko and Donghyun Hwang.

Results

Boys (semifinals): Timofei Derepasko bt Shingo Masuda (Jpn) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3; Donghyun Hwang (Kor) bt Cho Se Hyuk (Kor) 6-2, 6-0.

Doubles (final): Yu Maeda & Shingo Masuda (Jpn) bt Takamasa Mishiro & Satoru Nakajima (Jpn) 4-6, 6-3, [10-6].

Girls:  Lidia Podgorichani (Tha) bt Maya Dutta (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Dominika Podhajecka (Pol) bt Allegra Korpanec Davies (GBR) 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles (final): Kitti Molnar (Hun) & Suhitha Maruri bt Lidia Podgorichani & Kamonwan Yodpetch (Tha) 7-5, 7-6(3)

-Kamesh Srinivasan

FOOTBALL

Gokulam Kerala new signings

Gokulam Kerala FC has signed Spanish players Omar Ramos and Sergio Mendigutxia through the January transfer window. They will replace Cameroonian forwards Auguste Somlaga and Dodi Alphaed Ndo in the I-League.

The Spanish duo had played in the last I-League season, Ramos for Rajasthan United and Mendigutxia for Neroca. Ramos had been playing top-division football in Spain, while Mendi had earlier played in Spain’s Division B. Both players have represented the Spanish youth team.

“They players are of top quality,” Gokulam’s president V.C. Praveen said. “We have been lacking creativity in the final third and also finishing. Both have experience playing in India and also have played at a higher level in Spain. We hope that these players can change the fortunes of Gokulam Kerala FC in the League.”

- P. K. Ajith Kumar

Mohammedan, Rajasthan draw 1-1 in I-League

Mohammedan Sporting and Rajasthan United scored two late goals to draw 1-1 in a Hero I-League match on Friday.

Mohammedan captain Marcus Joseph gave his side the lead in the 81st minute with a brilliant left-footer before his Rajasthan counterpart Joseba Beitia scored from the spot seven minutes later to share the spoils on a cold evening.

For the fourth match this season, the Kolkata side failed to hold on to its lead, adding just one point to its kitty.

Joseph, however, moved up to joint-third in the list of top-scorers with his fourth goal.

Mohammedan wasted an opportunity to bag three points, but coach Kibu Vicuna would recognise he owes this point more to Rajasthan’s mistakes than anything else. Beitia and his men created a lot of chances but could not convert them. In fact, the Spaniard himself wasted a penalty in the 29th minute before scoring with a scorching right-footer.

Apart from that, Rajasthan’s Kyrgyz recruit Atai Dzhumashev was incredibly unlucky as two of his free-kicks in either half (6th and 76th minute) hit the crossbar and the post, respectively.

Had the second one gone in, it would have been a world-class goal.

- PTI

VOLLEYBALL

National sub-junior championship

Punjab boys beat Himachal Pradesh 23-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 15-5 and qualified for the quarterfinals from group-D in the ONGC 44th National sub-junior volleyball championship at the Laxmi Public School, Karkardooma, on Friday.

In the quarterfinals, Punjab will play Gujarat. The other quarterfinals will be between Delhi-Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh-Haryana and Rajasthan-Uttarakhand.

The girls quarterfinals will be between West Bengal-Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat-Tamil Nadu, Haryana-Telangana and Delhi-Rajasthan.

Results

Boys:

Group-A: Delhi bt Madhya Pradesh 25-11, 25-11, 25-17; Haryana bt Karnataka 25-16, 20-25, 27-25, 25-21; Andhra Pradesh bt Kerala 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17; Haryana bt Kerala 25-16, 25-20, 25-18; Andhra Pradesh bt Madhya Pradesh 25-16, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23.

Group-B: Maharashtra bt Chandigarh 26-24, 25-22, 25-14; Gujarat bt Puducherry 25-20, 25-16, 25-16.

Group-C: Uttarakhand bt Jharkhand 25-17, 25-17, 25-15; Uttar Pradesh bt Tamil Nadu 25-12, 25-16, 19-25, 25-22; West Bengal bt Bihar 2-22, 27-25, 25-19.

Group-D: Rajasthan bt Assam 25-5, 25-13, 25-17; Punjab bt Himachal Pradesh 23-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 15-5; Telangana bt Odisha 25-21, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21.

Girls:

Group-A: West Bengal bt Madhya Pradesh 25-10, 25-13, 25-14; Karnataka bt Andhra Pradesh 25-14, 25-6, 25-12; Delhi bt Andhra Pradesh 25-7, 25-22, 25-18; West Bengal bt Karnataka 25-19, 25-14, 25-21.

Group-B: Maharashtra bt Assam 25-20, 25-18, 25-15; Rajasthan bt Punjab 25-10, 25-9, 25-11; Uttar Pradesh bt Bihar 25-3, 25-5, 25-2.

Group-C: Haryana bt Jharkhand 25-17, 25-10, 25-21; Himachal Pradesh bt Odisha 25-14, 25-15, 25-23.

Group-D: Telangana bt Jammu & Kashmir 25-7, 25-14, 25-12; Tamil Nadu bt Kerala 25-22, 25-20, 25-18; Puducherry bt Uttarakhand 25-13, 25-13, 25-13.

- Kamesh Srinivasan

GOLF

Avani Prashanth finishes sixth in difficult windy conditions in Melbourne

Indian golfer Avani Prashanth finished a creditable tied sixth in the prestigious Australia Master of the Amateurs tournament.

Teenaged Avani finished off the week with a round of 2-over 75 at the challenging Par 73 Southern Golf Club, one of the finest courses on Melbourne’s famous sandbelt.

She totalled 5-over 297 and was tied sixth with two others, Eunseo Choi of New Zealand and Kate McFarlane of Australia.

Japan’s Yuna Araki, who led for most part of the tournament, shot 2-under 71 in extremely difficult conditions amidst swirling winds on the final day to finish the week at 12-under and six shots ahead of fellow Japanese Mamika Shinchi (71), who was six-under 286 for four rounds.

The only other player with an under-par total was Fiona Xu, who despite a final round of 76 was third at 1-under 291.

Avani, who was tied eighth after three rounds was two-under through the front nine, and looked set for a great finish. However, four bogeys on the 10th, 12th, 14th and 16 pushed her back and she finished at 2-over 75 and ended sixth.

The Australian Master of the Amateurs is a 72-hole medal play Championship and has of late become one of the elite championships in amateur golf.

- PTI