Indian sports news wrap, September 19
Here are all the major updates and results from Indian sports on September 19.
Published : Sep 19, 2023 20:33 IST , Chennai - 2 MINS READ
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar is superbly placed to aim for the top spot on the Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit race. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
TENNIS
Shrivalli in pre-quarterfinals
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty beat qualifier Jessie Culley 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Perth, Australia, on Tuesday.
The results
- Kamesh Srinivasan
GOLF
Diksha superbly placed on Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit race
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar is superbly placed to aim for the top spot on the Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit race -- also called Race to Costa Del So -- following her sublime run so far this season.
Diksha continued her hot run this summer on the LET, signing off from the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open at tied-7th on Sunday.
She fired a 4-under par 68 in the third and final round for a total of 10-under for her seventh top-10 finish of the season, which also includes a title.
It also closed the gap between her and the top two on the Race to Costa Del Sol.
The 22-year-old Indian, who won the second title of her career on the LET Tour, is now third, but only a handful points behind second placed Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain.
Celine Boutier of France leads the race, and for Diksha to overtake her, the Indian will need a few more good results in the remaining five events, including the home event, the Hero Women’s Indian Open.
“I am very confident, and I am playing well,” said Diksha, who will take a break as the LET Tour is focused on the Solheim Cup this week.
In 22 starts this season, Diksha has won one and been in the top-10 six times. Yet, her outstanding performance of the season has also been the tied-21st at the AIG Women’s Open, where her result was the best achieved by an Indian woman at a Women’s Major.
The unfortunate part for Diksha has been that she missed out on a spot on the Indian team for the Asian Games. She did not make it to the top-two in the trials held some months back, after which her performance has been superb.
Diksha is focused on the LET Order of Merit, a possible entry into the LPGA through the final stage of Q-School as the LPGA and LET decided to push back by a year their plan to give the top-4 on LET a full card to the LPGA.
Diksha’s focus is also on the 2024 Paris Olympics, for which she seems to be a certainty alongside Aditi Ashok. Diksha will be making her second Olympic appearance while Aditi will play her third.
- PTI
Tvesa shoots bogey free 65 to take 6-shot lead in 13th leg of Hero WPGT
Tvesa Malik shot a superb seven-under 65 to take a whopping six-shot lead after the opening day of the 13th leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour on Tuesday.
Playing at the DLF Golf and Country Club, which will host the Hero Women’s Indian Open next month, Tvesa had seven birdies and no bogeys as she closed with a string of four birdies in the last four holes.
Last week’s winner Neha Tripathi put together a decent one-under 71 and Ananya Datar recovered from an early triple bogey on par-4 second hole for a similar 71. Yet they were six shots behind Tvesa, who was in full flow.
“It’s a relief to get a round of golf like that. Does great for the confidence, especially ahead of the Hero Women’s Indian Open, out flagship event,” Tvesa said.
Jasmine Shekar (72) is sole fourth, while Agrima Manral and Anisha Agarwalla are tied fifth at one-over 73 each.
Tvesa, who has managed only a few starts on the Ladies European Tour this year, is using the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour to play herself back into form. To that extent she has succeeded.
She won the 11th leg, and finished runner-up in the 12th leg. She was earlier runner-up in the sixth leg.
Neha, one of the senior and seasoned players, has also been playing well on the domestic Tour. She won the 10th and 12th legs, and is now second on the Order of Merit.
One of the disappointments of the opening day was Asian Games-bound Pranavi Urs, who had two double bogeys in her round. They came on the Par-5 fourth and the Par-4 eighth. She had two other bogeys and two birdies, one of them on the 18th.
Tvesa, Neha and Ananya go out in the final group on the second day.
Kriti Chowhan (74), Khushi Khanijau (75) and Pranavi (76) are placed seventh to ninth. Three players Asmitha Sathish, Durga Nittur and Sneha Singh are tied for 10th with cards of 77 each.
- PTI
WRESTLING
World Championships: Indian women crash out
Four Indian women wrestlers crashed out of the medal race in the World wrestling championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on Tuesday.
Neelam (50kg) defeated Kazakh Maral Tangirbergenova 10-0 and Ukrainian Oksana Livach 6-4 before losing to Chinese Ziqi Feng ‘by fall.’
A 2021 Worlds bronze medallist in 59kg, Sarita Mor (57kg) got past Venezuelan Betzabeth Colmenarez 6-1 but was beaten by veteran Nigerian Odunayo Adekuoroye 6-4.
World under-20 silver medallist Antim Kundu (65kg) beat Croatian Iva Geric 6-0 but was pinned by Chinese Lilli Lilli.
Asian medallist Divya Kakran (76kg) recorded a 7-5 win over Turkey’s Mehtap Gultekin before being edged out by Canadian Justina di Stasio 4-4 on criteria.
- Y. B. Sarangi