May 21 Indian sports wrap: Sania Mirza loses Strasbourg 2022 final; Priya Mohan wins 400m gold at Geneva

Sania Mirza and Lucie Hradecka were beaten 5-7, 7-5, 10-6 by Nicole Melchar-Martinez and Daria Saville in the doubles final of the €203,024 WTA tennis tournament in Strasbourg, France, on Saturday.

FILE PHOTO: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza.

TENNIS

Sania Mirza and Lucie Hradecka were beaten 5-7, 7-5, 10-6 by Nicole Melchar-Martinez and Daria Saville in the doubles final of the €203,024 WTA tennis tournament in Strasbourg, France, on Saturday.

The top seeded Indo-Czech team settled for 180 WTA points and €5,400. The champion team collected 280 points and €9.680.

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In the $60,000 ITF women’s event in the US, Sharmada Balu and Maria Kononova were beaten 6-4, 6-4 by the third seeds Reese Brnatmeier and Elvina Kalieva in the doubles semifinals.

In the $25,000 ITF men’s event in Croatia, 20-year-old Dev Javia won his maiden doubles title in the professional circuit with Lukas Pokorny of Slovakia.

- Kamesh Srinivasan

ATHLETICS

Priya Mohan, the under-20 Worlds relay bronze medallist, surprised Olympian Lemmens Silke and won the 400m gold with 52.93s at the CSI League National inter-club athletics meet in Geneva on Saturday.

Silke, the Swiss national indoor champion who had run the women’s 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Olympics and World Relays last year, came with a personal best 52.09s but finished second behind Priya in 53.45s.

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For 19-year-old Priya, who is supported by JSW Sports, it was her third competition of her first European tour in the senior category. She had finished fifth in a meet at Montgeron in 53.18s and had won the 200m ‘B’ race with 24.29s at Fontainebleau – both in France – last week.

Meanwhile Olympian Avinash Sable, the national record holder, finished fourth in the men’s 3000m steeple chase with 8:25.82s at the USA Distance Classic at Walnut, California. Canada’s John Gay, whose personal best is a shade slower than Sable’s 8:16.21s, won the gold in 8:24.27.

- Stan Rayan

GOLF

Indian golfers Aditi Ashok and Tvesa Malik experienced contrasting fortunes in the third and final round of the Jabra Ladies Open, signing off tied 20th and tied 45th, respectively.

Aditi, who had a hole-in-one while carding 4-over 75 in the second round, shot a bogey-free 69, while Tvesa, who had a triple bogey on Par-5 15th before recovering to 72 on day 2, had another rough third round of 6-over 77.

-PTI