Indian sports activities news wrap, January 11

GOLF

Steady Nishna retains 2-shot lead going into closing spherical

Nishna Patel stayed a step forward with a really regular even par 71 within the second spherical of the opening leg of the 2024 Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour on the Poona Club Golf Course on Thursday.

Nishna thus stays at 5-under 137 for 2 rounds and is 2 pictures away from Hitaashee Bakshi. Hitaashee shot 1-under 70 which allowed her to slender the hole between herself and Nishna to 2 pictures.

Nishna had one birdie on the entrance 9 however surrendered that on the again 9 on the Par-4 fifteenth. With the WPGT having produced at the least one newbie winner every year since 2017, Nishna might preserve that development going if she holds on to her lead on Friday.

Hitaashee Bakshi had 4 birdies in opposition to three bogeys. Three of these birdies got here on the entrance 9. She is now 3-under 139 for 2 rounds.

Sneha Singh (69) and Seher Atwal (68), who had the day’s greatest spherical, moved up the leaderboard.

Sneha had an excellent run of three birdies in the direction of the top of the entrance 9 with positive aspects on sixth, seventh and ninth, however back-to-back bogeys on tenth and eleventh pulled her again.

She made up with birdies on the 14th and 18th to show in a card of 69 and is 1-under 141 for the 2 rounds to this point.

Seher, who gained the opening leg of the earlier season, had 5 birdies in opposition to two bogeys for the day’s greatest card of 68. She is now even par 142 for 2 rounds.

Another newbie Mannat Brar (74) slipped to tied-fifth alongside Khushi Khanijau (71) at 1-over 143.

Four gamers, Ananya Datar (71), Ananya Garg (72), Rhea Jha (73) and Jasmine Shekar (74) had been tied for seventh place at 4-over 146, whereas the seasoned Amandeep Drall (74) was tied eleventh with newbie Anuradha Chaudhuri (77), who slipped down the chief board from her tied-fourth place after the primary day.

The minimize fell at 10, with 19 professionals and three amateurs making it by way of to the ultimate spherical.

The minimize fell at 152 and 22 gamers made the minimize.

With the ultimate group that includes Nishna Patel, Hitaashee Bakshi and Sneha Singh, and Seher Atwal additionally within the race, it might produce a decent end.

-PTI

Avani stays tied second regardless of a disappointing third spherical

India’s Avani Prashanth braved a troublesome spherical three to hold onto the shared second place on the third day of the Australian Masters of Amateurs match in Southern Golf Club right here Thursday.

Avani, who shared the second place with two others at 3-under 143 for 2 rounds on the Par-73 course, was 4 pictures behind the brand new chief, Lion Higo from Gold Coast, Australia.

Higo, who performs US College golf in Pepperdine, performed rounds of 71-71-70 Avani, ranked fiftieth on the planet, and one of many high contenders for the title shot 77 on at the present time, however nonetheless managed to be in second place with Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, who shot 1-over 74.

Malixi rose from third to tied second at 3-under 143.

The third participant within the tie for second place was the chief of the primary two rounds – Nika Ito of Japan who crashed to 5-over 78.

She had rounds of 68-70 on the primary two days.

Needing a quick cost to make a bid for the lead, Avani struggled early with bogeys on the primary and third and she or he turned 3-over after six holes.

Things turned worse with a fourth bogey on twelfth. She tried a comeback with two birdies on thirteenth and the fifteenth, however two bogeys on the 14th and 18th noticed her end the day at 4-over 77.

Overall, the Indian newbie star performed properly however was unable to maintain the momentum going regardless of some wonderful play on the primary two days.

She has one other spherical to attempt to add to her worldwide laurels.

Heena Kang had a tough worldwide debut as she ended with a closing spherical of 83 and missed the minimize, which was utilized after three days.

The top-33 and ties will play the fourth and closing spherical.

Among males, Rohit Narwal shot 73 after 76-70 and missed the minimize as did Sandeep Yadav (84-74-75).

The Top-45 and ties will play the ultimate spherical within the males’s part.

The lead within the males’s part was shared by Scotland’s Oliver with Mukherjee (69-70-66) and Max Moring (67-67-71) at 11-under 205.

New Zealand’s Zackary Swanwick (67-67-72) was mendacity third at 10-under 206.

-PTI

KABADDI

240 gamers from 12 states to take part in Yuva Kabaddi Series Winter Edition 2023

Budding Kabaddi abilities are able to showcase their high-flying strikes within the seventh version of the revolutionary Yuva Kabaddi Series 2023 with the Winter Edition scheduled to happen from January 12 to February 7 on the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Pondicherry.

Chola Veerans will tackle Palani Tuskers on Friday within the first match of the winter version of the match that was launched in 2022 and has been offering a extremely aggressive atmosphere for India’s budding Kabaddi gamers to make them stars of their sport.

“The Yuva Kabaddi Series has been instrumental in shaping the future of Indian Kabaddi, with over 65 players currently showcasing their skills in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League Season 10. We are committed to nurturing young talent for the sport through the Yuva Kabaddi Series, and our aim is to take the sport to every corner of the country. A total of 12 teams with players from 12 different states will participate in the winter edition of the tournament and we are expecting high-intensity clashes between all the teams,” commented the CEO, of Yuva Kabaddi Series, Mr Vikas Gautam.

The next-gen gamers (Below 80 kgs) get an opportunity to showcase their expertise within the match, and it grooms them for the largest stage in Kabaddi as properly. To date, over 1400 youth gamers have engaged in 751 matches involving 85 coaches, and overseen by 183 officers within the Yuva Kabaddi Series.

In addition to establishing a possible profession route in sports activities, the sequence goals to develop a broader set of expertise in gamers by offering help in monetary literacy, media coaching, and diet all through their participation within the Yuva Kabaddi Series.

LT. Governor UT of Puducherry & Governor Telangana, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan will inaugurate the match on Friday. The opening ceremony can even be preceded by the grand finale of the fiftieth Jubilee Pondicherry State Kabaddi Championship 2024.

The upcoming winter version will witness a complete of 120 high-intensity matches, with 240 gamers from 12 completely different states taking part within the match. The followers can catch all of the thrilling motion Live on FanCode.

The taking part groups are:

Aravalli Arrows, Palani Tuskers, Chola Verrans, Sindh Sonics, Himalayan Tahrs, Murthal Magnets, Periyar Panthers, Tadoba Tigers, Vijayanagara Veers, Hampi Heroes, Panchala Pride, Maurya Mavericks

The Three Round Schedule:

Survival Round: January 12-25

Challenger Round: January 26 to February 3

Summit Round: February 4 to 7

-Team Sportstar

TENNIS

ITS Junior: Rethin beats fourth seed Rohan in quarterfinals

Rethin Pranav sustained the Indian hopes as he cruised previous fourth seed Rohan Belday 6-3, 6-1 within the quarterfinals of the ITF junior tennis match on the DLTA Complex on Thursday.

In the semifinals, Rethin will problem the highest seed Nikita Bilozertsev of Ukraine, who outplayed Vihaan Reddy for the lack of two video games.

The different semifinal shall be between Ognjen Milic and Luc Wieland.

In the women part, Maria Golovina continued to maintain a test on the Indian expertise. After having crushed Maaya Rajeshwaran within the first spherical, Maria gained her third three-setter in a row as she blanked Rishitha Basireddy within the third set.

Rishitha had crushed the second seed Maya Iyengar within the first spherical and bought previous May Fadida in three units within the pre-quarterfinals. She fell brief within the quarterfinals, crushed 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, after competently dealing with the problem for 2 units.

Maria will play fourth seed Daria Shadchneva, who turned the tide dramatically in opposition to Polina Berezina for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory, in an entertaining contest of high-quality recreation. The different semifinal shall be between high seed Lidia Podgorichani of Thailand and third seed Christasha McNeil of the USA.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden enters semifinals of Adelaide

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden fought their well past Nicolas Barrientos and Rafael Matos 6-2, 6-7(4), [10-7] within the doubles quarterfinals of the $739,945 ATP tennis match in Adelaide, Australia, on Thursday.

It was the primary match on courtroom this season for the second-seeded Indo-Aussie pair which had a walkover within the pre-quarterfinals after a bye within the first spherical.

In the semifinals, Bopanna and Ebden will play Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

State inter-district tennis in Kochi from Jan. 25

The Kerala State inter-district tennis championships for the B.M. Edward Memorial Trophy shall be held on the Regional Sports Centre in Kochi from January 25 to twenty-eight.

Competitions for males, girls and for girls and boys within the under-14, 16 and under-18 age teams shall be carried out on this prize-money occasion.

-Stan Rayan

ATHLETICS

Gopi T, Aarti Patil headline Indian elite line-up

Defending champion Gopi T and runner-up Aarti Patil will headline the Indian elite line-up within the USD 405,000 prize cash Mumbai Marathon, scheduled to be held on January 21.

Also toeing the beginning line shall be 2020 champion Srinu Bugatha and Tirtha Kumar Pun, the 2023 Vasai Virar Mayor’s Marathon winner.

Last yr’s runner-up Patil shall be gunning for her maiden title and shall be challenged by Jigmet Dolma, the runner-up in 2017 and 2019.

The prestigious marathon will witness over 56,000 members take to the beginning line on the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Joining from completely different elements of the world shall be a further 2900 runners taking part nearly by way of the TMM app.

The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race will witness defending champion and occasion file holders Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu and Anchialem Haymanot take centre stage.

Reigning Olympic and world champion in pole vault Katie Moon together with marathon operating icon Meb Keflezighi will add sheen to the event as occasion ambassadors, boosting the morale and serving as an inspiration for runners.

The Indian women and men marathon winners will bag Rs 5,00,000 every, additional incentivised with a Rs 2,00,000 course file bonus.

In the half marathon class, Asian Games silver medallist Kartik Kumar and bronze-medallist Gulveer Singh would be the major attraction and shall be challenged by TSK 25K 2023 winner Sawan Barwal.

-PTI

SQUASH

Abhay, Anahat high seeds in JSW-Willingdon Squash

Asian Games combined doubles bronze medal winners Abhay Singh of Tamil Nadu and Anahat Singh of Delhi are the lads’s and girls’s high seeds within the JSW-Willingdon Little Masters and Senior Squash Open scheduled to start right here from Saturday.

Abhay, who had misplaced to Velavan Senthilkumar within the 79th National Squash Championship final November, is anticipated to dominate the lads’s competitors.

The 25-year-old from Chennai is anticipated to come across a powerful problem from Maharashtra’s 22-year-old second seed Suraj Kumar Chand, who would hope to set the file straight after he misplaced to the previous within the Nationals semifinals.

Maharashtra’s 23-year-old Rahul Baitha is seeded third forward of 21-year-old Australian Remi Young (world rank 312), who shall be vying for the highest honours within the males’s draw.

The 15-year-old Anahat, ranked 123 on the planet, had turn out to be the second youngest National girls’s champion, and has had a formidable run within the lead-up to this match.

She just lately gained the women’ under-17 silver medal within the British Junior Open and had earlier emerged victorious within the Girls’ Under-19 class on the Scottish Junior Open.

Having gained 4 titles in two main tournaments in Mumbai final yr, she is the agency favorite to once more come out trumps on the Willingdon Sports Club on January 17.

Standing on Anahat’s street to success is Canadian-born 23-year-old Japanese Erisa Sano Herring (world rank 127), the second seed.

The third seed is Sri Lanka teenager Chanithma Sinaly (world rank 173), and the fifth seed is Serbia’s Jelena Dutina (world rank 193).

Rathika Suthanthira Seelan from Tamil Nadu and Mumbai’s Janet Vidhi are the fourth and sixth seeds respectively.

An overwhelming 435 gamers from India and abroad will compete in 16 classes over the six-day championship.

-PTI

FOOTBALL

IWL: Kaviya’‘s goal gives Sethu FC second win

Kaviya Pakkirisamy headed the ball into the net in the 50th minute to give Sethu FC full points over a struggling Sports Odisha in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) right here on Thursday.

Sethu FC now sits within the fourth place within the desk, stage on seven factors with Gokulam Kerala, having performed 4 matches.

Despite getting three factors on the Tilak Maidan, Sethu FC is not going to go dwelling a very glad aspect since its efficiency was not too convincing.

Sethu was anticipated to dominate the match, however surprisingly, Sports Odisha made issues robust for the hosts.

Perhaps, Sports Odisha, which beforehand suffered a 0-8 defeat in opposition to Gokulam, got here into this match with one thing to show. But Odisha has itself in charge, because it wasted a penalty that might have earned it its first level of the season.

Sports Odisha had an excellent begin to the sport because it loved nearly all of the possession within the first 10 minutes.

Thereafter, the battle for ball possession in the midst of the park was aggressive and thrilling as each groups shared equal possession all through the match. Surprisingly, it was Sports Odisha which made extra efforts on the finish.

Manisha Naik squandered an exquisite likelihood within the 14th minute as her shot from shut vary was saved by Purnima Kumari.

Similarly, Lisham Babina Devi missed a sitter when her shot went huge of the put up within the thirty third minute.

Sethu FC got here into the second half with intent and it didn’t take a lot for them to take the lead as Kaviya scored off a header from shut vary after the ball was brilliantly lobbed by Kajol.

Kajol herself hit the put up from distance within the 53rd minute which might have doubled Sethu’s lead.

Sports Odisha had an opportunity to equalise because the referee awarded them a penalty within the sixtieth minute, just for Rashmi to steer it huge of the put up.

It was not a recreation of clear probabilities, and Sethu FC having taken the lead managed the sport properly to emerge victorious.

-PTI

Kerala Premier League: Aghin shines in Parappur FC’s large win

T.S. Aghin scored twice in 12 minutes as Parappur FC blanked Little Flower FA 4-0 within the Scoreline Kerala Premier League soccer on the Corporation Stadium right here on Thursday.

In one other match, at Kannur, Kollam’s SAI Centre pressured Kovalam FC to a 1-1 draw.

-Stan Rayan

Mar Athanasius Trophy all-India colleges soccer match: Rishwanth scores 4 for NNM

Rishwanth scored 4 targets as Malappuram’s NNM HSS (Chelambra) crushed Coimbatore’s Puliyakulam Jr FC 9-1 and entered the quarterfinal of the Mar Athanasius Trophy all-India colleges soccer match on the Municipal Stadium in Aluva on Thursday.

-Stan Rayan

BADMINTON

State inter-district badminton from Friday

The Kerala State inter-district combined group badminton championships begins on the Ultimate Sports Academy, Vadakara, on Friday.

Competitions for sub-juniors (under-15), juniors (under-19) and seniors shall be held within the occasion till January 17. The sub-junior occasion shall be held on the primary two days and the junior and senior occasions will observe. The finals of every age group shall be held on the second day.

-Stan Rayan

BASKETBALL

Kalyan Kendra colleges basketball begins on Friday

The ninth Kalyan Kendra all-Kerala colleges basketball match for girls and boys, organised by the Basketball Lovers of Kozhikode, begins on the CBC Warrior Memorial Court, Mananchira, on Friday.

Mannanam’s St Ephrem’s, St. Joseph’s (Pulincunnu, Thalassery and Alappuzha), Kottayam’s Girideepam Bethany, Kozhikode’s Silver Hills, Providence and St. Michael’s and Koratty’s Little Flower are among the many groups which shall be seen in motion.

-Stan Rayan

SNOOKER

Badami and Wadhawan qualify for major draw

Hasan Badami and Samay Wadhawan gained their respective matches by an equivalent 4-2 margin in a qualifying draw second-round match of the All India Snooker Open on Thursday.

Badami began in rousing vogue piecing collectively an ideal break of 92 within the opening body in opposition to Briju Kanani, who fought properly however was unable to match the superior play of his opponent.

The lanky Badami went on to wrap up the competition registering a 92-1, 2-61, 64-9, 60-16, 34-61 and 68-6 victory.

Meanwhile, Wadhawan was his cool composed self and warded off a spirited problem from Rohan Sakalkar and snatched a well-deserved 73-37, 61-45, 20-54, 49-18, 56-68 and 64-26 victory to hitch Badami in the primary draw.

-PTI