Indian Sports activities Wrap, March 19: Balamurugan and Pande stun high seeds at Senior Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship

TABLE TENNIS

TN assured of medal after Balamurugan and Pande stun high seeds in 87th Senior Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship

M.R. Balamurugan and Siddhesh Pande surprised West Bengal’s top-seeded pair of Ankur Bhattacharjee and Shankhadip Das within the males’s doubles quarterfinals to guarantee Tamil Nadu of its first medal on the 87th Senior Nationwide Desk Tennis Championship right here on Thursday.

Balamurugan and Pande prevailed 6-11, 11-4, 11-4, 13-11 in an intense 33-minute contest to arrange a semifinal conflict in opposition to Railways’ Jeet Chandra and Anirban Ghosh.

Whereas Balamurugan was strong along with his forehand and backhand returns from deep, it was Pande’s deft flicks that repeatedly caught the opposition off guard. His execution even led to Bhattacharjee shedding his mood and receiving a yellow card for indiscipline.

Within the fourth sport, the Bengal pair surged to a 10-6 lead with aggressive play. Nonetheless, a few unforced errors, adopted by one other sharp flick from Pande, pushed the sport into deuce. Because the Tamil Nadu pair transformed their first match level, Bhattacharjee vented his frustration by throwing his racquet and tearing the rubber.

With a number of high singles gamers opting to skip the doubles occasions to preserve power within the non-air-conditioned Abhay Prashal Corridor, the doubles competitors has gained added significance amongst specialists.

Chandra and Ghosh, in the meantime, defeated Haryana’s left and right-handed mixture of Wesley Do Rosario and Nikunj Attri in one other participating quarterfinal. In a match marked by lengthy rallies, the agile Ghosh proved decisive, establishing a semifinal in opposition to the Tamil Nadu pair.

Within the different semifinal, second seeds Ronit Bhanja and S. Preyesh Raj of Railways will face Petroleum Sports activities Promotion Board’s combinationof Divyansh Srivastava and veteran Sanil Shetty.

High seed Sreeja Akula survived a scare from her Reserve Financial institution of India teammate Ayhika Mukherjee, successful the battle of long-pimpled rubbers 1-11, 11-5, 12-10, September 11, 11-8 in 45 minutes.

After a gradual begin, Sreeja focused Ayhika’s backhand with precision. After having fun with six match factors within the decider, Sreeja had a stutter as Ayhika saved 4 in a row. However a backhand error resulted in Sreeja, alongside along with her coach Somnath Ghosh, heaving a sigh of reduction.

-Amol Karhadkar

GOLF

Vinay wins maiden title at PGTI NexGen

Vinay Kumar Yadav of Delhi received his maiden title after prevailing in a playoff in opposition to teenager Arjunveer Shishir of Chandigarh on the PGTI NexGen in Gurugram on Thursday.

Thirty-year-old Vinay (72-70-71), who was in a single day tied fourth and three pictures off the lead, carded a one-under 71 in spherical three to finish the regulation 54 holes tied on the high of the leaderboard together with 15-year-old Arjunveer (71-70-72) at a complete of three-under 213.

Arjunveer, the youngest participant within the subject who was in a single day tied second and two pictures off the lead, made his option to the highest of the pack on day three courtesy an even-par 72.

Vinay lastly went on to win on the second playoff gap (performed on the Par-5 18th).

Lakshya Nagar (72) and Siddharth Semwal (75), the in a single day chief, completed tied third at two-under 214.

The NexGen Tour was launched by the DP World PGTI final 12 months with the target of offering equal taking part in alternatives to all Skilled Golfers of India and to extend the bench energy in Indian golf, which in flip will increase competitors and the extent of golf.

-PTI

Diksha T-Eighth after first spherical in Australia

Diksha Dagar was the choose of the Indians as she opened with a 4-under 67 to be positioned Tied-Eighth after the primary spherical of the Australian WPGA Championships right here on Thursday.

She is 4 pictures behind chief Kelsey Macdonald (64), who set a brand new course document along with her opening spherical.

Hitaashee Bakshi additionally had a promising opening spherical as she carded 2-under 69 to be positioned T-23.

The opposite Indians within the subject, Pranavi Urs (1-over 72) and Vani Kapoor (2-over 73), endured troublesome begins and have been T-68 and T-81, respectively.

Diksha loved a bogey-free day. Beginning on the again 9, she birdied the tenth after which had one other three birdies on the entrance 9 to shut the day.

Hitaashee, who’s seeking to make amends after three powerful weeks on the LET, performed even par for the entrance 9 regardless of discovering birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth holes.

She made a bogey on the fifth and a double bogey on the eighth to drop three pictures. The 21-year-old made one other two birdies on the twelfth and the 18th holes.

She discovered the golf green on each single gap, whereas her bogey and double bogey got here on two of the 4 holes the place she did not make the Inexperienced in Regulation.

Kelsey Macdonald leads the sector by one stroke after placing on a sensational opening spherical to set a brand new course document on the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Nation Membership of 7-under 64. The 35-year-old Scott began her spherical with a bogey on the primary gap earlier than the floodgates have been opened on the fourth gap with a birdie.

She fired one other two birdies on the entrance 9 on the seventh and ninth after which adopted it up with three extra birdies on the again 9, on the eleventh, twelfth and seventeenth holes, solely to complete her spherical with an eagle on the 18th gap.

Macdonald made each Inexperienced in Regulation apart from the primary gap throughout her record-breaking spherical.

Native star Hannah Inexperienced is in second place, only one stroke behind the chief, together with Charlotte Heath of England.

-PTI

TENNIS

Sasikumar Mukund, Siddharth Rawat in quarter finals at MSLTA 25K ITF Males’s Match

Sasikumar Mukund and Siddharth Rawat entered the singles quarter finals of the MSLTA $25,000 ITF Males’s Tennis Match, organized by the Maharashtra State Garden Tennis Affiliation on the Dr. G.A. Ranade Tennis Centre.

Seventh seed Sasikumar Mukund showcased grit and composure, bouncing again from a set all the way down to edge previous Stijin Pel of the Netherlands in a marathon three-setter successful 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-2. 

Sidharth Rawat overcame Dev Javia 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in an all-Indian affair, whereas high seed Florent Bax of France cruised into the following spherical with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 win over India’s Manish Sureshkumar.

Fourth seed Alexandr Binda of Italy survived a good opening set earlier than subduing Ishaque Eqbal 7-6(11), 6-2. 

Native wildcard and world quantity 43 junior Arnav Paparkar gave account of himself earlier than taking place to fifth seed Philip Sekulic of Australia in three units Paparkar received the primary set however Sekulic used his expertise to register a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win 

The largest upset of the day noticed Timofei Derepasko flip the tables after shedding the opening set to knock out third seed Karan Singh in emphatic vogue successful 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Sweden’s Leo Borg and second seed Luca Castelnuovo of Switzerland progressed with straight-set wins to enter the final eight. In the meantime, within the doubles quarter finals, high seeds Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Ramkumar Ramanathan superior with a strong straight-sets win 

Native boys and wild playing cards Anup Bangargi and Nirav Shetty held their nerve in a nail-biting tremendous tie-break to enter the semifinals accounting for the pair of Aditya Balsekar and Vishanu Vardhan 6-3, 4-6, 13-11.

-Workforce Sportstar

FOOTBALL

European coaching stint has ready Indian U20 girls’s staff effectively: Shubhangi

India captain Shubhangi Singh says a rigorous month-long coaching stint in Europe has sharpened the Indian Underneath-20 staff for its return to the AFC U-20 Girls’s Asian Cup.

India will enter the continental stage occasion after twenty years.

With simply two weeks to go earlier than their opening conflict in opposition to Japan in Thailand, the Younger Tigresses will look to translate that preparation into efficiency, led by captain Shubhangi, after they stroll out on April 2.

“We ready very well. Spending a month in Sweden and taking part in in opposition to European golf equipment was an awesome expertise. These groups have been bodily taller and stronger than us, so it helped us perceive deal with that,” Shubhangi stated.

For the skipper, the importance of qualification is already within the rearview. The celebrations in Myanmar, the place India sealed their long-awaited return, have given option to a sharper, extra fast focus.

“We went there with the mindset to qualify, and we did. While you already imagine one thing goes to occur, it doesn’t come as a shock,” she stated.

That perception now anchors a squad bracing for a stern take a look at in Group C. India face Japan on April 2, Australia on April 5, and Chinese language Taipei on April 8, with the highest two groups and the 2 greatest third-placed sides advancing to the quarter-finals.

The 4 semifinalists will qualify for the FIFA U20 Girls’s World Cup Poland 2026.

Presently coaching in Kolkata, the Younger Tigresses will depart for Bangkok early Friday morning.

“Our focus is on the three troublesome group video games forward. At this stage, we don’t count on any simple matches. We’re able to go on the market and carry out in opposition to high groups. We’ll even have some preparatory matches earlier than the Asian Cup, which is able to assist,” Shubhangi stated.

India’s build-up has been intensive. Together with the Sweden camp, they’ve performed a number of worldwide friendlies in opposition to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, gaining publicity to high-intensity, bodily soccer.

A heavy 0-6 defeat to Hammarby IF’s senior aspect of their opening sport in Sweden proved a actuality examine, but in addition a turning level.

“The primary sport was the hardest. The loss wasn’t acceptable, however it was an enormous studying expertise. From the second sport onwards, we tailored higher. We had a few wins, a draw, and a loss earlier than ending the camp with a 5-2 win. Total, it helped us perceive European taking part in kinds and put together for groups like Japan,” the 19-year-old stated.

Underneath head coach Joakim Alexandersson, India has adopted a extra proactive strategy.

“Since he joined, our taking part in fashion has modified. We’re extra attacking now. He encourages us to not be afraid of constructing errors and to specific ourselves. Most significantly, he reminds us to get pleasure from soccer. That mindset has helped us develop and carry out higher,” Shubhangi stated.

India begins its marketing campaign in opposition to one of many strongest sides within the competitors, six-time champion Japan, which has additionally reached the ultimate of the final three U20 Girls’s World Cups, successful the title in 2018.

-PTI

Printed on Mar 19, 2026