SQUASH
India qualfies for three finals at Asian Doubles Championships
India continued its strong run at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships, hosted by the Asian Squash Federation in Kuching, Malaysia, with pairs reaching the finals in all three categories – Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles. India has now confirmed four medals at the event.
Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh defeated Malaysia’s Ainaa Armani and Syafiq Kamal, winning 11-8, 10-11, 11-5 in a 46-minute battle. They will now face the Malaysian top pair, Rachel Arnold and Ameesshraj Chandran, who earlier defeated India’s Velavan Senthilkumar and Joshana Chinappa 8-11, 11-7, 11-9 (37 mins) in another closely contested match.
Abhay and Velavan continued their strong run, defeating Hong Kong China’s Chi Him Wong and Ming Tang 11-5, 11-9 in a physically demanding 42-minute semifinal to set up a final clash with Pakistan.
In the women’s doubles semifinal, Joshana and Anahat defeated Hong Kong’s Po You Kirstie Won and Yee Lam Toby 11-7, 11-6 in just 22 minutes.
– Team Sportstar
SWIMMING
Benedicton, Dhinidhi smash records at Nationals
B. Benedicton Rohit and Dhinidhi Desinghu stole the limelight by smashing men’s 50m butterfly and women’s 100m freestyle records respectively in the National aquatics championships at the Kalinga Stadium Aquatic Centre in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
After securing the 100m butterfly gold with a record, Rohit broke the 50m record twice to assert his supremacy. He timed 24.13 in the heats to go below Virdhawal Khade’s six-year-old national record (24.19) before lowering the mark further to 24.11 and claim the gold.
“My body is tired after so many events, but it’s good to break the record,” said Rohit, who achieved the World championships qualification.
Dhinidhi, the women’s 200m freestyle winner with a record, raced with authority to clock 56.78 for her second gold. “I missed the World championships and World junior championships qualifying marks. But I’m happy to become the first Indian woman to go below 57 seconds,” said Dhinidhi, whose previous best was 57.08.
National Games gold medallist Rishabh Das (2:00.65) beat Utkarsh Patil (2:00.98) in the last five metres to win the men’s 200m backstroke and achieved Worlds ‘B’ qualification. The top two bettered Srihari Nataraj’s National record and ‘India best’ time (2:02.29).
Tamil Nadu (Jashua Thomas, Rohit, Mj Praveen Kumar Praveen, Adhithya Dinesh) secured the men’s 4x100m freestyle title with a record (3:26.26). Top-four finishers, including Karnataka, Maharashtra and Railways, bettered the previous record.
The results (winners only):
Men:
800m freestyle: Aryan Nehra (Guj) 8:10.40; 200m backstroke: Rishabh Das (Mah) 2:00.65 (NMR, Old 2:02.29, Srihari Nataraj, 2019); 50m butterfly: B. Benedicton Rohit (TN) 24.11 (NMR, Old 24.13, 2025); 4x100m freestyle: Tamil Nadu 3:26.26 (NMR, Old 3:28.09, Karnataka).
Women:
100m freestyle: Dhinidhi Desinghu (Kar) 56.78 (NMR, Old 57.73, Shivangi Sarma, 2022); 200m backstroke: Vihitha Nayana Loganathan (Kar) 2:21.85; 50m butterfly: Nine Venkatesh (Kar) 28.25; 400m medley: Saanvi Deshwal (Mah) 5:03.85; 4x100m freestyle relay: Karnataka 4:03.18.
– YB Sarangi
WRESTLING
Indian grapplers strike gold at Asian U-17 c’ships
Indian wrestlers won four gold medals at the Asian under-17 wrestling championships in Vung Tau, Vietnam, on Wednesday.
Rachana (43kg), Moni (57kg), Ashvini Vishnoi (65kg) in women’s section and Gourav Punia (65kg) in men’s freestyle claimed the top honour. Kajal (73kg) bagged a silver, while Anjali (49kg) took a bronze among women.
– Team Sportstar
PICKLEBALL
World Pickleball League Launches ‘WPBL On Tour’
The World Pickleball League (WPBL) today announced the launch of ‘WPBL On Tour’, a series of off-season events including a unique multi-city tournament. The off-season initiative of franchise-led tournaments and events aims to expand community engagement in India’s fastest-growing sport.
WPBL on Tour will be held in the six franchise cities over four months, with each franchise hosting a city-based tournament. The World Pickleball League will enable the franchise to organise tournaments that will be open to local pickleball players and enthusiasts, and offer an unparalleled opportunity to them to compete under the banner of their city’s team.
“WPBL On Tour’ is our way of empowering our franchises to grow their local presence, build loyal communities, and embed pickleball into the cultural fabric of their cities with a year-round engagement,” said Gaurav Natekar, Co-founder & CEO, World Pickleball League.
– Team Sportstar
HOCKEY
Hockey India Masters Cup: Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra reach final of inaugural season
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have successfully registered their name as the finalists for the inaugural season of the Hockey India Masters Cup after defeating Chandigarh and the Hockey Association of Odisha, respectively in the semifinals.
In the first semifinal, Tamil Nadu defeated Chandigarh 3-0 in the men’s category to become the first finalist. Vinoth Kumar AP (1’) started the game with an outstanding goal in the first minute of the match. Sudharsan S (40’) and captain Adam Antony Sinclair (54’) also scored one goal each to secure their berth in the final stage of the tournament.
In the second semifinal, Maharashtra won 4-1 against Odisha to enter the final. Leonard Keith Pereira (4’, 17’) scored a brace, while Vikram Pillay (38’) and Karl Gomes (43’) also scored one goal each to put their team in a strong position. On the other hand, Captain Lajrus Barla (27’) managed to score the consolation goal for Odisha.
Chandigarh will now face off with Odisha for the Bronze medal match on Friday before the final game.
-Team Sportstar
Khelo India
Khelo India University Games to be held in Jaipur
The fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games will be hosted jointly by the Poornima University and the Rajasthan University in Jaipur in November.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Union Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya.
“These Games, for under-25 age group, offer great opportunity for athletes who seek a national platform to impress our numerous scouts looking for the best talent in the country,” said the Minister.
The University Games are expected to feature about 4000 athletes from 200 Universities.
Chandigarh University had topped the medals table in the last edition hosted in the North-East, while Lovely Professional University and Guru Nanak Dev University had placed second and third respectively.
– Kamesh Srinivasan
TENNIS
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty wins Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award for Asia-Oceania zone
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty during the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania group-1 tennis tournament in Pune.
| Photo Credit:
Kamesh Srinivasan
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty during the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania group-1 tennis tournament in Pune.
| Photo Credit:
Kamesh Srinivasan
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced Shrivalli Bhamidipaty as the winner of the Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award for the Asia-Oceania zone, on Tuesday.
With 78% vote share in the race against Lulu Sun of New Zealand, the 23-year-old Shrivalli was indeed the winner of the award when the voting closed earlier this month. She had won all her five singles matches to help India qualify for the World Group play-off, to be staged in Bengaluru in November.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all my team members and fans for supporting me. It has always been an emotional moment to play for my country, and I am really grateful for the opportunity,” said Shrivalli.
The Heart Award recognises players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court, and demonstrated outstanding commitment to the team during Billie Jean King Cup events.
Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina had won the award in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Shrivalli donated the $2,000 cash component that accompanies the award to the Vaidehi Seva Samithi, an organisation that empowers girls with education and life-skill training.
The award for the Americas zone went to Victoria Rodriguez of Mexico and to Matilde Jorge of Portugal for the Europe-Africa region. For the World Group qualifiers, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine won the award with 33% votes, rising above Bernarda Pera (USA), Sonay Kartal (GBR), Victoria Mboko (Can) and Ena Shibahara (Jpn). She donated the cash award of $3,000 to the Svitolina Foundation.
– Kamesh Srinivasan
Bhambri enters semifinals in doubles at ATP 250 Mallorca
Indian Yuki Bhambri along with American partner Robert Galloway entered the men’s doubles semifinals at the Mallorca Open, an ATP 250 event.
The duo beat the Brazilian pair of Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday.
Bhambri had won the title in Spain back in 2023 with South Africa’s Lloyd Harris, while Galloway won it last year along with Britain’s Julian Cash.
– Team Sportstar
Karan Singh through to second round in ITF tournament in Tunisia
Karan Singh beat Kael Shah of Kenya 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the $30,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament in Monastir, Tunisia.
RESULTS
€91,250 Challenger, Milan, Italy
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): George Goldhoff (USA) & Ray Ho (Tpe) bt Anirudh Chandrasekar & Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6(3), 6-1.
$30,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia
Singles (first round): Alaa Trifi (Tun) bt Prajwal Dev 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Karan Singh bt Kael Shah (Ken) 6-3, 6-2; Pablo Gomez (Esp) bt Shanker Heisnam 6-0, 6-3.
$15,000 ITF men, Maanshan, China
Singles (first round): S Mukund bt Aoran Wang (Chn) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
$15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia
Singles (first round): Dev Javia bt Cemil Duran (Tur) 6-0, 6-3; Cooper Williams (USA) bt Nitin Kumar Sinha 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
$40,000 ITF women, Palma del Rio, Spain
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Vaishnavi Adkar & Sandra Samir (Egy) bt Laura Segura & Lucia Sanchez (Esp) 6-2, 6-0.
$30,000 ITF women, Chinese Taipei
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Kim Dabin (Kor) & Carol Lee (USA) bt Vaidehi Chaudhari & Saki Imamura (Jpn) 6-3, 6-2.
$15,000 ITF women, Hong Kong
Singles (first round): Naomi Xu (Can) bt Laalitya Kalluri 6-3, 6-3; Ching Laam Lai (Hkg) bt Ashmitha Easwaramurthi 6-1, 6-2; Ayaka Ozeki (Jpn) bt Bela Tamhankar 6-2, 3-0 (retired); Fangran Tian (Chn) bt Priyanshi Bhandari 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Bo Young Jeong (Kor) & Fangran Tian (Chn) bt Priyanshi Bhandari & Vlada Mincheva 4-6, 6-1, [10-4]; Ching Laam Lai & Man Ng (Hkg) bt Georgia Kalamaris (Fra) & Laalitya Kalluri 6-3, 6-1.
$15,000 ITF women, Monastir, Tunisia
Singles (first round): Samaira Pahwa bt Mouna Bouzgarrou (Tun) 6-3, 6-4.
-Team Sportstar
MORE SPORTS
Telangana State Government announces incentives for athletes
The Telangana State Government has unveiled its latest Sports Policy, in which a significant increase in cash incentives has been announced for athletes from the State who perform well at the highest levels, such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
A gold medallist in both the Olympics and Paralympics will now receive Rs. 6 crore, a silver medallist Rs. 4 crore, and a bronze medallist Rs. 2.5 crore. Earlier, a gold medallist was awarded Rs. 2 crore, silver Rs. 1 crore, and bronze Rs. 50 lakhs.
The policy provides job opportunities as well as pensions for retired athletes and coaches, with a graded incentive system to be implemented to ensure that top performers receive better support.
The proposed Sports University will soon begin operations in the Gachibowli Sports Stadium. Also on the cards is the Young India Physical Education and Sports University of Telangana, which will be a State government-run establishment. It plans to provide a residential setting for budding athletes to pursue sports and academics.
Meanwhile, a Young India Sports Academy will operate in a hub-and-spoke model, with its objective being the establishment of world-class academies for several sports, including hockey, badminton, football, tennis, shooting, boxing, and athletics, among others.
The new policy also seeks to offer various State Sports Associations much-needed financial support. It also advocates a single registration process for them, with licences granted only to those associations that are recognised by the relevant national federations.
The state government is also looking to start a special zone for manufacturing sports goods in the state.
Revised cash incentives (Gold / Silver / Bronze / Participation):
Olympics and Paralympics: Rs. 6 crore / Rs. 4 crore / Rs. 2.5 crore / Rs. 15 lakh
Youth Olympics: Rs. 1 crore / Rs. 65 lakh / Rs. 40 lakh / Rs. 2.5 lakh
Commonwealth Games and Para CWG: Rs. 1.5 crore / Rs. 75 lakh / Rs. 50 lakh / Rs. 15 lakh
Youth CWG: Rs. 25 lakh / Rs. 12.5 lakh / Rs. 8 lakh
Asian Games and Para Asian Games: Rs. 3 crore / Rs. 1.5 crore / Rs. 75 lakh / Rs. 7.5 lakh
Youth Asian Games: Rs. 50 lakh / Rs. 25 lakh / Rs. 15 lakh
Special Olympics: Rs. 50 lakh / Rs. 30 lakh / Rs. 20 lakh / Rs. 5 lakh
Deaflympics: Rs. 1.2 crore / Rs. 40 lakh / Rs. 20 lakh / Rs. 2.5 lakh
– Team Sportstar
RUGBY
Bengaluru Bravehearts qualifies for Rugby Premier League semifinals
Bengaluru Bravehearts on Wednesday became the third team to progress to the semifinal of Season 1 of Rugby Premier League with a 34-26 win over Kalinga Black Tigers.
In the second game of the day, Delhi Redz and Mumbai Dreamers played out a thrilling 19-19 draw.
-PTI
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com