Indian sports wrap, February 11: Pankaj Advani wins Indian Snooker Championship

CUE SPORT

Pankaj Advani claims Indian Snooker Championship

India’s most accomplished player, Pankaj Advani, secured his 36th overall national title and 10th men’s snooker crown at the Yashwant Club, in a commanding display of skill and determination.

The ONGC employee overcame an early setback to defeat Brijesh Damani in a final where Damani managed to take the opening frame, the only one he would claim throughout the match.

The tournament serves as the only selection event for the Asian and World Championships.

Advani’s performance was marked by consistency and precision. After falling behind by a frame, he maintained his composure and controlled the table, leaving little room for error. In the final frame, Advani delivered an impressive 84 break, sealing the frame, match and championship.

“Since this is the only event that determines the representatives of the country for international tournaments, the stakes were high,” Advani said.

The high pressure tournament proved to be a full-circle moment for Advani.

In the group stage, he had suffered his only loss of the competition at the hands of Damani, where he managed to win only one frame. The rivalry took an ironic turn in the final when the tables were turned and Advani emerged victorious, dropping just one frame in the match.

A critical turning point in this 91st edition of the National Championships came during the round of 48.

Despite being 4-2 down – a situation that nearly saw him exit the event – the multiple-time world champion mounted an unforgettable comeback by winning the match 5-4. This resilient display not only saved his tournament bid but also set the stage for the success that followed.

“There was a good feeling about this gold when the round of 48 match saw me bounce back from almost being out of the competition. Then I knew this pivotal moment had to mean something big awaits. Happy to have earned the chance to again represent India in both billiards and snooker,” Advani said.

With the Asian Snooker Championship scheduled to commence from February 15, both Advani and Damani now face the opportunity to play for the tricolour on the international stage.

– PTI

TENNIS

National Games tennis: Ishaque, Vaidehi triumph

Services’ Ishaque Eqbal capped a fine run and won the tennis men’s singles title in the National Games at the Parade Ground Stadium on Tuesday.

The unseeded 27-year-old from Kolkata jolted Gujarat’s top-seeded Javia V. Dev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the final. Gujarat’s Vaidehi Chaudhari took the women’s title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Maharashtra’s second seed Vaishnavi Adkar to finish with a double. Vaidehi had won the women’s doubles title with Zeel Desai earlier.

After losing the first set in the men’s final, Ishaque was down 1-3 in the next but he didn’t give up.

“After that, I played a really good game on my returns, that’s what changed the momentum and I started believing in myself. That’s when I really got pumped up,” said Ishaque who had beaten the second and third seeds earlier.

The results (tennis, finals):

Men, singles: Ishaque Eqbal (Ser) bt Dev Javia(Guj) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). Doubles: Prajwal Dev & Niki K. Poonacha (Kar) bt Ishaque Eqbal & Faisal Qamat (Ser) 6-3, 6-1.

Women, singles: Vaidehi Chaudhari (Guj) bt Vaishnavi Adkar (Mah) 6-4, 6-4. Doubles: Vaidehi Chaudhari & Zeel Desai (Guj) bt Pooja Ingale & Akansha Nitture (Mah) 6-3, 6-2.

Mixed doubles: Lohith Aksha Bathrinath & L. Arunkumar (TN) bt Niki K. Poonacha & Soha Sadiq (Kar) 6-4, 6-1.

-Stan Rayan

GOLF

TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship 2025: Rahil, Yuvraj and Arjun Sharma share lead

Rahil Gangjee, Yuvraj Sandhu and Arjun Sharma fired an identical seven-under 63 to share the lead after the first round of the season-opening Professional Golf Tour of India, the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship, on the Tollygunge Club course here on Tuesday.

A shot adrift, S.S.P. Chawrasia was joint fourth with Karandeep Kochhar and Ankur Chadha.

Defending champion Manu Gandas shot a 69 to be tied-45 ^th.

S. Chikkarangappa made a hole-in-one on the sixth hole during his round of an even-par 70. He was placed tied-65 ^th.

-Y.B. Sarangi

BASKETBALL

INBL Pro League: Stallions edge past Dribblers in extra time

Gujarat Stallions pulled together as a cohesive unit in scoring a 95-90 victory over Delhi Dribblers in ten minutes of extra time after the teams were locked 83-83 at the end of the fourth quarter in the INBL Pro basketball league at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

It was the second victory in four matches for the Stallions who led 41-37 at halftime. Trendon Hankerson top-scored for the winner with 26 points. Alexander Mudronja, Lachlan Barker and Pratyanshu Tomar did the bulk of scoring for the Dribblers.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

EQUESTRIAN

National Equestrian Championship 2025 kicks off in Meerut

A glimpse from the first day of the The National Equestrian Championship (NEC) Showjumping 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The National Equestrian Championship (NEC) Showjumping 2025 has officially commenced today at the prestigious Modi Equestrian Academy in Modi Puram, Meerut.

With over 250 entries competing across five diverse categories—including the Preliminary Tour, Novice Tour, Young Horse Championships, Medium Tour, and the Championship Tour, where the winner will be crowned the National Champion for the 2024-25 season.

The championship features top riders, including Asian Games participants Sehaj Singh Virk, Tejas Dhingra, Kirat Singh Nagra, Ashray Butta, and Yashaan Zubin Khambatta, adding to the competition’s prestige.

15-year-old M Krishna Sahithi, who is set to compete in the Medium Tour. Her inclusion marks a notable moment, as she will be competing shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned professionals.

– Team Sportstar

GYMNASTICS

Maharashtra rules the roost in gymnastics, wins five gold medals

Powerhouse Maharashtra picked up five gold and two silver medals to rule the roost in gymnastics on the fourth day of competitions at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Tuesday.

From acrobatic to trampoline events, Maharashtra gymnasts showcased exceptional skill, outshining their rivals from other states.

In acrobatic gymnastics women’s group (senior), Maharashtra claimed the gold with a score of 61.730, while West Bengal (51.540) secured silver and Karnataka (42.750) took home the bronze.

Similarly, in the men’s group (Senior), Maharashtra won gold with 64.650 points, followed by Kerala (61.210) with silver and Karnataka (53.740) bronze.

In acrobatic mixed pair (senior), Maharashtra’s Riddhi Sachin Jaiswal and Shubham Sunil Sarkate secured the gold with 52.250 points, while Kerala (47.720) and Karnataka (46.830) earned silver and bronze respectively.

Maharashtra’s Nixhita Suresh and Rutuja Dattatraya clinched gold in the women’s pair (senior) with 51.250 points. West Bengal (44.700) secured silver, while Kerala (43.500) won bronze.

The fifth gold for Maharashtra came in the men’s trampoline event, Maharashtra’s Ayush Sanjay Mule clinched the gold with 48.740 points, while Kerala’s Manu Murali (46.150) won silver and Uttarakhand’s Udit Chauhan (45.070) claimed bronze.

In the men’s pair (senior) event, Karnataka’s Akkala Kumar and Qutubuddin Sheikh emerged victorious with 62.050 points, while Maharashtra (61.020) and Haryana (59.840) won silver and bronze respectively.

The trampoline women’s category saw Andhra Pradesh’s Sheikh Yasin winning the gold with 39.790 points.

Maharashtra’s Chaitrali Rakhmaji (39.280) and Gujarat’s Preeti Maheshbhai (37.800) bagged the silver and bronze respectively.

PTI