SQUASH
India wins all three titles in Asian Squash Doubles Championships
In a remarkable achievement, India swept all the three titles—men’s, women’s and mixed events—in the second Asian Squash Doubles Championships after beating its respective rivals in the finals on Thursday.
The top-seeded men’s pair of Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar lost the first set but made a comeback to beat their Pakistani opponents Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal 2-1 (9-11, 11-5, 11-5) in the summit clash that lasted 88 minutes.
The Indian duo had reached the final after beating Hong Kong pair of Chi Him Wong and Ming Hong Tang in the semifinals.
In the women’s doubles final, second seeds Joshna Chinappa and Anahat Singh also rallied from a set down to win 2-1 (8-11, 11-9, 11-10) against Malaysia’s Ainaa Amani and Xin Ying Yee in a 35-minute final.
Joshna and Anahat had made it to the summit clash after beating Hong Kong’s Po Yui Kirstie Wong and Yee Lam Toby Tse.
The top-seeded mixed doubles pair of Abhay and Anahat made it a clean sweep of titles for India as they beat Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold and Ameeshenraj Chandaran 2-0 (11-9, 11-7) in the 28-minute summit showdown.
In the process, Abhay and Anahat bagged their second title of the championships.
They had made it to the last-two stage after beating another local pair of Ainaa Amani and Syafiq Kamal in the semifinals.
-PTI
BADMINTON
BAI names 19-member team for Badminton Asian Junior Championships in July
The fast-rising Tanvi Sharma was on Thursday named in India’s 19-member squad for the Badminton Asian Junior Championships (team and individual) to be held in Solo, Indonesia from July 18 to 27.
Tanvi won a gold in the Badminton Asia women’s team championship. Junior world No. 1 men’s doubles pair of Bhargava Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gibburu will also be critical to India’s chances in the event.
The team competitions are scheduled from July 18–22 while the individual events will be held from July 23–27.
The team event will be played in a relay format, with the first side to reach 110 points declared the winner. It will begin with a group stage, followed by knockout rounds, with the top two teams from each group advancing.
The full squad will report to a national preparatory camp at National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from July 4 to 15. The NCE Guwahati will also host the BWF Junior World Championships later this year.
“India’s junior circuit is producing world-class talent, and this camp is where raw potential will be sharpened into medal-winning form,” Badminton Association of India General Secretary, Sanjay Mishra, said.
Tanvi, currently ranked World No. 2 in the BWF junior rankings, will anchor India’s women’s singles challenge. Rounak Chouhan is ranked 12th in the boys’ singles.
Vennala Kalagotla will feature in both singles and doubles, while in the men’s doubles, Bhargava and Viswa Tej will aim to extend their dominance as the top-ranked junior pair globally.
The Squad
Men’s Singles: Ansh Negi, Hmar Lalthazuala, Rounak Chouhan, Pranauv Ram Nagalingam.
Women’s Singles: Rujula Ramu, Tanvi Sharma, Tanvi Reddy Andluri, Vennala Kalagotla.
Men’s Doubles: Bhavya Chhabra/Param Choudhary, Bhargav Ram Arigela/Viswa Tej Gobburu.
Women’s Doubles: Vennala Kalagotla/Reshika Uthayasooriyan, Gayatri Rawat/Mansa Rawat.
Mixed Doubles: Vishnu Kedhar Kode/Keerthy Manchala, C Lalramsanga/Taarini Suri.
-PTI
HOCKEY
Hockey India Masters Cup (Women): Odisha and Punjab to face off in final
Odisha and Punjab reached the final of the inaugural Hockey India Masters Cup (Women) after registering impressive wins in their respective semifinal contests at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai.
In the first semifinal, Odisha beat Tamil Nadu 4-1, owing to captain Lucela Ekka’s two brilliant field goals (4’, 25’). She was supported by Sarita Roshan Minz (9’) and Asima Sanjay Minz (30’), who also found the back of the net to seal a convincing win. Tamil Nadu’s lone goal came from Saumya (34’), who converted a penalty corner in the third quarter.
The second semifinal saw Punjab come from behind twice to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Haryana.
Odisha will take on Punjab in the final on Friday (2 PM IST), while Tamil Nadu will face off against Haryana in the bronze medal match before the summit clash (6 AM IST).
-Team Sportstar