HOCKEY
Madhya Pradesh defeated Punjab 3-2, while Karnataka overcame Puducherry by an identical margin in Division A to enter the quarterfinals of the 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship here on Thursday.
Captain Yousuf Affan (4’) scored the first goal for Madhya Pradesh, followed by Mohit Karma (18’) and Saddam Ahmed (45’) as the team looked to make it a one-sided contest.
But Punjab gave a tough fight in the last quarter with Araijeet Singh Hundal (54’) and Gursahibjit Singh (56’) on target. With this win, Madhya Pradesh maintained its top position in Pool A, securing a berth in the quarterfinals.
Karnataka defeated Puducherry 3-2 in another Division A match.
Captain Mohammed Raheel opened the scoring with a 12th-minute goal. Puducherry’s T Arun Kumar (27’) and P Mahendran (37’) then turned the game upside down by the end of the third quarter.
But Sheshe Gowda Bm (58’, 60’) first equalised two minutes before the final whistle and then finished the game in style with another goal, securing victory for Karnataka.
-PTI
TENNIS
Monte Carlo Masters: Bopanna-Shelton duo enters quarterfinals
Rohan Bopanna, in partnership with Ben Shelton, knocked out the third seeds, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, 2-6, 7-6(4), [10-7] in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the €6,128,940 ATP tennis tournament in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Bopanna and Shelton will play wild card entrants Romain Arneodo and Manuel Guinard in the quarterfinals.
The results:
€6,128,940 ATP, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Rohan Bopanna & Ben Shelton (USA) bt Simone Bolelli & Andrea Vavassori (Ita) 2-6, 7-6(4), [10-7].
$200,000 Challenger, Mexico
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Nicolas Barrientos (Col) & Rithvik Bollipalli bt Ray Ho (Tpe) & Matthew Romios (Aus) 3-6, 6-3, [10-7].
€145, 250 Challenger, Madrid, Spain
Doubles (quarterfinals): Inigo Cervantes (Esp) & Denys Molchanov (Ukr) bt Anirudh Chandrasekar & David Hernandez (Esp) 6-4, 6-2; Francisco Cabral (Por) & Lucas Miedler (Aut) bt Saketh Myneni & Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-2, 6-4; Orlando Luz (Bra) & Albano Olivetti (Fra) bt Siddhant Banthia & Alexander Donski (Bul) 7-6(2), 7-6(4)
-Kamesh Srinivasan
Australia beats India in Asia-Oceania World Junior Tennis under-14 boys championship
Seventh seed Australia beat India 3-0 in the second league match of the Asia-Oceania World Junior Tennis under-14 boys championship in Kuching, Malaysia, on Thursday.
It was the second defeat for India, following the one against top seed Korea. India will play its last league match against Pakistan on Friday.
The top two teams from each of the four groups qualify for the knock-out stage.
The results (league):
Australia bt India 3-0 (Novak Palombo bt Paranjay Siwach 6-2, 6-2; Aidan Chan bt Viraj Choudhary 6-1, 6-1; Christian Joseph & Novak bt Paranjay & Kaustubh Singh7-6(5), 5-7, [10-5].
-Kamesh Srinivasan
FOOTBALL
DSC Football 2025 National Finals: RFYC secures convincing win over Dempo SC
Reliance Foundation Young Champs put up a dominating show against Dempo SC in the Dream Sports Championship Football 2025 National Finals Day 3 as it registered a 5-0 win on Thursday.
Captain Shawn Appolinario Fernandes led from the front, scoring four out of the five goals in the ongoing U-17 tournament.
The skipper opened the scoring in the 12th minute and then followed it with another one within the next two minutes (14th minute) to help his side take a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Fernandes continued his form in the second half as well, adding two more to his tally and completing his hat-trick in the 65th minute and then scoring his fourth in the 68th minute. Substitute Harshal Manigandan also got his name on the scoresheet as he netted in the 71st minute.
In the second fixture, Mohun Bagan Super Giant continued its winning streak as it defeated Chennaiyin FC 3-0. MBSG took a 2-0 lead in the first half itself, courtesy strikes from Aditya Mondal and Prem Hansdak.
Aditya scored the first one in the 21st minute while Prem followed it up with another one in the 22nd minute. Later, Thangngaisang Haokip stretched the lead to 3-0 in injury time (90 + 3) to eventually seal the win.
-Team Sportstar
