SQUASH
Rathika Seelan in Hong Kong PSA Challenge Cup quarters
Rathika Suthanthira Seelan advanced to the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong PSA Challenge Cup – 4th leg with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over local challenger Ka Huen Leung.
The sixth-seeded Indian edged out Leung 4-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in the second round in Hong Kong on Wednesday after receiving a bye in the opening round.
The Tamil Nadu player, who won her maiden Professional Squash Association Tour title at the HCL Squash Tour in Indore last weekend, will meet third-seeded Malaysian Sehveetrraa Kumar in the quarterfinals.
– Team Sportstar
HOCKEY
Indian men’s hockey team secure shootout win over Germany, women draw against Orange Rood
India concluded their junior hockey teams’ tour of Europe with a gritty shootout win over Germany by the men’s side, while the women were held to a 2-2 draw by Orange Rood club here.
The men’s team won 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate in the regulation time in their match at the Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push here on Wednesday.
Gurjot Singh, Dilraj Singh, and Manmeet Singh scored one each in the shoot-out after Mukesh Toppo struck off a rebound from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute.
The Indian Colts held their lead in regulation time until Germany equalised four minutes into the fourth quarter, adding excitement to the game.
Despite both teams’ efforts to take the lead, the score remained unchanged, leading to a penalty shootout.
This was the men’s team’s second win from five matches of the tour, having beaten Belgium 4-2 (2-2) on penalties in their opening game at Antwerp on May 20.
They also suffered three losses — against Belgium (2-3), Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push (4-5) and Germany (2-3).
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The women’s team registered two wins, two losses and a solitary draw against Orange Rood on Wednesday.
They played a quiet first quarter against Oranje Rood and Sanjana Horo (18’) broke the deadlock for India.
Oranje Rood responded well, earning two penalty corners but the Indian defence held firm, ending the first half 1-0.
Oranje Rood took the initiative in the third quarter and earned three penalty corners and scored twice to take a 2-1 lead.
But India levelled the score in the last quarter when Anisha Sahu (58’) scored in the final moments.
The visitors earlier defeated Bredase Hockey Vereniging Push (2-0), Belgium 4-2 (2-2), and conceded defeats against Belgium 2-3, Germany (0-1), 4-6, 1 draw (Orange Rood 2-2).
– PTI
SURFING
Mangaluru to host national championship
Mangalore to host the 5th edition of the Indian Open of Surfing (IOS), the nation’s premier surfing competition, feom May 31 to June 2.
Organized by the Surfing Swami Foundation and hosted by the Mantra Surf Club under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India, this event will bring together the country’s top-ranked surfers at the iconic Sasihithlu Beach to showcase their skills in the three-day championship.
Some of the top names to be seen in action include the likes of Srikanth D, Surya P, Ajeesh Ali, Sivaraj Babu, Surya P, Kamali Moorthy, Ishita Malviya, Srishti Selvam.
The IOS will feature intense rivalries between surfers from the east and west coasts, with crucial ranking points on the line that will determine the surfers’ standings at the end of the season.
– Team Sportstar
TENNIS
Dalwinder Singh wins AITA ranking tennis tournament
Former National champion Dalwinder Singh outplayed second seed Udit Kamboj 6-1, 6-0 in the men’s semifinals of the Rs.200,000 AITA ranking tennis tournament at the Harvest Academy, Jassowal, on Thursday.
In the final, Dalwinder will play top seed Shivank Bhatnagar.
The women’s final will be between top seed Sahira Singh and second seed Aditi Rawat.
The results:
Men (semifinals): Shivank Bhatnagar bt Neeraj Yashpaul 6-4, 6-3; Dalwinder Singh bt Udit Kamboj 6-1, 6-0.
Doubles (semifinals): Dalwinder Singh & Sarthak Suden bt Sarthak Gulati & Sahajpreet Bajwa 7-6(1), 6-2; Neeraj Yashpaul & Eklavya Singh bt Bhushan Haobam & Shanker Heisnam 6-3, 6-0.
Women (semifinals): Sahira Singh bt Shatakshi Chaudhary 6-2, 7-5; Aditi Rawat bt Janhavi Kajla 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
Doubles (final): Samaira Malik & Ruma Gaikaiwari bt Shatakshi Chaudhary & Aditi Rawat 6-4, 0-6, [10-7].
– Kamesh Srinivasan
Ankita Raina moves to quarterfinals of ITF women’s tennis tournament
Ankita Raina beat Linda Klimovicova of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the pre-quarterfinals of the $40,000 ITF women’s tennis
tournament in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal.
In the $25,000 ITF women’s event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Riya Bhatia battled for three hours and 50 minutes to beat Ana Los Rios of Paraguay 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the second round in a draw of 64.
The results:
€74,825 Challenger, Vicenza, Italy Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Andre Begemann (Ger) & Niki Poonacha bt Ryan Seggerman & Patrik Trhac (USA) 6-3, 6-7(4), [10-8]; Marco Bortolotti (Ita) & Alexandru Jecan (Rou) bt Anirudh Chandrasekar & Arjun Kadhe 6-2, 6-7(7), [11-9].
$82,000 Challenger, Little Rock, USA Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Rithvik Bollipalli & Hans Verdugo (Mex) bt Nishesh Basavareddy & Cooper Williams (USA) 5-7, 6-3, [10-7].
$25,000 ITF men, La Nucia, Spain Doubles (quarterfinals): Siddhant Banthia & Eric Vanshelboim (Ukr) bt Alejandro Garcia & Mario Diez (Esp) 6-1, 7-5.
$15,000 ITF men, Monastir, Tunisia Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Pedro Araujo (Por) bt Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam 6-3, 6-3.
$40,000 ITF women, Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Ankita Raina bt Linda Klimovicova (Cze) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1; First round: Ankita bt Alice Gillan (GBR) 6-4, 6-2.
$25,000 ITF women, Changwon, Korea Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Haruna Arakawa (Jpn) bt Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 7-5, 7-5.
– Kamesh Srinivasan
