GOLF
Amandeep shares lead with Pranavi on Day 1 of 2nd leg of Hero WPGT 2023
Amandeep Drall dropped two late bogeys on the again 9 however nonetheless had a share of the lead with Pranavi Urs on the finish of day one of many second leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour 2023 on Wednesday.
The duo shot 1-under 69 every on the Bombay Presidency Golf Club and had been one forward of Mysore golfer Disha Kavery (70), who is barely in her third season as a professional.
Two amateurs, Vidhatri Urs (71) and Nishna Patel (72), had been third and fourth, whereas Vani Kapoor, who will shift her focus to the Ladies European Tour subsequent month, carded 73 after a tough entrance 9 of 3-over.
She shot 3-over 73 as did Asmitha Sathish and Afshan Fatima.
Four others — Sneha Singh, Lakhmehar Pardesi, Khushi Khanijau and Ananya Datar — had been tied ninth with 75.
Amandeep, taking part in for the primary time for the reason that season-ending occasions on the LET Tour in 2022, had an early bogey on the second however three birdies in a row from sixth to eighth and one other on the eleventh noticed her go 3-under. She then dropped pictures on the 14th and seventeenth to complete at 69.
In distinction, Pranavi, who’s prone to play on the Epson Tour within the US this season, birdied the primary and fourth however dropped a shot on the ninth to succeed in the flip in 1-under. She parred every of the 9 holes on the back-nine to complete at 69.
Disha Kavery had one bogey on the entrance 9 and one other on the twelfth, however back-to-back birdies on the 14th and fifteenth, noticed her card even-par 70.
Last week’s winner Seher Atwal had a tough day with 7-over 77. She bogeyed three in a row from eighth to tenth after which a double bogey on Par-3 thirteenth added to her woes as she completed bogey-bogey for a 7-over card. She was mendacity tied fifteenth.
Ridhima Dilawari had a good worse begin at 9-over 79 with six bogeys and a triple bogey, and was tied nineteenth.
-PTI
Sharma appears to be like for good begin to 2023 season in Abu Dhabi
Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma might be hoping for a great begin to the season when tees off on the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships right here on Thursday.
At 26, Sharma is already feeling like a veteran as he begins his eleventh 12 months as knowledgeable right here. Entering the paid ranks at 16, he rose very quick. By 2018 he was on the DP World Tour and had two wins in matter of 4 begins across the flip of 2017-18.
On Thursday, he’ll begin his first spherical with Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen and Englishman Matthew Southgate from first tee, whereas Belgian Thomas Pieters, concentrating on back-to-back wins on the Yas Island, is paired with two different previous champions Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood from the tenth tee.
Sharma may even attempt to show as soon as once more that good guys do win. In his years on DP World, he has earned reward not just for his recreation but additionally his nice manner.
Pieters, the defending champion, stated, “Shubhankar (Sharma), he’s one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met. His dad, as well. Always saying thank you, please. He is very well brought up. He’s just a really nice kid. He’s well-mannered. There’s nothing to dislike about him.” On Sharma’s recreation, Pieters added, “He’s got a very good golf game obviously. I think he hits really good stretches where he putts it well and drives it well, and then he goes off and has a couple months or half-year that he doesn’t really perform. But that’s golf and that’s just a part of growing up and dealing with those kind of stretches. Everybody has them.” Sharma has saved his card since, however has not been in a position to convert shut finishes into wins.
Two of these glorious performances got here in 2022, one a runner-up end at this very event and on the similar Yas Links after which there a 3rd place on the Nedbank Challenge, the penultimate occasion of 2022.
“I had a great start and then it was a lull in the middle for various reasons – some club issues, a niggle in the back and then Covid. There were Top-15s in Kenya, Dutch Open and Singapore, but towards the finish was strong with third place in Nedbank in South Africa,” Sharma stated, recalling final season. “At the DP World Tour Championships I did just enough finishing in mid 40s but that helped me finish the year in Top-30 on the DP World and secure a place for the 2023 (British) Open. So, I would call the year a mixed bag.” Sharma, who has performed at Abu Dhabi yearly since he got here on the Tour totally in 2018, loves the place.
“It is a great place. Great places to go to and see. I went to the Ferrari World (across the Yas Links) here and I have great memories from the tournament last year. The elite Rolex series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are a great way to start the year.
“I played with Viktor Hovland and Rafa Cabrera Bello last year in the final and ahead were Shane Lowry and Thomas Pieters. It was really close. A late bogey cost me a chance to get into a play-off.” Séamus Power makes his event debut following his look in final week’s Hero Cup. The Irishman additionally received his second PGA TOUR title on the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October final 12 months and presently leads the FedExCup standings.
There are 19 members from final week’s Hero Cup groups, together with the 2021 winner Tyrrell Hatton, in addition to Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald and his vice captains Thomas Bjørn, Nicolas Colsaerts and Edoardo Molinari.
-PTI
TENNIS
$40,000 ITF ladies’s event
Ankita Raina fought her well past Ekaterina Maklakova of Russia 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 within the first spherical of the $40,000 ITF ladies’s tennis event on the Arera Club on Wednesday.
In the pre-quarterfinals, Ankita will problem the second seeded Joanne Zuger of Switzerland, who beat Ekaterina Yashina in straight units.
Karman Kaur Thandi beat Daria Kudashova of Russia 6-3, 6-3 to make the second spherical. She will face fifth seed Anastasia Tikhonova of Russia within the second spherical.
The solely different Indian participant to progress to the pre-quarterfinals earlier on the opening day, Rutuja Bhosale will face sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia.
The outcomes:
Singles (first spherical): Nigina Abduraimova (Uzb) bt Emily Welker (Ger) 6-1, 6-0; Ekaterina Reyngold (Rus) bt Vaidehi Chaudhari 6-4, 6-2; Karman Kaur Thandi bt Daria Kudashova (Rus) 6-3, 6-3; Anastasia Tikhonova (Rus) bt Sharmada Balu 6-2, 6-0; Irina Khromacheva (Rus) bt Sravya Shivani 6-1, 6-2; Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) bt Funa Kozaki (Jpn) 6-0, 6-4; Valeriya Savinykh (Rus) bt Zeel Desai 6-0, 6-2; Zhibek Kulambayeva (Kaz) bt Ziva Falkner (Slo) 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4; Mana Kawamura (Jpn) bt Saki Imamura (Jpn) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Gozal Ainitdinova (Kaz) bt Carole Monnet (Fra) 6-2, 6-4; Dalila Jakupovic (Slo) bt En Shuo Liang (Tpe) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3; Ksenia Zaytseva (Rus) bt Diana Marcinkevica (Lat) 6-1, 7-6(6); Ankita Raina bt Ekaterina Maklakova (Rus) 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4; Joanne Zuger (Sui) bt Ekaterina Yashina (Rus) 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Dalila Jakupovic (Slo) & Rosalie van der Hoek (Ned) bt Ekaterina Maklakova & Ksenia Zaytseva (Rus) 6-4, 6-1.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
Arjun Kadhe in doubles quarterfinals
Arjun Kadhe in partnership with Fernando Romboli of Brazil beat Ivan Marrero Curbelo and Hillel Rousseau 6-1, 6-2 within the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the €118,000 Challenger tennis event in Tenerife, Spain.
The outcomes:
€118,000 Challenger, Tenerife, Spain
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Fernando Romboli (Bra) & Arjun Kadhe bt Ivan Marrero Curbelo (Esp) & Hillel Rousseau (USA) 6-1, 6-2.
$40,000 Challenger, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Anirudh Chandrasekar & Vijay Sundar Prashanth bt Krittin Koaykul & Jirat Navasirisomboon (Tha) 6-3, 6-2.
$25,000 ITF males, Doha, Qatar
Singles (first spherical): Mukund Sasikumar bt Mashari Nawaf (Qat ) 6-0, 6-1; Prajnesh Gunneswaran bt Tibo Colson (Bel) 6-4, 6-0.
$15,000 ITF males, Jakarta, Indonesia
Singles (first spherical): Sidharth Rawat bt Karan Singh 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(3); Hong Kit Wong (Hkg) bt Rishab Agarwal 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3); Niki Poonacha bt M Rifqi Fitriadi (Ina) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Duckhee Lee (Kor) bt Siddharth Vishwakarma 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3; Arthur Weber (Fra) bt Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(5).
-Kamesh Srinivasan
SHOOTING
National shotgun trials
Prithviraj Tondaiman beat Olympic quota winner Bhowneesh Mendirata 32-30 to prime the second National shotgun choice trials in entice on the New Moti Bagh Gun Club on Wednesday.
Qualification topper and winner of the primary trial, Zoravar Singh Sandhu topped qualification with 121, however ended up third forward of Anirudh Singh within the medal spherical.
Lakshay Sheoran, Rayyan Rizvi, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Aryavansh Tyagi had been eradicated within the semifinals.
In ladies’s entice, Shreyasi Singh prevailed 29-25 over Sabeera Haris, whereas the topper of the primary trial, Preeti Rajak, ended third forward of Snehlata Rajawat.
Rajeshwari Kumar, Kirti Gupta, Nilaa Baalu and Neeru bought eradicated within the semifinals.
The outcomes:
Trap:
Men: 1. Prithviraj Tondaiman 32 (20) 120; 2. Bhowneesh Mendiratta 30 (21) 114; 3. Zoravar Singh Sandhu 23 (20) 121; 4. Anirudh Singh 11 (22) 113.
Junior males: 1. Aryavansh Tyagi 112; 2. Bakhtyar Uddin Malek 111; 3. Vivaan Kapoor 111.
Women: 1. Shreyasi Singh 29 (19) 103; 2. Sabeera Haris 25 (19)103; 3. Preeti Rajak 18 (22) 109; 4. Snehlata Rajawat 8 (20) 104.
Junior ladies: 1. Preeti Rajak 109; 2. Sabeera Haris 103; 3. Nilaa Baalu 102
-Kamesh Srinivasan
FOOTBALL
NEROCA FC stun TRAU 3-1, transfer up from relegation zone
Jourdain Fletcher scored a brace as NEROCA FC got here out of the relegation zone with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over native rivals Tiddim Road Athletic Union in an I-League match on the Khuman Lampak Stadium on Wednesday.
Fletcher struck within the thirty seventh and 90+1st minute, whereas Michael Kporvi fired in one other within the dying minutes at hand NEROCA full factors that took them to the tenth spot with 11 factors from 12 matches.
The win additionally avenged the first-leg defeat to their arch-rivals who remained at third place from 12 matches. Ten minutes into the sport, making an attempt to clear a cross from the correct by TRAU’s Salam Johnson Singh, NEROCA captain and defence mainstay David Simbo headed it on to TRAU’s lone striker Komron Tursunov, who calmly chested it down and put it into the online along with his proper foot.
Till the half-hour mark, TRAU saved attacking and regarded like scoring at any time however coach Leimapokpam Nandakumar Singh’s tactical show saved them at bay.
NEROCA got here again into the match with the equaliser when Paogoumang Singson crossed from the left and Jourdain Fletcher scored a world-class aim with a facet volley.
TRAU had the possibility to go up as soon as once more simply earlier than the breather after they had been awarded a penalty however Fernandinho’s low left-footer was saved by Soram Poirei.
TRAU got here near scoring twice within the second-half however couldn’t convert their possibilities.
NEROCA coach Wangkhem Khogen Singh’s resolution to switch Kamo with Michael Kporvi within the 87th minute proved to decisive.
His exact cross throughout the sector to Fletcher caught the TRAU defence napping and hand them the lead.
TRAU had been nonetheless making an attempt to salvage a degree, however the counter-attack settled the end result as Kporvi made it 3-1.
-PTI