Here are all the most important developments in Indian sport on Friday, March 3.
GOLF
Akshay Bhatia lies second, gradual begin for Atwal
Akshay Bhatia, who scored his breakthrough win on the Korn Ferry Tour final 12 months, confirmed indicators that he’s able to get a shot on the essential PGA Tour.
The 21-year-old Bhatia, who’s of Indian origin however born within the US, opened the Puerto Rico Open with a spherical of 6-under 66, however was nonetheless three pictures shy of Carson Young, who made three eagles on his solution to a 9-under 63.
Arjun Atwal, the one Indian to have gained on the PGA Tour and trying to go higher than the three missed cuts earlier this 12 months, had one other tough opening with a spherical of 5-over 77 leaving him with numerous work to do to make the minimize.
Atwal can be concurrently on the brink of have a go on the Champions Tour, as he turns 50 later this month.
The winner in Puerto Rico will get a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR, together with a spot within the PGA Championship.
The Puerto Rico Open is held reverse the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the place each PGA TOUR member from the highest 50 on the earth rating is taking part in.
Bhatia, who gained final 12 months on Korn Ferry, has had a superb begin to the 2023 season with two Top-10 finishes and a win this week would instantly catapult him into the highest Tour.
-PTI
Pranavi, Ridhima make cuts at Joburg Ladies Open
Indian golfer Pranavi Urs completed with a birdie within the second spherical to make the minimize alongside facet compatriot Ridhima Dilawari on the Euros 300,000 Joburg Ladies Open right here.
Ridhima made the fourth minimize in 5 begins on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, the place a number of the occasions are co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.
Pranavi, at one-under for 2 rounds, is tied seventeenth whereas Ridhima, at even par, is tied-Twenty ninth.
The 36-hole minimize to 60 and ties fell at two-over, leaving 64 gamers to contest over the subsequent two rounds.
Pranavi, who’s taking part in her first full season exterior India, made her first minimize on the LET, because the Joburg Ladies Open is a co-sanctioned occasion.
Three different Indian golfers – Vani Kapoor (75-78), Amandeep Drall (76-78) and Diksha Dagar (78-77) – missed the minimize on the par-73 Modderfontein Golf Club on Thursday.
Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup (72-66) improved by six strokes from her first spherical to card a bogey free seven-under 66 within the second spherical to take a two-stroke lead within the match.
Pranavi, a multiple-time winner in India and topper on the Hero Order of Merit in 2022 with 4 wins, shot two-under 71 on the primary day.
Starting on the tenth on the second day, she initially struggled and had three bogeys on the again 9. However, she birdied first and second and closed with a birdie on ninth. In between she bogeyed as soon as for 74.
Last week, Pranavi made her first minimize on the Sunshine Ladies Tour and completed T-13 on the Jabra Ladies Classic.
Ridhima, who has been having a good run in South Africa, continued her high quality present as she added one-over 74 to her first spherical of one-under 72 to be even par for 2 rounds.
Ridhima, additionally a multiple-time winner on her residence Tour, the Hero WPGT, is mendacity twelfth on the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Order of Merit.
-PTI
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
Australia beats India in Women’s World Cup playoff
Australia beat India 2-0 for the fifth place within the Asia-Oceania World crew cup wheelchair tennis match in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday.
Earlier, the Indian males’s crew had completed third in its group, having misplaced to Korea and Thailand.
The Indian ladies, crushed by Korea, China and Thailand within the four-team competitors, had a harder time, as they managed to eke out 4 video games in all, in eight matches.
The outcomes:
Men (fifth place): Australia bt India 2-0 (Martyn Dunn bt Mariappan Durai 6-0, 6-2; Ben Weekes bt Karunakaran Karthik 6-1, 6-1).
League: Korea bt India 3-0 (Lee Ji-Hwan bt Mariappan Durai 6-2, 6-0; Han Sung Bong bt Karunakaran Karthik 6-0, 6-0; Im Ho Won & Lee Ji-Hwan bt Sathasivam Kannupayan & Karunakaran Karthik 6-0, 6-0).
Thailand bt India 3-0 (Tanyamin Faiytong bt Mariappan 6-1, 6-0; Naluemitr Benkhunthod bt Karunakaran 6-1, 6-0; Worakit Daengchuan & Tanyamin bt Mariappan & Karunakaran 6-0, 6-2).
Women (league): Korea bt India 2-0 (Han In Kyung bt Prathima Rao 6-0, 6-1; An Seong Suk bt Shilpa Puttaraju 6-0, 6-0).
China bt India 3-0 (Huang Huimin bt Prathima Rao 6-0, 6-0; Zhu Zhenzhen bt Shilpa Puttaraju 6-0, 6-0; Huang Huimin & Li Xiaohui bt Prathima & Shilpa 6-0, 6-0).
Thailand bt India 3-0 (Wadsamon Budpo bt Prathima 6-0, 6-1; Sakhorn Khanthasit bt Shilpa 6-0, 6-0; Nongnuch Roswan & Thipaksorn Singkaew bt Prathima & Shilpa 6-2, 6-0).
-KAMESH SRINIVASAN
TENNIS
Balaji, Nedunchezhiyan crushed in Santiago
Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan had been crushed 3-6, 6-1, [10-4] by Tiago Seyboth Wild and Matias Soto within the doubles quarterfinals of the $718,245 ATP tennis match on clay in Santiago, Chile.
The Indian pair collected 45 ATP factors and $5,950.
The outcomes:
$718,245 ATP, Santiago, Chile
Doubles (quarterfinals): Thiago Seyboth Wild (Bra) & Matias Soto (Chi) bt Sriram Balaji & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 3-6, 6-1, [10-4].
-KAMESH SRINIVASAN
Pune Challenger: Palan beats Chun-Hsin in quarters
Qualifier Dominik Palan of Czech Republic beat second seed Chun-Hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3 within the quarterfinals of the PMR Open $130,000 Challenger tennis match on the Balewadi Stadium on Friday.
In the semifinals, Palan will play fourth seed Luca Nardi of Italy.
The different semifinal will probably be between the champion of the final two tournaments in Chennai and Bengaluru, Max Purcell of Australia and Miljan Zekic of Serbia.
In doubles, Anirudh Chandrasekar and Vijay Sundar Prashanth arrange a title conflict towards the Japanese, Toshihide Matsui and Kaito Uesugi.
The outcomes:
Singles (quarterfinals): Miljan Zekic (Srb) bt Harold Mayot (Fra) 6-2, 6-4; Max Purcell (Aus) bt Francesco Maestrelli (Ita) 6-0, 6-2; Luca Nardi (Ita) bt Rio Noguchi (Jpn) 6-3, 6-0; Dominik Palan (Cze) bt Chun-Hsin Tseng (Tpe) 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3.
Doubles (semifinals): Toshihide Matsui & Kaito Uesugi (Jpn) bt Mukund Sasikumar & Vishnu Vardhan 6-2, 7-5; Anirudh Chandrasekar & Vijay Sundar Prashanth bt Arjun Kadhe & Maximilian Neuchrist (Aut) 4-0 (retired).
-KAMESH SRINIVASAN
AITA Nationals Series Juniors: Dhananjay beats Om in straight units
Dhananjay Tibrewal beat Om Patel 6-4, 6-4 within the boys last of the AITA National sequence under-16 tennis match on the Singha Sports Academy on Friday.
Dhananjay had earlier gained the doubles title with Ranvir Singh.
The outcomes (finals):
Under-16 boys: Dhananjay Tibrewal bt Om Patel 6-4, 6-4.
Under-16 women: Diya Chaudhary bt Sherry Sharma 6-3, 6-4.
-KAMESH SRINIVASAN
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com