Diksha finishes T-6 in Rome for a third Top-10 in 2024
ROME, June 17: Indian golfer Diksha Dagar carded an underwhelming 71 in the final round to sign off from the Ladies Italian Open at tied-6th place, her third Top-10 finish of the season.Diksha, who had one birdie and one bogey in the second round, managed just two birdies and one bogey in the third for a total of of 6-under 210.It was her third Top-10 of the season but the first since late April in Johannesburg, where she was third. Since then she has had four other Top-25 finishes.Her teammate Pranavi Urs, who is playing her first full season after emerging as the winner of the Order of Merit in Hero Women’s Pro Tour in India in 2022, finished T-19 with a final day’s card of 72 and Tvesa Malik, slowly making a comeback, was T-41 with a final round of 73.Diksha was four shots behind the winner, Amy Taylor (69), who won her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title by one shot over Spain’s Maria Hernandez (67) to grab the famous trophy at the Golf Nazionale.Camille Chevalier was tied third with Singapore’s Shannon Tan and Italian amateur Francesca Fiorellini.Diksha stayed patient even though her birdie putts did not fall. She gave away just three shots in the entire week – one in each round. She had six birdies on the first day and one on the second and two on the final day.Diksha moved one place up on the LET Order of Merit and is now tenth, while Pranavi is 12th. (PTI)
Sergio Ramos to leave Sevilla
SEVILLE, June 17: Veteran defender Sergio Ramos will not return to Sevilla next season, the Spanish club said Monday.Sevilla said the 38-year-old Ramos told the club he did not intend to extend the contract that ended after this season.The player had not publicly announced his plans for the future. He is not part of Spain’s squad for the European Championship in Germany after retiring from internationals last year.Ramos joined Sevilla from Paris Saint-Germain last season. He spent more than a decade at Real Madrid after joining the Spanish powerhouse from Sevilla in 2005.Ramos scored seven goals in 37 appearances in his latest stint with Sevilla.His official farewell will be on Monday. (PTI)
Tennis: Aryna Sabalenka pulls out of Paris Olympics
BERLIN, June 17: World number three Aryna Sabalenka has pulled out of the upcoming Paris Olympics citing health reasons and to focus on hard court tournaments. The 26-year-old defending Australian Open champion made a quarterfinal exit in last month’s French Open after losing to Russian teenage Mirra Andreeva. “Especially with all the struggles I’ve been struggling with the last months, I feel I have to take care of my health. It’s too much for the scheduling and I made the decision to take care of my health,” Sabalenka told reporters at the Berlin Ladies Open.“I prefer to have a little rest to make sure physically and health-wise I’m ready for the hard courts and I’ll have a good preparation before going to the hard-court season. I feel that this is safer and better for my body,” the Belarusian added. (IANS)
Serie A club Napoli confirm Kvaratskhelia’s stay
NAPLES, June 17: Napoli have responded to the statements dropped by their star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s father and agent saying that they don’t want him to continue at the club and find a different destination for his footballing endeavors.“In reference to the statements of Kvaratskhelia’s agent, Mamuka Jugeli, and his father Badri, Calcio Napoli reiterates that the player has a contract for another three years with the club. Kvaratskhelia is not on the market. It is not the agents or fathers who decide the future of a player under contract with Napoli but the Calcio Napoli club!!! End of the story,” read the statement released by Napoli on X. (IANS)