31 teams to fight for top honours in 14th Senior Men Natl C’ship hockey
Chennai, Nov 3: A total of 31 teams will fight for the top honours at the 14th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship set to begin here on Monday. The 31 teams were divided into eight pools, and the tournament will conclude on November 16. During the league stage, each team will play against every other side in their pool. The top team from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals to be played on November 13, followed by semifinals on November 15, and the final and 3rd/4th place play-off match on November 16. Pool A features defending champions Hockey Punjab along with Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Hockey and Chhattisgarh Hockey. Pool B includes Hockey Haryana, Telangana Hockey, Hockey Himachal, and Hockey Mizoram, while Pool C comprises Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Andhra Pradesh, and Hockey Andaman & Nicobar. Pool D consists of Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Chandigarh, Hockey Uttarakhand, and Tripura Hockey. In Pool E, Hockey Association of Odisha will compete with Le Puducherry Hockey, Hockey Rajasthan, and Hockey Arunachal, while Pool F includes Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Delhi Hockey, Kerala Hockey, and Hockey Jammu and Kashmir. Pool G consists of Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Maharashtra, Goans Hockey, and Hockey Gujarat, while Pool H features Manipur Hockey, Hockey Bengal, Hockey Bihar, and Assam Hockey. The tournament will open with a series of matches, including Uttar Pradesh Hockey vs Kerala Hockey and Hockey Karnataka vs Hockey Uttarakhand, among other exciting fixtures, setting the stage for a thrilling championship. (PTI)
Anahat Singh clinches Costa North Coast Open PSA Challenger title
New Delhi, Nov 3: Teenage squash sensation Anahat Singh secured her sixth PSA Challenger title of the year by winning the women’s singles crown at the Costa North Coast Open 2024 in Coffs Harbour, Australia, on Sunday. Seeded third in the tournament, the 16-year-old downed Japan’s sixth seed Akari Midorikawa in straight games 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-7). Throughout the tournament, she displayed remarkable form, dropping only one game. In the semi-finals, she defeated Hong Kong’s seventh seed Kirstie Wong 3-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9), after having previously swept aside Bobo Lam and Helen Tang from Hong Kong in the earlier rounds. Anahat, who won bronze medals in both the women’s team and mixed doubles events at the Hangzhou Asian Games, received a bye in the first round due to her seeding. (PTI)
Malvika finishes runner-up at Hylo Open in Germany
Saarbruecken, Nov 3: Rising Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod’s impressive run at the Hylo Open Super 300 concluded with a runner-up finish, as she fell to Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt 10-21, 15-21 in the final on Sunday. The 23-year-old southpaw, who claimed notable wins en route to her first Super 300 final, including a victory over fourth seed Nguyen Thuy Linh of Vietnam, struggled to match Blichfeldt’s pace, conceding the match in 43 minutes. In the opening game, Blichfeldt capitalised on Malvika’s errors, reeling off eight consecutive points to establish a 17-10 lead, ultimately closing out the game with ease. Malvika fought back in the second game, even leading 11-8. However, Blichfeldt’s powerful cross-court smashes allowed her to equalise at 12-all, then capture five consecutive points to secure the title. This marks Malvika’s second appearance in a major final, having previously reached the title round of the Syed Modi India International in 2022, where she was defeated by two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu. In September, Malvika made headlines by upsetting Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the opening round of the China Open Super 100 before her quarterfinal exit. (PTI)
Wins for Sabalenka and Paolini on opening day of WTA Finals
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Nov 3: Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka eased to a straight-set victory over Zheng Qinwen in the opening match of the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia. Sabalenka on Saturday won 6-3, 6-4 to extend her perfect record against the Chinese player to 5-0. It was also her 21st win in her last 22 matches. The seventh-seeded Zheng lost the last three games as her focus slipped, and also appeared to have lost track of the score. After hitting a backhand long on match point, Zheng headed toward her chair on what she seemed to think was a change of ends instead of going to the net for the traditional handshake. She smiled and held up her hand in apology after realizing before heading back to the centre. The victory also sets up Sabalenka for ending the year at the top. The Belarusian player only needs to win two of her three group matches to ensure she retains the No. 1 ranking. Fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini of Italy beat fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the other Purple Group match. Paolini, who is enjoying a breakout season, edged a tight match 7-6(5), 6-4 on her debut at the year-ending tournament for the top eight ranked players. American players Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will face off in the Orange Group on Sunday after second-seeded Iga Swiatek takes on Barbora Krejcikova. (AP)