Dhamne wins maiden Pro ITF singles title in Tunisia
New Delhi, Feb 9: Promising Indian youngster Manas Dhamne on Sunday clinched his maiden ITF singles title with a come-from-behind win over Italy’s Lorenzo Carboni in the summit clash of the M15 tournament in Monastir, Tunisia. Dhamne, who trains in Italy under renowned coach Riccardo Piatti, overcame the first-set deficit to come out a 2-6 6-0 6-2 winner against Carboni, who had reached the junior French Open semifinals last year. The 17-year-old had entered the main draw as a qualifier, thus winning eight matches on the trot in as many days. Interestingly, he had played his first ever Men’s Future event in Monastir back in June 2022, the year when he turned Pro. This was his fourth straight M15 tournament where he qualified for the main draw He had given a glimpse of his talent at the Tata Open Maharashtra in 2023 when he was given a wild card by MSLTA as a 15-year-old. (PTI)
Karunaratne retires, ICC praises his commitment
Dubai, Feb 9: The International Cricket Council on Sunday lavished praise on former Sri Lankan captain and prolific opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who brought the curtains down on his glittering international career along with his 100th Test against Australia in Galle. Karunaratne scored 36 and 14 in his farewell Test as Australia won the match by nine wickets to make a clean sweep of the two-game series. “Dimuth has had a very fine career during which he excelled as a batter in the most traditional format of the game, becoming only the seventh from his country to feature in 100 Tests,” said ICC chairman Jay Shah in a release. Karunaratne, 36, scored 7222 runs in Tests at a healthy average of nearly 40, including a top score of 244. He also played 50 ODIs, scoring 1,316 runs. He captained Sri Lanka in 30 Tests between 2019 and 2023, winning 12 and losing 12 while in charge. (PTI)
Boxer John Cooney dies after Celtic super-featherweight title defeat
Belfast, Feb 9: Irish boxer John Cooney has died a week after being taken into intensive care following his Celtic super-featherweight title defeat to Nathan Howells in Belfast. The death of the 28-year-old Cooney was announced on Saturday in a statement published by his promoter Mark Dunlop on behalf of the Cooney family and his fiancee Emmaleen. “After a week of battling for his life John Cooney has sadly passed away,” the statement said. “He was a much loved son, brother and partner and it will take us all a lifetime to forget how special he was. RIP John the Kid’ Cooney.” Cooney’s fight with Howells was stopped in the ninth round at Ulster Hall. Cooney subsequently underwent surgery after it was discovered he had an intracranial hemorrhage. “Mr. and Mrs. Cooney and his fiancee Emmaleen would like to thank the staff at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital who have worked tirelessly to save John’s life and for everyone who has sent messages of support and prayers.” (AP)
Lahiri finishes tied 12th as Meronk takes Liv Riyadh title
Riyadh, Feb 9: India’s Anirban Lahiri shot a bogey-free 3-under 69 and finished tied 12th at the opening event of the Liv Golf Series here on Sunday. Lahiri, starting from third in the shotgun start, birdied the 13th, 15th and the first and parred the rest for a 69. His earlier rounds were 69-67 and he totalled 11-under for the week. His team Crushers finished fourth. Cleeks’ Adrian Meronk faced some tense moments on the back nine as Jon Rahm made a big charge early in the front nine despite a bogey start. Meronk held on for 71 despite back-to-back bogeys and was 17-under as Rahm (67) ended second at 15-under with three 67s on three days. It was the 31-year-old Meronk’s first individual title since joining LIV Golf. (PTI)
Jeev Milkha lands an ace at PGA Tour Champions
Rabat, Feb 9: India’s Jeev Milkha Singh made an ace in his round of 75 as he finished tied 28th in the season-opener on the PGA TOUR Champions here on Sunday. Jeev, who had rounds of 74-72 on the first two days ended with a total of 2-over as Miguel Angel Jimenez (69) edged Steven Alker for a two-stroke victory. Jeev used a 7-Iron on. the 164-yard Par-3 14th hole for the season’s first ace on the Tour and this was the first PGA TOUR Champions hole-in-one at the Trophy Hassan II and the first on the PGA TOUR Champions this season. Standing on the tee at the par-4 17th hole, Jimenez and Alker were tied at 9-under par when Jiménez drove the green and converted for eagle. Alker made par, which proved to be the deciding margin. The win marks the first for the 61-year-old Spaniard since the 2022 (Boeing Classic) and it takes his total to 14 career wins on PGA TOUR champions. Jiménez’s 14 wins are tied for the fourth-most among active PGA TOUR Champions players. Jiménez shot 70-69-69 for 11-under 208. (PTI)