Nitish unveils logo, mascot for Sepaktakraw World Cup in Patna
Patna, Feb 26: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday unveiled the logo and mascot for the Sepaktakraw World Cup 2025, which will be held for the first time in the state from March 20-25 at the Patliputra Sports Complex here. The logo of the Sepaktakraw World Cup for men and women encompasses the culture, sports spirit and future energy of Bihar, an official release said. The mascot of the game is a symbol of the strength and pride of Bihar, it said. The CM unveiled the mascot and logo through a 3D hologram projector. Kumar also honoured the medal winners of Bihar at the 38th National Games, held in Uttarakhand earlier this year. (PTI)
Ramkumar-Myneni pair enters Bengaluru Open quarterfinals
Bengaluru, Feb 26: India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni breezed into the quarterfinals of the Bengaluru Open with a straight-set victory over the Italian pair of Jacopo Berrettini and Enrico Dalla Valle here on Wednesday. The India duo, who are the defending champions here, won 6-3, 7-6 (4) in one hour and 14 minutes. Ramkumar and Myneni will next face Hynek Barton and Eric Vanshelboim, who edged past Johannes Ingildsen and Ivan Liutarevich 6-3, 1-6, 13-11. Earlier, top seeds Anirudh Chandrasekar of India and Ray Ho of Taiwan recorded a 6-4, 6-4 win over Sai Karteek Reddy and Khumoyun Sultanov to progress to the last eight. Wild cards Adil Kalyanpur and Karan Singh came from a set down to beat compatriots Nitin Kumar Sinha and Manish Sureshkumar 1-6, 6-2, 10-4. Adil and Karan will take on second seeds Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios of Australia in the quarterfinals. In the singles Round-of-16 ties, Billy Harris advanced to the quarters with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Czechia’s Marek Gengel. (PTI)
Rublev loses in first round in Dubai three days after taking Doha title
Dubai, Feb 26: IThird-seeded Andrey Rublev followed up his Qatar Open title with a first-round exit at the Dubai Championships, losing to qualifier Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). For the 77th-ranked Halys, who next faces Roberto Bautista Agut, it was his first victory over a top-10 opponent. The ninth-ranked Rublev had won the Dubai title in 2022. On Saturday, he beat Jack Draper to win the Qatar Open. Also Tuesday, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6 (4) and will next face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Second-seeded Alex de Minaur lost to 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Nuno Borges eliminated eighth-seeded Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1. Other winners Tuesday included fifth-seeded Ugo Humbert, Matteo Berrettini, Felix Auger-Aliassime and qualifier Christopher O’Connell. (AP)
Lewis Hamilton starts F1 preseason testing for Ferrari
Sakhir (Bahrain), Feb 26: Lewis Hamilton was fifth-fastest in his first session of preseason testing with Ferrari as his replacement at Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, posted the fastest time. The 18-year-old Italian rookie topped the standings among the 10 drivers on track in Wednesday’s morning session, also managing a joint-best 78 laps completed. Liam Lawson was .132 of a second off the pace despite a spin. Hamilton was .406 down in fifth as he completed 70 laps in the new Ferrari SF-25. The 40-year-old British driver left Mercedes to join Ferrari this season after spending 12 years and winning six of his seven world titles with the Silver Arrows. (AP)
F1 Australian GP allows post-race track walk
Sydney, Feb 26: Organisers of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix have lifted a ban on spectators entering the track at the conclusion of the race. The ban on the traditional post-race track walk was implemented after spectators in 2023 broke through safety fences and barriers and entered the Albert Park track before all the cars had finished the race. Footage from the event showed spectators within meters of F1 cars while the race was ongoing. A subsequent safety investigation found that some fans thought the race had concluded because cars were going slowly behind the Safety Car. (IANS)