Swimmer Srihari Nataraj betters ‘Best Indian Time’ in 100m freestyle
Berlin, July 20: Swimmer Srihari Nataraj continued his record-breaking spree on Sunday as he bettered the ‘Best Indian Time’ in men’s 100m freestyle, clocking 49.46 seconds to qualify for the semifinals at the World University Games here. Nataraj erased Guangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade’s long-standing mark of 49.47 seconds set way back in 2008 from record books. He won heat number 6 race and made it to the semifinals at 12th position overall. On Friday, Nataraj had twice bettered his own ‘Best Indian Time’ in the 200m freestyle event. In swimming, national record timings are those achieved only at the National Aquatics Championships. Timings clocked in other meets are considered “Best Indian Time” or “Best Indian Performance”. (PTI)
Average day for Bhatia and Rai at British Open
Portrush, July 20: Indian American golfer Akshay Bhatia shot a 1-under 70 in the third round to be Tied 34th at the British Open here. Bhatia had two birdies on the seventh and the ninth and seemed to be ready to get more before two bogeys on the back nine. Indo-British Aaron Rai, who had shown a lot of promise in the first eight holes on the first day, seemed to have lost that momentum. He shot even par 71 and was 18 places down on his second round to be T-44. Sahith Theegala had missed the cut. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler continued his dominant performance with a bogey-free 4-under 67 that included an eagle and two birdies as he moved to 14-under and four clear of the field. (PTI)
Venus Williams returns to tour after 16 months at DC Open
Washington DC, July 20: Venus Williams will contest in her first tour in 16 months as the former world no.1 has been named in the DC Open draw. Williams will have her first meeting with fellow American Peyton Stearns in the first round. This is Williams’ second appearance at the D.C. event, following a first-round loss in 2022. She will also features in the women’s doubles with her partner Hailey Baptiste. The 45-year-old Williams, who has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, last contested a draw at Miami in March of 2024. The North American summer hard-court season is officially underway, as the main draw for the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open was released Saturday. There will be 28 women vying for this year’s Washington title, including five Grand Slam singles champions. The top four seeds receive first-round byes. (IANS)
ATP Tour: Bublik claims sixth singles title
Gstaad (Switzerland), July 20: Alexander Bublik added a clay-court milestone to his 2025 European summer surge on Sunday at the Swiss Open Gstaad. The second-seeded Kazakhstani held off Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to clinch the trophy at the ATP 250 in the Swiss Alps. Competing in his first clay final, Bublik regained his composure after a difficult second set to earn his sixth ATP Tour singles title. Bublik is now 17-5 in tour-level matches since the beginning of the Madrid Open in mid-April, a tally that also includes an ATP 500 title run in Halle. Although he was upset in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this month by Jaume Munar, the 28-year-old bounced back in style this week by defeating Alexander Shevchenko, Francisco Comesana, Arthur Cazaux, and Cerundolo to claim the Gstaad crown, as per ATP. Having reached the championship match on his Gstaad debut without dropping a set, Bublik carried his momentum into his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Cerundolo. Although the 28-year-old dropped serve in the opening game of the match, he immediately reclaimed the break and soon wrapped up the first set with a rock-solid display. (IANS)
China crushes South Korea to claim bronze at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup
Shenzhen (China), July 20: China wrapped up its 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup campaign in dominant fashion, routing South Korea 101-66 in the third-place game on Sunday. Determined to finish on a high note after a semifinal loss to Japan, China came out firing from long range and pushed fast in transition. Luo Xinyu and Yang Shuyu each hit early 3-pointers as the host raced into a 13-2 lead, reports Xinhua. China continued to experiment with various lineups, alternating between a small-ball unit without a center and a twin-tower setup featuring Han Xu and Zhang Ziyu. The adjustments paid off, as China built a 17-point lead by the end of the first quarter. (IANS)