Manish, Vaishnavi emerge champions in Fenesta Open
New Delhi, Oct 4: Tamil Nadu’s Manish Sureshkumar and Vaishnavi Adkar of Maharashtra clinched the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively in the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship here on Saturday. In the men’s singles final, Manish overcame Keerthivassan Suresh 6-4, 6-2 in a two-hour contest, showing his consistency and composure under pressure. On the other hand, Vaishnavi outgunned Akanksha Nitture 6-1, 6-2 to bag the women’s singles title. In the Under-18 category, Harshini N edged past Snigdha Kanta 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the girls’ singles final that lasted over three hours. In the boys’ singles final, Tavish Pahwa triumphed over Hruthik Katakam 7-6 (2), 1-0 (retired), after the latter was forced to withdraw due to injury. Meanwhile, in the men’s doubles final, the pair of Nitin Kumar Sinha and Maan Kesharwani defeated Manish Sureshkumar and Abhinav Sanjeev 6-4, 3-6, (10-50) in a thrilling contest. In the women’s doubles category, Akanksha Nitture teamed up with Soha Sadiq to record a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Pooja Ingale and Yubrani Banerjee. Vraj H. Gohil and Prakaash Sarran came from behind to beat Karan Thapa and Channamallikarjuna Yale 2-6, 7-5, (10-5) in a gripping boys’ U18 doubles final. In the girls’ U18 doubles final, Savitha Bhuvaneswaran and Aahan outclassed Akansha Ghosh and Deepshika V 6-3, 6-3 to lift the title. (PTI)
World C’ship silver medallist Manju enters BFI Cup semis
Chennai, Oct 4: World Championships silver medallist boxer Manju Rani (Railways) produced a commanding 5-0 win to reach the semi-finals of the inaugural BFI Cup here on Saturday. World Youth champion Ankushita Boro (Assam), former Youth World champion Arundhati Choudhary (Services), U-22 silver medallist Priya (Haryana) and World Championships bronze medallist Parveen Hooda (SAI) also advanced to the last-four. In the men’s section, World Cup bronze medallist Manish Rathore (AIP), U-22 Asian bronze medallist Rocky (AIP) and Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (Services) continued their fine form to progress further, maintaining Services’ dominance. Boxers from state units and boards who finished in the top-8 at the Elite Nationals are in action at the BFI Cup, joined by entries from SAI NCOE and hosts Tamil Nadu. (PTI)
Tasnim, Shriyanshi to clash in all-Indian final at Al Ain Masters
Al Ain (UAE), Oct 4: Kidambi Srikanth’s run ended in the semifinals but rising shuttlers Tasnim Mir and Shriyanshi Valishetty set up an all-Indian women’s singles summit clash with contrasting wins at the USD 120,000 Al Ain Masters Super 100 tournament here on Saturday. The 20-year-old Tasnim, a former BWF World Junior No. 1, rallied to beat Turkey’s fifth seed Neslihan Arin 9-21, 21-17, 21-10, while seventh seed Shriyanshi outclassed Indonesia’s Chiara Marvella Handoyo 21-11, 21-12 at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium. It will be a maiden final appearance for both the Indians. Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver medallist, failed to sustain momentum and went down 4-21, 21-11, 19-21 to Malaysia’s Sholeh Aidil in a 50-minute semifinal battle. In men’s doubles, the Indian pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun overcame Singapore’s Eng Keat Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo 20-22, 21-14, 21-16 in 52 minutes. They will face Indonesia’s fifth seeds Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in the final. (PTI)
Gauff loses to Amanda Anisimova in China Open semifinals
Beijing, Oct 4: Coco Gauff’s title defence at the China Open ended with a 1-6, 2-6 semifinal loss to third-seeded Amanda Anisimova on Saturday. Anisimova, runner-up at both the US Open and Wimbledon this year, needed just 58 minutes to beat her American compatriot and advance to the final. She’ll face either fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula or Linda Noskova, who is seeded 26th. The 20-year-old Noskova became the youngest Czech player to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal since the format was introduced in 2009. (AP)
Kumaran, Sato, Mehul dominate in Indian Racing Festival
Coimbatore, Oct 4: Kyle Kumaran, Itsuki Sato, and Mehul Agarwal delivered commanding performances across three racing categories on the opening day of Round 3 of Indian Racing Festival here on Saturday. In the Indian Racing League, Kumaran, the ‘A’ driver for Kichcha’s Kings Bangalore, produced a flawless drive, converting his pole position into a decisive win in the 25-minute-plus one-lap feature race. The win marked both his and the team’s first victory of the season. There was further joy for Kichcha’s Kings Bangalore as Neel Jani climbed from seventh on the grid to claim third place, securing a double podium for the team. Akhil Rabindra of Hyderabad Black Birds finished second after a gripping battle that ended in a near photo-finish. In the FIA-Certified Formula 4 Indian Championship, Japan’s Sato of Ahmedabad Apex Racers delivered a masterclass on his Indian debut, winning Race 1 with a pole-to-chequered-flag performance. In the Formula LGB4 races, part of the 28th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, Agarwal of Dark Don Racing continued his dominant form, clinching victories in both races of day one. (PTI)
