WTT Youth Contender: Aadya, Rajdeep clinch U-11 titles
Vadodara, Jan 5: Aadya Baheti and Rajdeep Biswas registered comfortable wins to be crowned the U-11 girls singles and U-11 boys singles champions respectively in the WTT Youth Contender here on Monday. In the U-11 girls singles final, Aadya defeated Sakshya Santosh 15-13, 11-8, 12-10 while Biswas got the better of Sharvil Karambelkar 11-8, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4 in the boys singles summit clash. In the boy’s U-15 event, Vivaan Dave defeated Rishaan Chattopadhyay 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. He will next face Rudra Jena, who got the better of U-13 boys singles champion Dev Pranav Bhatt 11-4, 11-8, 11-5. U-15 girls singles top seed Ankolika Chakraborty, second seed Naisha Rewaskar and the up and coming Tanishka Kalbhairav also booked their last eight spots with comfortable wins over their respective opponents. (PTI)
Anahat Singh in British Junior U-19 Open squash semifinals
Birmingham, Jan 5: Rising Indian player Anahat Singh moved into the women’s semifinals of the British Junior Under-19 Open squash tournament here. The teenaged Indian top seed beat Egypt’s Barb Sameh 11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3 in the quarterfinals at the University of Birmingham. She will meet another Egyptian, Malika El Karasky (3/4), in the semifinals. Earlier, the Delhi player defeated Malak ElMaraghy of Egypt 11-3, 11-3, 11-6 in the last-16 round and Hong Kong’s Wing Kai Gladys Ho 11-1, 11-3, 11-3 in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. Anahat had a breakout 2025, achieving a career-best world ranking of 28 in what was only her second year on the Tour and downing two top-20 players during the year. Meanwhile, Indian second seed Aryaveer Dewan entered the semifinals of the boys’ Under-17 category after edging out Egypt’s Yassin Kouritam in a five-game quarterfinal 9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10. (PTI)
Neeraj parts ways with JSW Sports, launches own management firm
New Delhi, Jan 5: Two-time Olympic medal-winning javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra has ended his decade long partnership with JSW Sports to launch his own athlete management firm, Vel Sports. Chopra was associated with JSW Sports since 2016. “Over the last decade, our journey together has been one of growth, belief, and achievement. JSW Sports has played a defining role in my career, and I’ll always remain grateful for their support and vision,” the 27-year-old Chopra said in a press release. “As we conclude this chapter, I carry forward the same values into the next phase of my journey,” he added. The statement said that both parties were parting ways with “deep respect and pride”. Chopra was the first Indian to win an Olympic Gold in track and field at the Tokyo Games in 2021. He followed it with a World Championship gold in 2023, and a silver at the Paris Olympics in 2024, along with several podium finishes on the global circuit. (PTI)
Atiqa Mir secures landmark top-5 finish on junior class debut
Abu Dhabi, Jan 5: The 11-year-old racing prodigy Atiqa Mir made a spectacular switch from mini to the much tougher junior S125 category as she became the first Indian to secure a top five finish globally on debut during round seven of the IAME UAE Karting Championship at the fabled Yas Marina Circuit. Atiqa, the first Indian to be supported by Formula 1 Academy, could have spent another season dominating championships in the mini category (age 8-12) but she has been thrown in at deep end with the move up to the junior S125 category (age 12-14) in the new year. The karts are 30kg heavier (115kg in mini to 145kg in junior) and have three times the horse power (10 bhp with top speed 105 kmph to 29bhp with top speed of 126 kmph). In a clear sign of her rare talent, the Akcel GP backed Atiqa thrived in the unfamiliar territory rather than getting overawed by the occasion. By finishing fifth out of 35 drivers in a male dominated grid, Atiqa also became the first female to register a top five finish in the history of IAME UAE Championship on debut. (PTI)
Novak Djokovic cuts ties with PTPA players’ association he co-founded
Washington, Jan 5: Novak Djokovic is cutting ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association, a group he co-founded that sued the sport’s governing bodies last year, writing on social media that “my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organisation.” The 24-time Grand Slam champion announced at the 2020 US Open that he and now-retired Canadian player Vasek Pospisil were launching the PTPA. They said they were aiming to offer representation for players who are independent contractors in a largely individual sport. One of the goals made clear along the way was to become a sort of full-fledged union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements like those that exist in team sports, although that sort of thing hasn’t happened. Djokovic said Sunday on X that he had “ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.” The PTPA filed a class-action lawsuit in March against the women’s and men’s tours, the International Tennis Federation and the sport’s integrity agency, accusing the organisations of “systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare.” (AP)
Former world billiards champion Manoj Kothari dies
Kolkata, Jan 5: Former world billiards champion Manoj Kothari died on Monday following a massive cardiac arrest at a hospital in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, a family member said. He was 67, and survived by his wife and son Sourav Kothari. Based in Kolkata, Kothari had a liver transplant 10 days ago at the Kauvery Hospital in Tirunelveli, more than 600km from Chennai. “Surgery was successful and he was sitting and talking on the third day. But he had a lung infection a few days back and this morning at 7.30am he succumbed to a massive cardiac arrest,” a family member said. (PTI)
