Table Tennis News

At The ITTF Rankings - January 2019,

The Men's Rankings
#28 Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (IND)
#33 Sharath Kamal Achanta (IND)

The Women's Rankings
#47 Manika Batra (IND)

In newly updated the ITTF rankings, G Sathiyan made history by becoming the highest-ranked Indian table tennis player and Manika Batra also became the first Indian woman to break into the top-50 in the rankings ... Sathiyan jumped three spots to #28 and Manika rose 5 places to #47.

Tennis News

At the World Group Qualifier 2019, Kolkata, India

India vs Italy

Day One
[R1] Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,133) vs Andreas Seppi (ITA,37)
[R2] Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,102) vs Matteo Berrettini (ITA,53)

Day Two
[R3] Divij Sharan (IND)/ Rohan Bopanna (IND) vs Marco Cecchinato (ITA)/ Simone Bolelli (ITA)
[R4] Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,102) vs Andreas Seppi (ITA,37)
[R5] Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,133) vs Matteo Berrettini (ITA,53)

Ram is playing the first match against Andreas Seppi ... The Italian captain surprised naming a debutant Matteo Berrettini for the singles, he will face Prajnesh in the second rubber.

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At $81K+H Cleveland Challenger 2019, Ohio, United States

[R1] (4) N. Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Hans Hach Verdugo (MEX) bt Gonzalo Escobar (ECU)/Roberto Maytin (VEN) 75 61

Bala with his new Mexican partner, Hans Hach Verdugo, started with straight sets win over the South American pair.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Jodhpur, India

[R1] (WC) Sowjanya BAVISETTI (IND,743) l Paige HOURIGAN (NZL,544) 57 36
[R1] (Q) Vaidehi CHAUDHARI (IND,UNR) l (Q) Mihaela DJAKOVIC (SRB,766) 36 36
[R1] (WC) Mahak JAIN (IND,518) l Fatma AL NABHANI (OMA,439) 46 46
[R1] (WC) Riya BHATIA (IND,555) bt (WC) Zeel DESAI (IND,770) 62 75
[R1] (Q) Sai Samhitha CHAMARTHI (IND,796) l (3) Valeriya STRAKHOVA (UKR,287) 46 16

[R2] (WC) Riya BHATIA (IND,555) vs (6) Miyabi INOUE (JPN,362)

A poor outing for Indian women ... Only Riya managed to win against Zeel but our all other players lost against the foreign players ... Riya is facing the 6th seed Inoue.

Golf News

At $3.25M Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2019, Dubai, United Arab Emirate (European Tour)

T29 Shubhankar Sharma (IND) 71 69 70 68 -10 € 23,058
T38 Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 71 70 69 69 -9 € 17,436

Shubhankar and Gaganjeet had a decent finish with consistent under-par rounds ... Shubhankar managed to finish inside the top-30 with the 10-under final score.

Tennis News

At $250K Toyota Thailand Open 2019, Hua Hin

[Q2] (11) Ankita Raina (IND,203) l (5) Conny Perin (SUI,150) 67(1) 36

Ankita failed to repeat their last meeting's result a week back ... This time, Perin won in straight sets.

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At $81K+H Cleveland Challenger 2019, Ohio, United States

[R1] (4) N. Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Hans Hach Verdugo (MEX) vs Gonzalo Escobar (ECU)/Roberto Maytin (VEN)

This week, Bala is playing with the Mexican partner, Hans Hach Verdugo ... They r the 4th seeds and facing a South American pair in the first round.

Badminton News

At $350K DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019, Jakarta (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

P.C. to Saina's FB page

Women's Singles Final
(8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt (5) Carolina Marin (ESP,4) 4-10 retd.

Saina won her first BWF Super 500 tournament title and this was the first BWF title in two years for Saina, the last was in Malaysia in 2017 ... In the final, Saina got lucky against the in-form Carolina Marin ... Carolina twisted her ankle returning Saina's shot when she was leading 9-3 ... After 2 points she retired due to unbearable pain and was in tears ... I am sure, Saina also didn't want to win the title this way ... Hoping for no serious injury to Marin.

Squash News

At $180K Women's JP Morgan Tournament of Champions 2019, New York, USA (PSA World Tour Platinum)

[R1] (14) Joshna Chinappa (IND,14) bye
[R2] (14) Joshna Chinappa (IND,14) bt Tinne Gilis (BEL,44) 11-8, 11-8, 13-11 (37m)

[R3] (14) Joshna Chinappa (IND,14) l (1) Raneem El Welily (EGY,1) 11-6, 4-11, 8-11, 8-11 (39m)

Joshna won the first game against the WR #1 El Welily ... Also gave a decent fight in the 3rd and the 4th games in her loss.

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At $180K Men's JP Morgan Tournament of Champions 2019, New York, USA (PSA World Tour Platinum)

[R1] (9/16) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) bye
[R2] (9/16) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL,42) 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (48m)

[R3] (9/16) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) l (7) Paul Coll (NZL,7) 12-14 (37m) retd.

Saurav retired after the first game in the third round against Paul Coll ... Hoping for not a serious injury scare for Saurav.

Tennis News

At $250K Toyota Thailand Open 2019, Hua Hin

[Q1] (12) Karman Kaur Thandi (IND,205) l Chloe Paquet (FRA,212) 36 57
[Q1] (11) Ankita Raina (IND,203) bt Kwan Yau Ng (HKG,772) 60 60

[Q2] (11) Ankita Raina (IND,203) vs (5) Conny Perin (SUI,150)

A dominating start for Ankita and she is facing Perin in the second qualifying ... But a bad loss for Karman against a similar ranked French girl.

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At $69K+H Rennes Challenger 2019, France

[SF] (4) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) l David Pel (CRO)/ Antonio Sancic (CRO) 36 46

Purav and Neis lost in straight sets against the Croatian pair.

Badminton News

At $350K DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019, Jakarta (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[SF] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt (6) Bingjiao He (CHN,7) 18-21 21-12 21-18

[F] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs (5) Carolina Marin (ESP,4)

Saina scored an excellent comeback win over higher ranked Bingjiao He ... After losing the first game after leading most of the time, Saina made a strong reply and won the second comfortably ... In the third game, Saina took an early 10-6 lead but He won next 6 points to lead 10-12 ... Saina caught her at 16-all and opened 19-16 lead ... She converted the f1st match point for entering into the Super 500 tournament after a long time ... In the final, she is having a tough challenge of Carolina Marin.

Tennis News

At $25K ITF Germany-01 2019, Nussloch

[SF] (1) Liam Broady (GBR)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) l (4) Marek Gengel (CZE)/ Danylo Kalenichenko (UKR) 76(5) 36 6-10

Arjun and Liam lost in the semis against the 4th seed pair ... They won the first set tie-break after that Gengel and Kalenichenkp played better tennis.

Badminton News

At $350K DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019, Jakarta (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[QF] (8) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) l Jonatan Christie (INA,12) 18-21 19-21

[QF] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA,22) 21-7 21-18
[QF] (2) Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND,3) l (5) Carolina Marin (ESP,4) 11-21 12-21

[SF] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs (6) Bingjiao He (CHN,7)

Saina is in the semis with straight sets win over the Thai girl ... Saina is facing the Chinese girl, Bingjiao He, the first time.
Sindhu failed to challenge Carolina Marin in one-sided loss.
Srikanth tried but Jonatan Christie played better in winning important points.

Tennis News

At $162K+H Newport Beach Challenger 2019, United States

[QF] N. Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Jason Jung (TPE) l (3) Romain Arneodo (MON)/ Andrei Vasilevski (BLR) 67(4) 36

Bala and Jason lost in straight sets against the 3rd seed pair.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[R2] Ankita Raina (IND,204) l Na-Lae Han (KOR,219) 16 67(5)

This was Ankita's 7th match in 10 days, so maybe she was tired to pull it off and lost in straight sets.

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At $69K+H Rennes Challenger 2019, France

[QF] (4) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) bt (ITF) Gregoire Jacq (FRA)/ Hugo Voljacques (FRA) 62 62

[SF] (4) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) vs David Pel (CRO)/ Antonio Sancic (CRO)

A comfortable win for Purav and Neis against the local ITF pair ... In the semis, they r meeting the Croatian pair.

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At $54K Burnie Challenger 2019, Australia

[QF] (2) Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND)/ Sem Verbeek (NED) l Mirza Basic (BIH)/ Tomislav Brkic (BIH) 46 76(4) 6-10

Jeevan and his Dutch partner Sem Verbeek lost in the match tie-break against Basic and Brkic.

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At $25K ITF Germany-01 2019, Nussloch

[QF] (1) Liam Broady (GBR)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) bt Alexander Erler (AUT)/ Lenny Hampel (AUT) 76(2) 64

[QF] (1) Liam Broady (GBR)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) vs (4) Marek Gengel (CZE)/ Danylo Kalenichenko (UKR)

Arjun and Liam r in the semis with a tight straight sets win over the Austrian pair ... Next, they r facing the 4th seed pair.

Badminton News

At $350K DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019, Jakarta (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[R2] (8) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) bt Kenta Nishimoto (JPN,10) 21-14 21-9

[R2] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt Fitriani Fitriani (INA,31) 21-17 21-15
[R2] (2) Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND,3) bt Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA,14) 23-21 21-7

[R2] Manu Attri (IND)/ B. Sumeeth Reddy (IND) l (5) Kim Astrup (DEN)/ Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN) 14-21 21-17 10-21

[QF] (8) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) vs Jonatan Christie (INA,12)

[QF] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA,22)
[QF] (2) Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND,3) vs (5) Carolina Marin (ESP,4)

Tunjung stretched Sindhu in the first game, which Sindhu won after saving a game point ... In the second game, Tunjung failed to challenge Sindhi ... In the quarters, Sindhu facing a tricky opponent in Carolina Marin.
Saina continues with keeping her upper hand over Fitriani Fitriani ... Saina won her second round in straight games ... Next, she is facing
Srikanth scored a dominating win against the top-10 Japanese, Kenta Nishimoto ... In the quarters, he is facing a local favorite Jonatan Christie, who scored an upset win over the WR #2 Yuqi Shi.

Manu and Sumeeth gave a fighting performance against the top-10 Danish pair as they lost in three games.

Tennis News

At the World Group Qualifier 2019, Kolkata, India

Italian Team: Marco Cecchinato (S #18), Andreas Seppi (S #35, D #224), Matteo Berrettini (S #54, D #131), Thomas Fabbiano (S #102, D #334 , Simone Bolelli (S #134, D #88)

The Italian #1 Fabio Fognini is skipping the Davis cup tie but still a strong Italian team ... I think Andreas Seppi will be a key player for them with his experience in the singles.

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At $162K+H Newport Beach Challenger 2019, United States

[R1] N. Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Jason Jung (TPE) bt (WC) Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (USA)/ Noah Rubin (USA) 63 62

[QF] N. Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Jason Jung (TPE) vs (3) Romain Arneodo (MON)/ Andrei Vasilevski (BLR)

Bala and Jason started with a comfortable win over the wild-card pair ... Next, they r facing the 3rd seed pair.

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At $69K+H Rennes Challenger 2019, France

[R1] (4) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) bt (ITF) Javier Barranco Cosano (ESP)/ Raul Brancaccio (ESP) 64 75

[QF] (4) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) vs (ITF) Gregoire Jacq (FRA)/ Hugo Voljacques (FRA)

Purav and Neis started with straight sets win over the Spanish pair ... In the quarters, they r facing a local ITF pair.

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At $25K ITF Germany-01 2019, Nussloch

[R1] (6) Arjun Kadhe (IND,390) l (LL) Kai Wehnelt (GER,UNR) 67(3) 67(6)

Doubles
[R1] (1) Liam Broady (GBR)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) bt Niklas Albuszies (GER)/ Robin Lang (GER) 61 63

A bad loss for Arjun as he lost in the two tie-breaks against the lucky loser local player ... But an expected winning start in the doubles with Broady.

Badminton News

At $350K DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019, Jakarta (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[Q1] Subhankar Dey (IND,49) bt Gatjra Piliang Fiqihila Cupu (INA,160) 21-18 21-18
[Q2] Subhankar Dey (IND,49) bt Daniel Fan (AUS,180) 21-11 21-15

[R1] Parupalli Kashyap (IND,42) l (7) Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA,7) 12-21 16-21
[R1] Sai Praneeth B. (IND,22) l (4) Long Chen (CHN,5) 12-21 14-21
[R1] Subhankar Dey (IND,49) l (6) Viktor Axelsen (DEN,6) 14-21 21-19 15-21
[R1] (8) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) bt Wei Feng Chong (MAS,44) 21-12 21-8

[R1] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt Dinar Dyah Ayustine (INA,50) 7-21 21-16 21-11
[R1] (2) Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND,3) bt Xuerui Li (CHN,26) 22-24 21-8 21-17

[R1] Manu Attri (IND)/ B. Sumeeth Reddy (IND) bt Mads Pieler Kolding (DEN)/ Niclas Nohr (DEN) 14-21 21-19 21-15

[R1] Ashwini Ponnappa (IND)/ N. Sikki Reddy (IND) l (8) Jongkolphan Kititharakul (THA)/ Rawinda Prajongjai (THA) 14-21 14-21

[R1] Pranaav Jerry Chopra (IND)/ N. Sikki Reddy (IND) l (4) Tontowi Ahmad (INA)/ Liliyana Natsir (INA) 15-21 15-21

[R2] (8) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) vs Kenta Nishimoto (JPN,10)

[R2] (8) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs Fitriani Fitriani (INA,31)
[R2] (2) Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND,3) vs Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA,14)

[R2] Manu Attri (IND)/ B. Sumeeth Reddy (IND) vs (5) Kim Astrup (DEN)/ Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN)

Sindhu scored a hard-fought win against the former WR #1 Xuerui Li ... In the first game, Sindhu missed a game point at 21-10 and Li converted the 3rd game point ... Sindhu dominated the second game and won it comfortably ... In the third game, Sindhu was behind 6-9 and then 10-13 but she caught with Li at 13-all ... And from 17-all she won next 4 points for an excellent win ... In the second round, she is facing the Indonesian Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.
Saina had a slow start against the Indonesian Ayustine ... Ayustine won the first game in no time but after that Saina dug deep and fought back ... She won the second game and kept momentum in the third to win it comfortably ... Another Indonesian girl is waiting for Saina in the next round, Fitriani Fitriani.
Srikanth scored a comfortable win over his Malaysian opponent, Wei Feng Chong ... Next, he is facing the top-10 Japanese, Kenta Nishimoto.

As expected tough matches for our men ... For Sai, he was no match to Long Chen in his comeback match ... After qualifying Shubankar tried and won the second game but Axelsen won the third game for a win ... Kashyap also failed to challenge the WR #7 Ginting.

In the doubles, only Manu and Sumeeth managed to win their first round match against the Danish pair ... Next, they r facing the seeded Danish pair ... Sikki-Ashwini and Sikki-Pranaav lost their respective matches.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[R2] Samantha Stosur (AUS)/ Leander Paes (IND) l (5) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/ Robert Farah (COL) 64 46 8-10

This AO turned out to be disappointing for Indians ... Lee with Stosur lost in the MXD second round against the 5th seeds after winning the first set.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[R1] Ankita Raina (IND,204) bt Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR,273) 63 62

Ankita started with dominating win against the former #60 ranked Cagla Buyukakcay.

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At $162K+H Newport Beach Challenger 2019, United States

[R1] N. Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Jason Jung (TPE) vs (WC) Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (USA)/ Noah Rubin (USA)

Bala is partnering Jason Jung and they r facing the American wild-card pair.

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At $69K+H Rennes Challenger 2019, France

[R1] (4) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND)/ vs (ITF) Javier Barranco Cosano (ESP)/ Raul Brancaccio (ESP)

This week, Purav and Neis r playing in the French challenger ... In the first round, they r facing the ITF pair.

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At $54K Burnie Challenger 2019, Australia

[R1] (2) Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND)/ Sem Verbeek (NED) bt Hiroki Moriya (JPN)/ Mohamed Safwat (EGY) 36 62 11-9

[QF] (2) Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND)/ Sem Verbeek (NED) vs Mirza Basic (BIH)/ Tomislav Brkic (BIH)

Jeevan is the 2nd seed with his Dutch partner Sem Verbeek ... They started with a comeback win over Moriya and Safwat ... Next, they r facing Basic and Brkic.

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At $25K ITF Germany-01 2019, Nussloch

[R1] (6) Arjun Kadhe (IND,390) vs Torben Steinorth (GER,UNR)

Doubles
[R1] (1) Liam Broady (GBR)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) vs Niklas Albuszies (GER)/ Robin Lang (GER)

I think, Arjun is in Germany for a training stint and playing ITF tournament ... In the doubles, he is the top-seed with Broady and in the singles, he is the 6th seed and facing the German qualifier.

Golf News

At $7M Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2019, United Arab Emirates (European Tour 2019)

T27 Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 70 70 69 72 -7 € 56,536

Gaganjeet failed to score an under-par final round ... So he missed the top-25 finish ... But still decent performance to finish inside the top-30 in this big European tournament.

Tennis News

At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

P.C. to Ankita's twitter handle

Singles Final
Ankita Raina (IND,203) bt (1) Arantxa Rus (NED,122) 63 62

Ankita wins the title beating the top-seed Dutch girl, Arantxa Rus, convincingly ... A great title wins considering she lifted the title beating all top 3 seeds ... In the final, She broke Rus early o lead 4-1 and kept that advantage to capture the first set ... In the second set, She broke Rus in the 1st and the 3rd games to lead 4-0 ... Ankita kept this double break advantage for winning the title ... This was Ankita's 4th $25K title and overall the 8th ITF title.

Badminton News

At $350K PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2019, Kuala Lumpur (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[SF] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) l (4) Carolina Marin (ESP,6) 16-21 13-21

Saina failed to repeat her last few matches performance against facing Carolina Marin ... And Marin took full advantage to win the semis comfortably.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[R1] Samantha Stosur (AUS)/ Leander Paes (IND) bt Kveta Peschke (CZE)/ Wesley Koolhof (NED) 64 75
[R1] Zhaoxuan Yang (CHN)/ Rohan Bopanna (IND) l (5) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/ Robert Farah (COL) 63 36 6-10

[R2] Samantha Stosur (AUS)/ Leander Paes (IND) vs (5) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/ Robert Farah (COL)

Junior
[R1] Mann Shah (IND,68) l Peter Makk (HUN,64) 64 06 26

Lee with Samantha Stosur started with a straight sets win over Peschke and Koolhof ... Next, they r facing the 5th seeds Groenefeld and Farah, who defeated Rohan and Zhaoxuan Yang in the match tie-break ... Rohan and Yang won the first set but failed to keep momentum after that.

Only Mann Shah played in the junior singles and lost two sets easily after winning the first set against the similar ranked Hungarian.

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At $54K+H Koblenz Challenger 2019, Germany

[SF] (3) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) l Jurgen Melzer (AUT)/ Filip Polasek (SVK) 46 46

A match against Jurgen Melzer and Filip Polasek were tough and that proved right as they defeated Purav and Neis in straight sets.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[SF] Ankita Raina (IND,203) bt (3) Conny Perrin (SUI,150) 64 61

[F] Ankita Raina (IND,203) vs (1) Arantxa Rus (NED,122)

Ankita is in the final with straight-sets win over another top-150 Swiss player ... In the first set, Ankita was 0-3 down after that she won 12 games from next 14 games ... In the final, she is facing the top-seed Dutch girl, Arantxa Rus ... It would be a great story if Ankita wins the title beating the top 3 seeds.

Badminton News

At $350K PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2019, Kuala Lumpur (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[QF] (7) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) l (4) Wan Ho Son (KOR,5) 23-21 16-21 17-21

[QF] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt (2) Nozomi Okuhara (JPN,2) 21-18 23-21

[SF] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs (4) Carolina Marin (ESP,6)

Saina scored an excellent close straight games win over WR #2, Nozomi Okuhara ... In the first game, from 9-all Okuhara opened 9-15 and then 12-16 lean ... Saina cut that lead and was leading 17-16 ... Saina converted the 2nd game point to win the game ... In the second game, both players exchanged the lead ... Okuhara had game points at 20-19 and 21-10 but Saina saved both and converted her first match point for this win ... Next, she is facing Carolina Marin.
Srikanth lost in a long match after winning the first game against the former WR #1 Korean, Wan Ho Son ... Son was a better player in long rallies against Srikanth.

Tennis News

At $54K+H Koblenz Challenger 2019, Germany

[QF] (3) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) bt (ALT) Thiemo De Bakker (NED)/ Mark Vervoort (NED) 64 62

[SF] (3) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT)/ Filip Polasek (SVK)

Purav and Fabricio Neis scored a comfortable win over the Dutch pair ... Next, they r facing very experienced doubles players, Jurgen Melzer and Filip Polasek.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[QF] Ankita Raina (IND,203) bt (2) Sabina Sharipova (UZB,142) 75 2-0 retd.

[SF] Ankita Raina (IND,203) vs (3) Conny Perrin (SUI,150)

Doubles
[R1] Ankita Raina (IND)/ Sabina Sharipova (UZB) bt Greet Minnen (BEL)/ Kimberley Zimmermann (BEL) 4-4 retd.

[QF] Ankita Raina (IND)/ Sabina Sharipova (UZB) l (4) Quirine Lemoine (NED)/ Arantxa Rus (NED) w/o

Ankita is in the semis ... Her opponent, the top-150 ranked Sabina Sharipova, retired from the match in the second set ... Ankita won the first set and was a break up when Sharipova retired ... Another top-150 opponent, Conny Perrin, for Ankita in the semis ... In the doubles, Ankita was playing with Sharipova, so they gave a walkover to their opponents due to Sharipova injury.

Badminton News

At $350K PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2019, Kuala Lumpur (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[R2] (Q) Parupalli Kashyap (IND,45) l (6) Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA,6) 17-21 23-25
[R2] (7) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) bt Wing Ki Vincent Wong (HKG,38) 23-21 8-21 21-18

[R2] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt Pui Yin Yip (HKG,34) 21-14 21-16

[R2] Ashwini Ponnappa (IND)/ N. Sikki Reddy (IND) l Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani (INA)/ Rizki Amelia Pradipta (INA) 18-21 17-21

[QF] (7) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) vs (4) Wan Ho Son (KOR,5)

[QF] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs (2) Nozomi Okuhara (JPN,2)

Srikanth struggled against Wong but managed to complete win in three games ... Next, he is facing the former WR #1 Korean, Wan Ho Son.
Saina scored a comfortable straight games win over Pui Yin Yip ... Next, she is facing the Japnese WR #2, Nozomi Okuhara.
Kashyap tried hard but failed to overcome the challenge of the WR #6, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and lost in straight games.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[R1] Samantha Stosur (AUS)/ Leander Paes (IND) vs Kveta Peschke (CZE)/ Wesley Koolhof (NED)
[R1] Zhaoxuan Yang (CHN)/ Rohan Bopanna (IND) vs (5) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/ Robert Farah (COL)

Lee and Rohan r playing in the MXD ... Lee is partnering Aussie Samantha Stosur and facing Peschke and Koolhof ... Rohan is playing with the Chinese girl, Zhaoxuan Yang and they r facing the 5th seeds Groenefeld and Farah.

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At $54K+H Koblenz Challenger 2019, Germany

[R1] (3) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) bt Luca Margaroli (SUI)/ David Vega Hernandez (ESP) 76(2) 46 10-5

[QF] (3) Fabricio Neis (BRA)/ Purav Raja (IND) vs (ALT) Thiemo De Bakker (NED)/ Mark Vervoort (NED)

Purav and his Brazilian partner, Fabricio Neis, started with a match tie-break win ... Next, they r facing the Dutch pair.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[R2] Ankita Raina (IND,203) bt (8) Lesley Kerkhove (NED,202) 46 62 63

[QF] Ankita Raina (IND,203) vs (2) Sabina Sharipova (UZB,142)

Ankita scored a comeback win over similar ranked Dutch player Kerkhove ... After losing the first set Ankita made a strong comeback to win next two sets comfortably ... In the quarters, she is facing the top-150 ranked Sabina Sharipova.

Badminton News

At $350K PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2019, Kuala Lumpur (HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500)

[R1] (Q) Parupalli Kashyap (IND,45) bt Rasmus Gemke (DEN,20) 19-21 21-19 21-10
[R1] (7) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) bt Ka Long Angus Ng (HKG,14) 21-17 21-11

[R1] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) bt Joy Xuan Deng (HKG,37) 14-21 21-18 21-18

[R1] Ashwini Ponnappa (IND)/ N. Sikki Reddy (IND) bt Sin Ying Yuen (HKG)/ Tsz Yau Ng (HKG,32) 21-16 22-20

[R1] Pranaav Jerry Chopra (IND)/ N. Sikki Reddy (IND) l Selena Piek (NED)/ Robin Tabeling (NED) 19-21 17-21

[R2] (Q) Parupalli Kashyap (IND,45) vs (6) Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA,6)
[R2] (7) Kidambi Srikanth (IND,8) vs Wing Ki Vincent Wong (HKG,38)

[R2] (7) Saina Nehwal (IND,9) vs Pui Yin Yip (HKG,34)

[R2] Ashwini Ponnappa (IND)/ N. Sikki Reddy (IND) vs Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani (INA)/ Rizki Amelia Pradipta (INA)

A good start for Indians .... Kashyap qualified to the main-draw and started with an upset comeback win over the top-20 Danis, Rasmus Gemke ... Next, he is facing the top-10 Ginting ... Srikanth scored a comfortable win over the top-15 Hong Kong player ... Next, he is facing another Hong Kong player, Wing Ki Vincent Wong ... Saina also forced her comeback in the match after losing the first game ... Next, she is facing an experienced Pui Yin Yip... Ashwini-Sikki entered the second and facing the Indonesians.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[R1] Nicholas Monroe (USA)/ Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND) l Kevin Krawietz (GER)/ Nikola Mektic (CRO) 64 67(8) 57
[R1] (15) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) l Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)/ Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 16 64 57
[R1] Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) l Austin Krajicek (USA)/ Artem Sitak (NZL) 57 67(4)

Turned to be a terrible day for Indians as our all pairs lost their first-round matches ... All three matches were close but our pairs failed to take chances ... Jeevan with Nicholas missed a couple of break point chances in the 11th game of the third set ... Rohan and Divij also missed chances in the third.

Tennis News

At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[R1] Ankita Raina (IND,204) bt Nudnina Luangnam (THA,ITF-11) 61 62

[R2] Ankita Raina (IND,204) vs (8) Lesley Kerkhove (NED,202)

Ankita started with a dominating win over the former top-200 Thai girl, Nudnina Luangnam ... Next, she is facing similar ranked Dutch player Kerkhove.

Football News

At the AFC Asian Cup 2019, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Group A
India l Bahrain 0-1 (0-0)
Goal Scored - Jamal Rashed Abdulrahman Yusuf (BAH) 90+'

UAE dw Thailand 1-1

A heartbreaking loss for the Blue Tigers as they conceded a last-minute penalty, throughout the match the Bahrain team was looking good but we defended well for 90 minutes ... But in added time, Pronay Halder committed a foul inside the box and Jamal scored from the penalty spot ... So with this loss, the Indians are coming back as Thailand drew with UAE and on a head to head matches, the Bahrain team will be the third place team ... In this match, Sunil Chhetri equaled Bhaichung Bhutia's record of highest appearances for the country at 107 each, but Sunil must be disappointed due to the final result.

The Indian head coach, Stephen Constantine, announced his resignation after the loss ... The AIFF has accepted his decision and thanks him for his all contribution.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[R1] (Q) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,112) l Frances Tiafoe (USA,39) 67(9) 36 36

Prajnesh lost in straight sets against the young American Frances Tiafoe in his first grand slam match ... Prajnesh tried hard but Tiafoe played a patient game and that helped him as Gunner made more mistakes ... In the first set, both players were holding their serves comfortably ... In the tie-break, Tiafoe had a mini-break but Gunner took it back ... At 7-8, Gunner missed a simple overhead to lose the set ... In the second set, Gunner broke Tiafoe in the 3rd game, 2-1, but played lose service game for 2-all ... Tiafoe took control from here as he again broke Gunner in the 6th game, 2-4, and kept this advantage for winning the set ... In the final set, both players exchanged breaks early and Gunner was leading 3-2 on his serve ... Tiafoe broke him in the 7th game to lead 3-4 and again broke Gunner when he was serving for staying in the match in the 9th game to complete the victory ... Still, a good week for Gunner as he qualified and playing his first grand slam main-draw match ... Hoping for many more in the next few years.

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At $54K+H Koblenz Challenger 2019, Germany

[R1] Sumit Nagal (IND,361) l (ITF) Roman Safiullin (RUS,8) 26 16

A disappointing one-sided loss of Sumit against the top-10 ITF ranked Russian Safiullin in the first round.

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At $25K ITF Women's Tournament 2019, Singapore

[R1] Ankita Raina (IND,204) vs Nudnina Luangnam (THA,ITF-11)

Ankita is playing in Singapore and facing a tricky match against the former top-200 Thai girl, Nudnina Luangnam.

Golf News

At $300k Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open 2019, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Ladies European Tour)

T8 Aditi Ashok (IND) 76 72 66 -2 $6,132.38

Aditi failed to defend her Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open title ... She managed to score the lowest round of the tournament in the final round, 6-under, but her first 4-over round cost her at least the top-5 finish.

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At $6.4M Sony Open in Hawaii 2019, Honolulu (PGA Tour 2019)

T43 Anirban Lahiri (IND) 68 68 71 66 -7 $19,488.00

The 4-under last round helped Anirban to finish inside the top-50 in his first tournament of 2019.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[R1] Nicholas Monroe (USA)/ Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND) vs Kevin Krawietz (GER)/ Nikola Mektic (CRO)
[R1] (15) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) vs Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)/ Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP)
[R1] Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) vs Austin Krajicek (USA)/ Artem Sitak (NZL)

Happy to see Divij and Rohan sneaked into the seedings ... Overall a decent draw for Indians ... Hopefully, all three pairs will make a winning start.

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At $54K+H Koblenz Challenger 2019, Germany

[R1] Sumit Nagal (IND,361) vs (ITF) Roman Safiullin (RUS,8)

Sumit is playing in the German challenger and facing the top-10 ITF ranked Russian Safiullin in the first round.

Tennis News

At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

Doubles Final
(1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) l (2) Cheng-Peng Hsieh (TPE)/ Christopher Rungkat (INA) 36 62 9-11

Another close loss of Lee and Miguel in the final ... Here they lost the first set but tried fightback winning the second set comfortably ... But the second seeds overcame in the match tie-break.

Squash News

At $77.8K Men's CCI International 2019, Mumbai, India (PSA World Tour Silver)

[SF] Ramit Tandon (IND,68) l (1) Tarek Momen (EGY,4) 7-11, 7-11, 7-11 (39m)

Ramit's terrific run ended against the top-5 player, Tarek Momen ... Tarek defeated Ramit in straight games but a decent performance by Ramit against him.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[Q3] (6) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,112) bt Yosuke Watanuki (JPN,192) 67(5) 64 64

[R1] (Q) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,112) vs Frances Tiafoe (USA,39)

What a story of Prajnesh (fondly known as a Gunner on the circuit)! At age of 29 yrs. he qualifies for his first grand slam main-draw ... He will face #NextGen young American Frances Tiafoe in the first round ... In the last year, he lost in the first qualifying round to Tobias Kamke ... In February, his match in the live fifth rubber in the Davis Cup tie against China proved to be a game changer for Prajnesh ... He scored a superb win over reigning US Open junior champ Wu Yibing to win the tie for India ... After that, his performance was clearly rising, won the US$150K Anning Challenger in Kunming ... Lost in the final qualifying round of the French Open ... Qualified for the Stuttgart ATP on the grass and scored an upset win over #25 Denis Shapovalov ... Another big challenger title in the US$150K Bangalore Challenger ... I really wish that he remains injury free and plays regularly in the grand slam main-draw for at least the next 3-4 years and achieve the top-50 world ranking.

Here, Prajnesh overcame a tricky challenge of a rising Japanese youngster, Yosuke Watanuki in a well fought three sets ... In the first set, Prajnesh took a break in the 6th game to lead 4-2 but Watanuki immediately broke back for 4-3 ... After that, both players held their respective service games ... In the tie-break, Watanuki took an early 0-3 lead but Prajnesh came back winning next 4 points, 4-3 ... After that Prajnesh lost both points on his serve, 4-5 and Watanuki converted the 2nd set point for winning the set ... In the second set, Prajnesh broke Watanuki in the 3rd game to lead 2-1 ... After that both players held their respective service games, Prajnesh had a set point on Watanuki's serve in the 9th game but Watanuki saved that ... Prajnesh held his serve in the 10th game for taking the match into the final set ... In the third set, Prajnesh broke Watanuki in the 1st game, 1-0, but immediately broke back by Watanuki, 1-all ... Prajnesh took a crucial break in the 5th game, 3-2 and after that, he held his service games for a big victory in his career.

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At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[SF] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) bt (4) Timur Khabibulin (KAZ)/ Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE) 67(3) 63 10-4

[F] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) vs (2) Cheng-Peng Hsieh (TPE)/ Christopher Rungkat (INA)

Lee and Miguel scored a fighting comeback win over the 4th seeds Khabibulin and Yang ... After losing the first set in the tie-break they made a strong comeback to win next set and the match tie-break easily ... The final will be between the top two seeds.

Football News

At the AFC Asian Cup 2019, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Group A
India l UAE 0-2 (0-1)
Goal Scored - Khalfan Mubarak (UAE) 41', Ali Ahmed Mabkhout (UAE) 89'

Thailand bt Bahrain 1-0

The Blue Tigers gave fighting performance against a much-higher ranked UAE side ... The Indians created more chances than the home team in the first half and were denied by the post twice in the second half ... Other hand UAE scored a goal in each half for a victory ... But the overall very positive performance by the Indians, we showed a fearless attitude and sturdy performance on the field.

Squash News

At $77.8K Men's CCI International 2019, Mumbai, India (PSA World Tour Silver)

[QF] Ramit Tandon (IND,68) bt (3) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) w/o
[QF] (9/16) Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND,66) l (5) James Willstrop (ENG,16) 3-11, 16-18, 11-8, 9-11 (67m)

[SF] Ramit Tandon (IND,68) vs (1) Tarek Momen (EGY,4)

Ramit is in the semis as the defending champion Saurav Ghosal gave a walkover due to a calf muscle injury ... Ramit will face the top-5 player, Tarek Momen.

A very exciting match between Mahesh and Willstrop ... The former WR #1 James Willstrop won the first game and in the second, Willstrop prevailed in 34 points long game ... Mahesh took the 3rd game against James .. And in the 4th game again Mahesh fought hard, but lost this close game and the match.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[Q2] (6) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,112) bt Enrique Lopez Perez (ESP,213) 63 63
[Q2] (21) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,132) l Rudolf Molleker (GER,207) 75 57 67(6-10)

[Q2] Ankita Raina (IND,205) l (29) Paula Badosa Gibert (ESP,140) 64 26 46

[Q3] (6) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,112) vs Yosuke Watanuki (JPN,192)

Prajnesh is in the final qualifying round with straight sets win over the Spaniard, Enrique Lopez Perez ... Lopez Perez failed to challenge Prajnesh for this routine win ... In the final qualifying, Prajnesh is facing a tricky opponent in a rising Japanese youngster, Yosuke Watanuki.

Ram lost in a close match against the 18 yrs. old talented German, Rudolf Molleker ... Both players split first 2 sets with a single break advantage ... Ram broke Molleker in the 11th game of the first set and then held his serve ... Molleker broke Ram in the 12th game of the second set for winning it ... In the final set, Molleker was matching Ram's game and playing excellent tennis ... Played some beautiful passing shots and played important points well when really mattered ... Ram missed a big opportunity of breaking Molleker's serve in the 7th game when he had a couple of break points at 15-40 ... In the new final set tie-break format, Molleker controlled from the start to complete upset win.

Ankita started well against the top-150 Spanish girl, Paula Badosa Gibert ... She won the first set but Badosa Gibert took control in the second for winning with a double break ... In the third also, Ankita gave her best but not having a big shot (powerful forehand or backhand) as a weapon hurt her game ... In end a fighting performance by Ankita.

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At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[QF] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) bt Antoine Escoffier (FRA)/ Yusuke Takahashi (JPN) 63 61

[SF] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) vs (4) Timur Khabibulin (KAZ)/ Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE)

A very dominating win by Lee and Miguel against French-Japanese combination ... In the semis, they r facing the 4th seeds Khabibulin and Yang.

Squash News

At $77.8K Men's CCI International 2019, Mumbai, India (PSA World Tour Silver)

[R2] Ramit Tandon (IND,68) bt (8) Tom Richards (ENG,20) 11-7, 11-1, 11-2 (27m)
[R2] (3) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) bt (9/16) Mohamed Reda (EGY,54) 11-1,7-11,11-3,11-6 (43m)
[R2] (9/16) Vikram Malhotra (IND,58) l (5) James Willstrop (ENG,16) 9-11, 9-11, 5-11 (27m)
[R2] (9/16) Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND,66) bt (2) Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY,8) 11-9, 14-12, 12-10 (43m)

[QF] (3) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) vs Ramit Tandon (IND,68)
[QF] (9/16) Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND,66) vs (5) James Willstrop (ENG,16)

Ramit continues with his terrific run to enter into the quarters ... He scored straight games win over the WR #20 Tom Richards inside a half hour ... A couple of months ago, Ramit lost against Tom Richards in straight games so excellent revenge ... In the quarters, he is facing his senior compatriot Saurav Ghosal ... Saurav needed four games to beat Egyptian Mohamed Reda.

Mahesh scored the first top-10 win of his career ... He defeated the WR #8 Marwan Elshorbagy in closely fought straight games ... All three games were closely fought but Mahesh prevailed ... In the quarters he is facing James Willstrop.

Vikram had a tough match against the former WR #1 Willstrop ... He lost in straight games but gave a decent performance against Willstrop.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[Q1] (6) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,111) bt Viktor Galovic (CRO,223) 64 64

[Q2] (6) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,111) vs Enrique Lopez Perez (ESP,213)

Prajnesh scored a comfortable win over Galovic ... In this match, Prajnesh lost his serve but he wasn't in trouble at any time ... Next, he is facing Spaniard Enrique Lopez Perez.

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At the FedCup Asia-Oceania Group-1 2019, Astana, Kazakhstan

The Indian Fed Cup Team
Ankita Raina, Karman Thandi, Mahak Jain, Riya Bhatia, and Prarthana Thombare
Non-playing Captain: Vishaal Uppal
Coach: Ankita Bhambri

Need arise to make a change in the declared Fed Cup team ... Rutuja's shoulder injury is serious and she will not recover for the Fed Cup and Pranjala is still not fully recovered from her injury ... So both of them decided to withdrew, in their place Mahak and Riya has been selected in the team.

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At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[R3] (3) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,295) l (16) Denis Yevseyev (KAZ,359) 46 26
[R3] (11) Sumit Nagal (IND,340) l (5) Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE,294) 62 16 06

Disappointing results as Mukund lost in straight sets against lower ranked Yevseyev.
A weird scoreline in Sumit's match ... After winning the first set comfortably Sumit managed to win only a single game in next two sets against Yang.

Squash News

At $77.8K Men's CCI International 2019, Mumbai, India (PSA World Tour Silver)

[R1] Ramit Tandon (IND,68) bt (9/16) Joshua Masters (ENG,52) 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (36m)
[R1] (3) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) bye
[R1] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND,75) l (9/16) Ben Coleman (ENG,49) 1-6 retd.
[R1] (WC) Aditya Jagtap (IND,120) l (9/16) Karim El Hammamy (EGY,51) 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-13, 8-11 (84m)
[R1] (9/16) Vikram Malhotra (IND,58) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY,62) 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (45m)
[R1] (9/16) Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND,66) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA,71) 9-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-8 (55m)

[R2] Ramit Tandon (IND,68) vs (8) Tom Richards (ENG,20)
[R2] (3) Saurav Ghosal (IND,12) vs (9/16) Mohamed Reda (EGY,54)
[R2] (9/16) Vikram Malhotra (IND,58) vs (5) James Willstrop (ENG,16)
[R2] (9/16) Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND,66) vs (2) Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY,8)

The season's first tournament begins at Mumbai ... Ramit started with an upset win over the top-50 type Britisher, Joshua Masters, in straight games ... Next, he is facing another Britisher the #20 ranked Tom Richards ... Vikram also scored a 4 games win over similar ranked Egyptian Gamal ... He is facing the former WR #1 James Willstrop ... Mahesh needed to dig deep after losing the first 2 games ... He made a strong comeback for winning next 3 games ... He is also having a tough second round against the top-10 Marwan Elshorbagy ... Saurav received a bye in the first round and meeting Mohamed Reda in the next.

Aditya missed an upset win as he won the first 2 games and had match balls in the fourth before losing to the WR #51 Karim El Hammamy ... Harry retired in the first game against his British opponent.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[Q1] (21) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,132) bt Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol (ESP,211) 63 62

[Q1] Ankita Raina (IND,205) bt Myrtille Georges (FRA,238) 62 62
[Q1] Karman Kaur Thandi (IND,207) l (16) Jennifer Brady (USA,115) 06 57

[Q2] (21) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,132) vs Rudolf Molleker (GER,207)

[Q2] Ankita Raina (IND,205) vs (29) Paula Badosa Gibert (ESP,140)

Ram scored a comfortable win over Sergio ... In the first set, he was a break down at 2-3 but afterward, he took control of the match ... He won 8 of next 10 games for a convincing win ... Next, Ram is facing the 18 yrs. old talented Rudolf Molleker.

Ankita started with a dominating win against a similar ranked player Georges ... In both sets, Ankita was a better player on the court and Georges failed to give proper fight in this match ... Next, she is facing the top-150 Spanish girl, Paula Badosa Gibert.

Karman failed to stretch the American Brady and lost in straight sets ... Brady ran away with the first set and won it without dropping a single game ... In the second set, Karam tried to fight and had a breakpoint on Brady's serve in the 8th game at 4-3 ... Brady broke Karman in the 11th game and held her service game after converting the 4th match point ... Karman wen to the grand slam qualifying with zero match practice after her training stint ... Our player needs to plan their schedule more logically with mixing training with proper match practice before the big tournament.

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At $590K Sydney International 2019, Australia

[R1] Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) l Ivan Dodig (CRO)/ Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 26 46

Rohan and Divij lost in straight sets against Dodig and Roger-Vasselin.

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At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[R2] (11) Sumit Nagal (IND,340) bt N. Sriram Balaji (IND,401) 76(0) 76(6)

[R3] (11) Sumit Nagal (IND,340) vs (5) Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE,294)

Doubles
[R1] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) bt N.Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) 63 75

Sumit needed two tie-breaks to overcome the challenge of Bala ... Both players failed to break other's serve but Bala created more chances ... He had a 6 breakpoints, 3 each in both sets, and Sumit had a couple of chances ... But Sumit played better tie-break, he won the first tie-break without losing a single point ... In the second set, he was two set points down at 4-6, but he won next 4 points including winning 2 points on Bala's serve ... Next, Sumit is facing an experienced Tsung-Hua Yang.

The top-seed Lee and Miguel scored straight sets win over Bala and Arjun in the first round.

Tennis News

At Australian Open 2019, Melbourne, Australia

[Q1] (6) Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND,110) vs Viktor Galovic (CRO,223)
[Q1] (21) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,132) vs Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol (ESP,211)

[Q1] Ankita Raina (IND,205) vs Myrtille Georges (FRA,238)
[Q1] Karman Kaur Thandi (IND,207) vs (16) Jennifer Brady (USA,115)

Prajnesh and Ram r facing the clay court specialists in the first qualifying round ... Karman having a tough match against the American Brady and Ankita is facing the French girl Georges.

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At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[R1] (Q) Manish Sureshkumar (IND,581) l Gerard Granollers (ESP,414) 26 46

[R2] (3) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,295) bt (WC) Shinji Hazawa (JPN,545T) 61 64
[R2] Arjun Kadhe (IND,392) l (16) Denis Yevseyev (KAZ,359) 16 26

[R3] (3) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,295) vs (16) Denis Yevseyev (KAZ,359)

Mukund is in the third round after straight sets win over his Japanese opponent Hazawa ... Next, he is facing Yevseyev, who defeated Arjun comfortably.

Manish failed to challenge Spaniard Granollers in his loss.

Football News

At the AFC Asian Cup 2019, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Group A
India bt Thailand 4-1 (1-1)
Goal Scored - Sunil Chhetri (IND) 27' P and 46', Anirudh Thapa (IND) 68', Jeje Lalpekhlua (IND) 80' and Teerasil Dangda (THA) 33'

UAE dw Bahrain 1-1

India won their first Asian Cup match in their eight attempts, beating Thailand dominantly with help of veteran striker Sunil Chhetri's double ... They youngest Anirudh Thapa scored his first international goal and Jeje added one more as super-sub ... From Thailand, Teerasil Dangda scored to equal score at half-time ... The Blue Tigers dominated the second half and scored their biggest win ... So we are leading the group as other match ended 1-all draw.

After 55 years we have won the match in the AFC Asian Cup ... Also, Sunil Chhetri becomes leading Indian goal scorer in the AFC Asian Cup (total 67 goals) after taking his tally to 4 goals.

Tennis News

At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[Q1] Manish Sureshkumar (IND,581) bt (2) Pruchya Isarow (THA,545) 75 63

[R1] Arjun Kadhe (IND,392) bt Alessandro Bega (ITA,382) 64 46 64
[R1] N. Sriram Balaji (IND,401) bt Ji Sung Nam (KOR,366) 76(1) 76(3)
[R1] Sidharth Rawat (IND,432) l (ITF) Cheong-Eui Kim (KOR,69) 36 16
[R1] (Q) Manish Sureshkumar (IND,581) vs Gerard Granollers (ESP,414)

[R2] (3) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,295) vs (WC) Shinji Hazawa (JPN,545T)
[R2] Arjun Kadhe (IND,392) vs (16) Denis Yevseyev (KAZ,359)
[R2] (11) Sumit Nagal (IND,340) vs N. Sriram Balaji (IND,401)

Doubles
[R1] (1) Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) vs N.Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND)

Arjun and Bala r into the second round after scoring wins over higher ranked opponents ... Arjun is facing his ex-doubles partner Yevseyev ... Bala is facing Sumit and Mukund is facing the Japanese wild-card player Hazawa.

Manish qualified for the main draw with a win over his Thai opponent ... He is facing an experienced Spaniard Granollers ... But Sid lost against his Korean opponent Kim.

In the doubles a bad draw for Indians ... The top-seed Lee and Miguel r facing Bala and Arjun in the first round.

Tennis New

At $590K Tata Open Maharashtra 2019, Pune, India

P.C. to Divij Sharan's FB page

Doubles Final
(1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) bt Luke Bambridge (GBR)/ Jonny O'Mara (GBR) 63 64

A superb start of the partnership for Rohan and Divij ... They scored straight sets win over their British opponents for winning the first title of 2019.

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At $590K Sydney International 2019, Australia

[R1] Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) vs Ivan Dodig (CRO)/ Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

Rohan and Divij r playing in Sydney and they r facing Dodig and Rohan's ex-doubles partner Roger-Vasselin.

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At $54K+H Vietnam Tennis Open 2019, Da Nang City, Vietnam

[Q1] Manish Sureshkumar (IND,581T) vs (2) Pruchya Isarow (THA,545)

[R1] (3) Sasi Kumar Mukund (IND,295) bye
[R1] Arjun Kadhe (IND,392) vs Alessandro Bega (ITA,382)
[R1] N. Sriram Balaji (IND,401) vs Ji Sung Nam (KOR,366)
[R1] (11) Sumit Nagal (IND,340) bye
[R1] Sidharth Rawat (IND,432) vs (ITF) Cheong-Eui Kim (KOR,69)

Saki skips this challenger, may be due to injury which kept him away from the main-draw match at Pune ... Mukund in the 3rd seed and Sumit is the 11th seed, so having a bye as seeded players ... Arjun is facing similar ranked Italian Bega ... Bala is facing the top-375 Korean Kim ... Sid is facing ITF player, Cheong-Eui Kim. Manish is playing in the qualifying and facing the Thai opponent, Pruchya Isarow.

Tennis News

At $590K Tata Open Maharashtra 2019, Pune, India

[SF] (1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA)/ Ivan Dodig (CRO) 63 36 15-13

[F] (1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) vs Luke Bambridge (GBR)/ Jonny O'Mara (GBR)

Another dogfight win for Rohan and Divij in extra points of the match tie-break ... After winning the first set they lost the second set ... This time they had a 28 points match tie-break, which our pair won ... In the final, they r facing in-form British pair.

Tennis News

At $590K Tata Open Maharashtra 2019, Pune, India

[QF] (1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) bt Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) 67(4) 64 17-15

[QF] (1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) vs Simone Bolelli (ITA)/ Ivan Dodig (CRO)

In end what a match between Rohan-Divij and Lee-Miguel, which lasted for more than 1 hour and 45 minutes ... Rohan and Divij scored a memorable comeback win after losing the first set ... They won 32 points long the match tie-break, where both pairs had their chances ... Rohan and Divij saved four match points before winning this match ... In the semis, they r facing experienced players pairing of Dodig and Bolelli.

Tennis News

At $590K Tata Open Maharashtra 2019, Pune, India

[R2] (WC) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,133) l (4) Malek Jaziri (TUN,45) 76(6) 67(5) 36

Doubles
[QF] (WC) N.Sriram Balaji (IND)/ Arjun Kadhe (IND) l Luke Bambridge (GBR)/ Jonny O'Mara (GBR) 67(5) 16

Ram lost in a close match against the top-50 ranked Malek Jaziri in more than 2 hours and 45 minutes match, their match ended after 1:00 am ... In the first set, Ramk broke Jaziri in the 2nd game to lead 2-0 but Jaziri immediately broke back for 2-1 ... After that two more times the same thing happened, but RamK won the tight tie-break for winning the first set ... In the second set, RamK missed an opportunities to finish this match in straight sets ... He had 4 break point chances which he failed to convert and lost the tie-break ... In the third set, Jaziri used his experience and was in the control from the start ... He won the match breaking Ram 3rd time in the set ... A good fighting performance by Ram as he used some different tactics of using backhand slicing against Jaziri.

Bala and Arjun failed to repeat the performance of their first-round win and lost in straight sets against the British pair.

Tennis News

At $590K Tata Open Maharashtra 2019, Pune, India

[R1] (WC) Arjun Kadhe (IND,392) l Laslo Djere (SRB,94) 57 67(6)
[R1] (WC) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,133) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP,97) 46 64 63

[R2] (WC) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,133) vs (4) Malek Jaziri (TUN,45)

Doubles
[R1] (1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) bt Radu Albot (MDA)/ Malek Jaziri (TUN) 61 62
[R1] Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) bt David Marrero (ESP)/ Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) 63 64

[QF] (1) Rohan Bopanna (IND)/ Divij Sharan (IND) vs Leander Paes (IND)/ Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX)

Ram scored an excellent comeback win against experience Spaniard ... After losing the first set Ram served really well as he didn't face a single break point in next two sets ... In the second set, he broke Granollers in the 10th game for taking the match into decider ... In the final set, Ram broke Granollers early to lead 4-1 and he kept that advantage for winning the match ... Next, he is facing the top-50 Tunisian Jaziri ... Tough luck for Saki as he withdrew due to the foot injury.
Arjun gave fighting performance in his loss against the top-100 Serbian ... Arjun started well and was a break up at 4-1, but Djere broke back to make it 4-all ... Djere broke Arjun in the 11th game and held his serve for winning the first set ... The second set was lot closer, which Djere won on the tie-break.

In the doubles, an excellent start for Divij and Rohan as they won their first round match losing only three games ... Next, they r facing Lee and Miguel, who also started with straight sets win.