Page 21 - Tennis

Asian games: Manika, Sharath, Sathiyan storm into pre-quarterfinals

Star Indian paddlers Manika Batra, Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan dominated their opponents en route their pre-quarterfinals entry in the table tennis competition at the Asian Games here on Thursday. Sharath, a team bronze winner in 2018 Asian Games, never gave a chance to Mohammed Shaffan Ismail, his opponent from Maldives before winning 11-9, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7. Sathiyan, who had won a bronze medal in the team event in Jakarta Games 2018, too was equally overwhelming against Turki Lafi Almutairi of Saudi Arabia while registering a 11-5, 11-6, 11-9, 11-2 victory. The Saudi player tried to claw his way back in the third set going closer to the Indian at 9-7, but Sathiyan's experience proved at the crucial juncture. In the fourth game, Sathiyan just brushed aside his rival giving away just two points. Manika, a 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a bronze winner in mixed doubles at the Jakarta Asian Games, blanked Nabita Shresthta of Nepal 4-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-3, 11-2) in just 20

India's singles tennis players to return empty-handed from Asian Games

India's singles tennis players will return empty-handed from the Asian Games for the first time since 2006 as Sumit Nagal and last edition's bronze medallist Ankita Raina exited the continental championship following quarterfinal defeats, here on Wednesday. Up against top seed and home favourite Zhizhen Zhang, it was always going to be a herculean task for Nagal to go past the world number 60. To his credit, Nagal took a set off the Chinese before losing steam in the men's singles quarterfinals, which he lost 7-6(3) 1-6 2-6 in two hours and 16 minutes. Somdev Devvarman had won a men's singles gold in 2010 and after that Yuki Bhambri (2014, Incheon) and Prajnesh Gunneswaran (2018, Jakarta &Palembang) won a bronze each in the following editions. In the 2006 Doha Games, Rohan Bopanna and Karan Rastogi could not reach the medal rounds in the men's singles. Raina, who had become only the second Indian to win a singles bronze in 2018, waged a gritty battle against Japan's Haruka Raji ..

Asian Games 2023 September 27 schedule: India event timings, streaming

India will hop for a big medal haul from shooters as they will be in action in six medal events. Indian women's hockey team will open their campaign against Singapore as well

Asian Games 2023 September 26 schedule: India event timings, streaming

Indian shooters will once again be the main source of medal hopes on Tuesday, September 26, the third Day of the Asian Games 2023 competition. Indian men's hockey team will also play

Asian Games: Tennis players Rohan Bopanna-Rutuja Bhosale move to next round

The Indian duo won the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 in just 1:04 minutes at the HOC Tennis Centre

Asian Games: Ankita, Rutuja reach pre-quarterfinals stage in tennis singles

In her round of 32 match, Ankita defeated Uzbekistan's Sabrina Olimjonova by 6-0, 6-0 in two straight sets in a matter of 51 minutes. She captured both the sets in less than 30 minutes

Asian Games 2023 Day 2 Highlights: With 2 Golds, India 6th in medals tally

Asian Games 2023 Day 2 Highlights: Women won gold in cricket while Shooters won gold in the 10m Air Rifle Team event as Indian contingent ended day two with 11 medals to be placed 6th in medals tally

Asian Games 2023 Day 1 Highlights: India bag 5 medals in rowing, shooting

Asian Games 2023 Day 1 Highlights: The Indian team won five medals in rowing and shooting while it secured a medal by qualifying for final in women's cricket

Asian Games: Sumit Nagal beats Ho Tin Marco, enters men's single last 16

India's top tennis player Sumit Nagal moved to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Games without losing a game as he expectedly thrashed Macau's hapless Ho Tin Marco Leung, here on Sunday. It was expected to be an easy second-round match for the 159th ranked Nagal, whose rival does not even have a ranking on the ATP computer. The fifth seed Nagal, who had got a first round bye, needed just 45 minutes to dispatch his opponent 6-0 6-0. He will next take on Kazakhstan's Beibit Zhukayev, who advanced after his Tajikistani rival Firuz Mukhidinov retired from the contest. Zhukayev was leading 3-0 in the match when Mukhidinov decided to concede the contest. The second seeded Indian pair of Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan outplayed Nepal's Abhishek Bastola and Pradip Khadka 6-2 6-3 in another easy match in their men's doubles opening round that lasted just 57 mins.

Asian Games 2023 September 25 schedule: India event timings, live streaming

The Indian contingent will vie for medals in Rowing, Shooting and gold in women's cricket

Nagal gets support from DLTA, PepsiCo after speaking about financial crunch

Soon after Sumit Nagal shared his financial struggle in an interview with the PTI, support began to pour in for India's top tennis player with leading beverage company PepsiCo India and the DLTA rushing to his aid. The Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) has decided to release a one-time support of Rs 5 lakh while PepsiCo has also pledged to support Nagal for three years. "We have taken details from Sumit Nagal and Rs 5 lakh will be deposited in his account. DLTA President Rohit Rajpal has approved the support," DLTA administrator Ranbir Chauhan said. Nagal had claimed in an interview with PTI that his annual budget to survive on the ATP Tour is no less than Rs one crore and after arranging for his funds, he was left with just 900 Euros in his account. Rajpal said, "He deserves much more. Sports people have to be treated like national assets. They needed to be taken care of. Tennis is a brutal and tough game. It requires travel on weekly basis, that makes it tough. We are talking

Davis Cup: India vs Pakistan again, PTF won't agree for neutral venue

India have been drawn to play Pakistan in the World Group I Play-offs and the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Thursday made it clear that it won't agree to shift their home tie to a neutral venue this time. India had drawn Pakistan in 2019 also but due to "security concerns" the Asia/Oceania Group I tie was shifted to Kazakhstan, a neutral venue. As a mark of protest, Pakistan's top players Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan had opted not to play the tie in which rookies Mohammed Shoaib, Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Yousaf Khalil competed for them. India had expectedly thrashed a weak Pakistan line-up 4-0. In a lop-sided contest, Pakistan won only seven games in the entire tie. The ITF had agreed to shift the tie to a neutral venue in 2019 but it will be very tough for AITA to convince the world governing body if the national federation pushes for a neutral venue. Pakistan's veteran player Aqeel Khan told PTI that they are hoping for the Indian team to travel to their nation. "I

Asiad 2023: Top five medal winners for India at the continental event

In a list dominated by athletes, tennis legend Leander Paes steals the show with his five gold medals across four Asian Games to become India's top medal winner in the history of the continental event

Tennis player Sumit Nagal left with Rs 1 lakh, says 'just breaking even'

Most of Sumit Nagal's funds are spent on his stay at the training centre in Peine and his travel arrangements, along with either his coach or physio

Love of Davis Cup missing, now it's just another tournament: Rohan Bopanna

Someone who willingly tweaked his own game to adjust to the styles of legendary Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi while playing for the country, Rohan Bopanna often gets baffled to find the love of playing Davis Cup diminishing with passage of time. Bopanna does not find the current lot as passionate about playing the David Cup compared to players from past generations. "It has become too mechanical to just come, play and leave," says Bopanna who is set to quit Davis Cup this coming Sunday. A bit agitated, he feels Davis Cup has become just another tournament for the current generation of players. On the other side, Davis Cup is one tournament where it is believed across the globe that rankings won't matter every time. Even the tiny tennis nations sometimes succeed in flooring the behemoths. And that belief came from the team unity, proper planning and passionate support coming from the bench and the teammates who would shout their hearts out to support the player on the court from

Djokovic wins US Open 2023, equals Margaret's record of 24 Grand Slams

Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to win the US Open 2023 final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium early Monday morning.

US Open, Djokovic vs Medvedev Highlights Novak wins 24th Grand Slam title

Djokovic beats Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to lift third Grand Slam title in 2023

US Open 2023: Coco Gauff beats Sabalenka to win her maiden Grand Slam title

Coco Gauff is still a teenager, after all, and so it should surprise no one that she was on her phone in the locker room, scrolling through social media, right up until 10 minutes before heading out on court for the U.S. Open final. What the 19-year-old from Florida was reading, she would say later, were various comments, negative ones, saying I wasn't going to win today; that just put the fire in me. As a pro athlete from a young age, as someone of whom greatness has been expected by some and doubted by others, Gauff has always taken it all in and kept moving forward, trying to learn from each setback. And now, at a tournament she used to visit as a kid to see her idols, Serena and Venus Williams, Gauff is a Grand Slam champion herself and a certified star. Setting aside a so-so start Saturday, Gauff surged to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the soon-to-be-No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, delighting a raucous crowd that backed her from start to finish. When

US Open 2023: Medvedev beats Alcaraz, sets summit clash with Djokovic

The Men's singles final in 2023 US Open between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev will take place on September 11 (IST).

Bopanna again suffers heartbreak, loses US Open final with partner Ebden

Rohan Bopanna's agonising wait to win his maiden men's doubles Grand Slam title continued as he lost the hard-fought US Open final with partner Matthew Ebden to defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury here on Friday. Playing only his second men's doubles final at a Major tournament, Bopanna and his Australian teammate lost the title clash 6-2 3-6 4-6 after two hours and one minute. Ram and Sailsbury became the first team to win three straight US Open titles. Bopanna was playing the US Open final for the second time in his career and this time as the oldest player at 43. He had finished a runner-up with his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi way back in 2010, losing the title clash to the legendary Bryan brothers. Overall, it was third Grand Slam final for Bopanna, who won his first and only Major in 2017 when he lifted the French Open mixed doubles trophy with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are only two male tennis players from