Category: Sports

Indian table tennis player Manika Batra has risen to a career-high world ranking of No. 24 in the women’s singles division, marking the first time in history that an Indian woman has cracked the top 25.

She has now tied Sathiyan Gnanasekaran’s record for India’s highest singles rank. Batra was incredibly proud and determined to see her efforts pay off in time for the forthcoming Olympics.

With a strong showing in the Saudi Smash event, where she defeated top-ranked opponents like Wang Manyu and Nina Mittelham to get to the quarterfinals and become the first Indian woman to do so in a WTT Grand Smash event, her ranking shot up. Additionally, she has regained the top spot among Indian women players, which was previously held by Sreeja Akula, who is currently ranked 41st.

With Archana Kamath, Batra set a milestone for any Indian in table tennis in 2022 by placing fourth in the women’s doubles.

Among the men’s singles leaders are Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet Desai. Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee rose to 13th place in the women’s doubles, while Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah ranked 15th.

Batra and Sathiyan dropped to 24th place, while Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade rose to 38th place.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev faced a tough challenge against qualifier Hamad Medjedovic in the Italian Open, ultimately prevailing 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 7-5 after nearly three hours of play.

Medvedev, expressing dissatisfaction with his performance despite winning, said, “I’m not really pleased.” He believed he had a good start to the game, but as it went on, his performance deteriorated. He stressed the importance of improving his performance in the upcoming round against Tommy Paul.

There have been multiple upsets in the event, with top seeds like Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic losing out early. The rivalry is getting more exciting as sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz—who overcame Rafael Nadal—keep moving forward.

In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina in a much-anticipated match. Svitolina had famously refused to shake hands with opponents from Belarus and Russia in protest of the continuing war.

Iga Swiatek, the top seed in the world, proved her mettle by overcoming Angelique Kerber to go to the quarterfinals. Swiatek is still a strong player in the competition and is ready to take on Madison Keys in the following round. She has her sights set on winning a third Rome title and defending her French Open title.

In the Superbet rapid and blitz chess tournament, Wei Yi of China increased his lead by a significant 2.5 points, while R. Praggnanandhaa of India scored another impressive win over Magnus Carlsen.

On the first day of the blitz, Yi scored seven victories and an amazing 20.5 points, putting him in the lead to win the first leg of the Grand Chess Tour. With only eighteen points, Carlsen is well behind, mainly because Praggnanandhaa keeps winning against him.

A fierce competition for the crown is anticipated as Praggnanandhaa maintains a solid 14.5 points.

Arjun Erigaisi (14 points) and Duda Jan-Krzysztof (13 points) are not far behind. With 12.5 points, Nodirbek Abdusattorov is in sixth place. Carlsen’s claim that his nervous system gave out after his defeat by Praggnanandhaa serves to further emphasise the tension of the situation.

Wei Yi only gave up a draw to Carlsen throughout the day after coming back from a defeat to Gukesh. Unfortunately, Gukesh had difficulties and only managed to get 2.5 points. Arjun continued to be a strong competitor, winning matches against Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa.

With 20.5 points, Wei Yi continues to lead the quick segment, ahead of Carlsen (18), Praggnanandhaa (14.5), and Arjun Erigaisi (14.5).

France’s Leonie Periault triumphed at the Yokohama World Triathlon Championship Series, securing her Olympic spot with a commanding win. Periault finished 36 seconds in front of American competitor Taylor Knibb in second place and 40 seconds ahead of fellow Frenchwoman Emma Lombardi, who took home the bronze.

In the series, 29-year-old Periault won her second gold medal of her career with a winning time of 01:52:28. She and 22-year-old Lombardi will proudly represent France at the next Games.

Knibb had already guaranteed her place after finishing in the top eight of the Paris test event the previous year. Kirsten Kasper took fifth, but Taylor Spivey was unable to qualify for the Olympics after finishing in fourth place.

Double world champion Gwen Jorgensen placed fifteenth, while Flora Duffy, the current Olympic champion, miraculously recovered from an injury to take seventh place.

Knibb moved quickly through the water, and Duffy fought through the cycling part even after Maya Kingma had a puncture. However, Periault’s unmatched performance on the track was what really won her the race; Lombardi managed to keep up the longest before eventually losing ground.

Alejandro Tabilo of Chile stunned world number one Novak Djokovic with a stunning 6-2, 6-3 victory in just 67 minutes to secure a career-defining win at the Italian Open. Following a water bottle blow to the head two days earlier, six-time tournament champion Djokovic appeared off balance.

Tabilo took advantage of Djokovic’s out-of-character performance, breaking him four times while preserving an unbreakable defence and not giving up a break point.

After Fernando Gonzalez defeated Roger Federer in 2007, Tabilo became the first Chilean to defeat the world’s top player. Tabilo, who ranked 32nd overall, expressed shock and joy at the accomplishment and called the experience “unreal.”

Djokovic hasn’t made it to a single final this year, so this setback adds to a streak of unsatisfactory performances in 2024. There are questions over the Serbian’s form going into the French Open due to his troubles on clay courts.

Djokovic made it to the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals, but his early withdrawal in Rome raises questions about whether he will be ready for Roland Garros, which hosts the second Grand Slam event of the year on May 26.

Rudy Gobert had an incredible season with the Wolves and matched a record by winning his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year title. Due to the birth of his child, he was unable to attend Game 2 against the Nuggets. However, he was present as his team won 106-80, their fourth straight playoff road game.

Gobert emphasised the importance of being present for his son’s birth while expressing gratitude for his team’s performance and support. He clinched the prestigious title with 72 first-place votes, sharing the record for most victories with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.

The 31-year-old Gobert has been an integral part of the Wolves’ successful defensive approach throughout the playoffs. His influence goes beyond the floor; Wolves coach Chris Finch attributes the team’s defensive culture to him. Despite early doubts about his 2022 acquisition, Gobert’s impact and Finch’s coaching helped the Wolves rise to the top of the defensive standings.

Gobert acknowledged the team’s belief in him and emphasised the squad’s resilience amidst challenges. He also praised the teamwork needed to succeed. He looks optimistic as he looks ahead, stressing the value of tenacity and cooperation in reaching greatness.

Yuzvendra Chahal, representing Rajasthan Royals, achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian cricketer to reach 350 wickets in T20 cricket during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). This feat was accomplished when he dismissed Delhi Capitals’ captain, Rishabh Pant, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Earlier in the tournament, he made history by becoming the first bowler to achieve 200 wickets in the IPL. His accomplishment placed him sixth among spinners and eleventh overall among T20 cricket’s highest wicket scorers.

Chahal is still a key player for the Rajasthan Royals and the Indian national team, despite a recent spell of inconsistent play. With 14 wickets taken thus far in the current IPL season, he is among the top 10 wicket-takers.

The fact that Chahal and Ravi Ashwin made sure the Delhi Capitals were limited to 221/8 during the latest game when their openers needed to get them off to a fast start, is a fantastic turnaround to go from being out of favour to a mainstay in both his IPL team and the national team.

Rafael Nadal will play a qualifier in the Italian Open’s opening round on his return to the clay courts in Rome, beginning yet another phase of his continuing injury recovery.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who is renowned for his supremacy on clay, is aiming for a record-tying tenth victory in Rome. If he advances, the ninth-ranked player in the world, Hubert Hurkacz, might face him in the next round. Also looming in Nadal’s section of the draw are defending champion Daniil Medvedev and last year’s runner-up, Holger Rune.

Nadal has a long history in Rome; he last won here in 2021 before having to retire from competition the previous year due to an injury.

The 37-year-old Spaniard has had mixed results since rejoining the circuit in April following a three-month break. He lost in the second round in Barcelona but advanced to the round of 16 in Madrid.

Currently ranked 305th in the ATP rankings, Rafael Nadal’s future in tennis is still up in the air due to nagging physical problems that have raised talk of his retirement. He has given hints that his competitive spirit will determine whether or not he enters the next Roland Garros.

On Tuesday, India’s official kit partner, Adidas, unveiled the country’s T20 jersey intriguingly. Fans were most eager to see Team India’s T20 shirt at the T20 World Cup, presumably after knowing who was included in the 15-man roster and who wasn’t.

The video showcases Rohit Sharma,  Kuldeep Yadav, and  Ravindra Jadeja at the scenic Dharamsala stadium, where a helicopter was seen carrying the new blue-orange jerseys. The updated attire features tricolour stripes on a v-shaped neckline, blending blue on both front and back, with saffron hues on the sleeves. Additionally, it proudly displays the trademark three stripes of sports apparel giant Adidas alongside the BCCI logo.

Adidas announced on May 7 that the new jersey will be available for purchase in-store and online.

The BCCI announced the 15-man Indian team on April 30 for the T20 World Cup. The current standings for the event include India in ‘Group A’. Along with co-hosts USA, Canada, Ireland, and arch-rival Pakistan, there are other teams in the group.

India’s opening match is scheduled for June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York versus Ireland. Next up is one of the most anticipated T20 World Cup matches, India vs. Pakistan on June 9.

The Indian men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams secured spots in the Paris Olympics by finishing second in their respective heats at the World Athletics Relays.

The men’s team, which included Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Muhammad Ajmal, Arokia Rajiv, and Amoj Jacob, finished in 3:03.23, while the women’s team, which included Rupal Chaudhary, MR Poovamma, Jyothika Sri Dandi, and Subha Venkatesan, finished in 3:29.35. They qualified after placing second behind Jamaica and the US, respectively.

The women’s qualification came as a bit of a surprise considering the attention that has been paid to the men’s team’s accomplishments, despite their impressive performance in recent events.

The women placed fifth in the first qualifying rounds, while one athlete’s mid-race withdrawal owing to cramps caused problems for the men. However, the men’s team made a remarkable comeback, securing their spot with a splendid finish by anchor-leg runner Amoj Jacob.

In addition to the teams’ qualification, India will send 19 track and field competitors, including Neeraj Chopra, to the Olympics in Paris. The men’s team is participating in its fourth Olympics, while the women’s team is making its eighth appearance.

Beginning on August 1st, the Games’ athletics programme will feature 70 relay teams that qualified after the World Athletics Relays.