Category: Sports

Indian tennis sensation Sumit Nagal made an impressive debut at the Miami Open, displaying remarkable composure as he clinched a straight-set victory over Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in the first-round qualifier match.

The 26-year-old, who recently ascended to the top 100 of the world rankings after winning the Chennai Open, displayed steely composure on Monday as he defeated the imposing 6 feet 8 inches tall opponent 7-6(3) 6-2.

Nagal’s deft performance in the first set’s tiebreaker and his dominance in the second set, during which he secured crucial breaks in the first and seventh games, highlighted his growing proficiency on the court. Under this victory, Nagal is positioned to achieve a fresh career high of world No. 92, signifying an additional significant development in his rapidly progressing vocation.

The Indian tennis prodigy’s progress to the Miami Open follows his impressive performance at Indian Wells, where he was challenged in the main draw by Milos Raonic and ultimately lost. It is worth mentioning that Nagal secured a position in the tournament’s main draw after the surprising withdrawal of tennis ace Rafael Nadal.

Nagal’s breakout performance at the Australian Open earlier in the year, where he advanced to the second round, catalysed his ascent into the ATP top-100 rankings.

On Sunday, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz marked his win over Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (5) and 6-1 in the BNP Paribas Open men’s singles final, successfully defending his title. This victory marked his first title since Wimbledon 2023 and made him the first man since Novak Djokovic to defend the BNP Paribas Open trophy.

Despite spraining his ankle at the Rio Open, Alcaraz persevered with just 30 minutes of practice upon arriving in Indian Wells. He expressed growing confidence with each match and highlighted the importance of winning such a prestigious tournament.

In the award ceremony, Medvedev acknowledged Alcaraz’s prowess, jokingly hoping for a chance to perform better on Alcaraz’s preferred court in the future.

Meanwhile, Poland’s Iga Swiatek secured victory in the women’s singles final by defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4 and 6-0. Swiatek, who previously defeated Sakkari in the 2022 final, emphasised the changes since then, including her rise in the rankings. Swiatek’s dominance was evident with her 20-2 record in 2024 and conceding just 21 games throughout the BNP Paribas Open.

Alcaraz’s ability to overcome injury and maintain his performance level showcased his determination, while Swiatek’s consistent dominance further solidified her position as a force to be reckoned with in women’s tennis.

Asian Games bronze medalist athlete Gulveer Singh displayed exceptional prowess in the men’s 10,000m event at The Ten in San Juan Capistrano, California, setting a new national record that had stood for 16 years.

The 25-year-old Gulveer completed the race in a remarkable time of 27:41.81, surpassing the previous record held by Surendra Singh since 2008 by over 20 seconds. Despite his outstanding performance, Gulveer fell short of the Olympic qualification mark for the Paris Games, missing it by a significant margin of over 41 seconds.

Meanwhile, Kartik Kumar also demonstrated remarkable prowess by placing ninth with a time of 28:01.90, surpassing Surendra’s prior national record. However, Avinash Sable faced a setback as he did not finish his heat, withdrawing from the race during the 15th lap at the 6,000-metre mark.

In the women’s 10,000-metre event, Parul Chaudhary’s performance was below expectations, as she finished in 20th place with a time of 32:02.08. Parul, like her male counterparts, missed the Paris qualification standard of 30:40.00.

Despite the varied results that awaited the Indian athletes during The Ten, Gulveer Singh’s unprecedented achievement serves as an example of his ability and determination, thus highlighting the potential of India on the global athletics platform.

The 22-year-old, promising young Indian cricketer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, clinched the esteemed ICC Player of the Month title for his outstanding performance throughout February. His stellar display outshone renowned players like Kane Williamson and Pathum Nissanka.

Jaiswal’s remarkable achievement of scoring back-to-back double centuries during the Test series against England, emerging as the top run-scorer in the IND vs. ENG contest highlighted his exceptional form. His efforts were crucial to India’s victory, which resulted in a 4-1 series win.

His record-breaking innings included a stunning 209 and 214 runs in consecutive matches and notable half-century performances. He equalled the Test record for most sixes in an inning during the Rajkot Test, showcasing his prowess with the bat.

Additionally, Jaiswal becomes the seventh Indian cricketer to receive the ICC Player of the Month award, joining the ranks of cricketing greats like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.

Since his Test debut in 2023, he has amassed an impressive total of 1,028 runs from 16 innings, boasting an impressive average of 68.53. Furthermore, in first-class cricket, he has accumulated 2,873 runs in 42 innings from 24 matches, maintaining an outstanding average of 75.60.

In Test cricket, Jaiswal has made three centuries and four half-centuries, making him a promising prospect for Indian cricket.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty triumphed at the French Open, securing their second men’s doubles title in Paris by defeating Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan from Chinese Taipei. The Indian duo, former runners-up, clinched the championship with a commanding 21-11, 21-17 victory in just 37 minutes.

This win marks their first title of the season after reaching three finals in 2023. Coach Pullela Gopichand believes they’re strong contenders for gold in Paris despite previous runner-up finishes.

Their seventh BWF World Tour title showcased their dominance throughout the tournament without dropping a single game. Celebrating in their customary style, Satwik lifted Chirag, while both indulged in a joyful dance, expressing their delight at the victory.

Their opponents, though ranked lower, posed a challenge due to recent victories, making Satwik and Chirag’s sharp attack and solid defence crucial.

The Indian pair dominated the first several rallies of the game, taking advantage of mistakes made by their opponent. After the victory, Chirag underlined the value of not undervaluing opponents by praising their tenacity and concentration during the game. With Satwik pledging to enjoy every game while keeping their competitive edge, the win sets a positive tone for their future ambitions.

PV Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open Super 750 after defeating Beiwen Zhang. Initially, Sindhu struggled with her strategy, opting for clears to the backcourt, which often failed.

Coaching adjustments by Prakash Padukone and Agus Dwi Santoso proved crucial. Padukone’s calming advice helped Sindhu regain focus and control. She dominated the last two games, winning 13-21, 21-10, and 21-14. Padukone’s straightforward but insightful coaching during breaks improved Sindhu’s performance. In her quarterfinal matchup with Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei, Sindhu will now face her first real test ahead of Paris 2024.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand defeated former world No. 1s Sayaka Hirota and Yuki Fukushima in another match. The Indian team won their second meeting in two against the three-time silver medalists from the World Championships, despite brief flashes of brilliance from the Japanese pair. This triumph maintains a tight balance in the Race for Paris between the Indian pairs.

But Kidambi Srikanth was disappointed when he lost a hard-fought encounter to Lu Guang Zu of China. Lu won the tournament by defeating two Indian competitors, thanks to his tenacious play. Srikanth suffered from mistakes at critical times, which frustrated him in the end.

The competition for Olympic qualification intensifies as the full-strength Indian squad participates in the French Open and All England tournaments this fortnight. These competitions, which give significantly more points than the Swiss Open and Madrid Masters later this month, will determine the destiny of several Indian athletes as the qualification deadline of April 28 approaches. Notably, the Thomas and Uber Cup stands as the sole tournament in April.

HS Prannoy and the top-ranked doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have secured Olympic berths. PV Sindhu’s qualification seems assured unless lower-ranked players are upset in the next two weeks.

Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa are likely to qualify over Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand in women’s doubles. Ashwini-Tanisha ranks 11th, while Treesa-Gayatri are outside the top 16. Only one top-16 doubles team per country can qualify. The pairs’ large difference of more than 8,000 points indicates that Treesa-Gayatri can only advance with exceptional performance.

In men’s singles, 17th-ranked Lakshya Sen aims to ascend before April 28, starting against Kanta Tsuneyama. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth face a potential matchup, while Sindhu confronts tough opponents like Michelle Li and potentially Carolina Marin or Beiwen Zhang.

On Sunday, Hakahiro Hataji made history by winning the New Zealand Open, becoming the first Japanese golfer to achieve this milestone. His remarkable performance at Millbrook Golf Resort saw him finish 17-under par, securing victory with a composed four-under 67.

The tournament reached a climax as Hataji narrowly edged out Australian contender Scott Hend, who missed a crucial 4-foot putt on the 18th green, sparing Hataji from a playoff.

The 30-year-old Japan Golf Tour player’s victory resonated deeply within the Japanese golfing community, which had previously seen its players secure runner-up positions in the tournament. Hataji proved his determination with an impeccable final round that included crucial birdies and a calculated tap-in to take the lead on the par-four 12th hole.

Although Hend briefly threatened to level the playing field with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes, a late three-putt cost him the title. Anthony Quayle, Matthew Griffin, and Josh Geary shared third place, finishing at 15-under par 269.

Hataji’s win signifies the growing international talent in golf and serves as inspiration for future Japanese golfers. Hataji embraces the significance of his victory and the potential impact it may have on aspiring golfers around the world.

On Monday, the Indian men’s and women’s teams created history by earning their first Olympic qualification based on their world rankings. Seven spots in the team events remained after the World Team Championships Finals in Busan, which acted as the last Olympic qualifying event for Paris 2024. These spots were assigned based on rankings.

According to the ITTF, the highest-ranked teams that have not yet qualified in the latest World Team Ranking secured their tickets to Paris 2024. In the women’s category, India (ranked 13), Poland (12), Sweden (15), and Thailand clinched their passage. Meanwhile, Croatia (12), India (15), and Slovenia (11) secured spots in the men’s team event.

Celebrating the achievement, veteran Sharath Kamal expressed his happiness on Twitter, emphasising the significance of this qualification, particularly for the women’s team, marking a historic milestone for Indian table tennis. This achievement marks India’s debut in the team event at the Olympics since its inception at the Beijing 2008 Games.

Notably, both Indian teams had missed Olympic berths at the ITTF World Team Championships Finals, facing defeats in the pre-quarterfinals. Despite previous setbacks, this qualification highlights India’s rising prominence in international table tennis.

Tickets for India’s T20 World Cup matches, notably against Pakistan and Canada, have sold out, with resale prices soaring to over double the original cost, reaching a staggering ₹1.86 crore on platforms like StubHub and SeatGeek. Initially priced between ₹497 and ₹33,148, these VIP tickets are now fetching close to ₹33.15 lakh, ballooning to ₹41.44 lakh with platform fees.

Comparatively, the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup’s highest-priced secondary market ticket for India vs. Pakistan was ₹57.15 lakh. Phase 1 sales for the 2024 T20 World Cup began on February 22, with tickets quickly entering the resale market. The demand, especially for the India-Pakistan match, has inflated prices, rivalling those of NBA and Major League Baseball games.

According to USA Today, World Series tickets averaged ₹91,175, NBA Finals courtside seats neared ₹20 lakh, and Super Bowl 58 tickets were ₹7.45 lakh. The anticipation for the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the USA has generated significant buzz well ahead of the tournament.

Despite the event being months away, the fervour around ticket sales highlights the enduring appeal of cricket’s most celebrated rivalry on the global stage.