Indian sports wrap, September 12: Jolly, Gayatri go down in pre-quarters of Hong Kong Open

BADMINTON

Hong Kong Open Jolly, Gayatri go down in pre-quarters

Commonwealth Games bronze medal-winning duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand fought hard before going down to Liu Sheng and Tan Ning in the women’s doubles pre-quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open badminton here on Thursday.

Liu and Ning won 21-11, 22-20.

The first game was a one-sided affair as the second-seeded Chinese pair broke away from 3-2 to win it 21-11.

But the unseeded Indian duo returned strongly in the second game where they fought hard and were level till 15 and then 20-all before the Chinese wrapped it up 22-20. The match lasted 41 minutes.

For the Indians, who are ranked 26th in the world, this was their second loss in a row to the Chinese, ranked third in the world, who now lead 2-1 on head-to-head.

Jolly and Gayatri earlier got past Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr 21-14, 21-13 in their opening round clash.

Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy are the only other Indians in fray in the BWF World Tour Super 500 event. They will face eighth-seeded Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie of Malaysia in the mixed doubles pre-quarters later in the day.

- PTI

CHESS

Google is title sponsor of World chess championship

Google is the title sponsor of the World chess championship match between Ding Liren and D. Gukesh, beginning in Singapore on November 23.

The world chess governing body FIDE said the technology leader’s sponsorship would set a new standard for the game’s reach and influence.

Google’s Chief Marketing Officer for Asia Pacific, Simon Kahn said the company was excited to sponsor the historic event.

“Chess represents a profound intersection of human ingenuity and technological potential, and has always been a proving ground for AI innovation,” he said. “In fact, some of our earliest AI breakthroughs came from mastering chess as a proof-of-concept. Through Search, YouTube, and AI, we are now delighted to enhance the Championship experience for chess fans globally, celebrating the beauty of this game that continues to inspire and challenge us.”

FIDE’s CEO Emil Sutovsky said the global governing body for the sport was thrilled to partner with Google. “It is a milestone for our sport,” he said. “This collaboration brings a new dimension to the competition, blending the tradition of chess with the innovation of AI. The partnership is set to elevate the visibility of the World Chess Championship, taking the broadcast of the event to the next level and attracting new audiences globally.”

- P.K. Ajith Kumar

GOLF

Hero Women’s Pro Golf: Vidhatri Urs extends lead by three shots

Rain and wet conditions did not deter Vidhatri Urs from extending her lead by three more shots as the second round was cut to nine holes in the 11th leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday.

Aiming for a hat trick of titles, Vidhatri shot 2-under 34 for the nine hole second round, and it took her to an overall 7-under 101. She was six shots ahead of Sneha Singh, who also shot a commendable 2-under 34 to go up 1-under 107. Sneha was joined by Hitaashee Bakshi, who slipped to 1-over 37 with one bogey and no birdies. Tvesa Malik Sandhu was 2-over 38 for the day and 1-over 109 for the fourth place.

Shweta Mansingh was on fifth with 1-over 110, while Amandeep Drall and Anvvi Dahhiya were tied for sixth at 111, while Ridhima Dilawari and Seher Atwal were tied on eighth at 113.

The cut fell at 13-over 121, and 35 players made the final round. The organisers had to cut the schedule by half owing to tough weather conditions that saw play starting two hours behind schedule.

- Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Prabir beats second seed in ITF Juniors

Prabir Chavda beat second seed Adhiraj Thakur 7-5, 6-2 in the boys quarterfinals of the ITF junior tennis tournament at the Ahmedabad City Foundation courts on Thursday.

In the girls section, qualifier Prachi Malik who had beaten second seed Kashvi Sunil in the first round, continued her fine run and beat sixth seed Aleena Farid in a thrilling fashion, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

- Kamesh Srinivasan

Leander Paes meets Sports Minister

The Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist and multiple Grand Slam champion Leander Paes met the Union Sports Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, in New Delhi and shared his experience and insights on what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

The seven-time Olympian, Leander discussed about building a stronger sports foundation in the country, with emphasis on identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level.

The Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist and multiple Grand Slam champion Leander Paes met the Union Sports Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Sports Minister was pleased to meet the latest inductee into the prestigious Tennis Hall of Fame, and chose to get more clarity on strategies to further enhance the country’s performance in the Olympics, Paralympics etc.

Dr. Mandaviya stressed the government’s commitment towards building a more conducive environment for sports in the country, so that aspiring athletes have access to world class facilities, coaching and competition.

- Kamesh Srinivasan

Play washed out in AITA women’s tournament

Persistent rain and wet conditions washed out the day’s play in the Chamunda Rs. 100,000 AITA women’s tennis tournament at the Faridabad Academy on Thursday.

The semifinals have been rescheduled for Friday, and will be followed by the final on the same day.

- Kamesh Srinivasan

Shrivalli in quarterfinals in Australia

Shrivalli Bhamidipaty sustained her fine game and beat Gabriella Da Silva Fick 6-3, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the $60,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Perth, Australia, on Thursday.

In the quarterfinals, Shrivalli will challenge the top seed Talia Gibson.

- Kamesh Srinivasan