GOLF
Avani 3-under 70 cards; finishes second
Avani Prashanth carded a fine 3-under 70 in the fourth and final round, but still finished second to Rianne Mikhaela Malixi of the Philippines by one shot at the Australian Master of Amateurs Championships here on Friday.
The Indian was in fine form and her 70 that day allowed her to finish the 72-hole event with a total of 6 under, as did 16-year-old Malixi, who tied with the Indian for second place after three rounds, shot 4-under 69 to win the title.
Avani carded rounds of 71-68-77-70 for a 6-under 286 while Malixi with 70-72-74-69 carded 7-under 285.
Japan’s Nika Ito, who led after the first two rounds, finished third with 68-70-78-71 at 5-under 287, while the 54-hole leader, Australian Lion Higo, finished fourth with cards of 71-71-70-76. .
Malixi and Avani will face each other again next week at the Australian Amateurs and then at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Thailand in early February.
But Avani was not discouraged. “Well, I think it was a good week. I can’t complain too much. But I didn’t have the best day in the third round. But there is always the next week. Nevertheless, it is another good result for Avani, who since his sixth place in the same event last year, has been in great form.
She took individual honors at the Queen Sirikit Cup, where Malixi finished third. Avani also dominated the Asian Games trials ahead of professionals in India, but only finished 18th at the event.
The other Indian participant in the women’s section, Heena Kang, missed the cut by 54 holes, as did Rohit Narwal and Sandeep Yadav.
– PTI
TENNIS
Bopanna and Ebden in the final in Adelaide
Second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden beat Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-4 to set up a title clash against third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury at the ATP 739 tennis tournament $945 in Adelaide, Australia on Friday.
The results
$739,945 ATP, Adelaide, Australia Doubles (semi-finals): Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden (Aus) against Gonzalo Escobar (Ecu) and Aleksandr Nedovyesov (Kaz) 6-4, 6-4.
€74,825 Challenger, Oeiras, Portugal Doubles (quarter-finals): Arjun Kadhe & Marcus Willis (GBR) woGoncalo Falcao (Por) & Fernando Romboli (Bra).
$35,000 ITF women, Antalya, Turkey Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Anastasiia Gureva and Alexandra Shubladze against Ayla Aksu (Tur) and Vasanti Shinde 7-5, 1-6, (10-6).
-Kamesh Srinivasan
ITF junior tennis: Nikita, seeded number one, beats Rethin in semi-final
Top-seeded Nikita Bilozertsev of Ukraine escaped the clutches of Rethin Pranav for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 victory in the semifinals of the ITF junior tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex on Friday.
The athletic Nikita, quite energetic on both flanks, found Rethin a solid match for most of the contest. However, after playing admirably for a set and a half, Rethin faltered slightly as he lost his serve in the seventh game of the second set. Subsequently, the tide turned against him, and it took him a while to face a powerful opponent.
Ukraine’s Nikita Bilozertsev is heading to the final of the ITF junior tennis tournament in Delhi on Friday. | Photo credit: Kamesh Srinivasan
Ukraine’s Nikita Bilozertsev is heading to the final of the ITF junior tennis tournament in Delhi on Friday. | Photo credit: Kamesh Srinivasan
Rethin stepped up his efforts after losing his serve in the middle of the first set to turn the situation around in his favor, especially with his solid serve. At the climax, only Nikita was able to maintain high quality play.
In the final, NIkita will face third-seeded Serbian Ognjen Milic, who dominated Switzerland’s Luc Wieland for a five-game loss.
Among the girls, Maria Golovina, champion of the last tournament in Chandigarh, was too smart for Daria Shadchneva. In the final, Maria will face top seed Lidia Podgorichani of Thailand, who prevailed in a long three-set match against American Christasha McNeil.
The results
Boys (semi-finals): Nikita Bilozertsev (United Kingdom) against Rethin Pranav 5-7, 6-3, 6-0; Ognjen Milic (Serb) against Luc Wieland (Sui) 6-4, 6-1.
Doubles (final): Kuzma Gomziakov & Roman Kharlamov vs. Egor Gorin & Ognjen Milic (Serbia) 1-0 (retired).
Girls (semi-finals): Lidia Podgorichani (Tha) against Christasha McNeil (USA) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4; Maria Golovina against Daria Shadchneva 6-4, 6-0
Doubles (final): Christasha McNeil (USA) & Tzeng Mu-Jie (Tpe) against Maya Iyengar & Anya Murthy 6-2, 7-5.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
CRICKET
Odisha wins National Women’s T20 Blind Cricket Tournament title
Odisha became champions of the women’s national blind T20 cricket tournament after beating Karnataka by six wickets in the final here on Friday.
Chasing a target of 94, Odisha received early jolts with skipper Phula Saren dismissed for a golden duck.
However, Jamuna Rani Tudu and Basanti Hansda scored 24 and 34 runs respectively to take Odisha home.
Batting first, Karnataka lost five wickets in the powerplay, as star batter Deepika scored 16 runs in 29 balls.
The team was steadily losing wickets and was reeling at 44 for six in the eighth over, but Divakka and Renuka Rajput took Karnataka past the 90-run mark. However, the team was bowled out for 93 in the 19th over.
-PTI
VOLLEYBALL
Chennai Rockstars win TN Volleyball League
Chennai Rockstars did it in style. Led by India International and team captain M. Ukkarapandian, the Rockstars delivered a remarkable performance to defeat Cuddalore with USA 21-17, 21-16, 21-19 in the volleyball league final SNJ-Tamil Nadu (TNVL) held here. Friday.
Rockstars prepared and implemented its plans to the end. From setter Ukkarapandian to forward Raman Kumar and blocker Prince, the team was clinical in their display.
However, in the third set there was a touch of drama and controversy. Trailing 16-18, Cuddalore Lad Om Vasanth’s serve seemed to hit the mark and a replay from the side angle (inconclusive) proved it. It was called a super serve (as an ace is called in TNVL) and the team got two points. Jerome Vinith, the captain of Cuddalore, was not happy as he kept arguing with the referee. But the referee’s decision was upheld.
Chennai Rockers, winners of the Tamil Nadu Volleyball League (TNVL) | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Chennai Rockers, winners of the Tamil Nadu Volleyball League (TNVL) | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Cuddalore fought hard to take more points. At 19-20, Santhosh’s attacking shot kissed the hands of Cuddalore Chandrasekar and bounced back, giving the Rockstars a well-deserved victory.
Rockstars head coach Harun Ahmed Khan gave all the credit to Ukkarapandian. “All the credit goes to my captain. In my team, apart from Ukkra, there are no star players in my team. Our plan was to block and serve well. After our loss to Cuddalore earlier in the league where we made mistakes in receiving and blocking, we rectified them.
Ukkarapandian hailed the league as a great platform for young and upcoming players. He hoped TNVL would become an annual affair. “It’s a great opportunity and a huge platform for young players. There are seven college players, one school player and four departmental players in a team, in addition to two external players.
It is a great vehicle for grassroots development and a chance to produce more quality players from Tamil Nadu. When young players watch players like me, Jerome Vinith, Santhosh, Raman Kumar and Prince, they learn a lot and get motivated.
Asked about the controversy surrounding the super service, Ukkarapandian said: “TV replays can only be done with high-quality cameras. It will take time (at TNVL).
Special Awards: Most Valuable Player of the Tournament: Mr. Ukkarapandian (Chennai Rockstars); best passer: Lad Om Vasanth (Cuddalore With US); best outside hitter: S. Nandha Gopal (Virudhunagar King Makers); best blocker: Prince (Chennai Rockstars); best universal: Jerome Vinith (Cuddalore With US); best libero: R. Ramanathan (Cuddalore With US); best fair play award: VK Vinith Kumar (Virudhunagar King Makers).
