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HOCKEY
Hockey Manipur qualifies for quarterfinals of Senior Women National Championship
Manipur progressed to the quarterfinals with an 11-2 win over Uttarakhand in a Pool G match as the league stage of the Senior Women National Championship concluded in Pune on Tuesday.
Karnataka also ended its campaign on a high, beating Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 13-0 in another pool G game.
With the top team from each Pool qualifying for the knock-outs, the stage is set for some high-octane action. All the quarterfinals are scheduled to take place on March 20.
The first quarterfinal will be played between defending champion Madhya Pradesh and Bengal, while host Maharashtra will face off against Manipur in the second quarterfinal.
The third quarterfinal will see Jharkhand play Mizoram, while Haryana will play Odisha in the fourth quarterfinal.
For Manipur, it was its third win in three matches as it topped Pool G.
Sarita Dev Bramhacharimayum (8th, 24th), Prabhleen Kaur (14th, 45th) and Chingshubam Sanggai Ibemhal (53rd, 60th) scored a brace each, while Vartika Rawat (5th), Sonia Devi Kshetrimayum (7th), Ranjita Sanasam (44th), captain Lily Chanu Mayengbam (57th) and Chanu Lanchenbi Khundrakpam (59th) scored a goal each for Manipur.
The two goals for Uttarakhand were field goals that came from the sticks of Komal Dhami (36th) and Monika Chand (41st).
Earlier the day, Karnataka defeated Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey 13-0.
Captain of Hockey Karnataka, Kruthika SP (15th, 26th, 56th, 56th) led from the front with four goals, while MG Yashika (20th, 38th, 58th) scored a hat-trick, Chandana J (33rd, 37th) scored a brace and Adira S (43rd), Prashu Singh Parihar (48th), Anjali H R (55th) and Gedela Gayatri (60rg) scored a goal each.
– PTI
GOLF
Arjun Atwal, SSP Chaurasia to headline inaugural Kolkata Challenge golf
Twenty-five years after they finished top two at the Indian Open here in 1999, the veteran duo of Arjun Atwal and SSP Chaurasia will be back competing at the inaugural ‘Kolkata Challenge 2024’, beginning here on Thursday.
“It’s a pleasure to be back home. I’m probably the oldest man on the field, so expectations are low. We will see what happens,” Atwal said on Tuesday.
“But there is a thing to be said about experience as well. I know every corner of this golf course. I’ve hit everywhere on this golf course. That’s an advantage, but the new tee boxes and some of the holes being lengthened will be a challenge. I’ll be alright,” he said.
Chawrasia remembered that eventful tournament of 1999 and how it shaped his career.
“I was just 18 then. I couldn’t remember so many things. Everything was shocking for me. My career changed from there,” Chawrasia said.
The other Indians in the fray include DP World Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, Challenge Tour winner and 2023 TATA Steel PGTI Ranking champion Om Prakash Chouhan, current TATA Steel PGTI Ranking leader Manu Gandas, Rashid Khan, Olympian Udayan Mane, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Chikkarangappa and Karandeep Kochhar.
The leading names from the Challenge Tour in the field include Road to Mallorca Ranking Number One John Parry of England, Mikael Lindberg and Björn Åkesson from Sweden, France’s Martin Couvra and Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, among others.
The event at the historic Royal Calcutta Golf Course from March 21–24 marks the return of an international event to Kolkata and the RCGC after a long gap of 25 years.
“We are proud to host the Kolkata Challenge, an international event at RCGC, after 25 years. We welcome all the overseas and PGTI players,” Gaurav Ghosh, captain, RCGC, said.
The tournament, co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour and the TATA Steel PGTI, carries a prize purse of USD 300,000 and constitutes the second event in the two-week Indian swing of the Challenge Tour.
– PTI
Kolkata Challenge from March 2
Seasoned golfers Arjun Atwal and S.S.P. Chawrasia will be among the leading Indian golfers to be seen in action in the inaugural Kolkata Challenge at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) course here from Thursday as international golf returns to the city after a gap of 25 years.
All eyes will be on Atwal, a PGA Tour and three-time DP World Tour winner, and Chawrasia, a four-time DP World Tour winner, as they will play on their home course. In the last international event staged at the RCGC, the 1999 Indian Open, Atwal had emerged as the winner whereas Chawrasia was joint second.
Other top Indians including Gaganjeet Bhullar, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Rashid Khan and Challenge Tour stars John Parry, Mikael Lindberg, Björn Åkesson, Martin Couvra and Lucas Bjerregaard will also feature in the event, as per an announcement at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The tournament, co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour and Tata Steel Professional Golf Tour of India, carries a prize purse of $300,000 and constitutes the second event in the two-week Indian leg (also including Delhi) of the Challenge Tour.
-Team Sportstar
TENNIS
ITF men’s tournament: Yuvan Nandal defeats Adil Kalyanpu
Yuvan Nandal beat Adil Kalyanpur 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the HPCL-Mittal $15,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Tuesday.
One of the brightest juniors, the 18-year-old Yuvan was ranked world No.38 last year. With the win he ensured an ATP point and entry into the men’s ranking list. Yuvan will play the winner of the match between Siddharth Vishwakarma and qualifier Shivank Bhatnagar.
In the doubles pre-quarterfinals, top seeds SD Prajwal Dev and Nitin Kumar Sinha were beaten 6-4, 6-2 by Thanapet Chanta and Kazuma Kawachi.
The results:
Singles (first round): Yuvan Nandal bt Adil Kalyanpur 7-5, 6-3; Bang Shuo Yin (Tpe) bt Kazuma Kawachi 6-2, 6-2; Sidharth Rawat bt Yuchiro Inui (Jpn) 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1; Woobin Shin (Kor) bt Ajay Kundu 6-3, 6-1.
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Thanapet Chanta (Tha) & Kazuma Kawachi (Jpn) bt SD Prajwal Dev & Nitin Kumar Sinha 6-4, 6-2; Kabir Hans & Khumoyun Sultanov (Uzb) bt Ivan Deisov & Adil Kalyanpur 6-3, 6-4; Parth Agarwal & VM Ranjeet bt Madhwin Kamath & Mitsuki Leong (Mas) 6-2, 6-4; Bharath Kumaran & Rishi Reddy bt Rakshit Dhankhar & Ashwajit Senjam 6-4, 6-2; Siddhant Banthia & Karan Singh bt Chen-Yu Lu & Bang Shuo Yin (Tpe) 4-6, 6-4, [15-13]; Manish Sureshkumar & Vishnu Vardhan bt Yash Chaurasia & Jagmeet Singh 6-4, 6-4.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
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