Related Posts

Shelton saves 3 championship points against Fritz to clinch title in Dallas

Dallas, Feb 16 (IANS) Ben Shelton saved three championship points to defeat Taylor Fritz in Dallas Open final and capture his first title of the season and fourth ATP Tour title.

The 23-year-old roared back from a set down to earn a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory for his second ATP 500 trophy, saving all three championship points in a nervy 10th game of the decider.

With the one-hour, 51-minute victory, Shelton improved to 2-1 in his ATP head-to-head series with Fritz. Since the beginning of 2025, Shelton is 11-4 in deciding-set matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, including nine wins from a set down.

“It feels amazing. I thank God, because I needed something super natural to end up winning this tournament with all the holes that I was in. I feel grateful to play five matches out here with these crowds. The energy was amazing,” said Shelton after the win.

“I had to fight until the last minute. Fritz was playing very good tennis and I was struggling a lot with what he was throwing at me. I tried to be a competitor through and through, and I ended up coming out on top. I think it’s a testament to the work me and my team put in,” he added.

Despite falling short in the final, Fritz can reflect on another positive run to his 20th tour-level final. The American No. 1 now heads to the ATP 250 event in Delray Beach, where he is the top seed.

“It was a crazy match, a fun match to be a part of — until the end. Congrats to Ben and his team. He played great and in the end, he played the big points and important moments really well,” Fritz said.

–IANS

bc/

Kohli starts preparations for IPL 2026; RCB say, ‘run machine looks well oiled’

New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli has started his preparations for the upcoming 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to begin on March 28.

Kohli shared a video of himself hitting powerful shots in the nets as he began training. The 39-year-old appeared in good form as he picked up the bat and smacked some impressive hits at the training centre in the United Kingdom.

In the video that he shared on Instagram, Kohli can be seen sweating it out in the indoor nets, and he captioned the post “IPL 2026” with a sandclock emoticon.

The franchise also shared the video, writing, “The run machine looks well oiled. Let’s start #IPL2026 already.”

They also made a special edit for the iconic cricketer, who completed 18 years with the franchise on Wednesday and is set for his 19th edition with the side.

Sharing the post, RCB wrote, “19 seasons, 1 team, 1 legendary name. From a promising youngster in 2008 to an irreplaceable icon of the franchise. #OnThisDay 18 years ago, we signed Virat Kohli through the U-19 Player Draft at the first ever #IPLAuction. Years later, the journey continues with the same passion, the same loyalty, and the same King inspiring all the way.”

Kohli played a vital role in RCB’s ending their IPL title drought in 2025. In the previous season, he was the team’s top run-scorer, scoring 657 runs in 15 innings with a strike rate of 144.71.

The Bengaluru-based franchise edged out Punjab Kings by six runs in the final, successfully defending a target of 191. Kohli was the leading scorer for his team in the match, contributing a key 43 runs off 35 balls.

Having retired from both Tests and T20Is, Kohli is now active in only one format across international cricket: the ODIs. While he retired from the longest format of the game last year, the former Indian captain retired from T20Is after India’s World Cup victory in 2024, on the day of the final, where they defeated South Africa in Barbados.

–IANS

vi/bc

Ajita wins thriller for singles title at G D Birla Memorial Inter-Club Badminton Tournament

Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) Ajita Ravindran displayed grit and resilience against an equally determined Pooja Jhalani to prevail in three games and win the Women’s Singles 45+ title in the G D Birla Memorial Inter-Club Badminton Tournament, hosted by Bombay Gymkhana.

After dropping the closely contested opening game 24-26, Ajita clawed back to win the second 21-19 and, with both players fighting tooth and nail for each point in trying conditions, won the decider 21-18 to cap a well deserved victory.

In the Men’s Doubles 110+ category, the duo of Bibhash Chatterjee and Shiv Thakur delivered a commanding performance to defeat top seeds Gautam Laud and Shailesh Daga in straight games, 21-12, 21-15.

In the Men’s Singles 45+ category, Vikrant Karanjkar put up a dominant display to overcome top seed Sachin Bharati 21-6, 21-19, while, in the Mixed Doubles 80+ category, Hemant Duggal and Shweta Thakur registered one of the most one-sided wins of the finals, defeating Sandeep Mohan and Tejasvi Sawant Desai 21-10, 21-4.

Earlier, the top two seeds in the women’s singles 45+, Priya Ambekar and Namita Mehta-Vijayakar were shown the door, losing in contrasting fashion. While top seed Priya lost 6-21, 13-21 to Pooja Jhalani, second seed Namita put up a better fight before losing in three games, 14-21, 21-15, 11-21.

Seeded teams also lost out in the Men’s Doubles 110+ and the Mixed Doubles 80+. In the mixed doubles, the top seed pairing of Shailesh Daga and former international Aparna Popat were defeated by Sandeep Mohan and Tejasvi Sawant 21-14, 19-21, 21-9. There was heartbreak for the second seeds too as Shiv Thakur and Naheed Divecha were beaten by Hemant Duggal and Shweta Thakur 21-12, 21-16.

There was solace for Daga, however, who won the men’s doubles 110+, paired with Gautam Lad. The duo seeded first, defeated Anis Badami and Vipool Patel 21-18, 21-8 to make the title round.

–IANS

bc/