Category: Sports

Northampton, July 1 (IANS) Skipper Thomas Rew scored a century to help England Under-19 chase a stiff target and prevail over India Under-19 by one over in the second Youth ODI on Monday as they levelled the five-match series 1-1 at the County Ground, Northampton.

Asked to bat first, India Under-19s posted a competitive score of 290 with four batters, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Rahul Kumar, and Kanishk Chouhan, narrowly missing half-centuries.

The 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who scored a century in India U-19s’ win in the first ODI, and Vihaan Malhotra rescued India U-19 with a 67-run partnership for the second wicket after skipper Ayush Mhatre was bowled by Alex French for a duck. Suryavanshi scored a 34-ball 45, hitting five fours and three sixes before he was caught by Morgan off Jack Home.

alhotra was out one run short of his half-century while Maulyarajsinh Chavda (22) and Abhigyan Kundu (32) while Rahul Kumar (47), and Kaushik Chauhan (45) helped the India U-19 reach 272/7. But RS Ambrish (4), Mohamed Enaan (6), and Hanif Patel (7) failed to contribute much as India U-19 failed to reach the 300-run mark.

For England, pacer Alex French claimed 4-71 while Jack Home 4-63 and Alex Green bagged 3-50 as India U-19 were bowled out for 290 with one over remaining.

Chasing 291, England Under-19s recovered from the early departure of BJ Dawkins (7), Ben Mayes (27), and Isaac Mohammed (11) and were reduced to 47/3 in the 12th over. Rocky Flintoff (39) came together with skipper Thomas Rew to take the score to 170, raising 123 runs for the fourth wicket partnership.

Rew went on to score 131 before he was caught by Yudhajit Guha off Henil Patel. The India U-19 bowlers made inroads in the England U-19 innings getting Joseph Moores (13), Ralphie Albert (18), Jack Home (3), and Alex Green (12). But Sebastian Morgan scored an unbeaten 20 to ensure England U-19 crawled over the line to win the match by one wicket.

Though RS Ambrish claimed four wickets for India, but conceded 80 runs, which is the highest by a bowler in Youth ODIs this year.

Brief scores:

India Under-19 290 all out in49 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 47, Vihaan Malhotra 49, Rahul Kumar 47, Kanishk Chouhan 45; Alex French 4-71, Jack Home 3-63, Alex Green 3-50) lost to England Under-19 291/9 in 49.1 overs (Thomas Rew 131, Rocky Flintoff 39, Ben Mayes 27; RS Ambrish 4-80, Henil Patel 2-28, Yudhajit Guha 2-63) by one wicket.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) Brett Lee has responded to encouraging words from India’s two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, who said the former Australian cricketer could be a good javelin thrower.

In a freewheeling interview with JioStar, the official broadcaster of the most significant events of his season – the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, the Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist said Brett Lee could be a good javelin thrower. Chopra won a silver medal in the javelin throw event in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years,” said Chopra, who won back-to-back titles in the Paris Diamond League event and Ostrava Golden Spike meet.

In his response to the interview, Brett Lee said he did throw the javelin during his schooling days, but was nowhere near as good as Neeraj. “I did throw the javelin back in my schooling days, but nowhere near what Neeraj does & continues to do,” wrote the former Australian pacer in his post on X, formerly Twitter.

He also explained why he did not continue with javelin despite indulging in it in his school days, and said the sport is very tough on the elbow.

Brett Lee also expressed his admiration for Neeraj Chopra, who is one of the most popular and famous athletes on the international circuit.

“Very tough on the elbow. I have, however, admired what this fine athlete can do and wish him well,” said Brett Lee.

He also expressed his interest in trying javelin alongside India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. “I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too, and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah.”

After his win in Paris, Neeraj was asked by a media outlet whether he had ever tried cricket, especially bowling. Neeraj said he would also like to try his hand at baseball pitching at some point.

–IANS

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London, June 30 (IANS) Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare on the opening day of action at Wimbledon, defeating seasoned Fabio Fognini in an intense five-set thriller to reach the men’s singles second round at the All England Club here on Monday.

Alcaraz, the World No.2 and French Open 2025 winner, overcame the veteran Italian and the intense London heat 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in four hours and 37 minutes.

In a topsy-turvy battle, which featured first-class shotmaking, Alcaraz showed his trademark grit to triumph on the hottest opening day at The Championships with temperatures reaching 31.4C.

The Spaniard, who now holds a standout 14-1 fifth-set record and recently defeated Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final, was made to work extremely hard against a free-hitting Fognini.

In London with an 18-match winning streak – the longest of his career, Alcaraz is aiming to join Bjorn Borg and become just the second man in history to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in consecutive years.

However, few would have expected the 22-year-old to struggle against the 38-year-old Fognini, who as the third oldest man in the men’s singles draw, stepped onto the court on the back of a 10-match tour-level losing streak.

Yet for periods, Alcaraz was in real trouble on Centre Court. With David Beckham watching on in the Royal Box, Alcaraz rallied from a breakdown in the third set and finally put the Italian to bed in a dominant fifth set. With his win, the No. 2 player in the ATP Rankings avoided becoming just the third defending champion to lose in the first round. Manuel Santana fell in 1967 and Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.

Alcaraz also maintained his perfect first-round record at the majors (18-0) and extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to 15 matches. He will next meet British qualifier Oliver Tarvet after the 21-year-old beat Swiss Leandro Riedi 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to earn victory on his major debut.

Alcaraz is chasing his sixth title of the season, highlighted by his fifth major at Roland Garros and ATP Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. Earlier this month, Alcaraz triumphed at The Queen’s Club for the second time.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) India’s highly anticipated Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 will miss one of its star attractions, as Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena has been ruled out due to an ankle injury. The setback, confirmed just days ahead of the meet, has forced the organisers to bring in Yash Vir Singh as Jena’s replacement in the elite javelin lineup for the event to be held on July 5.

Jena, who threw a personal best of 87.54m to clinch silver behind Neeraj Chopra at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, was seen as a strong contender to challenge the world’s best at this landmark event. His absence is a blow not just for Indian fans, but for a meet designed to showcase the finest javelin talent on Indian soil.

Yash Vir Singh, ranked 41st in the world, steps in with his own credentials, having registered a personal best of 82.57m at the 2025 Asian Championships in Gumi, Korea. He joins compatriots Neeraj Chopra, Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, and Sahil Silwal in the Indian contingent.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025—India’s first international javelin competition—is a collaboration between Neeraj himself, JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), and World Athletics (WA). The event promises to be the highest-tier international athletics meet ever staged in India.

Leading the star-studded field will be Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic champion and reigning world title holder. Joining him are global heavyweights such as Anderson Peters (Grenada), two-time world champion Thomas Rohler (Germany), and Rio 2016 gold medallist Julius Yego (Kenya).

Originally slated for May 24, the event was postponed due to security concerns and will now take place on July 5 at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Expectations remain sky-high as the stage is set for a historic evening of javelin excellence on Indian soil.

Neeraj Chopra has geared up for the event named after him by winning his first Diamond League leg in two years. Earlier in the season, he had breached the 90m mark for the first time in Doha, finishing second. Recently, he won the Ostrava Golden Spike meet with a throw of 85.29m.

–IANS

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London, June 30 (IANS) Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca made an immediate impact at the majors with a classy debut at Wimbledon, racing past home favourite Jacob Fearnley in straight sets in the first round on Monday. The Brazilian NextGenATP star defeated Fearnley 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(5) to become the first 18-year-old to reach the second round at the grass major since Carlos Alcaraz in 2021.

Another debutant and French qualifier, Valentin Royer, also advanced to the next round as Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to retire during his Wimbledon opener on Monday due to a back injury.

Royer led 6-3, 6-2 against the Greek, who received a medical timeout in the second set due to a back issue. The former World No. 3 Tsitsipas looked in discomfort at times during the 74 minutes on the court and struggled with his movement and serve, making just 43 percent of his first deliveries.

In his first match at Wimbledon, Fonseca produced a powerful display throughout and kept his cool in his only real moment of peril, when set point down at 5-6, 30/40 in the third set.

“It means a lot. It’s super special for me,” said Fonseca in his on-court interview after the match. “It’s my favourite Grand Slam since my childhood. I’ve been watching all the matches, so it’s just a pleasure being here. I’m sorry for winning against a British guy, but thanks a lot for the support here. Thanks for respecting the tennis today. Jacob is a great friend, a great player, and I’m looking forward to my next meetings against him.”

Before January’s Australian Open, Fonseca had not played a main-draw match at a Grand Slam tournament. Yet the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals champion stunned then-Top 10 star Andrey Rublev in Melbourne to announce himself on the world stage.

After lifting his maiden ATP Tour title in February in Buenos Aires, the Brazilian then reached the third round of a major for the first time at Roland Garros.

Even with those recent standout performances in mind, the way Fonseca dismantled Fearnley at Wimbledon was impressive. Although he played in qualifying for the event last year, the teenager had contested only four tour-level matches on grass before Monday’s clash. He nonetheless had no trouble bringing his clean-hitting game to his least-familiar surface against Fearnley.

In his first match, Tsitsipas, coached by former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, left SW19 holding a 19-13 record on the season. The 26-year-old is the second men’s seed to fall on Day 1, joining Daniil Medvedev.

Tsitsipas is currently 22nd in the ATP Live Race To Turin, having failed to advance beyond the third round in any of his previous five events. The Greek is a former champion at the ATP Finals, competing at the prestigious year-end event on five consecutive occasions from 2019 to 2023. Tsitsipas’ best result this year came in Dubai, where he lifted his 12th tour-level trophy.

–IANS

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Bulawayo, June 30 (IANS) All-rounder Wiaan Mulder produced a brilliant career-best 147 to put South Africa in complete control on Day Three of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. His composed, yet commanding knock ensured the visitors set Zimbabwe a towering target of 537 before Corbin Bosch’s late strike left the hosts on 32 for 1 at stumps.

Starting the day with a lead of 167, South Africa lost Tony de Zorzi early when he edged Tanaka Chivanga for 31. But Mulder, resuming with patience, capitalised on every loose delivery, driving and flicking with authority.

He added 63 with de Zorzi and then 72 with David Bedingham, who looked threatening before falling for 35, miscuing a pull-off Wellington Masakadza. That dismissal triggered Zimbabwe’s best phase, as they grabbed 3 for 19 in quick time, briefly raising hopes of restricting the visitors.

But Mulder, unfazed, combined grit and flair, bringing up his fifty with a towering six and eventually racing to his second Test ton with a boundary just before lunch. His partnerships, including a crucial 104-run stand with Kyle Verreynne, took the game beyond Zimbabwe’s reach.

After Zimbabwe’s brief burst, South Africa’s lower order hammered home the advantage. Maharaj (51) and Bosch (36) shared a rapid 92-run stand as the hosts’ bowlers wilted. Maharaj mixed caution with aggression, while Bosch’s reverse sweeps and crisp boundaries piled on the pain. Even a returning Blessing Muzarabani couldn’t stem the flow, and when South Africa were eventually dismissed for 369, the target stood at an imposing 537.

Faced with a daunting chase, Zimbabwe’s openers Kaitano and Masvaure began with extreme caution, managing just 32 runs in 19 overs—15 of them extras. South Africa’s bowlers kept it tight, and in the final over, Bosch broke through, having Kaitano edge to second slip for 12. The wicket capped another dominant day for the Proteas, who will look to seal victory swiftly on day four.

Brief scores:

South Africa 218/9 decl & 369 all out in 82.5 overs (Wiaan Mulder 147, Keshav Maharaj 51; Wellington Masakadza 4-98, Tanaka Chivanga 2-76) lead Zimbabwe 251 all out & 32/1 in 18.2 overs (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 12 not out, Prince Masvaure 5; Corbin Bosch 1-1) by 505 runs).

–IANS

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New York, June 30 (IANS) The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced a major expansion to 18 teams, with new teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. This expansion, subject to WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors approval, marks a significant milestone in the WNBA’s commitment to growing the game.

The three new teams join the league’s 15 existing teams, including the Golden State Valkyries, who tipped off play in May 2025, as well as the previously announced expansion markets in Toronto, Canada (2026) and Portland, Oregon (2026). The Cleveland team will begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.

As per the statement by the WNBA, each location was selected based on an analysis of market viability, committed long-term ownership groups, potential for significant local fan, corporate, media, and city and state support, arena and practice facilities, and community commitment to advancing the sport, among other factors.

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The new WNBA team in Cleveland will be owned and operated by Rock Entertainment Group (REG), the umbrella entity that houses REG Chairman Dan Gilbert’s sports and entertainment properties under the Rock Family of Companies. Dan Gilbert acquired the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005, and under his leadership, the team has won the Central Division seven times, five Eastern Conference titles, and, most notably, the 2016 NBA Championship.

“The WNBA’s return to Cleveland marks a pivotal moment for women’s sports. Years from now, we will reflect on this day as a truly monumental point in Cleveland sports history,” said Rock Entertainment Group Chairman Gilbert.

The Detroit WNBA ownership group is led by Tom Gores, his wife Holly, and some of the most accomplished women and men in global sports, business, entertainment, media, and finance. Gores is the owner of the Detroit Pistons. The WNBA is also making its return to Detroit, where the Shock played from 1998-2009, winning three championships.

The Philadelphia WNBA Team will be owned and operated by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and join the organization’s dynamic global sports portfolio. The team will be an extension of HBSE’s commitment to delivering high-performing teams that strengthen the communities where they play.

–IANS

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London, June 30 (IANS) The 2025 Wimbledon Championship kicked off in superb fashion as Benjamin Bonzi wasted little time in notching the first major upset by stunning ninth seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 in the men’s singles first round here on Monday.

Ranked ninth in the ATP ranking, Medvedev has had a horrid run in Grand Slams this year. His first-round Wimbledon exit follows after a second-round defeat to Learner Tien at the Australian Open and a first-round loss to Cameron Norrie at Roland Garros.

Competing on the hottest opening day ever recorded at the grass-court major, according to the Met Office, the World No. 64 Bonzi’s precision and patience from the back of the court proved too much for Medvedev during their first-round clash. He also overpowered Medvedev with a relentless barrage of serving as per ATP.

“This is special for me today. This is my first Top 10 win at a Slam. Obviously, it is always special at this tournament. The atmosphere, all the courts, and the grass, everything really. I love this place, so it’s very special and Daniil is a great player.

“He has reached two semifinals. I knew it was a tough match, but sometimes it is better to play this kind of player in the first round. Anything can happen, so I’m very happy with the win,” said Bonzi in his on-court interview.

With his three-hour, seven-minute victory, Bonzi is into the second round at Wimbledon for the third time in his career. It marks the first time in seven appearances that Medvedev has failed to advance past the first round.

Bonzi struck cleanly from the baseline and found great success behind his own serve, which proved clinical in the first and third-set tie-breaks. After improving to 2-0 in his Head2Head series with Medvedev and earning the second Top 10 win of his career, the Frenchman will next face Vit Kopriva or Jordan Thompson.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) India spearheaded the festivities in the global observance of International Kho Kho Day, with celebrations highlighting the sport’s heritage and growing international footprint.

The day began on Sunday with a high-energy rally at New Delhi’s historic Jantar Mantar, where hundreds of players, coaches, and students marched together, led by officials from the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI). The event set the tone for a day dedicated to showcasing Kho Kho’s transformation from a traditional Indian sport to a fast-growing global movement.

Organised by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI), the celebrations also included a lively magic show, and a quiz competition focused on the history, rules, and evolution of the sport. These events brought together the community in a festive spirit while also raising awareness about Kho Kho’s international momentum.

National Kho Kho Day was also observed as part of the festivities with the state federations doing a variety of activities in their respective states.

Speaking on the occasion, Sudhanshu Mittal, President of KKFI and President of the International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF), said, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Kho Kho family. Over the past few years, Kho Kho has emerged as a symbol of pride and identity for our nation.

“Kho Kho has now gained global recognition, it is being played in 56 countries, which is a matter of immense pride for all of us. Even more significant is that local citizens of these countries are actively playing the sport. We are committed to seeing Kho Kho included in the 2030 Asian Games and aiming for its presence in the 2032 Olympic Games as well. The entire Kho Kho family is united and working tirelessly to elevate this sport to new heights,” he said.

The occasion witnessed participation and expressions of solidarity from Kho Kho federations across more than 30 countries, including Australia, Iran, Nepal, Peru, Vietnam, England, and Bangladesh.

“Today, as we celebrate International Kho Kho Day, it fills us with pride to see the global Kho Kho community come together with such enthusiasm. This day is not just about commemorating the sport, it is about uniting the Kho Kho family that represents the spirit and soul of this game. Our shared vision is to take Kho Kho to greater heights, with aspirations of seeing it represented in global arenas like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Under the collective efforts of our entire team, we are committed to turning this dream into a reality,” said Dr. M.S. Tyagi, General Secretary, KKFI.

This year’s International Kho Kho Day comes amid major developments for the sport, including the successful commencement of the first-ever Advanced III-A Level Training Programme for coaches and technical officials in which over 230 participants, including more than 20 international coaches and technical officials participated. It was also announced that international players will be included for the first time in the Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) auction, with Season 3 scheduled to begin on November 29, 2025.

As celebrations wrapped up, the message was clear, India remains at the heart of Kho Kho’s international growth, and with more countries taking up the sport professionally, the sport is set to reach new frontiers in the years to come.

–IANS

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