Shreeniti completes golden double, Fazal wins boys’ title at KSLTA World Tennis Junior J30

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Bengaluru, Sept 5 (IANS) Local lass Shreeniti Chowdhury capped a remarkable week at the KSLTA World Tennis Junior J30 Bengaluru by completing a golden double, winning both the girls’ singles and doubles titles at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium here on Saturday.

The 15-year-old fourth seed first overcame fellow Citymate Aahida Singh 6-4, 6-2 in the singles final and then returned to partner Riddhi Shinde to win a thrilling girls’ doubles final against Zoha Qureshi and Deepthi Venkatesan 4-6, 6-2, 13-11.

In the boys’ singles final, sixth seed Fazal Ali Meer defeated third seed Niyanth Badrinarayanan of the USA 6-4, 4-6, 2-0 (retired). The pair of Chukka Lakshya Vardhan and Parthiv Nallagundla captured the doubles title after they defeated Nithinbarath KS and Abhivadya Misra 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 10-4 in another closely fought final.

Shreeniti, a Class 10 student of DPS East School who trains at HLTA, found it was the perfect culmination to an outstanding fortnight. She arrived in Bengaluru after winning the ITF J60 title in Hyderabad last week and followed it up by sweeping both titles at the J30.

The 15-year-old’s singles final against fifth seed Aahida was closely fought, particularly in the opening set where she was down 0-3, losing her serve in the first and 3rdgames. Shreeniti fought back with her sharp returns while attacking the net often and levelled at 4 and won the next two games to take the opening set 6-4.

She carried the momentum into the second set, breaking Aahida early and taking control of the match. Aahida fought hard, but Shreeniti maintained her composure to close out the set 6-2 and claim the singles crown.

The boys’ final was a closely fought contest before Niyanth was forced to retire with cramps early in the deciding set. Fazal made a strong start, breaking Niyanth in the second game to lead 2-0. Niyanth fought back, and the two settled into a tight exchange, with both players producing quality tennis.

Fazal regained the advantage to lead 4-3 before Niyanth levelled at 4-4, breaking Fazal’s serve in the ninth game and holding serve to take the opening set 6-4.

Niyanth kept the momentum going into the second set and appeared to have gained the upper hand after taking a 4-2 lead, but then began to suffer from cramps. Despite the physical discomfort, he continued to fight, but was unable to maintain his earlier intensity. Fazal capitalised on the situation to win the next four games and take the set 6-4.

The deciding set was short-lived. Fazal held his opening serve and then broke Niyanth to move 2-0 ahead, after which the American was forced to retire, handing Fazal the boys’ singles title.

–IANS

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1st WT20I: Wolvaardt, Khaka shine as SA clinch 6-wicket win over India

Durban, April 18 (IANS) South Africa outclassed India by six wickets in the opening Women’s T20I, riding on a clinical all-round effort to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Put in to bat, the Women in Blue made a brisk start with Shafali Verma setting the tone through a quickfire 34 off 20 balls, while Smriti Mandhana chipped in with 13. The visitors raced to 46 inside five overs before South Africa struck back with quick wickets to derail the momentum.

The innings was then steadied by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, who stitched together a crucial 71-run partnership for the third wicket. Rodrigues played fluently for her 36 off 29 deliveries, while Harmanpreet anchored the innings with a 33-ball 47. At 119/2 in the 14th over, India looked set for a total well beyond 165.

However, South Africa’s bowlers staged a strong comeback at the death. Tumi Sekhukhune and Ayabonga Khaka mixed their pace cleverly and executed their slower balls to perfection, triggering a collapse. India managed just 38 runs in the last 34 balls, losing wickets at regular intervals, finishing at 157/7. Khaka was particularly impressive, returning figures of 3/16.

In response, the Proteas approached the chase with composure and clarity. After an early setback, Laura Wolvaardt took control of proceedings with a classy knock, bringing up a well-paced half-century. She found support from Annerie Dercksen, who played a vital hand in the middle overs to keep the scoreboard ticking.

India’s bowlers struggled to maintain discipline, conceding several extras that eased the pressure on the hosts. Despite picking up a few wickets through Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani, India failed to build sustained pressure as missed chances and erratic lines proved costly.

Wolvaardt’s dismissal for 51 in the 14th over briefly opened a window for India, but Dercksen (44 off 34) and Chloe Tryon ensured there were no further hiccups. The duo calmly guided South Africa towards the target before Tryon sealed the win in style with a towering six on the first delivery of the final over.

South Africa eventually reached the target with five balls to spare, underlining their dominance in all three departments. While India showed promise in patches, particularly through their middle-order partnership, their inability to capitalise at the death and lack of discipline with the ball proved decisive.

The visitors will now look to regroup quickly and address their shortcomings ahead of the second T20I on Sunday.

Brief scores; India Women 157/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 47, Jemimah Rodrigues 36; Ayabonga Khaka 3-16, Tumi Sekhukhune 2-27) lost to South Africa Women 158/4 in 19.1 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 51, Annerie Dercksen 44; Shreyanka Patil 2-26, Shree Charani 1-26) by six wickets.

–IANS

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‘When you put in hard work, you get rewards’: Ponting lauds Arshdeep’s match-winning spell

Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting has heaped praise on fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, whose brilliant spell helped the team register a dominant 7-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Arshdeep, who was struggling to take wickets from the start of the season, made a strong comeback against Mumbai as he took three wickets and gave away just 22 runs in his four overs. After the win, Ponting praised Arshdeep’s hard work and commitment towards the team.

“Well, I mean, what everyone needs to know about Arshdeep is that he loves his training. He trains very, very hard. Yesterday, he sent me a 20-minute bowl. It was more like a 30 or 40-minute bowl out here. Did some target bowling stuff. Just fine-tuning the way that he wanted to start his spell today,” Ponting said in a video released by IPL on X.

“And it just goes to show that when you put in the hard work, you get the rewards. We got the rewards tonight. So, it’s nice to see from a coaching group that when you give trust to your players and let them get themselves prepared in their own way,” he added.

Ponting also credited the environment of the team, which helped Arshdeep to mentally prepare for his comeback after a poor performance in starting three matches.

“We’ll always back our players in regardless of how well they’re going or how well they’re not going. You know, in this Punjab team now, we’ve got a settled side,” He said.

“We’re backing them in, regardless if they have two or three bad games in a row. The environment that we’re creating is all about trust and making sure that we’re there for our mates when it matters. And Arshdeep has certainly done that for us this week,” he said.

Speaking of the match, despite De Kock’s ton, MI were not able to cross the 200-run mark and set a target of 196 runs for PBKS, which they chased down easily in just 16.3 overs.

–IANS

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CWG 2026: ‘Never stop learning,’ Yogeshwar outlines India’s gymnastics vision after reaching all-around final

New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) Indian gymnast Yogeshwar Singh urged aspiring athletes to embrace continuous learning after qualifying for the men’s all-around final at the Commonwealth Games. He reflected on India’s growing stature in gymnastics, the improvements in coaching and infrastructure, and the progress being made by the country’s next generation, following his qualification alongside compatriot Tapan Mohanty.

Sharing his thoughts on India’s development in the sport, Yogeshwar highlighted the significance of competing at the Commonwealth Games. “Representing India in the Commonwealth…It is probably one of the biggest competitions for India,” Yogeshwar said in a video shared by Olympics Khel on Sunday.

The gymnast said Indian sport, and gymnastics in particular, is moving in the right direction with greater investment in coaching and facilities. “Right now, India is a developing country in sports, and gymnastics is also improving step-by-step. A lot of private academies and some of the government centres have introduced foreign coaches and better equipment. So it’s good, and, hopefully, step-by-step, we will be at the top level in the coming days,” he added.

Yogeshwar also expressed confidence in the emerging talent coming through the ranks before offering a message to young athletes across the country. “Our juniors are doing really good. I have one message for India, never stop learning,” he stated.

His remarks came after a solid showing in the qualification round of the artistic gymnastics competition. Yogeshwar accumulated 71.400 points to finish 18th overall, while Tapan Mohanty placed 17th with 71.700 points. Both secured places in the 24-man all-around final under the two-per-country qualification rule.

India also had encouraging performances in the apparatus events. Swathish Kaitheri Puthalath was named second reserve for the rings final after scoring 12.450, while Yogeshwar earned second reserve status in the vault with a score of 12.600.

In the men’s team competition, India recorded a total of 208.550 points to finish seventh overall. The Indian side had led the standings after the completion of Subdivision 2, but Canada, England and Australia moved ahead during Subdivision 3. Canada clinched the gold medal with 241.400 points, followed by England on 238.250 and Australia on 235.650.

–IANS

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