World Boxing U-19 C’ships: Aman Dev seals quarters berth with clinical win

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS) India’s Aman Dev came up with yet another clinical performance to beat Pavle Popovic of Serbia to reach the men’s quarterfinals in the 50kg category of the 2026 World Boxing U-19 Championships in Budva, Montenegro.

Aman dominated all three rounds against Popovic to earn a 5:0 verdict and will now face Shalva Beridze of Georgia in the last eight.

Later in the day, Mausam Suhag booked his place in the round of 16 with a 5:0 win over Giuseppe Cavallo of Italy in the men’s 65kg category. He will now face Turkey’s Mehmet Enes Sanli for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Earlier, Aman and Mausam registered comfortable victories to advance to the pre-quarters of their respective weight categories on Sunday.

Aman dominated all three rounds to earn a unanimous 5:0 verdict against Laszlo Papai of Hungary in the men’s 50kg weight category, while Mausam scored an identical victory over Romans Iljins of Latvia in men’s 65kg.

Meanwhile, Shivam lost to Nikola Bogatinoski of Serbia in the men’s 60kg category by RSC late on Sunday evening.

On Sunday, Aditya and Tridev registered contrastive victories in the second round of their respective weight categories to reach the pre-quarterfinals. Aditya defeated USA’s Christian Paez by RSC in the second round after his opponent was given two countdowns each in both the rounds in the men’s 55kg category.

Later in the evening, Tridev earned a 3:2 verdict against Kajetan Bajzert of Poland in the men’s 85kg bout. In the nail-biting clash, the Indian kept his nose ahead by winning all three rounds as three of the five judges gave the rounds to him.

However, Prashant’s challenge in the men’s 70kg category came to an end after he lost 0:5 against Australia’s Luke Nassif.

India are expecting a successful campaign in the 2026 World Boxing U-19 Championships as the next generation of Indian boxers take shape for future editions of the mega events.

–IANS

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French Open: Andreeva beats Chwalinska to become youngest champion in Paris since 1992

Paris, June 6 (IANS) The 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva etched her name in the record books by winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open, defeating qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 in the women’s singles final at Stade Roland-Garros in Paris on Saturday.

With this victory, the Russian eighth seed became the youngest women’s singles champion in Paris since Monica Seles lifted her third consecutive title in 1992. The triumph marked another significant milestone in Andreeva’s rapid rise on the international stage.

The teenager’s journey at Roland-Garros has been remarkable. She first appeared in the main draw in 2023 after coming through the qualifying rounds and announced herself with an impressive run to the semifinals. Two years later, she returned to the iconic clay-court tournament and went all the way to claim the coveted title.

After sealing victory in one hour and 22 minutes, an emotional Andreeva dropped to the court in celebration before sharing a heartfelt embrace with coach Conchita Martinez, the former world No. 2 and 1994 Wimbledon champion who has played a key role in her development.

“I’ve been watching Roland Garros on TV since I was very, very young. It has always been a dream of mine to win this tournament, and I honestly cannot believe that I’m holding this trophy right now,” Andreeva said during the trophy presentation.

The final began nervously, with windy conditions affecting both players. The opening four games featured consecutive service breaks as neither player was able to settle quickly. Chwalinska, ranked No. 114 in the world, briefly delighted the crowd by becoming the first player to hold serve.

However, Andreeva soon found her rhythm and showcased the composure that has become a hallmark of her game. She won nine consecutive games to take complete control of the match, moving from a closely contested opening set to a commanding 6-3, 5-0 lead.

Although she missed an opportunity to serve out the match on her first attempt, Andreeva remained calm and closed out the victory on Chwalinska’s serve, securing the biggest title of her young career and etching her name into French Open history.

–IANS

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17 teams to battle for AIFF Futsal Crown in Rudrapur

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) The fourth edition of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship 2024-25 will kick off on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at the Shri Manoj Sarkar Stadium – Shivalik Hall in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand.

In a double-header day in Group A, Triumph FC will face Real Lona FC at before 2022-23 champions Minerva Academy FC take on Juggernaut FC, as per AIFF.

Seventeen teams will battle for 16 days to lift the most coveted futsal title in the country on August 18. The teams have been drawn into four groups — three with four teams and one with five. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.

With five teams, Group A will get underway first with a clash between two sides making their Futsal Club Championship debut — Triumph FC from Himachal Pradesh, and Real Lona FC from Ladakh. Meanwhile, Gujarat’s Juggernaut FC and Nagaland’s Aphuyemi FC will return after a gap of one season. Both sides were eliminated in the 2022-23 group stage and will try to go a step better this time. Punjab’s Minerva Academy FC, champions in the same season and quarter-finalists last year, are one of the most experienced sides in the competition and will aim to become the first club to lift the trophy for the second time.

Group B is the group to watch out for as it contains both finalists from last season — defending champions and home favourites Corbett FC, and Himachal Pradesh’s Golazo FC. The Uttarakhand side ran out 3-2 winners in a thrilling 2023-24 final in Vadodara, and all eyes will be on the rematch on August 11. Despite being debutants, West Bengal’s Bhawanipore FC will also be a tough nut to crack as they have assembled an experienced squad. Thlangtiang Futsal Club from Mizoram are the fourth and final team of the group. Also debutants, they will look to become the third different Mizo club to reach the final four in the competition’s history.

Group C also has three clubs who will make their Futsal Club Championship bow — K3 Futsal Club from Karnataka, Pondicherry United Football Academy from Pondicherry, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Club from Madhya Pradesh. The latter two will become only the second clubs from their state associations to play at the national level. Delhi’s Goal Hunterz FC, meanwhile, will be making their third consecutive appearance. But having missed out on qualifying for the knockout stage in the last two seasons, the capital side will hope to be third time lucky in Rudrapur.

Semi-finalists from last season, Goa’s Ambelim SC are placed in Group D alongside three other debutants — Real Malabar FC Kondotty from Kerala, OGP Club from Odisha and TOFA from Telangana. Real Malabar will make history as the first-ever club from Kerala to play the Futsal Club Championship. TOFA will take the baton from Speed Force FC, who represented Telangana in each of the previous three seasons. Similarly, OGP will become the third club from Odisha to feature in the tournament after Mangala Club and Sports Odisha.

–IANS

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Women’s Asia Cup: Shafali, Deepti star as India thrash Thailand by 94 runs

Dubai, Aug 30 (IANS) India opened their Women’s Asia Cup 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion, registering a thumping 94-run victory over Thailand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, with Shafali Verma’s 19th T20I half-century setting up the win before the bowlers dismantled the Thai batting line-up.

In pursuit of 160 to win the match, Thailand were all out for only 65 in 16.1 over, with wicket-keeper batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai, being the only player to offer any real resistance by scoring 41 off 48 balls.

India’s innings began very well after they chose to bat first. Smriti Mandhana was playing well, scoring 19 runs off 10 balls, but was then run out.

Pratika Rawal, making her T20I debut, was off to a promising start by scoring 22 runs off 18 balls before Shafali took over in the innings.

The brilliant Shafali’s overwhelmed the Thai reply by scoring 64 runs off 36 balls, consisting of eight powerful fours and three sixes, thus marking her 19th T20I half-century and securing India a firm lead.

India were at 91/1 after 8.5 overs and seemed on the verge of making a large total, but a sudden collapse altered the course of the innings.

India fell from 91/1 after 8.5 overs to 137/9 by the end of 17.2 overs as a result of a number of mild dismissals, Deepti Sharma, the all-rounder, also being run out during the collapse.

Suleeporn Laomi from Thailand was the most prominent bowler, taking 3 wickets for 26 runs from her four overs; she also contributed to Deepti’s wicket by delivering a direct hit that got her run out.

India were in real danger of falling far short of a competitive score, but it was Kranti Gaud who gave them the necessary push at the end. Scoring 15 runs off eight balls, she helped India to 159 all out, which gave their bowlers a target they could defend.

The Thai pursuit was easily handled by the Indian side. With Deepti Sharma at the helm as an all-rounder, the bowlers took wickets at regular intervals and managed to limit Thailand to 65 runs in 16 and a fifth over.

Koncharoenkai was the only player to put up sustained resistance, managing 41 runs off 48 balls, but she received little support from the other side and India secured a comfortable win by 94 runs.

Brief scores: India-W 159/9 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 64, Pratika Rawal 22; Suleeporn Laomi 3-26, Sunida Chaturongrattan 2-31) beat Thailand-W 65 all out in 16.1 overs (Nannapat Koncharoenkai 41; Deepti Sharma 3-1, Nanadani Sharma 3-18) by 94 runs.

–IANS

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