Yuki tames Kadhe but Nagal bows out
Pune: Yuki Bhambri asserted his class over a promising Arjun Kadhe even as young Sumit Nagal's ATP World Tour debut ended in a tame defeat at the Tata Open Maharashtra here on Tuesday. Bhambri, country's top-ranked singles players, outplayed wild card and local boy Kadhe 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the event. He will now fight it out with eighth seed Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who battled past Marco Cecchinato 7-6 (4), 6-7(2), 6-2 in a gruelling season-opener. Nagal's unbeaten streak of seven matches was halted by fellow qualifier Ilya Ivashka as the Indian bowed out with a 3-6, 3-6 defeat in his first round. Nagal, ranked 223, came into the match after winning the Bengaluru Open and two qualifying matches here.
Jeevan & Bopanna beat Paes-Raja pair
Pune: Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan's remarkable progress as a doubles player came to fore as he and Rohan Bopanna began the defence of their title by knocking out leander Paes and Purav Raja at the Tata Open Maharashtra here Tuesday night. The left-hander from Chennai, the youngest of all four at 29, came out firing on all cylinders as they beat their unseeded rivals 6-3, 6-2 to progress to the quarterfinals. Jeevan, now ranked 102, stood out with his well- calculated lobs and precise strokeplay, making a huge difference to the outcome of the match. In the second set he lost only one point on his serve. In contrast, Raja could not hold his serve even once in the entire match while Paes did his bit.
Kerala Blasters sack coach Meulensteen
Kochi: Kerala Blasters on Tuesday sacked their head coach Rene Meulensteen following their woeful performance so far in the Indian Super league football season. The decision to sack the former Manchester United assistant coach came after the Blasters suffered a 1-3 defeat at home to Bengaluru FC on December 31. Assistant coach Thangboi Singto will be temporarily in- charge of the side before the Blasters announce a replacement for Dutchman Meulensteen. The Blasters, last season's runners-up side, are now at the eighth spot in the 10-team league table with just one win from seven matches. They have four draws and two losses to collect just seven points so far.
10-man Chennai City FC stun Mohun Bagan
kolkata: Former champions Mohun Bagan suffered a disaster at their home ground with a 1-2 loss to 10-man Chennai City FC in an I-league football fixture here on Tuesday. The southern outfit took a sixth minute lead through Frenchman Jean-Michel Joachim but only to be reduced to 10 players after Pradeep Mohanraj was sent off in the 34th minute for handling the ball inside the box. Ansumana Kromah brought up the equaliser from the resultant penalty in the 36th minute but it was Veniamin Shumeyko who headed home the winner in the 71st minute to hand Mohun Bagan their first loss of the season after six matches. The Kyrgyzstani brilliantly rose above three defenders to head home captain Michael Soosairaj's corner kick to silence the Maidan crowd.
TV rights of Khelo India Games to Star sports
new delhi: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports for its flagship initiative, Khelo India, has chosen India's leading sports broadcaster Star Sports as its broadcast and production partner for the forthcoming Khelo India School Games, 2018. Star Sports will hold the broadcast rights for the event until 2022. "It will be the first time that school games will be broadcast lIVE simultaneously on TV and digital platform. Star Sports and Hotstar will be our ideal broadcast partners to help us realize the dream of transforming India into a global sporting powerhouse in the coming years," Sports Minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore said.