Praneeth, Sameer enter Q/f
sydney: Indian shuttlers B Sai Praneeth and Sameer Verma lived upto their billing and registered straight game victories to progress to the quarterfinals of the men's singles event at the Australian Open here on Thursday. Second seed Praneeth beat Indonesia's Panji Ahmad Maulana 21-12, 21-14, while fourth seeded Sameer edged past Takuma Ueda of Japan 21-16, 21-12 in their respective second round matches. Praneeth will next play seventh seed lee Cheuk Yiu of Indonesia, while Sameer will be up against China's lu Guangzu. It turned out to be a good day for Indians in the men's doubles too as third seed Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy defeated Korean combination of Hyuk Gyun Choi and Kyung Hoon Park 21-17, 21-17 to make it to the quarterfinals.
Constantine selects 30 players for camp
new delhi: National football coach Stephen Constantine has called up 30 players for the team's preparatory camp ahead the Hero Intercontinental Cup which is slated to be held in Mumbai from June 1. India will compete with Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei in the Hero Intercontinental Cup, which is part of their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. Constantine termed the Hero Intercontinental Cup as "an opportunity to play against good opponents." "We need to play more international games before the AFC Asian Cup and here we are getting some against good opponents" he said. The coach also stressed on the significance of the camp and asked the players to keep an open mind. "I always look for more options as the set of players who are with me now might not be available then. Players should come to the camp with an open mind and give their best " he said.
Uvena to officiate in FIFA U-20 Women's WC
new delhi: Uvena Fernandes has been selected to officiate as an assistant referee in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup to be held in France from August 5-24. The new feather in Uvena's cap comes after she had earlier become the first Indian woman assistant referee to officiate in a FIFA World Cup during the 2016 U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan. "It is like another dream coming true and I cannot believe that I will be officiating in my second FIFA World Cup in less than two years," she said in an AIFF release. "It is not only a boost for me, it's a boost for women's football and women's refereeing in general and it shows that Indian referees can also make it to the big stage on a regular basis," she added.