Desai, Batra off to winning starts
Doha: Ace Indian paddlers Manika Batra and Harmeet Desai made an impressive return to the international circuit on Monday by registering straight-game victories in their respective qualifying round-2 matches at the WTT Contender series. Batra registered a 12-10, 14-12, 11-8 victory over Spain's Sofia-Xuan Zhang in women's singles, while world No 73 Desai notched up an easy 11-5, 12-10, 11-6 win over compatriot Anthony Amalraj to progress to the third round of the men's singles qualifiers. However, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Mudit Dani and Diya Chitale suffered defeats in their respective singles qualifying round matches.
Vijender's bout on rooftop deck
New Delhi: Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh's next bout, his first since November 2019, against a yet-to-be-announced opponent will take place in Goa on the rooftop deck of a docked ship on March 19. “Undefeated professional boxing star Vijender Singh is set to make his return to the ring on March 19. The first-of-its-kind fight will be held on the rooftop deck of the Majestic Pride Casino Ship — who have been roped in as the venue partner,” his promoters IOS Boxing Promotions said in a statement. The Majestic Pride is a ship docked on the Mandovi River in Panaji, Goa.
Djokovic ties Fedex record as ATP No 1
Paris: Novak Djokovic matched Roger Federer's all-time record for the most weeks as ATP world number one on Monday, holding the top spot for the 310th week. Djokovic's ninth Australian Open title last month ensured the 18-time Grand Slam champion will surpass Federer's record next week.
Brady loses in 1st round of doha
Doha: Jennifer Brady lost in her first match since the Australian Open final, falling to Anett Kontaveit 6-1, 6-2 on Monday in the first round of the Qatar Open. Brady made 25 unforced errors against her Estonian opponent. Kontaveit had only nine unforced errors and didn't face a single break point against the seventh-seeded American.
Several arrested during raid at barca
Barcelona: Police raided the offices of FC Barcelona on Monday, carrying out several arrests just six days ahead of the club's presidential elections. Spain's Cadena Ser radio said one of those arrested was former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned in October, along with CEO Oscar Grau and the club's head of legal services.
Azhar bats for holding IPL in Hyd
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president and former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin has pitched for holding Indian Premier League (IPL) matches this season in Hyderabad, amid reports that the city may not be part of the venues for the high-profile T20 cricket tournament. He supported an appeal made by Telangana minister and ruling TRS Working President K T Rama Rao to BCCI and IPL to include Hyderabad as one of the venues.