The Indian sports scene saw a mix of triumphs and losses this week. Former Kerala State hockey player A.V. Rajagopal passed away in Alappuzha on Thursday at the age of 73. Rajagopal, who was known as the ‘father of Alappuzha hockey,’ had a significant impact on the sport in the region. He represented Kerala in three senior Nationals in the late 1960s and was later a coach in Alappuzha. His contributions to the sport will be remembered by the hockey community in Kerala.
On the tennis court, Ankita Raina continued her impressive form, winning her pre-quarterfinal match in the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Vigo, Spain. She defeated Cadence Brace of Canada 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the next round.
In the $867,750 ATP event in Winston-Salem, USA, India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh teamed up with Luca Pow of Britain to reach the doubles semifinals. The pair secured a hard-fought 6-1, 4-6, [10-8] victory over Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the quarterfinals.
The Chennai Pro Championship witnessed a thrilling battle for the lead. Dhruv Sheoran shot a brilliant five-under 67 to tie for the lead with Manu Gandas. Sheoran’s round included a spectacular eagle on the 10th hole and three crucial birdies on the 13th, 14th, and 17th. Gandas, who had been leading for the past two days, continued his strong performance with a four-under 68. Both players are now tied at 13-under 203, setting the stage for an exciting final round.
Other notable results from the week include:
*
$15,000 ITF men, Arad, Romania Doubles:
Matteo De Vincentis (Ita) & Milos Karol (Svk) bt Felix Balshaw (Fra) & Manas Dhamne 6-2, 6-7(6), [10-8].*
$15,000 ITF men, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Singles:
Ilia Simakin bt Nitin Kumar Sinha 6-2, 6-4; Leo Borg (Swe) bt Vishnu Vardhan 6-4, 6-7(1), 7-6(5); S Mukund bt Lu Pengyu (Chn) 6-2, 6-2.*
$25,000 ITF women, Vigo, Spain Singles:
Ankita Raina bt Cadence Brace (Can) 6-4, 6-2.*
