Indian golfer Tvesa Malik had a strong start at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open, carding a 3-under 68 in the opening round. She had four birdies and one bogey at Golfpark Holzhausern, making a comeback from indifferent form. Meanwhile, Indian squash players Aadya Budhia and Shiven Agarwal advanced to the finals in their respective categories at the 31st Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Islamabad. Aadya Budhia, the second seed, will face compatriot Goushika M in the girls’ under-13 final, while Shiven Agarwal will take on local challenger Nouman Khan in the boys’ U-15 final.
In other sports news, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran and his wife Supriya Menon have acquired a major stake in Kochi FC, which will compete in the new six-team Super League Kerala. The Super League is set to start towards the end of August, and the Kochi team, previously known as Kochi Pipers FC, has been renamed Kochi FC. Prithviraj expressed his hope that the league’s inaugural season would significantly boost football activities in Kerala and create opportunities for upcoming players. Meanwhile, India began their Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships with a resounding 5-0 victory over Vietnam in their Group C opener at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The mixed doubles pair of Bhargav Ram Arigela and Vennala K came back from a game down to win their match, and Pranay Shettigar and Tanvi Sharma secured further wins to ensure India’s dominant performance.
