Rutuja runs out of gas, bows out in R1 of Mumbai Open
MUMBAI: Rutuja Bhosale showed glimpses of her capabilities with some superb groundstrokes but lacked the strength and stamina needed to trouble Israel’s Deniz Khazaniuk in their singles first round match of the L&T Mumbai Open WTA 125K Series event on Tuesday. Rutuja was erratic on her serve and a little impatient in her approach as she went down 4-6, 3-6 in an hour and 15 minutes.
“She kept attacking my backhand and that increased my unforced errors. I have to improve on my strength and fitness as all the other girls here are much fitter,” said Rutuja.
YUKI STARTS WITH WIN
BENGALURU: India’s top men singles player Yuki Bhambri continued his fine show and defeated compatriot Sriram N Balaji in straight sets to make an emphatic start to his campaign at $100,000 Bengaluru Open. Yuki, who had won the Pune Challenger last week, lived upto his third seed billing and defeated Balaji 6-3, 6-2 in the relatively easy first round game.
KASHYAP IN MAIN DRAW
KOWLOON: Ace shuttler Parupalli Kashyap advanced to the main draw of the season ending Hong Kong Open Super Series by scoring double wins in the qualifying round of the men’s singles event
here on Tuesday. Kashyap, 31, defeated Kan Chao Yu of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 21-10 in the opener.
VIJENDER’S BOUT
NEWDELHI: Indian pro boxing ace Vijender Singh will take on British and Commonwealth Super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding, who will defend his newly acquired title on March 30, 2018. Vijender, 31, has raced to 9-0 as a pro, and has undergone a short stint with Frank Warren.
TEEN WINS FOUR GOLD
NEWDELHI: Shardul Vihan, who is just 14, won four gold medals on a single day in the National Shooting Championship. Shardul won gold in senior and junior men’s double trap individual and team events.
PUNE TO TAKE ON DELHI
PUNE: FC Pune City would look to improve upon their poor record against Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League when they take on each other in their campaign opener this season here on Wednesday. In their six encounters in the ISL history, FC Pune City have managed to defeat Delhi Dynamos only once.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN TO FEATURE SHOT CLOCKS
LONDON: Next year’s Australian Open will feature shot clocks for the first time, the Grand Slam Board announced on Tuesday. Grand Slams have previously allowed players 20 seconds between points but the time permitted will be increased to 25 seconds, bringing them into line with the ATP Tour.