ANKITA, KARMAN SEAL WIN OVER HONG KONG IN FED CUP TIE

NEWDELHI: Ankita Raina continued her form with a fluent win after Karman Kaur Thandi’s win as India beat Hong Kong 3-0 in the Fed Cup on Friday. Karman prevailed 6-3, 6-4 over Eudice Chong to give India a 1-0 lead in the Asia/Oceania Group I matches while Ankita beat Ling Zhang 6-3, 6-2 to seal India’s win. In the last match, Prarthana Thombare and Pranjala Yadlapalli defeated Kwan Yau Ng and Ching Hu Wu 6-2,6-4.

INDIA MEN, WOMEN OUT OF ASIA BADMINTON

ALOR SETAR (MALAYSIA): Indian men’s and women’s teams crashed out of the Badminton Asia Team Championships, losing to China and Indonesia respectively in the quarterfinals on Friday.

PV Sindhu beat Fitriani Fitriani 21-13, 24-22 but India lost 1-3. Men too lost 1-3 with Kidambi Srikanth the lone Indian winner, beating Shi Yuqi, the India Open winner, 14-21, 21-16, 21-7 in the first singles.

PREPARATIONS ON TRACK: MINISTER

NEW DELHI: Preparations for two major international competitions this year — Gold Coast Commonwealth Games beginning from April 4 and Asian Games in Indonesia starting August 18, according to sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, are on the right track.

“The elite athletes are being given all the prerequisite facilities. There is no dearth of funds,” he said.

INDIAN PARA-CYCLISTS WIN SILVER, BRONZE

NAYPYIDAW (MYANMAR): India underlined their supremacy in the Asian Para-Cycling Championships by grabbing three podium finishes on Friday.

Divij Shah led India’s charge in the para-cycling category winning yet another silver, while Harinder Singh bagged the bronze.

New entrant Madhu Bagri, meanwhile, won bronze in the hand-cycling.