Dangal maintain winning run
UP Dangal registered a narrow 4- 3 victory over Delhi Sultans to move closer to a spot in the knock- out stages of the Pro Wrestling League season 3 here at the Siri Fort Sports Complex on Monday.
Down 2- 3 in the seven contest duel, UP icon Vinesh Phogat and Bekzod Abdurakhmonob won the last two bouts of the day to maintain UP’s unbeaten run. Delhi have now lost all their three ties and are virtually out of semi- finals reckoning.
Vinesh, the 2017 Commonwealth champion who came into the tie without dropping a single point continued buoyant run and steamrolled Maroi Mezien 15- 0 in the 50 kg competition via technical superiority to make it 3- 3 for Dangal.
The Asian championship gold medallist then hammered Vinod Omprakash 9- 0 in the 74 kg competition to complete the rout for UP.
In the fifth bout, Jamalladin Magomedov of Azerbaijan registered a comfortable 6- 2 victory through pinfall over Hitender in the super heavyweight clash of the day, to keep UP afloat.
Earlier UP won the toss and forced world champion Haji Aliev out of the equation while Delhi Sultans blocked Geeta Phogat.
Delhi opened with a win with Sandeep Tomar beating Nitin Rathi, who started well.
But Tomar, 2016 Asian championship gold medallist, who came into the bout undefeated fought back to tie the score 8- 8 at the end of regulation in the 57 kg competition. The referees awarded the match in Nitin’s favour, thanks to his big- scoring move in the second period.
European championship silver medallist Zsanett Nemeth of Hungary, however, restored parity for UP, overcoming Samar Hamza of Egypt 3- 2, via a fall in the 76- kg women’s event. Nemeth, who started as a strong favourite, was behind 1- 2 for the most part of the bout but she turned it around in style to steer her side to victory.
World championship bronze medallist Alborov Aslan of Delhi Sultans then defeated junior nationals silver medallist Vicky 7- 1 in a lop- sided affair to send the home team 2- 1 ahead in the tie. Commonwealth champion Sangeeta Phogat caused the biggest upset of the tournament, getting the better of world champion Vanesa Kaladzinskaya 7- 4 in the 57- kg women’s contest to help Delhi take a critical 3- 1 lead.