Focused Lakshya in World Junior semis
MARKHAM (CANADA): Lakshya Sen defeated Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin of Malaysia 21-8 21-18 to storm into the semi-finals of the men’s event of the BWF World Junior Championship here.
In the semi-finals, Lakshya will take on the top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, who disposed of Indonesian Alberto Alvin Yulianto 21-14 21-17.
“He is a very good player and I am aware of it. I will have to be on my feet to beat him. I am up for the challenge,” Lakshya said.
The men’s pair of Vishnu Vardhan Panjala and Srikrishna Sai Podile went down 21-11, 21-8 to Koreans Tae Yang Shin and Chan Wang in the quarter-finals.
CHATTERJEE, THARANI WIN LEGS IN JK FINALE
GREATERNOIDA: Nayan Chatterjee of Mumbai overtook Arya Singh of Kolkata with three of the 10 laps left to win the second leg of the Euro JK 18, the feature event in the Grand Finale of the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Championship at the Buddh International Circuit here on Saturday.
Chennai’s Karthik Tharani won the first leg earlier in the day to set up, pushing Chatterjee to second before coming third in the second running of the event. The finale is the culmination of the championships, after two rounds were held at Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway.
In the LGB 4 event, also a race featuring formula cars, Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad and Diljith TS of Kerala won a leg apiece in the two-day event, to set up a Sunday showdown. Vishnu won a race and came fourth in the second to log 76 points for a six-point overall lead. In bikes, Joseph Mathew had a mixed day in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup event, but was comfortably placed in the lead with 60 points. In the International Asia Cup of Road Race run in tandem with the Gixxer Cup, India A’s Karthik Mateti won.
DEFOURNY DOUBLE IN MRF CHALLENGE
DUBAI: Belgium’s Max Defourny claimed two races and Germany’s Andreas Estner and Finn Patrick Pasma a race apiece in the MRF Challenge at the Dubai Autodrome here on Saturday. Defourny won Race 1 and 5 and made podium in the other three races, finishing Round 1 on 106 points, ahead of Britain’s Jamie Chadwick (78) – the only female driver in the competition -- and Singapore’s Danial Frost (70), winner of Race 2 on Friday.
MANAV GETS BRONZE
MINSK (BELARUS): India’s Manav Thakkar settled for bronze in the U-21 category and Harmeet Desai reached the pre-quarter-finals of the men’s singles in the ITTF Challenge Belgosstrakh Belarus Open on Friday. Manav lost to Russia’s Denis Ivonin in the semifinals (2-3) to miss out on the gold.