The Indian men's chess team, seeded second, is set to face sixth-seeded Holland in the fifth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad after a mixed start. While players like D Gukesh and Nihal Sareen have performed well, top board players R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi are looking to find their form. The Indian women's team, with a perfect score, will play Poland, with B Savitha Shri being a standout performer.
Led by R Praggnanandhaa on the top board and World champion D Gukesh on the fourth, the Indian men scored an emphatic 3-1 victory over Holland but the Indian eves were shocked by Poland in the fifth round of the 46th chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
Fourteen-year-old Indian wild card Jensi Kanabar displayed a strong performance against fifth seed Weronika Falkowska of Poland in the Chennai Open qualifying round, eventually losing in three sets. Other Indian players also exited the qualifiers. The article also details the main draw ceremony, top seeds, and Indian wild card entries for the main event.
India's top-ranked player Vaishnavi Adkar and Sahaja Yamalapalli are set to compete in the WTA 250 Chennai Open, facing tough international opponents in the first round. Seventeen-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi also has a challenging draw. This marks the final edition of the Chennai Open as the WTA 250 slot moves to Manila next year. Meanwhile, all four Indian players in the qualifying rounds were eliminated.
Top seed Aliona Falei and Zhibek Kulambayeva secured their spots in the singles main draw of the WTA 250 Chennai Open after winning their final-round qualifying matches on Sunday. Weronika Falkowska and Kyoka Okamura also advanced.
Prachi Tokas has secured India's first medal at the U-19 World Boxing Championships in Budva, Montenegro, by reaching the semifinals in the women's 80kg-plus category.
Iga Swiatek's left-leg injury paved the way for Maja Chwalinska's stunning Wuhan upset, while Sonay Kartal defeated error-prone Jelena Ostapenko to reach her maiden WTA 1000 final.
Indian boxers Aman Dev and Mausam Suhag secured comfortable victories in their respective weight categories at the World Boxing U-19 Championships in Budva, Montenegro, on Sunday, advancing to the next round. Other Indian boxers, Aditya and Tridev, are also scheduled to compete.
Indonesian tennis star Janice Tjen will return as the top seed to defend her title at the Chennai Open International Women's Tennis Championships 2026, a WTA 250 event. The tournament, India's highest international women's ranking event, will feature players from 22 countries, with Tjen being the first Asian top seed.
Maja Chwalinska overcame early nerves and a first-set deficit to defeat Sonay Kartal 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, capturing her maiden WTA Tour title at Wuhan.
The third and final edition of the Chennai Open WTA 250 tournament begins, offering Indian wild card entrants Vaishnavi Adkar, Sahaja Yamalapalli, and Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi a crucial last opportunity to earn ranking points on home soil. The tournament marks India's exit from the WTA main Tour calendar, making it a significant event for the local players to test their skills against an international field, despite a depleted draw due to withdrawals.
The Natural History Museum's 62nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has announced its winners, showcasing breathtaking images from around the globe. The winning photographs capture diverse aspects of the natural world, from animal behaviour and environmental issues to intricate details of plants and fungi, highlighting the planet's beauty and fragility.
Neelam Sirohi and Kajal Dhochak secured historic silver medals for India at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana on Wednesday, marking the first time two Indian women reached the finals in the same edition. Neelam faced a formidable opponent in five-time world champion Yui Susaki, while Kajal narrowly lost a hard-fought bout against three-time European champion Anastasiya Alpyeyeva. Despite the disappointment of missing gold, these achievements represent a significant milestone for Indian women's wrestling. Other Indian wrestlers, including Rajnita, Nishu, Srishti, Neha Sangwan, and Tanu Sharma, faced defeats in earlier rounds.
Across 34 of 37 nations included in a Pew Research Center survey this year, the prevailing view is that artificial intelligence is more likely to displace workers than open up new employment opportunities.
French tennis star Gael Monfils has officially retired from professional tennis at the age of 40, as confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, ending a career marked by athleticism and 13 ATP Tour singles titles.
Novak Djokovic has received a wildcard entry into the Swiss Indoors Basel, marking his first appearance since 2011. This unexpected move follows an uneven season and a recent early exit from the Shanghai Masters. The 24-time Grand Slam champion aims to secure a spot in the ATP Finals, where he currently sits 11th in the race, needing to finish in the top nine.
Sivakasi, India's fireworks capital, is eyeing global markets as green crackers, rising demand and interest from overseas buyers offer a chance to challenge China's dominance.
Hubert Hurkacz secured his first-ever victory over Novak Djokovic, eliminating the four-time champion from the Shanghai Masters with a dominant 6-4, 6-3 win. Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev advanced, continuing his pursuit of the year-end world number one ranking.
Teenager Alphadjo Cisse became the youngest Italian to score a hat-trick in European club competition, leading AC Milan to a resounding 4-0 victory over RB Salzburg in the Europa League, marking Milan's first continental treble in 24 years.
Parvathy Maya Shaji, CEO of Amster Overseas Private Limited, has been detained at Thiruvananthapuram airport in connection with two cheating cases registered in Kochi. She is accused of defrauding individuals by promising high-paying jobs abroad in Armenia and Poland, with complainants paying significant sums. Her husband and other employees are also named in the cases, and police anticipate more complaints.
Spain's Eugenio Chacarra holds a one-shot lead at the DP World India Championship after the second round, with six Indian golfers successfully making the cut. Om Prakash Chouhan is the best-placed Indian, while Yuvraj Sandhu made a remarkable comeback. Several major champions also qualified, but some prominent Indian names missed the cut, leaving a tightly packed leaderboard.
The 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship will feature two-time champion Vaidehee Chaudhari and defending men's champion Manish Sureshkumar leading a highly competitive field. The tournament, held from October 5 to 17, will include top national players across men's, women's, boys', and girls' categories.
France secured a late 1-0 victory over Belgium in the Nations League thanks to a goal from substitute Michael Olise, marking a winning start for coach Zinedine Zidane. Meanwhile, Italy bounced back from an earlier defeat to thrash Turkey 4-1, with goals from Bastoni, Frattesi, Kayode, and Esposito. Other Nations League results saw Bosnia beat Romania and Sweden overcome Poland.
Polish envoy Piotr Antoni Switalski stated that Poland stands with India in the fight against terrorism, asserting his country's support for India's right to pursue terrorists globally, while also highlighting strong cultural and defence ties between the two nations.
The Indian men's team continued its fine performance, defeating Spain 3-1, with World champion D Gukesh showing the way with a very clean victory over former world championship challenger Alexei Shirov.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India is in continuous dialogue with both Ukraine and Russia, seeking ideas and suggestions to mitigate or cease the ongoing conflict. Following his visit to Kyiv, Jaishankar reiterated India's stance that the war must end through dialogue and diplomacy, emphasising that trade decisions like oil purchases are not the solution to the conflict.
The Indian men's and women's chess teams delivered strong performances at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, with the men's team defeating Spain 3-1 and the women's team securing an identical 3-1 victory over Mongolia. World champion D Gukesh led the men's success with a clean win against Alexei Shirov, while Arjun Erigaisi also contributed significantly. In the women's section, B Savitha Shri and Divya Deshmukh were instrumental in their team's win.
The Indian men's chess team secured a dominant 3.5-0.5 victory over Uzbekistan-2, placing them in sole second position at the 46th Chess Olympiad. The Indian women's team drew 2-2 with leaders China, maintaining their third-place standing. Both teams are well-positioned for medals as the tournament approaches its final stages.
Zinedine Zidane's France were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy in their Nations League match at the Stade de France. Michael Olise opened the scoring for France, but Alessandro Bastoni equalised for Italy. The match also saw France reduced to 10 men late in the game. In another Group A1 fixture, Belgium secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Turkey.
Indian chess teams, both Open and Women's, face a significant challenge to defend their Chess Olympiad titles in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after crucial losses and a historical 'winner's curse' where no Open section champion has successfully defended their title in the last five editions.
Indian golfer Pranavi Urs is in contention for a top-10 finish at the weather-affected La Sella Open on the Ladies European Tour, despite play being suspended due to heavy rain. The tournament has been shortened to 54 holes, with Urs currently tied-eighth.
The Indian men's chess team secured a silver medal on a tie-break after drawing with Hungary, while the women's team clinched a bronze medal by drawing with Georgia at the 46th Chess Olympiad.
Iga Swiatek secured her spot in the US Open fourth round after a challenging two-set victory over Marie Bouzkova. Despite a difficult season, Swiatek displayed resilience, winning two tie-breaks and setting up a highly anticipated rematch with Zheng Qinwen.
Indian table tennis player Ankur Bhattacharjee achieved a significant milestone by winning his first WTT men's singles title and a doubles gold with Akash Pal at the WTT Feeder Olomouc tournament. Bhattacharjee defeated Slovenian Deni Kozul in the singles final and, alongside Pal, secured the doubles title against Hungarian and Polish opponents.
American tennis player Ben Shelton secured a hard-fought victory against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the U.S. Open third round. Shelton, an eighth seed, was buoyed by a supportive home crowd in New York as he overcame a challenging match, winning 6-3 5-7 7-6(3) 7-5. This win keeps his hopes alive for ending a long U.S. men's major title drought.
Eighth seed Ben Shelton recovered from a shaky start to beat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 in the first round of the US Open, despite enduring a disappointing run in this year's Grand Slams.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is set to attend the opening match of the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Katowice, marking his first public appearance at a FIFA-organised tournament since his controversial $20 billion proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup was abandoned in July due to widespread backlash.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is committed to seeking re-election in March next year, despite facing renewed opposition following a controversial plan to sell a stake in FIFA competitions to private investors.
Turkey, Poland, and Denmark secured crucial victories in their respective World Cup playoff semi-finals, moving one step closer to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi has made the 2026 Ballon d'Or shortlist after another prolific season, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo was omitted despite helping Al-Nassr secure the Saudi Pro League title.
