As a successful but physically draining year draws to a close, one half of Indian badminton's most formidable mixed doubles pair, Jwala Gutta, is now aiming for a Super Series title in the new season to ensure a good build-up to the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi next year.
Sania Mirza conceded her first round singles match of the qualifying event of the USD 600,000 Aegon International in Eastbourne after suffering a hip-strain.
Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Garbine Muguruza were named as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) world champions on Friday - the first time in 19 years the awards have gone to players from the same country.
Newly-crowned China Open champion P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal entered the quarterfinals of the women's singles competition at the Hong Kong Open Super Series tournament on a fruitful day for Indian shuttlers in Kowloon. Sindhu, who bagged her maiden Super Series Premier title last week at the China Open just months after winning the silver at Rio Olympics, trounced Chinese Taipei's Hsu Ya Ching 21-10 21-14, while Saina dished out a gruelling performance against Japan's Sayaka Sato to edge prevail 21-18 9-21 21-16.
India's Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali on Sunday said it was good for home team players to have got the chance to test themselves in the tie against Chinese Taipei but felt that Saketh Myneni needs to develop fast as a big player if they are to win matches against tough opponents.
India's leading players Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sumit Nagal lost in the pre-quarter-finals, ending India's challenge in the men's singles, of the Bengaluru Open, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
While a billion hearts would pray for all the participants to do well, all eyes would be set on the duo of Deepika Kumari/Atanu Das, the four shooters and Mirabai Chanu to open India's medals count.
Sania Mirza and Chinese Taipei's Chia-Jung Chuang overcame a late fightback from second seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain to storm into the semi-finals of the $4,500,000 Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Miami on Wednesday. The Indo-Taiwanese pair won 6-3, 7-6(4).
Ace Indian woman shuttler Saina Nehwal on Friday struggled her way into the semi-finals of the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open defeating Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand. The second seeded Indian beat less-fancied Buranaprasertsuk, ranked 42nd in the world, 21-19, 18-21, 21-16 to set up a last four clash against Indonesia's Pia Zebadiah Bernadet.
Top seed Achanta Sharath Kamal advanced to the second round of men's singles in the NCC Indian Open ITTF Pro Tour tournament after an easy win over Ji Min Han of Korea in Delhi on Friday. The Indian ace defeated Ji Min 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4 at the Yamuna Sports Complex.
Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal reached the quarter-finals of the Asia Badminton Championship after brushing aside Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol in straight games, in Wuhan, China, on Thursday.
The 34-year-old, who is a five-time world champion besides being an Olympic bronze-medallist, beat local favourite Diem Thi Trinh Kieu in a split verdict in the opening round of the light flyweight (48kg) category.
The Indian tennis federation on Saturday confirmed that it will approach world governing body ITF, seeking a neutral venue for the Davis Cup tie against Pakistan.
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal started her season on a winning note, dispatching little known German Nicole Grether in straight games to enter the second round of Malaysian Super Series badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu remained in the hunt for a historic Asian Games gold medal after a tense win but Saina Nehwal settled for a bronze following her 10th straight defeat against World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying.
Hosts Malaysia recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat a spirited Japan 4-2 while Pakistan mauled debutants Chinese Taipei 13-0 in final round matches of Pool A at the ninth Asia Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Tuesday.
Indian football coach Bob Houghton said the country had to do away with outdated tournaments and focus on development of the game.
Thokchom Nanao Singh assured himself of a medal by advancing to semi-finals while Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Singh pulled off a stunning triumph over Uzbek Atoev Abbos to enter the quarter-finals of the Asian Boxing Championships in Zhuhai, China, on Tuesday. Youth World champion Nanao Singh (48kg) rallied to beat Chia-Lun Lu of Chinese Taipei 8-4 and reach the semi-finals.
The 25-year-old Indian, who is on a comeback trail after recovering from injuries, beat Mithun 21-9, 21-15 in just 31 minutes to set up a title clash with Japan's Koki Watanabe on Sunday.
'The Olympic Spirit has been thrown to the wind in Xi Jinping's China.' 'The International Olympic Committee is ready to kowtow to totalitarian China,' notes Claude Arpi.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
Sania Mirza and her partner Chia-Jung Chuang of Chinese Taipei have upset second seeded Spanish pair of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual to enter the women's doubles quarterfinal of the Madrid Open event.
Sindhu lost 7-21, 11-21 to World No. 3 Okuhara in a lop-sided contest.
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza lifted her first WTA title of the year, teaming up with Chinese Taipei's Chia-Jung Chuang to clinch the women's doubles trophy at the USD 220,000 MPS Group Championships in Florida.
Sania Mirza and her Chinese Taipei partner Chia-Jung Chuang reached the doubles quarter-finals of the $ 220,000 MPS Group Championships in Florida, but not before some late scares.
Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy made a spectacular start to their campaign in the US $4,500,000 Miami Masters, storming into the doubles pre-quarter-finals after a crushing 6-2, 6-2 victory over Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Monaco. In the women's event, Sania Mirza and Chinese Taipei's Chia-Jung Chuang earned a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win over the Czech combination of Iveta Benesova and Barbora Strycova Zahlavova to advance to the pre-quarter-finals.
After the high of last week's Chinese Taipei Open triumph, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal hit a low as she crashed out of the Japan Super series Badminton tournament with a straight-game defeat in the first round in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Indian woman shuttler Saina Nehwal on Thursday sailed into the quarterfinal of the ongoing Yonex Chinese Taipei Open Badminton, beating Hong Kong's Kwan Yi Mong 21-8, 21-12.
India's tennis ace Sania Mirza staged a great comeback after losing the first set to beat Ukrainian Mariya Koryttseva in the first round of the Indian Wells tennis tournament on Thursday. The 87th ranked Indian recovered in time after losing the opening set to beat world no. 96 Koryttseva 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Somdev Devvarman routed world number 59 Yen-Hsun Lu 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 to steer India to the third round of the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup competition as the stunning victory gave the visitors an unassailable 3-1 lead against Chinese Taipei in Kaohsiung on Sunday. India will now play the winners of the other second round tie between Australia and Thailand in May to qualify for the World Group play-offs.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi quelled a late challenge from Tsung-Hua Yang and Chu-Huan Yi to carve out a hard fought 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 win in the doubles rubber of the second round Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei to hand India a 2-1 advantage in Kaohsiung on Saturday.
Karman struggled to contain her unforced errors but prevailed 6-3 6-4 win over Eudice Chong to give India a 1-0 lead in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie.
India begins their campaign in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I Federation Cup with a relatively easy tie against Indonesia in Bangkok on Wednesday.
The doubles specialist made the team at the expense of Prakash Amritraj, who was rendered ineligible after the new sports policy that bars foreign passport holders from representing the country. Amritraj holds a United States passport.
India on Wednesday announced a four-member team with Sania Mirza as the spearhead for the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I & II matches scheduled in Bangkok from January 28-February 3.
India's shooters clinched a gold and two silver medals on Thursday, the second day of competition, to remain on top of the standings in the 12th Asian Airgun Championships, in Taoyuan, Taipei. Ravi Kumar and Elavenil Valarivan won silver in the senior 10 metres air rifle mixed team event while it was a 1-2 for India in the corresponding junior event on yet another profitable day.
Saina Nehwal staved off the challenge from Hsiao Huan Chen of Chinese Taipei in an edge-of-the-seat second round match to enter the quarter-final of the Malaysian Super Series in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The Rio Games silver winner easily notched up a 21-14, 21-15 win over unseeded Japanese Aya Ohori in the second round match that lasted just 40 minutes.
Sindhu lost 7-21, 24-22, 15-21 to Beiwen Zhang of United States in a match that lasted 56 minutes while World Championships bronze-medallst Sai Praneeth was trailing 9-21, 7-11 when he conceded the match to fifth-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark due to an unspecified injury.
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