SQUASH
Suraj Chand quells Menshawy challenge in HCL Challenger Tour Kolkata
Fresh from winning the world university singles title, fourth seed Suraj Kumar Chand overcame Egypt’s Hassan Menshawy in a 73-minute-long five-game thriller 11-4, 8-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-8 in the men’s pre-quarterfinals of the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour in Kolkata on Tuesday.
In another engrossing five-game contest, Sandhesh Palanivel Ravikumar rallied from 2-0 down to beat sixth seed Ayaan Vaziralli 6-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 and advance to the men’s quarters.
In women’s, top seed Tanvi Khanna moved to the quarters with a straight-games win over Vasundhara Nangare.
Results (pre-quarterfinals, Indians unless specified):
Men: 8-Om Semwal bt Ravi Dixit 11-6, 12-10, 12-14, 11-2; Sandhesh Palanivel Ravikumar bt 6-Ayaan Vaziralli 6-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7; 1-Mohamed Gohar (Egy) bt Arihant KS 12-10, 11-2, 11-6; 4-Suraj Kumar Chand bt Hassan Menshawy (Egy) 11-4, 8-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-8; 2-Ahmed Said Sobhy (Egy) bt Deepak Mandal 11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 11-4; 5-Hazem Hossam (Egy) bt Rahul Baitha 6-11, 13-11, 11-3, 11-5; 3-Seif Refaay (Egy) bt Fabian Igelbrink (Ger) 11-1, 11-3, 11-4; Shaurya Bawa bt 7-Islam Kouritam (Egy) 8-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3.
Women: 3-Sohayla Hazem (Egy) bt 8-Anjali Semwal 11-4, 12-10, 11-5; Ananya Narayanan bt Rani Gupta 11-4, 11-1, 11-5; 1-Tanvi Khanna bt Vasundhara Nangare 11-3, 11-6, 11-7; 7-Nirupama Dubey bt Vyomika Khandelwal 11-8, 11-5, 11-4; 4-Karolina Sramkova (Cze) bt Reiva Nimbalkar 11-4, 11-2, 12-10; 2-Menna Walid (Egy) bt Anika Dubey 12-10, 11-6, 12-10; 7-Unnati Tripathi bt Sahana Kalaivanan 11-1, 11-3, 11-5; 5-Rathika Seelan bt Pooja Arthi Raghu 11-1, 11-2, 11-3.
– Team Sportstar
PARA SPORTS
Indian para-cyclists shine at UCI Track Event in Denmark
Indian para-cyclists won 12 medals at the UCI Para-Cycling Track Event in Odense, Denmark. Andhra Pradesh’s Arshad Shaikh led the medal haul with six medals (Individual Time Trial – Silver, 200m sprint – Bronze, Elimination – Gold, Individual Pursuit – Silver, Scratch – Silver and Elimination – Gold)
Indian para-cyclists with the medals won.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Indian para-cyclists with the medals won.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
.Gujarat’s 17-year-old Vishwa Vasani continued to make her mark on the international stage, winning four bronze medals across the 1km Individual Time Trial, Scratch Race, 200m Sprint and Elimination Race. Maharashtra’s 16-year-old Anshuman Dhumal, meanwhile, secured two silver medals in the Elimination Race.
– Team Sportstar
HOCKEY
30 teams set for Hockey India Junior Women National Championship in Pune
A total of 30 teams will compete across three divisions in the 16th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2026, which begins in Pune on Wednesday and runs until August 23.
Division A will feature 12 teams split into four pools, with Jharkhand, Punjab and Chandigarh in Pool A; Haryana, Odisha and Bengal in Pool B; Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Manipur in Pool C; and Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal in Pool D.
The Division A league stage begins on August 16, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals on August 20. The semifinals will be held on August 21, while the third-place playoff and final are scheduled for August 23. The bottom two teams will be relegated to Division B.
Division B will comprise 10 teams across two pools, with the top two earning promotion to Division A and the bottom two dropping to Division C.
Eight teams will compete in Division C, with the top two gaining promotion to Division B.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said the three-division format would provide young players valuable competitive exposure while strengthening the domestic pathway.
– PTI
PADEL
World Padel League Season 4 to feature top international stars in Mumbai
The fourth season of the World Padel League will be held at the DOME, SVP Stadium in Mumbai from August 12 to 16, bringing several leading international players to India.
Six franchises — Vedanta Leopards, Khan Tigers, VB Realty Cheetahs, Aussie Mavericks Jaguars, Hubtown Panorama Panthers and Game Changers Lions — will compete over five days.
The player line-up includes Premier Padel champions, several players ranked inside the world’s top 20 and former World No. 1s, setting up a strong field for the new season.
World Padel League co-founder Mahesh Bhupathi said the quality of the field reflected the sport’s growing presence in India.
“The level of competition this season is a reflection of the growth of padel here. To have some of the best players in the world competing in India is a big moment for the sport and will only accelerate the growing interest around it,” Bhupathi said.
The tournament is expected to feature several high-profile match-ups as established international players compete in Mumbai.
– Team Sportstar
Published on Aug 11, 2026
