HOCKEY
Women’s Junior Asia Cup Hockey: India to open campaign against Korea
Led by midfielder Khaidem Shileima Chanu, the Indian women’s hockey team will open its campaign against South Korea in the AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup, to be held in Moqi, China, from September 4 to 13.
The 18-member squad has undergone extensive preparations under newly appointed coach Tim White, including an exposure tour of the United Kingdom earlier this summer.
India has been drawn in the Elite Pool alongside host China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia. The teams will battle for the top positions before the tournament moves into the knockout stage, culminating in the gold-medal match on September 13.
White said the team’s preparations in Bengaluru had gone according to plan, with the players gaining valuable match experience against a combined India A side.
“The team is very excited to leave for China tomorrow for the Asia Cup. Our preparation has been good, including important matches against a combined India A team, which came to Bangalore for four matches. We will go to China confident that we have built a game plan which can be hard to play against, and we are very excited to test that against the best teams in Asia,” said White.
India had toured the UK from July 5 to 14, training and playing matches in Edinburgh and Lilleshall. The side played seven games against Scotland’s senior women’s team as well as the junior teams of the United States, England, and Belgium.
India registered a commanding 6-0 win over the United States and followed it with back-to-back 2-0 victories against England. It also edged the USA in a shootout after a 1-1 draw, winning 3-2 on penalties in a closely contested rematch.
The tour also provided the young Indian side with valuable experience against Scotland’s more seasoned senior team and a strong Belgium Under-21 outfit.
After facing South Korea, India will take on Malaysia on September 6, Japan on September 8, and host China on September 9 in the Junior Asia Cup.
– PTI
SQUASH
Velavan Senthilkumar wins Budapest Open squash title
Velavan Senthilkumar won his maiden PSA Copper-level crown at the Budapest Open squash in the Hungarian capital on Friday.
The world No 54 and eighth seed beat local favourite Balazs Farkas 11-4, 11-2, 11-3 in the final of the USD 43,500 prize money tournament for his 11th PSA Tour crown.
– Team Sportstar
GOLF
Telangana Golconda Masters to tee off on September 1 in Hyderabad
Top Indian professionals, including Saptak Talwar, Veer Ahlawat and Rashid Khan, will be in action when the Telangana Golconda Masters is held at the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) from September 1 to 4.
The prize purse for the event is Rs. 1 crore.
This competition will determine the top-24 players from the DP World PGTI Order of Merit who will earn their spots at the season-ending DP World India Championship.
The 132 field will include DP World PGTI Order of Merit leader Saptak, Honey Baisoya, Veer , Rashid, Akshay Sharma and Om Prakash Chouhan, to name a few.
The prominent foreign players in the field are defending champion Jamal Hossain of Bangladesh, Badal Hossain also from Bangladesh, Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and Mithun Perera, Nepal’s Subash Tamang, Uganda’s Joshua Seale and the Japanese duo of Koichiro Ishika and Taiga Tanaka.
The local challenge will be led by Hyderabad-based professionals Mohd Azhar, Vishesh Sharma and Rupinder Singh Gill.
– PTI
Shubhankar Sharma makes cut comfortably at British Masters
India’s Shubhankar Sharma put up a solid performance in gruelling conditions to comfortably make the cut at the weather-hit Husqvarna British Masters at The Belfry.
Showing immense composure amidst multiple rain disruptions, the Indian golfer carded solid rounds of 69 and 71 to finish the halfway stage tied at the 13th position.
Sharma navigated the stormy English weather well to aggregate a 4-under total.
However, it was a disappointing week for the other Indian contender, Yuvraj Sandhu, who missed the cut after recording scores of 71 and 77.
– PTI
Pranavi lone Indian to make cut in Irish Open, lies tied-8th
Rising Indian golf sensation Pranavi Urs emerged as the sole Indian to qualify for the weekend rounds at the prestigious KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Delivering a resilient performance at the Palmer South course at The K Club, Urs carded a solid two-under-par 70 in her second round to secure a spot tied for eighth place.
While her steady play kept Indian hopes alive in the tournament, a highly competitive global field means she faces a steep uphill battle.
Urs currently sits ten strokes adrift of the runaway tournament leader, South Africa’s Casandra Alexander, who continues to dominate the leaderboard.
– PTI
Published on Aug 29, 2026
