India and Russia will play two more friendlies on April 14 and 17. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media

FOOTBALL

The Indian Under-17 women’s team lost 0-4 to Russia in the first of three friendly matches at the Matsesta Football Center in Sochi, Russia, on Saturday.

Valeria Menyailova put the host ahead in the 44th minute. Dana Dobrovitskaya and Alisa Klimova converted penalties in the 57th and 72nd minutes, respectively, before Angelina Gulyayeva rounded off the scoring in the 88th.

The Young Tigresses, coached by Italian Pamela Conti, are using these matches to prepare for next month’s all-important AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026.

India and Russia will play two more friendlies on April 14 and 17.

-Team Sportstar

SURFING

Little Andaman Pro 2026: Sekar Patchai clinches men’s SUP Technical title, Arthi wins women’s race

Sekar Patchai continued his dominance in Indian stand-up paddling as he clinched the Men’s Technical SUP title, while Arthi emerged victorious in the Women’s category on Day 2 of the inaugural Little Andaman Pro 2026, being held for the first time in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Regarded as one of the best stand-up paddlers in the country, Sekar, a multiple-time national champion, finished the 2km technical race with the fastest timing of 10:05.02 to secure the gold medal. Rajesh D claimed the silver medal with a timing of 10:26.34, while Dinesh Selvamani finished third with a time of 10:37.33 to take home the bronze.

In the Women’s Technical SUP category, Arthi delivered a strong performance to clinch the top spot with a time of 13:53.20. Vijayalakshmi Irulappan followed closely to secure the silver medal with a time of 14:06.01, while Nishi finished third with a time of 20:58.96.

The penultimate day also witnessed intense surfing action in the Men’s Open category, beginning with the repechage (Round 2), where 18 surfers competed across six heats for a place in Round 3. The top two surfers from each heat advanced to the next stage, joining those who had already qualified on Day 1.

Round 3 saw high-quality performances as some of the country’s top surfers battled for a place in the knockout stages. Kishore Kumar (9.27) and Logesh S (5.84) advanced from Heat 1, while Harish M (9.17) and Ajeesh Ali (8.83) progressed from Heat 2. In Heat 3, Sanjay Selvamani (13.50) and Praveen Ratod (8.47) secured qualification, followed by Ramesh Budhial (16.00) and Jeevan S (4.17) from Heat 4.

Srikanth D (11.67) and Som Sethi (9.50) moved ahead from Heat 5, while Sanjaikumar S (10.90) and Nithish Varun T (9.16) advanced from Heat 6. Akilan S (9.00) and Ruban V (7.03) qualified from Heat 7, and Sivaraj Babu (8.24) along with Sheik Davudh S (7.07) progressed from Heat 8 to book their spots in the knockout stage scheduled for the final day.

In the Women’s Open category quarterfinals, Sugar Shanti Banarse (12.84), Kamali Moorthy (10.34), Shrishti Selvam (7.47), Riva Aurora (5.43), Devi Ramanathan (5.07), and Sandhya Arun (4.20) emerged as the top performers, advancing to the semifinals to be held tomorrow.

-Team Sportstar

HOCKEY

Mohun Bagan clinches bragging rights

Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 3-1 in the final to win the title in the Calcutta Premier Hockey League at the Salt Lake Hockey Stadium in Kolkata.

- Team Sportstar

GOLF

Sachin Baisoya takes title at IGPL Mauritius

Sachin Baisoya broke through for his maiden win on the IGPL Tour at the IGPL Invitational 2026 Mauritius hosted by Leander Paes. A superb run on the back nine with a 4-under 32 saw the 30-year-old Baisoya card a 5-under 67 to take his total to 11-under. Overnight leader Veer Ganapathy was left at 8-under following an even-par round that featured two birdies and two bogeys on either side of the eye-catching Anahita Golf Course.

For the 18-year-old Ganapathy, it was the third time he finished as runner-up. Coming back from two shots behind, Baisoya won by three to secure his first IGPL title after coming close many times last season.

Last year’s Order of Merit winner, Pukhraj Singh Gill (67), joined Olympian Udayan Mane (68) and multiple IGPL winner Aman Raj (69) in a tie for third place at 5-under totals. Milind Soni (71) was tied for sixth alongside Shaurya Binu (69) with 4-under totals. Three players—Aryan Roopa Anand (72), Yashas Chandra (69), and Raghav Chugh (69)—were tied for eighth at 3-under.

A large group of six players finished tied for 11th at 2-under. This group included the top woman finisher, Ridhima Dilawari (73), and the top local player, Pierre Pellegrin (70). They were joined by 11-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, who found his form with a 5-under 67, four-time Asian Tour winner Shiv Kapur (69), Harshjeet Sethie (70), and Indian-American Manav Shah (70).

- Team Sportstar

Published on Apr 11, 2026