FILE PHOTO: Yuki Bhambri (in picture) and his partner Michael Venus got the better of the Argentine pair of Francisco Cerundolo and Mariano Kestelboim in an hour and 22 minutes to advance to the next round. | Photo Credit: AP

TENNIS

Sriram Balaji, Yuki Bhambri make winning start to French Open in men’s doubles

Indian players N. Sriram Balaji and Yuki Bhambri made a winning start in French Open men’s doubles with their respective partners.

Balaji and Brazil’s Marcelo Demoliner were made to work hard by the pair of Robin Haase and Constantin Frantzen for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory, which they completed in one hour and 45 minutes.

In another contest, Bhambri and his partner Michael Venus got the better of the Argentine pair of Francisco Cerundolo and Mariano Kestelboim in an hour and 22 minutes to advance to the next round.

While they worked hard for a 7-5 victory in the first set, Bhambri and Venus settled nicely into the second game to clinch a comfortable victory. Bhambri and Venus eventually won 7-5, 6-2.

- PTI

YOGA

Mansukh Mandaviya launches first World Yogasana Championship 2026

The inaugural edition of the World Yogasana Championship (WYC) 2026, the first-ever global championship dedicated to Yogasana as a competitive sport, was officially unveiled in New Delhi by Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya in presence of Federation leaders.

WYC 2026, scheduled to be held from June 4 to 8 at the Eka Arena, Ahmedabad, will bring together elite Yogasana athletes and delegations from over 60 nations including Uganda, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kenya, Japan, Oman, Mauritius and Netherlands.

“The World Yogasana Championship reflects the strength of our youth, our culture, and our vision of positioning India at the forefront of emerging global sports. The championship is a fantastic step towards global expansion of our sport that is a gateway to the Yoga Way of Life. I welcome all countries to India and am confident that this championship will pave a pathway to a new Yogasana sporting economy,” Mandaviya said at the launch in New Delhi.

-Team Sportstar

CHESS

Iniyan Panneerselvam wins double gold at Commonwealth Chess Championship

Grandmaster Iniyan Panneerselvam clinched double gold after winning both the Rapid and Blitz titles at the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Nadu player scored 6.5 points from seven rounds in each format to emerge champion in both sections.

In the Rapid event, Grandmaster Srihari took the silver medal, while GM Mitrabha secured bronze.

In the Blitz competition, Grandmaster Rohith Krishna finished with the silver medal, while Srihari added another podium finish with bronze.

The Classical title was won by Mitrabha, while Sri Lankan player Ranindu Liyanage claimed silver and Srihari settled for bronze.

Conducted across Blitz, Rapid and Classical formats, the event had 96 players competing in the Open section.

-PTI

Manya Balani upsets AGM Rajveer Nahar in All India Chess

Manya Balani (1653) produced an upset victory over higher-ranked AGM Rajveer Nahar (1801) in the fourth season of the Mumbai FIDE Rated All India Chess Masters in Mumbai.

Playing with black pieces, Manya adopted a solid kingside fianchetto setup in the opening before the game quickly transformed into an exciting opposite-side castling battle.

Both players launched aggressive attacks against each other’s kings, creating sharp tactical complications in the middle game. But Manya converted advantage to win in 35 moves.

Top seed Shreyansh Somaiya (1973) continued his winning run with a convincing win over Vihaan Ravi Rao (1725), while Reyaansh Venkat (1906) defeated Ahaan Kataruka (1686) to remain among the leaders.

A closely-fought contest between Aryan Sista (1658) and Kush Ajay Agarwal (1835) ended in a draw whereas Dhruv Muthe (1619) registered victory over Mayuresh Parkar (1781) in another notable result.

Om Nilesh Deorukhakar (1726) defeated Adhavan Oswal (1546), while Janhavi Soneji (1792) scored a win against Mohsin Yunus Shaikh (1566).

Ekaansh Sharma (1565) defeated Raaghav Agarwal (1660), and Shardul Kadam Aditya (1917) bounced back with a victory over Kritika Ravindra Pustake (1488).

- PTI

MOTORSPORT

Shiv Neel leads field as India join IAME karting movement

Shiv Neel, son of India’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan, will be the one to watch out for as the globally renowned IAME karting movement reaches the country in the guise of IAME Series India.

The opening round of the five-round series, promoted by RA Motorsports, will take place at the CoASTT circuit here on May 31, featuring 34 entries.

The IAME, which stands for Italian American Motor Engineering, will give India’s promising talents access to international-standard platforms such as Mini U10, Mini (X30 Water Swift 60cc Engine), Junior (125cc Junior X30 Engine), and Senior (125cc Senior X30 Engine).

Other than Neel, promising Rehan Khan Rasheed and Aaruthran Prabu (Asia-Pacific championship Gold Medalist) will also be part of the event.

The top two finishers in each category at the end of the Series will earn the opportunity to represent India at the prestigious IAME Asia Finals, scheduled to be held at the historic Macau International Circuit in December.

“Our objective is to deliver a professionally managed, sustainable, and internationally aligned series under FMSCI regulations. We are also working to welcome Asian teams and drivers to elevate the competitive standard and provide international exposure for Indian athletes,” the RA Motorsports said in a release.

The second leg of the series will also be held in Coimbatore on June 28 before moving to Chennai for Round 3 and 4 on July 31 and August 2.

The Grand Finale (Round 5) will be held on August 30 in Bengaluru.

-PTI

GOLF

Gill, Kochhar in the spotlight as IGPL Tour heads to Morocco

In-form golfers Pukhraj Singh Gill and Karandeep Kochhar will spearhead a strong Indian challenge when the IGPL Tour makes its North African debut at the inaugural Morocco Rising Stars beginning on Thursday.

The tournament opens a three-week golfing swing in Morocco, with the IGPL Classic scheduled from June 4 to 7 at the same venue, before the USD 2 million International Series Morocco from June 11 to 14.

Three of the four winners from the IGPL Tour and each of the four winners on the ADT this season, are in the field, making it an extremely strong field. Nine of the Top-10 in the ADT Order of Merit have confirmed participation.

The field will be led by Gill, winner of the 2025 IGPL Order of Merit, who also won the last event on the ADT in Malaysia. Joining him in the field is Kochhar, who like Gill shuffles between the ADT and the Asian Tour. Kochhar won the ADT event in Egypt last year.

India’s Sachin Baisoya, IGPL’s number one ranked player, is being joined by a star-studded field that includes his countrymen Veer Ganapathy and Aman Raj, ranked third and fifth respectively. Pukhraj Gill, last year’s No. 1, is in sixth position.

The 18-hole world-class course, the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, in El Jadida City, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, was designed by nine-time Major champion, Gary Player.

Other top Indian stars in the field will be Shaurya Bhattacharya, two-time Asian Tour winner, Rashid Khan, Shubham Jaglan, Kartik Singh and a former Asian Tour winner, Khalin Joshi.

The Morocco Rising Stars, which is the fifth event on the 2026 ADT schedule, is also the fifth event on IGPL Tour.

The tour has already seen action in Chandigarh, Mauritius, Johannesburg and Congo. After Morocco, the Tour will travel back to India for most of its remaining events. The event also sees a team component for the IGPL Tour.

-PTI

HOCKEY

India U-18 men’s and women’s hockey teams depart for Asia Cup in Japan

The Indian Under-18 men’s and women’s hockey teams have departed for Kakamigahara, Japan, to take part in the U-18 Asia Cup 2026, scheduled to take place from May 29 May to June 6.

The men’s team departed on Monday evening, while the women’s team left on Tuesday morning from Delhi.

Month-long national camps for both the U-18 men’s and women’s teams were conducted at the Udhav Das Mehta (Bhai Ji) Central Centre at SAI, Bhopal. While the men’s team’s coaching staff comprises Sardar Singh and Rajnish Mishra, the women’s team has Rani Rampal as its coach.

As part of their preparations, the Indian men’s and women’s teams played a high-profile four-match series each against the visiting Australian U-18 teams in Bhopal as part of an exposure tour. The Indian men’s team registered one win and one loss, while two matches ended in draws. The Indian women’s team ended the series with a confidence-boosting win. The experience gave the teams valuable competitive exposure ahead of the continental challenge.

- Team Sportstar

SHOOTING

Parth finishes seventh in first senior final for India

Young Parth Rakesh Mane impressed to finish seventh in his first senior final for India in the men’s 10m air rifle competition following a good outing in qualification on the opening day of the ISSF World Cup here on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old from Maharashtra had earlier shattered the junior national record with an effort of 633.6 in qualification, which gave him third spot in a classy 149-strong field. Korea and China shared the two gold medals on the day.

There was no Indian presence in the final of the men’s 10m air pistol as the trio of Samrat Rana (582), Ajendra Singh Chauhan (578) and Shravan Kumar (575) ended 14th, 28th and 46th in the qualification.

India’s Jonathan Gavin Antony shot 585 to find himself in seventh place but he was participating for ranking points only, paving the way for Pakistan shooter Gulfam Joseph (583) to enter into the final despite finishing ninth in the pecking order.

As a rule, the top eight shooters compete in the final.

Meanwhile, in the final of the men’s 10m air rifle event, 18-year-old junior world champion Parth shot 145.8 before being eliminated in seventh place..

The other Indians in the men’s pistol event, Tushar Shahu Mane was placed 25th in the qualification with a total score of 630.5, while Arjun Babuta ended a disappointing 63rd with 627.5..

Himanshu Dhillon, who was second in qualifications with 635.7, could not make the final as he was competing for ranking points only..

Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil (30th with 629.8), too, was playing for ranking points..

Earlier, two other Indians in qualification, Shahu Tushar Mane (630.5) and Arjun Babuta (627.5) finished 25th and 63rd respectively.

Reigning world champion Samrat Rana of India finished just outside the top eight with a score of 582. Ajendra Singh Chauhan on his India debut shot 578 for 28th spot while Shravan Kumar’s 575 gave him 46th place in the 142 strong field.

The day also saw the first precision stage of the women’s 25m pistol play out and India’s Esha Singh struck form with a 293, giving her sixth place for now. Manu Bhaker (288) and Rahi Sarnobat (287) have more to do than Esha during Wednesday’s rapid-fire round, to make the top eight.

All three Indians in contention in the women’s 3P, whose final also comes up on Wednesday along with the women’s sport pistol, sailed through their elimination relays unscathed.

Vidarsa Vinod shot 588 in her relay while Ashi Choksey (587) and Tilottama Sen (582) also made it through from the second relay without any hiccups.

-PTI

Published on May 26, 2026