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Here are the key updates from January 12, Friday:
Puneri Paltan sweep aside Gujarat Giants; Telugu Titans' woes continue
PKL league leaders Puneri Paltan continued their storming run in season 10 with a 37-17 victory over fellow title contenders Gujarat Giants, in a completely one-sided match on the first day of the Jaipur leg of the league this season. True to form, it was a complete team effort from Puneri Paltan, who were impeccably led by the brilliant Aslam Inamdar, who registered yet another Super 10.
Telugu Titans meanwhile continued their miserable run this season as they lost to an Arjun Deshwal-inspired Jaipur Pink Panthers. The home team's star raider picked up 14 points, and even though the Titans captain Pawan Sehrawat scored 12 points, that couldn't stop yet another defeat for the side which also finished bottom of the points table last season. After having played half their games, Telugu Titans' points difference stands at a miserable -141.
Satwik-Chirag storm into Malaysia Open semis
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's quest to start the 2024 season on a high is on the right track as the world No 2 pair stormed into the semifinals of the season-opening Malaysia Open Super 1000.
The Indians were at their attacking best in a clinical 21-11, 21-8 win over China's Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting in the quarters. They took a big lead (7-0) early and maintained it throughout the match, looking untroubled by anything the opponents threw at them.
Next up for a place in the final, they will face the either the reigning world champions Kang Minhyuk and Seo Seungjae or the 2022 world champions, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
In women's doubles, however, the morale-boosting campaign of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto came to an end in the quarterfinals. The fast-rising Indian pair lost 15-21, 13-21 to Japan's Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
The duo had stunned former world No 1 and world champions Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara on Thursday but didn't find the same rhythm on Friday. It has nonetheless been a great start to the season for the India No 2 pair as they continued from the momentum they had built towards the end of 2023.
Shooting update: Another double podium for India
Indian shooting's fabulous start to the year continued with another double podium at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta.
Akhil Sheoran won gold while Aishwarya Pratap Tomar won silver in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions final. India have already sealed the maximum possible of two Olympic quotas in the event, so there were no Paris berths. But this is a great result in what is proving to be a very competitive category within India. Swapnil Kusale had also qualified for the final, finishing sixth and the trio won the team gold medal as well.
Bopanna, Ebden into Adelaide International final
More good news for Indian tennis fans as Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have made it to the final of the Adelaide International. The duo beat Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Gonzalo Escobar 6-4, 6-4 to move into their first final of 2024. They take on the third-seeded pairing of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in tomorrow's title clash.
Sumit Nagal advances to the Australian Open main draw, to face Bublik
India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal has gotten through three rounds of qualifying to seal himself a berth in the main draw of the Australian Open. He faced Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the final round of qualifying and worked out a 6-4, 6-4 win to make his first Grand Slam main draw appearance since 2021. Sumit is slated to face Alexander Bublik, seeded 31, on Sunday.
Speaking after his win, a visibly tired Sumit, who needed six match points, said he was happy to get to the main draw and that playing back-to-back matches over the last three days was physically exhausting. "I have a few days off now so I will work on my recovery," he said.
Sumit began his campaign with a straight sets win over France's Geoffrey Blancaneaux and then followed it up with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Australia's Edward Winter. This will be Sumit's fourth main draw appearance at a Grand Slam - he made it to the first round of the 2019 US Open, then the second round in 2020 before reaching the first round of the 2021 Australian Open.
As per reports, the All India Tennis Association had refused to nominate Nagal's for a wildcard at the Australian Open in December because he had decided against playing the Davis Cup tie vs Pakistan.
Determined ✊@nagalsumit ���� will compete in his second #AusOpen main draw after defeating Alex Molcan 6-4 6-4.
He didn't drop a set in qualifying. One to watch at #AO2024? �� pic.twitter.com/8d5I951FWw
- #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 12, 2024
PKL report card: Who got an A+? Anything other than an F for Telugu Titans?
We're exactly at the mid-season stage in the 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi League [PKL10] and it's the Puneri Paltan who are calling the shots. Only six points separate the five teams below them as the next 66 games will define who will progress to the playoffs. Before the season moves to the Jaipur leg, we take a breather to assess each team, look at what makes them tick (or doesn't), and grade them (A+ being highest, F being lowest). Here's our mid-term report card.
What to look forward to today?
Two Indian doubles pair - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, as well as Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, will fight for a place in the semis of the Malaysian Open.
Sumit Nagal is taking on Alex Molcan and a win would give him a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open.
The Pro Kabaddi League moves to Jaipur today - Jaipur Pink Panthers face Telugu Titans, while table toppers Puneri Paltan take on Gujarat Giants.
More updates from Indian football as the men's team gears up for AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
All the buildup with regard to the Indian women's hockey team who will begin their Olympic qualification campaign in Ranchi on Saturday.
What happened yesterday?
Rhythm Sangwan won India's 16th shooting quota for the Paris Olympics
Malaysia Open: Sat-Chi and Ashwini-Tanisha advance, Srikanth ousted
Zagreb Open: Aman Sehrawat won gold in the 57kg freestyle event
Australian Open qualifiers: Sumit advances to final round of qualifying
PKL: Dabang Delhi captain Naveen Kumar will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.
India's table-tennis stars make it to the main draw of the WTT Star Contender in Qatar
You can check all the details of yesterday's news events here.