Indian sports wrap, February 22: Indian archers top medal table at Asia Cup Stage I

Representative Image: Indian archers won eight medals, including five gold, at the Asia Cup Stage I in Bangkok. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

ARCHERY

Asia Cup Stage I: India tops medal table

Indian archers claimed eight medals, including five gold, to finish atop the medals table at the Asia Cup Stage-1 in Bangkok on Saturday.

Vishnu Choudhary secured gold medals in recurve men’s individual, beating compatriot Rahul 6-2 in the final, and team events. He also bagged a silver with women’s individual champion Basanti Mahato in the mixed team event.

Kushal Dalal captured two gold medals, in men’s individual and team, in the compound division.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Kenya Open: Ahlawat makes cut with birdie finish

Veer Ahlawat’s rounds of 70-72 gave him an even-par total, allowing him to make a last-minute cut at the Magical Kenya Open.

Ahlawat started his second round very early and then had to wait for the rest of the afternoon to know whether he had made the cut.

The 28-year-old rookie, who shot a 1-under 71 in the first round after a disappointing finish with three bogeys in his last four holes, was staring at a missed cut when he came to the 17th tee in the second round.

This time, Ahlawat produced two great birdies on the closing holes to move from 3-over to 1-over and give himself a chance to make the cut.

Meanwhile, fellow Indian Shubhankar Sharma endured another tough week as he carded 71-72 and missed the cut by one.

Ahlawat, who was runner-up at the Indian Open last year, bogeyed the second and the seventh and got his first birdie on the eighth.

– PTI

TENNIS

Maha Open ATP Challenger 2025: India’s Jeevan, Prashant lift doubles crown; Holt to clash with Svrcina in singles title clash

Top seeds Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth of India registered a 3-6, 6-3, [10-0] win over the second-seeded Australian pair of Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios to emerge as the doubles champions at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championship at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium in Pune on Saturday.

It was the first title together for Jeevan and Prashant, and whilst it was the third title for Prashant in Pune, the win today for the Indian team fetched them prize money of INR 7 Lakhs and 100 ATP points, which pushed Jeevan to 94 Prashant to 104 in the world rankings, respectively.

In the singles finals, on Sunday, the sixth seeded American Brandon Holt will take on unseeded Dalibor Svrcina of the Czech Republic.

Earlier, in the semifinals, the 26-year-old and sixth seed Holt, ranked 153 in the world took an hour and 34 minutes to get past eighth-seeded Alexis Galarneau of Canada winning 7-5, 6-4. Holt led 5-0 in the first set before the wily Canadian Galarneau came back to level scores at 5-5, but could not close out the set. Brandon now leads 3-2 in the head-to-head battle with the Canadian.

The 22-year-old Svrcina and a regular in the Indian Futures circuit made it to his first Challenger finals, getting past crowd favourite Khumoyun Sultanov of Uzbekistan winning 6-7(8), 6-0, 3-1(Retd). The match which looked to go the distance had to be stopped as Khumoyun retired after complaining of breathlessness and fatigue due to heat.

-Team Sportstar