Ankita Raina makes doubles final in Portugal
Ankita Raina in partnership with Alice Robbe of France made the doubles final with a 7-5, 7-6(7) victory over the second seeds Gabriella Da Silva and Elena Micic of Australia in the $40,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in Guimaraes, Portugal.
In the final, the Indo-French pair will play the Japanese third seeds Hiromi Abe and Kanako Morisaki.
The results: $15,000 ITF men, Luan, China: Singles (semifinals): Shunsuke Mitsui (Jpn) bt Siddharth Vishwakarma 3-0 (retired); Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul (Tha) bt S Mukund 6-2, 6-2.
$40,000 ITF women, Guimaraes, Portugal: Doubles (semifinals): Ankita Raina & Allice Robbe (Fra) bt Gabriella Da Silva & Elena Micic (Aus) 7-5, 7-6(7).
$30,000 ITF women, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Singles (quarterfinals): Rachel Gailis (USA) bt Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-2, 6-1.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Teen star Avani takes sole lead at Hulencourt Women's Open
Playing in her first season on the LET, Avani, who as an amateur has top-10 finishes in Hero Women's Indian Open and Magical Kenyan Open in 2023, has had four top-20 finishes this season. The 18-year-old Avani, who is playing her first season as a pro, goes into the final round as a sole leader for the first time in her career. Hulencourt (Belgium), Jun 14 (PTI) Teen star Avani Prashanth, who was second for the first two days, added a third-round card of 3-under 69 to take sole lead at the Hulencourt Women's Open here. After rounds of 68-69-69 she is 10-under despite a closing bogey on the 18th and holds a one-shot lead over French golfer, Nastasia Nadaud (67), and Welsh pro, Darcey Harry (68), who are both at 9-under. The other two Indians making the cut were Diksha Dagar (72-73-70) at 1-under and T-32 and Tvesa Malik (76-70-71) at 1-over and T-42nd. Avani, who was second after the second round, opened her round on the moving day with five pars. She birdied the sixth and the ninth to turn in 2-under. On the back nine, she added birdies on the 14th and the 16th and got to 11-under at which point she held a two-shot lead over the field. She dropped her first shot on the closing hole and fell back too 9-under, but Nastasia, who made a big charge with a 67, was still one behind. Darcey Harry was tied second with Nastasia. On a cooler moving day, Avani picked four birdies with her only blemish coming on the 18th hole. 'The wind switched up today, so it was like a different golf course altogether', said Avani. 'I definitely had to play a little conservatively in some places, which I don't like to do, but obviously I was forced to. I just stayed patient the whole time,' she added. Avani produced a standout moment on the 14th, firing an impressive birdie putt from off the green. 'I misjudged that number a little bit, but I'm glad it turned out the way it did. The temperatures were down a little bit today which I guess made it slightly easier. Yesterday, everyone was complaining about the heat, but I think golf was a little easier for everyone today. 'I preferred it a bit more yesterday because of how far the ball was going, but I'm definitely happy that it wasn't as hot. I had to try really hard to focus all day yesterday, and by the 8th and 9th holes, I was so tired, so thankfully that didn't happen today,' she explained. The young golfer admitted that there could be some nerves going into the final round. 'There will obviously be some nerves, but I just try and forget about it. I love playing under pressure and I love chasing, but thankfully, I don't have to do that now, so I'm just going to put my best foot forward tomorrow and see how it goes,' she said. The second-round leader, Helen Briem shot even par 72 and slipped to fourth at 8-under, while Singaporean Shanon Tan (69) was tied fifth with first round leader, Australian Kelsey Bennett (71). The day's best card came from Cara Gainer of England, whose 66 carried her to tied-seventh with Smilia Tarning Soenderby of Denmark, Lauren Walsh of Ireland, and Ginnie Ding of Hong Kong. They were all at 6-under. In the second round, Avani produced a round of 3-under 69 to follow up on her opening round of 4-under par 68 to stay in second place and just one stroke behind the leader, Germany's Helen Briem (68-68). However, the other Indians Vani Kapoor (76-73), Sneha Singh (74-75), Amandeep Drall (74-76) and Hitaashee Bakshi (79-74) missed the cut. Avani has been encouraged by her recent form and consistency. 'I've been playing well, but wasn't quite getting the strong starts I wanted. This week, I've had that, and I'm happy to have built on it. 'Mentally, I'm in a confident place. I've been closing out tournaments well lately, which has helped put me in a really positive headspace,' she added. PTI Corr UNG This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Formula E drivers Norman Nato and Nyck de Vries deliver decent performances in 24 Hours of Le Mans race
Image credit: Norman Nato/Instagram Ahead of the Jakarta E-Prix, several Formula E drivers headed to France to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Nissan's Norman Nato wasn't having a fruitful Formula E season this year and thought of focusing on the Endurance Championship. He won the pole position in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and went on to finish fifth in the Hypercar category. He is part of Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and put up a decent performance in the French race. Formula E drivers at 24 Hours of Le Mans race Nato had earlier shared a positive post after winning the pole position in the qualifying for the Le Mans race. 'Pole position for 24H of Le Mans!! All the credit goes to the team who's been pushing very hard last few months to be where we are today. To my two team mates for the great drive, hard work and the great atmosphere. Still a long way to go, one of the most difficult race to win in the world. We will try our best. See you on the grid, on pole on Saturday. ' Nick De Vries of #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing finished just behind him in the 6th position. Vries races for Mahindra Racing in Formula E. Meanwhile, Sebastien Buemi, who also races for Toyota Gazoo Racing in Le Mans, ended up in 16th place. Buemi is part of the Envision Racing team in Formula E. Stoffel Vandoorne, who is part of the Maserati MSG Racing team in Formula E, participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race from the team #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies and ended up 12th in the Hypercar category. He had shared about lacking pace after a disappointing performance in the qualifying. Sharing a bunch of pictures from the qualifying race, Vandoorne had written on Instagram, 'Qualifying in Le Mans is one of the most amazing moments in motorsport. Unfortunately our pace is not good enough and we'll be starting the race from 17th. A couple more practice sessions to go today before we go racing…' Also Read: Here's why Sergio Sette Camara will replace Norman Nato as Nissan driver at Berlin E-Prix Now all roads lead to Jakarta as the single-header is scheduled on June 21. It will be followed by the Berlin double-header and the London double-header.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
'She's not the problem - we are': Sakshi Malik opens up on motherhood, marriage and her Olympic journey in first episode of 'Game On' podcast
NEW DELHI: India's first and only female Olympic medallist in wrestling, Sakshi Malik , has kicked off the first episode of Game On — a podcast series spotlighting India's unsung sporting heroes — with an emotionally rich and unfiltered conversation about her journey as an athlete, mother and wife. In a cricket-obsessed nation, Game On, hosted by Preeti Dhaiya, aims to refocus attention on India's women and youth athletes and their extraordinary lives beyond the mat, the ring or the court. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! In a candid conversation, Sakshi talks about how life changed after the birth of her daughter Yoshiidaa — named after legendary Japanese wrestler Saori Yoshida — and how motherhood brought both unexpected struggles and joy. "I trained a day before my daughter was born. I thought I wouldn't face postpartum depression because I'm an athlete. But once I came home, I couldn't stop crying for 10–15 days. I didn't want the baby around. I didn't even understand what was happening," Sakshi shared. "Now she's seven months old and I feel like she's the strongest among us. She's beautiful, and though it was tough, it's equally beautiful now." Her reflections highlight how elite athletes are not immune to the emotional upheavals of parenthood. She credits her husband, fellow wrestler Satyawart Kadian, for being her anchor during this transition. "My husband reminds me that our daughter isn't creating problems — we are. We lived such regimented lives — train, eat, sleep, repeat — that this chaotic joy feels alien. But she's just being a child. It's us adjusting, not her," Sakshi admitted. Lobo Predicted It, Again: South Africa's Historic WTC Win vs Australia The podcast explores how Sakshi's relationship with Satyawart blossomed — from a Facebook friend request to wrestling together on global stages and ultimately building a life side by side. She reminisced about their parallel journeys in sport and love, both winning medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and Satyawart's romantic proposal soon after. "We were in the same school, same city, and didn't even know it. He proposed after we both won silver in Glasgow. I told him — no boyfriends till I win the Olympics! My focus was wrestling. But he stayed. And supported me when no one else expected me to win," she recalled fondly. In a particularly stirring revelation, Sakshi shared how visualising her Olympic dream — inspired by a self-help book Satyawart gave her — became the turning point in her journey to Rio 2016. "He gave me The Secret in 2011. I wrote down my dreams and even sketched myself on the podium. Every night I'd see myself holding the tricolour. It all happened exactly as I had visualised," she said, eyes glistening. Satyawart's support, however, extends beyond wrestling. From sharing household duties to meticulously scheduling baby care duties, he's been a hands-on father. "He feeds her, warms the milk to the right temperature, and even takes over baby duty from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. so I can rest. Then I take over from 3 to 8. We even made a timetable!" she laughed. Sakshi also opened up about the inspiration behind naming her daughter Yoshiidaa — after Saori Yoshida, her wrestling idol. "There was no wrestler in my family. I started wrestling to one day sit in a plane and travel abroad. Later, I found out about Yoshida — three-time Olympic champion. I met her at the World Championship in Canada and decided, if I ever have a daughter, I'll name her Yoshida. It also means 'fragrance' in Japanese. A perfect name for a fighter and a blessing," she said. Backed by The Times of India and supported across YouTube and digital platforms, Game On is not just a podcast but a movement — a celebration of sporting grit, emotional journeys, and India's future champions. Season 1 features other inspiring athletes like Manika Batra, Mirabai Chanu , and Lovlina Borgohain . With Sakshi Malik's vulnerable and empowering story setting the tone, Game On delivers the message loud and clear: behind every medal lies a deeper story worth telling. Catch the latest episodes on TOI platforms and YouTube.
