
Ira Sharma makes to main draw of Canada Open 2025
Ira Sharma, world No. 84 in the badminton rankings, made short work of Germany's world No. 119 Miranda Wilson, cruising to a 21-9, 21-13 victory in just 34 minutes.
This was the Indian badminton player's second straight win over her German opponent in as many matches, as per Olympics.com.
Ira, who made the pre-quarterfinals at the US Open last week after starting from the qualifiers, will next face Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova in the opening round of the main draw, which will also feature India's Shriyanshi Valishetty and Tanya Hemanth.
Meanwhile, Chirag Sen fell short of making the cut for the men's singles main draw at the BWF Super 300 tournament after losing 21-14, 21-10 to Malaysia's Eogene Ewe in the qualifiers.
Sen is ranked 137th in the world while Ewe is 98th.
The men's singles field at the Canada Open badminton features a strong Indian presence, led by former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, US Open champion Ayush Shetty, Priyanshu Rajawat and S Sankar Muthusamy.
Only two Indian shuttlers, however, will be moving on to the second round with seventh seed Rajawat set to face Srikanth while fifth seed Ayush will stand opposite to Muthusamy in the opening round on Wednesday.
Mixed doubles top seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are the only Indian team in action at the 2025 Canada Open. (ANI)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
4 hours ago
- Global News
Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala making waves and history in Vancouver
Under the lights at Vancouver, B.C.'s Nat Bailey Stadium, 19‑year‑old Arjun Nimmala is standing out, not only for his on-field performance, but for the cultural resonance he brings to the game. Nimmala was born in Florida to Indian immigrant parents and is already regarded as one of the top prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. A sit-down interview with Global News delved into the depth behind his rapid ascent. Straight out of high school, Nimmala signed with the Blue Jays for $3 million after being selected 20th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. View image in full screen Baseball insiders believe Arjun Nimmala has a strong swing and a promising future as a hitter. Neetu Garcha / Global News He now plays for the Vancouver Canadians, the club's High-A affiliate, and has been named the Northwest League's Player of the Week. The publication Baseball America also called him a 'future star.' Story continues below advertisement And while another name, Texas Rangers prospect Kumar Rocker, officially claimed the milestone of being MLB's first player of Indian descent, Nimmala's journey is just beginning. In May, Nimmala played during South Asian Heritage Night at Nat Bailey Stadium, a night which he said took on a deeply personal meaning. 'It felt amazing, you know,' he told Global News. 'I didn't know what to expect going into the night, but just seeing all the people here, especially Asians, Indians, it was insane because usually you don't see a lot of that, and just having them here meant a lot for me.' Born in the U.S. but proud of his roots, Nimmala even celebrates them on the field, in his own signature way. 1:54 Shohei Ohtani hits record-breaking 50 home runs, steal 50 bases in 1 season 'My name is Arjun, named after Arjuna, he's an archer in Hindu mythology,' he explained. Story continues below advertisement 'So if you ever watch the games, I do a, like, when I get on second base or something, I do a bow and arrow celebration to like kind of show meaning to that.' Before he played baseball, he played cricket, his father's sport. The early experience with hand-eye coordination and bat control helped shape the foundation for what would become a pro career. 'For me personally, I thought it was a pretty smooth transition. You know, a lot of the bat-to-ball skills you see in cricket is very similar in baseball. So I thought the transition for me was pretty smooth,' Nimmala said. View image in full screen Arjun Nimmala played cricket as a child, something he credits with his 'smooth transition' to baseball. Neetu Garcha / Global News A rough start, a major turnaround Nimmala's pro career didn't start as smoothly as he would have hoped. Story continues below advertisement After struggling in his first several games, he credits mechanical adjustments and mental focus for the dramatic improvement. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I was definitely not very good to start the season last year for sure, but I mean, you know, it was just a little bit of a learning stage, got a little bit of time to reset and go back to the complex and made some mental tweaks, hitting adjustments, and since then, you now, just forgot about that start and you know been good ever since,' he said. David Singh, a senior writer at Sportsnet, has followed Nimmala since the draft. 'I spent some time with Arjun right after he was drafted and he was a fresh-faced kid just signed … to see the development he's gone through since then it's been a marked change,' Singh said. 18:30 Joey Votto discusses his storied career with Cincinnati Reds, love for hometown Jays 'He's really mature; the level of maturity is something that people here in the organization speak about. It's something that wows them.' Story continues below advertisement According to Singh, that maturity sets him apart. 'For somebody to go through struggles, come out on the other side okay, but then recognize how that has been for their development is pretty rare for a 19-year-old,' Singh said. Doug Fox, a Blue Jays prospect analyst and writer, says Nimmala's rise in High-A is especially impressive given his age and the pitching-friendly environment of the Northwest League. 'He's very young. Despite being one of the youngest players in all of the High-A level, he's among the offensive leaders in many categories. Everything about him suggests he will be an impact bat at the big league level,' Fox said. 'I certainly would expect by 2027 or '28 he will be a full-time big leaguer.' Singh also sees a major upside as Nimmala grows into his frame. 'As his frame develops, I think we'll see more power come out. He's a very strong hitter, he's got a good hit tool is what we call it in baseball,' Singh said. View image in full screen Arjun Nimmala told Global News having the chance to play during Nat Bailey Stadium's South Asian Heritage Night 'felt amazing.' Neetu Garcha Representation and responsibility Nimmala knows he carries more than just expectations on his back; some say he also carries a community. Story continues below advertisement 'Last year, he was vying to become the first player of Indian descent in major league baseball; that's since been passed by Kumar Rocker of the Texas Rangers. It's significant for kids everywhere to know they can have a seat at the table too,' Singh said. Singh said Nimmala's role as a cultural trailblazer began well before his debut. 2:09 Canadian baseball giant Joey Votto retires 'Arjun has entered professional baseball already lugging a whole culture on his back in a sense,' he said. 'He was fielding questions about his ethnicity and standing in the game because of his race when he was 18 years old, before he was even drafted. To hear him speak now about that is quite impressive.' Despite the spotlight, Nimmala told Global News he doesn't feel the heat of the spotlight. Story continues below advertisement 'None of it's been pressure. It's always been motivation to keep getting better,' Nimmala said. Eyes on Toronto, legacy in mind Though Nimmala says he's not putting a timeline on when he'll make it to the majors, he hopes to make his debut in Toronto. 'What would be cool is if a debut came in Toronto, that would be the coolest,' Nimmala said.' And when that day comes, he wants to be remembered for more than his stats. 'After I'm done playing baseball, I hope people remember me as not only a great player but also a great leader and a person who really did what they could for anyone,' Nimmala said. In a game driven by numbers, perhaps it's Nimmala's perspective that continues to set him apart. And he's already inspiring a generation that looks up and sees someone who looks like them. Story continues below advertisement 'People definitely know who he is. They've seen him on MLB Network. He's done an excellent job of handling that pressure,' Singh said. Nimmala's journey to the major leagues is in its early stages but for many, the significance of his presence today is already a home run.


Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Brand leads Germany to opening 2-0 win over Poland at Euro 2025
ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (AP) — Jule Brand scored one goal and set up the other to lead Germany to a 2-0 win over debutant Poland in their Women's European Championship opening game on Friday. Germany, the eight-time champion, needed patience against the hard-tackling and committed Poland players, but Brand made the most of a lapse in concentration when she cut inside two defenders to break the deadlock in the 52nd minute. The winger then sent in a cross for Lea Schüller to seal the result with a header in the 66th. Germany lost captain Giulia Gwinn to injury late in the first half after she made a desperate challenge to stop Ewa Pajor from scoring. Pajor, the Poland captain, was her team's biggest threat and might have leveled the score in the 64th after she sent a German defender flying, only for Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to stand firm against her centrally placed shot. Berger later produced a brilliant reflex save to stop Pajor's header. Like Poland, Berger was making her competition debut. The 34-year-old Germany goalkeeper missed the previous tournament and later said she was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. On Friday she became Germany's oldest player at a European Championship. Berger was the busier of the two goalkeepers as Poland's central defensive partnership of Paulina Dudek and Emilia Szymczak kept the pacey German forwards in check. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Dudek did not reemerge for the second half, however, presumably because of an injury, and Brand took it as an invitation to steer her team to a winning start. Germany is looking for its first major title since winning its eighth European Championship in 2013. It went close at the last edition, losing to host England 2-1 after extra time in the 2022 final. Sweden defeated Denmark 1-0 in the other Group C match earlier. ___ AP soccer:


Canada Standard
12 hours ago
- Canada Standard
Kidambi Srikanth, Valishetty, and Subramanian advance to Canada Open quarterfinals
Ontario [Canada], July 4 (ANI): Three Indian shuttlers produced dominant displays to move into the quarterfinals at the ongoing Canada Open 2025, with Kidambi Srikanth, Shriyanshi Valishetty, and S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian all registering straight-game wins in their respective Round of 16 clashes. Up against world No. 71 Wang Po-Wei of Chinese Taipei at the Markham Pan Am Centre, Kidambi Srikanth won his pre-quarterfinal match 21-19, 21-14, as per The Indian badminton player trailed 18-13 at one stage before coming from behind to win the first game. Srikanth was also 13-10 behind in the second game but recovered to win it and went on to close out the match in 41 minutes. Srikanth, who finished as runners-up at the Malaysia Masters in May, will face top seed and Olympian Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals. Srikanth's compatriot and world No. 57 Sankar Subramanian also joined him in the quarter-finals after a 21-19, 21-14 win over Chinese Taipei's Huang Yu Kai, who is 63rd in the men's singles badminton rankings. Sankar Subramanian will go up against Olympian and world No. 12 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the next round. The two players have met once in the past, with the Japanese shuttler emerging triumphant following a straight games win in the Orleans Masters in March. Meanwhile, the only remaining Indian in the women's singles at the BWF Super 300 tournament also progressed to the quarter-finals. Shriyanshi Valishetty, 75th in the women's singles rankings, beat world No. 45 Letshanaa Karupathevan of Malaysia 21-15, 21-14 in 35 minutes. She will face world No. 69 Amalie Schulz of Denmark in the quarter-finals. The 18-year-old Indian defeated Amalie Schulz in their only previous meeting at the Abu Dhabi Masters in 2023. India's doubles campaign at Canada came to an end on Wednesday after mixed doubles top seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto bowed out after losing to Spain's Ruben Garcia and Lucia Rodriguez. (ANI)