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United News of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Blue Tigers take lessons from Thailand result, set sights on Hong Kong
Pathum Thani (Thailand), June 5 (UNI) The 0-2 loss against Thailand was somewhat of a bitter pill to swallow for the senior India men's national team at the Thammasat Stadium here on Wednesday. The show, however, must go on. Regardless of the result against Thailand, the Blue Tigers now shift their focus to the task at hand in their AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Final Round Qualifier against Hong Kong, China, on June 10. The senior India men's national team, who had travelled to Thailand with a 28-member squad, will now shift base to Hong Kong five days prior to their Asian qualifier with a 25-man squad, sans goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari, centre-back Mehtab Singh, and full-back Subhasish Bose, who will travel back to India directly from Thailand. Bose was ruled out of the match against Thailand as well due to an injury. Looking back at the match against Thailand, India head coach Manolo Marquez stressed the importance of capitalising on the opportunities that the team creates. 'The reality is that when you don't score, especially the clear chances that we had, usually you lose the game,' said Marquez. 'Thailand have very good players, and if you don't take your chances against them, it will be difficult.' Five days to go for their Asian qualifier against Hong Kong, Marquez is now looking ahead to making last-minute adjustments before the Blue Tigers take the field. 'You can always perform better than you did previously. There is no improvement without self-criticism. I feel that we can obviously play better, but physicality is one aspect that we miss out on in Indian football," he said. 'It was very similar in our match against Vietnam (1-1) last year. We had equalised because we scored from the chance that we got,' he said. 'We had more chances against Thailand, but if you don't score, the other team generally tend to score more than you.' Sandesh Jhingan, who captained the team against Thailand, echoed the coach's words and underlined the importance of introspection and analysing the areas of deficit. 'There were negatives, and it's now up to us to go back to the video room, watch the clips, and try to improve from there. The main game is against Hong Kong, and I think it's good that we got to play a quality team like Thailand before that. This game was a good exercise for us,' said Jhingan. The Blue Tigers will reach Hong Kong on Thursday evening, and begin training on Friday. UNI BM
United News of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
French Open: Djokovic beats Zverev to set up Sinner semi-final
Paris, June 5 (UNI) Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam title by swatting aside third seed Alexander Zverev to reach the French Open semi-finals. The 38-year-old sixth seed won 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 to set up a meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner on Friday. Djokovic, who has three Roland Garros titles, lost the opening set to 2024 runner-up Zverev after being broken in the first game of the match on Wednesday. But the Serb great did not drop serve again, although he had to survive a 41-shot exchange on break point at 3-2 in the fourth set on his way to sealing a record-extending 51st Grand Slam semi-final appearance. "My way of playing is based on running, but at my age it's not so easy to run so much," said Djokovic, who is the second oldest man to reach the French Open semi-finals. There he will face Sinner, who cruised into the last four with a ruthless straight-set victory over Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik earlier on Thursday, the BBC reported. The Italian is still yet to drop a set at Roland Garros after winning 6-1 7-5 6-0 and bringing 62nd-ranked Bublik's remarkable run to an end. Sinner is hunting a first title on the Paris clay after previously only gone as far as the semis, losing a five-set thriller to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz last year. Djokovic or Sinner will meet the winner of defending champion Alcaraz and Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who also play on Friday. UNI BM
United News of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Coco Gauff sails into French Open quarter-finals
Paris, June 2 (UNI) World number two Coco Gauff continued her pursuit of a first French Open singles title with another impressive straight-sets victory to reach the quarter-finals. The American, 21, dismantled Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0 7-5 here on Monday. The opening set lasted 29 minutes, with Gauff dropping just five points across the first five games. It is the fifth consecutive year 2022 runner-up Gauff has reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. She will face the winner of the all-American fourth-round meeting between Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste, the BBC reported. Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva also progressed to the last eight in straight sets. The sixth seed defeated Australian 17th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3 7-5 and will play either American third seed Jessica Pegula or French wildcard Lois Boisson next. Gauff made a commanding start against Alexandrova but came under pressure as she served for the first set. She had to withstand five break points in a sixth game lasting almost 10 minutes before she eventually converted her third set point. Gauff was the first to face break points in a competitive second set but struck first against an improving opponent to lead 4-3. Alexandrova, competing in the fourth round in Paris for the first time, offered resistance with an immediate response - but Gauff finished the stronger and sealed victory with a run of three straight games. It is a fourth consecutive straight-set win for Gauff at this year's tournament. She has also become the youngest player to reach as many as five women's singles quarter-finals at a single major since Venus Williams at the 2001 US Open. UNI BM
United News of India
30-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team loses to Chile in shootout after 2-2 draw
Rosario (Argentina), may 30 (UNI) The Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team suffered a 1-3 defeat in a shootout against Chile after a 2-2 draw over four quarters in their fourth match of the friendly Four Nations Tournament here on Friday. Sukhveer Kaur (35') and Kanika Siwach (47') were the goalscorers for India, while Jacinta Solari (27') and Captain Laura Muller (42') scored for Chile. Chile opened the scoring in the second quarter, with Jacinta Solari converting a penalty corner in the 27th minute. India equalised five minutes into the third quarter, as Sukhveer Kaur also converted a penalty corner. Chile regained the lead in the 42nd minute through a field goal from Captain Laura Muller. However, India started the fourth quarter strongly, with Kanika Siwach continuing her goalscoring streak by netting the equaliser in the 47th minute. With neither side able to find a winner in regulation time, the match went into a shootout, where Chile emerged victorious, winning 3-1. Josefina Constanza Gutierrez, Isabel Leonor Messen, and Trinidad Antonia Barrios scored for Chile, while Sonam was the lone scorer for India in the shootout. India will next face Uruguay on June 1. UNI BM
United News of India
26-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
There's a realistic chance to qualify for World Cup if we stick to plan in FIH Hockey: Hardik
New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) Placed in a strong third position on the points table as they resume their campaign in the away leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024–25 (Men), India Vice Captain Hardik Singh emphasized the importance of finishing the prestigious tournament on top. 'We have spoken about this within the squad and believe that if we stick to the plan, accumulate enough points, and push for wins—even securing points from draws and subsequent shootouts—we stand a great chance of qualifying for the World Cup through the Pro League,' said a confident Hardik. Putting things into perspective, he added, 'Belgium (currently ranked No.2) and the Netherlands (placed behind India at No.4) qualify automatically as co-hosts of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in 2026. That leaves England, who are on top, along with Germany and Spain, as the key competitors vying for qualification. Our matches against Argentina will also be crucial. This is a good challenge for us to have, and qualifying early would give us more time to prepare for the World Cup.' As of now, Australia (placed No.6 in the ongoing Pro League) have qualified for the World Cup as winners of the previous edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, while Belgium and the Netherlands qualify as hosts. Germany, currently placed fifth, still have six matches left and can potentially pose a threat to India's qualification plans. Meanwhile, the Indian team's focus and precision in preparation for their European campaign has been evident during the multiple red, orange, and green training sessions at the centralized training camp in SAI, Bengaluru over the past three weeks. 'The sessions have been nothing short of rigorous,' laughed Hardik, highlighting the hard yards the team has put in, particularly in terms of fitness and conditioning. 'We have really been put through the grind by the coach and Alan (Scientific Advisor). Our strength and conditioning have been on point—mainly because we want to be at our peak for back-to-back matches. We practically have no rest days between games, and even when we do, we'll be traveling from the Netherlands to Belgium,' he explained. India will begin their European leg with back-to-back matches against the Netherlands on June 7 and 9, followed by a double-header against Argentina on June 11 and 12 at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen. The team will then travel to Antwerp to face Australia on June 14 and 15, before concluding their campaign against hosts Belgium on June 21 and 22. 'Every point in these six matches will matter. Another exciting aspect of this campaign is that the matches are being played at the same venues where the World Cup will be held next year. This gives us a better understanding of what to expect. We're treating this like a World Cup simulation, and that makes this outing even more important for our squad,' Hardik signed off. UNI BM
