Author: robin24

Iga Swiatek with the Korea Open title© AFP Iga Swiatek battled back from a disastrous start to win the Korea Open on Sunday, beating Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 in the final. The world number two dropped the opening set after an error-strewn performance drastically out of keeping with her dominating form this week in Seoul. World number 11 Alexandrova was two points away from winning the title but Swiatek came back to level the match after a tiebreak before finding her rhythm in the third set. The win gave the Polish six-time Grand Slam champion…

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be making their return to India colours for the first time since the Champions Trophy. (Image: Instagram) Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are on the verge of achieving multiple milestones as they prepare to face Australia in the upcoming ODI series. Kohli needs just 54 runs to become the second-highest ODI run-scorer of all time, while Rohit Sharma is set to play his 500th international match and aims to become the highest six-hitter in ODI cricket history.Virat Kohli currently stands at 14,181 ODI runs with an average of 57.88 and holds…

File photo of Subhasish Bose.© X (Formerly Twitter) Senior defender Subhasish Bose and midfielder Lalengmawia Ralte on Saturday joined the Indian football team camp ahead of the vital second leg match against Singapore in the Asian Cup qualifiers. The first leg in Singapore ended in a 1-1 stalemate thanks to a late equaliser by Rahim Ali, which cancelled out Ikhsan Fandi’s (45 1) strike for the home team. India will host the second leg in Goa. “Subhasish Bose and Lalengmawia Ralte are joining the national camp in Goa ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers…

Lando Norris took pole position Saturday for Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen won the sprint race earlier in the day. Norris set the fastest time early in the final session. His McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri couldn’t quite beat it on his final run, taking second place, 0.085 of a second off Norris’ pace. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, with Verstappen fourth. The performance delighted Norris’ mother Cisca, who is Belgian, as she made a heart gesture with her hands while watching from the McLaren garage. Norris is targeting his third straight…

Croatian tennis legend Nikola Pilic, who captained multiple Davis Cup-winning sides and was an early mentor to Novak Djokovic, has died at the age of 87, the country’s tennis association announced on Tuesday. “One of the greatest players and coaches Croatian tennis has ever had,” died on Monday in the western Croatian town of Opatija, the association reported in a statement. Pilic began his career in Split in 1953 and, just four years later, was representing the Yugoslav youth national team. He went on to win the Yugoslav Championship five times in singles (1962, 1963, 1964, 1966 and…

File photo of Kiran Navgire, who plays for UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League. (PTI) Maharashtra’s Kiran Navgire has set a new record in women’s T20 cricket by scoring the fastest century off just 34 balls during the Women’s T20 Trophy match against Punjab in Nagpur on Friday. She remained unbeaten on 106 from 35 deliveries, leading her team to victory with eight overs remaining.Navgire’s explosive innings surpassed the previous record held by New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, who had scored a 36-ball hundred for Wellington against Otago in January 2021. Her remarkable strike rate of 302.86 makes this the…

Erling Haaland in action© AFP Erling Haaland scored a hat trick against Israel to pass 50 goals for Norway after twice missing a penalty in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory on Saturday. The 25-year-old Haaland extended his leading tally in European qualifying to a remarkable 12 goals in six games, and his overall Norway total to 51 in 46 matches. Haaland reached the 50-goal mark far quicker than the other elite strikers of modern times, according to statisticians Opta. France star Kylian Mbappé and Poland’s Robert Lewandowski took 90 games, while record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel…

Oscar Piastri returns to the scene of his first victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend seeking to stretch his lead in the title race over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. The 24-year-old Australian, with six wins from 13 races this year, has a 16-point lead over Norris, but he is well aware of the potential pitfalls ahead.  “I’m looking forward to going back to where I had my first win,” said Piastri. “It’s a great city and a cool track and a fun weekend so it will be nice, but once we are in the cars…

File photo of Novak Djokovic© AFP Former world number one Novak Djokovic will play at the Shanghai Masters event next month, tournament organisers announced Tuesday. “He’s back… Our 4-time champ will return to Shanghai this year,” organisers posted on social media ahead of the event’s start on October 1.The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not played in an official match since his defeat in the semi-finals of the US Open to Carlos Alcaraz earlier in September.Following that loss, the 38-year-old remained vague about his schedule for the end of the season, having played significantly fewer tournaments in 2025…

Ajit Agarkar addressed Mohammed Shami’s comments regarding his fitness and availability for Bengal in Ranji Trophy matches. (Image credit: Agencies) NEW DELHI: BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar has responded to Mohammed Shami’s recent criticism over being left out of India’s white-ball tour of Australia. Agarkar addressed Shami’s comments regarding his fitness and availability for Bengal in Ranji Trophy matches.Shami, who last represented India in the Champions Trophy and was the country’s joint highest wicket-taker alongside Varun Chakravarthy, has been managing ankle and knee injuries that required surgery following the 2023 World Cup. The fast bowler had voiced his displeasure over…