Indian sports wrap, September 24: Vishnu, Prajwal, Rashmikaa top draws in National tennis championship

TENNIS

Vishnu, Prajwal, Rashmikaa top draws in National Tennis Championship

Multiple Asian Games medallist Vishnu Vardhan, top seed Prajwal Dev and defending champion Rashmikaa S Bhamidipaty will headline the 29th Open National Tennis Championship at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi from September 28-October 12.

The other top names include former India No. 2 Riya Bhatia. Apart from the senior category, the tournament will have age-group sections in U-18, U-16 and U-14 for boys and girls.

The tournament carries a total prize purse of Rs 21.55 lakh and kit allowance in the junior categories.

Chairman and senior managing director of DCM Shriram Ltd Ajay S Shriram announced Rs 25,000 scholarships to the winners and runners-up of the U16 and U14 singles events to support the emerging young talents.

“Over the years, we’ve seen many players build successful careers as a result, highlighting the tournament’s increasing prominence,” said Shriram.

“I wish all the players the best of luck and encourage them to fully seize this opportunity to showcase their skills.”

-PTI

GOLF

Veer Ahlawat, Manu Gandas to lead Indian challenge at Telangana Golconda Masters 2024

Telangana Golconda Masters 2024 golf championship will be held at the Hyderabad Golf Club (HGC) from September 26 to 29 with a prize money of Rs one crore.

The Pro-Am event will be held on September 25.

The tournament will see 126 golfers (123 professionals and three amateurs) in action.

The top Indian professionals in the fray include TATA Steel PGTI Ranking leader Veer Ahlawat, Manu Gandas, Udayan Mane, Shaurya Binu and Karan Pratap Singh, to name a few.

The foreign challenge will be led by Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek; Bangladeshis Jamal Hossain, Badal Hossain, Md Akbar Hossain; Sri Lankans N Thangaraja, K Prabagaran, Andorra’s Kevin Esteve Rigaill; Nepal’s Subash Tamang; Canada’s Sukhraj Singh Gill; South Korea’s Si In Kim; Japan’s Makoto Iwasaki and American Dominic Piccirillo.

The local challenge will be led by Hyderabad-based players including professionals Mohd Azhar, Milind Soni and Hardik S Chawda as well as amateurs Sankeerth Nidadavolu, Vilok Gadwal and Adit Ahluwalia.

Jupally Krishna Rao, Minister for Prohibition & Excise, Tourism & Culture and Archaeology, Government of Telangana, said they were delighted to be associated with the championship which provided a great platform to promote golf tourism in the State.

B.V.K. Raju, President, Hyderabad Golf Association, said, they were happy to host the 10th edition of the championship.

“With the historic setting and excellent course conditions, we are sure to see a very exciting competition,” he said.

-V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

CHESS

Olympiad gold medallist Harika returns home to warm reception

Dronavalli Harika, member of the Indian women’s team which won a historic gold in the just-concluded Chess Olympiad in Hungary, returned home to a warm reception from family members and Telangana State chess Association officials at the Hyderabad Airport.

“It was a great feeling to win the Olympiad gold. It means so much to all of us and of course should only encourage more and more boys and girls to take up chess,” Harika said.

Harika, who was the seniormost in the women’s squad, said that her next target would be to do well in next month’s Global Chess League.

Harika’s husband Karteek Chandra and her coach-cum-mentor N.V.S. Rama Raju along with TSCA President K.S. Prasad were among those who were present.

-V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM