Indian sports wrap, October 13: Joshna Chinappa enters Japan Open squash semifinals

SQUASH

Joshna Chinappa wins Japan Open

Indian squash ace Joshna Chinappa clinched her 11th PSA Tour title, beating Egypt’s Haya Ali in four games in the Japan Open final in Yokohama on Monday.

The former women’s world No. 10 Indian defeated the third seeded Egyptian 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8 in 38 minutes in the summit clash of the USD 15,000 Challenger event.

Earlier, Chinappa, currently ranked 117 in the world, beat fourth seed Rana Ismail of Egypt 11-7, 11-1, 11-5 in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, reigning men’s national champion and world No. 29 Abhay Singh went down to French world No. 9 and fifth seed Victor Crouin 4-11, 2-11, 1-11 in the round-of-16 match of the Silicon Valley Open, a USD 130,500 PSA Gold event in Redwood City (USA) on Sunday.

-PTI

KABADDI

Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League season 2 player auction to be held on November 3

The Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) season 2 player auction is set to be held on November 3 in Noida.

The second season will see the league expand from eight to ten teams.

The two new franchises joining the competition are Aligarh Tigers and Kanpur Warriors, alongside returning teams Lucknow Lions, Yamuna Yoddha, Noida Ninja, Kashi Kings, Avadh Ramdoot, Bridge Stars, Sangam Challengers, and Ganga Kings of Mirzapur.

Each team will enter the auction with a total budget of ₹12 lakh to assemble their full roster, bringing the overall player purse to ₹1.2 crore. 

Players will be drawn from a comprehensive pool of 500 athletes shortlisted through the league’s scouting and registration process.

The auction will feature four player categories (A, B, C, and D) classified based on players’ experience and performance levels, with fixed base prices set at ₹1,00,000 for Category A, ₹60,000 for Category B, ₹40,000 for Category C, and ₹25,000 for Category D.

The auction will follow an open-bid format, conducted live in the presence of franchise owners, team representatives, and league officials.

Each team will be required to fill its roster following the composition guidelines outlined in the official UPKL Auction Handbook. 

As per the structure, each franchise must pick a minimum of three players from Category A, four players each from Categories B and C, and three players from Category D, ensuring a balanced squad across experience and performance levels.

-Team Sportstar

MOTORSPORTS

10-year-old Atiqa Mir bosses male pack for memorable win in RMC UAE Championship

Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir bossed a male-dominated grid to become the first-ever female winner in the minimax category of the RMC UAE Karting Championship here.

In a fledgling career of many firsts, the 10-year-old took the race lead on lap four before breaking away from the pack and eventually completing a commanding win by over four seconds at the Al Ain Raceway on Sunday.

The 15-driver diverse grid represented eight different nationalities. With her stellar performance, the F1 Academy-backed driver made it a memorable RMC debut for her team Akcel GP.

Atiqa fought adversity from third on the grid before coming out on top in a tight race. She made a decisive move on the inside for the lead and never looked back, setting blistering pace in rather windy conditions.

The win came after a difficult last weekend when Atiqa injured her hand but still managed a top-10 finish in the UAE IAME series.

“That felt good. It was tough for the first four laps. I was being pushed around but I fought hard and held on. I got a run on the back straight and went for the overtake for the lead,” said the racer from Jammu and Kashmir.

-PTI

Published on Oct 13, 2025