Indian sports wrap, January 26: Bhambri’s exit brings curtains down on India’s challenge at Australian Open
TENNIS
India’s challenge at the Australian Open came to an end on Sunday after Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson bowed out in the third round of the men’s doubles, here.
Bhambri and Goransson went down 6-7(7), 3-6 to Brazil’s unseeded pairing of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos in a closely contested match that lasted just over an hour.
The Indo-Swedish combination fought hard in the opening set but failed to capitalise in the tie-break, and the Brazilians maintained their composure to seal the second set without much trouble.
With Bhambri’s exit, India’s campaign at the season’s first Grand Slam has concluded.
Bhambri had already made an earlier exit from the mixed doubles, while N Sriram Balaji had bowed out previously from the men’s doubles.
Maaya Rajeshwaran and Arnav Paparkar exited the junior Australian Open on Saturday with first round exits.
-PTI
GOLF
PGTI’s 72 The League expands with Rajasthan-based franchise
The Professional Golf Tour of India’s (PGTI) on Monday announced a new Rajasthan-based franchise for its flagship ‘72 The League’, which is scheduled to begin on February 21.
The inaugural edition of the League, jointly launched by PGTI and Game of Life Sports (GOLS), will be held across three of Delhi-NCR’s most prestigious golf venues — Classic Golf & Country Club, Jaypee Greens, and Qutab Golf Course.
The league will feature city-based franchises, each comprising 10 professional players, selected through a transparent player auction.
Leading golfers from the PGTI circuit will participate, creating one of the largest competitive platforms Indian professional golf has ever seen.
-PTI
TABLE TENNIS
Indian paddlers shine in Doha WTT Youth Contender and Feeder events
Indian paddlers enjoyed a rich haul of 10 medals, including four gold, at the 2026 WTT Star Youth Contender and Feeder events in Doha, highlighted by Ahona Ray’s top-podium finish in the fiercely contested Under-15 girls’ category.
India enjoyed a sweep of the podium in the Under-15 girls’ category, with Ahona, Ankolika Chakraborty and Naisha Rewaskar finishing in the top three positions.
Ankolika and Naisha also teamed up to secure a silver medal in the Under-15 girls’ doubles in the age group at the tournament held from January 23 to 25.
India’s gold rush continued in the doubles and mixed events. Aakash Rajavelu and Rishaan Chattopadhyay bagged the U15 boys’ doubles gold, while the duo of Divyanshi Bhowmick and P B Abhinand won the Under-19 mixed doubles gold.
Another top-podium finish came through Ankolika and Aditya Das, who secured gold in the Under-15 mixed doubles.
In the singles events, Abhinand earned silver in the Under-19 boys, Divyanshi claimed bronze in the Under-19 girls, and Aditya added bronze in the Under-15 boys, rounding off a successful campaign.
Besides the four gold, India also won three silver, and three bronze.
-PTI
Published on Jan 26, 2026