Indian Sports Wrap, February 28: India loses to Qatar in FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifier

BASKETBALL

India loses to qatar in FIBA World Cup qualifiers

The Indian men’s basketball team succumbed to a 99-73 loss against Qatar in their FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifier match at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Qatar on Saturday.

Brandon Goodwin led the scoring charts for the home side with 23 points, while Kanwar Gurbaz Singh Sandhu scored the most with 15.

The result leaves India at the bottom of its group with three losses in three games in the qualification tournament so far. India will next take on Lebanon on March 3 in a match which will mark head coach Scott Flemming’s final game in the role.

-Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Vaidehee advances to W35 final in Burnie

Vaidehee Chaudhari booked her spot in the final of the W35 (USD 30,000) event in Burnie, Australia, on Saturday.

Fourth seed Vaidehee defeated seventh-seeded Japanese and World No. 533 Mio Mushika 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 in an hour and 46 minutes.

World No. 470 Vaidehee, who has won four titles on the ITF circuit, will be up against top-seeded Australian and World No. 275 Lizette Cabrera in the final on Sunday.

At the W15 event in Gurugram, third seed Zeel Desai made it to the summit clash after a 6-2, 6-2 victory over sixth-seeded Russian Ekaterina Yashina.

In the final, World No. 617 Zeel, eyeing her fifth ITF title, will take on seventh-seeded Belarusian teenager Polina Kuharenko.

-Team Sportstar

MahaOpen ATP Challenger: Gill, Cina storm into singles final

Felix Gill will take on Federica Cina in the MahaOpen ATP Challenger 75 singles final at the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium in Pune.

Gill, of Great Britain, displayed grit and composure to overcome eighth seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania 6-4, 7-5 in a tightly contested encounter that lasted 1 hour and 44 minutes.

Sixth seed and former world number four junior, Cina, of Italy, outplayed Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

In the doubles final, fourth seeded Jisung Nam of Korea and Patrik Niklas-Salminen of Finland upset second-seeded Indo-Thai pair of Pruchya Isaro and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha to clinch the doubles title with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(1), 10-7 victory.

– Team Sportstar

FOOTBALL

India U-20 women lose 1-2 against Karlbergs BK

The India Under-20 women’s national team lost 1-2 at the hands of Swedish club Karlbergs BK at the Boson National Sports Centre in Lidingo, Sweden, on Saturday.

Neha had had put the India U-20s in the lead in the 56th minute, but Karlbergs equalised a couple of minutes later. They managed to take the lead in the 72nd minute, thereon.

In the previous game, the team played a 1-1 draw against Swedish club Enskede IK Dam.

The Young Tigresses will play their last friendly in Sweden against Älvsjö AIK Fotboll on March 4.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Kochhar lying 23rd in New Zealand

India’s Karandeep Kochhar shot 70 in the third round and slipped to tied 23rd at the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort here.

After rounds of 67-67 on the first two days, he had a 1-under 70 with five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.

– PTI

Diksha shoots bogey free cards in second and third rounds in NSW Open

India’s top star Diksha Dagar bounced back from a disappointing first round of 77 with 66-65 in the next two rounds to rise to tied 26th in the Ford Women’s NSW Open here.

In the second round Diksha had five birdies and no bogey, and she kept the bogey-free run in the third round with six birdies. The six included four birdies in last five holes.

She is now 5-under and well placed for a charge on the final day. Her second round 66 helped her make the cut in 53rd place and then she moved up to T-26 after three days.

The other Indians Hitaashee Bakshi (73-73), Pranavi Urs (74-74) and Avani Prashanth (80-72) missed the cut.

– PTI

Published on Feb 28, 2026