Indian sports wrap, January 20: Poonacha-Isaro pair bows out of Australian Open with first-round defeat

TENNIS

Poonacha-Isaro pair bows out of Australian Open with opening-round defeat

India’s Niki Poonacha and his Thai partner Pruchya Isaro exited the men’s doubles event at the Australian Open after suffering a narrow straight-sets defeat against Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar in the first round in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The Indo-Thai wild card pair lost 7-6(3), 7-5 to the Spanish pair in one hour and 51 minutes at Court 14.

There was not much to separate between the two pairs but Poonacha and Isaro could convert only one of the three break chances and dropped their serve twice in the match.

Indian challenger is still alive in doubles as Yuki Bhambri is set to compete with Swedish partner Andre Goransson. They have been seeded 10th and will open their campaign against local wild card entrants James Duckworth and Cruz Hewitt, son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.

-PTI

Sania launches The Next Set to support Indian women players

Six-time Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza on Tuesday announced the launch of The Next Set, an initiative aimed at mentoring and supporting India’s leading and emerging women athletes, beginning with tennis.

Envisioned as a way of giving back to the sport, The Next Set seeks to provide structured support to women athletes competing at a high level, helping them navigate the demands of professional sport.

The initiative will follow a two-pronged approach, with its primary focus on creating access to a dedicated support system that includes coaches, physiotherapists and trainers who can travel with players across tournaments to ensure consistent preparation and coordination throughout the season.

In addition, the programme will organise focused tennis camps and coaching clinics led by Mirza at her academy. These camps will address technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of performance.

BNW Developments and Shookra Polyclinics to support the Mirza-led programme.

– PTI

SHOOTING

Tilottama, Niraj win 50m 3 positions; Rajkanwar tops 25m rapid fire pistol

National champion Tilottama Sen continued her fine form in 50m rifle 3 positions as she won the national selection trials T1 for Group A at the Karni Singh Shooting Range while Niraj Kumar of Navy claimed the men’s event on Tuesday.

In the 25m rapid fire pistol T1, Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu secured the top spot.

The 50m 3P finals was played in the new ISSF format, and saw Tilottama who recently won 11 medals in the 68th National Shooting Championship, finish on the top ahead of Ashi Chouskey with a slender lead of 0.6.

The Karnataka shooter finished with a score of 360.1 while Ashi ended with a score of 359.5. Manini Kaushik of Rajasthan finished in third place with a final score of 347.5.

Kumar produced a consistent performance throughout the finals, securing top spot with a final score of 360.5 which was 3.6 more than Adriyan Karmakar of West Bengal, who finished with a score of 356.9. National champion Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished third with a score of 346.7.

The 25m rapid fire pistol finals, which was also played in the new ISSF format, with eight shooters qualifying for the finals instead of six, saw Sandhu of Punjab securing the top spot.

The 23-year-old shot 29 in the finals, two more than Vijayveer Sidhu who finished with 27. Mandeep Singh of Haryana took the third spot with a score of 20 after surviving a shoot off against National Champion Suraj Sharma who finished with a score of 18.

– PTI

MOTORSPORT

Indian Racing Festival set for street race debut in Goa on February 14–15

The Indian Racing Festival will make its Goa debut with a Street Race Weekend scheduled for February 14–15, as Round 4 of the championship unfolds at the Manohar International Airport. The event was announced by the Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant.

Following a thrilling Round 3 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, the championship now heads west as the title battle intensifies. The spotlight shifts to Goa, which will host a historic FIA-grade street circuit making its debut spanning 2.064 km.

-Team Sportstar

CYCLING

Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026: Luke Mudgway powers through Mulshi–Maval in Stage 1

The Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026 flagged off its first stage on the Mulshi–Maval Miles, from the TCS Circle near Hinjewadi.

By the time the peloton thundered towards the finish, it was Luke Mudgway of Li Ning Star, China, who emerged with arms aloft, stopping the clock at 02:00:21 after a breathless sprint finale.

Mudgway’s victory did not come without resistance. Andreas Matildas of Quick Pro Team, Estonia, finished close behind in second place after clocking 02:00:27, with Yorben Lauryssen (02:00:30) of Tarteletto- Isorex, Belgium completing the podium.

As a precautionary measure and in line with Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) safety protocols, the race was temporarily suspended. UCI officials and the event medical team responded immediately. All affected riders received necessary medical checks, and technical teams attended to the affected bicycles.

– Team Sportstar

CRICKET

Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh secure semifinal spots

Women’s National Cricket Tournament for the Blind has reached its peak following a series of dominant quarterfinal victories.

Defending champions Madhya Pradesh secured their spot with a 99-run win over Maharashtra, while Karnataka delivered a powerhouse performance, defeating West Bengal by 134 runs. Hosts Odisha triumphed over Rajasthan by 61 runs, and Andhra Pradesh rounded out the top four with a clinical 8-wicket chase against Gujarat.

The semifinals take place tomorrow at the Hitech Cricket Ground:

Semifinal 1: Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra Pradesh

Semifinal 2: Karnataka vs Odisha

– PTI

FOOTBALL

Ryan Group joins hands with AIFF–FIFA Talent Academy

Ryan Group of Institutions signed a landmark agreement with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to provide comprehensive educational support for trainees at FIFA Talent Academies across India.

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, it will oversee the complete educational framework for young footballers at the FIFA Talent Academy in Bhubaneswar starting January 2026. The partnership encompasses recruitment and management of tutors, daily academic instruction, counselling services, examination coordination, and personality development programs.

Ryan Group of Institutions also aims to partner with the Sports Authority of Telangana (SATG) to support education of children at the FIFA Talent Academy in Hyderabad.

– Team Sportstar

Published on Jan 20, 2026