Indian Sports Wrap, May 28: Rithvik Bollipalli out of French Open in men’s doubles first round

TENNIS

Bollipalli-Barrientos pair exits French Open

Rithvik Bollipalli’s search for his maiden win in a Grand Slam main draw continued as the Indian and his Colombian partner Nicolas Barrientos suffered a tame straight set defeat in the French Open men’s doubles opening round on Wednesday.

Canada’s Gabriel Diallo and Briton Jacob Fearnley, who knocked out Stanislas Wawrinka in the singles on Monday, dominated the contest, winning 6-0, 6-2 in just 56 minutes at Court 8.

Bollipalli and Barrientos, who won the ATP 250 Chile Open in March, struggled to serve well and make returns, gifting away easy points to their rivals. Often the Indo-Colombian combo left the gap on the court for its rival to exploit.

Later in the day, India’s Yuki Bhambri, Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji will also be in action in the men’s doubles.

– PTI

GOLF

Ranveer tied 4th after opening round of APGC Junior Golf Championship

Ranveer Mitroo led the Indian charge by carding a steady two-under 69 to be placed tied fourth after the opening round of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Championship here.

The Indian Golf Union (IGU) has sent a four-member team to compete in the prestigious tournament.

The 16-year-old Ranveer began his round with birdies on the second and fifth holes before stumbling upon a bogey on the ninth on Tuesday.

The Delhi amateur bogeyed on the 16th after six straight pars but the junior India number one for 2024 showed glimpses of top form by making quick amends with back-to-back birdies on the remaining two holes for his eventual tally.

“I made some good recoveries but also some silly errors. I think an overall improvement about decision-making and execution is something I would want to work on,” the youngster said of his performance on the day.

His compatriot Krish Chawla, the current junior India No.1, was placed tied 16th after carding a modest one-over 72.

Krish had a topsy-turvy round as he sank an eagle and three birdies against three bogeys and a triple bogey.

The Indian pair of Ranveer and Krish were placed fifth in the boys team competition with a combined total of one-under 141. The Australian duo of Hamish Farquharson and Cooper Giddings were placed on top of the standings with an overall tally of three-under 139.

In the girls’ event, Delhi’s Kashika Mishra posted a one-over 73 to be placed tied 10th. Her compatriot Saanvi Somu finished first round in joint 17th spot.

In the mixed team event, the Indian pair of Ranveer and Kashika were lying joint seventh at even-par 142.

MOTORSPORT

Saldanha and Murthy win RC2.1 class in RAAT Rally of Thailand

Indian rally driver Jason Saldanha and co-driver PVS Murthy dished out a commanding performance in the second round of the RAAT Rally of Thailand to clinch overall second place and a win in the RC 2.1 category to emerge as the front-runners in the 2025 international rally season.

In 2023, Saldanha became the first Indian to win a class title in the RAAT Rally of Thailand and has since continued his upward trajectory.

“The roads were extremely slippery due to the rains. It was one of the toughest events… Just one mistake could have ended it for us,” said Saldanha, who hails from Sakleshpur, a small town in Karnataka.

Veteran co-driver Murthy, with 25 years of rally experience, played a key role with precise pace notes and steady calls, enabling Saldanha to push the limits safely across all stages.

With this result, Saldanha leads the 2025 Overall Championship with a 10-point margin over Thailand’s Mana Pornsiricherd, and dominates the RC 2.1 class with 40 points, well ahead of the second-placed driver, who has 15.

Round 3 of the RAAT Thailand Rally Championship will be held at Sa Kaeo, Thesaban Mueang, from July 18 to 20.

– PTI