The stage is set for five days of high-intensity squash as the second edition of the JSW Indian Open gets underway tomorrow at the iconic CCI Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Featuring a strong mix of India's top players and international contenders, the tournament will see 30 matches played across the men's and women's draws as players battle for PSA ranking points and the coveted title, according to a release. Recognised by the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and held under the aegis of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), the JSW Indian Open is a PSA Copper event featuring equal prize money across both the men's and women's categories. The tournament continues to grow as an important platform for Indian players to compete against world-class opposition on home soil while gaining valuable competitive exposure. Much of the attention will be on top seed and defending champion Anahat Singh, who returns after a breakthrough year on the PSA Tour. She will be joined in the draw by leading Indian players Ramit Tandon, Veer Chotrani, Abhay Singh, and veteran Joshna Chinappa, all of whom will be looking to make a strong impact in front of the home crowd. The tournament also features a strong international field, including Yahya Elnawasnay, Nadien Elhammam, and Enora Villard, setting up several exciting matchups across both the men's and women's draws over the course of the week. Ahead of the tournament, players Anahat Singh and Ramit Tandon shared their thoughts on the upcoming competition and the growing opportunities for Indian squash players to compete at home. Speaking on the magnitude of the tournament, Ramit Tandon said, "Players really enjoy coming to India because of the culture and hospitality, and last year many players on the PSA Tour told me this was one of the best events of the year. The facilities provided at the tournament are exceptional and playing at home also brings a different kind of pressure with friends, family and Indian fans watching the action. The JSW Indian Open gives Indian players the chance to compete against the best and allows younger athletes to watch and learn from them." Looking forward to the tournament, Anahat Singh added, "I had a strong training period in the build-up to the tournament, which has helped me focus on improving different areas of my game. Coming into this tournament, the idea is to stay consistent with what I have been working on in practice and approach every match with the same mindset. Playing at home in front of Indian fans is always special, and I am really looking forward to competing at the JSW Indian Open and giving it my best throughout the week. With squash set to be part of the next Olympic Games, tournaments like this are an important step as we continue working towards the bigger goal." With squash set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, tournaments such as the JSW Indian Open are playing an increasingly important role in strengthening the sport's competitive ecosystem in India by providing players with valuable opportunities to earn ranking points and gain international exposure. The action begins on March 18 with opening round matches in both the men's and women's draws. The second round and quarter-finals will take place on March 19 and March 20, respectively, before the semifinals on March 21. The tournament will culminate with the finals on Sunday, March 22. The opening match is scheduled for 12:00 PM on March 18. Fans across the country can watch the tournament live on FanCode, the official streaming partner, while tickets for those wishing to witness the action live at CCI Brabourne Stadium are available on District. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
17 March,2026 08:42 PM IST | Mumbai | ANIFormer Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has returned to Hyderabad to celebrate the last week of Ramadan with her family. Following the attacks in Dubai amid the West Asia conflict, she decided to return to India along with her son, Izhaan. Speaking to NDTV, she shared her experience of witnessing jets flying above her house and seeing debris around. "We heard fighter jets above our house and saw interceptions. There was debris that fell around 400-500 metres from where we live," said the former tennis star. She also told the channel that living with a child forced her to leave Dubai and return to India to stay with her family. "You don't want your child going through that. He was asking questions. It didn't feel unsafe, but it did feel uncertain and unsettling," said Mirza. The 39-year-old former tennis player added that Izhaan's school resumes within a week, but the family will make a decision, considering the situation in Dubai. "School is supposed to start next week, but we'll monitor the situation. I'm lucky that I can come back to Hyderabad and still have a home here with family," she said. Ahead of Eid 2026, Mirza said that she, along with her son, travels to Hyderabad to celebrate the festival with her loved ones. "I come every Eid. We try to spend the last week of Ramzan in Hyderabad because Ramzan here has to be experienced. It's always nice to be around family. He (Izhaan) loves coming to his grandparents because nobody says no to anything here. He's travelled a lot already, so he adjusts anywhere," said Mirza. West Asia conflict: UAE activates air defence systems as Iran launches fresh wave of attacks Earlier, the UAE's Ministry of Defence stated that it was responding to a new wave of missile and drone attacks launched by Iran, Al Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems are actively responding to incoming missiles and drones launched from Iran, as per Al Jazeera. Separately, authorities in Dubai stated that the sounds heard across parts of the city were due to successful interception operations carried out by air defence systems, according to the Dubai Media Office's X post.
17 March,2026 06:54 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe 2028 Los Angeles Olympics' men's and women's football competitions will start four days prior to the opening ceremony and take place in seven American locations.Compared to other Olympics, the IOC-approved early start gives teams two more rest days during the competition. In order to give teams time to travel, the calendar also includes extra rest days following the group stage and quarterfinals. The LA Olympics football schedule to be spread across seven US cities The matches will begin on July 10, with the group stage and quarterfinals taking place in New York, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis.The knockout rounds will take place in California, with San Jose, San Diego and Pasadena fixed as the venues. The gold medal matches will be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium, which hosted the 1994 men's World Cup final, the 1999 women's World Cup final and the 1984 Olympic gold-medal match.In addition to a men's quarterfinal on July 20, New York and Columbus will host nine men's and women's matches on July 10–11, July 13–14, and July 16–17. Also, nine games will be held in Nashville, including the men's and women's quarterfinals on July 20–21 and group-stage matchups on the same dates.Eight games, including a men's quarterfinal on July 20, will take place in St. Louis from July 10–17. While seven games will take place in San Jose, including a quarterfinal on July 21 and women's group-stage matches on July 11, 14, and 17.Eleven games will take place in San Diego, including the bronze-medal matches on July 27 and 28, the men's and women's semifinals on July 24 and 25, and a women's quarterfinal on July 21.The Rose Bowl Stadium will host five matches, including a women's quarterfinal on July 21, men's and women's semifinals on July 24 and 25 and the gold-medal matches on July 28 and 29.The complete schedule will be released later this year. Team Spain won the gold medal in football at the last Olympics in the men's division, while the USA won the gold for women's in Paris 2024. (With AP Input)
17 March,2026 12:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentLegendary chess player Viswanathan Anand has said that young Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa "may have slowed down a bit" in the lead-up to the FIDE Candidates tournament but will be mentally tuned for the challenge. Eight leading players in the Open category will vie for top honours when the Candidates tournament begins in Cyprus on March 28, with the winner earning the right to challenge reigning world champion D. Gukesh for the world title later this year. Anand, who is also the vice-president of FIDE, indicated that Praggnanandhaa -- the only Indian in the men's section -- will face stiff competition from the likes of Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, adding that predicting the eventual winner would be difficult. Asked who his personal favourite was, Anand said that several players intrigued him. "He's (Praggnanandhaa) experienced, but at the same time he looks very motivated. He has slowed down a little bit in the last few months, but maybe mentally he is already peaking and getting ready for the Candidates," Anand said on FIDE's YouTube channel. He felt that one among the likes of Caruana, Nakamura and Anish Giri had a strong chance of winning the Candidates and earning the right to challenge Gukesh. "I think Fabi (Fabiano), Hikaru (Nakamura), Anish (Giri)... you know this is got to be their time, so they will have that feeling going into it that this is a chance to grab... and a lot of wildcards. But I can't for the life of me get around to predicting someone," said Anand, the five-time former world champion. Cyprus as the venue has been in the news due to its proximity to the evolving Gulf conflict. Three Indian players are set to compete in the women's section of the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament to challenge reigning champion Ju Wenjun for the world crown. Indian stalwart Koneru Humpy is reportedly considering withdrawing from the event due to security concerns arising due to the Gulf conflict. In the context of the competition, Anand said FIDE always tries to find the best possible venues for its marquee events, adding that Cyprus would provide an amazing backdrop for such a high-level tournament. "FIDE tries to first find a good high-quality venue (and) I think we've succeeded in that. Cyprus will be a very good venue and I think the location is going to be amazing and we try to keep the players informed. "It's just a tournament in the end, once you're told when to go, where to go you block that in your head... I think everything's been setted four months in advance and looking forward to it," said Anand. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 March,2026 08:51 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe Indian women's team will feature in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup to be held in Auckland, New Zealand from June 15 to 21. The Hockey Nations Cup was launched in 2021 to offer a top-level competition to the best-ranked teams not participating in the Hockey Pro League, and give the winning team an option to be promoted in it the following season. The Indian women's hockey team was relegated from the Pro League 2024-25 after finishing at the bottom of the nine-team standings. Apart from India, hosts New Zealand, USA, Japan, Korea, Chile, Scotland and France, who were promoted via the Hockey Nations Cup 2, will take part in the event. The men's event will be held in Cape Town and will involve South Africa, New Zealand, France, Korea, Japan, Wales, Malaysia, along with Scotland, who were promoted via the Hockey Nations Cup 2, as well as Ireland, who were relegated from the 2024-25 season of the Hockey Pro League. The 2025-26 edition of the Hockey Men's Nations Cup will run from June 11 to 20 and will mark the return of the competition to South Africa, which hosted the inaugural edition of the men's competition in Potchefstroom in 2022. Following the confirmation of the hosts for the fourth edition of the Hockey Nations Cup, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: "We are delighted to have two outstanding host nations and cities for these remarkable tournaments." "I'm excited for the thrilling matches and the fantastic atmosphere that will unfold across two continents, as some of the world's top men's and women's teams showcase their talent for hockey fans around the globe," he added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 March,2026 08:35 AM IST | Lausanne (Switzerland) | PTIYoungsters Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma will lead India's challenge at the USD 250,000 Orleans Masters Super 300 badminton tournament beginning here on Tuesday after senior shuttler HS Prannoy pulled out due to a shoulder injury. Prannoy, who was originally slated to face top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the opening round, was forced to withdraw after experiencing shoulder pain during the Swiss Open in Basel last week. While the cause of his discomfort was unclear initially, the Indian had decided to pull out of his match against Japan's Koki Watanabe to avoid aggravating the injury. "The shoulder pain developed after travelling to the Swiss Open. We didn't know the reason then, so I decided to withdraw and fly back," Prannoy told PTI. "After a scan it showed a slight tear. It is a minor thing and hopefully I should be okay soon," added the seasoned pro, who is targeting a return at the Asian Championships to be held from April 7 to 12 in Ningbo, China. While Prannoy will miss the event, the rest of the Indian contingent will look to make a deep run in the tournament. All eyes will be on eighth seed and world No. 25 Ayush Shetty, who won the US Open Super 300 last year, as he opens his campaign against Lee Chia Hao of Chinese Taipei. Former world No. 1 and currently ranked 30th, Kidambi Srikanth, who reached the finals of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and Syed Modi International Super 300 in 2025, will face Denmark's Magnus Johannesen. Tharun Mannepalli, fresh from a quarterfinal finish at last week's Swiss Open, takes on Chinese Taipei's Wang Tzu Wei in his opening game. World No. 42 Kiran George, who stunned Singapore's former world champion Loh Kean Yew at the Swiss Open, will face third seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan. In women's singles, Tanvi Sharma, the silver medallist at last year's BWF Junior World Championships, will take on Thailand's Supanida Katethong, while Malvika Bansod will continue her quest for glory after returning to action from a major injury when she faces Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei. Bansod recently recovered from a major left knee injury that sidelined her for approximately seven to nine months between 2025 and early 2026. Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj will meet Japan's Manami Suizu, while Anmol Kharb will be up against Turkey's Neslihan Arin. In women's doubles, Devika Sihag and Isharani Baruah will take on a pair coming through the qualifiers. Sihag had clinched her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Thailand Masters Super 300 last month, while Baruah had reached the quarterfinals at the same event. The men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun, who formed their partnership last year, will face the Chinese Taipei duo of Lai Po Yu and Tsai Fu Cheng. The Indian pair had won the Al Ain Masters Super 100, Turkiye International Challenge and Telangana India International Challenge titles in 2025. In women's doubles, Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam will be up against the fourth-seeded Japanese pair of Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara. In mixed doubles, the Indian challenge will feature the pairs of Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani, and Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, who had reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 BWF World Championships held in Paris. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 March,2026 08:34 AM IST | Orleans (France) | PTIThe last two weeks have been a rollercoaster for India basketball player Aaron Monteiro, who resides in Vashi’s sector 9A. The 28-year-old point guard, who received his maiden call-up for the India team participating in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, and subsequently made his debut in the 73-99 loss to Qatar on February 28, is going through mixed feelings at the moment. Had it not been for the US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran and the latter’s counter-attacks across US bases in West Asia, Monteiro might have added another international cap to his name, against Lebanon. However, despite the loss to Qatar and being holed up in Doha until March 10, Monteiro has only fond memories of his relatively short debut (he was on court for 4 minutes and 44 seconds), as it gave him the conviction that he belongs on the biggest stage. Scored a two-point goal “My debut was a really good experience. My biggest takeaway was that I can play at that level. I felt I also learnt where I’m lacking, and now it’s all about polishing my weaknesses,” Monteiro, who also scored a two-point field goal against Qatar, told mid-day. India’s Aaron Monteiro (extreme left) attempts a three-pointer during a practice match in Dubai recently. Pics/By Special Arrangement Monteiro took to the sport at the age of five, thanks to his dad Stanney — a basketball player himself — who took him to YMCA, Chembur to get a feel for the game. Stanney himself got a call-up to the national team camp, but never won a cap for India. Monteiro Jr fell in love with the sport right from the get go, and began playing at his school, Fr Agnel Multipurpose school in Vashi, from the second grade onwards. He still trains there. By the age of 13, he believed he could make a career out of it. “My love for the sport began as soon as I started playing it. My journey has been quite fun, I’ve represented teams at multiple levels: school, district, state, national, and now finally at the international level,” explained Monteiro. Reflecting on his Team India call-up, Monteiro, who plays for Karnataka at the domestic level, thanks to his performances for Bengaluru’s Jain University where he did his Master’s degree, said it did not come as a surprise. ‘I was expecting the call-up’ “I was expecting the India call-up based on my performance at the 75th Senior National Basketball Championship in Chennai in January,” said Monteiro, who led the tournament charts for having the highest three-point percentage in the tournament (50 per cent) and second highest field goal percentage (54 per cent). Although India are currently at the bottom of Group D in the qualifiers, having lost all three games so far (twice to Saudi Arabia), Monteiro is confident that brighter days lie ahead. “We have a young team, but we’re on the path to do better in the coming years as we get more experience,” concluded Monteiro. 50Aaron Monteiro’s three-pointer conversion percentage at the Senior National Basketball C’ship recently — the highest 54Aaron Monteiro’s field goal conversion percentage at the Senior National Basketball C’ship recently — the second highest 73-99Scoreline of India’s defeat to Qatar 4 mins 44 secsTime spent by India’s Aaron Monteiro on court during the match against Qatar at the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers recently FiveThe age when Aaron Monteiro started playing basketball
17 March,2026 08:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronan CarvalhoItaly's Jannik Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev in a topsy-turvy final to win his first Indian Wells title, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka won the women's title after a stunning comeback victory over Elena Rybakina at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open.In the men's singles final, Sinner defeated Medvedev 7-6(8-6), 7-6(7-4) in a closely contested encounter that featured both players' strong serving and excellent baseline rallies. The Italian had to win two tie-breaks to win his maiden title at the Indian Wells against an inspired Daniil Medvedev, who was fresh from beating the World No 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in the semi-final.Jannik Sinner produced one of his best displays of the season on the biggest of stages. The World No 2 had not dropped a single set throughout his run to the final and continued that streak against Medvedev.Sinner has now won all of the "Big Titles" at hard-court competitions, including the US Open, the Australian Open, the Nitto ATP Finals, and six ATP Masters 1000 events, after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday. Djokovic and Federer are the only players who have followed suit.In less than 3 years since his first Masters 1000 trophy in 2023, Sinner has won all the other elite hard-court trophies, showing his dominance on the hard courts. Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina to win the singles title Aryna Sabalenka battled back to defeat Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a thrilling three-set match earlier in the women's singles final. After losing the first set, the Belarusian came back to win the title in a close final-set tie-break, saving a championship point in the process.After losing the tournament's last two finals, Sabalenka's victory was her maiden Indian Wells championship. Sabalenka saved a match point before converting her own on the way to defeating Rybakina.Rybakina, who had previously beaten Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final in 2023, looked in control of the final set tie-break; however, she could not convert her match point. Despite her aggressive baseline play and powerful groundstrokes, Rybakina fell short at the final hurdle.(With ANI input)
16 March,2026 10:43 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentKimi Antonelli, 19, said one of his “big dreams” came true in China on Sunday when he won a Grand Prix for the first time in his fledgling F1 career. The Italian, who took over Lewis Hamilton’s old seat at Mercedes at the start of the 2025 season, swept to a maiden win at the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing 5.515 seconds ahead of teammate George Russell. The result also saw him become the sport’s second youngest race winner after Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix in 2016 at the age of 18. “I’m about to cry to be honest. I really wanted to bring Italy back to the top and we did today,” said an emotional Antonelli. Mercedes’s Kimi Antonelli en route his win at the Chinese GP in Shanghai on Sunday. Pics/AFP “The team did an incredible job. The car is super quick and it’s allowing us to fight for wins. I’m really happy because they also helped me to achieve one of my big dreams,” he added. Antonelli struggled at the start where Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari took the lead on lap one, but he regained the lead in the second lap, and drove a near-flawless race from there on. Hamilton finished third, clinching his first podium for Ferrari since signing with the Italian team. His teammate Charles Leclerc finished fourth. World champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri did not start the race due to technical issues. Meanwhile, F1 also officially announced the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which were due to be held in April. 20No. of years since an Italian (Giancarlo) Fisichella) last won a GP (in Malaysia) This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 March,2026 08:32 AM IST | Shanghai | AgenciesIndia concluded its campaign at the World Boxing Futures Cup with a haul of five medals, including one gold, here on Sunday. Competing across the Youth Olympic weight categories, the Indian U-19 men's and women's team delivered a series of assured performances. Leading the charge was Chandrika Pujari, who delivered a commanding performance in the women's 51 kg final to defeat Uzbekistan's Mardonova Nazokat with a unanimous decision to stand atop the podium. Three Indian boxers finished with silver medals after reaching the finals in their respective categories. Gunjan (48kg) went down to her opponent from England by a 5-0 decision, while Joyshree Devi (54kg) fought hard but lost 4-1 to a boxer from the United States. In the men's 50kg category, L. Ambekar Meetei also settled for silver after losing his final bout to Ukraine. Earlier in the tournament, Radhamani Longjam (57kg) had secured a bronze medal. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 March,2026 08:23 AM IST | Bangkok | PTIDaniil Medvedev handed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year and advanced to the final at Indian Wells with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory. The 11th-seeded Medvedev, from Russia, will face second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy. Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-4. Alcaraz had won 16 straight matches this year, including titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open. But Medvedev ended the possibility of an Alcaraz vs. Sinner final. Medvedev had dropped his last four meetings against Alcaraz, including a loss in the Indian Wells final in 2024. This was Medvedev's first victory over him since the U.S. Open semifinals in 2023. Sinner made quick work of Zverev, beating him in 1 hour, 23 minutes. Sinner notched six aces against the fourth-seeded Zverev. Zverev won his first eight points on serve. But Sinner broke Zverev in both the fifth and seventh games to secure the first set. Sinner now leads the head-to-head series against Zverev 7-4. Neither Medvedev nor Sinner has dropped a set yet in this tournament. S Sinner has won his last three matches against Medvedev, including in the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2024. In the women's doubles final, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova beat Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4. The victory marked Townsend's first at Indian Wells and Siniakova's second. Siniakova also won in 2023 alongside longtime partner Barbora Krejcikova. In the men's doubles final, Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard topped Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot 7-6 (3), 6-3. In mixed doubles, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli beat top-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Lloyd Glasspool 6-3 2-6, 10-7. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 March,2026 08:21 AM IST | Indian Wells | AP | PTIADVERTISEMENT
-1773729858337_d.png "Olympics logo 2028 (Pic: Olympics website)")
-1773633848232_d.png "Jannik Sinner (Pic: AFP)")
