Tall and strapping Dhakshineswar Suresh’s (DK) success story for India in the Davis Cup is one more example of how underdogs come from nowhere, bark and bite. As India defeated World No. 6 Netherlands 3-2 in the Davis Cup Qualifier 1 on Sunday in Bengaluru, the six-feet-five-inch tall DK, from Madurai, became the toast of the nation. Over the weekend, DK first beat Jesper de Jong in the singles before pairing up with Yuki Bhambri to beat David Pel-Sander Arends in the doubles and finally clinching the deciding fifth reverse singles rubber against Guy Den Ouden. To beat a higher ranked European nation, DK has almost made a habit of it. “I discovered DK while hunting for players of Indian origin and competing in college tennis in the USA. I saw his videos and knew this boy is gold. Let me take you through how we, in the AITA, fast-tracked this giant-killer last year. To get his visa stamping done for the away tie in Switzerland last year was not easy as he is studying in the US. Team India celebrate after winning the Davis Cup Qualifier against the Netherlands in Bengaluru on Sunday Once the visa was done and DK came, he showed fire and delivered even last year,” India’s non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal told mid-day on Monday. When he competed in the World Tennis League [WTL], an elite mixed gender team competition, at the same venue in Bengaluru last December, DK made heads turn. This writer witnessed a giant, serving missiles on the court with a willingness to compete against top guns. After all, DK is still a college tennis kid, whose real value will be known when he plays full time as a professional. For the record, when DK stunned Daniil Medvedev in the WTL last December, he made heads turn. Talking about his exploits over the weekend, Rajpal said the young man from Madurai is a treasure. “It was not easy to convince coaches in Wake Forest University to release him for the Davis Cup tie as this is his last semester. The boy is big, and to prepare him for singles and doubles, it was big. India can definitely hope for more from DK in the coming years. The transition from college tennis to the Pro Tour is not easy. I will definitely help him out with sponsorship,” added an excited Rajpal. Rohit Rajpal Not many would know, DK plays decent doubles and is ranked fairly high in the US College NCAA rankings. “As he plays the deuce court [right side of the court], it suited us very well as DK could pair with Yuki Bhambri. Having a big serve and playing on the right side, worked for us,” concluded Rajpal. India 3-2 Netherlands Sumit Nagal lost to Guy Den Ouden 0-6, 6-4, 3-6Dhakshineswar Suresh beat Jesper de Jong 6-4, 7-5Yuki Bhambri-D Suresh beat Sander Arends-David Pel 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1)Sumit Nagal lost to Jesper de Jong 7-5, 1-6, 4-6 D Suresh beat Guy Den Ouden 6-4, 7-6 (4) OneDhakshineswar Suresh is the first Indian player in 22 years to win all three matches (two singles and one doubles) in a single Davis Cup tie; the last to do so was Leander Paes in 2004 against Japan 470Dhakshineswar Suresh’s singles ranking is far lower than those of the opponents he beat in the singles events — Jesper de Jong (86) and Guy Den Ouden (169) 15No of aces Dhakshineswar Suresh hit in the deciding fifth rubber against Guy den Ouden
10 February,2026 09:36 AM IST | New Delhi | S KannanIndia Davis Cup legend Mahesh Bhupathi has lavished praise on young Dhakshineswar Suresh’s (DK) big serve after Indian beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the Davis Cup at Bengaluru on Sunday. “Dhakshineswar has a big game, potent serve, so the surface and conditions in Bengaluru were helpful for him. He is exciting to watch for sure,” said Bhupathi, who got DK a break of sorts in the World Tennis League. “Also, when there was a discussion on where to play this Davis Cup tie, Delhi or Bengaluru, the right choice was made,” added Bhupathi.
10 February,2026 09:33 AM IST | New Delhi | S KannanIndia’s middle-distance runner Harmilan Bains, 27, instagrammed this stunning look, sporting a short skirt and high black boots, to her 2,59,000 followers recently. “This walk? It’s a statement,” wrote Bains, who hails from Punjab, and is a gold medallist in the 1500m at the 2024 Asian Indoor C’ships in Tehran, and a double silver medallist at the 2022 Asian Games — in 800m and 1500m — in Hangzhou, China.
10 February,2026 09:13 AM IST | China | AgenciesOlympic double bronze-medallist Manu Bhaker came agonisingly close to winning a gold, missing out by a whisker in a tense shoot-off as she clinched a silver in 25m pistol event, while fellow Indian Esha Singh claimed a bronze at the Asian Championship here on Monday. In one of the most closely-contested events of this edition of the continental championship, both gold medallist Nguyen Thuy Trang and Manu shot an identical 35 in the final, forcing a shoot-off, where the Vietnamese held sway. 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
10 February,2026 08:57 AM IST | New Delhi | PTISeven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton, 41, and reality TV superstar Kardashian, 45, have hard launched their relationship by making their first public appearance together at the NFL Super Bowl. The duo were spotted together at the Super Bowl, where Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in NFL’s biggest match. Hamilton and Kardashian shared a suite at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Meanwhile, tennis legend Roger Federer headlined the long list of celebrities at the Super Bowl alongside Hollywood stars Adam Sandler and Kevin Costner besides pop singers Justin Bieber, Jon Bon Jovi and Beyonce.
10 February,2026 08:56 AM IST | California | Agencies5 Feb 2010Broke little finger in right hand during the giant slalom while performing a twirl 3 Feb 2009Lacerated right thumb while trying to open a bottle of champagne after victory 6 Feb 2011Sustained concussion after a crash while practising for the World Cup 4 Dec 2009Bruised left forearm in a crash during an opening run at the World Cup giant slalom 1 Feb 2006Bruised hip during a downhill training session 10 Nov 2016Fractured humerus bone in right arm during training 11 Dec 2017Spinal joint dysfunction while competing at the Super G racing event 9 Feb 2016Fractured left knee during the World Cup Super G event 13 Apr 2024Partial right knee replacement surgery 12 Nov 2018Tore LCL and sustained three tibial plateau fractures in left knee during a training session 2 Feb 2007Sprained right ACL after crash during training 14 Jan 2026Tore left knee ACL in final downhill race before 2026 Winter Olympics 7 Feb 2013Tore right ACL, MCL, and fractured tibial plateau after a series of big crashes during the World Championships and in training 8 April 2013Broke left ankle during a training camp Vonn’s achievements!Olympic medals: 3 World C’ship medals: 8World Cup titles: 20Total World Cup race wins: 84
10 February,2026 08:54 AM IST | Italy | Ronan CarvalhoUS singing sensation Mariah Carey’s performance at the Opening Ceremony (OC) of the 2026 Winter Olympics failed to impress viewers, with many criticising her for allegedly lip syncing. Five-time Grammy Award-winner Carey, 56, who performed the Italian classic song Volare and her own hit single Nothing Is Impossible, on Friday at Milan’s San Siro Stadium in Milan, attempted to make little effort while hitting the high notes. Eagle-eyed viewers also felt there was disconnect between the words she mouthed and the lyrics being heard. One viewer said on X: “I haven’t seen a worse lip sync performance than this.” Another commented: “The worst part is she’s not even trying to hide the lip syncing.” An IOC spokesperson said: “Certain elements are pre-recorded to ensure accurate timing and sound quality.” 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.
09 February,2026 10:02 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesIndian badminton super star Saina Nehwal,35, Instagrammed a series of pictures wearing this little black dress to her 2 million online followers on Sunday and they lapped it up. One follower said the 2012 Olympics bronze-winner “is one of the most beautiful athletes in India, while another wrote: “Saina, you look gorgeous.” 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
09 February,2026 09:54 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesWhile success in competitive archery depends on external factors like heat, wind, etc, besides of course the archer’s mental strength and skills, top-class equipment is the most crucial ingredient. Malad-based teen para archer Rutvi Lolge, 15, has experienced this first hand while participating in school, district, state and national-level competitions with inferior equipment. mid-day highlighted Rutvi’s story in November and OGQ, a not-for-profit sports and athletes’s promotion body came forward to sponsor her dream of winning an Olympic medal. She recently participated in the Archery Championships in Patiala, losing (99 to 145) to her hero and world champion Sheetal Devi. The teenager never expected to beat her idol, but felt the gap in scores could’ve been lesser had she used better equipment. Rutvi Lolge with (standing, left to right) mum Suvarna, St Anne’s High School’s sports coordinator Ram Ahiwale, coach Jagannath Shetkar, parish priest Rev Fr Anicito Pereira, St Anne’s principal Sister Leo Vinnarasi, (restaurateur & well wisher) Ronnie D’Souza and coach Rohan More Hereon, though Rutvi will not have such issues as she has recently received her advanced compound bow (PSE Dominator XZ 35, costing R3.8 lakh), imported from USA by her coach Rohan More. Her school principal Sister Leo Vinnarasi of St Anne’s HS, Malad, presented her the bow. Malad-based restaurateur Ronnie D’Souza, who owns UK United, a sports coaching initiative, was the first to spot Rutvi’s talent last October and informed this correspondent. “During a school function in October, I saw Rutvi training and noticed that despite her physical problems, she was extremely confident,” said D’Souza. Rutvi’s coaches More and Shetkar believe “she will perform better as she starts training with one of the best compound bows in the world.” Mum Suvarna, a single parent, who works as a freelance nurse, got emotional: “I’m grateful to Rutvi’s school principal, Ronnie, and mid-day for everything,” she said. PSE Dominator duo X 35 (PSE is among world’s Top 5 compound bow manufacturers >> Bow is made of high density aluminium>> String is made of high grade stainless steel >> Ambidextrous design >> Customisable stabilisers>> Customisable grips Cost of bowRs 1,60,000 Cost of accessoriesRs 2,20,000 Total costRs 3,80,000 Weight2.86KG Length35 inches Top speed338 FPS (feet per second)
09 February,2026 09:53 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin FerroElavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta clinched the 10m air rifle mixed team gold with a flawless display at the Asian Championship (Rifle/Pistol) on Sunday. Elavenil and Babuta’s combined 505.0 gave them a four-point edge over South Korea’s Eunji Kwon and Kim Woorim. Meanwhile, Gurpreet Singh clinched the 25m standard pistol gold, as compatriots Harsh Gupta, and Amanpreet Singh took silver and bronze respectively. 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
09 February,2026 09:47 AM IST | New Delhi | PTITejaswin Shankar won the men’s heptathlon event with 5993 points to clinch India’s lone gold as the country ended the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships campaign with five medals here on Sunday. India finished overall sixth in the medals tally. China topped the chart with 34 medals — 10 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze. 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
09 February,2026 09:45 AM IST | China | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
