Tokyo, July 19 (IANS) Former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu clinched her first BWF Tour title in two years after beating familiar foe and home favourite Akane Yamaguchi to win her maiden Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Sunday. Sindhu registered a 21-17, 21-17 win over four-time champion Yamaguchi here at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Moreover, Sindhu became the first Indian to win a Japan Open.This is the former world champion’s first BWF World …

Miami, July 19 (IANS) England manager Thomas Tuchel hailed the “unbelievable” resilience of his squad after the Three Lions secured its best FIFA World Cup finish in 60 years, overcoming France 6-4 in a thrilling bronze medal match. Tuchel’s side won a 10-goal thriller at Miami Stadium against Les Bleus, following an eye-catching first-half performance, to end this summer’s campaign on a high. And, in doing so, England recorded their highest World Cup finish since lifting the trophy at Wembley i…

Miami, July 19 (IANS) France’s Kylian Mbappe broke Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 21 in the third-place play-off, though Les Bleus lost 6-4 to England. Both Mbappe and Messi began World Cup 2026 adrift of former leader Miroslav Klose. Mbappe now has 22 World Cup goals in as many matches, scoring twice to move ahead of Messi and extend his lead in the Golden Boot race to 10 goals at this tournament, two ahead of Messi.Prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026, Klose led the overall sc…

Budapest (Hungary), July 19 (IANS) Continuing India’s outstanding run in the Polyák Imre, Varga János & Kozma István Memorial Senior Ranking Tournament 2026, teenage wrestling sensation Kajal delivered a commanding performance to capture the gold medal in the women’s 76kg category in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.Displaying the same elite pedigree that saw her get crowned the 2025 U20 World Champion and the 2024 U17 World Champion, Kajal proved that her age-group dominance has seamless…

New York, July 18 (IANS) Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says the only thing that makes him nervous about the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina is that his team will have to fly in a helicopter.The comment says a lot about the calm radiated by the 65-year-old, who spent most of his playing career at Athletic Bilbao and most of his coaching career with youth teams, with five seasons in the Athletic Bilbao youth system and joining the Spanish Football Federation in 2013, with just 11 games…

Bastad (Sweden), July 18 (IANS) Andrey Rublev and Luciano Darderi will be clashing in the final of the Nordea Open ATP 250 series event after both bounced back from second-set setbacks in their respective semifinals on Saturday to set a title showdown between two former champions in Bastad.Top seed Rublev defeated Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach his second Bastad final, while defending champion Darderi outlasted Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-4, 6-7(11), 6-3 in a gripping two-hour, 57-minute ba…

Panaji (Goa), July 18 (IANS) Defending champions U Mumba TT produced a record-breaking display to overpower UP Prometheans 13-2 in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 at the Dr Shayama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao near Panaji on Saturday.The emphatic victory saw U Mumba register the biggest winning margin in the competition’s five-match format while also setting a new record with 11 consecutive game wins, climbing to first in the table.U Mumba’s Lilian Bardet and Anusha Kut…

Ranchi, July 18 (IANS) The Trophy Tour of the 135th Durand Cup arrived in Ranchi on Saturday, marking the Jharkhand capital’s debut as a Durand Cup host venue. Following its successful stop in Guwahati, the tournament’s three iconic trophies were welcomed at the Kerketta Auditorium, Dipatoli Military Station, during a grand ceremonial function organised by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army.The event was attended by Shri Sudivya Kumar, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports and Y…

Chennai, July 18 (IANS) GM Arjun Erigaisi became the first Indian player to win a game in the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026, India’s most prestigious classical chess tournament, when he convincingly defeated GM Hans Niemann of the USA in the third round at The Westin Chennai Velachery Hotel in Chennai on Friday.Arjun, who drew his first two matches, kept the pressure on Niemann after gaining the advantage in the middle game and tightened the noose around his opponent’s Kin…

New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has weighed in on the intense selection pressures in Indian cricket ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, stating that the senior players are under pressure because the national set-up is full of quality bench strength.Karthik’s remarks come amid intense speculation surrounding veteran India opener Rohit Sharma’s future in the 50-over format, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia firmly quashing the suggestion that the third and f…