singles

Lakshya to face Lin Dan in NZ Open

auckland: Indian teenager Lakshya Sen is set to play the biggest match of his nascent career when he will lock horns with legendary Lin Dan in the second round of the New Zealand Open Badminton Championship on Thursday. The Indians had a field day during the opening round of the tournament with the likes of B Sai Praneeth, Ajay Jayaram and Sameer Verma also recording victories in their respective matches. Seventeen-year-old Lakshya defeated June Wei Cheam of Malaysia 21-11, 21-16 to enter the second round where he will face top seed Dan. While third seed Praneeth made short work of Israel's Misha Zilberman 21-11, 21-19 in just 41 minutes. Fifth seeded Indian Verma put up an authorative display beating Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-8, 21-10 in less than half an hour. Jayaram was the most impressive among the Indians as he upset fourth seeded Hsu Jen Hao 21-23, 21-12, 21-18 in a 62-minute slugfest.

Sunita to lead India in ACT hockey

new delhi: Experienced defender Sunita Lakra will lead defending champions India at the Asian Champions Trophy women's hockey tournament, beginning at Donghae City, Korea on May 13. Sunita was handed the leadership responsibility of the 18-member side in the absence of regular skipper Rani Rampal, who has been rested for the tournament. Goalkeeper Savita will be the vice-captain. Experienced Deepika, Deep Grace Ekka, Suman Devi Thoudam and Gurjit Kaur, who doubles up as a drag-flicker, will man the defensive line while the midfield will feature Monika, Namita Toppo, Nikki Pradhan, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Navjot Kaur and Udita. India's forwardline will be led by Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur and Anupa Barla. In 2016, Indian team defeated China in the final to win the previous edition of Asian Champions Trophy. The girls followed up this victory with a successful outing at the 2017 Asia Cup where they beat China again in the summit clash. This year, the team will begin its campaign against Japan on May 13.

Malaysian Shuttler duo banned for fixing

kuala lumpur: Two Malaysian badminton players have been hit with career-ending bans of 20 and 15 years respectively after being found guilty of corruption and match-fixing, the sport's governing body said on Wednesday. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said former world junior champion Zulfadli Zulkiffli, 25, was banned for 20 years and fined $25,000, while Tan Chun Seang, 31, was barred for 15 years and fined $15,000. They were found guilty of breaching the BWF code of conduct in relation to "betting, wagering and irregular match results", said a statement from the body. A BWF ethics panel, which held hearings in February in Singapore into the case, found both players "engaged in corruption offences over a significant period and a significant number of tournaments" dating back to 2013.

2 teams to represent India in NBA C'ship

mumbai: Two youth teams of Delhi and Bengaluru will represent India at the Junior NBA World Championship to be held in Orlando, USA from August 7 to 12. The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday announced that a team each from Delhi (boys) and Bengaluru (girls) will represent India at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex after they won the Junior NBA National Finals. In the first final of the day, Bengaluru (girls) team beat Chennai (girls) 41-38 while in the second final Delhi (boys) defeated Kolkata (boys) 81-71. The two sides received their winner's trophy from Los Angeles Lakers' Brook Lopez.