SportsPreview
Sindhu and Ashmita chase French Open semi-final spots as India's para athletes push on
Friday brings the badminton quarter-finals in Paris, more medal events at the Asian Para Games, and the fallout from India's record chase in Christchurch.
Key points
- P V Sindhu and Ashmita Chaliha play French Open quarter-finals in Paris on Friday.
- India go into Friday at the Asian Para Games with 88 medals, 21 of them gold.
- India lead New Zealand 1-0 in the five-match T20I series.
India’s two women left in the French Open singles draw, P V Sindhu and Ashmita Chaliha, play their quarter-finals in Paris on Friday, the headline act on a lighter day for Indian sport.
Ashmita comes in on the back of the biggest win of her career, a 21-19, 21-18 defeat of Japan’s third seed Akane Yamaguchi on Thursday. She faces the winner of the match between Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong and Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara for a place in the last four. Sindhu was in commanding form against Riko Gunji, winning 21-12, 21-16 in 44 minutes, and will hope to carry that into the last eight of the Super 750 event.
They are India’s only players left in Paris after Ayush Shetty retired hurt against Kodai Naraoka and Tanvi Sharma lost to world No. 1 An Se Young.
Para Games
In Japan, India’s para athletes go into another day of competition in Aichi-Nagoya with 88 medals, 21 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze. Thursday brought golds for Dilip Gavit, Solairaj Dharmaraj, Anjanaben Bumbadiya and Shailesh Kumar on the track and in the field, and two for archer Sheetal Devi.
Cricket
India’s T20 side are 1-0 up after their four-wicket win over New Zealand in Christchurch, where they chased 226 with two balls to spare in the first of five matches. Sanju Samson made 67 off 33 and Naman Dhir 42 not out off 15. The series runs until 1 November, with every match starting at 12:30 pm IST.
Elsewhere, Australia and South Africa head to Cape Town for a Test series decider at Newlands from Tuesday after South Africa’s innings win in Gqeberha levelled the series at 1-1.