ESPN staffJun 9, 2024, 11:04 AM
Welcome to ESPN India's daily blog, where we aim to bring you all the news from the dynamic world of Indian sports: from the wide variety of Olympic sports to franchise leagues.
June has plenty of sporting action taking place - which you can find listed out in ESPN India's sporting calendar.
Sumit Nagal wins Heilbronner Challenger, almost qualifies for Paris Olympics
India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal won the Heilbronner Neckarcup ATP Challenger event beating Alexander Ritschard of Switzerland in three hard-fought sets 6-1, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3 here on Sunday. With this title triumph, he will be entering the top 80 of the ATP Rankings, making him eligible to compete in the Paris Olympics next month. The official announcement is expected on Monday.
Third seed Nagal did not have it easy, as unseeded Ritschard did provide stiff competition in second and third sets respectively.
It is Nagal's second Challenger title of the year, having won the Chennai Open in February. Overall, it is his sixth Challenger title and fourth on clay.
In Heilbronner, Nagal overcame challenges from Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, Javier Barranco Cosano of Spain, Ivan Gakhov of Russia and Luca Van Assche of France before entering the final.
Hockey: India (M) end FIH Pro League campaign with loss to Great Britain
It was a 2-3 loss for India against Great Britain after their 2-3 loss against Germany yesterday - with the pair of losses meaning India finished their 2023/24 FIH Pro League campaign with 24 points.
Here's Aaditya Narayan with the report.
Hockey: India Women's FIH Pro League campaign ends with another loss
The Indian women's hockey team slumped to an eighth straight loss in the FIH Pro League, going down to Great Britain 2-3 after leading for most of the match.
Lalremsiami (14') and Navneet Kaur (23') scored for India while Charlotte Watson (3') had opened the scoring. India were leading 2-1 with about four minutes left in the match before Great Britain scored back to back goals in the next two minutes. Grace Balsdon scored in the 56th and 58th minute to hand India another loss.
Thus, India finished their campaign at eighth out of 9, earning 8 points from 16 games.
Aditi Ashok misses cut at LPGA Classic
Two late birdies were not enough to help Aditi Ashok make the cut at the ShopRite LPGA Classic on the LPGA Tour.
The Bengaluru golfer, who shot 2-under 69 in the first round, faltered on the second day as she was 2-over after 13 holes. She birdied the 16th and the 18th, but failed to make the final round in windy conditions that made scoring tough. She was 2-under for two rounds and missed the cut by one.
Puja Tomar becomes first Indian to win in UFC
Puja Tomar scripted history as she became the first mixed martial arts fighter from India to win a bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC.) The 30-year-old won a 30-27, 27-30, 29-28 split-decision win over Brazil's Rayanne dos Santos in the straw-weight (52kg) bout on Saturday.
Known as "cyclone", she signed a contract with the UFC last year in October to become the first woman from India to compete in the biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion.
"This win is not my win. This win is for all Indian fans and all Indian fighters. before everyone thought that Indian fighters did not stand anywhere. I only thought I have to win and show the world that Indian fighters are not losers," Tomar told Sony Sport Network after her win.
Hockey: India vs Great Britain
You can follow the FIH Pro League match live right here, we will have all the updates rolling through the blog.
Cricket: India vs Pakistan
A couple of previews to get warmed up for the big match:
Pakistan's predicament adds spice to India match-up in New York
India versus Pakistan, but different
What's on today?
Hockey: Both the Indian men's and women's teams face Great Britain in the FIH Pro League.The women's team plays at 4:45pm, the men's at 7pm
Cricket: It's that much-awaited India vs Pakistan at a Cricket World Cup day at the T20 World Cup, and it starts at 8pm.
Tennis: India's Sumit Nagal plays in the final of the Heilbronner ATP Challenger, taking Alexander Ritschard.
What happened yesterday?
Hockey: Indian men and women's team lose to Germany in FIH Pro League.
Wrestling: Antim, Anshu win silver in Budapest Ranking Series.
Chess: Carlsen, Wenjun win the Norway Chess title, India's Praggnanandhaa finishes third.
Football: Stimac announces 23-member Indian squad for FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar
You can find the details of yesterday's events, here.
