Author: S Kannan

For all those who had only seen the exploits of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on a badminton court on television, New Delhi’s KD Jadhav Indoor Hall on Saturday night witnessed a rock-star like performance from the Indians. They thumped the Malaysian duo of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-18, 21-14 for a place in the Yonex Sunrise India Open final. This was a cold night, with temperatures in the national capital low enough to send the body into shock if not clothed in layers. It’s so easy to say players are a different breed, the strongest guys in…

The Czechs have a great tennis tradition. On the map, what was once Czechoslovakia broke up into the Czech Republic and the Slovakia in 1992. Since then, a lot has changed, though in a sporting sense, the Czechs continue to produce champions in different sports. On Saturday, the almost-unknown and unsung Linda Noskova, just 19, pulled off a giant-killing act as she whacked tennis shots of pedigree to dump Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, out of the Australian Open – 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. It has been a strange love-hate relationhip between Swiatek and the outdoor hard courts in Melbourne,…

For diehard fans of Indian sport, agony and ecstasy come in equal measure. Friday was all about coming to grips with one massive loss, as the Indian women’s hockey team failed to produce the spark against Japan and missed out on the Paris Olympics at the FIH qualifiers. Frankly speaking, one did not necessarily have to be physically present inside the stadium in Ranchi to make sense of the sea of sadness which engulfed lakhs of fans. Watching the girls cry was sad, but that’s sport. Some may offer to wipe the tears, but the reality hits you hard as…

Aryna Sabalenka may not be the darling of the Western media but she does not mind it. Down Under, she has been stealing thunder in this edition of the Australian Open, needing just six sets to win three matches and enter the fourth round. For sheer power and aggression, the way the Belarusian hammered Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-0 on Friday was scary. But then, for all those who feel she is being cruel in inflicting such defeats, Aryna wants tennis fans to rewind to the times when Iga Swiatek would steamroll her opponents. The focus at the Australian Open has…

This edition of the Australian Open is turning out to be a hard grind for almost all the top dogs. If the numero uno of men’s tennis, Novak Djokovic, had to produce brilliance in the first two rounds, Thursday’s play in Melbourne saw Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek teased and tormented. Both survived, but Elena Rybakina – the No. 3 seed from Kazakhstan, who had knocked out Swiatek in 2023 – was not so fortunate. Swiatek, the women’s world No. 1 who has yet to win the Australian Open, found the going crazy against Danielle Collins, down a double break…

There are not too many people who are upbeat about Indian women’s hockey these days. Despite the pessimism from a few quarters, Jagbir Singh, former India captain, is an eternal optimist. At the FIH Olympic qualifiers in Ranchi on Tuesday, India did well to floor Italy in a crucial league match, the scoreline (5-1) an indicator of their ascendancy. However, some were still fretting over what lies ahead on Thursday, against Germany in the semi-finals. “I think people’s expectations are justified but we need to back this Indian team,”Jagbir told RevSportz in an exclusive chat. “The way we have seen…

Mirra Andreeva, Russian teen sensation, pulled off a major giant-killing as she bounced out Ons Jabeur 6-0, 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. There was no such calamity in store for Novak Djokovic though, as the top seed and icon came through a stiff second round test against Alexei Popyrin. Djokovic is far from playing his best tennis but still knows how to win these tricky rounds Down Under. The queen of the day was certainly Andreeva, as the cherubic 16-year-old came out swinging. By her own admission, she is a fan of Jabeur, the…

Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal registered a massive win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday, and then launched a tirade against the All India Tennis Association (AITA). For Nagal to have outsmarted the World No.31 was a big deal, after having come through the hard grind of qualifiers. Ideally, Nagal should not have been slogging to play the qualifiers before the Australian Open. Call it bloated egos or one-upmanship, but the AITA refused to swing a wild card for India’s top singles player as he refused to play in…

Down Under, there is thunder. At the Australian Open on Tuesday, Iga Swiatek, the women’s world No. 1 from Poland, brought out her top-class game to defeat Sofia Kenin 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. There has been massive hype, as usual, on the possibility of Novak Djokovic winning an 11th Australian Open title. However, to not focus on Swiatek would be wrong. Mixing her potent first serves and game suited for the hard outdoor courts in Melbourne, Swiatek conquered the former champion. Kenin, the Russian-American, had won the Australian Open in 2020. Four years is a long time in tennis. Kenin’s standards…

Drills on the badminton court are usual for any player, tyro or champion. On Monday, HS Prannoy spent plenty of time on one more drill, giving media interviews galore on the eve of the Sunrise India Open in New Delhi. The usual questions were on his own fitness, preparations for the Delhi event, which he has been part of for more than a decade, and what it would be like to finally make the grade for the Paris Olympics. After all, the cut-off date is at the end of April. In the absence of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at…