Indian Sports Report, July 7: Arnav ousts third seed to advance to boys’ singles at Wimbledon 2026

TENNIS

Arnav enters third round

India’s Arnav Paparkar stayed alive in the boys’ singles category of Wimbledon 2026 after advancing to the third round.

He defeated third seed Keaton Hance of the US in straight sets to complete a 6-2, 6-3 victory in just over an hour on Court 6.

The 18-year-old will now face the winner between Japan’s Ryo Tabata and Peruvian Nicolas Baena.

At the French Open earlier this year, Paparkar dropped out in the third round.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

WPGT ninth leg: Hitaashee returns to domestic action in Hosur

Hitaashee Bakshi returns here for the ninth leg of the Women’s Professional Golf Tour at Clover Greens, hoping to regain the form that made her one of the stars of the domestic circuit.

Hitaashee, who faced challenges during the Ladies European Tour, has decided to return to her home tour where she will team up with Vani Kapoor, Ridhima Dilawari and Amandeep Drall.

It will be Hitaashee’s first start on the domestic tour this season, as she played on the Ladies European Tour.

Hitaashee will also play alongside young players including Anvitha Narender, Mannat Brar, Riya, Lavanya Jadon and amateur Mahreen Bhatia.

The field is, as has become the norm of late, strong, with numbers consistently above 50, including amateurs. This week there are 58 players, including 10 amateurs, and the purse stands at Rs 17 lakh.

With the competition getting intense, even top names like Vani, Ridhima or Hitaashee can’t expect it to be easy while the younger bunch poses a tough challenge.

With three wins, Ridhima was the most successful player this season, while Jasmine Shekar, Tvesa Malik, amateur Lavanya Gupta, Anvitha Narender and Mannat Brar won once each.

Ridhima currently leads the Order of Merit, with Jasmine and Amandeep in second and third place respectively.

– PTI

FOOTBALL

Durand Cup 2026: President Murmu unveils trophies as build-up begins

President of India Droupadi Murmu unveiled the Durand Cup trophies during the trophy unveiling and flag-off ceremony for the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Center in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The ceremony marked the official start of the tournament build-up ahead of the kick-off on July 25 at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

The event continued the long-standing partnership between the Office of the President of India and the Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament. The President’s Cup, one of three trophies awarded to the winner, was established during the tenure of India’s first President Rajendra Prasad and was first presented by him.

India international Lallianzuala Chhangte and All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey were among those present at the event, along with representatives of the 24 participating teams, sponsors, partners and other guests.

Speaking about his involvement in the tournament, Chhangte said: «The Durand Cup holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it one of the oldest and most prestigious football tournaments in the world; it is a tournament that changed my life. I have been privileged to play in it several times, and I can honestly say that without the opportunities it has given me, I may never have reached where I am today. It became a turning point in my career, allowing me to grow and believe that greater things were possible.»

– Team Sports Star

BOXING

Asian U-19 Boxing: Ambekar Meetei wins against RSC as India continues strong run

India continued its impressive run at the Asian U-19 and U-23 Boxing Championships with a series of strong performances in the U-19 category on the third day in Jakarta on Tuesday, led by Ambekar Meetei, who recorded a dominant victory in the men’s 50kg division.

Competing in the 50kg category, Ambekar registered an impressive first-round win over Chinese Taipei’s Qi-You Xiao through RSC, showing complete control from the start.

In the boys’ division, Aditya registered a convincing 5-0 win over Kyrgyzstan’s Daniel Tashtanbekov in the 55kg category, while Sikander registered a clinical 5-0 win against Korea’s Taemin Yang in the 60kg category.

Devendra Choudhary put in a strong performance in the 75kg category to defeat Sung-Lin Tsai of Chinese Taipei via RSC in the second round, underscoring India’s strength across all weight categories.

In the 70kg bout, Prashant put in a spirited and closely contested performance against Bibarys Ashirvay of Kazakhstan. After losing the opening round 4–1, he made a strong comeback to take the second round 3–2, before narrowly conceding the final round 3–2, resulting in a hard-fought defeat.

– Team Sports Star

Published on July 7, 2026