Indian sports wrap, January 20: Poonacha-Isaro pair bows out of Australian Open with first-round defeat

TENNIS

Poonacha-Isaro pair bows out of Australian Open with opening-round defeat

India’s Niki Poonacha and his Thai partner Pruchya Isaro exited the men’s doubles event at the Australian Open after suffering a narrow straight-sets defeat against Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar in the first round in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The Indo-Thai wild card pair lost 7-6(3), 7-5 to the Spanish pair in one hour and 51 minutes at Court 14.

There was not much to separate between the two pairs but Poonacha and Isaro could convert only one of the three break chances and dropped their serve twice in the match.

Indian challenger is still alive in doubles as Yuki Bhambri is set to compete with Swedish partner Andre Goransson. They have been seeded 10th and will open their campaign against local wild card entrants James Duckworth and Cruz Hewitt, son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.

-PTI

Sania launches The Next Set to support Indian women players

Six-time Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza on Tuesday announced the launch of The Next Set, an initiative aimed at mentoring and supporting India’s leading and emerging women athletes, beginning with tennis.

Envisioned as a way of giving back to the sport, The Next Set seeks to provide structured support to women athletes competing at a high level, helping them navigate the demands of professional sport.

The initiative will follow a two-pronged approach, with its primary focus on creating access to a dedicated support system that includes coaches, physiotherapists and trainers who can travel with players across tournaments to ensure consistent preparation and coordination throughout the season.

In addition, the programme will organise focused tennis camps and coaching clinics led by Mirza at her academy. These camps will address technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of performance.

BNW Developments and Shookra Polyclinics to support the Mirza-led programme.

– PTI

MOTORSPORT

Indian Racing Festival set for street race debut in Goa on February 14–15

The Indian Racing Festival will make its Goa debut with a Street Race Weekend scheduled for February 14–15, as Round 4 of the championship unfolds at the Manohar International Airport. The event was announced by the Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant.

Following a thrilling Round 3 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, the championship now heads west as the title battle intensifies. The spotlight shifts to Goa, which will host a historic FIA-grade street circuit making its debut spanning 2.064 km.

-Team Sportstar

INDIA

Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh secure semifinal spots

Women’s National Cricket Tournament for the Blind has reached its peak following a series of dominant quarterfinal victories.

Defending champions Madhya Pradesh secured their spot with a 99-run win over Maharashtra, while Karnataka delivered a powerhouse performance, defeating West Bengal by 134 runs. Hosts Odisha triumphed over Rajasthan by 61 runs, and Andhra Pradesh rounded out the top four with a clinical 8-wicket chase against Gujarat.

The semifinals take place tomorrow at the Hitech Cricket Ground:

Semifinal 1: Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra Pradesh

Semifinal 2: Karnataka vs Odisha

– PTI

Published on Jan 20, 2026