Sport

Jannik Sinner advanced to the Australian Open second round after Frenchman Hugo Gaston retired injured while trailing 6-2, 6-1. The two-time defending champion extended his winning run at Melbourne Park to 15 matches and now chases a historic third consecutive title

Tilottama Sen won the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions at the National Selection Trials in Delhi, while Niraj Kumar topped the men’s event. Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu secured the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol title as India’s top shooters impressed

Hyderabad Toofans defeated HIL GC 3-2 in their final league stage match of the Hero Hockey India League at Kalinga Stadium. Goals from Zachary Wallace, Amandeep Lakra and Shilanand Lakra sealed the win, keeping Toofans alive in the tournament

Costa Rican coach Amelia Valverde has been appointed as head coach of the Indian senior women’s football team. Valverde, who previously led Costa Rica and CF Monterrey to success, joins the Blue Tigresses ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

K Prathika struck a match-winning century to guide Team B past Team C in the HCA Senior Women’s one-day probables matches in Hyderabad. Y Trisha Poojitha also impressed with an unbeaten 61 as Team A defeated Team D

Medhansh Agarwal, Mahaprasada and CV Chetan Aditya produced standout performances in the HCA under-14 two-day probables matches in Hyderabad. Medhansh struck 139, Mahaprasada scored 108, while Chetan hit an unbeaten 111 and took four wickets

The sixth edition of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 was inaugurated at the NDS Stadium in Ladakh. The ice sports leg will conclude on January 26, followed by snow events in Gulmarg. Dr Mansukh Mandaviya praised Ladakh’s successful hosting

Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini has been ruled out of the TATA WPL 2026 due to injury. Vaishnavi Sharma, a left-arm spinner and member of India’s U19 World Cup-winning squad, joins MI as her replacement for Rs 30 lakh

Mayank Gupta will captain Hyderabad in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy under-23 match against Vidarbha at NFC from January 23. A Avanish Rao is vice-captain, with S Dheeraj Goud and others named in the squad

Srujan Keerthan won the Brilliant Trophy open online chess tournament after finishing level with Arnav Pasricha on 10.5 points from 12 rounds. PSS Nandagopal came third, while Sisika Borelli and PV Satyanarayana claimed best woman and veteran honours respectively

K Kiran and Mallika won the men’s and women’s 10 km races in the Osmania University inter-college cross country championship in Hyderabad. Government Degree College Medak and St Ann’s College for Women claimed the team titles in their respective categories

Sania Mirza has launched The Next Set, an initiative to support India’s women athletes with coaching, physiotherapy, training camps and holistic development. Partnering with BNW Developments and Shookra Polyclinics, the programme aims to balance athletic excellence with academic and personal growth

Ryan Group of Institutions will oversee the educational framework at the FIFA Talent Academy in Bhubaneswar from January 2026. The partnership includes tutoring, counselling, and exams, ensuring young footballers balance academic growth with athletic excellence ahead of future FIFA World Cups

India pacer Md Siraj will captain Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy matches against Mumbai and Chhattisgarh. Opener Tanmay Agarwal is ruled out with a back injury, while K Nitesh Reddy is sidelined due to an eye issue

The ICC Event Technical Committee has approved Rehaan Ahtif as a replacement for Dylan Thakrar in the Tanzania squad at the Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026. Thakrar suffered a finger injury against South Africa and was ruled out

South Africa Women will host India for a five-match T20I series from April 17 to 27 in Durban, Johannesburg and Benoni. The series serves as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England

India begin their five-match T20 series against New Zealand in Nagpur with skipper Suryakumar Yadav under pressure to regain form ahead of the World Cup. Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy return as India fine-tune preparations

Defending champions Madhya Pradesh, hosts Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh qualified for the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2026 as the league stage concluded. The knockout matches will be played across Bhubaneswar and Khordha

Delhi Dangal Warriors took firm control against UP Dominators with a 4-1 lead after the opening half of their PWL 2026 clash. Captain Sujeet Kalkal starred with a dominant win as Delhi set the early pace

India’s first Continental multi-stage cycling race began in Pune with an exciting Prologue, where Australian Fergus Browning claimed the Yellow Jersey. Indian rider Harshveer Singh emerged as the fastest local cyclist in a strong international field

India’s rising tennis star Srishti Kiran won the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J30 Girls’ Singles title in Mexico. The 13-year-old from Bengaluru continued her impressive run, underlining her growing stature on the international junior circuit

Novak Djokovic marked his 100th career win at the Australian Open with a dominant first-round victory as Iga Swiatek and Shang Juncheng also advanced. Several top seeds progressed on an action-packed day in Melbourne

India staged a stunning comeback to beat Pakistan 5-3 in the SAFF Women’s Futsal Championship in Thailand. Trailing 3-1, the Futsal Tigresses struck four goals in the final 12 minutes to go top of the table with nine points

The Telangana Para Athletics Association will host the eighth State para athletics championship at GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad on January 29. Top performers will be selected to represent Telangana at the Senior Nationals in Odisha next month