The big story: Sindhu, Shrikanth register straight-game victories

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu and defending champions Kidambi Srikanth cruised into the semi-finals of the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold on Friday, PTI reported.

Sindhu brushed aside Vaidehi Choudhari 21-15, 21-11 in a lop-sided contest, while Srikanth eased to a 21-12, 21-17 win over Malaysia’s seventh seed Zulfadli Zulkiffli.

Meanwhile, National champion Sameer Verma and Mumbai’s Harsheel Dani shocked Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Vittinghus and Emil Holst, respectively, to reach the men’s singles semifinals.

Other top stories

Tennis

  • Rafael Nadal fended off a stiff challenge from Grigor Dimitrov to set up a dream final with old nemesis Roger Federer in the Australian Open. The Spaniard edged the Bulgarian 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 in a thrilling five-set contest at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
  • American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova came out trumps in a tense final to beat Czech Andrea Hlavackova and China’s Peng Shuai 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3 to lift the Australian Open women’s doubles title.
  • India’s Sania Mirza and her Croatian partner Ivan Dodig marched into the final of the Australian Open mixed doubles on Friday. The Indo-Croat pair beat Australians Samantha Stosur and Samuel Groth 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 in the semi-final.  

Cricket

  • David Warner’s brilliant run of form saw him jump two places in the International Cricket Council’s One-Day International rankings to clinch pole position. This also meant that South African batting maestro AB de Villiers was pushed to the second spot, and India’s Virat Kohli, third.
  • Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting predicted that Steve Smith’s side would struggle during its India tour in the summer. The Australians were drubbed 0-4 in the Test series in 2013. “I think they’ll struggle. It’s become harder and harder for visiting teams to go to India. They probably make wickets to suit them more than ever before,” Ponting said.  
  • Following a string of bad results in recent times, England Test skipper Alastair Cook is ready to step down, reported The Independent. Cook, who has held the post for a little more than four years, is scheduled to discuss his future with England’s director of cricket and his predecessor, Andrew Strauss, on Friday.
  • Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali has been penalised with a one-match suspension for slow over rate during the fifth match against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday. Ali was also charged 40% of his match fee. Pakistan play their next ODI against West Indies in April.  
  • Australia’s franchise-based cricketing event Big Bash League could be expanded in the 2017-’18 season with each side set to play one extra home game. This means that all the teams would play one extra home game before the semi-finals and the final.

Hockey

  • Florian Fuchs and Affan Yusuf struck a brace each as Dabang Mumbai thrashed defending champions Punjab Warriors 10-4 in the Hockey India League on Friday.

Formula One

  • Recently-retired Formula One driver Mark Webber was conferred with his country’s highest national awards, Officer of the Order of Australia, on Thursday.  

Football

  • Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that he has asked his midfielder Granit Xhaka “to stop tackling” in the wake of the Swiss getting his second red card after moving to the Emirates. “It is more the way he tackles that is not convincing. He doesn’t master the technique,” Wenger was quoted as saying. Xhaka was also involved in a racism row at London’s Heathrow airport recently.
  • Dutch winger Memphis Depay, who recently switched Manchester United for French club Olympique Lyon, insisted that he didn’t have a problem with Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho, calling him a “great coach and a great person”.
  • After losing 1-2 in the second leg against Hull City at the KCOM stadium, Mourinho stated that his side “didn’t lose” and that he “only saw two goals”, referring to the controversial penalty which gave the hosts the lead.
  • Reigning English Premier League champions Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri revealed that club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is “unhappy” with the team’s form. The Foxes currently lie five points outside the relegation zone.
  • The All India Football Federation has reportedly sounded out a replacement for the under-fire coach of the India Under-17 team Nicolai Adam and will be finalised within a month’s time, reported PTI on Friday.
  • Churchill Brothers finally breathed life into the I-League with a fighting 2-1 win against reigning champions Bengaluru FC at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Friday.

Golf

  • Shiv Kapur continued to be the best-placed Indian golfer at the halfway stage of the Myanmar Open, adding a one-under 70 to move to tied-12th on Friday. Kapur has totalled five-under 137 over the first two days.
  • Amandeep Drall carded one over 73 on the final day to emerge victorious in the 2nd Leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour.

Olympics

  • Beijing Olympics gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra was appointed the chairman of the 10-member Target Olympic Podium committee on Friday to identify and support medal prospects for the 2020 and the 2024 summer games, reported PTI.

Diving

  • A national level swimmer Tanika Dhara, 23, committed suicide by hanging herself at her residence in Mumbai, Hindustan Times reported. She was working with Western Railway, the report added.