Firstpost Spodcast Episode 114: Kevin Anderson enters Maharashtra Open quarters; Bengaluru Raptors beat Delhi Dashers and more

Welcome to Spodcast, where we cover the big sports headlines of the day. Today, we discuss news from the Maharashtra Open tennis tournament, Bengaluru Raptors’ win over Delhi Dashers, India at AFC Asian Cup 2019 and more.

At the Maharashtra Open tennis tournament, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, ranked sixth in ATP rankings, qualified for the quarterfinals after a hard-fought win over Laslo Djere of Serbia on Wednesday. Anderson, who lost to Gilles Simon in last year’s final, received a first-round bye in this edition. He faced Djere in a tough match yesterday that saw two tie-breakers. He eventually won 7-6, 7-6.

Meanwhile, 2018 champion Gilles Simon of France fought back from a set down to beat Ilya Ivashka of Belarus 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 in a match that lasted two-and-a-half hours. Simon, who has an ATP ranking of 30, will face compatriot Benoit Paire in the quarterfinals.

News from the Premier Badminton League now. Bengaluru Raptors defeated former champions Delhi Dashers on Wednesday as Kidambi Srikanth continued his unbeaten streak. His Bengaluru teammate B Sai Praneeth also put on a strong display to defeat friend and fellow India international HS Prannoy.

In football news, ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 which begins January 5, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri claimed India will be a difficult team to beat. He said the recent draws against more fancied teams like China and Oman hold them in good stead. Chhetri said, “I can assure you that it won’t be an easy job for other teams to face us. We are a team who hate to lose, and we have proven it in recent times. We are working as per the plan. All of us are super excited and thrilled right now. Apart from me and Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu), it’s a first-time experience for all else. Everyone is ready to grab this opportunity.”

Legendary Indian cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87. Achrekar is famous as the coach who was behind the immaculate technique of Sachin Tendulkar, as well as Tendulkar’s childhood cohort Vinod Kambli. He was conferred with the Dronacharya Award, which is presented to coaches for outstanding work in the field of sports in India, in 1990, as well as the Padmashri in 2010. Besides Tendulkar and Kambli, he also coached ex-cricketers like Ajit Agarkar, Pravin Amre, Sameer Dighe and Balwinder Singh Sandhu.