ITF MT700 Masters Tennis 2026 – Akshita Basavaraju Wins Singles And Doubles Titles, Veterans Spring Major Upsets In Indore

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Akshita Basavaraju stole the spotlight with a singles-doubles double. At the same time, Jagdish Tanwar, Tuleshwar Singh, Ramkumar Prasad and Dilip Singh claimed men’s singles crowns in their respective age groups at the ITF MT700 Masters Tennis Tournament on Tuesday.

In the women’s 35+ singles final, top seed Akshita produced a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 victory over Sanjana Rawal, not conceding a single game.

She then partnered Prerana Apte to defeat Sheetal Gurale and Girija Yeravadkar 6-1, 6-1 in the women’s 35+ doubles final.

UPSETS GALORE

In the men’s 50+ final, second seed Jagdish Tanwar stunned top-seeded Finland player Ikka Rikkonen 6-3, 6-2.

The 60+ final produced another upset as eighth seed Ramkumar Prasad swept aside top seed Bhanu Pratap Singh 6-0, 6-2.

Unseeded Dilip Singh completed the upset parade in the 65+ category, beating top seed Ajit Bhardwaj 6-4, 6-3.

In the 55+ final, second seed Tuleshwar Singh overcame local favourite Rohit Rawat 7-5, 6-4.

LOCAL CHARGE CONTINUES

In the 40+ category, top seed Bhavesh Gaur entered the semifinals with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win over Ankit Setia.

Madhav Patidar survived a three-set battle against S Gadha 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, while Kartikey Singh Verma beat A Uraiti 6-4, 6-1.

BRIEF SCORES

55+ - Tuleshwar beat Rohit Rawat 7-5, 6-4

50+ - Jagdish beat Ikka Rikkonen 6-3, 6-2

60+ - Ramkumar beat Bhanu Pratap 6-0, 6-2

65+ - Dilip beat Ajit Bhardwaj 6-4, 6-3

Women 35+ - Akshita beat Sanjana 6-0, 6-0

Bhopal ready for Asia’s hockey queens

Bhopal: Bhopal will turn into a hockey hub from November 19 to 28 when the Asian Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy 2026 brings Asia’s top six teams to the International Sports Complex.

India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand will battle for continental honours, with around 150 international players taking part in the day-night tournament.

Sports Minister Vishvas Sarang said the world-ranking event is being organised in Madhya Pradesh for the first time in collaboration with the Asian Hockey Federation and Hockey India. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will inaugurate the tournament.

The stadium, with a seating capacity of around 5,000, will host three matches daily under floodlights. The tournament will also have a massive international reach, with live broadcast expected across 166 countries.