Chess Olympiad Torch Relay reaches Puducherry

World No. 14 Jack Draper produced one of the biggest results of the Indian Wells Open after defeating Serbian legend and World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in a thrilling Round 16 contest, while several top seeds progressed further in the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Djokovic, the five-time champion, outclassed Aleksandar 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, facing a setback in the second set to book his place in the fourth round of the event for the first time since 2017. This is the second successive match where Djokovic has played three sets, having played a tough campaign opener against Kamil Majchrzak.

While it was Sanju Samson's magnificent 89, which continued a redemption, 'Starboy' Jacob Bethell's counter-attacking century in a tense 254 run chase and Jasprit Bumrah's economical spell of 1/33 that made headlines, it was also Axar's two incredible catches which played a massive role in sealing India's win. The first one was a superb grab to dismiss England skipper Harry Brook while running back, and the other one was a relay catch involving all-rounder Shivam Dube to remove Will Jacks, breaking a raging 77-run stand for the fifth wicket between him and Bethell.

The 24-year-old Indian, who has upset top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the opening round, prevailed over NG 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 in an hour and 21 minutes, as per a press release from the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

A defeat at Adelaide back in 2022 caused Men in Blue to rethink their white-ball template and paved the way for young talent, while a win at Providence two years later marked a redemption for skipper Rohit Sharma, who went on to break the 11-year old trophy drought for India. Now, two of these teams, who have had imperfect campaigns so far, will be chasing perfection at iconic Wankhede, a venue which has witnessed history, heartbreak and records for years.