by Tanish Prabhu
India’s World Cup Dream Ends After Goalless Draw with Australia
India’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup came to a heartbreaking end after a goalless draw against Australia in Amstelveen.
Needing a victory to secure a place in the final four, India was unable to break through Australia’s defence in a tense must-win encounter. The 0-0 result allowed Australia to progress to the semi-finals after the teams finished with identical goal differences, with the Australians advancing based on having scored more goals during the second round.
India entered the match knowing the stakes were high following their 2-0 loss to the Netherlands. Before that defeat, the team had enjoyed an unbeaten run, but the loss to the reigning world and Olympic champions left India needing to defeat Australia to keep their World Cup dream alive. Australia began strongly and thought they had taken an early lead, only
for the goal to be ruled out following an Indian referral. Veteran goalkeeper Savita made an important save during the opening quarter as Australia continued to apply pressure.
India gradually created opportunities of their own but struggled to convert their chances. A penalty corner just before half-time failed to produce the breakthrough, while several promising attacks later in the match ended in missed passes or misunderstandings in the attacking circle. The second half followed a similar pattern, with both teams unable to find the decisive goal. India came close in the final quarter, but Australia’s defence held firm as the pressure continued to grow.
With time running out, India coach Sjoerd Marijne made a desperate tactical move by taking goalkeeper Bichu Devi off the field in the final five minutes, giving his side an additional attacking player. However, even with the extra numbers, India could not find the goal they
desperately needed. The final whistle confirmed a disappointing end to India’s semi-final ambitions. Despite matching Australia’s goal difference, India’s lower number of goals scored proved decisive in the standings, while Australia and the Netherlands progressed from the group.
India’s campaign ended in disappointment, the team’s performances earlier in the tournament showed signs of progress. However, their inability to convert key chances in their most
important match ultimately proved costly as their World Cup dream came to an end.
Badminton World Championships held in New Delhi
The 2026 BWF World Championships have concluded in New Delhi, with historic victories and major upsets highlighting a dramatic week of badminton at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
France’s Alex Lanier produced one of the tournament’s standout performances, becoming the first French player to win a world singles title. The 21-year-old defeated Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 in the men’s singles final, dominating the match in less than 50 minutes. Lanier’s victory marked a breakthrough moment for French badminton and capped off an impressive campaign. South Korea’s An Se-young also made history by claiming her second women’s singles world title. The Olympic champion defeated reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-17, 21-14, continuing her dominance on the international stage. Her victory strengthened her position as one of the leading players in women’s badminton.
France celebrated another historic success in the mixed doubles, with Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue winning the country’s first-ever world title in the discipline. Their triumph, combined with Lanier’s singles victory, made the championships a memorable event for French badminton.China claimed the men’s doubles title through Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, who
defeated Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the final.
The Chinese pair added another world championship success to their country’s strong record in doubles competition.
In the women’s doubles, South Korea’s Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee defeated China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning to claim the title. Their victory ended a 31-year wait for South Korea to win the women’s doubles world championship. The tournament also produced significant
moments for the host nation. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a bronze medal in the women’s doubles, while Ayush Shetty stunned world number one and defending champion Shi Yuqi during the opening rounds.
After seven days of competition from 17 to 23 August, the 2026 BWF World Championships ended with new champions, historic national achievements and performances that demonstrated the growing competitiveness of world badminton.
Alcaraz returns to US Open, Sinner misses out due to injury
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will return to the courts in New York after announcing on social media that he is ready to go next week. Alcaraz opted out of the Cincinnati Open to focus on his injury, with fans speculating that he won’t return to the court for the rest of the year.
It has been a big journey for the 23-year-old, who has been on the sidelines since the Barcelona Open, but can his body survive a long game of tennis upon his return next week? On the other hand, World Number 1 and 2026 Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has ruled
himself out of the US Open after sustaining an injury. The Italian will not compete in next week’s tournament, marking another opportunity for fans to see how the up-and-coming stars
will go against someone like Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Joining him on the sidelines is England’s Jack Draper, who has missed most of the year with injuries too.
Like the French Open and the Wimbledon that saw Alcaraz on the sidelines, there was a new champion and some amazing new players for the next generation. Jakuk Mensik, Flavio Coboli, Rafa Jodar and Jao Fonseca have all been promising players in 2026. Fonseca captured the eyes of many fans and experts after he beat Novak Djokovic, who was unable to find his way into the game against the young Brazilian. Sinner injury makes way for something more familiar and
Alcaraz should be up for a challenge against players his age despite at a much higher level of his game.
The other player to look out for is Alexander Zverev and how he has progressed this year. Having won the French Open and then coming close to winning the Wimbledon this year, the
German has had a more relaxing year than the previous 11 years. Injuries have taken a toll, opportunities missed, but a chance to finish the year on a high and win another Grand Slam title would be nothing but spectacular for the 29-year-old. But for the Aussies, 27-year-old Alex De Minuar is Australia’s only hope in winning this tournament. He hasn’t gone past the Quarter Finals and recently got knocked out of the round of 16 in the Cincinnati Open.
There hasn’t been a more promising Australian player since Lleyton Hewitt and Nick Kyrgios in men’s singles, but De Minuar has been the best player in the last 3 years. He is a hard worker, focuses on his fitness, his game as much as he can, but he never goes all the way on the court. It almost happened in the Wimbledon this year in a pretty
decent Quarter Final, the opportunity beckons in the US Open.
Test cricket: India beat Sri Lanka, Australia back to winning ways
India opened the Test series in Sri Lanka with a comprehensive victory on the basis of sterling performances of spinner Manav Suthar and batsman Devdutt Padikkal. The Galle Test victory was crucial for the visitors to boost their ranking in the current WTC cycle.
Brief Scores:
India 1st Innings: 462 runs (Devdutt Padikkal scored 167, KL Rahul scored 82).
Sri Lanka 1st Innings: 284 runs (Sonal Dinusha scored 100, Manav Suthar took 4 wickets).
India 2nd Innings: 193 runs (Rishabh Pant scored 66).
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings: 206 runs (Sonal Dinusha scored 84, Manav Suthar took 6 wickets).
Over in Australia, it was another two-day test match and this seems to be more common in this day and age, but that didn’t stop the hosts from making a statement to show the world who they really are after beating Bangladesh by an innings and 51 runs in Mackay. Mitchell Starc put on a clinical performance as usual with the ball after taking 10 wickets for the match, making him the
greatest left arm fast bowler ever to play the game in test cricket. Age is catching up with him, but he never fails to deliver at crucial times. Starc claimed 5 wickets in 6 overs on the first day and was on a hattrick twice in both innings.
The pitch was fantastic to bat on, but neither team managed to set themselves in. The batting for Australia still is a problem after the top order struggled to make runs in their innings. With
the South Africa tour coming up in October, changes are crucial and another poor innings from Marnus Labuschagne might just be the beginning, with several players from Sheffield Shield now in need of runs ahead of the series and beyond that too. Bangladesh do have a lot to be proud of in this series. Playing in Australia after 23 years, they showed a lot of fight, a lot of promise and a lot of courage. The second test didn’t go their way, having been all out under 100 in both innings, but there are a lot of positives.
‘’It’s been a long time, 23 years since we came here and we played two Test matches, it’s not easy. So, if we have that ability, that chance to play every single year, it will help us to improve our game,’’ said Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto.
The series against Bangladesh is a sign that Australia should host more test matches against low ranked teams and have a competitive three match series rather than two. If Bangladesh can
compete against a strong Australian team, so can other teams as well.
F1: Lando Norris wins Dutch GP, Max Verstappen crashes out in his final home race
A week before the race, there are three big signings. Liam Lawson moved to Red Bull in place of injured Isack Hadjar while Yuki Tsunoda joined Racing Bulls to participate in his first race this year. But the biggest surprise this year was Max Verstappen’s loyalty to Red Bull. The four-time champion has had a tough year, not being able to secure the wins he wanted the most and grab opportunities. In his final race at home yesterday in Zandvoort, he crashed into a wall early on, forcing him to retire from the race, a chaotic start to the race after the summer break.
However, despite all that, Verstappen has signed on with Red Bull till 2030, dropping the rumors and speculations of his retirement or leaving Red Bull for another team.
The crash brought the race to a haul for around 40 minutes as debris was cleared from the circuit. When racing resumed, Antonelli made an impressive impact, overtaking Russell before passing Lando
Norris to take the lead Mclaren and 2025 World Driver winner Lando Norris produced a determined late charge to win a dramatic Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, overcoming championship leader Kimi Antonelli in a race marked by Max Verstappen’s crash early in the race. The Mclaren driver secured his second consecutive victory after an inspired strategy and a decisive overtake with 15 laps remaining. Antonelli finished second for Mercedes, while his teammate George Russell completed the podium in third.
The win reduced Norris’s deficit to the Italian, although the Mercedes driver remains comfortably ahead in the standings. Norris now trails him by 83 points but believes he can get there and win back-to-back championships.
English Premier League 2026-27 – Week 1 recap
The 2026/27 Premier League season has begun in dramatic fashion, with shock results, late goals and new beginnings providing an exciting opening weekend.
Defending champions Arsenal started their title defence strongly with a comfortable 3-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City. The result gave Arsenal the perfect start as they look to
retain the Premier League crown, while Coventry began their first season back in the top flight in 25 years. Ipswich Town and Hull City also joined the competition after earning promotion, creating fresh storylines for the new campaign.
One of the biggest surprises of the opening round came at the MKM Stadium, where Hull City stunned Manchester United 2-0. Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scored in the first half as United.struggled to respond, giving Hull a memorable victory in their first Premier League match back. The result was particularly significant as it was Hull’s first league win over Manchester United since 1974.
Tottenham also suffered a disappointing start, losing 3-0 to Brentford. The hosts dominated the match and exposed early concerns for Spurs, while Everton began positively with a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace. Leeds United also secured an important opening victory, defeating
Nottingham Forest 1-0. Ipswich marked their return to the Premier League with a dramatic 2-1 win over Sunderland, with former Sunderland player Jack Clarke scoring a late winner.
Elsewhere, Manchester City needed a stoppage-time goal from Josko Gvardiol to secure a 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth in Enzo Maresca’s first league match in charge. Liverpool were also involved in late drama, rescuing a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United after Dominik Szoboszlai converted a 99th-minute penalty.
The opening weekend has already shown why the Premier League remains one of football’s most unpredictable competitions. Arsenal has started strongly, while Manchester United and
Tottenham have immediately come under pressure after disappointing defeats. With new managers, promoted clubs and a long season ahead, the 2026/27 campaign is already shaping up to deliver plenty of drama.
