Indian Sports wrap, October 23: JSW Indian Open returns to Mumbai in February 2027

File Image: The JSW Indian Open returns in February 2027, with the women’s event upgraded to PSA Silver. | Photo Credit: ANI

SQUASH

JSW Indian Open 2027 to feature India’s first women’s PSA Silver-level squash tournament

The JSW Indian Open will return for its third edition from February 9 to 13, 2027, in Mumbai, with the women’s competition upgraded to Silver level on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour for the first time.

The upgrade will make it India’s first women’s Silver-level tournament on the PSA Tour, while the men’s competition will continue at Copper level.

The five-day tournament will bring together leading Indian and international players, providing home-grown talent an opportunity to compete against higher-ranked opponents on home soil.

The announcement comes after India’s encouraging performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, where the country secured five squash medals, comprising two silver and three bronze.

Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won silver medals in the women’s and men’s singles events, respectively, while India also claimed bronze medals in the men’s and women’s team competitions and mixed doubles.

Apart from Anahat and Abhay, players such as Ramit Tandon, Veer Chotrani and Velavan Senthilkumar have made progress on the international circuit.

Divyanshu Singh, CEO of JSW Sports, said the upgraded women’s tournament represented an important step towards providing stronger competitive opportunities for Indian players.

The competition also assumes significance ahead of squash’s Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, offering players international exposure and an opportunity to prepare for higher levels of competition.

The organisers are yet to announce the participating players, tournament draw and ticketing details for the 2027 edition.

Athletics

Neeraj Chopra to bring UBS Athletics Kids Cup to Haryana, over 350 children to compete in Sonipat

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will attend the UBS Athletics Kids Cup City Final at the Sports University of Haryana in Rai, Sonipat, on Saturday, as the grassroots athletics initiative expands to his home state.

More than 350 children, who qualified through school-level competitions across the region, will participate in the event on October 24. Chopra will interact with the participants and present awards to the winners.

The expansion will also see Haryana and Delhi NCR become permanent additions to the programme, which was launched in Mumbai in 2023.

Chopra, who served as an ambassador for the initiative for two years, became a co-owner of SD Sports India, the company behind the programme, earlier this year.

“Haryana will always be special to me because this is where my journey in sport began,” Chopra said, emphasising the importance of providing children with opportunities to participate in athletics.

The UBS Athletics Kids Cup aims to introduce children to athletics through organised competitions and encourage greater participation in sport at the grassroots level.

Now in its third season, the initiative has attracted 250,000 children across its participating cities.

TENNIS

Inaugural National Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship to begin in Hyderabad

The inaugural National Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship, organised by the All India Tennis Association (AITA), will be held at the Jubilee Hills International Centre in Hyderabad from October 24 to 30.

Hosted by the Telangana State Tennis Association (TSTA), the tournament will feature a 32-position main draw and a total prize purse of Rs. 10 lakh.

Soha Sadiq and Adil Kalyanpur, with a combined ranking of 28, are among the leading pairs in the draw, alongside Vishnu Vardhan and Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi, who have a combined ranking of 45.

Other participating pairs include Sai Karteek Reddy Ganta and Laxmi Siri Dandu, and Jagmeet Singh and Jennifer Luikham.

Qualifying rounds will begin on October 24, with matches scheduled on outdoor hard courts.

AITA secretary general Sunder Iyer said the championship would provide Indian players with opportunities to develop partnerships and gain competitive experience in mixed doubles, a format contested at the Asian Games and Olympics.

The TSTA has been chosen to host the championship for the next three years.