Ankita Raina lone Indian to receive direct entry in ITF Women's Open
Bengaluru (PTI): Asian Games bronze-medallist Ankita Raina is the only Indian to have received a direct entry in the upcoming ITF Women's Open, set to be hosted by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association in Bengaluru from January 14. Runner-up from the last edition and ranked 208th in singles, she features in the main draw list that has 20 direct entries, along with four wild cards and eight qualifiers. As for the Indians, there could be as many as nine of them in the singles main draw, with four of them being handed the wild cards for the main draw, while five of them would be playing the qualifiers between January 14-15.
Among the wild-card Indian entries are local talents Soha Sadiq (singles ranking 823) and Suhita Maruri (singles ranking 1,239).
Darja Semenistaja of Latvia, ranked 143rd in the singles, is the highest-ranked competitor in the event.
It will be the third edition of the tournament and will be played under lights for the first time, with the finals set to be played on January 21.
The competition has a prize money of USD 40,000, with the winner also set to receive 50 WTA points.
Speaking on the competition, KSLTA Vice-President and Karnataka's IT BT & RDPR minister Priyank Kharge said, "The KPB Trust ITF Women's Open not only celebrates athletic excellence but also serves as a crucial stepping stone for Indian players, who gain a home advantage as they compete on familiar turf." "The event has played a pivotal role in nurturing local talent, and contributing to the growth of women's tennis in our nation and creating top-class athletes." "This event is extremely important for us as it's one of the few ITF W50 events in the world, and we welcome the sporting ambassadors from 21 countries to come and experience the hospitality of Bengaluru, which is in pursuit of becoming the global sporting destination," he concluded.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
