Rio Olympics 2016 Highlights: Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal Give India Reasons to Smile

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna began their quest for an Olympic medal on a winning note, as they edged out Australian duo of Samantha Stosur and John Peers 7-5,6-4 to advance to quarter-finals. After archers Deepika Kumari and Bombayla Devi lost their pre-quarterfinals, PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal won their opening match in women's badminton singles competition of Rio Olympics 2016. Boxer Shiva Thapa, on the other hand, bowed out in the 56 kg category. Catch live updates of Indian performances here. (MEDAL TALLY | SCHEDULE)

03:54 IST: On a day when India saw archers Deepika Kumari and Bombayla Devi crash out, boxer Shiva Thapa too making a first round exit, the victories in badminton and tennis will be a relieving effect. That's all for today's coverage of Rio Olympics 2016. Good night!

03:44 IST: And they have won it! Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna have won their first round match against Samantha Stosur-John Peers. Both the sides exchange greetings as Indian spectators are cheering for the duo. The scoreline reads 7-5,6-4.

03:34 IST: Stosur and Peers have come back strongly against the Indian pair. Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna lead 4-3.

03:24 IST: The second set is currently a thrilling one, the scoreline of 2-2 being a clear indication that Sania and her partner are geared up to give India something to cheer.

03:17 IST: The second set is evenly poised as both the teams are sweating it out to gain an upper hand over the other. However, Stosur-Peers are up by 2-1.

03:09 IST: So, Sania Mirza-Rohan Bopanna win first set 7-5. Will they continue their rhythm in the second set as well?

02:56 IST: The first set has been a thrilling encounter right from the start as both sides are not ready to allow each other to dominate. The scores are levelled 5-5.

02:48 IST: The Australian pair is not allowing the Indian duo to relax at all. The scoreline of the first set currently reads 4-4.

Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna in action during their mixed doubles first round match.

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02:37 IST: Stosur-Peers leading 3-2 in the first set against the Indian pair.

02:23 IST: The players are on the court and warming up. Live action will begin shortly.

02:19 IST: Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna take on Samantha Stosur and John Peers in the first round of mixed doubles event. The action is about to begin.

02:06 IST: Having lost their previous two games, Indian women are currently placed at the bottom of Pool B. Will they pull off a much-needed win today? Catch Live updates here.

01:30 IST: Countdown to a nerve-wracking encounter as Indian women take on US.
 

The Indian Women's #Hockey Team go up against USA at 4:00 AM IST on 12 Aug, LIVE on Star Sports & DD National! pic.twitter.com/8fGTIGuJ3j

- Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 11, 2016

 

01:05 IST: Earlier in the day, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu began their Rio Olympics on a winning note. Nehwal, who is eyeing another medal after a bronze she won at London Games in 2012, edged past Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente 21-17 21-17. PV Sindhu also won her first round match.

00:27 IST: Badminton star Kidambi Srikanth will look forward to continue the winning streak when he faces Lino Munoz at 0535 IST.

23:48 IST: Indian women's hockey team will face United States in their Pool B match at 0400 IST.

23:45 IST: The Indian contingent's campaign for the day is not over yet as there are a couple of events lined-up in the next few hours.

23:00 IST: Meanwhile, Indian hockey team PR Sreejesh gave a pep talk to his teammates after the loss to Netherlands.
 

Champions learn from their mistakes ... Chin up boys .. Never give up #hockey #rio2016 @TheHockeyIndia @@FIH_Hockey @Rio2016_en

- sreejesh p r (@16Sreejesh) August 11, 2016

22:30 IST: In a latest development, Rio Olympics organisers have threatened to cancel the accreditation of India's sports minister Vijay Goel. It is learnt that the organisers have alleged that the minister was trying to enter accredited areas at venues with unaccredited individuals

22:00 IST: So, Indian men's hockey team makes it to the quarter-finals of Rio Olympics. It is for the first time in 36 years that India have progressed to the knockout stages.

21:25 IST: It's a winning start for Saina Nehwal in Rio. The Indian shuttler wins her opening match 21-17, 21-17  against Lohaynny Vicente of Brazil.

21:19 IST: Saina has begun the second game on a strong note, leading 11-5.

21:11 IST: Saina has won the first game against Lohaynny Vicente 21-17.

21:06 IST: Vicente has come back strongly to put herself ahead of Saina 14-13. However, the latter equalises in the next minute.

21:02 IST: Saina is going pretty strong and has accumulated 12 points against her rival's 11. India's medal hopes now lie on her shoulders.

20:58 IST: Vicente bounced back to gain three points against the Indian badminton star. However, Saina is ahead 8-5.

20:56 IST: Saina is leading 6-2 in the first game at present.

20:54 IST: Saina Nehwal is now up against Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente.

20:40 IST: Saina Nehwal's opening match against Lohaynny Vicente has been delayed.

20:24 IST: In golf, India's SSP Chawrasia is currently tied 15th having scored 1 under par in his first four holes. Anirban Lahiri is tied 51st, having shot 3 over par 38 from his first 9 holes.

20:18 IST: Shiva Thapa loses his first round 56 kg bout on unanimous points decision to Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez.

20:05 IST: PV Sindhu wins her opening match 21-8, 21-9 vs Laura Sarosi of Hungary in badminton women's singles.

20:02 IST: India go down 2-1 to Netherlands in the Pool B hockey match, but remain in contention for a quarterfinal spot.

19:25 IST: It's 1-1 in the men's Pool B hockey match between India and Netherlands. Follow our hockey live blog.

19:05 IST: In hockey, meanwhile, India continue to hold Netherlands goalless at the end of the second quarter. PR Sreejesh has been kept busy, but the Indian backline has held firm so far.

19:00 IST: Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy have lost their men's doubles badminton group stage match to Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in straight games, 21-18, 21-13.

18:53 IST: It's going well for India in hockey so far. The men's team has managed to keep the score goalless against World no 2 Netherlands in a crucial Pool B match. The match is currently in the second quarter. Follow our live coverage of the match.

18:50 IST: In badminton men's doubles, India's Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy have lost the first game 21-18 to Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. They are 12-6 down in the second game.

18:19 IST: The Indian hockey team will be up again Netherlands in a crucial Pool B match shortly. Follow updates on our hockey live blog.

18:06 IST: It's all over for Bombayla. She loses the fourth set 25-23 to crash out of the Olympics.

18:02 IST: Bombayla Devi loses the first half. She scores 27, but Valencia finishes with a 10 to take her score to 28. Bombayla trails 4-2.

17:59 IST: Bombayla Devi strikes back by winning the second set. She scores 26, but Valencia can only manage 23. It's all square at the Sambodromo!

17:57 IST: Bombayla Devi loses the first set after scoring 26 with a single 10. Valencia scores 28 with one 10.

17:55 IST: Bombayla Devi's pre-quarter match is about to start. If she wins, her quarterfinal match will be held after 11 pm.

17:48 IST: Bombayla Devi will shortly be in action in her pre-quarterfinal match against Alejandra Valencia. Can she keep alive India's hopes of a medal in archery?

17:36 IST: It's the end of the road for Deepika Kumari at Rio 2016. She manages three 9s in Set 3 to score a total of 27. Tan Ya-Ting scores a perfect 30 to take the set. It's an easy 6-0 win for World no. Ya-Ting.

17:33 IST: Tan Ya-Ting takes the second set. She scores a total of 29, with two 10s. Deepika's score is 26. Tan Ya-Ting leads 4-0.

17:30 IST: Tan Ya-Ting takes the first set. She scores 10, 9, 9 to score a total of 28. Deepika manages a 27 with a single 10.

17:28 IST: Deepika Kumari's pre-quarter clash against World no. 2 Tan Ya-Ting is set to begin. Can she pull off an upset here?

17:20 IST: Some good news from boxing, meanwhile. Indian boxers no longer face the threat of disqualification after kits bearing the name 'India' were arranged today. A needless controversy has been averted.

17:12 IST: In badminton women's doubles, India's Jwala Gutt and Ashwini Ponnappa have lost their first group stage match to Japan's Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 21-15, 21-10.

16:52 IST: Meanwhile, India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta are in action in badminton women's doubles 1st round. They have lost the first game 21-15 against the Japanese duo of Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi.

16:45 IST: Hello and welcome to the live coverage of women's individual archery from Rio 2016. The action starts with Deepika Kumari's Round of 16 clash against Tan Ya-Ting.

Deepika Kumari and Bombayla Devi will be gunning for India's first medals in Rio 2016.

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At the Sambodrome, first in action (5.30 PM IST) will be Deepika Kumari in the women's individual recurve pre-quarterfinals. The Jharkhand girl will be up against Chinese Taipei's world No. 2 Tan Ya-Ting. They will shoot five sets of three arrows each to decide who goes into the last eight stage.

World No. 12 Deepika qualified for the pre-quarters early on Thursday morning (India time). She defeated Georgia's Kristine Esebua 6-4 and then Italy's Guendalina Sartori 6-2 to storm into the last-16 stage.

Deepika failed miserably in the London Games four years ago. She could not handle London's windy conditions and was all at sea. In Rio, she has handled the windy and rainy conditions very well.

But Tan will be a tough nut to crack. Tan has soared up the rankings over the past year and at a World Cup event in June, scalped one of South Korea's finest in Chang Hye-jin, who won the team gold with Ki Bo-bae and Choi Mi-sun on Sunday.

Tan has a healthy respect for Deepika Kumari.

"She's outstanding. But I don't think it's because her scores are so great, I think it's because her mental game is really strong," said Tan.

"She's got a lot of confidence in herself. To beat her, I have to have even more belief in myself. I think when the battle's on, the winner will be the one who is more confident."

Soon after Deepika's round, three-time Olympian Bombayla Devi will line-up (5:56 PM IST) her target against 21-year-old Mexican Alejendra Valencia, a two-time Pan American champion.

Bombayla (ranked 69th) was quite solid on Wednesday. She defeated Austrian archer Laurence Baldauff 6-2 and then Taipei's Lin Shin-Chia by an identical margin to progress to the round of 16.