UP beat Marathas in PWL tie

New Delhi Jan 19 (IANS) Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia posted commanding wins to help UP Dangal defeat Veer Marathas 4-3 in a Pro Wrestling League (PWL) contest at the Siri Fort Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

After Vinesh put her squad 3-1 up in the tie Bajrang the Commonwealth Champion beat compatriot Amit Dhankar 7-2 in the men s 65 kilogram category to help UP continue their unbeaten run.

At the same time their defeat all but douses Marathas hopes of making it to the knock-out stages.

In the clash between sisters Vinesh played with great determination to overcome a stiff challenge from her elder sibling Ritu Phogat 4-0 in the women s 50kg division.

The win was Vinesh s fourth successive victory in the tournament.

Earlier Veer Marathas won the toss and blocked Uzbekistan s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov while UP Dangal opted to keep Marwa Amri out of the equation.

In the first bout of the day UP Dangal s Nithin Rathi made a great comeback to register a 7-4 victory over Shravan Kumar in the men s 57kg category.

Shravan started off well and took a 3-0 lead in the opening period. The national championship runner-up however showed great determination to turn the tide and come out victorious.

In the next bout 2017 Commonwealth champion Geeta Phogat made it 2-0 for Dangal beating national champion Ritu Malik 5-0 in the women s 62kg bout.

The win not only gave UP a huge initiative early in the duel but also saw Geeta record her first win in this year s edition.

Georgi Keteov of Armenia brought the Marathas back into tie with a dominating 16-0 win through technical superiority over Vicky Chahar in the men s 92kg division.

The World Championship bronze medallist grappled with great intent and did not allow his opponent any chance as he wrapped up the contest within three minutes.

--IANS
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