Sharma and Batra Shine on Opening Day at National Bridge Championship

Asha Sharma and Puja Batra secured the top spot in the women's pair competition at the National Ranking Bridge Championship. The duo from Delhi led with 81 IMPs after three sessions. A total of 35 pairs competed, with 18 advancing to the finals. Mixed events start soon.

On Tuesday, Asha Sharma and Puja Batra stole the spotlight at the National Ranking Bridge Championship by clinching the pole position in the women's pair competition. The Delhi duo's stellar performance at the event saw them leading with a remarkable 81 IMPs after three elimination sessions.

Following closely were Marianne Karmarkar and Aditi Jhaveri from Mumbai, who secured the second position with 76 IMPs. In the third slot were Gujarat's Vidhya Patel and Kalpana Gurjar, who achieved 72 IMPs.

In total, 35 pairs from across India contended in the elimination round, of which only 18 teams progressed to the finals. The championship continues later this week with mixed teams and mixed pairs events.

(With inputs from agencies.)