India’s Putul Sonowal recorded his second successive tie-break victory in the men’s singles bowls competition at the Commonwealth Games 2026, defeating the Falkland Islands’ Cecil Alexander in Glasgow on Friday.
Sonowal prevailed 7-5, 6-8, 1-0 in his second Section D contest to maintain his unbeaten start to the Games.
The reigning Asian champion had begun his Commonwealth Games debut on Thursday with a major upset against Canada’s Ryan Bester, the reigning world outdoor singles champion, in another match decided by a tie-break.
Alexander made the better start on Friday and moved 2-0 ahead after the opening two ends of the first set. Sonowal responded by collecting three shots in the third end to take a 3-2 lead.
The Falkland Islands player regained the advantage at 4-3 in the fourth end, but Sonowal levelled the score in the following end. The Indian then produced the decisive moment of the set by scoring three in the sixth end to move 7-4 ahead.
Alexander managed one shot in the final end, allowing Sonowal to close out the opening set 7-5.
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Sonowal led 3-1 after collecting three shots in the second end of the second set. Alexander, however, turned the contest around by winning each of the next four ends.
He scored three in the third end before adding one, two and one over the following ends to build an 8-3 advantage. Sonowal claimed three shots in the seventh and final end, but his late recovery was not enough as Alexander took the set 8-6 and forced a tie-break.
For the second consecutive match, Sonowal delivered under pressure. He secured the solitary point in the tie-break to complete the win and continue his perfect start in Section D.
Sonowal will next face Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple in his third sectional match on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. IST.
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Published on Jul 24, 2026