In Boxing, India were assured of a medal on the opening day of the India Open in New Delhi yesterday, while top pugilists like MC Mary Kom and Manoj Kumar advanced to the quarterfinals. India were assured of a medal, without even a fight, after Pooja in the 69 kilogram weight category made it to the semifinals due to the small size of her draw. In the 48kg division, five-time world champion Mary Kom, who recently claimed a fifth Asian Championships gold medal, progressed to the last-8 beating compatriot Varsha Choudhary. Besides Mary Kom, Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Pinki Jangra, Nikhat Zareen and Saweety Boora were among the other female boxers who entered the quarterfinals. In the Men's section, Olympian Manoj Kumar in the 69kg overcame Kimathi Jacob to progress. Satish Kumar in the +91kg and Y Sandhyarani in the 75kg also joined Manoj in the last-8 stage. The tournament is the first joint Men's and Women's event being held in India.