A clinical Roger Federer took a confident step towards a fourth Miami Open title on Wednesday, easing past 13th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-2 to book a spot in the quarter-finals.
On Sunday the Ukrainian Tennis Federation urged the sport's governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to immediately expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from team and individual tournaments. Also, athletes from Ukraine and other nations have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend Russia and Belarus and ban their athletes from events immediately.
Nadal will not be playing at Wimbledon, having decided to rest, while eight-time champion Federer is showing signs that, at 39, the window of opportunity to win one more Slam is closing.
Not since Stan Wawrinka's 2016 US Open triumph has a Grand Slam been won by someone other than the 'Big Three', winners of the last 13 major titles.
Kyrgios did not face a single break point and hit 18 aces, including two to close out the final.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Images from Day 4 of the 2021 French Open in Paris on Wednesday.
American teenage sensation Coco Gauff progressed to her maiden WTA final as she eased past Germany's Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-4 at the Linz Open on Saturday. The 15-year-old Gauff became the youngest player to reach a WTA final since Czech Republic's Nicole Vaidisova won the Tashkent Open in 2004, also aged 15.
Factbox on Rafael Nadal, who beat Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 on Sunday to win a record-extending 13th French Open title:
Bidding for a record-extending ninth Australian Open title, the world number one and double-defending champion remains the runaway favourite at his favourite Grand Slam where he once remarked that he felt touched by the "divine".
Nadal surpassed the haul of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
French Open champion Barty exited the tournament in the last 16 but regained the number one spot after last year's champion Naomi Osaka was also knocked out at the same stage.
Wimbledon finalists Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are on a semi-final collision course at the US Open after they were placed in the same half of the draw.
It was Roger Federer's fastest defeat since losing to Franco Squillari in 54 minutes in Sydney in 2003.
IMAGES from Day 6 of the matches played at the US Open at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.
Top seed Rafa Nadal overwhelmed Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-0 to win his fifth Rogers Cup on Sunday in Montreal -- the first time he has retained a title outside of clay.
Images from Day 9 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal's decision to skip the US Open because of health concerns has added another twist to the intriguing three-way battle for the most career men's Grand Slam titles and, in many eyes, the title of Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). Had the 34-year-old Spaniard managed to retain the title he won in a five-set thriller against Daniil Medvedev last year, he would have joined Roger Federer at the top of the list with 20 titles. Instead, his decision has cleared the path for 33-year-old Novak Djokovic to edge to within one of Nadal's Grand Slam tally with a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 18 in total.
The unseeded Indo-Canadian combine beat the Romanian-Dutch pairing of Tecau and Rojer 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 in a quarters
Images from Day 8 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday.
Novak Djokovic is aware of Kei Nishikori's battling qualities having lost twice to the Japanese in 17 career meetings.
Nadal meets the 'new Nick' Kyrgios in fourth-round blockbuster
The 21-year-old has now recorded victories over all of tennis's so called 'Big Three' this year, having beaten Roger Federer at the Australian Open and Rafa Nadal in Madrid.
Derara Hurisa wasn't the favourite for Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 but the Ethiopian upset the odds to win in a course record of 2:08:09 in Mumbai on Sunday. Hurisa was rewarded with his biggest ever pay day, a US$45,000 winners cheque and a US$15,000 course record bonus. The amount he picked up on Sunday for his stunning win was more than he had pocketed across his entire career. In addition, the race was won with a pair of borrowed racing shoes. "I misplaced my shoes while travelling from Addis Ababa to Mumbai earlier in the week. So I borrowed some shoes from my friend Abraham Girma (who also ran the Tata Mumbai Marathon). So I only tried them on for the first time yesterday," Hurisa revealed after the race. In a thrilling finish to the 17th edition of TMM, three men approached the last kilometre together, but Hurisa went through the gears as the trio passed that check point and he pulled away from his compatriots Ayele Abshero and Birhanu Teshome. Abshero and Teshome finished second and third respectively in a time of 2:08:20 and 2:08:26, both coming inside the previous course record of 2:08:35. Prior to Sunday, 22-year-old Hurisa's most notable achievement was winning the silver medal in the African Cross Country Championships U20 race four years ago. This was Hurisa's second international win, the other being a low-key half marathon in Turkey in 2017. The men's race started at a pace which indicated a course record was on the cards, and the weather was several degrees cooler. A large group of 18 men, including pacemakers, sped through the 10km marker in 30.01, 20km in 1:00:35 and hit the halfway mark in 1:03:52. However, as the second half of the race progressed, the runners started to regularly drop off the back of the leading pack with the leaders passing 30km in 1:30:52 although eight men still remained in contention at 35km. As the runners passed the 36km marker, Teshome put his head down and started pumping his arms, attempting to almost sprint away from his rivals. It was a short-lived surge but it had the effect of splintering what remained of the pack. With four kilometres left, Hurisa, Abshero and Teshome still had Uganda's 2013 Mumbai Marathon winner Jackson Kiprop for company and their Ethiopian compatriot Abera Kuma, after going through a bad patch, was back in contention. First Abera and then Kiprop broke off with three kilometres to go, but the Ethiopian trio stayed together, testing each other, until Harisa made his decisive move. Kenya's defending champion Cosmas Lagat had much earlier dropped out injured at around 14 kilometres. In the women's race, Amane Beriso stormed back after a 15-month injury-induced absence from competition to win the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 in a time of 2:24:51. Despite being 38 seconds adrift of race leader Kenya's Rodah Jepkorir at the 30km checkpoint, with Ethiopia's defending champion Worknesh Alemu drifting back off the lead and shortly to drop out, over the next kilometre Beriso reeled in Jepkorir and then overhauled the 2019 winner of the Gold Coast and Buenos Aires Marathons. Once out on her own, Beriso was never challenged and, despite looking extremely tired over the final few kilometres, she came home more than two minutes clear of Jepkorir who crossed the line second in 2:27:14 with Ethiopia's marathon debutante Haven Hailu third in 2:28:56. "I was nervous to start because I had spent so long without racing, but I started to feel confident at about 31 kilometres and I was certain I could win from about 36 kilometres," said Beriso. "With a kilometre to go, my (male) pacemaker Sylvester Kiptoo was pointing at his watch and was telling me I could still get the course record but I was tired. I tried but I couldn't do it," she added. Nevertheless, Beriso will go into the record books as the second fastest woman in Mumbai Marathon's history, despite finishing 18 seconds outside the 2014 course record of Kenya's Valentine Kipketer. Results: Men 1. Derara Hurisa (ETH) 2:08:09 2. Ayele Abshero (ETH) 2:08:20 3. Birhanu Teshome (ETH) 2:08:26 4. Jackson Kiprop (UGA) 2:08:41 5. Abdi Ali (BRN) 2:08:56 Women 1. Amane Beriso (ETH) 2:24:51 2. Rodah Jepkorir (KEN) 2:27:14 3. Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:28:55 4. Fetale Dejene (ETH) 2:30:11 5. Maeregu Hayelom (ETH) 2:31:26. Srinu Bugatha, Sudha Singh win Indian Elite category Army man Srinu Bugatha and defending champion Sudha Singh won the Indian Elite athlete men and womens category respectively in the 17th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon held on Sunday. Arjuna Awardee Sudha Singh clinched the title with a timing of 2:45:30s. "My aim was for a hat-trick this year. The route was also good. I attained my best timings last year but the climate was humid and hot, whereas the weather was more suitable this time. My overall experience was good. I want to thank my coach Bijendra Singh," Sudha said on her performance. Overall Sudha stood 10th in the Marathon, which was won by Ethiopian Amane Beriso, clocking 2:24:51. First time full marathon runner and Army man, Srinu Bugatha finished first among Indian runners by clocking 2:18:44. "I am thankful to my pacers for their help. I am happy but I feel I would have clocked a better timing than this. My pace dropped at the last kilometre and I couldn't make a proper recovery from that. Regardless, I am looking forward to performing better in my upcoming marathons," he said. Srinu's overall ranking stood at 13th, with a gap of 10:35 seconds between him and Derara Hurisa, the winner of the International Elite Full Marathon. Sher Singh, who was participating for the first time in the Tata Mumbai Marathon, finished second clocking a timing of 2:24:00. Sher said, "I started the race with Srinu Bugatha and kept my pace along with him steadily till 35km after which I slowed down. The route was good but the weather was quite humid." Durga Bahadur Budha, also from the Army, finished third with a timing of 2:24:03 among Indian runners. "At present, I'm not practicing for marathons regularly. Mostly the only form of training I do is my army training. Also, an injurykept me away from the marathon scene last year. So, I am personally happy with my timings," Durga said. Among Indian runners, Jyoti Gawate emerged runner-up clocking a timing of 2:49:14, while Shyamali Singh from West Bengal attained the 3rdposition in the Indian Elite women category with a timing of 2:58:44. Sudha Singh and Jyoti Gawate ran together till the 30km mark, post which Sudha took the lead. Meanwhile, in the women's elite half marathon, Parul Chaudhary finished winner, breaking the course record by clocking 1:15:37. Aarti Patil and Monika Athare secured 2ndand 3rd position with timings of 1:18:03 and 1:18:33 respectively. Chaudhary pocketed an additional Rs 1.50 lakh bonus amount as course record jackpot. In the men's elite half marathon, Tirtha Pun emerged winner, finishing the race in 1:05:39s. Securing the runner-up position, Man Singh clocked the timing of 1:06:06, while Balliappa AB finished third with the timing of 1:07:11s. Mumbai Marathon: 64-year-old runner dies of heart attack A 64-year-old man died after suffering a heart attack while running in the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 on Sunday morning, officials said. Gajendra Manjalkar, a of Nalasopara from the neighbouring Palghar district, who had been participating in the marathon for last four years, came to Mumbai to participate in the latest edition of the run on Sunday. He collapsed while running the marathon a police official said. He was later taken to Bombay Hospital in south Mumbai where doctors declared him brought dead, he said. Talking to PTI, Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician at Bombay Hospital, said 10 to 12 people were brought to the hospital with various complaints, including dehydration. "Manjalkar was declared dead on arrival. He died due to a heart attack," Bhansali said. The body was sent to GT Hospital for a postmortem, he added. "An accidental death report has been registered at Marine Drive police station. Further probe is underway," Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranay Ashok told PTI. Besides, a runner, Sanjay Bafna (51), was undergoing treatment for brain stroke, while angioplasty was performed on another participant, identified as Himanshu Thakkar (47), at the Bombay Hospital, Bhansali said, adding that both of them were currently recuperating. Over 55,000 runners participated in the 17th edition of Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday.
Men's governing body ATP on Monday unveiled a revised system for calculating world rankings when the season resumes in August following a five-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally the ATP rankings operates on a formula of 18 best results over 52 weeks but will now cover a 22-month period from March 2019 through December 2020.
'These guys, they can do everything I did on a return, except they have even a little more coverage'
The Tokyo Games, from July 23 to Aug. 8, coincide with the year's hottest weather in Tokyo where the temperature can rise to 35 degree Celsius (95F) or more. The 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics were held in October.
A look at how India's athletes fared at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
Earning a dream Grand Slam debut for himself, Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal set up a US Open first round clash against the legendary Roger Federer, one of the greatest players of all-time, on Monday.
Rediff.com takes a look at some interesting highlights of the tournament.
Shapovalov will meet Rafael Nadal for a place in the semi-finals.
Images from Day 5 of the 2021 US Open in New York on Friday.
A summary of Wednesday's action at the US Open.
Johnson to meet Medvedev in Winston-Salem final
World number one Novak Djokovic produced a majestic display in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over American John Isner on Thursday to extend his winning streak in Asia.
Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday after Kei Nishikori retired hurt when trailing 6-1, 4-1 in their quarter-final.
Japan's Kei Nishikori overcame Daniil Medvedev in the Brisbane International final on Sunday for his first ATP title in nearly three years and the 12th of his career.
Big serving Berrettini is having a breakout year, with two titles under his belt, one on grass and one on clay, and is now on the brink of becoming the first Italian male grand slam finalist in more than 40 years.