Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi on Saturday missed out on their second ATP Tour title of the season as they lost the final of the Nice event in France despite a rollicking start. Bopanna and Qureshi had grabbed a one-set lead in quick time but could not survive the counter-attack of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares to lose 6-1, 3-6, 5-10 in one hour and 13 minutes.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna got past Bruno Soares and Daniela Hantuchova in the mixed-doubled match as Indian Aces edged past Singapore Slammers in the UAE leg of the International Premier Tennis League on Thursday.
A round-up of Friday's Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
Manchester United kept up their impressive chase for a top-four spot with a comfortable 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Aston Villa in the English Premier League on Thursday. Relegation-threatened Bournemouth had a late goal disallowed by VAR as they had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
The forward was again the stand-out Brazil player and he coolly side-footed home his 60th international goal in the 76th minute after Diego Laxalt brought down Danilo, although Uruguay claimed there was a handball in the build-up.
Barcelona's inconsistency over the season had cost them the La Liga title, coach Luis Enrique has said.
When is comes to Indian tennis, it has to be the year of Sania Mirza! The Hyderabadi ace set aside all controversies and soared. Having overcome career-threatening injuries she was back to winning ways. Sania won her third mixed doubles Grand Slam title and wrapped up a dream season with the year-end finale trophy even as India's established male tennis players found the going tough in 2014.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
VfB Stuttgart continued their unbeaten run under new coach Thomas Schneider on Friday, climbing to sixth with a 1-1 home draw against Nuremberg who are still looking for their first Bundesliga win of the season.
Leander Paes kept the Indian challenge alive at the French Open. Partnering Lukas Dlouhy, he advanced to the men's doubles semi-finals on Monday after a thwarting a late challenge from fifth seeds Bruno Soares of Brazil and Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe. The Indo-Czech duo won 6-2, 7-6(5) to set up a meeting with either top seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada/Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia or Russians Igor Kunitsyn/Dmitry Tursunov in the semi-finals.
Others named in the chargesheet include alleged European middlemen in the deal, Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke.
It was mixed fortunes for Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna in the men's doubles at the Wimbledon on Monday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday.
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis eased into the mixed doubles pre-quarterfinals of the Wimbledon championships but it was curtains for Rohan Bopanna and his Spanish partner Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.
Arsenal right back Hector Bellerin will be in Spain's Euro 2016 squad, the country's football federation said on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Bellerin and the other 18 players named to face South Korea in a friendly in Wals-Siezenheim, Austria on Wednesday, have been guaranteed spots in the European Championship squad. Bellerin was included after Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal sustained a leg muscle injury in Saturday's Champions League final victory over Atletico Madrid. The Real Madrid and Atletico players in the squad will be named later on Tuesday when Spain coach Vicente del Bosque announces his final list.
Images from the EPL matches played on Sunday
Honda's chief executive apologised to British driver Jenson Button after Japan's number two carmaker pulled the plug on its Formula One team on Friday. "It's a real shame and I feel deeply sorry for Jenson Button," the CEO of Honda Motor Co Takeo Fukui told a news conference. 'We had no choice in the current financial conditions.'
Genoa ended a seven-match run without a Serie A victory by winning 1-0 at Lazio on Monday after the hosts had goalkeeper Federico Marchetti sent off in the first half.
The apology, tendered by Right Reverend J Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, is arguably the first of its kind by a major Christian congregation, and was issued 'for centuries-old acts of religious discrimination by Christians, including attempts to convert them.'
Brazilian Bruno Senna, nephew of the late triple world champion Ayrton, made his test debut for Honda in a new-look Formula One at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Monday.
Grandmaster Vidit Santosh Gujrathi came good when it mattered most and defeated Marius Monalache of Romania to emerge as the best performing Indian in the Cappelle La Grande International Chess tournament that concluded in Cappelle La Grande, France.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello moved to console compatriot Bruno Senna on Monday after beating him to the last remaining seat in Formula One with the Brawn GP team. Barrichello, the sport's most experienced driver who was close to Senna's uncle Ayrton before the triple champion died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, said the youngster has an obvious future in the sport.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo is set to return inside a month from the knee injury that has sidelined him since February, his physio Bruno Mazziotti said.
Reuben NV shared these pictures of floats from Panjim.
Manchester United and Chelsea secured places in the Champions League with wins on the final day of the Premier League season while Watford and Bournemouth were relegated along with bottom club Norwich City.
Bayern Munich moved closer to a record-extending 30th league title after their Polish striker Robert Lewandowski ended a personal jinx in a 5-0 drubbing of struggling Fortuna Duesseldorf in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The result left leaders Bayern, who are chasing an eighth successive league title, top of the standings on 67 points from 29 games, 10 ahead of closest rivals Borussia Dortmund who visit bottom team Paderborn on Sunday.
Porto beat an under-strength Arsenal side 2-0 on Wednesday to clinch top spot in Group G of the Champions League. With the two teams already guaranteed a place in the first knockout round, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in his 700th game in charge of the London side, rested several first choice players and chose to field young reserves instead.
Yuki Bhambri and his New Zealand partner Michael Venus registered a straight sets victory on their Grand Slam debut, but Divij Sharan's Australian Open campaign ended in the first round, in Melbourne, on Wednesday.
As the curtains fall on another year, Rediff.com brings you all the action from the sports field that defined 2019.
Former Brazil and Inter Milan striker Adriano could be the latest high-profile footballer to join Indian Super League.
India's boxers are remembered only during a big event, says Olympics medal hope Akhil Kumar. 'Before and after that no one cares.'
Real Madrid on top because of performances, not referees, says coach Zidane.
Manchester United eased the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice and Edinson Cavani grabbing his first for the club.
'The fatal mistake for the USSR was the invasion of Afghanistan.' 'Quite possibly the fatal mistake for the Chinese empire is the assault on Ladakh,' observes Rajeev Srinivasan.
Atletico de Kolkata got their act right in the nick of time to humble crowd favourites FC Goa 4-2 in tie-breaker and advance to the final of the inaugural Indian Super League. Kolkata will lock horns with Kerala Blasters FC in the summit showdown at the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Manchester City conceded four goals in 36 hapless minutes on Saturday as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat by VfB Stuttgart in a pre-season friendly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated tennis star Sania Mirza for becoming the first Indian to win the Wimbledon women's doubles title.
The ninth seeded Indo-Romanian rallied to shock the three-time champions 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6(5) in their quarter-final match.
Rome's bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games was unanimously endorsed by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) in what bid president Luca di Montezemolo described as an important signal of support.
Juventus's hopes of reaching the Champions League last eight suffered a blow when the two-times European Cup winners slumped to a 1-0 defeat in their last-16 first leg at Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday. Manchester City finally produced a Champions League performance worthy of their status as one of European football's elite clubs by beating Real Madrid 2-1 away in Wednesday's last-16 first leg after pulling off a stunning late fightback.
