Stanislas Wawrinka survived a second-set wobble to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and give Switzerland a 1-0 lead over hosts France in the Davis Cup final on Friday. In the second match, Gael Monfils rose to the occasion as he upset Roger Federer 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to help France level.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Even as the NIA backtracked on its chief Sharad Kumar's statement, on its part Islamabad, touted his remarks to claim 'vindication' of its long standing position in this regard.
Novak Djokovic boosted his chances of finishing the season as world number one when he became the first player to retain his Paris Masters title with a 6-2, 6-3 win over big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the final on Sunday.
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki came through a late wobble to reach the Australian Open final for a first time with a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory over Belgian Elise Mertens on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Let us hope that what happened in 1962 will never happened again, prays Claude Arpi
Multiple Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova questioned the "silence" of the International Tennis Federation after one of its members described world number one Serena Williams and older sister Venus as "brothers".
From potential dark horses to former champions, here are the players who were knocked out of the Australian Open on Thursday
'I pack my water, biscuits, books and tent, and take my place in the queues.' 'Every time I get close, cash runs out.' 'Deserted shops, my dry bank, the empty ATMs -- this entire gigantic shitstorm is now more real and easier to process,' says Mitali Saran.
Measures that will make Indian cities more organised and liveable need to be implemented to tackle the menace of pollution.
Three of the four managers leading their teams out at Wembley for this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals will do so knowing defeat could have serious ramifications for their short-term future.
In the atmosphere created by the reaction to the PNB fraud and RBI's resolution framework, "don't lend, don't resolve" is bound to become the bankers' new mantra, says T T Ram Mohan.
President Pranab Mukherjee talked extensively about the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls and the role of lawmakers during his address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day.
The distinction between "cheap" and "affordable" is a fine one, but no one understands this better than India's aspirational first-time car-owner, says Kanika Datta.
The International Cricket Council's recently-promised crackdown on sledging might make it seem that players are behaving badly more often right now but former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff feels the on-field altercations were 10 times worse a couple of decades ago.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
If someone incompetent clears the system, it is probably intentional.
'That was the key to a game where, on paper, there is nothing to separate the two sides: Intensity. From the first ball of the innings to the run out of Southee, the Australian bowlers and fielders buzzed around like predatory yellow-jacketed wasps.' 'Adding teeth to the bowling and relentless fielding is the captaincy of Michael Clarke, leading in his last one day international. His body may require an entire college of medical specialists to maintain, but his mind is scalpel-sharp, cutting through the complexities of the game to hit on simple solutions.'
Novak Djokovic bolstered his hopes of holding on to his World No 1 status until the end of the season with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic to retain the Paris Masters title on Sunday.
A rampant Rafael Nadal turned on the style to beat old rival Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 on Saturday and reach his first Italian Open final since 2014. The top-seeded Spaniard will face defending champion Alexander Zverev who overcame fourth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-6(13), 7-5 in the other semi-final.
Second seed Sloane Stephens was shocked 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 by Germany's Andrea Petkovic in the second round of the Citi Open on Wednesday, disrupting the American's buildup to her US Open title defence.
While it is hard to be critical of your own performance, what is it that you can do to survive a slow job market?
The million dollar question that begs for an answer is: Why is it that an amateurish attempt to convert a handful of Muslims by fringe Hindu elements garners so much attention while large scale systematic attempts to subvert Hinduism go unnoticed or are deliberately overlooked? If this is not double standards then what is, asks Vivek Gumaste.
'The man stood alone, fought alone.' 'Some of those battles appeared Quixotic at times.' 'Ultimately, it was he who won though it may have seemed as if a Sancho Panza was fighting a relentless battle against the windmill.' N Sathiya Moorthy salutes the fearless editor who has passed into the ages.
Advocates representing the media houses told the court that the mistake of disclosing the name and showing photograph of the victim was due to their ignorance of the law.
West Indies displayed all the familiar faults which have plagued them during the cricket World Cup in a quarter-final capitulation to New Zealand at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
'The Modi government's pusillanimity vis-a-vis Pakistan makes almost certain that India will, in the coming weeks and months, be confronted with cross border terrorist actions of increasing intensity,' warns Satish Chandra, former deputy national security adviser.
BJP and other rivals took the opportunity to slam the Congress and asked that there be no political intervention.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Images from matches played on Day 4 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday
Rajinikanth and Kamalahaasan's new generation movies of the twenty-first century may make bigger money than their earlier films but leave behind a lesser impact. That would make the difference between their success and failure as politicians, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Mark Cavendish's Tour de France campaign suffered another setback on Tuesday when the Briton had to settle for third in a sprint after being involved in a crash in a chaotic stage 10 finale won by Marcel Kittel.
A summary of Thursday's play at the French Open.
'Then why should people like us face this inconvenience?'
'I am proud of the many things my country is. At the same time I do not need to turn a blind eye to the (man-made) flaws.'
Silva struck twice in the second half to further stretch the 2010 World Cup winners' lead after Barcelona's Jordi Alba had fired them into the lead in the sixth minute and Alvaro Morata had doubled their advantage midway through the first half.
'People thought I am doing this for promotions, but I wouldn't do that.' 'I have better things to do and better ideas to promote myself.'
'#MeToo is a giant stride towards protesting sexual/verbal assault.' 'It is very important for us, as a society, to 'listen', to introspect and to understand that this is part of 'change' towards a safer society.' 'Hushing it up will only encourage the perpetrators who will begin to feel that they are invincible.'
'Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi be able to continue political engagement with Pakistan against the inevitable upsurge of negative and hostile public sentiment?'
