Sports
Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek Both Through At China Open
Carlos Alcaraz sealed a spot in the men’s semi-finals of the China Open with a straight-sets victory over Norway’s Casper Ruud in Beijing on Monday. The world number two triumphed 6-4, 6-2 to set up a semi-final clash with either Jannik Sinner or Grigor Dimitrov. Alcaraz shook off an early break of serve to overpower the world number nine, eventually seizing an attritional first set with a 40-0 service game. He then took control, breaking twice without reply in set two before finally forcing Ruud to slice a backhand into the net. “To be able to win these kinds of matches the way I did gives you extra confidence in your game,” Alcaraz said at a post-match news conference.
“It was a really tough match and I had to find solutions… I had to increase my level but we had really good battles, good rallies.”
Third-ranked Daniil Medvedev booked his place in the semi-finals with an earlier 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over France’s Ugo Humbert.
An error-strewn first set saw a combined five breaks of serve but Medvedev edged ahead in the ninth game and finished it off with an ace.
Both men were more consistent in set two until the Russian, at deuce, hit back-to-back double faults to hand the crucial break to Humbert.
Medvedev finally tightened up in the decider, notching two quickfire breaks before seeing out the match on his serve.
The 27-year-old will battle it out with Germany’s Alexander Zverev for a place in the final.
Medvedev again attributed the see-saw victory to the match balls, which he has said fluff up too quickly and can lead to lengthy rallies.
“(On) any other normal hard court with normal balls, no chance I win the match like this. No chance I would lose my serve so much,” he said.
Zverev, ranked number 10, edged a tight encounter with Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.
Top-ranked men’s player Novak Djokovic is not playing the China tournaments this season.
World number two Iga Swiatek defeated Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets in the first round of the women’s draw.
The Pole, who recently relinquished her hold on the number-one spot to Aryna Sabalenka, enjoyed considerable success at the net on her way to a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Swiatek will play France’s Varvara Gracheva in the second round.
“I feel like I was pretty patient. You have to be patient with her because she’s running for every ball,” the 22-year-old said after the match.
“I kind of wanted to just be solid and be intensive but not make too many mistakes with risking,” she said.
Teenage star Coco Gauff survived a minor scare on the way to a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The US Open champion was 4-0 up but allowed Alexandrova to level before ripping a backhand winner down the line to break serve and take the first set.
She fared better in the second, picking up a break midway through and seeing out the match to seal a date with Petra Martic in round two.
“She was giving me a lot of errors, so I don’t think the 4-0 was completely (down to) my tennis,” Gauff told a post-match press briefing.
“Once I got to that point, I definitely started making more unforced errors,” she said.
“I was able to buckle down when I needed to, but obviously I think in these moments I want to do better at closing out those sets.”
World number seven Ons Jabeur beat American Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 6-4 to set up a second-round match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
Sabalenka knocked out former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on Sunday to seal her spot in the second round.
The China Open is taking place for the first time since 2019 after Beijing abandoned its long-standing zero-Covid policy.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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India ended their Group A campaign on four points after two wins and two losses.© ICC
India lost to defending champions Australia by nine runs in their last group match to find themselves in a difficult position to qualify for the semifinals of the women’s T20 World Cup, on Sunday. Chasing 152 for a win, India ended at 142 for 9 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scoring with 54 not out off 47 balls. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma chipped in with 29 and 20 respectively. India ended their Group A campaign on four points after two wins and two losses.
Australia, who topped the group with all four wins, qualified for the semifinals while New Zealand (4 points) need a win against Pakistan on Monday to make it to the last-four stage.
Opting to bat, Australia were restricted to 151 for 8 with opener Grace Harris top-scoring with 40 off 41 balls. Stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry chipped in with 32 each.
For India, Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma took two wickets apiece while Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil got one each.
Brief Scores: Australia: 151 for 8 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 40; Renuka Singh 2/24, Deepti Sharma 2/28).
India: 142 for 9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54 not out; Annabel Sutherland 2/22, Sophie Molineux 2/32).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Sports
India Can Still Reach Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Semifinals Despite Loss vs Australia – Here’s How
India lost to Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup Group A match© X (formerly Twitter)
India’s hopes of reaching the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 semifinals were dealt a massive blow as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side slumped to a 9-run loss against Australia in a crucial Group A encounter in Sharjah on Sunday. India were completely outplayed by Australia as Harmanpreet’s half-century could not clinch the match for her side. As a result, Australia qualified for the semifinals with 8 points from 4 matches but India’s fortunes still hangs in balance. India have 4 points from 4 matches with their losses coming against Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand have 4 while Pakistan have 2.
However, India can still qualify for the semis if Pakistan can beat New Zealand in the final Group A match on Monday. If Pakistan win, they will have 4 points along with India and New Zealand. However, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will qualify for the knockout stage thanks to a better Net Run Rate (NRR).
India lost to defending champions Australia by nine runs in their last group match to find themselves in a difficult position to qualify for the semifinals of the women’s T20 World Cup, on Sunday.
Chasing 152 for a win, India ended at 142 for 9 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scoring with 54 not out off 47 balls. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma chipped in with 29 and 20 respectively.
India ended their Group A campaign on four points after two wins and two losses.
Australia, who topped the group with all four wins, qualified for the semifinals while New Zealand (4 points) need a win against Pakistan on Monday to make it to the last-four stage.
Opting to bat, Australia were restricted to 151 for 8 with opener Grace Harris top-scoring with 40 off 41 balls. Stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry chipped in with 32 each.
For India, Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma took two wickets apiece while Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil got one each.
(With PTI inputs)
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Sports
Harmanpreet Singh Becomes Most Expensive Buy On Day 1 Of Hockey India League, Sold To Soorma Club For Rs 78 Lakh
India captain Harmanpreet Singh became the most expensive player on day one of the Hockey India League auction, with Soorma Hockey Club snapping the star drag-flicker for Rs 78 lakh on Sunday. All eight franchises spent heavily to acquire the services of Indian men’s hockey team core players. Abhishek became the second-most expensive buy, acquired by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for Rs 72 lakh, while Hardik Singh went to UP Rudras for Rs 70 lakh. Other notable buys from the first lot included Amit Rohidas, who went to Tamil Nadu Dragons for Rs 48 lakh while Jugraj Singh was also purchased for the same amount by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.
Hyderbad Toofans roped in Sumit for Rs 46 lakh.
In all, 54 players, including 18 overseas players were sold on Sunday.
All eight franchises spent a total of Rs 16 crore 88 lakh 50 thousand on Day 1.
Germany’s Gonzalo Peillat was the most expensive overseas player as he was bought for Rs 68 lakh by Tamil Nadu Dragons. Netherlands’ Jip Janssen was also acquired by Tamil Nadu Dragons for Rs 54 lakh.
Among the overseas goalkeepers, Ireland’s David Harte was the top buy, with Tamil Nadu Dragons winning the bid for Rs 32 lakh.
Germany’s Jean-Paul Danneberg (for Rs 27 lakh to Hyderabad Toofans), the Netherlands’ Pirmin Blaak (for Rs 25 lakh to Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers), and Belgium’s Vincent Vanasch (for Rs 23 lakh to Soorma Hockey Club) also went under the hammer.
Indian goalkeepers Suraj Karkera and and Pawan were acquired by Team Gonasika and Delhi SG Pipers for Rs 22 lakh and Rs 15 lakh respectively.
List of top five buys on Day 1: 1. Harmanpreet Singh (IND) – Soorma Hockey Club – Rs 78 lakh 2. Abhishek (IND) – Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – Rs 72 lakh 3. Hardik Singh (IND) – UP Rudras – Rs 70 lakh 4. Gonzalo Peillat (GER) – Hyderabad Toofans – Rs 68 lakh 5. Jip Janssen (NED) – Tamil Nadu Dragons – Rs 54 lakh
Other players sold on Day 1: 1. Gurjant Singh – Soorma Hockey Club – Rs 19 lakh 2. Mandeep Singh – Team Gonasika – Rs 25 lakh 3. Manpreet Singh – Team Gonasika – Rs 42 lakh 4. Sukhjeet Singh – Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – Rs 42 lakh 5. Amit Rohidas – Tamil Nadu Dragons – Rs 48 lakh 6. Nilakanta Sharma- Hyderabad Toofans – Rs 34 lakh 7. Sanjay – Kalinga Lancers – Rs 38 lakh 8. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay – UP Rudras – Rs 28 lakh 9. Vivek Sagar Prasad – Soorma Hockey Club – Rs 40 lakh 10. Sumit – Hyderabad Toofans – Rs 46 lakh 11. Jugraj Singh – Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – Rs 48 lakh 12. Krishan B Pathak – Kalinga Lancers – Rs 32 lakh 13. Shamsher Singh – Delhi SG Pipers – Rs 42 lakh 14. Jarmanpreet Singh – Delhi SG Pipers – Rs 40 lakh 15. Rajkumar Pal – Delhi SG Pipers – Rs 40 lakh 16. David Harte (IRL) – Tamil Nadu Dragons – Rs 32 lakh 17. Jean-Paul Danneberg (GER) – Hyderabad Toofans – Rs 27 lakh 18. Oliver Payne (GBR) – Team Gonasika – Rs 15 lakh 19. Pirmin Blaak (NED) – Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – Rs 25 lakh 20. Tomas Santiago (ARG) – Delhi SG Pipers – Rs 10 lakh 21. Vincent Vanasch (BEL) – Soorma Hockey Club – Rs 23 lakh 22. Suraj Karkera – Team Gonasika – Rs 22 lakh 23. Pawan – Delhi SG Pipers – Rs 15 lakh.
Purse remaining for franchises: 1. Hyderabad Toofans – Rs 204.00 lakh 2. Soorma Hockey Club – Rs 162.00 lakh 3. Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers – Rs 144.50 lakh 4. Delhi SG Pipers – Rs 181.00 lakh 5. Tamil Nadu Dragons – Rs 196.00 lakh 6. UP Rudras – Rs 206.00 lakh 7. Kalinga Lancers – Rs 257.00 lakh 8. Team Gonasika – Rs 161.00 lakh. PTI APA PDS PDS DDV
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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