Tennis
Italian Open: Rafael Nadal beats Denis Shapovalov to reach quarter-finals
Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal saved two match points to defeat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in a three-set battle and advance to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday. Second seed Nadal won through 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) after nearly 3hr 30min on court against the 13th-seeded Shapovalov. “It was a really difficult match, the score was against me almost all the time, but I was there, I was fighting all the time, I didn’t give away anything,” said the 34-year-old. The Spaniard will be making his 16th last-eight appearance in Rome. It will also be his 97th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. Nadal trailed by 0-4 in the opening set, and 0-3 in the second. Shapovalov also broke for 3-1 in the third set but Nadal broke back immediately and held on despite two match points against him in the...
Novak Djokovic beats Alejandro Fokina to reach Italian Open quarter-finals
World number one Novak Djokovic swept into the Italian Open quarter-finals on Thursday with a straight sets wins over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in front of spectators who were allowed to watch in the Foro Italico for the first time. The five-time Rome champion won through 6-2, 6-1 in 1hr 10min against the 48th-ranked Spaniard with the venue filled to 25 per cent of capacity. “It was not good, it was great. I missed the crowd,” said the 33-year-old Serb. “It was nice to see them back.” After losing his opening service game, Djokovic powered back with five breaks of serve, outclassing his rival, despite a late fightback, to seal the win on his sixth match point. “He started well, but I managed to break back straight away and establish the control and consistency. “I thought I played at lea...
Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas to win 12th Barcelona title
Rafael Nadal saved a championship point to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5 on Sunday and claim a 12th Barcelona Open title in the ATP’s longest match of 2021. The Spaniard secured his first title of the year and 87th of his career, denying Tsitsipas back-to-back triumphs following his maiden Masters 1000 title at Monte Carlo last week. Nadal avenged his Australian Open quarter-final loss to Tsitsipas and will return to second in the ATP rankings on Monday by climbing back above Daniil Medvedev after his marathon 3-hour 38-minute win. “It means a lot for me to play the final here and win,” said Nadal. “I improved my level during the week and this trophy means a lot.” Nadal redeemed himself after a surprise quarter-final exit in Monte Carlo, but the three sets dropped en route to...
Adidas Launches a Tennis Luxe Collection For Your Spring Dates on the Court
Tennis is one of fashion’s favourite pastimes. The preppy racket sport, mastered by Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, is getting the sartorial treatment it deserves. The Adidas Tennis Luxe collection for spring/summer 2021 features a mix of classic activewear and tennis-inspired, ready-to-wear separates that will get you on the courts. The 36-piece collection features clothing, trainers, slides, and accessories in four colourways: white with green stripes, pastel pink, pastel yellow, and navy blue sets and separates. A few Adidas Tennis Luxe pieces, like the tennis dress, 3-stripes shorts, and the tennis cardigan, show design inspirations from tennis dresses and preppy activewear of the 1970s and American Varsity-inspired detailing. The collection is priced at £12 for a two-pack of le...
NSF: Borno to participate in 13 sports – official
Borno is to participate in 13 sports in the coming National Sports Festival (NSF) scheduled for April 2 in Benin. The Information Officer of Borno Sports Council, Mr Ibrahim Tukur, made this known on Wednesday in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri. Tukur said the sports comprised football, handball, badminton, tennis, cycling, volleyball, taekwondo, wrestling, Kunfu, Karate and traditional sports like langa, local wrestling and dambe. Tukur said that the state is sending a contingent of 150 people, including sportsmen and officials. “In compliance with directive, samples have just been taken from all those going to for the Festival including the Commissioner for Sports for COVID-19 test,” Tukur said. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are look...
Naomi Osaka Throws Cold Water On Serena Williams’ Quest For Grand Slam Title No. 24
Source: DAVID GRAY / Getty Without a doubt, Serena Williams is the GOAT, but Naomi Osaka’s legendary status is quickly rising. Serena Williams was in rare form during her run through the 2021 Australian Open after knocking off former world No. 1 Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-3 to set up Thursdays (Feb.18) semifinal matchup with Noami Osaka. The showdown between the professional tennis titans would be Williams’ 40th Grand Slam semifinal. Osaka extinguished Williams’ fire defeating her in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. The tennis phenom efficiently took down Williams with 20 winners compared to Serena’s 12. Williams looked good on the court but couldn’t keep pace with Osaka, who was clearly on her game during the matchup. Following the match, Osaka praised Williams during her post-game interview stating, “J...
Naomi Osaka Throws Cold Water On Serena Williams’ Quest For Grand Slam Title No. 24
Source: DAVID GRAY / Getty Without a doubt, Serena Williams is the GOAT, but Naomi Osaka’s legendary status is quickly rising. Serena Williams was in rare form during her run through the 2021 Australian Open after knocking off former world No. 1 Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-3 to set up Thursdays (Feb.18) semifinal matchup with Noami Osaka. The showdown between the professional tennis titans would be Williams’ 40th Grand Slam semifinal. Osaka extinguished Williams’ fire defeating her in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. The tennis phenom efficiently took down Williams with 20 winners compared to Serena’s 12. Williams looked good on the court but couldn’t keep pace with Osaka, who was clearly on her game during the matchup. Following the match, Osaka praised Williams during her post-game interview stating, “J...
Andy Murray receives Australian Open wild card
Former world number one Andy Murray has been handed a wild card for February’s delayed Australian Open, pushed back three weeks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Murray, 33, is a five-time runner-up in Melbourne but feared his last match at the tournament in 2019 would mark the end of his career due to chronic hip pain. The injury pushed him to the brink of retirement but the three-time Grand Slam champion is battling to extend his career having undergone two hip surgeries. The Scot’s ranking of 122 is too low to qualify directly for the Australian Open main draw, which starts on February 8, and he has also accepted a wild card to the Delray Beach event early next month. Murray played just seven tour-level matches this year as he returned to action in August following a lingering pe...
Aruna Quadri records third league victory with TTC in German Bundesliga
Aruna Quadri returned to winning ways with TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (TTC) in the Table Tennis Bundesliga as the Nigerian was instrumental to his team’s 3-1 win over TTC OE Bad Homburg at the weekend. Quadri who featured in two of the ITTF Restart Tournaments in China last week was in fine form in TTC’s third home win as the team climbed to ninth position in the 12-team league in Germany. With the match played behind closed doors, it was German international Ruwen Filus who started the day for TTC against Lev Katsman that after taking a 2-0 Filus fell behind to allow the visitor to draw 2-2. But Filus played on his experience, to get a decisive set 11: 6 and brought TTC in front with a 3-2 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6) win. Fan Bo Meng failed to extend the lead in the duel against R...
Aruna Quadri knocked out of Tennis World Cup group stages
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Men’s World Cup served off its first spins on Friday, November 13 and there was a shocking loss for Nigeria’s best table tennis player, Quadri Aruna, who was beaten by his Slovenian opponent, Darko Jorgic. The post Aruna Quadri knocked out of Tennis World Cup group stages appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Novak Djokovic wins fifth Italian Open title
Novak Djokovic claimed a record 36th Masters crown on Monday, beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the final of the Italian Open. The world number one won 7-5, 6-3 to break a tie with Spanish rival Rafael Nadal for most master titles. For Djokovic, it was a fifth title in the warm-up clay-court tournament for next week’s French Open. Nine-time Rome winner Nadal, the defending champion, fell in the quarter-finals to eighth-seed Schwartzman. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Inte...
Serena Williams pulls out of WTA tournament in Rome
Serena Williams withdrew from the WTA clay-court tournament that begins Monday in Rome due to a left Achilles tendon injury sustained in her US Open semi-final defeat, the tour announced Saturday. Williams, chasing her record-tying 24th Grand Slam single crown, lost to Victoria Azarenka in three sets on Thursday on the Arthur Ashe Stadium hardcourt. The former world number one, a four-time Rome champion, joins 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova is skipping the tuneup for the French Open, which begins on September 27. “I regretfully must withdraw from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia due to an Achilles strain,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m so humbled by the continuous support from my fans in Rome and I look forward to making my return soon....
