Rafael Nadal, the 12-time Roland Garros champion, completed another overwhelming show at the ongoing French Open as he registered a straight-sets win No. 236 Mackenzie McDonald to progress to the next round.
On Wednesday, the ‘King of Clay’ defeated McDonald 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in just one hour and 40 minutes to improve his record at the clay court grand slam to 95-2.
“I am very happy,” Nadal said after his triumph as per the ATP Tour website. “(It) will be another difficult match against Travaglia or Nishikori. I hope to play a good level. It’s always very special to play here in Paris, especially here on Court Philippe-Chatrier, so I’m very happy to play another time,” he added.
Second seed Nadal will now face Italy’s Stefano Travaglia in the round of 32. The latter survived a five-set thriller against Japan’s Nishikori Kei to advance 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-2.
In the other men’s singles clash, newly-crowned US Open champion Dominic Thiem extended his winning streak to nine matches, defeating American qualifier Jack Sock 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in two hours and 22 minutes. He will next face No. 28 seed Casper Ruud.
Meanwhile, in women’s singles, top seed Simona Halep beat her fellow Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-4 to book a spot in the third round, while third seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine overcame defeated Mexican qualifier Renata Zarazua 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 to keep on track for her maiden Grand Slam title.
A clinical Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday secured a 37-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) here. After scoring 174/6 wkts in 20 overs, KKR restricted RR to 137/9 in 20 overs, with top scorer Tom Curran (54 not out off 36 balls) being one of just three RR batsmen to enter double figures.
Pat Cummins struck early with the big wicket of his Australian team mate Steve Smith in the second over of the RR innings. The in-form Sanju Samson was dismissed by Shivam Mavi in the fifth over which meant that RR had lost both their highest scoring batsmen thus far this season within the powerplay.
Jos Buttler scored a quickfire 21 off 16 and threatened to get back to the form he displayed last season, before falling to the very first ball of the seventh over bowled by Mavi.
It was all downhill for RR after that as they failed to get partnerships going. They were reduced to 88/8 in the 15th over with the fall of Jofra Archer. They were dragged to 137/9 by Curran who scored 54 not out off 36 runs and it meant that his unbeaten last wicket stand of 31 runs with Ankit Rajpoot ended up being RR’s highest on the day.
Dubai: Owner of the KKR Team Shahrukh Khan watches the match 12 of season 13, Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 30th September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Earlier, opener Shubman Gill’s 47 and Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 34 helped the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) score 174/6 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. For RR, Jofra Acher marked his return to form with the ball as he bagged 2/18.
Sunil Narine’s dry spell with the bat continued as he was dismissed for 15 runs in the fifth over. His opening partner Gill, however, anchored the innings throughout its first half before finally falling in the 12th over to Archer, three runs short of a second consecutive half century.
Explosive all-rounder Andre Russell was threatening to finally show his full array of shots this season, reaching 24 runs in 14 balls. His innings was punctuated by three sixes but it was cut short by Ankit Rajpoot who got him holed out at deep midwicket. Morgan then anchored the lower middle order and saw KKR through to 174 for six in 20 overs.
Brief scores: KKR 174/6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 47, Eoin Morgan 34 not out; Jofra Archer 2/18) beat RR 137/9 in 20 overs (Tom Curran 54 not out, Jos Buttler 21; Kamlesh Nagarkoti 2/13) by 37 runs’
Manchester City complete signing of Ruben Dias from Benfica.
Manchester City have completed the signing of Portuguese international Ruben Dias from Benfica. The 23-year-old centre-back has signed a six-year contract, which keeps him at the club until 2026.
Dias has made more than 100 appearances in three seasons for the Lisbon giants, with whom he won a league title in 2018/19 and has been capped 19 times by Portugal.
“To have the opportunity to join a club like Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I couldn’t turn down,” Dias said.
“I believe I can improve here, at a club whose ambitions match my own and I will give everything to be successful and win titles,” he added.
Meanwhile, defender Nicolas Otamendi left City and has signed a permanent deal with Benfica. The 32-year-old defender embarks on a new challenge in Portugal after five years of service during which he helped the club lift every major honour in English football.
“They were five wonderful years, not just in a footballing sense, but also at a club where they treat you in the best way possible, from the chefs to the kitmen, through to the backroom staff,” he told mancity.com.
In total, Otamendi made 210 appearances, scoring 11 goals and he departs a two-time Premier League champion, with four League Cup medals to his name and having lifted the FA Cup in 2019.He also won the Community Shield on two occasions.
Liverpool FC have confirmed that Spain international midfielder Thiago Alcantara has tested positive for COVID-19.
“Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently self-isolating according to the necessary guidelines,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The 29-year-old, who missed Monday’s match against Arsenal, has exhibited minor symptoms of the virus but is in good health and is getting better,” it added.
Alcantara had joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich earlier in September and had made his debut against Chelsea eight days ago.
“The club has, and will continue to, follow all protocols relating to Covid-19 and Thiago will remain in self-isolation for the required period of time,” informed the club.
LFC first-team doctor Jim Moxon said: “It is the choice of each individual whether they reveal publicly the outcome of a COVID-19 test. We have followed all the protocols to the letter and Thiago is ok. He will be self-isolating now as per the guidelines and hopefully he’ll be back with us soon.”
Thiago will now miss Spain’s forthcoming international games, which see them play a friendly in Portugal on October 7, and UEFA Nations League games at home to Switzerland on September 10 and away to the Ukraine three days later.
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday recorded their first win of the IPL season as they beat Delhi Capitals by 15 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here.
After scoring 162/4 in 20 overs, spinner Rashid Khan led the way with figures of 3/14 as SRH restricted DC to 147/7 in 20 overs. Rashid was adjudged the Man of the Match.
Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck early for SRH, dismissing DC opener Prithvi Shaw (2) in the first over of the innings. DC captain Shreyas Iyer joined Shikhar Dhawan in the middle and while the pair ensured that the team didn’t lose any more wickets in the powerplay, they could not take the attack to the opposition. Shreyas Iyer eventually fell on 17 off 21 balls to become Rashid’s first wicket.
Abu Dhabi: Rashid Khan of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates the wicket of Shreyas Iyer captain of Delhi Capitals during match 11 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Delhi Capitals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on the 29th September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Rishabh Pant struggled to get the run rate up, taking 27 balls to get to his 32. Shimron Hetmyer (21) also struggled to get going before hitting a couple of sixes off Khaleel Ahmed in the 15th over. He tried to keep up the pace and ended up falling to Bhuvneshwar off the very first ball of the next over. Pant eventually fell to Rashid and in the next over, Marcus Stoinis was out LBW to T Natarajan.
Khaleel bowled the last over with 27 to defend and he rarely gave the batsmen a chance to get going. He dismissed Axar Patel off the third ball and Kagiso Rabada ended the match with a six.
Earlier, Kane Williamson, playing his first match of the season, helped SRH to 162/4 with a quickfire 41 off 26 balls. Jonny Bairstow played the role of anchor, scoring 53 off 48 while his opening partner and SRH captain David Warner made 45 off 33.
Brief scores: SRH 162/4 in 20 overs (J Bairstow 53, D Warner 45; K Rabada 2/21) beat DC 147/7 in 20 overs (S Dhawan 34, R Pant 28; Rashid Khan 3/14) by 15 runs
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 witnessed another thrilling contest between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians which the Virat Kohli-led side were able to win in the Super Over.
On Monday, Bangalore posted 201/3 while batting first, riding on brilliant half centuries from Aaron Finch (52), Devdutt Padikkal (54) and AB de Villiers (55). In response, the Rohit Sharma-led side managed to match the score, courtesy brilliant knocks of 99 and 60 not out from Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard respectively in their allotted 20 overs.
The result of the match was decided through a Super Over in which Mumbai Indians could muster seven runs and then RCB chased down the 8-run target on the last ball of the over bowled by Jasprit Bumrah at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
This was the first instance for Mumbai Indians where they lost a match in the Super Over bowled by Bumrah.
Earlier on April 29, 2017, Bumrah had won the match for Mumbai Indians against Gujarat Lions when he managed to defend 11 runs. Bowling to the likes of Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum, the Indian pacer gave just six runs from his six deliveries at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
Then on May 2, 2019, Bumrah again won the match for his franchise against SunRisers Hyderabad when he conceded just eight runs in the Super Over which Mumbai Indians chased down within the first three deliveries at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi Capitals (DC), high on confidence after two wins on the trot, will be up against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), the only team without a point, in the 11th match of the IPL, today.
While DC will aim for a hat-trick of wins, the David Warner-captained SRH would aim to register their first win of the season, having lost two of their previous outings against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In their first game against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), which went into the Super Over, Marcus Stoinis and Kagiso Rabada ensured a win for DC before they comprehensively defeated a star-studded Chennai Super Kings in the next match.
In batting, the DC top-order comprising Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw will look to lay the foundation of a big total. While Shaw looks in good nick with the willow, Dhawan is dish out something special.
Rishabh Pant and Iyer have also been in fine form. While the duo rescued DC after a top-order collapse against KXIP, they also chipped in with valuable contributions against CSK.
In the bowling department, the South African pace duo Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje have looked sharp so far. The DC team management will just hope Nortje to be a bit economical like his compatriot.
In the absence of ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is recovering from an injury, Axar Patel and Amit Mishra have performed decently well and they are once again likely to share the spin workload. Ashwin suffered an injury in their game against Punjab and his inclusion in the playing XI remains doubtful.
Last week while visiting my sister-in-law Jenny and her husband John at their home in Suffolk the talk turned to sport as it often does. Both Jenny and John have a keen interest in sport, and it is always enjoyable to talk to them about sports. What surprised me was when Jenny asked me about IPL. The first match of the IPL was about to be played and that Jenny and John living in the depths of Suffolk should be interested in this tournament showed how IPL has taken over this quintessential English game of cricket.
Indeed, so powerful is it that a domestic Indian cricket tournament means more to international cricket than a World Cup. Estimates suggest that IPL generates $600 million (£464.5 million) of revenue, 30 per cent more than the 2019 World Cup held in England did. The result of this is that IPL takes precedence over the World Cup. The Twenty20 World Cup was due to start next month but with the IPL originally scheduled for the summer but postponed due to Covid and moved to the UAE, it was IPL which took precedence.
There is a great irony here and also a very Indian story. The twenty over game was an English invention that the Indians shunned. The then secretary of the Indian board initially refused to take part in the first T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 snorting in derision, “What next, five overs a side cricket match?”
India reluctantly send a side to South Africa with its greatest star Sachin Tendulkar dropping out. But led by rookie captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni it unexpectedly won the tournament. The T20 triumph in South Africa triggered a revolution not only in India but also world cricket.Â
Abu Dhabi: Mumbai Indians players celebrates the wicket of Eoin Morgan of Kolkata Knight Riders during match 5 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on the 23rd September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Now sponsors cannot get enough of IPL. Last month IPL lost its tournament sponsor, Vivo, but soon Dream11, an online gaming company stepped in. Online fantasy cricket is the nearest India has to legal gambling in India and it can make a lot of money for IPL as cricket exploits India’s digital explosion. In 2012 India was said to have had 30 million smartphones in India. It could rise to 829 million by 2022.
120-150 million viewers in India are expecting to watch this year’s IPL matches, with companies paying $60,000 for 30 seconds of advertising time on Star Sports.
Credit must also be given to the organisers. 1,500 people have been locked down in Mumbai and the United Arab Emirates, whose three grounds in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, is where the cricket is being played. With IPL impossible in India UAE’s venues, all easily accessible by road for teams sealed in hotels and buses, made absolute sense.
Abu Dhabi: Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals appeals unsuccessfully during match 4 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on the 22nd September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
The economic power of IPL keeps confounding most experts. In 2008 when the IPL had its first season broadcast rights were sold for ten years to Sony-World Sports Group for $ 1.5 billion. In September 2017, the IPL rights were sold to Star India for five years for Rs 16,347 crores which was more than the worth of all the other T-20 leagues which have mushroomed in the wake of the IPL in the last decade.
But while these figures are impressive the IPL story is best told in the impact it has had on the world of cricket and why India once the pariah of the cricket world is now the place cricketers cannot keep away from. The pre-IPL world revolved round an English summer. The moment the English cricket season started in late April cricket all over the world effectively ceased. Such was the power of the English game that cricketers from all over the world came to play in England. India was a bit player in this English summer garden party. Unlike West Indians and Pakistanis not many Indians played county cricket.
When IPL was launched in 2008 English cricket unable to believe that the Indians could match their cricket expertise scoffed at it. Its efforts to beat IPL proved a disaster and English cricket has long bowed to the power of IPL. So, despite the fact that IPL overlaps with the English cricket season their best players are allowed to miss part of the season to take part in this great Indian gold mine. Two centuries ago, British came to India to make money and found an empire. Now their cricketers are willing to miss part of their cherished season to make the sort of money they could never make anywhere else.
Abu Dhabi: Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore brings up his fifty during match 3 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 21st September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
What the IPL has also developed are bonds between Indians and foreigners. This can be seen when IPL matches are played as during the match earlier this week between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. At a crucial stage in the match the outcome seemed to hinge on whether KKR’s two great foreign stars could turn the match around. They were Eoin Morgan, captain of the England limited over cricket team and one of the best batsman in this format, and the West Indian Andre Russell widely regarded as one of the greatest T20 players. They threatened to do so but were snuffed out by Jasprit Bumrah India’s great pace bowler who took both their wickets in one over. Patrick Cummings, the most expensive overseas star of IPL ever, who is principally a bowler, smashed a few sixes but by then Mumbai Indians had done enough to win. This show cased the IPL wonderfully well. An Englishman, a Jamaican, an Australian on one side and an Indian on the other all performing on the same stage with the Indian winning.
True, this is very specialised form of the game that will never match the complexity or provide the drama and game within game conflict almost mirroring real life that a five-day Test can. Tests will always be seen as the highest benchmark of the game. Yet, IPL is cricket turned into a Bollywood show, Indian tamasha presented to the world in such an enticing manner that Jenny and John are gripped by it.
For the first time a major team sport is not controlled by the west, and IPL is the ultimate expression of modern Indian soft power. It may not be as powerful an Indian soft power tool as yoga, but it took yoga a long time to reach its present position of eminence. That IPL has risen so far so quickly is testimony to the inventive powers of modern Indians.
As the 2020 French Open which begins on Sunday, Rafael Nadal will be looking to move level with Roger Federer’s tally of 20 Grand Slam titles when he starts his campaign at the
The Spaniard, who skipped the US Open, is considered hot favourite to win a record extending 13th title at Roland Garros. Nadal enters the court on Sunday to face the Belarusian, Egor Gerasimov.
Federer is out with a knee injury, but top seed Novak Djokovic and wildcard Andy Murray are in the fray. Meanwhile, in women’s singles, Serena Williams will relaunch her bid for a record equalling 24th Grand Slam title.
Without Federer in the tournament, it’s a great chance for Nadal and Djokovic to close in on the Swiss legend in their race to finish with the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles.
Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem, this year’s US Open champion, heads to the tournament as one of the big contenders. The Austrian had reached the final in Paris in the past two years and would want to win the title this time.
The women’s draw will miss defending champion Ash Barty and 2020 US Open champion Naomi Osaka.
Winner of 2018 Simona Halep will hit the court against Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo. Expectations from Halep are high after her wonderful Italian Open win.
Dubai: Prithvi Shaw of Delhi Capitals is man of the match during match 7 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 25th September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Prithvi Shaw’s 64 and a clinical bowling performance led by South African duo Kagiso Rabada (3/26) and Anrich Nortje (2/21) helped Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 44 runs in their IPL encounter on Friday.
Chasing a target of 176, CSK hardly ever looked capable of reaching the score and were restricted to 131/7 at the end of 20 overs. This is the three-time champions’ second consecutive defeat this season.
This is the first time since 2010 that DC have started an IPL season with two consecutive victories. They are on top of the table now with four points.
DC’s Axar Patel continued his successful run against Shane Watson, dismissing the veteran Australian in the fifth over while he was on 14 off 16 balls. Watson’s opening partner Murali Vijay (10) also struggled to get runs on board and succumbed to Nortje in the next over.
CSK captain MS Dhoni again decided to stay in the lower middle order and it was 23-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad who came in at no. 4. Gaikwad’s innings was short-lived as he was run out for 5.
Dubai: Ravindra Jadeja of Chennai Superkings congratulating Kagiso Rabada of Delhi Capitals during match 7 of season 13, Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 25th September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Faf du Plessis and Kedar Jadhav managed to temporarily stem the flow of wickets and put up 54 runs for the fourth wicket. But the run rate was never what it needed to be and by the time Jadhav fell, CSK were 98/4 in the 16th over. Du Plessis, Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran’s efforts in the end proved too little too late.
Earlier, DC openers Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan started patiently before dictating the flow of the game throughout the first half of the innings. After the openers’ dismissals, Rishabh Pant (37 not out) and captain Shreyas Iyer (26) added 58 for the third wicket to help DC to 175/3.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 175/3 off 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 64, Rishabh Pant 37 not out; Piyush Chawla 2/33) vs Chennai Super Kings 131/7 off 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 43, Kedar Jadhav 26; Kagiso Rabada 3/26), DC win by 44 runs.
