Sports and Culture
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Serena Williams used the 18-year-old Dayana Yastremska's inexperience to her advantage as she overpowered the Ukrainian to make it to the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday.
She routed her opponent 6-2, 6-1 in a match that lasted an hour and seven minutes, reports Efe.
"I'm taking every match as it comes, but I'm playing as hard as I can, the best I can
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Japan's Kei Nishikori defeated Portugal's Joao Sousa in straight sets on Saturday to book his place in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The eighth seed overcame a tight start and routed his opponent 7-6(6), 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and six minutes, reports Efe.
"I love to play on this court. I feel very comfortable, and it's been three in a row playing here," N
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Russia's Daniil Medvedev defeated Belgium's David Goffin 6-2,7-6(3),6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday.
After defeating Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the earlier round, Medvedev routed Goffin without losing a single set, reports Efe.
Medvedev will now advance to the fourth round in his third appearance at the Australian Open.
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Anastasija Sevastova booked herself a spot in the second week of a Grand Slam for the fifth time in her career on Saturday after routing China's Wang Qiang in straight sets at the Australian Open.
The No.12 seed slammed past her opponent 6-3, 6-3, in 76 minutes, reports Efe.
The Latvian, who is back in the second week of the Australian Open for the first time in eig
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Ukraine's Elina Svitolina defeated former quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai of China to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open on Saturday.
The No.6 seed rallied from two breaks down in the final set to beat her Chinese opponent 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 inside Rod Laver Arena in a match that lasted nearly three hours, reports Efe.
The Ukrainian trailed 3-0 in the final set whi
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka of Japan outlasted upset artist Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei to reach the last 16 of the 2019 Australian Open on Saturday.
The No.4 seed downed her Taiwanese opponent 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for a second straight year, reports Efe.
Osaka bounced back from a set and a 4-1 down and squeezed past 28th-seeded
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Spain's Rafael Nadal (2), after defeating Australia's Alex De Minaur (27) in the third round of the Australian Open here, said that tennis has skipped a few generations in Spain and it is probable that it will not be so successful in the coming years.
After his 250th Grand Slam win on Friday, Nadal said: "It is true that we are a country with the most number of players
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Madison Keys defeated 2018 semi-finalist Elise Mertens on Saturday to advance to the round of 16 in the Australian Open.
The number 17 seed, a Australian Open semifinalist in 2015 and runner-up at the 2017 US Open, dropped just five games to make it to the second week of the tournament for the fourth time in the past five years after routing Mertens, number 12 seed, 6-
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Top-seed Novak Djokovic decimated Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov in a third-round showdown here on Saturday at the Australian Open.
The six-time champion wrapped up the match 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to advance to the last 16, reports Efe news.
"I just tried to stay in the moment and weather the storm," Djokovic said of unexpectedly dropping the third set.
"Denis playe
Barcelona, Jan 18 (IANS) Ousmane Dembele had a brace to lead FC Barcelona to a 3-0 victory over Levante in the second leg of their Copa del Rey knockout stage tie for a 4-2 triumph on aggregate.
The Copa holders are through to the quarter-finals, but that could change if the Spanish football federation concludes that Barça included an ineligible player in the roster for the first leg in Valenc
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna prefers to stay in Airbnb while competing in tournaments abroad as it helps to unwind yourself and gives homely feeling.
Airbnb is a privately held global company which operates hospitality facilities and is accessible through websites and mobile Apps.
Members can use the service to arrange or offer lodging, primarily homestays, or to
New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) Hockey India on Friday named an 18-member Indian women's squad for the season opener in Spain which starts on January 26.
The Indian team led by Rani will play four matches against Spain and two matches against the 2018 Women's World Cup runners-up Ireland.
The team includes goalkeepers Savita and Rajani Etimarpu. The Indian team for the Spain tour will feature defe
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) Swiss tennis star Roger Federer (3) defeated American Taylor Fritz by a comfortable 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 scoreline in less than an hour and a half in the third round men's singles match at the Australian Open here on Friday.
The early stages of the match seemed to predict a comfortable course for the reigning champion in Melbourne Park, who had to sweat it out more against Da
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) Russia's Maria Sharapova defeated defending Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 here on Friday.
The 30th-seeded 2008 Australian Open champion recorded her first win against Denmark's Wozniacki (seeded third) in a grand slam, as Sharapova was defeated by the Dane at the 2010 and 2014 US Opens, reports Efe.
"I knew I was going to get a tough matc
Pune, Jan 18 (IANS) World Youth Boxing bronze medallist boxer Bhavesh Kattimani is convinced that the government should conduct more events like Khelo India Youth Games to shape budding talent.
"Along with proper training and hard work, a player is required to evaluate his or her progress and learn from mistakes. Therefore, competing in more tournaments is necessary. You can try out new things
San Sebastian (Spain), Jan 18 (IANS) Real Betis and Real Sociedad played to a 2-2 draw on aggregate over two matches in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, but the Seville club are through to the quarter-finals after scoring a pair of away goals here.
Thursday night's second leg contest at the Anoeta Stadium started slowly, with the teams showing skill in their possession games but not posing
Barcelona, Jan 18 (IANS) RCD Espanyol defeated Villarreal 3-1 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey knockout stage tie to advance to the quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate.
In the wake of the 2-2 draw in the first leg in Villarreal, Espanyol coach Joan Francesc Ferrer promised that his team would be playing for the win from the opening whistle at RCDE stadium in Barcelona, reports Efe.
The h
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's heroics with the ball were complemented well by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's third consecutive half-century as he anchored India's run chase to beat Australia by 7 wickets in the third ODI, and clinch their first ever bilateral series win here.
With the 2-1 One-Day International (ODI) series win, India have completed their tour D
Melbourne, Jan 18: India rode a third consecutive half-century by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to defeat Australia by seven wickets in the third One-Day International (ODI) here on Friday.
The visitors thus clinched the three-match series 2-1.
Dhoni anchored the innings with a steady unbeaten 87 off 114 balls as the Indians chased down the 231-run target with four balls to spare.
Melbourne, Jan 18: Australia's vulnerability to quality leg-spin was exposed by Yuzvendra Chahal, who returned with his second overseas fifer to help India restrict the hosts for a megre 230 in the series-deciding third ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Friday.
Playing his first match of the series, Chahal wrecked havoc in the Australian line-up, returning a career-best 6/42 as
Melbourne, Jan 18: India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl against Australia in the third and final one day international (ODI) of the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Friday.
India made three changes in their playing eleven as all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who makes his ODI debut, replaces Mohammed Siraj while Kedhar Jadhav and Yuzvendra Chahal come in for Am
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Croatian Borna Coric on Thursday sealed his spot in the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
The No.11 seed advances to the third round of the tournament for the first time after he beat Fucsovics, 26, with a serve and volley in a match that lasted for two hours and 16 minutes, reports Efe news.
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Belgium's Elise Mertens on Thursday beat Russian Margarita Gasparyan 6-1, 7-5 to move to the third round of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
Seeded 12th, Mertens had no difficulty in getting past the unseeded world No. 91 Gasparyan, whose best performance in the year's opening Grand Slam came in 2016 when she lost to Serena Williams in the round-of-16, reports Ef
Washington, Jan 17 (IANS) The US city of Louisville in Kentucky state is set to rename its airport after hometown hero and boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said on Wednesday that Ali had inspired billions of people around the world with his boxing accolades as well as his openness about his conversion to the Muslim faith, according to the Courier-Jour
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Anastasija Sevastova from Latvia defeated Bianca Andreescu of Canada 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 on Thursday to move into round three of the Australian Open.
The loss brings an end to the 18-year-old Canadian's Australian Open run who started the season with 11 wins in 12 matches, reports Efe news.
The 28-year-old Latvian claimed the first set with an ace but Andreescu started st
Madrid, Jan 17 (IANS) Atletico Madrid and Girona drew 3-3 in the second leg of their Copa del Rey knockout stage tie and 4-4 on aggregate, but the visitors are headed to the quarter-finals on the strength of their three away goals.
Atleti, who have won the Copa 10 times, most recently in 2013, led on two different occasions, reports Efe news.
On Wednesday, Niko Kalinic opened the scoring fo
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Madison Keys of the United States on Thursday beat Russia's Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
In humid conditions, 17th seed Keys defeated World No. 89 Potapova in straight sets, reports Efe news.
"It's really humid out here, my shirt's soaking wet, so I'm glad I got it done in two sets today," Keys said in her on-court int
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) With the three-match ODI rubber tantalisingly poised at 1-1, the task is cut out for both India and Australia to pull up their socks in the series decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Friday.
India bounced back from the 34-run loss in the series opener at Sydney, with another Virat Kohli masterclass century combined with his predecessor Mahendra Singh
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (6), Italian Camila Giorgi (27) and Chinese Qiang Wang each beat their opponents in two sets in the second round at the Australian Open on Thursday.
Svitolina faced some difficulties during the first set but became more settled in the second against Viktoria Kuzmova, beating the Slovak 6-4, 6-1, reports Efe news.
In the next round, Svitolin
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori defeated 39-year-old veteran Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-6(6), 5-7, 5-7, 7-6(7) in round two of the men's singles at the Australian Open on Thursday.
Melbourne Park buzzed with excitement during what was the most tense game of Thursday morning which had players with two completely opposing styles of play, reports Efe news.
Nishi
Leganes (Spain), Jan 17 (IANS) Leganes supporters rose to their feet after a 1-0 win against Spanish football giants Real Madrid in the second leg of a Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie, even though it will be the Blancos who advance in the tournament 3-1 on aggregate.
For the first time, fans at Butarque stadium in suburban Madrid got to savour a triumph over the colossus of the capital on Wednesd
Seville (Spain), Jan 17 (IANS) Sevilla lost 0-1 to Athletic Club in the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie, but advanced 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a dominating performance last week in Bilbao.
Athletic were more energetic than Sevilla in the third contest between the two clubs in the space of a week, following the Copa first leg and last weekend's La Liga contest, both played on the Basques
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Japan's Naomi Osaka downed Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the Australian Open here on Thursday.
Zidansek put up a fight and after the match, Osaka indicated there was room for improvement, reports Efe news.
"I served pretty well - I got broken twice, but she was a really great opponent," Osaka said.
"I'll try to play better n
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Jan 17 (IANS) Cristiano Ronaldo scored the lone goal in Juventus' 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana, a win that gives the Portuguese superstar his first title with the Bianconeri.
Wednesday's match at King Abdullah Sports City between seven-time defending Serie A champion Juve and 2017-2018 Coppa Italia runner-up Milan was mostly controlled by the Turi
Pisco (Peru), Jan 17 (IANS) Seasoned Indian rider Aravind KP successfully overcame issues with his bike before completing the penultimate Stage 9 of the ongoing Dakar Rally at overall 39th position even as the Sherco TVS Rally team celebrated their top rider Michael Metge's triumph in the stage.
Aravind got off to a blazing start taking the lead for the first 190 kilometres before facing bike
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Canadas Milos Raonic ousted Switzerlands Stan Wawrinka in an epic four-hour clash at the Australian Open on Thursday to advance to the third round.
The 16th-seeded Raonic beat 2014 Australian Open winner Wawrinka 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 7-6(11), 7-6(5) at the Rod Laver Arena during a match that was moved indoors in the third set due to rain, reports Efe news.
The Canadian h
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Admitting that suspended all-rounder Hardik Pandya was "crucial" for the team's balance, India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday said the team is not grappling with a fifth bowler conundrum in the ongoing ODI series against Australia.
Dhawan was speaking on the eve of the series-deciding third and final one-day international (ODI) between India and Australia here on Fr
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) Top-seed Romanian Simona Halep and Venus Williams of the United States set up a third round clash at the Australian Open after beating American Sofia Kenin and France's Alize Kornet respectively in their second round matches here on Thursday.
World No. 1 Halep overcame a spirited challenge from Kenin - who won the second set in a tie-breaker and even broke Halep's serv
Melbourne, Jan 16 (IANS) Virat Kohli added another feather to his cap after becoming the first ever India skipper to win a Test series on Australian soil. However, the 30-year-old wants to take Indian cricket to much greater heights.
Kohli has shared his vision for the Indian team, saying he wants his nation to be a superpower in the longest format of the game.
"I wouldn't say goal but I wo
San Juan de Marcona (Peru), Jan 16 (IANS) Seasoned Indian rider Aravind KP battled low visibility before successfully completing Stage 8 of the ongoing Dakar Rally at overall 39th position even as his remaining two Sherco TVS Rally teammates also improved their positions.
The TVS team had to find their way through dense fog at the start point wherein the visibility dropped to as low as 5 metre
New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) In preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, the Indian women's football team will be playing two matches each against the senior national teams of Hong Kong and Indonesia.
The 25-member squad will leave Indian shores on January 19 to travel to Hong Kong to play back-to-back friendlies on January 21 and 23 and thereafter will travel to Indonesia to pla
Pune, Jan 16 (IANS) Golfer Diksha Dagar opened her professional career in style with a one-under 70 that put her right on top of the leaderboard in the first leg of the Hero womens Pro Tour 2019 at the Poona Club Golf Course here on Wednesday.
Diksha has previously won a Hero WPG Tour event last year, but that was as an amateur.
The left-hander, who had a stellar amateur career, which inclu
Melbourne, Jan 16 (IANS) World number three Roger Federer on Wednesday said that Germany's Alexander Zverev, the winner of the ATP Finals in London, could win one of the four Grand Slam titles of this season.
"I think also with Sascha holding the World Tour Finals, I think it's fair to say that even though he has not ripped through those slams yet, he will go deep this year definitely at one o
Melbourne, Jan 16 (IANS) Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut on Wednesday won a marathon five-set duel against home-favourite John Millman 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne Park.
This was the second five-setter in a row for the 22nd seed Bautista Agut after he beat Britain's Andy Murray, in the first round, reports Efe news.
In a match that l
Pune, Jan 15: Srihari Nataraj emerged as the most prolific gold medal winner, as he added two more on Tuesday, to reach a total of seven at the Khelo India Youth Games.
With S.P. Likith picking up five, the Karnataka duo were the most decorated gold medallists of the Games. Karnataka won a total of 21 swimming gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze for 51, while Delhi had 19 gold, 13 silver and 16 bron
Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) Serena Williams of the United States and the Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova dismissed their respective opponents on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Serena dispatched Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-0, 6-2 in less than an hour, only dropping two games in the second set.
The seven-time champion got off to an impeccable start after missing the e
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 15 (IANS) Former England batsman Jonathan Trott is keeping his cards close to his chest on predicting the winner of the upcoming edition of the World Cup to be played in his home country.
Trott, 37, is in the state capital and is presently the batting coach of the visiting England Lions cricket team which will play five one-dayers with the India A side here and also a f
Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) Japan's Kei Nishikori advanced to the second round of the Australian Open after Polish wild card Kamil Majchrzak retired due to cramping during Tuesday's match.
Nishikori won the contest against Majchrzak 3-6, 6-7(6), 6-0, 6-2, 3-0.
The Japanese, who came to Melbourne fresh off a win in Brisbane, was taken by surprise by Majchrzak, who is ranked 176th and began cra
Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) Garbine Muguruza advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday after beating Zheng Saisai in straight sets.
The No.18 seed beat her Chinese opponent 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour and 20 minutes.
The two-time Grand Slam champion, and a quarterfinalist in Melbourne in 2017, played seamlessly in the first set against Zheng, dropping just two points in
Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) Former Australian Open semi-finalist Johanna Konta advanced to the second round of the Australian Open after beating Ajla Tomljanovic in a tie-break on Tuesday.
The Brit, who lost to Tomljanovic in Brisbane earlier this month, defeated her opponent 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(7), reports Efe news.
Tomljanovic began with a break in the first game, then held her serve to go 2-0
Melbourne, Jan 15 (IANS) Portuguese Joao Sousa on Tuesday progressed to the second round of the Australian Open by beating Argentine Guido Pella 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
In a four-hour match, world no. 44 Sousa overcame spirited resistance from Pella - ranked 65th in the world - who won the second set and took the first and third into tie-breakers.
Sousa, who lost to Croatian Marin Cilic i
New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will launch the trailer of the Hindi film "22 Yards", helmed by Mitali Ghoshal and starring Barun Sobti, at an event here on Wednesday.
"This film is based on cricket, so we asked Sourav Ganguly to launch the trailer, and it was very nice of him to agree. He has not seen the full film, but he has seen the trailer and he loved it," Gh
Dubai, Jan 15 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Manu Sawhney as its new Chief Executive Officer.
According to an ICC statement, Sawhney, the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports, will join the global cricket governing body next month before formally taking over the reins from David Richardson in July a
Adelaide, Jan 15 (IANS) India rode on skipper Virat Kohli's century and stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's controlled fifty to beat Australia by six wickets in the second ODI and level the three-match ODI rubber 1-1 here on Tuesday.
Chasing a competitive 299, the tourists banked on a collective batting effort from the top order, before a 82-run fourth wicket stand between Kohli (104) and Dhoni (55
Kolkata, Jan 14: Australian umpiring great Simon Taufel on Monday backed under-fire cricketers Hardik Pandya and Lokesh Rahul, calling for the issue to be handled with care as everyone makes mistakes and it is important to learn from them.
Chastised from every corner for their alleged "misogynistic" comments about women on a television show, the tainted pair have been suspended by the BCCI and