UAE's Al Mussabi wins gold at Diamond League youth race
Italy qualify for T20 World Cup for first time
Italy may have fumbled their way out of the last two football World Cup qualifying campaigns but their cricket counterparts have smashed their way into uncharted territory by booking a maiden Twenty20 World Cup berth.
Crystal Palace dropped to UEFA Conference League in multi-club ownership case
Premier League side Crystal Palace have been dropped in European competition to the third-tier Conference League in a multi-club ownership case, while Olympique Lyonnais will be allowed to play in the Europa League, UEFA said on Friday.
Sinner demolishes Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final
Top seed Jannik Sinner ensured Novak Djokovic will be absent from a Wimbledon men's singles final for the first time in eight years after handing the Serbian great a brutal Centre Court battering on Friday.
Bumrah, Archer shine in Lord's melting pot
Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer took centre stage on the second day of the third test as India and England traded blows at Lord's on Friday and the match remained on a knife-edge.
Alcaraz muscles past Fritz to reach Wimbledon final
Twice defending champion Carlos Alcaraz tamed the towering Taylor Fritz to reach his third straight Wimbledon final, rediscovering his A-game when it mattered most to battle past the American in a 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6(6) victory on Friday.
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Khaleej Times
23 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Amanda Anisimova 'frozen by nerves' in historic Wimbledon final rout
Amanda Anisimova said she was "frozen by nerves" as her Wimbledon dream turned into a nightmare as Iga Swiatek romped to a historic 6-0, 6-0 victory in Saturday's final. Anisimova had enjoyed a fairytale run to her first Grand Slam final just 18 months after returning to the game from a break to help her mental health. However, she admitted the occasion and the draining nature of a two-week slam played in blistering conditions during a London heatwave had taken its toll in the most one-sided final for 114 years. "I was a bit frozen there with my nerves. Maybe the last two weeks I got a bit tired or something," said Anisimova who will climb to a career-high seventh in the world thanks to her run at the All England Club. "It's not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go. "I think I was a little bit in shock after, as well. But I told myself, 'I'll definitely come out stronger after this'. That's not an easy thing to go through, losing 6-0, 6-0 in a Grand Slam final. "If anything, I can look at it as a positive and something I can look at as motivation going forward. Obviously there's a lot of things I need to do to progress." Anisimova returned to action in January 2024 and has since fought her way back from well outside the world's top 400. This season has been the best of her career so far -- winning the Qatar Open in February. The high point of her year came in beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a bruising semifinal on Thursday. But the 23-year-old said that match had left her so physically exhausted she had been unable to even practice on the eve of the final. "I didn't practice yesterday. I think that I was just really fatigued," she added. "I could feel it also in my warm-up this morning. I mean, I had to take a break after every single rally out there in my warm-up. "I think, if anything, it's my physicality that I need to work on." Anisimova, though, is determined to use Saturday's scaring experience as a driver to spur her on to her dream of one day becoming a Grand Slam champion. "It's honestly, like, a fork in the road. It's whatever direction you want to go in," she added. "I'm going to choose the path of working towards my goals and to try and keep improving, hopefully put myself in more positions and opportunities like today. "I think that's going to help me reach my goals."
Int'l Cricket Council
2 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Problem of plenty gives Muzumdar a good headache
India head into the ODI series against England with confidence, having recently secured a 3-2 series win over them. This ODI series carries added significance as it serves as key preparation for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which India will host later this year. With several players delivering standout performances, competition for spots in the World Cup squad is heating up. "So I think there's a lot of depth in this Indian line-up, a good headache to have as a coaching staff.' said Muzumdar. One of the biggest selection calls before Muzumdar is picking Smriti Mandhana's opening partner. Pratika Rawal currently leads the race in the ODI format, having impressed since her debut against West Indies last December. In 11 ODIs, she boasts an outstanding average of 63.80 with five centuries to her name. Meanwhile, Shafali Verma made a strong return to the T20I side during the England tour after being dropped following India's early exit from the T20 World Cup last October. She scored 176 runs at an average of 35.20 and an explosive strike rate of 158.55. Despite not being included in the ODI squad for the England series, Muzumdar stated that Shafali remained in the scheme of things for the ODI format as well. The Women's Cricket World Cup is back in India | WWC25 The Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 will be played in India later this year. "Pratika Rawal, she was drafted in the month of December, so it's almost six months, but she has left a big mark in her initial stage in her international career. 'And Shafali has been a terrific player. There's no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India. There's no doubt in my mind about it. But at the moment, Pratika has joined the squad probably four or five days prior to the ODI. The depth is stronger, it's getting stronger." Another youngster to shine in the series was Shree Charani, who was named Player of the Series for the T20I leg after claiming 10 wickets. Muzumdar credited the WPL for unearthing such promising talent. WT20WC: The extraordinary Shafali Verma "She's been a find of the WPL. From the WPL, we identified her and then I think her progress has been fantastic, she's been phenomenal in this series. We were searching for a left-arm spinner and she fitted the bill perfectly." While ODI World Cup might be the immediate concern, India also have their sights set on the next ICC Women's T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in England next year. "We had that in our mind when we came back from Sri Lanka and we started our preparation for this tour. We were on the same page, all of us, including the selectors, thinking that there's a World Cup in 2026, same place, in England, so we've picked the squad accordingly.' said Muzumdar. Muzumdar believed India's England outing this year will hold them in good stead for the T20 World Cup. 'We've started on a good note, I guess, winning the T20 series here against England 3-2, that too the first time ever. So it's a pleasing result. The preparation has already started.'
Dubai Eye
5 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Swiatek revels in special Wimbledon triumph after hitting Grand Slam six
Iga Swiatek bulldozed her way to a maiden Wimbledon title on Saturday to take her Grand Slam tally to six and although the Pole preferred not to rank her wins, she said her latest one felt a little more special than the others. The 24-year-old has won four Suzanne Lenglen Cups in the last six editions of the French Open to establish herself as the 'Queen of Clay' and conquered the hardcourts of the US Open in 2022, but the grasscourts of Wimbledon have always proved slippery. Having crossed the quarter-final hurdle for the first time this year, she brutally dismantled Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the final to confirm herself as a versatile virtuoso of the women's game. "I don't know. I think the fact that it's on grass, it makes it more special, I would say, and more unexpected. It feels like the emotions are bigger, because in Roland Garros I know I can play well, and I know I can show it every year," Swiatek said. "Here, I wasn't sure of that. I needed to prove that to myself. I'm not going to rank them, because I just have so much respect for the other tournaments. I worked really hard to win all the other Grand Slams. "So there's no point choosing between them. But this one and the US Open feel, I don't know, better because no one expected that. It wasn't a relief. It was more of good tennis and working to make it happen without baggage on your shoulders." Swiatek reached her first grasscourt final last month at Bad Homburg before her triumphant fortnight at the All England Club and said she was a little surprised with her level on the sport's fastest surface after the French Open. "Well, 'shocked' would be too big of a word. For sure I was surprised with the consistency," Swiatek said. "I knew I can do it before, but I don't think I ever served so well throughout the whole three weeks even. Bad Homburg was also a good tournament in terms of that. It was always more up and down. "I was just using the good feelings I had on the court. It felt great. I know in my mind I can be focused. I'm not going to waste points and let them go for free. But my level of tennis helped me to keep that on a constant level." While Anisimova appeared to have frozen under pressure, Swiatek said she relied on her experience to get through. "Finals sometimes are a bit ugly because there's so much stress. I used the experience from before," she added. "Today I just wanted to enjoy the time that I had on Centre Court and enjoy the last hours of me playing well on grass. Who knows if it's going to happen again. I just focused on that and I really had fun," she added with a smile. "Obviously I was stressed, as anybody would be. But I wanted to just do my job, and that's it."
