logo
Red-hot Sinner crushes Nardi to reach Wimbledon second round

Red-hot Sinner crushes Nardi to reach Wimbledon second round

TimesLIVE13 hours ago
Bublik, fresh from capturing his second Halle title last month, cut a frustrated figure towards the end of a lacklustre opening set against Munar on Court 14 where he surrendered his serve twice and barely dipped into his bag of tricks.
Having swapped his headband for a cap to shield himself from the heat, Bublik appeared a player transformed in the next set as he quickly found his range and erased the deficit after forcing Munar into a backhand error on set point.
The big crowds braving conditions on the outside court to catch the Kazakh trickster had to settle for a more workmanlike display early in the third set as Bublik fought back from 1-3 down before offering glimpses of his drop-shot brilliance.
With his tail up after securing the third set, 28th seed Bublik raced ahead in the fourth and was serving for the match at 5-4 before Munar clawed back to make it two sets apiece via the tiebreak.
Munar capitalised from there as the world number 55 took control of the match with an early break in the decider and sent his opponent tumbling out with minimum fuss.
There will be no repeat of last year's semifinal run for Italian seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti after he was dumped out in the first round by Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Musetti, playing his first match since retiring in the French Open semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz with a leg injury, went down 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-1 on a muggy Court Two.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rassie's Springboks embrace evolution as Italy clash beckons in Pretoria
Rassie's Springboks embrace evolution as Italy clash beckons in Pretoria

IOL News

timean hour ago

  • IOL News

Rassie's Springboks embrace evolution as Italy clash beckons in Pretoria

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus announced his matchday 23 to face Italy in the first Test, at Loftus, on Tuesday. Photo: Timothy Bernard Independent Media Image: Timothy Bernard Independent Media Fasten your seatbelts, Springbok fans. The ride with Rassie Erasmus's team is only going to get faster as South Africa evolve their attacking game, starting in earnest on Saturday in Pretoria against Italy. The Boks put 50 points past the Barbarians last week in pouring rain, underlining their commitment to greater attacking adventure as the 2027 Rugby World Cup looms on the horizon. After naming 13 players from the Baabaas game in this week's matchday squad, Erasmus made it clear: evolve or die, as international rugby continues to morph each season. 'If you don't change, you get left behind. We started evolving when attack coach Tony Brown came in last year,' Erasmus said. 'You could see the intent last week, and if it wasn't so wet, more of the offloads would have stuck. 'This group of senior guys who are playing this weekend want to continue with that. This team will definitely not slot back to 2019 when it was a kick-and-chase, pressure game for us. This team on Saturday must try and get it right.' Erasmus has made just two changes to the backline that looked so threatening last week despite the conditions. Handré Pollard starts at flyhalf in place of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, while Damian Willemse returns at fullback — his first game for the Boks since the 2023 World Cup final — replacing Aphelele Fassi. 'As new blood comes in, we change,' Erasmus continued. 'In 2019, (attack coach) Swys de Bruin withdrew a month before the World Cup and we met (replacement) Felix Jones in Japan. That is how much time we had to prepare on the attacking front. "Then, post-2019, the Covid pandemic took two years of development away from us, and we had no preparation for the Lions series. 'Still, with the (limited) time we had going into the last World Cup, we played some good attacking rugby. None of these guys we're still picking are not coachable enough to evolve with us.' The wet conditions of the Cape will give way to the fast, dry Highveld in Pretoria, where Italy's defence is set to face a stern examination by a hungry Springbok side. 'This is the first Test of the year and we want to set the tone,' Erasmus said. 'We want a steady boat going into this match. That is why we've picked a strong side with a lot of continuity from last week. 'This is not the Italy of old,' Erasmus warned. 'We remember the importance of playing them in the 2019 World Cup pool game. It was a vital game and we were very nervy about it. There was a red card that swung it our way. A lot of the guys in this team recall that match.' Erasmus noted that former Puma Gonzalo Quesada has brought clarity and structure to the Italian side. 'They used to be a flamboyant team that ran from everywhere. Last year, they had a good year; they manned up in the first two games of the Six Nations. But they've only two United Rugby Championship teams to pick from, and they tend to run out of players. 'We expect passion and a physicality that we need to handle. They have a good, structured kicking game. I wouldn't say they're a conservative team, but they're not the Italy of three years ago.' Erasmus has once more handed the captaincy to Jesse Kriel. 'We're not in the business of just handing out captaincies, but Jesse deserves it. Eben Etzebeth is playing but we don't want him to play 80 minutes, and it's good to have your captain on the field for as long as possible,' Erasmus explained. 'Jesse is the fittest guy in the team and one of the biggest students of the game. He can play 80 minutes, he can play wing and 13; he's always been our defensive captain. "He has developed his attacking game — where he used to be a bit one-dimensional, now he's added the grubber, the offload and the hand-off, and he's doing it at the highest level.'

Berlusconi family sell Monza football club to US investment fund
Berlusconi family sell Monza football club to US investment fund

eNCA

time2 hours ago

  • eNCA

Berlusconi family sell Monza football club to US investment fund

ROME - The Berlusconi family on Tuesday agreed the sale of Monza, who were relegated to the Italian second division last season, to the American investment fund Beckett Layne Ventures. "Fininvest (the Berlusconi family's holding company) and Beckett Layne Ventures (BLV) announce that they have signed an agreement today for the sale of 100 percent of AC Monza's share capital to BLV," a joint statement read. "The transaction provides for an initial transfer of 80 percent of the shares by this summer, with the remaining 20 percent to be transferred by June 2026." The cost of the transaction was not specified, but according to Italian media, Beckett Layne Ventures will pay 45 million euros ($52 million), including 15 million euros to cover the Lombardy club's debt. Flamboyant former Italian premier and businessman Silvio Berlusconi, who died in June 2023, took control of Monza in September 2018. Berlusconi had previously owned AC Milan from 1986 to 2017, using his immense wealth to turn the debt-ridden club into a European powerhouse. Under his leadership, Monza played its first season in Serie A in 2022-23. The club remained in the top flight for three seasons before being relegated in May after a disastrous campaign that ended with 18 points, 26 defeats, and only three wins. Beckett Layne Ventures are an investment fund specialising in sports and entertainment led by Brandon Berger, formerly in charge of marketing operations for English club Chelsea. The acquisition is a further illustration of the interest American investors have in Italian football. Eight of the 20 clubs that competed in the 2024-25 Serie A season -- Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Verona, Venezia, Parma and Roma -- have American owners.

Harris serves big to book Wimbledon second-round clash with Rublev
Harris serves big to book Wimbledon second-round clash with Rublev

The Star

time8 hours ago

  • The Star

Harris serves big to book Wimbledon second-round clash with Rublev

South African tennis ace Lloyd Harris had to rely heavily on his big serve as he booked his place in the second round at Wimbledon with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 victory over Belgium's Zizou Bergs in Monday's first round. The former world No 31, who is on the comeback trail after major injury setbacks, will renew his rivalry with Russia's Andrey Rublev in the second round of the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam on Wednesday. The two players last met in the first round of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris last month, where Rublev beat Harris 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. On Monday, Wimbledon No 14 seed Rublev booked his place in the second round with a 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (9-11), 7-6 (8-6) win over Serbia's Laslo Djere. Harris and Rublev have met three times on the ATP Tour. Rublev has won all three matches, dropping only one set in the process. Their only previous meeting on Wimbledon grass resulted in a straight-sets victory for the Russian in 2021. That was the same year the tall South African reached the US Open semi-final, before his career was derailed by serious wrist and back injuries that required surgery. He only returned to action earlier this year with mixed results. However, Capetonian Harris will feel he has a chance to exact revenge for the defeat at Roland Garros, should his main weapon — his serve — fire as it did in the first round on the Wimbledon grass against the 50th seed. He has shown the ability to step up on the biggest stages, and will feel he is building momentum after reaching the main draw at back-to-back Grand Slams. The fact that he was able to grind out a win in searing conditions at the All England Club on Monday will also ease fitness concerns. Harris also reached the second round at Wimbledon last year, where he pushed rising US star Ben Shelton before losing in five sets. He is the only South African player in the main draw at Wimbledon. Four-time wheelchair tennis Grand Slam doubles winner Kgothatso Montjane and quads tennis player Donald Ramphadi will fly the South African flag in the Wimbledon wheelchair tennis tournament later this month.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store