Sinner could face teenaged compatriot on return from doping ban
AFP | Rome
Italy's tennis world number one Jannik Sinner's first opponent on his return from a three month doping ban in the Italian Open could be compatriot Federico Cina.
Sinner has been given a bye into the second round where he awaits the winner of 18-year-old Cina's match with Argentine Mariano Navone.
The three time Grand Slam champion returns to action this week following the ban, agreed with t h e Wo r l d Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after he twice tested positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.
WADA accepted Sinner did not gain any competitive advantage from the banned substance, and he bore no fault for an accidental contamination.
The 23-year-old hasn't played since retaining his Australian Open title, earlier this year. He won't face his big rival Carlos Alcaraz before the final, with world number seven and Madrid Open winner Casper Ruud a potential opponent in the quarter-finals.
World number three Alcaraz withdrew injured from the Madrid tournament and has not yet arrived in Rome.
The Spaniard could face Britain's Jack Draper, beaten by Ruud in the Madrid final, in the last eight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Daily Tribune
South Korea turn focus to 2026 after sealing World Cup spot
AFP | Seoul Coach Hong Myung-bo immediately turned his thoughts to next year's World Cup in North America after South Korea secured qualification following a turbulent campaign. Hong's side belatedly saw off 10-man Iraq 2-0 in front of a noisy Basra crowd on Thursday to seal an 11th straight World Cup appearance. Substitutes Oh Hyeon-gyu and Kim Jin-kyu scored in the second half to send South Korea through with a game to spare. 'Now that today's match is over and our qualification is confirmed, we will focus everything on the World Cup from this point forward,' Hong told reporters. 'There are many things to consider but I believe we need to prepare step by step, steadily, for the World Cup finals.'
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Daily Tribune
Australia ready to ‘do a job' in Saudi and qualify for World Cup
AFP | Perth Australia coach Tony Popovic has warned his buoyant team they still 'need to do a job' after propelling themselves to the cusp of a sixth successive World Cup. A last-gasp 1-0 win over already qualified Japan at a soldout Perth Stadium on Thursday put the Socceroos in pole position to finish second in Asian Group C. That would automatically punch their ticket to North America next year. They face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday knowing they only need to avoid defeat by five goals or more in Jeddah. Despite the Saudis only scoring six times in their nine qualifying games so far, Popovic cautioned against complacency. 'We need to do a job in Saudi,' he told reporters. 'We're in a great position but we have to finish it off. 'It's been a really intense period since I've come in but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do. 'We're very close now to achieving our goal.' Popovic replaced Graham Arnold in the dugout in September and has rejuvenated the side, with victory on Thursday their first over Japan since 2009. When he took over Australia were fifth in the group and fresh from a disastrous 1-0 loss to Bahrain and a 0-0 draw with Indonesia, with automatic qualification looking unlikely. Popovic admitted his emotions ran high when Aziz Behich hit the 90th-minute winner, and said beating Japan was testament to the work everyone had put in. 'It was a wonderful goal,' he said. 'Although football-wise we need to get better, and we will, in that 90th minute we had six players in the box trying to score a goal. 'The players were moving forward yet they were fatigued and it was a good reward for the group. 'We were tough, kept a clean sheet and have done something (beating Japan) that many Australian sides have tried to do,' he added. 'They (Japan) were on a wonderful run, there's a reason for that, they are the best (in Asia) and we want to challenge them to be the best.'
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Daily Tribune
Alcaraz into French Open final
AFP | Paris Carlos Alcaraz took his Roland Garros title defence all the way as he booked his spot in the final after eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired injured in the fourth set of their semi-final yesterday. The Spaniard led 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0, 2-0 after two hours and 25 minutes of play under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier when Musetti quit with a thigh issue. Second seed Alcaraz will defend his crown on Sunday against either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who were meeting later yesterday. 'It's been three intense weeks and now I have one step to make,' he said. 'I'll give everything on Sunday, I've been playing great tennis this tournament.' He now leads 23-year-old Musetti 6-1 in their head-to-head series, winning all three of their clay-court battles this season after victories in the final at Monte Carlo and semi-finals of the Italian Open. The 22-year-old is now into his second French Open showpiece match, and fifth major final overall. Just as in the Monte Carlo final in April, it was the Tuscan who clinched the first set in the latest edition of the budding Alcaraz-Musetti rivalry. Both players battled through an even opener that offered up occasional sparks of brilliance, but every time a sniff of a break opportunity appeared the server upped his game to nullify it. Musetti eventually pounced at 5-4, drawing first blood in Alcaraz's fifth service game by concluding a brutal baseline rally with a hammered crosscourt forehand winner. He then secured three set points when Alcaraz dragged a shot long, before the Spaniard dumped a forehand into the tramlines to give Musetti the lead. The Italian began the second set with a trademark sweeping backhand down the line on the very first point as his confidence grew. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz roared back to break Musetti to love in the third game, sealing it with a perfectly-weighted backhand drop-shot. However, Musetti immediately riposted to level the set at 2-2. Alcaraz produced two break points five games later but Musetti held his nerve to wipe both out before celebrating the crucial hold with a double fist pump towards his box. The Monte Carlo and Rome champion did manage to get the break he needed on Musetti's next service game, but again the world number seven frustrated him by immediately hitting back to force a tie-break. Thigh problem But Alcaraz was not to be denied as he raced into a 3-0 lead, before a kindly net cord helped a drop-shot on its way to take him to 5-1, and Musetti then netted a forehand on the run to give the Spaniard the set at the third time of asking. Now firmly in the ascendancy, Alcaraz pressed his advantage by dominating his opponent's first two service games of the third set. Musetti received a massage on his left thigh during the changeover while trailing 0-5, before Alcaraz again broke him to take the set in 22 minutes for the loss of just five points. Musetti then signalled that he was unable to continue after the second game of the fourth set, shaking his opponent's hand before making his way off court. It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise excellent claycourt season for the Carrera-native as he reached at least the semi-finals of the three Masters-level tournaments, as well as Roland Garros.
