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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'It's all too much!': 'Tired' Alex De Minaur calls for shorter season
Australia's Alex De Minaur falls down as he plays Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik. (AP Photo) Home hope Fils charged up by crowd while a tired De Minaur calls for shorter season THE TIMES OF INDIA AT ROLAND GARROS: Arthur Fils gave everything he could lay his hands on to spectators at Court Suzanne Lenglen — t-shirts, sweat bands, towels and then some more. Just as well that he saved his rackets. The expressive 20-year-old showed gratitude to fans, who steered him out of a mid-match slump, courtesy a shaky lower back, to script a dramatic turnaround. At one point, from midway through the third set, Fils had lost 13 of 14 games to trail Spain's Jaume Munar 1-3 in the deciding fifth set. Fils, who had slowed down considerably, was suddenly in full flight. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! A couple of five-set matches, played on different courts at Roland Garros, became the talking point of the tournament. Alex De Minaur, the French Open 's ninth seed, and Fils, the 14th seed, finished at two ends of the spectrum in their second-round outings. Who's that IPL player? The 26-year-old Aussie and the effusive Frenchman both won the first two sets on Thursday, but lost the next two. Fils, battling a lower back injury, struggled with movement after two hours of play. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like A perfect start needs the perfect ride – Shine 125! Honda Learn More Undo The home crowd with calls of 'allez' and 'ole' shored up the 14th seed. The Frenchman, who was particularly aggressive in the fifth set, slamming 20 winners in the 56-minute deciding set, scored a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 win in four-hours and 30-minutes. On the other hand, De Minaur, on Court 14, went down 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 2-6 in just under three-hours. Fils plays Andrey Rublev in the third round. De Minaur, who hadn't dropped a set to Bublik in their previous three meetings, didn't mince words, pinning his loss squarely on mental fatigue. 'I'm tired mentally, a little bit burnt out, if anything. A lot of tennis is being played,' De Minaur said. Bombay Sport Exchange Ep 5: Shane Watson on how IPL gave him a lifeline & his tribute to Phil Hughes After limping out of Roland Garros on Wednesday, Casper Ruud, the two-time French Open finalist, called the rankings a 'rat race'. 'You feel obligated to play, you feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play,' Ruud said, after his 2nd-round exit. De Minaur joined the chorus in calling for a shorter schedule. 'What's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter because they'll burn out mentally,' he said. 'There's just too much tennis.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Faizan Zaki wins 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee a year after heartbreaking runner-up finish
At the end of last year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, Faizan Zaki grimaced, nodded his head and offered a gracious handshake as runner-up to winner Bruhat Soma after a dramatic spell-off. One year later, Zaki stood alone, with a trophy in hand. Advertisement The 13-year-old Allen, Texas native beat out eight other finalists to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday at National Harbor, Maryland. His winning word: "éclaircissement." You can see the moment he won in the video above. His prizes: $50,000 cash from Scripps, a medal and the Scripps Cup trophy $2,500 cash from Merriam-Webster, plus a reference library from the dictionary company. $400 of books from Encyclopædia Britannica $1,000 in Scholastic Dollars donated to the school of his choice a five-year subscription to a News-O-Matic platform for his school First runner-up Sarvadnya Kadam will receive $25,000, while second runner-up Sarv Dharavane will get $15,000. Zaki had previously competed three times in the spelling bee, finishing 370th in 2019, 21st in 2023 and as the runner-up in 2024. The fourth time was the charm for Faizan Zaki at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) It was nearly another heartbreaker for Zaki earlier in the finals, though. He was poised to win the event after Kadam and Dharavane both misspelled their words in the 18th round. After being asked to spell "commelina," Zaki jumped the gun and started spelling before bothering to ask for the definition or origin. Three letters in — "K, A, M" — Zaki realized his mistake. Advertisement Kadam and Dharavane re-entered the competition, with Dharavane quipping, "This is surprising." Fortunately for Zaki, Dharavane misspelled his next word too, while Kadam fell in the next round, setting him up to take the title. On the final word, longtime spelling bee pronouncer, and former champion, Jacques Bailly playfully asked for "all of us to take a deep breath," to which Zaki deadpanned, "That did not help at all." Zaki again didn't ask for the definition or origin of "éclaircissement," but he clearly had the letters in his head as soon as he heard it. And as soon as the judges confirmed he got it right, he fell to the ground, followed a moment later by the confetti. You can see every word Zaki spelled on his way to victory here.
Courier-Mail
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Christine Baranski shares why Nicole Kidman kept distance on Nine Perfect Strangers set
Don't miss out on the headlines from TV. Followed categories will be added to My News. They may be Nine Perfect Strangers on screen, but behind the scenes the new cast of the drama series are anything but. Christine Baranski joins Nicole Kidman along with a star-studded line-up for season two, including Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, The White Lotus star Murray Bartlett, and Schitt's Creek star Annie Murphy. But while the cast bonded during the six months they filmed in the snowy Austrian Alps, in a case of life imitating art, Kidman kept her distance on the series, which is now streaming on Prime Video. Christine Baranski attends the season two premiere of Nine Perfect Strangers at The Beverly Estate on May 15 in LA. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello Baranski joins Nicole Kidman on the second season of the hit show. Picture:MORE: Kidman forced to 'apologise' to her neighbours The Aussie actress reprises her role as Masha Dmitrichenko, a Russian wellness guru who uses unconventional and questionable methods to treat her guests as the fictional health retreat Zauberwald Although Masha is sociable and people are drawn to her, she is equally complex and enigmatic – and it appears Kidman maintained this persona off-screen too. 'We bonded, the nine of us. And when [Kidman] would come in, it was sort of exactly like it would be in the show, which is she comes in and we're all, what's she all about? What's she going to do? And so the chemistry was sort of exactly right for it,' Baranski, 73, told Baranski and Kidman are joined by Henry Golding, Mark Strong and Aussie actor Murray Bartlett in the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers. Picture: Prime Video 'She's rather perfect for that role. The character of Masha is so mysterious and has her own backstory that's very, very complicated and interesting. And Nicole is really tall and statuesque, and her look in this show, I think, is particularly arresting. So she's just perfect for this inscrutable, intimidating character.' Baranski plays glamorous divorcee Victoria on the series. Picture: Prime Video Victoria's much younger boyfriend Matteo is played by Aras Aydın (centre). Picture: Prime Video Still, there was nothing that could keep Baranski away from the show or Kidman. 'It's such a no-brainer. My agent said it was Nicole Kidman and the second season of Strangers, which was already an established hit. Then he mentioned the talent that they were offering roles to various actors, and they were all extraordinary people. And then he said that it was going to film in Europe, in Munich and the Austrian Alps,' the Mamma Mia star shared. In season two, Baranski plays the glamorous and sensual Victoria, who enlists the help of Masha to repair her relationship with her daughter Imogen (played by Murphy). While they play an estranged mother-and-daughter duo, off-screen Murphy adored Baranski. Canadian actress Annie Murphy plays Baranski's on-screen daughter Imogen. Picture: Valerie Macon/AFP 'She is the hostess with the mostest and she's so generous. Anytime she'd go away [from set], she'd come back with cakes and treats and all these things for us,' Murphy told 'We were staying in this town called Halstadt in Austria, which is this beautiful fairytale town around this alpine lake. And we're staying in this beautiful hotel and the hotel backed onto the lake. 'Christine arranged this evening for us, and the sun was just setting and we walked out and there was champagne and beautiful tables set up. She'd curated this incredible classical playlist for us that was kind of echoing across this still, beautiful lake. And it was just magical.' Kidman and Baranski (back left) with the cast at the season two premiere in Beverly Hills. Picture:In the series, there is also magic between Baranski's Victoria and her much younger lover Matteo (played by Aras Aydın). There seems to be a chorus of age-gap romances playing out on screens across Hollywood lately, but Baranski says there is nothing salacious about this May-December romance. 'It was very easy because Aras is so emotionally free and available and he's beautiful and so passionate. We didn't have to work at that [chemistry],' she said. 'As you can see from early on in the first few episodes, it's not just some sexy older woman-hot guy relationship. There's an enormous kind of tenderness and caretaking and loveliness between us. 'We valued bringing that out more than the sexy part because it's transcends age. People can love each other long after they feel sexy or hot for each other. The tenderness and the intimacy is what is most lasting and interesting.' Nine Perfect Strangers season two is now streaming on Prime Video Originally published as Christine Baranski shares why Nicole Kidman kept distance on Nine Perfect Strangers set
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
AP PHOTOS: Highlights from the second round of the French Open tennis tournament
Coco Gauff of the U.S. serves the ball to Tereza Valentova of the Czech Republic during their second round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Thursday, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Astros' Yordan Alvarez 'really close' to returning after hand injury
FILE - Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez waits to hit during batting practice before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, April 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith, File) HOUSTON (AP) — Houston manager Joe Espada said Thursday injured slugger Yordan Alvarez is getting 'really close' to returning to the lineup after sitting out with a hand injury for almost a month. Alvarez, who has been out since May 3 with right hand inflammation, hit off a pitching machine Thursday before the Astros opened a four-games series with the Tampa Bay Rays. Advertisement 'He's getting really close,' Espada said. 'This is the best I've seen him and this is the best he's felt. So, really good news.' Alvarez is scheduled to hit about 50 pitches off minor leaguers Friday as he moves closer to his return. Espada said they're doing this so he can get game ready without going on a minor league rehabilitation assignment. 'That will be his way to kind of check that box and get ready for games,' Espada said. The biggest obstacle to getting Alvarez back on the field has been to keep the inflammation away as he's ramped up his activity. 'I felt good,' Alvarez said in Spanish through a translator after hitting Thursday. 'Now I just have to wait to see how the hand reacts to the hitting. So hopefully I can return soon.' Advertisement Alvarez said it's been difficult to be out for so long for an issue that at first was supposed to only keep him out a few days. 'Obviously… it's been a little bit frustrating being on the IL because of my hand,' he said. 'This is not a secret how difficult it is for a hitter to be dealing with hand pain. I've played hurt before, but obviously now with inflammation it's a little bit different.' He said his time on the injured list has lasted longer than expected because they're trying to get him completely well so this isn't something he's dealing with for the rest of the season. 'This is something delicate,' he said. 'I could have returned before but as soon as we saw the hand and how it reacted because of the inflammation, that's why it's been a little bit more time than I anticipated.' ___ AP MLB:
