Iga Swiatek tends not to waste time in the first week of Grand Slams. When the five-time Grand Slam champion dispatched Rebecca Sramkova 6-0 6-2 in a clean hour at the Australian Open on Thursday, Swiatek was living a habit of advancing quickly through the early rounds. She's the only player to reach the third round or better at every Grand Slam in this decade. Swiatek has won almost 12 per cent of her sets in Grand Slams by 6-0, which puts her in exclusive company. When No. 49-ranked Sramkova ended a seven-game losing run by holding serve, she raised her arm to acknowledge the applause from the Rod Laver Arena crowd. It was one of the few chances she had to celebrate. "It was good to play in such an efficient way and just finish it quick," Swiatek said. "Also, you know, just feel the court and how it is in RLA." Second-seeded Swiatek next faces 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who recovered from an early break in the second set to hold off Amanda Anisimova 6-3 7-5. Three-time runner-up and No. 5 Daniil Medvedev was ousted when 19-year-old American qualifier Learner Tien hung tough to prevail 6-3 7-6(4) 6-7 (8) 1-6 7-6(10-7) after nearly five hours. Tien had a match point in the third-set tiebreaker and didn't earn another for two hours, until nearly 3 a.m. Friday local time. Defending champion and No. 1 Jannik Sinner was in a contest for a set and a half, then blew away Australian wild card and No. 173 Tristan Schoolkate 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-3. Taylor Fritz hasn't wasted any time advancing to the third round, dropping just eight games across two rounds and spending just over three hours on court. The 2024 US Open runner-up and No. 4 seed beat Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 to move into a third-round match against 38-year-old Gael Monfils, who last week became the oldest player to win an ATP title. Also advancing on the men's side were local hope Alex de Minaur, seeded 8th, No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 19 Karen Khachanov and No. 21 Ben Shelton, who beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4. However, No. 17 Frances Tiafoe lost to Hungary's Fabian Marozsan 6-1 in the fifth, and No. 18 Hubert Hurkacz also crashed out. Raducanu has struggled with injuries since her breakthrough major in 2021, when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title. Also Read: D Gukesh receives Major Dhyna Chand Khel Ratna award from President Droupadi Murmu, WATCH She didn't play a warmup tournament ahead of this year's Australian Open because of a muscle strain and needed time during her match against Anisimova to get treatment on her back from a trainer. After advancing beyond the second round for the first time at Melbourne Park, the No. 61-ranked Raducanu was confident she'd recover in time for her next challenge against Swiatek. "It'll be a very good match for me, another opportunity to test my game," she said. "Going into it, I have nothing to lose. I'm just going to swing." Swiatek is moving on from the doping infringement which led to her one-month ban last year. And she's not showing any signs of it being a distraction. She did everything at pace in the second round, including quick claps of her racket to acknowledge the crowd after her win. Swiatek didn't face a break point against Sramkova and converted five of the six she had. She finished off points with winners off both sides, and also hit some clean volleys on her ventures to the net. She's feeling slightly less pressure this year, too, after losing the No. 1 ranking to two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. "Yeah, there was a lot of pressure starting the year as No. 1, but I think overall last year I didn't think about it this much anyway," she said. "Also, I realised last year that I don't have 100 per cent influence on what happens with my ranking sometimes. So now I just focus on tennis." Emma Navarro, a US Open semifinalist last year and seeded in the top eight for the first time at a major, was in trouble after two service breaks early in the third set before she reeled off four straight games to beat Wang Xiyu 6-3 3-6 6-4. She hopped from the baseline toward the net, and made a big, swirling swing of her arm to underline another tough, three-set victory. "It was really tough the whole time ... super tough there at the end," Navarro said. "Found some good tennis there in the last games." She'll next play Ons Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, who struggled with asthma but held off Camila Osorio 7-5 6-3. Sixth-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and runner-up in Australia two years ago, registered her 50th win in a Grand Slam main draw singles match when she beat American qualifier Iva Jovic 6-0, 6-3. No. 9 Daria Kasatkina also advanced 6-2 6-0 over Wang Yafan and faces No. 24 Yulia Putintseva in the third round. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 January,2025 01:18 PM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIThe 19th World chess champion D Gukesh received a round of applause when he walked up to receive the Major Dhyna Chand Khel Ratna award from India's President Droupadi Murmu in the National Sports Awards ceremony. Taking to X: #NationalSportsAwards2024 :President Droupadi Murmu confers Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 to Chess player Gukesh D. @DGukesh @YASMinistry @IndiaSports @mansukhmandviya @khadseraksha @Media_SAI @AshwiniVaishnaw @Murugan_MoS #MajorDhyanChandKhelRatna । #KhelRatna pic.twitter.com/cR6aXHWts8 — All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 17, 2025 The 18-year-old became the youngest chess champion player after beating title-holder Ding Liren of China in the 14th and last game of a thrilling showdown in Singapore in the FIDE Chess Championship. Before D Gukesh's feat, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia was the youngest world chess champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in 1985. D Gukesh secured the requisite 7.5 points against 6.5 of Liren after winning the last classical time control game of the 14-game match that seemed headed for a draw for the most part. Also Read: Rishabh Pant’s Q&A session, a big hit on X The other two recipients of the country's highest sporting honour were men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Paralympic gold-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar when the annual honours were bestowed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Harmanpreet was a part of the national sides that won bronze medals in the Tokyo as well as Paris Olympics. Praveen, on the other hand, upgraded his silver at the Japanese capital to gold last year in Paris. He was born with a short left leg. Thirty-two athletes are being honoured with the Arjuna Award out of which an unprecedented 17 are para-athletes. The athletes selected for the Arjuna award include the Paris Olympics bronze medal-winning group of wrestler Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh and the men's hockey team players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay and Abhishek. The para-athletes outnumbered the able-bodied ones in the list of Arjuna winners this time due to the magnificent Paris Paralympics performance in which they returned with 29 medals, including seven gold and nine silver. The 22-year-old Bhaker became independent India's first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronze-winning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August last. The 18-year-old Gukesh became the youngest world champion ever by beating China's Ding Liren last month. He is only the second India after the great Viswanathan Anand to achieve this feat. The annual honours are decided by a points system in which the maximum emphasis is on performances delivered at the Olympics and the World Championships. (With Agencies Inputs)
17 January,2025 12:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentQueen Mary ICSE (Grant Road) overcame St Anne’s (Malad) 24-22 in a tense final to win the MSSA girls U-16 inter-school kabaddi title at Azad Maidan on Wednesday. Queen Mary skipper Aastha Khamkar excelled, contributing eight defensive tackles and five raids before leaving the game injured, but not before setting the foundation of a hardfought win. Then, with the score reading 20-22 in favour of St Anne’s, the experienced Aanya Jain delivered the decisive blow for Queen Mary, securing four critical points to emerge victorious. Queen Mary’s coach Nandini was pleasantly surprised with the win. “With just a few minutes left, it was stunning to see how my girls turned the match around,” she told mid-day. Also Read: African safari ready to roar at Mumbai Marathon The Dr Antonio Da Silva (Dadar) under-16 team kabaddi team with their medals and winner’s shield. Pic/Satej Shinde Antonio Da Silva champs In the boys U-16 final, Dr Antonio Da Silva (Dadar) cruised to a 56-27 win over St Anne’s (Malad). Anuj Chougule’s five defensive catches proved to be the clincher for the victors. In the boys U-14 category, Swami Vivekanand (Chembur) outclassed Dr Antonio Da Silva 53-35, while Babasaheb Ambedkar (Vikhroli) beat Nanavati School (Vile Parle) 25-21 among the girls.
17 January,2025 08:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamIt will be fast and furious on Sunday, January 19, as the big guns are ready to fire at the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM). The elite international athletes spoke at a press meet held at the Marathon press centre on Thursday afternoon. At the outset, the anchor of the conference celebrated 20 years of the Mumbai Marathon stating, “the 42.2 km run, which is the real marathon, you are a marathoner when you complete this not the half marathon or 10k run, has grown beyond recognition. Mumbai now has one of the biggest cavalry of marathon runners on the road anywhere in the world.” Also Read: ‘It’s all outside noise’, Akash Deep The men’s category has defending champion Hayle Lemi Berhanu from Ethiopia who is eyeing a hat-trick this year after his wins in 2023 and 2024. “My preparation for the Mumbai Marathon has been excellent. I have good experience with this course, , and I believe my preparation gives me an advantage. I always listen to my coach and manager, following their program. I’ve waited a long time for this, and I’m confident in delivering a strong performance,” the Ethiopian said. His countrymen Bazezew Asmare, who was carrying a minor injury in the Berlin marathon in 2024, said, “I ran my last marathon with a small injury, but now I’m fully fit. “If I get a good result here, it will be a step forward in representing Ethiopia. That is my ultimate goal. I believe a strong performance in the Mumbai Marathon can help me achieve that.” Philemon Rono, the pocket powerhouse from Kenya who has won this race thrice earlier said, “I’ve prepared meticulously for this race and feel focused despite running a marathon just six weeks ago. My legs and mind are strong.” The women’s category features defending champion Abersh Minsewo from Ethiopia, who said, “Last year was a learning curve, but now I feel much more prepared. I know the course well, and I believe that will help me get a good result.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 January,2025 08:01 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIndia’s N Sriram Balaji and his Mexican partner Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a commanding victory in straight sets over Robin Haase and Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Thursday. Also Read: Teen Learner teaches No. 5 Medvedev bitter lesson The Indo-Mexican duo defeated the Dutch-Kazakh pair 6-4, 6-3 in just over an hour in their opening men’s doubles clash. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 January,2025 07:54 AM IST | Melbourne | PTILast year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev was dumped out in the Australian Open second round early on Friday morning by 19-year-old qualifier Learner Tien in a massive Melbourne shock. In his debut Australian Open, the American ranked 121 stunned the World No. 5 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (8/10), 1-6, 7-6 (10/7) in a nailbiter and faces France’s Corentin Moutet in the next round. Also Read: Smriti wants India women to rise in ODI World Cup year With the time ticking towards 3:00 am, Tien soaked up the applause at Margaret Court Arena after the biggest win of his young career. The pair did battle over a gruelling four hours and 48 minutes of seesawing action that was punctuated near its denouement by a short rain break. Tien had defeated Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli in five sets in the first round for his maiden victory at a Grand Slam at the fourth attempt. It was a meek exit for Russia’s Medvedev, who has lost three of the last four finals at Melbourne Park. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 January,2025 07:52 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPWorld No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner roared back to surge into the Australian Open third round on Thursday. Sinner dropped a set for the first time in 14 matches when he lost the opener to Australian wild card Tristan Schoolkate. But he wrested back control after a slow start to go through 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 against the World No. 173 at a cool and breezy Rod Laver Arena. It was Sinner’s 16th consecutive victory in an ominous sign for the next opponent Marcos Giron. “It’s always tough to play against someone I don’t know very well. He was playing much better than I was at the beginning,” said the Italian, 23, who also won the US Open last year. Taylor Fritz during his Round Two match against Chile’s qualifier Cristian Garin “I have to be very happy with my performance and never take things for granted. Very glad to be in the next round. “I can improve, yes, but I’ll take it.” Also Read: Vidarbha outclass Maharashtra by 69 runs Taylor Fritz was an emphatic winner in his pursuit of a maiden major title. Fritz swept through to a third-round clash against Gael Monfils with a brutal display of power hitting and has dropped just eight games in the tournament so far. The American fourth seed was untouchable on Margaret Court Arena, swatting aside Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 in 82 minutes. Swiatek cruises Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round showdown with Emma Raducanu. Women’s second seed Swiatek raced past World No. 49 Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 while Britain’s Raducanu reached the third round for the first time in Melbourne by beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-5. Jabeur battles asthma Meanwhile, a bad bout of asthma nearly derailed the comeback of former World No. 2 Ons Jabeur, with the Tunisian saying she found it hard to breathe and nearly gave up in her second-round win. She is aiming to get back to the top after a shoulder injury last year threatened her career. But she said asthma was now becoming an issue. Jabeur needed a medical timeout on her way to a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio for treatment and to use an inhaler. “Very, very tough to breathe. When I was younger, I was diagnosed with asthma,” she said. Other key results Men’s singles£Alex de Minaur bt Tristan Boyer 6-2, 6-4, 6-3£Holger Rune bt Matteo Berrettini 7-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 Women’s singles£Jasmine Paolini bt Renata Zarazua 6-2, 6-3£Emma Navarro bt Xiyu Wang 6-3, 3-6, 6-4£Madison Keys bt Gabriela Ruse 7-6, 2-6, 7-5 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 January,2025 07:48 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPSupported very well by the betting public as an odds-on choice (10/8 on), El Greco, trained by PS Chouhan and ridden by Neeraj Rawal, posted a stylish victory at the Mahalaxmi racetrack on Thursday. El Greco, after stalking the leader Coeur De Lion (M Alam up), until skirting the rails around the final turn, dashed ahead to take charge, and ran away with the Karl Umrigar Salver, the feature event of the six-race card. Mojito (NS Parmar) finished as runner up. The supporting event, Maharaja Sir Pratapsing Gaekwad Trophy (Class III; 1000m), saw the SS Shah -trained Turn And Burn cementing his reputation as the speediest horse in this part of the country. In the hands of jockey NS Parmar, Turn And Burn, carrying 59 kg on his back, outclassed his rivals including the favourite Credence. Credence, for some inexplicable reason which may be revealed in the race-day report later, never raised a gallop, and finished last of six. Also Read: India Open: PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag seal quarter-finals berth The YM Chaudhry Memorial Trophy for maiden three-year-old horses looked to be heading for a thrilling finish when, at the 300m marker, the heads of three horses, Pristine Glory, Warlock and Oliver, were aligned. But jockey Vivek G astride the Pesi Shroff-trained Oliver accelerated spectacularly and the race was virtually over 200m from home. Trainer Faisal Abbas led in the winner of the FK Vakil Salver after jockey Sandesh took his four-year-old grey filly, Medusa, on a successful start-to-finish mission over the seven-furlong trip. David Allan astride Fable followed him all the way up to the winning post to finish runner up. The small, six-race card opened with the Regal Equity Plate, a five-furlong affair for the bottom class horses which saw the Faisal Abbas-trained Ekla Cholo (apprentice S Siddharth) attracting most of the betting money, sending out trainer Dallas Todywalla's Champagne Smile at 28-to-10. Champagne Smile scored a rather easy victory. The Ferrari Plate, the other Class V race, saw the day's shortest priced favourite, Flashman (Vivek G up), winning easily for trainer Bezan Chenoy. Vivek G was the sole professional to score more than once on the Thursday card.
17 January,2025 07:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviTwo-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu progressed to the quarter-finals, while Kiran George delivered a gritty performance under pressure to keep the home flag flying in men’s singles at the India Open on Thursday. Also Read: Ajinkya Rahane hails city’s groundsmen Title contenders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, recovered from an opening game reversal to beat Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura 20-22 21-14 21-16 to inch closer to the crown. Sindhu cruised past Japan’s World No.46 Manami Suizu with a 21-15 21-13 win, while Kiran pulled off a stunning recovery, saving six game points to outlast Alex Lanier 22-20, 21-13. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
17 January,2025 07:40 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIOnly five runners will face the starter in the Karl Umrigar Salver, the feature event of Thursday's six-race Mahalaxmi card. Mojito, trained by SS Shah and to be ridden by NS Parmar, is expected to win the Class I contest from It's My Time and El Greco. First race at 2.30 pm. Selections: Regal Equity Plate (Class V; 1000m)Champagne Smile 1, Dragger's Strike 2, Little Minister 3. Maharaja Sir Pratapsingh Gaekwad Trophy (Class III; 1000m)Turn And Burn 1, Credence 2, Fast Approach 3. Karl Umrigar Salver (Class I; 1600m)Mojito 1, El Greco 2, It's My Time 3. YM Chaudhry Memorial Trophy (For 3y, Maidens; 1400m)Oliver 1, Pristine Glory 2, Warlock 3. FK Vakil Salver (Class IV; 1400m)Fable 1, Desert Classic 2, Medusa 3. Ferrari Plate (Class V; 1200m)Flashman 1, Baleno 2, We Still Believe 3. RecommendationsBest bet: NoneUpsets: Fynbos (4-4) & Ma Cherie (5-8) Today's poolsSuper jackpot pool: 1,2,3,4,5,6Jackpot pool: 2,3,4,5,6Treble pool: 3,4,5Tanala pool: All races.
16 January,2025 11:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviThere are slight tweaks in the full marathon route (42.2 km) for this Sunday, January 19, but, “basically we have similar roads, just different surroundings,” said Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) race director Hugh Jones at the technical meet and greet session on Wednesday, at the TMM 2025 Media Centre, Azad Maidan. “Even as new roads and infrastructure emerge, the iconic challenges like the Peddar Road Hill remains,” said Jones. Dr Santosh Kumar Dora, cardiologist with the Asian Heart Institute (AHI) and Medical Director for the race, has run the half marathon 10 times. Dora said, “I am sad about missing running this time but excited about the new role.” He spoke about aid stations and base camps, including 70 doctors of different specialities on the course that day, but most importantly highlighted, “we have a tie up with 15 hospitals en route.” Homiyar Mistry of the Bombay City District Amateur Athletics Association (BCDAAA) said, “We have 100 technical officials at various points, ensuring fairness and integrity in the competition. Cheating such as short-cuts result in disqualification.” Vivek Singh, Jt. MD, Procam International race promoters, highlighted, “There are 14,700 volunteers working behind the scenes for the delivery of one TMM. That’s truly phenomenal.”
16 January,2025 07:02 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
