Sports / Tennis

Angelique Kerber blasts past Coco Gauff and into Wimbledon quarter-final

Five short weeks ago, Angelique Kerber stepped up to the baseline for the first round of her Roland Garros match against Anhelina Kalinina, then the world No 139, trailing 6-2, 5-0 and seemingly lost on the tennis court. The saddest part of the grim scene was that it was no surprise given Kerber’s form over the prior two years. Kerber was eventually snuffed out 6-2, 6-4 for her third successive grand slam first-round defeat. As she flailed outside the top 25 it was fair to wonder what the future held for her at 33 years old.

If ever there is an example of how quickly fortunes can change in tennis, the 2018 Wimbledon champion now stands resolute in the quarter-final as clear proof. On a particularly manic Monday, Kerber exhibited calm and considerable experience as she outplayed Coco Gauff, the 20th seed, on Centre Court to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon with a clean 6-4, 6-4 win.

Both players struggled early on in a swirling wind that forced them to abort ball tosses and make last-minute stroke adjustments but Kerber, the 25th seed, eventually settled into the match and was mostly faultless thereafter. The German limited her unforced errors, her defense was often impenetrable and she returned Gauff’s nuclear deliveries with depth and consistency. When the opportunity presented itself, she consistently wrong-footed her American opponent with trademark down-the-line forehands before finishing the match with an array of winning passing shots.

Faced with a champion in full flow, Gauff did all she could to maintain contact. She pieced together numerous holds with enormous serving, her first serve consistently clearing 120mph, and constantly unleashed on her backhand. But her forehand was the clear difference between the two. Each time Kerber was in danger, she directed returns or defensive shots to the Gauff forehand, which could not consistently penetrate her defense.

Despite falling in the same round as in her breakthrough at Wimbledon two years ago, the identical results belie the clear progress Gauff has made over as her game continues to grow. …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer Beats Lorenzo Sonego, Advances to Singles Quarterfinal

After surviving an early test in the first set, Roger Federer found his rhythm in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 win over Lorenzo Sonego to reach the quarterfinals in the 2021 Wimbledon gentlemen’s tournament. Federer made history, becoming the oldest men’s player to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 44 years.

With the first set tied 5-5, weather intervened to provide both players a brief rain delay and let the retractable roof over the Centre Court close.

Sonego looked like he was on the verge of taking control at the time of the delay. The 26-year-old Italian was up 40-15 at one point in the 11th game before play was suspended. After the delay, Federer was able to gather himself and take control of the match. Sonego made several mental mistakes down the stretch of the opening set that cost him. Federer wasn’t at his best in the opening set either. The eight-time Wimbledon champion committed 17 unforced errors, compared to nine for Sonego.

Once he closed out the first set in just over an hour of match time, Federer started to look more comfortable. He needed 44 minutes to wrap up the second set.

The stats from Federer’s 6-4 second-set win were much more in line with what fans are accustomed to seeing from him. The 39-year-old won 12 of his 15 first-serve points and 11 of 15 net points while committing four unforced errors.

The third set was largely more of the same from Federer. He had as many aces in the third as he did in the first two sets combined (two) and won two of his four break-point chances.

Federer has been careful to monitor his playing time at this stage of his career. The Switzerland native withdrew from the French Open after a third-round win because “it’s important that I listen to my body” coming off two knee surgeries.

The decision came after Federer played a four-set match against Dominik Koepfer that lasted 3.5 hours.

After the first set Monday took 61 minutes to finish, Federer …

Football / Sports

Brazil beat Peru 1 – 0 and advance to Copa America Final

Brazil have stormed through to the Copa America Final yet again after a near flawless tournament, where they went undefeated through six games — scoring 12 goals and conceding just two in the process.

Eder Militao has not featured much in the last few games as Brazil head coach Tite has gone with Thiago Silva and Marquinhos at the back. Meanwhile Vinicius, until now, had played just 32 minutes in this tournament. Both players started this game on the bench, but did enter the game through a triple sub in the 84th minute when they, along with Fabinho, replaced Fred, Richarlison, and Renan Lodi.

Casemiro though, featured from the start, and played the full 90 minutes on the right side of a double pivot alongside Manchester United midfielder Fred. He was involved in several nice attacking sequences and one-touch passing plays in the first half as he combined well with Lucas Paqueta, Neymar, and Richarlison. Those four in particular were huge instigators in attack as Brazil carved Peru over and over again in the first half. Peru, defending in a 5-4-1, kept everyone behind the ball apart from striker Gianluca Lapadula. Thus, they struggled getting any attacks in transition, and even though they tried to stay compact defensively, struggled to limit space between the lines for Brazil’s runners to find space in. They also allowed both Casemiro and Fred to pick out all the passes they wanted without being pressured. Casemiro had two long distance stingers which forced saves from Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.

Brazil opened the scoring though Paqueta in the 35th minute after some sorcery from Neymar.

Brazil looked set to steamroll a helpless Peru side. But at half-time, their head coach Ricardo Gareca made two subs to advance his team’s shape. Most notably, the entrance of attacking midfielder Raziel Garcia for one of his defenders provided some help for Lapadula in attack and immediately brought Peru back into the game. They got better opportunities in transition, were able to keep the ball better, and gave Casemiro — …

Football / Sports

Messi leading the race to Golden Boot?

Will Lionel Messi win the Golden Boot award in the current edition of Copa America?

The 2021 edition of the Copa America is underway, and Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Colombia are the four semi-finalists vying for the top prize.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi has been the standout performer in the competition with four goals and has also provided as many assists. Interestingly, it must be mentioned that Messi has never won the Golden Boot award at Copa America.

Messi needs four more goals to equal Norbeto Mendez (Agrentina) and Zizinho (Brazil)’s tally of 17 goals each, who are the all-time top scorers at Copa America.

He started the 2021 edition of the tournament in style with a gem of a free-kick against Chile before adding a couple against Bolivia in their last group game. In the quarterfinal against Ecuador, Messi was in sublime form as he provided two assists and scored at the death from a free-kick.

Messi is the only player with four goals to his name. There are 10 players who have scored twice in this competition however, only five are still in contention with their teams being in the semis.

Player Team Goals
Lionel Messi Argentina 4
Papu Gomez Argentina 2
Lautaro Martinez Argentina 2
Andre Carillo Peru 2
Gianluca Lapadula Peru 2
Neymar Brazil 2

The other players who have scored two goals are: Erwin Saavedra (Bolivia), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) Ángel Romero (Paraguay), Ayrton Preciado (Ecuador) and  Eduardo Vargas (Chile)

…
Football / Sports

After Mexico, Eagles Team B to face Canada, Ghana, Cameroun

More home-based stars for World Cup qualifiers
Super Eagles’ home-based players have another chance to show the technical crew why they deserve more opportunities in the senior national team when they play friendly matches against Canada, Ghana and Cameroun.

The team met yesterday lost 0-4 to Mexico in a friendly game played in the Los Angeles Coliseum, California, United States.

Speaking after the game watched by over 50,000 fans, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, revealed that the federation was at the verge of finalising arrangements for the friendly games, which would hold before the 2022 World Cup qualifiers begin later this year.

He added that the matches would hold in the 73,000 capacity M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States.

“This is the launchpad we are providing for you to showcase your talents,” Pinnick told the media.

“This team is our pride, and we will keep you and monitor you because you are the next big thing in Nigerian football.

“In October, we will be flying the team to Baltimore for friendly games against Ghana possibly, Cameroun and Canada, maybe. We will sort that out in the coming weeks.

“We will tidy up all the documentation. You will be playing at the 73,000 capacity M&T Bank Stadium.”

In the game against Mexico, Nigeria presented a team made up of players from the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) with Ibrahim Sunusi, who plays for Montreal FC the only foreign-based star in the squad.

Speaking on the game, Super Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, praised the team for ‘a good outing.’

He said, “These are young players playing in front of over 50,000 fans in a foreign land. It was not easy but they showed they can play this game.

“We are very happy that fans are returning to stadiums after a long time playing in empty stadiums. Mexico is number 11 in the world and our young team is the best players in the professional league at home. They have learnt a lot from this game. I saw some …

F1 / Sports

Lewis Hamilton rues ‘a lot of points lost’ after limping to fourth

Hamilton, while some way behind dominant race winner Verstappen, was running a comfortable second at the Red Bull Ring before he was told of floor damage just after the halfway point of the race, confirmed by Mercedes to have been sustained when running over the kerbs at Turn 10. The seven-time world champion then quickly started losing pace to team-mate Valtteri Bottas and star performer Lando Norris, with both drivers then passing him and dropping him out of the podium positions. The end result leaves Hamilton 32 points behind Verstappen in the title standings, rather than the 26 it likely would have been without his issue.

“I already said before the race that it would be very hard to beat Max of course,” said Hamilton. “It’s obviously frustrating to lose so much downforce on the rear of the car and not be able to hold on to second place.

“So a lot of points lost today.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff absolved Hamilton of blame for the damage as he wasn’t “running too hard over the kerb, it was just a part that fell away”.

And asked by Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes about the issue, Hamilton replied: “I wasn’t going over the kerbs any more than anyone else, so I have no idea where it happened, but a lot of damage.

“I was in second when all of a sudden it obviously broke. Second place would have been easy.”

Hamilton added to F1 that “there was not anything I could really do” and that the damage was “super unlucky”.

Hamilton: Upgrade won’t be enough to catch Red Bull

The Austrian GP proved to be Verstappen’s third win in a row, while it was another tough race for Hamilton – who before May’s Monaco GP held the title lead and appeared the man to beat.

“I would say these past five races have been so difficult,” admitted Hamilton. “I’ve obviously lost a lot of ground after these past five races so it’s been pretty painful.”

And Hamilton isn’t exactly optimistic of catching …

Football / Sports

Patrick Vieira’s biggest managerial test

The recent managerial merry-go-round has seen similar names linked with jobs at Tottenham, Everton and Crystal Palace – Nuno Espirito Santo did the rounds at all three before landing at Spurs, while Everton opted for Rafa Benitez.

But Steve Parish, Dougie Freedman and the board have moved away from the conventional managerial names to land Vieira, who had turned down the vacant role at Bournemouth earlier in the summer, reportedly in favor of a Premier League move.

He was a player synonymous with Arsenal’s Invisibles and while no one can deny he was among the most talented midfielders of his generation, he has little managerial experience in Europe, let alone in England and even that has not been at senior level.

But Steve Parish, Dougie Freedman and the board have moved away from the conventional managerial names to land Vieira, who had turned down the vacant role at Bournemouth earlier in the summer, reportedly in favour of a Premier League move.

He was a player synonymous with Arsenal’s Invisibles and while no one can deny he was among the most talented midfielders of his generation, he has little managerial experience in Europe, let alone in England and even that has not been at senior level.

Vieira also oversaw the incomings of European football royalty. Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and Lampard have all played under him, giving the former France international a key insight into coaching players of such quality.

A look at his most recent spell at Nice could be a concern. Interestingly, he replaced Favre at the Ligue 1 club, who made a late U-turn and decided not to take the Crystal Palace job in June.

His first two seasons can be regarded as largely successful – a seventh then fifth place league finish saw Nice secure Europa League football. But the 2020/21 campaign started off poorly and Vieira was sacked after a run of five successive defeats and an exit at the Europa League group stages. They finished bottom of Group C with just one win and five …

Sports / Tennis

Teenager Emma Raducanu reaches the third round on her Wimbledon debut

The 18-year-old, who sat her A-Levels just two months ago, overcame her Czech opponent 6-2 6-4 having been a late wild card entry into the tournament.

It follows on from her first-round win against Vitalia Diatchenko and means she is now Britain’s last woman standing in the singles at the All England Club. The world No 338 will now face Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian beat 12th seed Victoria Azarenka 7-6 3-6 6-4.

Raducanu had showcased her impressive serve early on as she claimed the first set 6-2, but found herself three love down in the second amid a fightback from the world No 42 Vondrousova, who was runner-up at the 2019 French Open.

The Grand Slam debutante held her nerve and clawed her way back to three games apiece, eventually securing a crucial break courtesy of a double fault to earn a 5-4 advantage before serving out for a landmark victory in one hour and 12 minutes.

In sealing a place in the next round Raducana will earn £115,000, almost quadruple her career earnings heading into the match having only made her debut on the WTA Tour in June.…

Boxing / Sports

Tyson Fury sharpening skills with ‘next great heavyweight champion’ Jared Anderson says promoter Bob Arum

Tyson Fury said to me after the Deontay Wilder fight that he attributes a great deal of his success to sparring with Jared Anderson,” promoter Bob Arum says American contender is a future heavyweight king. Fury will defend his WBC championship in a trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on July 24 and has again recruited the talented Anderson as a sparring partner.

“We have a guy who Tyson tells me, and a lot of people tell me, will be the next great heavyweight champion,” Top Rank promoter Arum told Sky Sports about Anderson.

“The kid has had nine fights now.

“Talk to Tyson – he gives Tyson hell when they work out. He’s a great sparring partner. “Tyson said to me after the Wilder fight that he attributes a great deal of his success to sparring with Anderson.”

…

Basket Ball / Sports

Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez lead Milwaukee to pivotal Game 5 win

The Milwaukee Bucks are one game away from the NBA Finals. On Thursday, they hosted the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals with both sides missing key contributors. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter and Donte DiVincenzo all remain out, but the Bucks did a better job of replacing their superstar’s production. After jumping ahead by as many as 20 points in the first half, the Bucks pulled out the victory, 123-112, to take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Four players stood out. Brook Lopez led the way with a playoff career-high 33 points, but three of his teammates were hot on his trail. Khris Middleton scored 26 points of his own to go along with 25 from Jrue Holiday and 22 from Bobby Portis. Combined, they scored all but 17 of Milwaukee’s points for the game. It was a valiant effort from a hobbled Bogdan Bogdanovic to score 28 for the Hawks, but his teammates couldn’t give him enough support to steal this one.

The Bucks and Hawks will now travel to Atlanta for Game 6 on Saturday. If the Hawks win, Game 7 in Milwaukee will be on Monday. If the Bucks win? They’ll meet the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. For now, here are the three biggest takeaways from Game 5.

1. Brook’s time machine

Before Brook Lopez was a stretch big man, he was a traditional low-post threat. He averaged over 20 points per game four times as a member of the Nets, and he got there primarily by punishing opposing bigs near the basket. As the NBA has grown smaller, his combination of size and skill has only grown deadlier inside. He just hasn’t played for a team that has allowed him to use those skills. As good as Lopez is near the basket, Giannis Antetokounmpo is simply better. So he spaces the floor for his MVP teammate and uses the bulk of his energy on defense.

Antetokounmpo’s absence changed the entire geometry of the floor for the Bucks. …

Football / Sports

Eagles depart Abuja for international friendly with Mexico in Los Angeles

Super Eagles’ contingent for Saturday’s international friendly game against Mexico will depart Nigeria today for Los Angeles, U.S., venue of the game.

Made up of solely home-based players, the team is expected to travel aboard a Turkish Airline flight for the game billed for the Los Angeles Coliseum, a 77,500 capacity facility that has hosted major international games.

The team, led by Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, with support from former U-20 national team coach, Paul Aigbogun, has been preparing for the encounter in Abuja in the last six days.

Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr, will also be with the squad in America to monitor the performance of the players and advise the handlers where necessary.

Eguavoen recently trimmed the team to 23 for easy management of the players, who are expected to use the match to justify their demand for more representation in the Super Eagles main team.

The players got their visas from the U.S. Embassy and also did their COVID-19 tests yesterday ahead of their journey today.

Among the players billed to make the trip to the U.S are goalkeepers Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Heartland), John Noble (Enyimba) and Lobi Stars’ Stanley Nwabali Bobo.

The defenders are Olisa Ndah (Akwa United); Adekunle Adeleke (Abia Warriors); Tope Olusesi (Enugu Rangers); Imoh Obot (Enyimba); Tebo Franklin Degaulle (Nasarawa United); Lawal Oriyomi Murtala (Kwara United); and Enyinnaya Kazie (Rivers United).

The midfielders are Anthony Shimaga (Rangers International); Seth Mayi (Akwa United); and Uche Onwuasoanya (Plateau United.

Anayo Iwuala of Enyimba, who has been part of the main Super Eagles in recent times, will lead the attackers, who also include Stephen Jude (Kwara United); Ibrahim Olawoyin (Enugu Rangers); Charles Ashimene (Akwa United); Auwalu Ali Malam (Kano Pillars); Nenrot Emmanuel (Plateau United); Abdulmutalif Sanusi (Katsina United); Sunday Adetunji(Rivers United); Mohammed Zulkifilu (Plateau United) and Chinonso Eziekwe (Enugu Rangers).

Saturday’s match against Nigeria is part of Mexico’s Mex Tour Series, which involves four games. The game kicks off at 7.30 p.m. Los Angeles time on Saturday, which is 3.30 a.m. on …

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer edges through after Adrian Mannarino retires in fifth set

Each year that Roger Federer returns to Wimbledon, the scene of eight of his grand slam titles and on the surface that has slotted so snugly into his game for two decades, he does so with the aim of winning the title once more. He undoubtedly arrived in London with similar intentions this year but he has some elementary concerns for the time being. After two knee operations and more than a year out of competition, he is still trying to rediscover his form after difficult months back on tour.

Under the Centre Court roof and against a quick-witted veteran opponent who knows his way around a grass court, those sensations did not quite arise even though he escaped. Federer reached the second round after Adrian Mannarino was forced to retire with a knee injury following a bad slip, the score was 6-4, 6-7(3), 3-6, 6-2 ret.

“It’s awful,” said Federer in his on-court interview. “It shows that one shot can change the outcome of a match, a season, a career. I wish him all the best and I hope he recovers quickly so I can see him back on the courts because he could have won the match at the end. I definitely got a bit lucky but who cares about that? I wish him all the best.”

Across the net from Federer stood one of the unique games on the tour. Mannarino is a diminutive lefty with some of the most compact, flat groundstrokes in the men’s game. Early on Federer looked comfortable but as the second set wore on, he became increasingly tentative with his forehand as Mannarino cut down on his unforced errors. It culminated in an extremely low-quality tiebreak from Federer, in which he made four unforced forehand errors.

Throughout the third set, Mannarino continued to play intelligently, forcing Federer to move into his forehand side and producing some excellent angled backhands as the Swiss’s form continued to drop. He fell down 0-2 after losing his serve with a meek service game: four consecutive groundstroke …

Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams out after suffering ankle injury during first-round match

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion suffered the ankle injury during the early stages of her first-round match on Centre Court; Williams was in tears on court as she tried to serve at 3-3 and then retired from the match shortly after and had to be helped off court

Serena Williams’ bid for a record equaling 24th Grand Slam singles crown ended in tears at Wimbledon as an ankle injury forced her out of her first-round match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The 39-year-old, who has seven Wimbledon singles titles on her glittering CV, had broken to lead 3-1 against her Belarusian opponent when she turned her left ankle badly.

When world No 100 Sasnovich broke straight back, Williams – her right thigh already heavily strapped – was forced to leave the court for a medical time-out and, while the American made her way back onto Centre Court in an attempt to compete, the tears were in evidence as she could barely move.

Sasnovich levelled the match at 3-3, but another slip from Williams left her laying on the ground and, amid gasps from the crowd, she was helped to her feet by the chair umpire and the retirement was confirmed

Williams has been on 23 Grand Slam titles since the 2017 Australian Open – but her last two visits to Wimbledon have yielded finals.

Having lost to Simona Halep in 2019 and Angelique Kerber in 2018, sixth seed Williams arrived with ambition of finally levelling Margaret Court’s supreme tally, but she was left disraught and released a statement via her Instagram feed.

“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” said Williams.…

Football / Sports

England beat Germany as Sterling and Kane send them to Euro 2020 last eight

For England, it was always going to be about finding the moment, the one to blow apart a tight game, to cut through so much negative tournament history – particularly at the hands of Germany. And for long spells, as the tension rose to near unbearable levels at a raucous and emotional Wembley, the home crowd wondered whether it would come.

Gareth Southgate had reverted to a 3-4-3, ignoring the clamor for greater fantasy and more creative players. It was the England manager sticking bravely to his principles, seeking security, the platform for the moment, and a part of the equation was patience, which was not in abundant supply inside the stadium.

Germany had shown their quality in the first half, particularly early on, yet England came to match them physically and tactically. The longer the second half wore on, the greater the assurance of those in white shirts. Could they find the incision, the note of clarity?

Southgate had called for a hero, somebody to score a goal that will live for ever, and with 15 minutes to go he found one. Yet again, it was Raheem Sterling. After his match-winners in the group stage against Croatia and the Czech Republic, Sterling bristled with confidence and hard running. The qualities were stamped all over the goal that ignited English dreams.

Southgate had introduced Jack Grealish from the bench and the midfielder was involved in the move, taking a pass from Harry Kane and ushering in the overlapping Luke Shaw on the left. But it was Sterling who started the move and it was he who finished it, driving into the box to guide home Shaw’s low delivery. Sterling has scored 15 times in his past 20 England appearances.

The abiding image of the occasion from a German point of view would come shortly after. It was of Thomas Müller, his face contorted in despair. It was always going to be about moments and Germany’s came on 81 minutes when the veteran was sent clean through by Kai Havertz.

A …

Basket Ball / Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo injured in Milwaukee’s Game 4 loss to Atlanta

The Milwaukee Bucks had a prime opportunity to take control of their series against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night as Trae Young was sidelined with a bone bruise in his foot. While most fans and pundits thought Milwaukee would roll Atlanta for a relatively easy win, the exact opposite is what took place at State Farm Arena as the Bucks fell behind early and then stood no chance once Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out after hyperextending his knee as the Hawks cruised to a 110-88 victory.

Lou Williams was inserted into the starting lineup following Young’s injury and he responded in a major way finishing with a game-high 21 points to lead six Hawks players scoring in double figures. On the other side of the spectrum, Jrue Holiday led all scorers for Milwaukee with 19 points.

With the win, the Hawks have tied the series as things shift back to Milwaukee for Game 5. Given the fact that Atlanta entered the game without the services of Young, and leave it uncertain of Antetokounmpo’s status going forward, the Hawks have to feel good about their position after four games in the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are three key takeaways from the game:

1. Giannis goes down

The Hawks were already without Trae Young, and by the end of Game 4 neither team had their star on the court. Early in the third quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo went up to try and deflect a lob that was thrown to Clint Capela. Upon landing, Giannis hyperextended his left knee, which was then pushed further back by by the force of Capela’s landing.

Grimacing in obvious pain, Giannis crumped to the ground on the baseline. He stayed down for some time under the attention of the Bucks’ medical staff, and slowly made his way to his feet with the support of trainers and his brother, Thanasis. Eventually, Giannis was able to hobble off the court and into the tunnel. There was a brief glimmer of hope when he returned to the bench a few …

Sports / Tennis

Andy Murray wins on singles comeback

Andy Murray recomposed himself to ensure his Wimbledon singles return ended with a dramatic four-set victory over 24th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

In his first singles match in SW19 since 2017, the two-time champion led 6-4 6-3 5-0 against the Georgian.

The Briton could not convert two match points and wobbled as Basilashvili, 29, fought back to force a fourth set.

After a break to shut the Centre Court roof, Murray returned reinvigorated to win 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-3 under the lights.

There was still more tension at the end of the fourth set, though. Murray was unable to take a third match point when Basilashvili nailed a forehand winner down the line, but clinched victory with the fourth when his opponent hit into the net.

The majority of the home fans leapt to their feet, with a relieved Murray coolly raising his arms in the air before launching into a more manic leap moments later.

“I was really disappointed I had lost the third set and had to remember what I was doing to get into the winning position. I managed to turn it back around,” said Murray, who is now ranked 118th in the world.

The Scot will have a day off playing before his second-round match on Wednesday, knowing he will play a qualifier as Germany’s Oscar Otte or France’s Arthur Rinderknech await him.

The pair saw their match suspended at 21:00 BST because of darkness – with the deciding set delicately poised at 9-9.

It wouldn’t be Andy without the drama

 

When Murray limped off Centre Court following his 2017 quarter-final defeat by American Sam Querrey, few would have predicted the 2013 and 2016 champion would not play in the singles again until four years later.

That has been a combination of the injury problems which led to him contemplating retirement and the championships being postponed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

While it was not quite like the heady days of old on Centre Court, 34-year-old Murray did offer a reminder to those 7,500 …

Crime / Foreign / Sports

Nigerian footballer shot dead by police in UK

An up and coming young Nigerian footballer, Kelvin Igweani, has been reportedly shot dead by the police in the United Kingdom.

Daily mail reports that the shooting incident is currently being investigated by the Thame Valley Force after the Nigerian was shot dead by officers who attended a call-out to a house where a child was found with serious injuries.

Officers were called to a property in Two Mile Ash, north-west Milton Keynes at around 9:40am on June 26 and made a forced entry after acting on information from a witness, said Thames Valley Police in a statement.

Inside, they found a man in his 30s who was later confirmed dead, and a young child with serious injuries.

They also located a man who is believed to be a Nigerian footballer, Kelvin Ifeanyi Odinaka Nathaniel Igweani, 23, with the force, saying it was understood officers deployed a Taser before shots were fired at him.

He subsequently required first aid and treatment from ambulance crew, but was pronounced dead at the scene, TVP said.

The young child was taken to a hospital.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said a probe is now underway after a police firearm was discharged at the address in Denmead.

“What has happened this morning can only be described as absolutely tragic and will no doubt have an impact on the community. Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by this incident. Our major crime unit is working closely with the IOPC to understand exactly what has happened,” Assistant Chief Constable, Christian Bunt, said in a statement.…

Football / Sports

France crash out of Euro 2020 on penalties to Switzerland

Kylian Mbappe missed the all important spot-kick as France crashed out of Euro 2020 on penalties to Switzerland in the last 16 after a rollercoaster 120 minutes of action. The Paris Saint-Germain star failed to score at the tournament and he fluffed his lines under the pressure as Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer denied him from 12 yards to book his side’s place in the quarter-finals where they will meet Spain. Arsenal midfielder and Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka won the toss and decided to go first in the shootout – it was a decision he would not live to regret. Mario Gavranovic, Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Vargas and Admir Mehmedi made no mistake from the spot as Switzerland scored all five of their spot-kicks.

Ricardo Rodriguez stepped up but was denied by the paws of Hugo Lloris who dived down to his right to make a crucial save.

Seconds later up the other end, France made them pay as Karim Benzema controlled beautifully and slotted prodded the ball past the onrushing Sommer.

The Real Madrid front man, who has made his return for Les Blues at the tournament, then headed in a second shortly after to put France in front.

Paul Pogba then scored the goal of the night when he curled home from 30-yards to showcase his star quality.

But the game wasn’t done there as Seferovic pulled back another with his second of the night to give the Swiss hope.

Then in the dying embers, shortly after he had a goal disallowed, Gavranovic rifled home an equaliser to send the game to extra-time.

There is now plenty for France to ponder and although they were rocked by injuries ahead of the knockout stages, their …

Boxing / Sports

Anthony Joshua’s victory has been questioned by his Italian opponent Roberto Cammarelle

“Regardless of any move by Joshua, the crowd was cheering even if it was a miss, and I think it certainly influenced the final result”; Roberto Cammarelle reflects on defeat by Anthony Joshua in the London 2012 Olympic final

Roberto Cammarelle says he “can’t understand” how Anthony Joshua was awarded victory against him in the 2012 Olympic final and believes the crowd “influenced the judges”

Italy’s 2008 Olympic champion fought Joshua for the super-heavyweight gold medal at the London Games, suffering a defeat by countback after the scores were tied at 18-18 following their three-round bout.

But Cammarelle, who extended a 6-5 lead to 13-10 before the final round, has questioned how Joshua closed the deficit.

“As far as I can remember, I think I managed to fight exceptionally well during the two rounds,” Cammarelle told Sky Sports.

“The last round, he did not fight to overcome me. He was just sort of managing the fight. Having an equal number of points, an equal score, I can’t understand [how] I didn’t win.

“I thought I was managing the advantage I had managed to win over the first round.

“I’ve always had great physical issues. My physical preparation had only started a month before the Olympics. The fact that the semi-final was so close to the final certainly weakened my body.

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Basket Ball / Sports

Paul George drops 41 as Clippers coast past Suns 116-102 in Game 5

Paul George had a monster game with 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Marcus Morris chipped in 22 points with as the Clippers sent the series back to Los Angeles with a 116-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 5. Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points, but shot 9-22 from the floor. Chris Paul also struggled, managing 22 points on 8-19 shooting.

Reggie Jackson and DeMarcus Cousins were vital scoring contributors for the Clippers with 23 and 15, respectively. With Ivica Zubac sidelined, Los Angeles went with a smaller lineup for most of the game and found success.

The Clippers covered the spread at +5.5. The over hit at 214.5. Even with Kawhi Leonard sidelined, Los Angeles continues to strong good team basketball and deliver results.

The Clippers jumped out to a quick 22-10 lead behind Morris’ hot start. The Suns cut the deficit to six on Cameron Johnson’s jumper, but the Clippers held a 44-30 advantage before Phoenix really made a game out of it. The Suns rattled off 12 straight points to make it a 44-42 game and seemed to find their footing. Los Angeles held a 59-52 halftime lead.

The Clippers maintained this distance for much of the third quarter, but went on a 9-2 run to close out the quarter with a 91-78 lead. Los Angeles held its edge early in the fourth quarter, but the Suns went on a 9-3 spurt of their own to cut the gap to 98-94.

It would all Los Angeles from there. Jackson and George were responsible for a 14-2 run to break the game open and Phoenix never got back in the contest.

The Suns committed 14 turnovers, ultimately leading to their downfall. The Clippers also managed to contain Deandre Ayton, limiting him to 10 points and 11 rebounds. Los Angeles will likely continue to go small as the series progresses even if Zubac is healthy.

Game 6 is Wednesday in Los Angeles at 9:00 PM ET…