Page 540 - Sports

Radu Albot becomes first Moldovan to lift ATP tour title

Radu Albot created history at the Delray Beach Open, becoming the first Moldovan to win an ATP tour title.Albot, who had never reached a tour-level final before this tournament, defeated Daniel Evans 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) late on Sunday night.The 29-year-old saved three championship points to win the final against Daniel Evans of the UK."It feels unbelievable. You work so much. You work your whole life, your whole career, and at the end, you win a tournament. This is just a great feeling. I think it is difficult to put into words," Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) quoted Albot, as saying.The Moldovan star had to wait for 56 minutes as the match was halted by rain and slowed down Albot's momentum.With his win, Albot has gained 250 ATP ranking points. The last player who won the first ATP tour trophy for his country was Stefanos Tsitsipas."It was not in the plan, I have to say, losing the first set and then coming back. But it worked out pretty good this week. When you lose a set, ..

Albot makes history by winning first ATP Tour title for Moldova

Radu Albot made history by becoming the first Moldovan to win an ATP Tour title as he saved three championship points and defeated qualifier Daniel Evans of Britain 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) in the Delray Beach Open final.

Blow to Liverpool's EPL hopes with 0-0 tie vs Man United

Liverpool and Manchester United drew 0-0 in an English Premier League match held at Old Trafford.

Dybala secures 1-0 win for Juventus over Bologna

Argentine playmaker Paulo Dybala scored Juventus's 1-0 winner over host Bologna in a the Serie A match at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium.

Real Kashmir continue unbeaten away run against Arrows

Real Kashmir FC maintained their unbeaten record on the road as they stole a crucial point against Indian Arrows following the 2-2 draw at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.After 75 minutes of goalless football, suddenly the match sprung into life which saw four goals in the final 15 minutes of regulation time.Amarjit Singh (78′) found the target from the penalty spot before Kofi Tetteh (82′) restored the parity from a well-taken corner by Vicky Meitei. Mason Robertson (90′) who was lurking in for a long took the lead once again only to lose it within 60 seconds when Rahul KP headed an Anwar Ali corner home.Following the result, Real Kashmir took the second spot on the table with 33 points from 17 matches while Indian Arrows reclaimed the seventh spot with 18 points from 19 matches.Floyd Pinto made as many as seven changes from the last match against Gokulam Kerala FC handing Boris, Narender, Suresh, Ninthoi, Akash and Rohit Danu another start. Moreover, he opted to bring Lovepreet ..

Man City survives, defeats Chelsea in shootout

A more pragmatic than normal Manchester City, which for many minutes was at the mercy of Chelsea, managed to survive, and then prevailed 4-3 in a shootout to win the English Football League Cup final here.

It was difficult track even for a player like Dhoni: Maxwell defends Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again drew flak for his slow strike-rate against Australia in the first T20 International but Glenn Maxwell feels that on a low and slow track, that was all the former India captain could have done. Dhoni managed 29 off 37 balls in India's below-par 126 for 7 on a track where the ball was not coming onto the bat. To be fair to Dhoni, a clutch of wickets fell and he also had to stem the rot with Yuzvendra Chahal at the other end. "It (the slow strike rate) was probably fair enough. With the way the wicket was behaving, it was difficult to score for any batter, let alone a guy who is not known for his power-hitting in Chahal," Maxwell said in Dhoni's defence as his analogy of Chahal's pyrotechnics invited a few chuckles. It was such a track where deliveries were keeping low and Dhoni could manage only one six. "MS is obviously a world-class finisher and even he was finding it hard to hit the middle of the bat. So, I think it was right of him to try and farm the

Will be in WC squad if I can make opportunities count like this one: Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is still not sure if he would be in Australia's World Cup bound squad but a few more innings like the half-century in a winning cause against India in the first T20 international will certainly bolster his case. Maxwell scored 56 off 43 balls in Australia's three-wicket win off the last ball but is far from being guaranteed a place in the 15-member squad. "I have no idea if I am going to be in that World Cup squad or what number I'm going to bat, so I suppose it just comes down to opportunity -- if I can keep making most of opportunities like tonight," Maxwell said at the post-match press conference. However he agreed that he would have to not just contribute but also close in a few more matches. "If I can turn those sort of innings into not-out, 75-ish, and be consistent that way, I think I can probably go a long way in pencilling my name for the World Cup and hopefully continue that job for the rest of this year," Maxwell said. The touring Australian teams over the ...

India women bundle out England for 161

Pacers Shikha Pandey and Jhulan Goswami snapped four wickets each as India women bowled out England for a paltry 161 in the second One Day International here Monday. Shikha (4-18) and Jhulan (4-30) troubled the visitors with their fiery spells. The duo was well supported by spinner Poonam Yadav (2-28) as the visitors put a sub-par show after opting to bat at the Wankhede stadium. This was Shikha's best performance in the 50-over format. Only Natalie Sciver (85), who hammered 12 fours and a six, put up a fight for England and was the last woman to be dismissed. Earlier, Amy Jones (3) became Shikha's first victim. Sarah Taylor (1) too fell cheaply after she dragged onto her stumps off Jhulan, with the visitors teetering at 11/2. Jhulan also got the prized scalp of Heather Knight (2). But then Sciver and opener Tamsin Beaumont (20) tried to steady the ship with their 30-run fourth wicket stand. However, Deepti Sharma took a blinder to dismiss Tamsin off Shikha. After Tamsin mistimed the .

Makran Cup Boxing: Manish Kaushik among 3 more Indians to enter semis

Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Manish Kaushik (60kg) was among the three Indian boxers who advanced to the semifinals and assured themselves of medals at the Makran Cup in Chabahar, Iran. Kaushik, also a national champion, defeated Salar Moumivand 5-0 in his quarterfinal bout Sunday night. Also making the semis were, former national champion Duryodhan Singh Negi (69kg) and Rohit Tokas (64kg). The total number of Indians in the medal rounds stands at eight after Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg), Manjeet Singh Panghal (75kg), Sanjeet (91kg), Lalit Prasad (52kg) and Deepak (49kg) made the semis on Saturday. Negi pulled off the most dominating win on Sunday when his rival, Kamyab Moradi, threw in the towel in the second round, leading to an early end to the proceedings. Later, Tokas, a national medallist, defeated Turkmenistan's Tugruibag 5-0. The lone disappointment of the day was Manish Panwar (81kg), who lost to Keivan Safari 0-5 in his quarterfinal bout.

I-League: Chennai sink Mohun Bagan 3-1

Chennai City FC inched closer to their maiden I-League title, defeating Mohun Bagan 3-1 at the Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore.Chennai, who have been leading the pack since the start of the season, have 40 points under their belt from 17 games. Second-placed Real Kashmir FC are seven adrift of them whereas Quess East Bengal are eight points shy of the pole.Mohun Bagan, whose league hope has blown up long ago, will stay stranded in the sixth spot with 26 points from 18 matches.Chennai fired in three quick goals through Sandro (8th minute), Nestor Gordillo (15th minute) and Pedro Manzi (23th minute). William Lalnunfella got the only consolation goal in the 37th minute but the damage had been already done by then.Nestor Gordillo who was in the staggering form since the kick-off scored one and created a couple to pave the win for his team. He was bestowed with the Hero of the Match silver ball for his annihilating display on Sunday.Attacks in regular intervals through the combination of ...

Quess East stay cautious before Aizawl game

The third-placed Quess East Bengal will face former champions Aizawl FC in the ongoing I-League here at the VYBK Stadium today.While the Kolkata giants would like to reduce the gap with table-toppers Chennai City FC in their run for the title, Aizawl, who are currently placed ninth in the points table, would aim to bring some consistency to their campaign this season.A win for the visitors would only strengthen their confidence as a team as they have largely failed to impress all throughout their campaign. Quess East Bengal, who have been in a pristine form this season, would be wary about the former champions, whom they had suffered a 2-3 loss in the first leg in November last year.The hosts have shown immense strength in their defence having only conceded 17 goals this season. With the likes of Costa Rican world-cupper Johnny Acosta, Borja Gomez and Chullova in the defence line, it will not be an easy task for Aizawl to breach the deadlock.Aizawl's forward line comprising of Zikahi .

Some days execution in death bowling doesn't come off: Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah defended his under-fire colleague Umesh Yadav for not being able to defend 14 runs in the final over of the T20 against Australia, calling it a one-off day when his execution at the death went haywire. Bumrah got India back into the match with a superb 19th over where he gave away only two runs and Yadav had defend 14 in order to stop Australia from reaching a modest target of 127. Asked about Yadav's last over, Bumrah came in defence of his senior colleague. "This happens, death bowling is always difficult in any situation. It always goes both ways and it's sometimes 50-50," Bumrah said at the post-match news conference. "You try your best, and you're clear in your execution. Some days it works, some days it doesn't. Nothing to be worried. We wanted to close the game in our favour but it's okay," Bumrah, who took 3 for 16 in four overs with 18 dot balls, said. Bumrah pointed out that Australia, having won the toss, had the advantage of knowing what exactly they needed .

Djere dedicates Rio win to cancer-victim parents

Serbia's Laslo Djere won his first career title at the Rio Open on Sunday and dedicated victory to his parents, both of whom died from cancer. The 23-year-old defeated Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-5 in the final and will rise from 90 in the world to 37 on Monday. However, his first thoughts were for his parents in an emotional trophy presentation. "I want to dedicate this title to my parents -- I lost my mum seven years ago and my dad two months ago. It's due to them that I am who I am today, I hope they are watching me now," said Djere.

Moldova's Albot edges Britain's Evans for first ATP title

Moldova's Radu Albot saved three match points in a third-set tie-breaker before capturing his first ATP Tour title Sunday by defeating Britain's Dan Evans in the Delray Beach Open final. Albot, ranked 82nd, dispatched the 148th-ranked English qualifier 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) after two hours and 51 minutes on the court plus a rain delay in the tension-filled final set. Both men were trying to become the fifth first-time winner on the ATP Tour this year. Albot, 29, was in his first tour-level final. It was only last year when he reached his first ATP semi-final at Metz, France, where Albot lost to eventual champion Gilles Simon of France. Evans, 28, reached his only other ATP final in 2017 when he lost at Sydney to Gilles Mueller of Luxembourg. He was suspended for one year later that season after testing positive for cocaine at the Barcelona Open. Rain arrived at the Florida event with Albot leading 2-1 in the third set. They battled into a tie-breaker and Evans had the first three ...

Blank-faced Bale earns Madrid battling win over Levante

Gareth Bale came off the bench to score a controversial winning penalty against Levante on Sunday but his refusal to celebrate suggested all may not be well again at Real Madrid. Bale's spot-kick earned Madrid a battling and, in truth, undeserved 2-1 victory at the City of Valencia Stadium where referee Ignacio Iglesias failed to reverse his decision, despite VAR exposing a theatrical dive from Casemiro. The absence of any delight from a stony-faced Bale was telling, as he turned and brushed off team-mates' attempts to congratulate him. "The players can celebrate goals how they want, as long as we win," coach Santiago Solari said. This was Bale's sixth game on the bench in the eight matches since he returned from injury and it remains to be seen if his cameo will be enough to win a start against Barcelona on Wednesday, in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey. "He looked thrilled in the dressing room because he scored," added Solari. "I loved how he came into the game, the anger he ...

Dortmund withstand late Leverkusen fightback to go three points clear

Jadon Sancho scored as Borussia Dortmund beat a spirited Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday to restore their three-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table. The home side endured a nervous end to the game but held out for a huge win after three straight league draws. "It's a really good feeling to be back in top spot," said Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji. "It wasn't an easy game, but we did it well. It shows that we've got our self-confidence back." Leverkusen started the game on fire, highlighting why they have been the Bundesliga's form team since the winter break. A goal for the visitors looked inevitable until Dortmund's French defender Dan-Axel Zagadou opened the scoring against the run of play in the 30th minute. A shell-shocked Bayer managed to hit back just seven minutes later, with Kevin Volland shooting through the legs of Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel with a low shot from the edge of the penalty box. - Peppered - ======= Their respite was minimal ...

Juventus preserve huge Serie A lead, Inter stalled in Florence

Juventus maintained their 13-point lead at the top of Serie A on Sunday after Paulo Dybala hit the winner in a 1-0 victory at Bologna to keep the champions ahead of Napoli who easily saw off Parma 4-0. But there was drama in Tuscany as Jordan Veretout converted a 101st-minute penalty to hold third-placed Inter Milan 3-3 in a chaotic game. Inter, now nine points behind Napoli in third, are just two points ahead of city rivals AC Milan who remain fourth after a 3-0 win over Empoli 3-0 on Friday. In Turin, Dybala came off the bench to slot home in the 67th minute after defender Danilo deflected Blaise Matuidi's low cross straight to the Argentine international in front of a gaping goal. Napoli eased past mid-table Parma, Piotr Zielinski opening the scoring in the 19th minute before Arkadiusz Milik rolled a cheeky free-kick under the wall and past Luigi Sepe. Milik added the third with a fine strike past Sepe in the 73rd minute following sloppy play from Parma, and Adam Ounas completed ...

Martins and Lopes lead Monaco to victory over Lyon

Portuguese youngsters Gelson Martins and Rony Lopes scored as Monaco pulled further clear of the Ligue 1 relegation zone with an impressive 2-0 win over Lyon on Sunday. Leonardo Jardim's men are now unbeaten in four league games and five points clear of Caen, who occupy the relegation play-off spot. Martins continued his fine form for Monaco with the opening goal, before Lopes made it two before the half-hour mark and Memphis Depay missed a second-half penalty for Lyon. Bruno Genesio's Lyon remain third, only three points ahead of Saint-Etienne as they bid to qualify for next season's Champions League. Monaco, who have appeared revitalised since coach Jardim returned just months after being sacked and replaced by Thierry Henry, started strongly, with Radamel Falcao firing a volley wide in the ninth minute. Nine minutes later, the hosts took the lead as Martins combined with fellow January signing Fode Ballo-Toure before lashing a low shot into the bottom corner to score his third goal

Mutinous Kepa has full respect for Sarri after 'misunderstanding'

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga insisted he has full respect for manager Maurizio Sarri after refusing to be replaced in the final stages of his side's League Cup final loss to Manchester City on penalties. Sarri was visibly furious when Kepa refused to leave the field after needing treatment, but the Italian coach later claimed his anger was the result of a "misunderstanding". "At no time has it been my intention to disobey the coach or any of his decisions," Kepa wrote in a statement issued on his Twitter feed. "I think everything has been misunderstood in the heat of the final part of the match for a title. The coach thought I was not in a position to play and my intention was to express that I was in good condition to continue helping the team, while the docs that had treated me arrived at the bench to give the message. "I feel the image that has been portrayed was not my intention. I have full respect for the coach and his authority." Kepa saved Leroy Sane's penalty in the ..