Nadal holds off upstart Zverev in three sets at Indian Wells

March 17, 2016

Indian Wells/California, Mar 17: Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down and fought off a match point in the third set to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (8), 6-0, 7-5 on Wednesday and reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in pursuit of a fourth title.

Nadal 3171585aZverev, an 18-year-old German ranked 58th in the world and in his second full year on the ATP Tour, blew a 5-2 lead in the third when he was serving for the match leading 5-3, 40-30. He made three straight forehand errors to give Nadal the break.

“I am especially happy about the mentality on court, the spirit of fight during the whole match, believing that I can win a match during the whole time even in the tougher situations,” Nadal said.

A potential Nadal-Djoker semifinal clash

Novak Djokovic beat Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3 to stay on track for a potential semifinal against Nadal. Kei Nishikori outlasted John Isner 1-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) and plays Nadal next.

“I’m actually glad to have a match like this with not much complications,” said Djokovic, who was pressed in his first two wins.

Nadal allowed just two points in his last two service games to escape on a day when the men’s draw was dominated by younger players beating veterans.

Zverev, a possible future No. 1 player?

Zverev, a son of a former Russian pro player, netted a forehand volley on his lone match point.

“I mistimed it completely. I was wrong-footed there. I played it kind of too early and then the ball was too far in front of me,” he said. “I missed probably the easiest shot I had the whole match.”

Zverev got broken at love in his last service game, double-faulting to trail 6-5. Nadal began hitting harder and jerking the teenager back and forth along the baseline.

“Rafa did what he does best; he was fighting,” Zverev said. “He’s known for that.”

Nadal has called Zverev a possible future No. 1 player and his recent results indicate promise. Besides pushing Nadal to the limit, the teenager has lost twice to Berdych, once 7-5 in the third and the other 6-4 in the fifth.

“I know how tough losses feel right now,” Zverev said, still upset with himself. “It’s a big honour for me to hear something like that from Rafa because he’s been there. We’ll see what I can accomplish.”

Zverev had nine aces, with his first serve sometimes registering 130 mph or more and his second serve around 120 mph. His 30 winners were two more than Nadal, but Zverev had 47 unforced errors.

Djokovic watched Nadal’s match and came away impressed with Zverev.

“He has a very bright future if he continues playing this way. He’s on the right path,” Djokovic said.

Williams on to the semis

Serena Williams beat defending champion Simona Halep 6-4, 6-3, punctuating the victory with her seventh ace. Halep has lost to Williams six of the seven times they’ve played and the Romanian has yet to successfully defend a title in her career. Halep had nine winners to 28 for Williams.

Williams advanced to the semifinals, where she will play Agnieszka Radwanska, who defeated Petra Kvitova 6-2, 7-6 (3). Radwanska will move up to No. 2 behind Williams in next week’s WTA Tour rankings based on making the semis.

“It’s unfortunate it can’t be a final,” Williams said.

Wawrinka vs Goffin

David Goffin, a 25-year-old Belgian, defeated No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5) and 25-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic took out No. 6 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-6 (7).

Ranked 18th in the world, Goffin improved to 2-26 against top-10 players, having beaten Raonic in the quarterfinals at Basel in 2014. He has gone to three sets in each of his matches so far. He saved two match points to beat wild card Frances Tiafoe in the second round and then rallied from a set down to outlast Guido Pella in the third round.

“I was struggling with my serve and it was difficult with the heat,” Goffin said. “In the third, it’s tough to fight again with the heat and with the level of Stan. The tiebreaker is like you flip a coin.”

Ranked ninth and winner of two titles already this year, Wawrinka struggled mightily in the 2 ½-hour match that featured 13 service breaks, with Wawrinka dropping serve seven times.

“Was a match without brain, let’s put it that way,” Wawrinka said. “If you want to win matches, you need to stay focused, even if you had break up in the second or in the third.”

Marin Cilic beat No. 8 Richard Gasquet 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 as temperatures reached 91 degrees (32 C) under cloudless skies in the California desert. Cilic next plays Goffin, while Raonic will play Gael Monfils, who beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-4. Delbonis had upset Andy Murray in the third round.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were buried in a private funeral service in Southern California last week, multiple outlets reported late Tuesday.

Citing Kobe Bryant's death certificate, Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV reported the remains of the former Lakers star and his daughter were transferred to Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar. Kobe and Brianna were laid to rest in a private ceremony there last Friday.

According to KTTV, the death certificate cited Kobe's cause of death as "blunt trauma" sustained in a "commercial helicopter crash." It also said his death was "rapid."

Corona del Mar is a community within Newport Beach, where the Bryant family lives.

Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed when the helicopter they were in crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles, on Jan. 26. Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56; his wife, Keri; and their daughter Alyssa, 14 -- who played on the same club basketball team as Gianna Bryant -- also were killed. Christina Mauser, a 38-year-old who was the top assistant coach of the Mamba girls basketball team, was also killed in the accident, as were Sarah Chester, 45; her daughter Payton Chester, 13; and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50.

A public memorial service for the Bryants will be held Feb. 24 at Staples Center, beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

While the date -- 2/24 -- conveniently falls between two Lakers' home games, it still could have been chosen symbolically. Gianna -- one Kobe and Vanessa' four daughters -- wore No. 2 on her basketball jersey while Kobe was No. 24 for part of his 20-year-tenure with the Lakers, and his retired jerseys -- he also wore No. 8 -- hang at Staples Center.

The Los Angeles Times reported that "entry is expected to be severely restricted" at the venue despite Staples Center's capacity of about 20,000.

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News Network
July 2,2020

Jul 2: Cricket's biggest names, most of whom could hear only stories of Sir Everton Weekes' exploits from the bygone era, on Thursday remembered the "great" batsman and a "greater human being" in glowing tributes after he died aged 95.

Weekes, who formed the famous three 'Ws' of West Indies cricket alongside Clyde Walcott and Frank Worrell as part of a formidable batting lineup for more than a decade, died on Wednesday.

His death left the cricket world in a state of mourning.

"As one of the remarkable 'Three Ws', along with Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell, who together struck 39 Test centuries, he played an important hand in a period that marked the rising dominance of West Indies cricket," the ICC said in its obit.

The 1925 Barbados-born Weekes made his Test debut against England in 1948.

"On behalf of CWI I want to publicly express our deepest sympathy to the family of this remarkable Iconic sportsman and gentleman, who passed away earlier today," Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt said in a release.

"I never had the opportunity to see Sir Everton bat, but I had the opportunity to get to know him a little in his later years. I learned about his incredible career by reading about him and looking at old videos when I could.

"His performance stats were excellent as he set tremendously high standards for his time."

In his career, Weekes played 48 Test matches and made 4,455 runs at an average of 58.61 per innings. That included a world-record five consecutive centuries in 1948 — scores of 141 against England in Jamaica, followed by knocks of 128, 194, 162 and 101 in India. In his next innings in Madras, he made 90 when he was controversially run out.

Skerritt added, "... Sir Everton was, therefore, a most amazing pioneer in West Indies cricket; a gentleman and quite simply a wonderful human being."

The modern-day cricketers also mourned his death and paid moving tributes.

Former India captain Anil Kumble tweeted, "Saddened to hear about the passing of WI legend Sir. Everton Weekes. Had met him during the ICC conference in Barbados. He remembered a conversation we had during his time as a match referee. Condolences to his family and friends."

Kumble's former India teammate VVS Laxman wrote, "Heard about the passing away of West Indies legend, Sir Everton Weekes. He was one of the greats of the game. My condolences to his family and loved ones."

Mike Atherton, the opener who led England in the 1990s, was also disappointed to know of the legend's passing away.

"Very sad to learn of the passing of Sir Everton Weekes. A humble man who wore his greatness lightly."

Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop said, "I had the great privilege of spending time in the company of Sir Everton on several occasions over the past 2 decades. Never once did I leave his presence without feeling a sense (of) warmth, cheerfulness & having learnt something rich & endearing each time. A truly great human being. The Marylebone Cricket Club said in a statement: "Everyone at MCC and Lord's are saddened at the news of Sir Everton Weekes' passing,"

"He will forever be remembered as one of the West Indies' finest cricketers."

Former India player and current coach Ravi Shastri said, "Saddened by passing away of Sir Everton Weekes who was the last of the famous 'Three Ws'. A true humble great of the game. My thoughts and prayers are with Sir Weekes' family and fans in this hour of grief. RIP Sir Folded hands."

All three -- Walcott and Worrell, Weekes -- were born within a couple of miles of one another - within 18 months in Barbados between August 1924 and January 1926, and all made their Test debuts within three weeks in early 1948.

Worrell died in 1967 and Walcott in 2006.

Weekes' average of 58.61 runs places him along with George Headley in the top 10 Test averages of all time.

Darren Sammy, who captained West Indies few years ago, took to Twitter and wrote, "We lost a legend today. Sir Everton Weekes is part of @windiescricket great history and legacy. He also was a great human being. Condolences goes out to his family. May he Rest In Peace."

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News Network
June 3,2020

Colorado, Jun 3: Formula One boss Chase Carey has said that races will go ahead even if a driver tests positive for coronavirus.

His remarks come as organisers revealed a revised 2020 calendar and the schedule for the first eight races was put in the public domain.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race. We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual," the official website of Formula One quoted Carey as saying.

"Some things we'd have to talk through and work through. The array of 'what ifs' are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race would not cancel the race. I do not think I could sit here and lay out the consequences," he said.

Carey added the organisers will be having the necessary procedures in place so that the race does not get cancelled if a driver ends up testing positive for coronavirus.

"But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, teams have reserve drivers available," Carey said.

"We would not be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive," he added.

The Formula One 2020 season will be beginning with the Austrian Grand Prix in July.

F1 currently expects the opening races to be closed events but hopes that fans will be able to attend again when it is safe to do so.

The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race on the same track.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will follow a week after that, before a break. There will be then two back to back races at Silverstone, followed by the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Belgian Grand Prix will follow that, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a week later on September 6.

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