US Open: Kei Nishikori Stuns Andy Murray to Reach Men's Singles Semis

September 8, 2016

New York, Sep 8: Kei Nishikori stunned Andy Murray to reach the US Open semi-finals, holding his nerve in a breathtaking final set to move two wins away from becoming the first Asian man to capture a Grand Slam singles title.

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Japanese star Nishikori clinched a dramatic 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 comeback triumph in a shade under four hours against the Wimbledon winner and 2012 US Open champion.

Waiting for the 26-year-old next will be either 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro or third seed Stan Wawrinka.

"It was so exciting on the court but I tried to stay calm. It was really tough," said Nishikori after reaching only his second Slam semi-final after his runner-up spot in New York in 2014.

"He's a great returner, there were lots of up and downs. I didn't start well."

In a match which featured 17 breaks of serve, Nishikori prevailed for only his second win in eight matches against the world number two.

Murray looked to be in control at two sets to one ahead and carving out a break point in the third game of the fourth when a loud gong-like sound burst from the malfunctioning public address system in Arthur Ashe stadium.

It thudded around the stadium and echoed eerily beneath the roof which had been closed due to rain midway through the second set.

Umpire Marija Cicak ordered the point to be replayed much to the irritation of the Briton who lost his composure and the next five games as an acrobatic Nishikori levelled the tie.

The phantom noise emerged again later in the set and Murray's mood was not helped when a startled butterfly flew around the court, causing great merriment when it obstinately clung to the net.

The butterfly was removed in the changeover but Murray's black mood refused to budge as he carried on a running debate with the umpire and himself.

Nishikori broke for 1-0 in the deciding set and backed it up for 2-0 before Murray stopped an eight-game losing streak to hold.

Murray, with his focus suddenly rebooted, broke back for 2-2 against the man he had defeated in the Olympic semi-finals.

But back came Nishikori, stunning his rival to break again for 3-2 before holding for 4-2 as both men thrilled with a series of big hits, subtle touches and exhausting athleticism.

Nishikori surrendered the advantage again, giving up a 40-0 lead in the eighth game and missing an easy volley as Murray came back for 4-4.

The Briton was soon 5-4 up but Nishikori, showing nerves of steel, held and took victory when Murray blinked first in the 12th game, burying a backhand in the net.

Later Wednesday, world number 142 del Potro will bid to become the lowest ranked man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since number 237 Vladimir Voltchkov made it to the last four at Wimbledon in 2000.

The 2009 champion, whose career was almost derailed by a series of wrist injuries, tackles third seeded Wawrinka, who is chasing a third semi-final place at the US Open in four years.

Argentine giant del Potro, in his first Slam quarter-final in three years, has a 4-2 record over Wawrinka who had to save a match point to beat Dan Evans in the third round.

Wawrinka hasn't beaten del Potro for eight years while the 27-year-old Argentine knocked him out of Wimbledon in the second round this year.

Novak Djokovic reached his 10th successive US Open semi-final on Tuesday when French opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired through injury.

The defending champion and world number one has cruised through the tournament having completed just two full matches thanks to one walkover and two retirements.

The 29-year-old, bidding for a third major of the year and 13th of his career, faces French 10th seed Gael Monfils in the semi-finals on Friday.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Melbourne, Mar 6: Experienced middle-order batter Veda Krishnamurthy believes that "destiny" is in favour of first-time finalist India to win their maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup title provided they get a grip on their nerves in the summit clash against Australia on Sunday.

India will have a psychological advantage going into the final as they had stunned the defending champions by 17 runs in the tournament opener.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India reached the final on the basis of their unbeaten record in the tournament after their semifinal against England was washed out on Thursday.

Krishnamurthy, who was a part of the Indian team that finished runner-up to England in the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup, knows the pain of missing out on a world title.

"It's all about destiny, and I'm a big believer in destiny. I feel like this is the way it was meant to be. There is a joke going around that this World Cup is made in such a way that it's helping us, starting from the wickets to everything else," she was quoted as saying by the tournament's official website.

"Being in the final is just reward for the way we played in the group stages. There was an advantage to having won all our games with the weather not in our hands."

The team's first target of reaching the final having achieved, the 27-year-old player said the Indians now need to hold their nerves and remain focussed leading up to the big day on Sunday.

"We said the first aim was to get to the final and take it from there. We've crossed the first stage. We need to make sure we hold our nerves and we do what we need to do on the final day," she said.

India's recent rivalry with Australia has taken fascinating twists and turns, with Kaur's outfit chasing down 173 in their recent tri-series, then getting home by 17 runs in the T20 World Cup opener.

But all is not hunky-dory for Krishnamurthy on the personal front. Considered a great finisher, she has recovered from a series of single-digit scores in the tri-series to score 20 from 11 balls in a finishing role against Bangladesh.

Having amassed just 35 runs from four matches in the tournament so far, the Karnataka batter knows her role in the team.

"As an individual, the role given to me is very consistent in the last year. They've put the effort in the last year to keep me there and I've been supported by every individual, not just one or two. The entire team, with all the support staff, have shown faith in me," she said.

"I know coming into the World Cup, I would play a crucial role to finish the innings well, which I felt I was unable to do in the last World Cup in the West Indies," she added.

Krishnamurthy said specific roles have been set for every player of the squad and they all are trying to contribute as much as they can to help the team achieve its goal.

"I was very motivated to do my role and I've been working on that. It's not just me, all 15 players involved know what their role is," she said.

"I'm happy we're all putting in efforts and executing our role properly. Even if it's a smallish contribution of saving a couple of runs, it's all panned out really well."

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Agencies
April 25,2020

London, Apr 25: Former Australian cricketer Graeme Watson who was fighting cancer, has died at the age of 75.

Primarily a middle-order batsman and a medium-pace bowler, he featured in five Tests from 1967 to 1972 and two ODIs in 1972, ESPNcricinfo reported.

The all-rounder earned the national call during the 1966-67 tour of Rhodesia and South Africa. Watson slammed a half-century in the first innings of the second Test of the series.

However, the medium-pace bowler was ruled of the next test after suffering an ankle injury. He returned for the fourth Test in Johannesburg where scalped his career-best 2 for 67 but failed to leave a mark with the bat as Kangaroos lost the series.

In 1971-72 he moved to Western Australia and played a major role in their Sheffield-Shield win in 1971-72, 1972-73, and 1974-75 seasons.

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News Network
June 20,2020

Dhaka, Jun 20: Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus.

The skipper had gone for a coronavirus Test last week, and now his reports have come back as positive, ESPNCricinfo reported.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is not known how Mortaza contracted the virus.

Mashrafe, also a member of the parliament from Narail 2 constituency, had stepped down as the ODI captain of the country in March this year.

Covid-19 cases have crossed 1,00,000 mark in Bangladesh and the government is now planning area-wise lockdown.

Bangladesh was slated to face Sri Lanka in July in a three-Test series and the side would have later hosted New Zealand in August, but both series look unlikely now.

The Asia Cup, scheduled for September, is also uncertain due to the coronavirus.

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