logo
Red-hot Sinner crushes Nardi to reach Wimbledon second round

Red-hot Sinner crushes Nardi to reach Wimbledon second round

TimesLIVEa day ago
Bublik, fresh from capturing his second Halle title last month, cut a frustrated figure towards the end of a lacklustre opening set against Munar on Court 14 where he surrendered his serve twice and barely dipped into his bag of tricks.
Having swapped his headband for a cap to shield himself from the heat, Bublik appeared a player transformed in the next set as he quickly found his range and erased the deficit after forcing Munar into a backhand error on set point.
The big crowds braving conditions on the outside court to catch the Kazakh trickster had to settle for a more workmanlike display early in the third set as Bublik fought back from 1-3 down before offering glimpses of his drop-shot brilliance.
With his tail up after securing the third set, 28th seed Bublik raced ahead in the fourth and was serving for the match at 5-4 before Munar clawed back to make it two sets apiece via the tiebreak.
Munar capitalised from there as the world number 55 took control of the match with an early break in the decider and sent his opponent tumbling out with minimum fuss.
There will be no repeat of last year's semifinal run for Italian seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti after he was dumped out in the first round by Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Musetti, playing his first match since retiring in the French Open semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz with a leg injury, went down 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-1 on a muggy Court Two.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

OPINION: Italy and France's short-sightedness could cost them in the long run
OPINION: Italy and France's short-sightedness could cost them in the long run

The Citizen

time26 minutes ago

  • The Citizen

OPINION: Italy and France's short-sightedness could cost them in the long run

One has got to wonder what Italy and France will gain by sending weakened rugby teams to tour South Africa and New Zealand this month. A weakened Italian rugby team will take on the Springboks in two Tests in the coming weeks. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images Italy and France are showing incredible short-sightedness in taking weakened teams to the Southern Hemisphere for their Test series' against juggernauts, the Springboks and All Blacks, respectively. On top of being a touch disrespectful to two of the biggest teams in world rugby, it is also a wasted opportunity to give their best players important experience playing against top teams away from home. Only one Northern Hemisphere side has ever won the Rugby World Cup, namely England in 2003, and if teams from the north continue to back weakened sides against what are considered the best teams in the business, you have to wonder when next they will win a World Cup. Ranked 10th in the world, Italy realistically don't have a chance of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup, at least not in the next few years, but fourth ranked France, who are the current Six Nations champions, should be a real contender at the showpiece event. What are these countries gaining? But Italy have been desperate to improve in recent times, and the double World Cup winning Boks would have provided their star players with a golden opportunity to test themselves against the best in foreign conditions. Instead, top players such as fullback Tommaso Allan, wing Ange Capuozzo, midfielder Juan Ignacio Brex, flyhalf Paolo Garbisi, scrumhalf Martin Page-Relo, hooker Gianmarci Lucchesi, and prop Simone Ferrari have all been left at home, while a number of uncapped players are in the mix. France are even worse off, having left more than half of their best players at home, and will head into their three-match series against the All Blacks seriously underpowered. Excuses that have been brought up include resting players at the end of a long season and giving new and fringe players valuable experience. But if your best can't do the job on the biggest stage, surely it would be wiser to try help them keep improving by playing the strongest away from home? Add to this the fact the next World Cup is being held in the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia, and you have to seriously wonder what the management teams are thinking when leaving out their top players. The Springboks and All Blacks don't send weakened squads on their end-of-year tours to the north, even though that is the end of their international season, while Bok players don't really have a proper rest window, with a year-round calendar, but are still constantly selected.

Alcaraz aims to avoid giant-killing after Wimbledon seeds tumble
Alcaraz aims to avoid giant-killing after Wimbledon seeds tumble

eNCA

timean hour ago

  • eNCA

Alcaraz aims to avoid giant-killing after Wimbledon seeds tumble

Carlos Alcaraz will aim to avoid one of Wimbledon's greatest upsets against British amateur Oliver Tarvet on Wednesday after a record-breaking number of seeds crashed out at the All England Club. Two days of searing temperatures in London were already forgotten as play on the outside courts was delayed by persistent drizzle. But the rain will not hinder defending champion Alcaraz in his second-round match against Tarvet on the covered Centre Court. Their contest will follow the match between women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic. Alcaraz's meeting with the British qualifier is a classic David against Goliath encounter. While the Spaniard, a five-time Grand Slam champion, is bidding for a third successive Wimbledon crown, world number 733 Tarvet is playing just his second main draw match at the All England Club. The world number two has won his past 19 matches since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club. The 22-year-old, who fought back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner on clay in an epic final at Roland Garros last month, is equally dynamic on grass, winning 30 of his 33 Tour-level matches on the surface. AFP | Adrian Dennis His last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. In stark contrast to Alcaraz's fame and fortune, the unheralded Tarvet is just starting his tennis career and cannot even collect all of his Wimbledon prize money. As a student of the University of San Diego he has to maintain amateur status and will have to give up most of his earnings. But he has joked that he will be creative with his expenses, suggesting he might treat himself to business-class travel or pay his coaches extra. - 'Quietly confident' - Tarvet, playing his first Grand Slam, is not short of self-belief ahead of the Alcaraz clash. "I'm quietly confident that I can win against anyone," he said. "Alcaraz isn't an exception to that. Obviously, he's done an incredible amount in the tennis world. He's a difficult guy not to respect." Following 48 hours of major surprises across the men's and women's draws, an Alcaraz defeat would rank as arguably the most seismic shock in Wimbledon history. On the men's side, 13 seeded players lost in the first round, breaking the previous tournament record of 11 and tying the 2004 Australian Open for the most at a Grand Slam. Third seed Alexander Zverev was the highest-ranked man to fall, losing on Tuesday to France's Arthur Rinderknech. Italian seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti also lost against Nikoloz Basilashvili, while Rune and Daniil Medvedev, both seeded in the top 10, were defeated on Monday. The carnage extended to the women's draw, with French Open champion Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, seeded second and third, bowing out on Tuesday. Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who faces 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova on Centre Court, leads a group of seven British players in action on Wednesday. Raducanu's compatriot Katie Boulter, who beat ninth seed Paula Badosa in her opener, takes on Solana Sierra, an Argentine who was knocked out in qualifying before entering the main draw as a lucky loser. By Steven Griffiths

Piastri looking to keep Britons at bay as F1 heads to Silverstone
Piastri looking to keep Britons at bay as F1 heads to Silverstone

TimesLIVE

time5 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Piastri looking to keep Britons at bay as F1 heads to Silverstone

Three British winners have their sights on a home grand prix victory this weekend, but Oscar Piastri could rain on that particular parade as Formula One returns to where the championship started 75 years ago. Australia's championship leader can still count on plenty of support as a McLaren driver but much of the crowd, and certainly the 10,000 in Silverstone's sold-out 'Landostand' will be cheering more for British teammate Lando Norris. Norris won Piastri's home grand prix in Melbourne in March, an added incentive for the Australian at Silverstone, and the pair are turning the season into a two-horse race as the campaign reaches the halfway point. Piastri is chasing a sixth win in 12 races, while Norris arrives from Austria on a high after dominating every practice session he took part in, taking pole by a huge margin and holding off his teammate to win. The two are 15 points apart, with Red Bull's reigning four-times world champion Max Verstappen third overall but now a hefty 61 points off the lead after a first retirement of the season at his team's home track at Spielberg. 'It's my favourite weekend of the year,' said Norris, who has yet to take back-to-back wins. 'It's already a special circuit but to also have my family, friends, home fans and so many of the team there supporting us takes it to another level. I'll try to make sure I give the fans a wave as I drive past.' Piastri recalled he had fans chanting his name at Silverstone not so long ago. 'I am not sure I will get that again but they have always been very accepting of me. I race for a British team. I am expecting that there will be more Lando fans than there are for me, but that's fair enough,' he said. Home hero Hamilton If Norris's support is strong, then Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton will always be the big sentimental favourite. The last two races have been won by British drivers — George Russell for Mercedes in Canada and then Norris last weekend. Could Hamilton make it three and send the crowd crazy? The 40-year-old won with Mercedes last year for a record ninth time and taking that tally into double figures, in what will be his first home appearance in the Italian team's red colours, would be something else. Ferrari are the only top-four team without a win this season, other than Hamilton's Shanghai sprint success, and the seven-times world champion has yet to stand on the podium for his new employers. He has also gone 13 races without a top-three finish, a career low. On the plus side, Ferrari were second-fastest in Austria with Charles Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth and the new floor seems to be doing what it was supposed to do. Hamilton usually manages to produce something special at Silverstone, set to welcome a record half-million fans this time over the four days. Last year, after 52 races without a win, he seized one of the most emotional triumphs of his extraordinary career. Russell, on pole as Hamilton's teammate last year, also has a strong chance — particularly if temperatures cool — and will be eager to bounce back from a tough weekend in Austria. Italian rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli meanwhile carries over a three-place grid drop from Austria. Britain's fourth driver, Oliver Bearman at Haas, will be targeting points while the same applies to British-born Thai Alex Albon for Williams.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store