Jan-Lennard Struff and Daniel Altmaier won their respective matches as Germany defeated Canada 2-0 to storm into the semifinals for the Davis Cup finals here on Wednesday. Germany came through the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 getting the better of Canada with ease. Altmaier overcame a nervous start to get past Gabriel Diallo 7-6(5) 6-4 in straight sets before Struff somehow found a way to close out a thrilling encounter against Denis Shapovalov 4-6 7-5 7-6(5). “Today I think both players deserved to win,” Struff said. “But I’m happy to get it over the line at the end. Denis was playing amazingly, coming out firing, he was serving so well the whole match. It was tough to return. Even in the tiebreak, he hit some winners. It was very close,” said Struff after the match. Also Read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy | "You might see Shami here as well": Jasprit Bumrah The victory set up a semifinal encounter between Germany and the Netherlands after the Dutch knocked out Spain and ended Rafael Nadal’s tennis career on Tuesday night. Struff was excited to be playing against old sporting foes. “It will be amazing,” he said. “It’s a big step for us to go from the quarters to the semis. We want to win and go to the finals now." "Netherlands played an amazing tie. We expect tough opposition. We know the Germans and the Dutch have a little rivalry and the Dutch guys have amazing fans so I’m looking forward to it,” added the German star. Shapovalov will rue missed opportunities against an opponent who also defeated him in a third-set tiebreak in this competition in 2022. The Canadian was unstoppable at times, hitting 27 aces and 24 winners. But he also gave up 13 free points with double faults, including a gift to hand the match to his opponent. Earlier, in the opening match, both players looked apprehensive during the first set. Altmaier let a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak slip before getting over the line 7-5. A better second set ensued and it was only when the German battled back from 15-40 down to break the Canadian in the tenth game that the match was won. Altmaier also revealed that the German team went to the stadium last night to experience Rafael Nadal’s last tennis match. “We watched the whole first set,” he said. “We all had tears when we saw the images. I have been watching him since we were very young boys, so it's just something super touching, super memorable.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 02:28 PM IST | Malaga (Spain) | IANSYoung striker Deepika turned out to be the star once again with a fine reverse hit goal as India retained their women’s Asian Champions Trophy title after edging past Olympic silver medallist China 1-0 in a pulsating final here Wednesday. Deepika scored the winner for India from a penalty corner in the 31st minute to finish as the tournament’s highest goal getter with 11 strikes. India had earlier stunned China 3-0 in the league stages of the tournament. Also Read: ‘I have left a legacy’ It was India’s third ACT title after winning the top honours in 2016 and 2023. The Indian team are now the most successful side in the tournament’s history alongside South Korea with three titles each. China, on the other hand, will have to settle for their third runner-up finish. Japan finished third after defeating Malaysia 4-1 in the third-fourth place classification match earlier in the day. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 07:22 AM IST | Rajgir (Bihar) | PTIRafael Nadal said he has left both a sporting and personal legacy after retiring from professional tennis on Tuesday at the Davis Cup. The 38-year-old was beaten in the opening singles rubber of the quarter-finals as Netherlands defeated Spain 2-1 to reach the final four. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, enjoyed a glittering and historic career over the past 23 years. “I leave with the peace of mind that I have left a legacy, which I really feel is not just a sporting one but a personal one,” Nadal told fans in Malaga in a speech during a ceremony to honour his retirement. “I understand that the love I have received, if it was just for what happened on the court, would not be the same.” Also Read: Choked up with Nadal’s retirement: Williams pays touching tribute to Rafa Nadal paid credit to many who have helped him along the way, including his uncle Toni Nadal, who coached him as a child and for a large part of his career. “The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca,” continued Nadal. “I had the luck that I had my uncle that was a tennis coach in my village when I was a very, very small kid, and a great family that supports me in every moment... I just want to be remembered as a good person, a kid that followed their dreams and achieved [even] more than what I had dreamed,” he added. Nadal was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga where over 10,000 fans saw his career come to a close. Former rival Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams and other tennis greats left messages in the video, alongside former Spanish football stars including Raul and Andres Iniesta, who retired from playing in October. “I leave the world of professional tennis having encountered many good friends along the way,” said Nadal in his emotional speech. The Spaniard said he hoped to be a “good ambassador” for tennis in the years to come and was not afraid to begin his retirement. “I am calm because I have received an education to take on what is coming next,” he explained. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 07:20 AM IST | Malaga (Spain) | AFPFormer American tennis star Serena Williams has paid tribute to Rafael Nadal with a touching video after the 22-time Grand Slam champion retired from professional tennis. Serena posted a video on Instagram in which she can be seen donning a Nadal t-shirt and his signature headband. She captioned the video, “@rafaelnadal Congratulations on a career that most won’t dare to dream of. I feel so fortunate to have been able to play when you were playing and being Great. You inspired me to be better, to play harder, for fight, to never give up, and to win more. Also Read: Pep agrees to City contract extension “No excuses, just play the sport. Your legacy will never die. Wow to see your career from the beginning to today was an honor Champ! Long live Rafa!” she further wrote. Why am I getting so choked up. With @RafaelNadal retirement. I’m not good at goodbyes — Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) November 19, 2024 Williams later posted on X, “Why am I getting so choked up. With @RafaelNadal retirement. I’m not good at goodbyes.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 07:18 AM IST | New Delhi | IANSStar Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen progressed to the second round with wins at the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament here on Wednesday. In-form Malvika Bansod, ranked 36th in the world defeated Denmark’s World No. 21 Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt 20-22, 23-21, 21-16. Also Read: Curator doesn’t expect Perth pitch to develop snake cracks World No. 19 Sindhu dispatched the higher-ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-17, 21-19 in 50 minutes, notching up her 20th win in 21 meetings. The 29-year-old will next face Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min, while Malvika will meet eighth-seeded Supanida Katethong. Lakshya, meanwhile, avenged his Olympic bronze medal loss with a 21-14, 13-21, 21-13 win over seventh seed Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 November,2024 07:11 AM IST | Shenzhen (China) | PTIYoung striker Deepika turned out to be the star once again with a fine reverse hit goal as India retained their women's Asian Champions Trophy title after edging past Olympic silver medallist China 1-0 in a pulsating final here Wednesday. Deepika scored the winner for India from a penalty corner in the 31st minute to finish as the tournament's highest goal getter with 11 strikes. India had earlier stunned China 3-0 in the league stages of the tournament. It was India's third ACT title after winning the top honours in 2016 and 2023. The Indian team is now the most successful side in the tournament's history along side South Korea with three titles each. China, on the other hand, will have to settle for their third runner-up finish. Also Read: Sangita on song as India rout Malaysia 4-0 Japan finished third on the podium after defeating Malaysia 4-1 in the third-fourth place classification match earlier in the day. It was neck and neck fight between the two sides throughout the contest. Both India and China made many promising circle penetrations but the backline of both the sides was rock solid in the first two quarters. The 17-year-old Sunelita Toppo was brilliant with her dribbling skills and defence splitting runs from both flanks for India. Three minutes into the second quarter, China secured the first penalty corner of the match but India's second goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam made a terrific diving save to keep out Jinzhuang Tan. In the next two minutes the Indians earned as many as four penalty corners but as has been case in the tournament so far, they failed to utilise a single with Deepika taking most of the chances. Penalty corner conversion has been a concern for India in the tournament as in the semifinal against Japan they managed 13 set pieces, but failed to find the net even once. In the 23rd minute, it was India's turn to concede another penalty corner but the first rusher defended bravely to deny the Chinese. Minutes later, skipper Salima Tete created a fine ball for Sharmila Devi whose first time hit to the near post went wide as the deadlock continued at half-time. India kept up the pressure on the Chinese defence and secured their fifth penalty corner with the first move after the change of ends. Deepika this time finally found the net with a reverse hit after building on from a miss-trap push. In the 42nd minute Deepika had a bright chance to increase her tally when she earned a penalty stroke for a deliberate push inside the circle. But Chinese goalkeeper Li Ting pulled off a stunning reflex save to deny the star Indian striker. Minutes later, Ting once again came to China's rescue as she saved Sushila Chanu's shot from India's sixth penalty corner. Trailing by just a solitary goal, the Chinese employed high-press hockey thereafter and also managed to breach inside the Indian circle on a few occasions but the home team's defence didn't break. (With agency inputs)
20 November,2024 07:17 PM IST | Rajgir (Bihar) | mid-day online correspondentDefending champions India continued their unbeaten run and defeated Japan 2-0 to enter the final of the women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament here on Tuesday. Vice-captain Navneet Kaur converted a penalty stroke in the 48th minute while Lalaremsiami struck from field play in the 56th minute for India, who had plenty of scoring chances including 13 penalty corners. India will face China, whom they defeated in the league stages, in the final on Wednesday. Earlier, China beat Malaysia 3-1 in the first semi-final. Malaysia will take on Japan in the third-fourth place match, while Korea finished fifth after beating Thailand 3-0 in the fifth-sixth place classification match. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 07:43 AM IST | Rajgir (Bihar) | PTIRoger Federer says Rafael Nadal made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years. Writing on social media on Tuesday, hours before the start of the Davis Cup Final 8, Nadal’s last event before heading into retirement, Federer began his message with the word “Vamos” and said: “As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.” Also Read: 'Showing off those biceps..': Federer revisits his first glimpse of young Nadal “Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge,” he added. Still, Federer told Nadal in his post, referring to him by the nickname Rafa: “You made me enjoy the game even more.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 07:42 AM IST | Malaga (Spain) | AP | PTIIndia’s Anupama Upadhyaya recorded a stunning three-game win over World No. 15 American Beiwen Zhang to progress to the women’s singles second round at the China Masters here on Tuesday. Also Read: CCI badminton: Kamble enters quarter-finals The 19-year-old from Almora, ranked World No. 50, showed great composure to outsmart Zhang 21-17, 8-21, 22-20 in a 48-minute contest. It will be her first second-round appearance in a BWF Super 750 world tour event. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 07:42 AM IST | Shenzhen | PTIItaly reached a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup final with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Iga Swiatek’s Poland on Monday in Malaga. World No. 2 Swiatek came from a set down to beat Jasmine Paolini but the Italian earned immediate revenge in the deciding doubles clash. Paolini and veteran Sara Errani overcame Swiatek and Katarzyna Kawa 7-5, 7-5 to send the four-time champs through to the final. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 07:42 AM IST | Malaga (Spain) | AFPRafael Nadal started the final tournament of his farewell season with a defeat in a quarterfinal match against the Netherlands in the Davis Cup finals here on Tuesday. Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam winner, opened Spain's campaign against the Netherlands with a 4-6, 4-6 defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp. Van de Zandschulp smashed eight aces to two by Nadal. Though he also served seven double faults compared to two by Nadal, the Dutch star won 77% points on the first serve compared to 67% by the Spanish legend. By winning this match, Botic van de Zandschulp put Netherlands 1-0 ahead in their quarterfinal tie against Spain. Unfazed by the magnitude of the occasion, The 29-year-old delivered a blow to Nadal’s hopes of drawing the curtain on his professional career with a sixth Davis Cup crown. The weight of keeping Spain going in this event rests on the shoulders of the current World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who will aim to level the tie when he takes on Tallon Griekspoor in the second singles match of the rubber. If Alcaraz is successful, Wesley Koolhof, who is also retiring from the sport at the end of the event, will partner Van de Zandschulp in a rubber decision against Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers. The winner of the tie will face either Germany or Canada in the semifinals on Friday. Also Read: 'Was worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties': Federer’s tribute to Nadal hits all the right notes Alcaraz has said that he would like to win the Davis Cup title for Nadal, who is retiring from tennis. The former World No.1 Nadal has played only seven tournaments this year after battling injuries over the past couple of seasons. He last competed at the Paris Olympics, where he fell in the second round to Novak Djokovic. A 92-time tour-level champion, who spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, Nadal has been one of the leading lights on the ATP Tour since turning pro in 2001. His 22 Grand Slam titles tally includes a record 14 crowns at the Roland Garros. He also has four US Open titles and has won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice. Nadal also won Olympic singles and doubles gold and helped Spain to five Davis Cup titles, most recently in 2019. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 07:40 AM IST | Malaga (Spain) | IANSADVERTISEMENT
