Connect with us

Sports

Sinner Wins Shanghai Masters To Deny Djokovic 100th Career Title

Published

on

World number one Jannik Sinner defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Sunday to win the Shanghai Masters.

Sinner took a crucial break in the fourth game of the second set to defeat the Serb in 1hr 37min and deny him a 100th career singles title.

“He was just too good today, too strong, too fast,” Djokovic said after the match.

Sinner said it was a “very special day”, saluting his opponent as a “legend” who kept playing “incredible tennis… year after year”.

In a nod to former Djokovic rival Roger Federer, who was watching from the stands, the 23-year-old joked: “There are legends everywhere, I just try to keep up a little bit.”

Facing off before an impassioned crowd, neither player blinked in the first set, unable to break the other’s serve.

Sinner quickly took control in the tiebreak, breaking Djokovic’s serve on the first point and going 5-1 up.

The Serb steadied himself but then netted a volley to bring up set point at 6-3.

Sinner failed to convert initially but didn’t miss the second time behind serve.

The next key moment came in the fourth game of the second set when Sinner was up 40-15 on Djokovic’s serve.

Djokovic saved one break point with a fiery ace but couldn’t stop a superb forehand down the line from Sinner that saw him pull ahead.

All that remained was for the Italian to hold his nerve, hitting an ace to finish the match and claim the title.

Sinner’s victory is the latest triumph in a formidable season, in which he has won two Grand Slams and retained the top spot in the rankings since June.

But it is also a year that has seen him embroiled in controversy after he twice tested positive for a banned steroid in March.

In August, the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted Sinner’s explanation that the drug entered his system unintentionally when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency said last month it would appeal against the decision to clear him of wrongdoing and was seeking a ban of up to two years.

That news came as Sinner was contesting the China Open, where he lost in the final to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who was also watching from the stands on Sunday.

“This year has been very, very tough for me… At points I lost a little bit of smile,” Sinner said on Sunday.

“It’s never easy to play in these kind of circumstances,” he added.

“I feel like I’m strong when I go on the court trying to not think about it… When I wake up I try to focus on every single (match or practice) I do, but then of course I have moments when I think about it which is not comfortable.”

Loading

Continue Reading

Sports

Carabao Cup: Liverpool thrash Tottenham 4-0, to play Newcastle in final

Published

on

Liverpool overturned a first leg deficit to qualify for the Carabao Cup final, thrashing Tottenham 4-0 on Thursday night.


Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk all scored for the Reds.

They will face Newcastle at Wembley on March 16 for the first silverware of the English season.


Liverpool remain on course for a quadruple in a dream debut season for Arne Slot.

They enjoy a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, have cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League and visit Championship strugglers Plymouth in the FA cup fourth round on Sunday.

Spurs’ trophy drought on the other hand goes on. Tottenham last lifted silverware in 2008 and Postecoglou now has one less opportunity to fulfil his promise of winning a trophy in his second season.

There is speculation the Australian could be shown the door if another goes awry away to Aston Villa in the FA Cup at the weekend with Spurs languishing 14th in the Premier League.

Despite having more glamorous titles to win, Slot showed his desire to make the League Cup his first trophy as Liverpool boss by naming his strongest available team bar the usual rotation in goal for cup competitions as Caoimhin Kelleher replaced Alisson Becker.

New signing Kevin Danso was forced straight in to Tottenham’s injury-ravaged defence, while Mathys Tel also made an early debut off the bench after Richarlison hobbled off injured.

Liverpool had scored four in each of the previous two meetings between the sides at Anfield and repeated that feat to make light of their 1-0 first leg defeat in north London last month.

Loading

Continue Reading

Sports

Chicago Bears owner, Virginia McCaskey dies at 102

Published

on



The longtime principal owner of the Chicago Bears, Virginia McCaskey, is dead.

She died at 102 and was born Virginia Marion Halas in 1923 in Chicago.

Fox News reports that McCaskey controlled Chicago’s NFL franchise since 1983.

The report said she inherited ownership of the franchise after the death of her father and team founder George Halas.

McCaskey married Ed McCaskey in 1943, and eventually had eleven children together.

The McCaskey family has provided a statement via the Bears, saying McCaskey lived a “full” life.

“While we are sad, we are comforted knowing Virginia Halas McCaskey lived a long, full, faith-filled life and is now with the love of her life on earth,” the statement read.

Loading

Continue Reading

Sports

We’re better without Mbappe – PSG manager, Luis Enrique

Published

on

Paris Saint-Germain manager, Luis Enrique, has claimed they are “better in attack and defence” without Kylian Mbappe.

After enjoying a hugely successful stint with the Ligue 1 champions, Mbappe move to Real Madrid as a free agent last summer.

Enrique, who dropped the 26-year-old several times last season, believes his side have responded superbly to the Frenchman’s exit.


He told reporters: “I was very brave last season when I told you that we would have a better team in attack and defense.

“I still think that we are better in attack and defense, the numbers are there to say it. The players took it as a challenge.

“Of course we would have liked to keep Kylian, because everyone liked Kyky, but the team is responding very positively, at a spectacular level.

“I told you that rather than having a player who scores 40 goals, I wanted players who all score a lot. That is our objective, to continue improving.

“Faced with a situation that we did not want but that happened, the maturity of the team is very good.”

Loading

Continue Reading

Recent Posts




JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Trending