SPORTS
Belgrade Open: Djokovic enters final after qualifier stretches him
Djokovic will face the winner of eighth seed Argentinian Federico Delbonis and qualifier Alex Molcan as he seeks his 83rd Tour-level title, and his third in Belgrade. "I'm super excited to play in front of a Serbian crowd. This is my hometown. I'm always excited, but also nervous, coming out on the court and playing in front of my home crowd," Djokovic told atptour.com
Asian boxing: Amit Panghal enters 52kg final
Panghal, 25, will take on the 2016 Rio Olympic champion Zoirov Shakhobidin of Uzbekistan in the final match on Monday. India is now assured of at least five silver medals, with four women making their way into the finals earlier on Thursday. With 15 medals confirmed, the Indian contingent also achieved its highest medal haul, surpassing the previous best of 13 -- two gold, four silver, and seven bronze medals won in 2019 in Bangkok.
BCCI to meet on Saturday, may decide on IPL 2021's fate
The IPL 2021 was suspended this month due to Covid-19 cases inside the tournament's bio-secure environment. Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), this month issued a note to state bodies, calling for a special general meeting for 'Discussion on the upcoming cricket season in view of the pandemic situation prevailing in India'.
Saina, Srikath miss out on Olympic qualification
"The Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm no further tournaments will be played inside the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifying window. As such, while the qualification period officially closes 15 June 2021 as per the Revised Tokyo 2020 Qualification System, the current Race To Tokyo rankings list will not change," the world body said.
England board agrees with Archer on skipping India Tests
"I have talked a lot about our objectives in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, and we need to make sure he is best prepared for that," Ashley Giles, the director of cricket at England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was quoted as saying by Daily Mail. "The thing that has held him back is that he's had two different injuries in that elbow, and it stops him doing what he does incredibly well, which is bowl quick. That must be frustrating for him," added Giles.
WTC final to have reserve day, joint winners after draw or tie: ICC
"The playing conditions confirm that a draw or a tie will see both teams crowned as joint winners as well as the allocation of a Reserve Day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the Final -- scheduled to be played from 18 to 22 June, with 23 June set aside as the Reserve Day. Both of these decisions were made in June 2018, prior to the commencement of the ICC World Test Championship," said a statement from ICC.
Kohli & Co should wait, not be over-aggressive in WTC final: Kapil
"India look a superior batting side. How they tackle the conditions is important. To me, India's batting will hold the key. The bowlers provide a solid back-up to India's cricket campaigns these days but the quality of batsmen will stand out in the final," Dev said.
Asian boxing: 5 Indians enter gold medal round
Lalbuatsaihi entered the gold medal round of the women's 64kg after she outplayed Kuwait's Noura Almutairi. The referee stopped the contest in the second round. Pooja Rani got a walkover in the women's 75kg while Anupama entered the final of women's plus-81kg by defeating Mokhira Abdullaeva of Uzbekistan 4-1.
World No.2 tennis star Naomi Osaka earns record $55mn in 12 months
Naomi won the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open to take her total Grand Slam wins to four. Additionally, she has repeatedly spoken publicly in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, sporting names of victims of police brutality on the masks she wore throughout the US Open. Apart from this, Naomi also partnered with two dozen brands that range from HR software (Workday) to watches (Tag Heuer).
Nadal, Federer, Djokovic in same half of French Open draw
The Spaniard, who has a 100-2 record at this event, will open against big-hitting Aussie Alexei Popyrin in the main draw starting on Sunday. Players that he could face over the course of the tournament include seventh seed Andrey Rublev, 2021 breakthrough star Aslan Karatsev, Diego Schwartzman, Jannik Sinner and home favourite Gael Monfils before a potential face off with Djokovic in semi-finals.
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