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Alexander Zverev dumps Nadal in Madrid Open

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Alexander Zverev stormed into the semi-finals of the Madrid Open, defeating local favourite, Rafa Nadal 6-4 6-4 in a major upset.

Nadal struggled on the first serve and couldn’t do much on the return, creating only two break chances and seizing one of those to open a 4-2 lead in the first set.

From that moment, the German took control and won ten of the last 14 games, thus sailing into the semis where he faces Dominic Thiem on Saturday.

This was Zverev’s third straight triumph against the Spaniard and the first on clay from four encounters.

Madrid was Nadal’s third clay-court event this spring and the second where he failed to reach the semi-final.

He had lost in the quarters in Monte Carlo and emerged victorious at the Barcelona Open.

Thiem downs Isner

In another thrilling contest, Dominic Thiem came back from a set down to beat big-serving American, John Isner 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Isner had served more than 107 aces in his four matches in Madrid, where the high altitude adds speed to the balls and makes the clay courts faster.

Thiem, the fourth-ranked Austrian capitalised on two of his four chances to break Isner’s serve, and that was all he really needed.

He broke the tall American on his first chance in the second set and once more in the third to reach the semifinals in Madrid for the fourth straight time.

In the semi-finals, Thiem will face Zverev in a what would be a rematch of the 2018 final.

Thiem had lost to Zverev in straight sets in the Spanish capital three years ago and will be eyeing revenge.

The other semifinal will be between Casper Ruud and eighth-seeded Matteo Berrettini.

On Friday, Berrettini rallied to defeat Cristian Garin 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 and Ruud got past Alexander Bublik 7-5, 6-1.

It will be a keenly fought match as both players are in good form.

Berrettini is high in confidence after a title win in Belgrade, while Ruud was a semifinalist in his last two tournaments, in Monte Carlo and in Munich.

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WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo storms off pitch after throwing his runner’s-up medal into stands

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Cristiano Ronaldo and his AL-Nassr side lost the Riyadh Cup to AL Hilal on Saturday. It was a clinical performance from the Al-Hilal side as they won the match 2-0. It was a frustrating night for the Portugal legend as he was heckled by the fans in the crowd.

The cameras panned to Cristiano Ronaldo who was swarmed by his teammates. There were chants cheering on Lionel Messi from the stands. Already peeved after losing the game, Ronaldo lost his cool and threw his medal at the fans.

Watch the video here:

During the game, Ronaldo was seen showing disgraceful actions towards the AL-Hilal fans. A scarf which was thrown his way saw the Portugal superstar rub it in the most inappropriate area. The 39-year-old earned the ire of the fans after this incident came to light.

AL-Hilal down AL-Nassr to win Riyadh Cup 2024 –

The 2024 Riyadh Cup final saw some amazing football being played. Cristiano Ronaldo was all smiles as WWE Superstar The Undertaker came out to place the trophy. Once the action began it was an end-to-end encounter as both teams went hard at goal.

Serbian star Sergej-Milinkovic Savic opened the scoring in the 17th minute of the game. It was two-nil 13 minutes later as Salem Aldaswari scored an amazing goal. That was the end of the contest despite an hour left in the game to be played.

There was no way back for the Al Nassr side as they looked clueless in front of goal. Not many chances were created by Ronaldo and his team. Al Hilal’s defense held their own against a rampaging Al Nassr side in the last few minutes.

There was pandemonium in the stands as the final whistle was sounded and the Al Hilal fans celebrated. There was a chorus of Messi chants which visibly irked Ronaldo at the end of the game.

Ever since his move from Manchester United in late 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo has changed Saudi Football. The likes of Karim Benzema and N Golo Kante are currently playing in the Saudi Pro League. AL Hilal themselves signed noted Brazilian sensation Neymar who sic out injured. With the veteran star in the twilight of his career, this kind of behaviour is least expected from Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Sandeep Lamichhane convicted of molestation, jailed for eight years

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Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has been convicted of raping a 17-year-old in 2022. During the case, he kept playing for the team, notably during the Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup qualifier in June last year. After the case was filed, he was playing for eventual winners, Jamaica Tallawahs. The leg-spinner was released from the team and was taken into custody.

“I know I am facing a difficult time of conspiracy and wrongful allegation and the ramification of its effect is something unimaginable. I am sure there must be some mechanism of compensating to the accused who proven to be innocent in our legal system,” he wrote. “I will soon seek legal support against wrongful prosecution and allegation made against me and I am sure I will get the justice and will return to the cricket ground soon to make the name and fame of my beloved country and I pray for speedy trial.”

After landing home, the former Delhi Capitals player claimed that the allegations made against him were baseless.

“All these things affected me mentally on one hand and on the other hand, I had to go through illness, and due to mental stress and ill health I kept myself in isolation. I have been mentally and physically affected by the portrayal and I have reached a state of imbalance and I have been bringing myself back to a normal state under the advice of doctors. My health is gradually improving, and I am planning to return to Nepal as soon as possible to defend against the false complaint against me,” the leggie wrote on Facebook in September 2022.

Talking about the current status, the bench also slapped him with a fine of Rs 300,000 (USD 2255 approx) and ordered him to pay Rs 200,000 (USD 1500 approx) in compensation to the victim. Lamichhane’s lawyer, Saroj Ghimire, told AFP that he “will appeal the decision in a higher court.”

Sandeep Lamichhane’s career at a glance

He is the first Nepal player to play in IPL, PSL, CPL, and several other leagues. He made his international debut at the age of 18

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WATCH: Gautam Gambhir makes endearing comment while answering question related to Virat Kohli

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Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir is believed to have a personal dislike for former India skipper Virat Kohli. Over the years, Gambhir has been critical of the 2008 U19 World Cup-winning captain on a lot of issues. Not to forget, Gambhir has been vocal about not the media should be worshipping individual players.

During a talk show on Star Sports, the two-time World Cup winner was asked about the bowler Kohli faced while completing his 50th ODI hundred. As Gambhir gave the right answer, he also mentioned that his rivalry is with Kohli which stays on the field only.

Watch the video here

He replied:

“Lockie Ferguson.”

Gambhir then smilingly went on to add:

“Ye aap baar baar dikhana, mujhe sab kuch yaad rehta hai. Ladai meri sirf on the field hai (Please show this clip again and again, I remember everything. My fight is only on the field)”

I want Virat Kohli to bat with the same intent he is known for: Gautam Gambhir

In another conversation. Gambhir said that Kohli must bat the same way against South Africa in the two-match Test series the way he does. Notably, the latter won’t play the practice game as he has come back to India for personal reasons. However, the right-hander will be available for the series.

“It will be in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s minds that Shreyas Iyer, who is on his first tour, will be batting after Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, if he plays, will be playing as a wicketkeeper for the first time. However, I want Virat Kohli to bat with the same intent he is known for.”

India’s squad for Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk)

Tuesday 26-Dec-23 to 30-Dec-23 1st Test Centurion
Wednesday 03-Jan-24 to 07-Jan-24 2nd Test Cape Town
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