NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic will play Daniil Medvedev to try and complete the first men’s singles calendar-year Grand Slam since 1969 after defeating Tokyo Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in Friday’s US Open semifinals.
Top-ranked Djokovic outlasted the German fourth seed 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to reach Sunday’s championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium against Russian second seed Medvedev.
“I’m going to treat the next match like it’s the last match of my career,” Djokovic said.
One more victory will give the 34-year-old Serbian star the first calendar-year Slam since Rod Laver accomplished it 52 years ago.
“There s only one more match left. All in. Let’s do it,” Djokovic said. “I’m going to put my heart and my soul and my body and my head into that one.”
Djokovic seeks his fourth career US Open title and his 21st overall Slam crown, which would lift him one above the all-time record he shares with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both absent with injuries.
“These are the moments we live for,” Djokovic said. “These are the kind of unique opportunities we dream of when we are looking for motivation.”
Australian legend Laver, 83, was in the stands to watch as Djokovic took a measure of revenge for Zverev, 24, beating him in an Olympic semifinal, denying Djokovic’s bid for a “Golden Slam” with a Tokyo gold medal.
“I knew coming onto the court it was going to be a great battle,” Djokovic said. “Alexander is a big champion. He’s someone I admire on and off the court.”
Medvedev, the 2019 US Open runner-up, defeated Canadian 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to reach his third career Slam final.
“I don’t think I played my best today but I’m really happy to be in the final,” Medvedev said.
Djokovic is the oldest US Open finalist since Andre Agassi at 35 in 2005 and could be the oldest US Open champion since Ken Rosewall at 35 in 1970.
By beating Zverev, Djokovic matched Federer’s all-time record of 31 men’s Slam final appearances. Djokovic is 20-10 in major finals.
The final is a rematch of February’s Australian Open final won by Djokovic in straight sets. Medvedev trails Djokovic 5-3 in their all-time rivalry.
“If I can make this, I’ll probably be in the history books a little bit somewhere like not letting him do this,” Medvedev said. “But I don’t really care about it. I think it’s more about him, that it affects him.
“I’m just going to throw it everything and I’m definitely not going to be thinking about Grand Slam or whatever.”
Djokovic has won 27 consecutive Slam matches, three shy of his all-time record streak from 2015 and 2016 when he won all four major titles in a row.
Zverev, last year’s US Open runner-up, saw his 16-match win streak end.
In the fifth set, Djokovic broke after an extended rally with a forehand passing winner to 2-0 and Zverev swatted back-to-back forehands long to go down 4-0. Djokovic broke again in the eighth to book his date with history after three hours and 34 minutes.
Djokovic double-faulted away a break in the ninth game and Zverev held to claim the first set in 36 minutes.
Having dropped the first set for the fourth consecutive match, Djokovic dominated the second, never facing a break point.
A 10th-game groundstrokes battle in the third set saw a 53-shot rally ended by a Zverev forehand winner to save set point and draw a roar from the crowd, but Djokovic hit an overhead smash on the next point for the break to capture the set.
In the fourth, Zverev broke to 2-1 with a forehand winner and held from there.
Auger-Aliassime lost two set points and was broken in the ninth game of the second set and Medvedev broke again at love on the way to taking the set to seize command of the match.
“I knew I had to do everything at my best because at that point in the match I knew I could break him mentally and that’s what happened,” Medvedev said.
In all Medvedev took 11 of the final 13 games, ending matters with an overhead smash after two hours and four minutes.
“I had to play my best level and even better if I wanted to get a chance to win,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I didn’t do it long enough. Overall Daniil was the better player.”
Djokovic to play for Grand Slam against Medvedev in US Open final
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Djokovic to play for Grand Slam against Medvedev in US Open final
Al-Itttihad fined $37,000 for King’s Cup misconduct
- The reigning Saudi Pro League champions lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal last week in the semifinals of the Kingdom’s renowned competition
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad Football Club have been fined $37,000 (SR140,000) for misconduct by players and fans in its recent 2-1 defeat by Al-Hilal in the semi-final of the King’s Cup.
A statement issued by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s disciplinary and ethics committee said Abderrazak Hamdallah and Saad Al-Mousa were each fined around $5,300 for not fulfilling their post-match media duties.
The committee also imposed a fine of $27,000 on the Jeddah club after fans threw bottles at opposition players from the stands. Nobody was harmed as a result of the incidents.
The authorities stressed that the three decisions are not subject to appeal.
Mitchell rallies Cavs for series-clinching Game 7 win over Magic
- Cavs move on to second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks
- The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday
LOS ANGELES: Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers silenced the young guns of Orlando, beating the Magic 106-94 in Game 7 of their NBA playoffs first-round series Sunday to book a meeting with Eastern Conference top seeds Boston.
It was another magisterial performance from Mitchell, who scored 39 points two days after pouring in 50 in the Cavs’ Game 6 defeat.
This time he had plenty of scoring support from teammates as the Cavs erased an 18-point second-quarter deficit to clinch a series in which the home team won every game.
Caris LeVert scored 15 points off the bench and Max Strus scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter, when the Cavs outscored the Magic 33-15 to take charge.
Evan Mobley scored 11 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots and Darius Garland chipped in 12 points to help Cleveland withstand a 38-point performance from Paolo Banchero.
The Cavs, with starting center Jarrett Allen sidelined a third straight game with bruised ribs, moved on to the second round a year after a stinging first-round loss to the New York Knicks.
“I didn’t want to go home,” Mitchell said of the mindset that saw him score 17 points in the third quarter as he virtually willed Cleveland to the lead.
The Magic delivered a strong first punch, Banchero scoring 10 points in the first period as Orlando grabbed a 24-18.
In the face of Orlando’s suffocating defense the Cavs connected on just six of 22 shots in the first quarter and didn’t make a three-pointer until Sam Merrill drilled one midway through the second quarter.
The Magic pushed their lead to as many as 18 points in the second quarter before the Cavs clawed back to cut the lead to single digits.
Banchero’s layup in the closing seconds of the first half saw Orlando take a 10-point lead into the break, but momentum was on Cleveland’s side and they overwhelmed the Magic in the third.
“I didn’t feel our confidence waver much, even when we had 18 points in the first quarter,” Mitchell said.
“They came out and jumped on us,” he added, saying the key was for the Cavs “to respond the way we did, keep plugging, just keep chipping away.”
Mitchell, again relentless in the paint, tied it at 64-64 with a floater and LeVert drained a pair of free throws to give the Cavs their first lead since the first quarter.
Strus hit back-to-back three-pointers as Cleveland built a 76-68 lead going into the final period.
The Cavs pushed their advantage to 14 points in the final frame, fans chanting “We want Boston” as the final minutes ticked off.
The Celtics will host Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, and Mitchell vowed the Cavaliers will be ready for the team that posted the best record in the regular season.
“We didn’t make the group we made just to win the first round,” he said. “We accomplished one goal. Now we have to do it again.”
It was a crushing end to a strong season for the Magic, collectively the second-youngest team in the playoffs behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 13 points and Jalen Suggs added 10 for the Magic, but Franz Wagner was held to just six as Orlando remained in search of a first playoff series victory since 2010.
Mitchell heaped praise 21-year-old Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft.
Banchero himself said the Magic’s fight back from 0-2 down in the series to force game seven “just shows where we’re headed.”
Sporting Lisbon win Portuguese league after Benfica stumble
- Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim’s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday
- Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double
LISBON: Sporting Lisbon were crowned champions of Portugal for only the second time in 21 years on Sunday after second-placed Benfica lost.
Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim’s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday.
Sporting, the division’s top scorers by far with 92 goals in 32 matches, are eight points clear of Benfica with just two games remaining.
Amorim’s side have lost just two times this season on the way to securing the club’s 20th league title, trailing Porto on 30 and record winners Benfica on 38.
Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres’ goals have powered Sporting’s title success and he netted his 27th of the campaign on Saturday to wrap up their victory.
The striker signed from Coventry City last summer for a club record fee of 20 million euros ($21.5 million) plus add-ons.
It is the second league trophy brought to the club by former Benfica player Amorim, who led Sporting to glory in the 2020/21 season.
Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double.
’Almost dead’ Rublev battles illness to claim Madrid Open title
- The Russian world No. 8 said he was “almost dead every day” and could barely sleep this week after securing a career second Masters 1000 victory
- Rublev, who takes the Madrid crown from double champion Carlos Alcaraz whom he beat in the quarterfinals, said he had played despite feeling ill at times this week and hailed his doctors for helping him through
MADRID: Andrey Rublev won the Madrid Open with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday to secure his second title of the year, despite battling with illness.
The Russian world No. 8 said he was “almost dead every day” and could barely sleep this week after securing a career second Masters 1000 victory.
Rublev had lost four consecutive matches before arriving in the Spanish capital but came from a set down to beat his Canadian opponent.
The 26-year-old triumphed at the Hong Kong Open in January but struggled since before turning around his form in Madrid, dropping just one set on the way to what proved a tense final.
“I think it was an incredible match, Felix deserved (in) the same way as me to win today and we showed a great battle together, I think the most important thing was that the people enjoyed it,” said Rublev on court.
“Our sport is like this, we cannot have both winners.”
Rublev, who takes the Madrid crown from double champion Carlos Alcaraz whom he beat in the quarterfinals, said he had played despite feeling ill at times this week and hailed his doctors for helping him through.
“If you knew what I had been through in the past nine days you would not imagine that I would be able to win a title,” he added.
“I was almost dead every day, I was not sleeping at night — the last three, four days I didn’t sleep.”
Auger-Aliassime reached the final after his opponent Jiri Lehecka retired hurt in the semifinals and quarterfinal opponent Jannik Sinner withdrew with a hip injury, with the ATP draw at the clay-court tournament struck by misfortune.
However, the 23-year-old Canadian, ranked 35th in the world, gave everything he had in his first Masters 1000 final appearance.
Auger-Aliassime started superbly by breaking to love in the first game and then again in the fifth game for a 4-1 lead.
Rublev recovered a break when Auger-Aliassime went long, and consolidated for a 4-3 deficit.
The Russian saved a set point to hold for 5-4 down but Auger-Aliassime clinched it at the second opportunity with a forehand down the line.
In the second set the Canadian held for 3-3 with a brilliant drop shot after Rublev spurned a break point.
They stayed on serve until the 12th game when Rublev brought up two set points, converting the second to take it to a deciding third set.
Rublev raced through his service games and put heavy pressure on his opponent’s serve, forcing a break point in the second game and two more in the fourth, none of which he could take.
Auger-Aliassime produced huge serves to fight his way out of tough spots, racking up 14 aces in the match to Rublev’s seven.
However Rublev dropped just three points on his serve in the third set, while Auger-Aliassime trailed in all of his service games but always battled back, until the decisive 12th game.
Auger-Aliassime double-faulted to hand Rublev the title, with the Russian falling to the floor in delight.
Sri Lanka, Scotland qualify for women’s T20 World Cup
- Winner of Sri Lanka, Scotland match to join Group A members Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan
- Qualifying runners-up will play Bangladesh, England, South Africa and West Indies in T20 World Cup 2024
Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka survived a scare against the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to secure the last place at this year’s women’s T20 World Cup, after Scotland also booked a spot at the tournament.
In the second semifinal of the global qualifying event in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka posted 149-6 batting first, with Vishmi Gunaratne top-scoring with 45.
Sri Lanka, seventh in the world T20I rankings, were in trouble for much of the UAE’s chase, but the hosts fell away after the dismissal of captain Esha Oza for a 44-ball 66, finishing on 134-7 to lose by 15 runs.
Chamari Athapaththu’s side will head into the World Cup, to be held in Bangladesh in October, with hopes of getting out of the group stage for the first time after a historic T20 series win over former world champions England last year.
Earlier, 14th-ranked Scotland qualified for a maiden women’s World Cup by cruising to an eight-wicket win over Ireland.
Captain Kathryn Bryce took 4-8 from four overs as Ireland were restricted to just 110-9 batting first.
“It’s unbelievable, I feel like we’ve worked so hard for this for so long, and had our share of disappointments,” Sarah Bryce, who was at the crease with sister Kathryn when her team secured victory, told Cricket Scotland.
“To finally get over the line, it makes me well up every time I start thinking about it, we’re actually going to a World Cup.”
Bryce made a 29-ball 35 not out after Megan McColl’s fifty, as Scotland chased down their target with 3.4 overs to spare.
Scotland will meet Sri Lanka in Tuesday’s qualifying final, with the winners to join holders Australia, India, New Zealand and Pakistan in Group A at the main event which runs from October 3-20.
The qualifying runners-up will play Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies in Group B.
