MELBOURNE, Australia: The safety protocols for COVID-19 have been a touchy subject at the Australian Open, particularly after nine-time champion Novak Djokovic was deported for failing to meet the country’s strict vaccination requirements.
So Olympic champion Alexander Zverev attracted wide attention after his second-round match when he said “we are not getting tested” and, therefore, there’re more COVID-19 cases around than there was in the more locked-down environment of last year.
Australian Open organizers clarified the process on Day 4 of the tournament, saying daily rapid antigen tests were being provided, testing clinics were open both onsite and at the player hotel, and there was mandatory symptomatic testing.
Masks also must be worn at all times at Melbourne Park except when playing, exercising or eating and drinking. Tournament organizers said everyone who traveled into Australia for the year's first major had to undergo a mandatory PCR test on arrival and another between Days 5 and 7.
Because of a surge in the omicron variant and more pressure on the public health system, PCR testing has become more difficult to access in Melbourne and rapid antigen tests have also been in short supply.
Except at the Australian Open. Players, their entourages, officials and media are required to show evidence of regular negative tests to access Melbourne Park.
“They are very strict,” fourth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas said. "Well, it’s the responsibility of each and every athlete to test themselves regularly to see whether or not they are positive, which has been the case for me.
“I have been trying to get a few antigen tests and rapid tests to see whether or not I’m positive, which is a responsibility that I have, it’s something that I have to do in order to see if I’m 100%.”
Former major champions including Garbiñe Muguruza and Andy Murray are among those who said they were testing themselves regularly, and treating it like an honesty system.
Australian player Maddison Inglis said she was doing precautionary testing because “I want to keep myself and my team safe and everyone around me.”
MURRAY IN MELBOURNE
Andy Murray has reached the Australian Open final five times in 14 trips to Melbourne Park but never won the title.
Two days after posting his first win in five years at the season-opening tennis Grand Slam tournament, the former No. 1 exited after losing to 120th-ranked Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.
His win over 21st-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round was his first at the Australian Open since 2017.
Injuries and illness kept him out in 2018 (hip), 2020 (pelvis) and 2021 (COVID-19), and he lost a five-setter in the first round in 2019, which many thought might have been his last in Australia.
So, was the loss to Daniel his last, or will the three-time major champion be back in 2023?
The 34-year-old Scot said “yeah” when asked if he would return, but only with certain provisos.
“Not if I do what I did tonight too often this season,” he said. "This is a really important year for me for a number of reasons, and I want to perform well in the big events. For me, tonight is not good enough in that respect.
“Making second round of Slams is not something I find particularly motivating. I want to be doing better than that."
Murray engaged in a Twitter admiration exchange with Australian Open women's champion Naomi Osaka this week.
Murray started with a post that asked: “Anyone hit the ball cleaner from the baseline than (at) Naomi Osaka?"
Osaka, another former No. 1, responded: “Anyone put their heart on their sleeve and fight harder than (at)Andy Murray?"
Osaka recalled after her second-round win how delighted she was to read Murray’s praise and how the pair had a practice session in Brisbane, Australia, three years ago.
“Yeah, definitely means a lot," she said. "For me it was a really cool moment.”
SO LONG, SAM
Sam Stosur warned everyone before her 20th Australian Open campaign that there would be tears when her singles career came to an end.
Tears welled in her eyes as the 2011 U.S. Open champion sat in the court-side chair, soaking in the crowd support after her 6-2, 6-2 loss to 10th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.
“I just wanted to run for everything as hard as I could. I’ve done more than I ever thought possible," Stosur said in an on-court ceremony after the match. “I dreamed of winning a Grand Slam and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
A video tribute played as an emotional Stosur stood mid-court, holding a bouquet of flowers.
“It was emotional for me," Pavlyuchenkova told the crowd. "She is such a wonderful human being and an amazing tennis player.”
While her singles career is over — she also made a run to the French Open final in 2010 and three other semifinals at Roland Garros — the 37-year-old Stosur will continue playing doubles for the remainder of 2022.
Testing times for Australian Open amid COVID-19 pandemic
https://arab.news/9bae3
Testing times for Australian Open amid COVID-19 pandemic
- Olympic champion Alexander Zverev attracted wide attention after his second-round match when he said “we are not getting tested”
- Australian Open organizers clarified the process on Day 4 of the tournament, saying daily rapid antigen tests were being provided
Knicks bounce back to crush Pacers, Jokic and Nuggets on a roll
- After losing Game 4 by 32 points, it was an emphatic response from the Knicks
- Denver Nuggets made it three straight wins in their semifinal with the Minnesota Timberwolves
NEW YORK: Jalen Brunson was back to his best on Tuesday as the New York Knicks dominated the Indiana Pacers 121-91 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal Game 5.
A win on Friday night in Indianapolis will see the Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 24 years.
After losing Game 4 by 32 points, it was an emphatic response from the Knicks, with Brunson piling up 44 points with seven assists and four rebounds.
“He’s willing to share everything with his teammates, and to me, that is the best part of him,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“His play is spectacular, but who he is as a teammate, as a leader, it makes us that. Big shot after big shot.”
The Knicks destroyed Indiana on the boards, with Isaiah Hartenstein leading the way with 17 rebounds (12 offensive) while Josh Hart had 11 rebounds (nine defensive).
Brunson’s impact had been limited in the past two games in the series, with concerns that his heavy workload and a foot injury may have slowed him down.
But there were no signs of fatigue as he reached the 40 mark for the fifth time this post-season.
Brunson, who had only 18 points in Sunday’s loss, shot 18 for 35 and put up 28 points in the first half — a playoff record for the Knicks.
It was his seven straight points, including a three-pointer to open up a 20-point lead at 106-86, that made sure of the victory.
“I just love that there is never any excuse-making from him. He’s never talking about injuries,” said Thibodeau.
“A lot of times when you hear people talking about their injuries, a lot of it is excuse-making and you never get that from him.”
The Pacers got off to a strong start and led 25-20 before the Knicks put together an 11-0 run to end the first quarter up 38-32. By halftime, it was 69-54 and New York were in no mood to let the lead slip.
Thibodeau said he expected the response to the blowout defeat from his team.
“They’ve shown that all year, that’s who they are. We still need one more win, so we can’t be too excited about it,” he said.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 22 points.
In the West, the Denver Nuggets made it three straight wins in their semifinal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Nikola Jokic leading the defending champions with 40 points.
Having trailed 2-0 in the series, Denver are now just one win away from a return to the Western Conference finals.
Jokic was presented with his Most Valuable Player of the year award — the third of his career — before the game, then quickly provided another reminder of his value.
Denver led 50-44 at halftime, with Jokic scoring 19 of their points. Then, after the Wolves went on an 11-3 run early in the third quarter, Jokic scored another 16 to extend the Nuggets’ lead to 88-74.
Denver were able to keep Anthony Edwards quiet, with the Timberwolves star limited to 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
The 22-year-old had scored 44 points in Sunday’s Game 4 loss.
But after the shock of losing the opening two games of the series, Jokic knows a tough test awaits on Thursday in Minnesota.
“Our back is still against the wall and we don’t want to quit. We are still desperate, and we still want to win, and we are going to Minnesota to get one,” he said.
Denver head coach Michael Malone was pleased with the way his team dealt with the threat from Edwards.
“We knew we had to do something different with Anthony Edwards, he is just a one-man wrecking crew,” said Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
“We trapped him, we double-teamed him, flew around behind it, and that takes a lot of effort and our guys committed to it and that was a big part of the win,” he said.
Daniil Medvedev latest to crash out of Italian Open after loss to Tommy Paul
- The second-seeded Medvedev has never successfully defended a title and he failed again as he lost to American Tommy Paul
- In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Iga Swiatek reached the final four when she swept aside former finalist Madison
ROME: The curse of the defending champion struck again for Daniil Medvedev.
The second-seeded Medvedev has never successfully defended a title and he failed again on Tuesday as he lost 6-1, 6-4 to American Tommy Paul to become the latest top player to crash out of the Italian Open.
“It’s disappointing, to be honest,” said Medvedev, who has won 20 tour-level titles. “I wanted to do better here. I was not even close. What can I say? The more titles I win, the more chances I have to defend.
“So the more tournaments in a year I’m going to play where I already won, maybe not defend, but at least win twice the same tournament, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
The opener lasted just 28 minutes as the 14th-seeded Paul broke Medvedev on all three of his service games and then served out the set to love.
“Was a tough one. Mentally I had to be much better,” Medvedev said. “I started to calm myself down and focus on the match only at the end of the match, and it was too late. I had to do better. I was expecting myself to play better.”
Medvedev improved slightly in the second set when he broke immediately but Paul broke straight back and never looked back, securing his spot in the quarterfinals when Medvedev sent a backhand long.
The second-seeded Medvedev followed 10-time champion Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic with early exits in Rome.
The only other players to have won the men’s tournament at the Foro Italico in the past 19 years are Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev.
The third-seeded Zverev, who won in 2017, eased past Nuno Borges 6-2, 7-5 and will face Taylor Fritz.
Fritz reached the men’s quarterfinals for the first time after recovering from losing a lengthy second-set tiebreaker — during which he let slip match point — to see off Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-7 (11), 6-1.
Alejandro Tabilo backed up his stunning third-round win against Djokovic by edging Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10) to reach a Masters quarterfinal for the first time. He will face Zhang Zhizhen, who ousted Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Paul will play Hubert Hurkacz after the seventh seed — who eliminated Nadal in the second round — beat Sebastian Baez 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4. The other quarterfinal pits Stefanos Tsitsipas against Nicolas Jarry.
In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Iga Swiatek reached the final four when she swept aside former finalist Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 with the same score she achieved against the American in the Madrid semifinals two weeks ago.
The 16th-ranked Keys grew more frustrated at her inability to convert break points — racking up 10 without converting a single one — and at one point hit her racket against the clay.
Swiatek won the Madrid Open and is attempting to become the first player to win the “dirt double” since Serena Williams and Nadal both did so in 2013.
The two-time champion will next face third-seeded Coco Gauff after the American beat Qinwen Zheng 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Real Madrid present Spanish league trophy to fans and then rout Alaves 5-0
- Coach Carlo Ancelotti used the regular starters again after giving them some rest in a 4-0 win at Granada
- It was the ninth straight league win for Madrid and sixth in their last seven matches in all competitions
MADRID: Real Madrid presented their 36th Spanish league trophy to their fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday, then followed up the celebrations with a 5-0 rout of Alaves that featured a pair of goals by Vinicius Junior and another by Jude Bellingham.
Federico Valverde and Arda Guler also scored for Madrid, who were yet to play at the Bernabeu since clinching the league two rounds ago. The club celebrated the title on Sunday through the streets of Madrid, but it couldn’t go through its traditional celebration at the Bernabeu because of a concert at the stadium.
They couldn’t celebrate when they clinched the title in advance with a win against Cadiz on May 4 because it had to play Bayern Munich a few days later in the semifinals of the Champions League, a game they won 2-1 to make it to the June 1 final against Borussia Dortmund in London.
“I’m really pleased with the team’s performance, we need to get into a good rhythm. We have a very important game left to crown our season,” Vinicius said. “We always enjoy wearing this shirt and playing for these fans at this stadium. My dream since I was a child was to play here and now we have the opportunity to deliver this victory for many kids who want to be here but can’t.”
Alaves’ players gave Madrid a guard of honor before the match, lining up near the sideline and applauding Madrid players as they entered the field. Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez stepped onto the field carrying the league trophy.
The other 35 league trophies were represented in images placed around the midfield circle.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti used the regular starters again after giving them some rest in a 4-0 win at Granada on Saturday.
Bellingham opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Vinicius scored his first goal in the 27th and Valverde found the net in first-half stoppage time. Vinícius got his second in the 70th and Guler sealed the result in the 81st.
It was the ninth straight league win for Madrid and sixth in their last seven matches in all competitions. They reached 93 points from 36 matches, 17 points more than second-place Barcelona.
Earlier, relegation-threatened Mallorca drew 1-1 at Osasuna, moving to 15th place and staying seven points from the demotion zone.
Girona missed a chance to overcome Barcelona for second place after a 1-0 loss to mid-table Villarreal at home. Girona stayed in third place after the loss, one point from Barcelona and five ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid.
Atletico visit mid-table Getafe on Wednesday, while Barcelona are at last-place Almeria on Thursday.
France’s Paret-Peintre claims Giro 10th stage, Pogacar holds lead
- The 23-year-old follows in the footsteps of his elder brother Aurelien, who won a stage on the Giro last year
- Wednesday’s 11th stage takes the peloton 207km from Foiano di Val Fortore to Francavilla al Mare on the Adriatic coast
BOCCA DELLA SELVA, Italy: Valentin Paret-Peintre won the 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday, claiming the honors on the Bocca della Selva summit finish while Tadej Pogacar maintained his overall lead.
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale rider Paret-Peintre earned on the Italian Grand Tour his first ever professional win, finishing the 142 kilometer stage from Pompei ahead of fellow Frenchman Romain Bardet and Visma rider Jan Tratnik.
The 23-year-old follows in the footsteps of his elder brother Aurelien, who won a stage on the Giro last year and finished fifth on Tuesday, one minute and 25 seconds behind his sibling.
The pair shared a brotherly hug after the stage before the younger Paret-Peintre spoke to media.
“I can’t describe what I feel now, it’s just amazing. I was there to get a good result in the stage and why not win?” he said.
Paret-Peintre finished 29 seconds ahead of Bardet who has jumped up the general classification after gaining nearly three minutes on the day.
Bardet now stands in seventh at 4min 57sec, which is two minutes adrift of Geraint Thomas in third.
Bardet, who is 10 years Paret-Peintre’s senior, is just under five minutes behind pink jersey wearer Pogacar, who had a relatively quiet day and maintained his healthy lead over main rivals Dani Martinez and Thomas.
“I watched him [Bardet] when I was young, when he finished on the podium of the Tour de France,” added Paret-Peintre.
“I dreamed of seeing him one day, and today I battled with him and I beat him.”
Paret-Peintre won the stage after being part of the day’s big breakaway which at its height was some 30 riders strong.
He worked with Bardet on the final climb before attacking 3km from the finish to blaze past Visma-Lease a Bike rider Tratnik, who had tried to go it alone some time before but run out of legs just as the race came to its climax.
“I think 4km to go, 3km to go, I started to feel a bit of weakness in my legs,” said Tratnik.
“I look behind and they pass me with double speed and then for me it was just a battle to the finish line. In the end, third place we can be happy.”
Wednesday’s 11th stage takes the peloton 207km from Foiano di Val Fortore to Francavilla al Mare on the Adriatic coast, where the sprinters should have a chance to shine.
Babar and Rizwan lead Pakistan smash-and-grab T20 series win over Ireland
- The Pakistani captain calls the match ‘good practice’ ahead of the T20 World Cup next month
- Shaheen Shah Afridi finished with 3-14 off four overs while Mohammad Amir contributed 1-32
DUBLIN: Pakistan blew away Ireland by six wickets and won its Twenty20 series 2-1 on Tuesday.
The Pakistanis chased down 193 with 3.1 overs to spare on Sunday to level the series and had no problems overhauling Ireland’s 178 on Tuesday with three overs remaining.
Captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan crushed the home bowling in a second-wicket stand of 139 runs.
Babar lashed 75 off 42 balls and Rizwan clobbered 56 off 38. They were out in consecutive overs on the verge of victory.
Successive sixes by Azam Khan wrapped it up 181-4 to 178-7.
“Big tournament coming up and this is good practice,” Babar said with the T20 World Cup next month.
Rizwan hardly saw the strike in the first three overs but once he lost his opening partner Saim Ayub, he opened up. Rizwan hit three sixes and four boundaries.
Babar struck four sixes in one Ben White over — the 14th — and finished with five maximums and six boundaries.
His 39th fifty-plus score broke Virat Kohli’s record in T20s.
Ireland were looking good for eclipsing its Sunday total halfway through its innings.
Captain Lorcan Tucker and opener Andy Balbirnie blazed 85 runs for the second wicket. Balbirnie made 35.
Tucker hit 73 off 41 with 13 boundaries but when he was caught at deep extra cover, Ireland folded in the face of outstanding death bowling.
Shaheen Shah Afridi finished with 3-14 off four overs, Mohammad Amir contributed 1-32 and Imad Wasim was an economical 1-23.
Pakistan move to England for a four-match T20 series starting on Tuesday.
