Djokovic falls to Popyrin in latest US Open shocker

Djokovic falls to Popyrin in latest US Open shocker
Alexei Popyrin handed Djokovic his earliest Grand Slam exit since he fell in the Australian Open in 2017. (AFP)
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Updated 31 August 2024

Djokovic falls to Popyrin in latest US Open shocker

Djokovic falls to Popyrin in latest US Open shocker
  • Djokovic delivered four double faults in dropping his serve to trail 5-2

NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic’s latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title crashed to a halt as 28th-ranked Alexei Popyrin knocked the defending champion out of the US Open third round.

One day after third seed Carlos Alcaraz slumped to a shock defeat against 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, 25-year-old Popyrin robbed the tournament of another superstar with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

Popyrin handed Djokovic his earliest US Open exit in 18 years and his earliest Grand Slam exit since he fell in the second round of the Australian Open in 2017 — which was also the last year the Serbian great failed to claim a single Grand Slam title.

Although he won the Olympic gold he had long coveted at the Paris Games, an uneven season that included knee surgery saw Djokovic come up empty in the majors.

He had beaten Popyrin in three prior encounters, including at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.

But a career-high 14 double faults — 49 unforced errors total — were too much for Djokovic to overcome.

“It was just an awful match for me,” Djokovic said. “I mean, I tried so many things, and sometimes that’s an issue ... you move away from the basics that work. You lose the foundation. You lose the movement, the timing, the rhythm, the tempo, everything, whether it’s a serve or any other shot.”

Popyrin, coming off the biggest title of his career at the Montreal Masters, saved five break points in the sixth game of the match, swinging fearlessly to seize the first two sets.

Djokovic gave himself some breathing room with an early break in the third. Popyrin clawed back only for Djokovic to break him twice more, the Serbian taking full advantage of Popyrin’s mounting errors.

But the Aussie responded in a tense fourth set, saving break points in the second game before breaking again for a 3-2 lead.

He stayed patient as Djokovic saved three break points and when the Serbian double faulted to gift him another Popyrin capitalized with a blistering forehand winner and let out a massive roar.

Djokovic delivered four double faults in dropping his serve to trail 5-2. He won the next two games, but Popyrin claimed the match with a love game.

“I was waiting for him to kind of step up,” Popyrin said.

“I didn’t want to be one of those moments where Novak kind of stepped up and came back from two sets to love down. It was kind of extra motivation for me not to do that and to win that fourth set.”

Popyrin will next face Frances Tiafoe, who beat fellow American Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-3 in a pulsating afternoon contest on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Tiafoe avenged a quarter-final loss to Shelton in New York last year, withstanding 23 aces with a brilliant return display that saw him muster 21 break points and convert five.

That included one break in each of the last two sets.

World No. 6 Andrey Rublev of Russia beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 and eighth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud rallied from two sets down to beat 19-year-old Shang Juncheng of China 6-7 (1/7), 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-1.


Newcastle boss Howe confident Isak will stay on amid transfer speculation

Newcastle boss Howe confident Isak will stay on amid transfer speculation
Updated 56 sec ago

Newcastle boss Howe confident Isak will stay on amid transfer speculation

Newcastle boss Howe confident Isak will stay on amid transfer speculation
  • British media reported earlier this week that Premier League champions Liverpool were interested in signing the 25-year-old Sweden international
  • Alexander Isak bagged 23 Premier League goals last season, only behind Liverpool talisman and Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe said he is confident that striker Alexander Isak will be at the Premier League club at the start of the 2025-26 season, after leaving the Swede out of their 4-0 friendly loss to Celtic due to transfer talk.
British media reported earlier this week that Premier League champions Liverpool were interested in signing the 25-year-old Sweden international, who has three years left on his Newcastle contract.
Isak bagged 23 Premier League goals last season, only behind Liverpool talisman and Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah (29). Isak, capped 52 times for his country, joined Newcastle from Spanish side Real Sociedad in 2022 and has since netted 62 times in 109 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions.
“It was my decision. He traveled back to Glasgow with us but I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him,” Howe told reporters after Saturday’s match.
“The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him. But I’m confident he will be a Newcastle player come the end of the window.
“It’s difficult for me to give 100 percent clarity on any player. Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team. I’m confident he’ll be here at the start of the season.
“Yes, I’ve had discussions with him but that’s not abnormal. I respect a player’s career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he’s trained really well and I realize there’ll be noise around him.”
Newcastle, who qualified for Champions League football after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season, will next be in action against Arsenal in a friendly match in Singapore next Sunday.

Lionel Messi’s 6th brace in 7 games seals Inter Miami’s win over Red Bulls

Lionel Messi’s 6th brace in 7 games seals Inter Miami’s win over Red Bulls
Updated 10 sec ago

Lionel Messi’s 6th brace in 7 games seals Inter Miami’s win over Red Bulls

Lionel Messi’s 6th brace in 7 games seals Inter Miami’s win over Red Bulls

Lionel Messi had two goals and two assists to lead Inter Miami to a bounce- back 5-1 victory over the host New York Red Bulls on Saturday night in Harrison, N.J.
Messi and Inter Miami (12-4-5, 41 points) erased a 1-0 first-half deficit with a flurry of goals late in the first half — two of them coming off the foot of Telasco Segovia — that staked the Herons to a 3-1 halftime lead.
Miami won its sixth MLS match in its past seven after having a five-game winning streak snapped at FC Cincinnati on Wednesday. Messi saw the end of his MLS-record streak of five matches scoring multiple goals, only to record a brace on Saturday.
The Red Bulls (9-9-6, 33 points) failed to string together consecutive wins at home and lost to Inter Miami for the second time this season.
New York scored its lone goal in the 15th minute when Emil Forsberg lifted a corner kick in front of Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo’s line of sight. Alexander Hack then kicked it home for the score despite having defender Federico Redondo draped all over him.
Rios Novo made his second start this season for Oscar Ustari, who sat out with an injury.
Jordi Alba, who exited the game in the 84th minute with what appeared to be a leg cramp, scored his first goal of the season in MLS league play off a cross from Messi in the 24th minute to tie the game1-1.
Inter Miami took the lead for good in the 27th when Luis Suarez, who assisted on the first goal, sent a ball ahead to Messi, who then directed it quickly to Alba, who then crossed it back to Segovia for an easy shot into the back of the net.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Redondo advanced the ball into the Red Bulls’ box but could not fire off a shot. Segovia, though, surged in and fired a shot off a rebound past Carlos Miguel Coronel for a third goal.
Messi followed with goals in the 60th and 75th minutes to seal the outcome.
Messi increased his total goals in MLS games to 18 this season and has contributed on 27 scores.
The Red Bulls mustered nine shots in the match, but they were outshot 8-1 in shots on target.


Barrios holds off Pacquiao to retain WBC welterweight crown

Barrios holds off Pacquiao to retain WBC welterweight crown
Updated 20 July 2025

Barrios holds off Pacquiao to retain WBC welterweight crown

Barrios holds off Pacquiao to retain WBC welterweight crown
  • Mario Barrios holds onto his belt despite being dominated by Filipino icon for several rounds

LAS VEGAS: Mario Barrios held off a battling Manny Pacquiao to retain his WBC world welterweight crown with a fight ruled a majority draw on Saturday.

Barrios, 30, held onto his belt despite being dominated for several rounds by 46-year-old Filipino icon Pacquiao, returning to the ring for the first time after a four-year retirement.

Barrios was awarded the fight 115-113 by one judge, with the other two cards scoring it 114-114.

The result drew a subdued reaction from the MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd, who had roared on Pacquiao as he attempted to make a spectacular return to boxing.

At times, it seemed as if Pacquiao was poised to write another improbable chapter in his 30-year professional career as he used all of his guile and experience to frustrate Barrios.

But Barrios rallied furiously over the final three rounds – he was deemed the winner of those rounds on all three cards – to do just enough to force a result that sees him retain his title.

“I thought I won the fight,” Pacquiao said afterwards. “I mean, it was a close fight. My opponent was very tough. But it was a wonderful fight.

“I was trying to find a way to finish the fight but my opponent was so tough. He threw punches in combination and with defense, so it was hard.”

Barrios, meanwhile, felt he had done enough to deserve the draw.

“I thought I pulled it out,” Barrios said. “But I still tip my hat to Manny. It was an honor to share the ring with him, somebody with so much experience who has accomplished so much in this sport. We left everything in the ring, nothing but love and respect.”

Barrios admitted he had been awed by Pacquiao’s remarkable reserves of energy and stamina.

“That’s crazy – his stamina, he can still crack and he’s still strong as hell. His timing, his rhythm, everything. He was still a very awkward fighter to figure out.”


WNBA All-Stars make statement with warmup shirts over CBA

WNBA All-Stars make statement with warmup shirts over CBA
Updated 20 July 2025

WNBA All-Stars make statement with warmup shirts over CBA

WNBA All-Stars make statement with warmup shirts over CBA
  • The idea was hatched Saturday morning at a players meeting
  • The players and the league failed to reach a new CBA

INDIANAPOLIS: The WNBA All-Stars wanted to send a clear message to the league on the game’s brightest stage.

All of the players on Team Clark and Team Collier warmed up for Saturday night’s WNBA All-Star Game in shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us.”

“We get a very tiny percentage of all the money that’s made through the WNBA, which obviously is made through the entertainment we provide,” said Napheesa Collier on the decision to wear the shirts. “So we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that.”

The idea was hatched Saturday morning at a players meeting.

The demonstration comes after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement at an in-person meeting Thursday. The league’s players opted out of their last CBA in October, and are looking for a better revenue-sharing model, increased salaries, improved benefits and a softer salary cap.

After the failed negotiations, many players said there was a large discrepancy between what they wanted and what the league was offering. If a new CBA is not reached by October some players, including All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, have mentioned the potential of a walkout.

At the end of the game, chants of “Pay them!” broke out in the arena. Some fans held signs that read “Pay the players,” during the game.

“We had no idea that they were in solidarity with our demonstration,” said Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA. “I’ve been hearing it all weekend at the fan events, supporting us and wanting us to get our fair share of the value.”

This was potentially the last time that so many players would be together in one place before the season ends — a fact not lost on the union leadership.

“This is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness for what we’re doing and do it together,” Collier said.

The players aren’t decided whether they’ll wear the shirts on their own teams over the course of the second half of the season which begins Tuesday. They hope that fans will wear them as the union announced on social media during the game that the shirts were on sale.

Ogwumike was unaware that the shirts were already on sale.

“You put it out there, and you stand on business,” said Courtney Williams about the shirts. “And we’re standing on business.”


Seville, Alfred and Koech shine in London rain

Seville, Alfred and Koech shine in London rain
Updated 20 July 2025

Seville, Alfred and Koech shine in London rain

Seville, Alfred and Koech shine in London rain
  • Jamaica’s Seville too strong for Olympic champion Lyles
  • Alfred wins women’s 200m in personal best
  • Teenage Kenyan Koech spoils British party in 1,500m

LONDON: Oblique Seville left Olympic champion Noah Lyles chewing his dust on Saturday as the Jamaican blasted out of the blocks and kept the hammer down to win the London Diamond League 100 meters in a hot 9.86 seconds. Seville, so impressive through the rounds at last year’s Olympics before coming last in the final, roared into a two-meter lead after 20 meters and was never threatened as he came home clear, with Lyles finishing strongly, but not enough, for second in 10.00.

A sold-out 60,000 Olympic Stadium crowd braved early storms to watch some superb performances as athletes start to build toward September’s world championships in Tokyo.

Julien Alfred won the women’s 200m in a scorching personal best of 21.71 seconds, Briton Charlie Dobson was a surprise winner of the 400m, 18-year-old Kenyan Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech won the 1,500m and Mykolas Alekna won the discus with a Diamond League record of 71.70 meters.

As always, however, it was the 100m that was the center piece, with, as always, Lyles at the center of that.

The American, who had been struggling with an ankle injury, began his season in earnest last week with victory over 200m in Monaco and was in confident mood clad in a fetching mauve one-piece on Saturday.

However, it was the red blur of Seville that caught the eye after a brilliant pick-up stage that effectively settled the race by 25 meters.

“I am proud of how I ran among a stacked field. I was the only one to run under 10 seconds today, it is something special and phenomenal heading into a major championship,” said Seville, who has yet to turn his talent into individual gold on the world stage.

Lyles was also upbeat. “I feel great after that, I feel extremely healthy and I am feeling no pain,” he said. “I wanted the win but I think it was my fastest-ever season opener, so I will take that result today.”

Alfred wins 200m

The women’s Olympic 100m champion, St. Lucia’s Alfred, was hugely impressive winner of the 200m, forging clear in the latter stages to clock a meeting record. British duo Dina Asher-Smith (22.25) and Amy Hunt (22.31) followed her home.

In a high-quality 1,500 meters field it was rising star Koech who took the honors, forcing past Britain’s world champion Josh Kerr on the inside 200 meters out and driving clear to win in 3:28.82.

His compatriot, Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyoni, made it a middle-distance double by taking the 800m. Canadian Marco Arop, whom he beat by one hundredth of a second in last year’s Olympic final, came off the final bend in the lead but Wanyoni surged through to win in 1:42.00.

Medina Eisa, 20, beat fellow Ethiopian Fantaye Belayneh in a fantastic women’s 5,000 meters, battling in a back-and-forth final 200 meters to snatch victory in 14.30.97 as Belayneh set a personal best of 14:30.90.

Despite the injury absence of Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, there was plenty to cheer for the home fans in the women’s 800m as Georgia Hunter Bell ran a superbly-judged race to win in 1:56.74 from American Addison Wiley.

There was British success in the men’s 400m too but not what was expected as Dobson overhauled favorite Matt Hudson-Smith on the line.

Dobson was 10 meters adrift entering the final straight but finished like a train to sweep past five rivals and looked stunned when he saw his personal best of 44.14 seconds on the screen. World and Olympic silver medallist Hudson-Smith, tying up, finished second in 44.27.

Alekna did not let a wet circle impact his performance as he won the discus with a mighty 71.70 throw – a Diamond League record but almost four meters off the world record the Lithuanian set in the United States in April in a performance dubbed “weather doping” because of the assistance gained from high winds.