Author: robin24

The top seed was supposed to face Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the last eight.© AFP Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Japan Open ahead of her quarter-final on Friday after the four-time Grand Slam champion failed to recover from a leg injury. The former world number one was tearful after struggling through her last-16 match against defending champion Suzan Lamens in Osaka on Wednesday. Top seed Osaka, who turned 28 this week, was supposed to face Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the last eight. “We regret to announce that Naomi Osaka has not recovered from a left leg injury…

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma of India (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) AB de Villiers has shared how special it is to still see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing for India. The former South African captain, who has been Kohli’s long-time IPL teammate and close friend, spoke at the Launch of Test Twenty, a proposed fourth format of the game. He compared watching Kohli now to seeing Tiger Woods during his comeback years. Despite the uncertainty around their international careers, de Villiers said he is simply happy to watch them in action.“I’m one of those guys who take what…

Saudi Arabia captain Salem Al Dawsari was named Asia’s Player of the Year for a second time.© X (Twitter) Saudi Arabia captain Salem Al Dawsari was named Asia’s Player of the Year for a second time and Japan’s Hana Takahashi won the women’s award at a ceremony in Riyadh. The 34-year-old winger Al Dawsari finished top scorer in last season’s AFC Champions League with 10 goals as he helped Al Hilal reach the semi-finals of the continent’s top club competition. Al Dawsari, who also scooped the award in 2022, said: “This achievement is not the end of the…

Max Verstappen took pole position for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday, the reigning Formula One champion giving himself a chance at Monza of slowing McLaren’s domination. Dutchman Verstappen, who has won the last four world titles, will start in the front row alongside Lando Norris who was just ahead of his McLaren teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri. Having led for much of Q3, Verstappen snatched back first place in the final seconds of qualifying from Norris, who has been strong this weekend and seemed to have pipped the Red Bull man. Verstappen completed his rapid last lap…

Tennis Premier League (TPL) is all set for a landmark Season 7, scheduled to take place from December 9 to 14, 2025, at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad. This season promises to be a thrilling celebration of tennis excellence, with India’s very own 2-time Grand Slam champion Rohan Bopanna, World No. 29 Luciano Darderi (Italy), World No. 38 Corentin Moutet (France) and World No.39 Alexandre Muller (France) leading a stellar line-up of global stars joining forces with India’s finest players. As the auction for Season 7 approaches on October 9 in Mumbai, the eight franchises are…

Mark Wood celebrates with teammates (gettyimages) England fast bowler Mark Wood, who was sidelined due to a knee injury since the Champions Trophy, has described his off-season as a “frustrating summer” as he prepares for the upcoming Ashes 2025 series against Australia. The 35-year-old pacer, who was England’s leading wicket-taker in the 2021-22 Ashes and earned a Man of the Match award at Headingley in 2023, is now focusing on his recovery and return to competitive cricket.The Ashes 2025-26 series is scheduled to begin on November 21 at Perth’s Optus Stadium, with the opening Test running until November 25.The second…

A first-half header from Nick Woltemade was enough as Germany edged a dogged Northern Ireland 1-0 in Belfast on Monday to stay top of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group. Woltemade put the visitors in front with a header after 31 minutes, scoring his first goal in Germany colours. “It was a very important three points for us,” Woltemade told Germany’s RTL, adding “in this atmosphere and in a bit of an ugly game, you have to win and we did well”. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann agreed the win was “ugly”, adding “it definitely wasn’t our nicest game…

Italy: Max Verstappen slowed McLaren’s Formula One dominance on Sunday with a phenomenal display of driving on his way to victory at the Italian Grand Prix, the fastest ever race in the sports history. Starting from pole, reigning world champion Verstappen completed a magical weekend at Monza which included the fastest lap ever in F1 in Saturday’s qualifying by schooling McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at Monza. Red Bull’s Verstappen has little chance of securing a fifth straight drivers’ title as he still trails championship leader Piastri by 94 points with the Australian finishing third. “It was…

Daria Kasatkina in action© AFP Russia-born Australian tennis player Daria Kasatkina says she’s ending the season early for the sake of her mental wellbeing after hitting “breaking point” on tour. The 19th-ranked Kasatkina, a French Open semifinalist in 2022, said Monday she has been left drained by the constant travel on the tour schedule, a stressful process to gain permanent residency in Australia, and being unable to see her parents. Kasatkina, who is engaged to figure skating Olympic medalist Natalia Zabiiako, told the Times of London in 2023 that she can’t go back to Russia “as a gay…

Marnus Labuschagne of Australia celebrates with team mates(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images) Marnus Labuschagne’s resurgence in domestic cricket has put him on the brink of an Ashes recall, and a key influence behind his revival is none other than former Indian opener Virender Sehwag. The Australian star smashed a 197-ball 159 against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, marking his fourth century in five matches. After a difficult two-year period in Tests, where he struggled with decision-making and scored at a sluggish strike rate of 44.25, Labuschagne appears rejuvenated and confident ahead of Australia’s Ashes campaign.Lowest Test strike rate among…