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Tennis 2022: Nick Kyrgios wows in ‘absolutely bonkers’ Washington Open win over Frances Tiafoe

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 6, 2022
No Comments on Tennis 2022: Nick Kyrgios wows in ‘absolutely bonkers’ Washington Open win over Frances Tiafoe

Nick Kyrgios has survived an epic three-set clash against Frances Tiafoe to progress through to the semi-finals of the Washington Open.

After two and a half hours of high quality tennis, the Australian prevailed over the American 6-7 7-6 6-2.

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There was nothing in it in the first set, but Kyrgios didn’t do himself any favors with a double fault in the tie-break to give Tiafoe the upper hand.

The match went up a gear in the second set, culminating in an epic tie-break that Kyrgios won 14-12, as he somehow managed to save five match points.

Kyrgios and Tiafoe fired off several aces and countless lengthy rallies in an exchange that left tennis fans in awe.

The Washington Post’s Ella Brockway tweeted: “This Kyrgios-Tiafoe match is absolutely bonkers.

“There are few things in sports quite like The Nick Kyrgios Experience.”

Both players complained to the chair umpire on multiple occasions, unhappy with spectators in the crowd yelling out during points and as they were preparing to serve.

“I want to go to bed,” Kyrgios said midway through the third set.

He fired off a whopping 35 aces and 60 winners in total as he ran away with the third set, wrapping up the match at 1am local time in Washington DC

He will next face Sweden’s Mikael Ymer in the semi-finals as his quest for a second title in Washington continues.

On the women’s side of the draw, Australia’s Daria Saville continued her strong form with a 6-1 7-5 win over Rebecca Marino to book her place in a semi-final against sixth seed Kaia Kanepi.

Top seed Andrey Rublev won twice on Saturday (AEST) to reach the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Washington Open, dispatching Americans Maxime Cressy and JJ Wolf at the US Open tuneup.

Rain forced double duty upon Rublev and several others but storms provided everyone a timely rest break between matches.

He will take on Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the other semi-final.

Read related topics:Nick Kyrgios

Tags America, chair umpire, epic three set, epic tie break, Europe, final match, match points, matthew sullivan, multiple occasions, North America, Northern America, Northern Europe, quality tennis, Rebecca Marino, Sweden, The Washington Post Company, Tour Tournaments, United States of America, Washington

Sports

Tennis news 2022: Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic officially out of Montreal ATP event ahead of US Open, Nick Kyrgios

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 5, 2022
No Comments on Tennis news 2022: Unvaccinated Novak Djokovic officially out of Montreal ATP event ahead of US Open, Nick Kyrgios

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, whose refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19 makes him unable to enter Canada, has officially withdrawn from the ATP hardcourt tournament in Montreal, organizers said on Thursday.

The Serbian star’s unvaccinated status made it unlikely he would play in the prestigious ATP Masters tournament, just as it means he will probably miss the US Open starting later in August as the United States also requires visitors to the country to show proof of vaccination.

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Earlier this month, Montreal Masters tournament director Eugene Lepierre said he did not expect Djokovic to play.

“Either the Canadian government is going to change the rules regarding vaccination or he is going to roll up his sleeves and get the vaccine. But I don’t think any of those scenarios are realistic,” Lepierre said.

Germany’s Oscar Otte has also withdrawn from the tournament which starts on Monday with Benjamin Bonzi of France and Australia’s Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios moving into the main draw, Tennis Canada said.

In addition, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray was handed a wildcard on Thursday, along with Belgian David Goffin and Canadians Vasek Pospisil and Alexis Galarneau.

Britain’s Murray, a former world number one who won the Canadian title in 2009, 2010 and 2015, has been rising in the rankings this season from 134th to 50th.

He reached finals in Sydney in January and Stuttgart in June, but fell in the first round in Washington earlier this week to Sweden’s Mikael Ymer.

Despite that disappointment, Murray said on Monday he believes he can get his ranking high enough to earn a seeding at the US Open, which he won a decade ago.

“It’s still possible,” he said. “I would just need to have a good run in Canada or Cincinnati really. It’s pretty straightforward if I was to make a quarter-final or a semi-final, which right now – after a loss like that – doesn’t seem realistic.

“I do feel like if I play very well that I could do that. But I’ll certainly need to play better than I did today.”

Meanwhile, Kyrgios has continued his preparation for the last grand slam of the year with a strong win over Tommy Paul at the Washington Open on Thursday (AEST).

The Australian was challenged in just his second singles match since Wimbledon and had to play his best tennis to defeat Paul 6-3 6-4.

Kyrgios was locked in, firing off 15 aces including one rocket at 218km/h.

He was superb in the clutch moments — saving all four break points he faced and converting three out of four of his own break point opportunities.

Kyrgios was up to his usual antics when he got stuck into the umpire after he was given a code violation for ball abuse.

But the Washington crowd was in his corner and he showed his soft side in the first set, when an elderly fan was hit in the face by a ball that took a wayward bounce into the stands.

Kyrgios went over and handed the spectator one of his towels.

He is chasing his second title in Washington and will next face fourth seed Reilly Opelka in the round of 16 on Friday.

– with Matthew Sullivan and AFP

Read related topics:Nick Kyrgios

Sports

AFL 2022: Fresh twist in Buddy Franklin saga amid conflicting reports about move from Swans to Brisbane

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 5, 2022
No Comments on AFL 2022: Fresh twist in Buddy Franklin saga amid conflicting reports about move from Swans to Brisbane

Buddy Franklin is reportedly edging closer to a deal to remain at the Sydney Swans as rumors swirl over his future in the AFL.

Channel 9 reported on Thursday Franklin was set to turn his back on Sydney for a deal with the Brisbane Lions.

The report said the Lions and Franklin’s management have already entered into preliminary discussions.

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It was immediately countered by Swans CEO Tom Harley who said the report linking Sydney’s star forward to Brisbane was “news to him”.

“There’s nothing to announce, but there’s nothing untoward at the same time (on Franklin’s future),” Harley told 3AW.

“There’s no hurry from our point of view and no hurry from his point of view.

“Things are all tracking well at the moment.”

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said on Friday the Lions would be open to having a chat with Franklin if he was indeed considering moving north to continue his career.

The Lions coach felt if Franklin was to relocate to Queensland it would likely be for retirement rather than to continue his football career.

“I would have thought if they are moving to Queensland, that’s perhaps an indication that Bud’s going to retire from AFL football,” Fagan said.

But sports broadcaster Andy Maher said on Friday he has been told Franklin will stay with the Swans and is simply signing up the details around a contract extension.

“I can’t say where it came from, but Franklin’s not going to Brisbane,” Maher said on his SEN radio show.

“He’s not going, he’s going to stay at Sydney and they’re in the throws of working out the contract, so it does sound like he’s going to play another year at the Swans if this information is true and where it’s coming from is pretty strong.

“They’re arguing whether the last $100,000 is marketing money or how it fits in, how they can use what they have available to them within the rules of the game to satisfy what is right for Franklin to receive.

“They’re right at the very end and the edges of just tidying up the contract for next year.”

The conflicting reports come as former Hawthorn forward Ben Dixon argued Franklin has more chance of “playing on the moon than Victoria” next year, with Brisbane the perfect fit.

“I reckon there’s some real merit in (rumors of the Brisbane move),” Dixon told Fox Footy.

“My gut feels is yes (he’ll leave Sydney).

“He’s more chance of playing on the moon than in Victoria.

“Going for one more tilt, going to a different club, it’s not going to tarnish anything about your reputation in the game.

“He’s only going to go north.

“He’s a Perth boy, but you can rule out those two clubs (Fremantle and West Coast). You can rule out the Giants. It’s a process of elimination – the Gold Coast or it’s Brisbane.

“Brisbane’s right in the wheelhouse to win it. If it’s not this year, they still have got a little tilt next year.

“I know his motivation in signing a long-term deal with Sydney was sustainable success.

“I think his drive and his motivation – he wants to win a flag.

“He could be the hottest property in Queensland.

“If you look at it and you say: ‘Who’s closer to the flag (Gold Coast or Brisbane)?’ Well, there’s no doubt Brisbane are.”

Franklin and his wife Jesinta have made plenty of headlines in recent months after the bombshell news the 35-year-old believed the Swans were lowballing him.

Franklin joined the Swans from Hawthorn in 2014 on a nine-year $10 million deal but the star forward was looking for $700,000 per season.

While Franklin has been injury prone in recent years, the scenes of fans flooding onto the SCG when he kicked his 1000th career goal earlier this year showed he is still one of the sport’s biggest drawcards.

But reports of a move out of Sydney dominated headlines in early July and Jesinta told Channel 7’s The Morning Show “we’ve got options” when questioned about the speculation.

Read related topics:sydney

Sports

Cricket 2022: Chris Lynn ‘nervous’ for return to Australia in innovative Brisbane Premier League, how to watch, Kayo Freebies

Aussie T20 specialist Chris Lynn admits he is feeling “nervous” ahead of his foray into a new domestic cricket tournament.

This weekend the explosive batter is taking part in the Brisbane Premier League (BPL) — a local cricket event with a few innovative twists.

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The BPL sees eight teams compete across two pools, with the tournament culminating in the semi-finals and final, which will be played on Sunday afternoon.

“Hopefully there’s a bit of a festival happening and we’re able to see some quality cricket,” Lynn told news.com.au.

Dubbed ‘The Century’, the games will see 20 balls bowled from each end five times with the aim of speeding up the game without having to break for overs across the 100-ball innings.

“For the seniors this weekend, the rules are based around The Hundred from England but it’s called The Century,” Lynn said.

“So we’ve got a bit of a twist, we try to spice things up.”

All the action is available to stream via Kayo Freebies and the BPL has created a concept called the ‘Kayo Call’, where Lynn and former Queensland teammate Nathan Reardon will be the two VIP batters for the 6pm games on Friday and Saturday night.

“It’s all on Kayo Freebies,” Lynn said.

“With that, myself and Nathan Reardon will be commentating tonight’s game at 6pm and tomorrow night’s game at 6pm. Whoever wins the toss gets to choose either myself or Reardo, that’s a little bit of a novelty.”

How the ‘Kayo Call’ works

— Both players (Lynn and Reardon) are available to bat.

— The winner of the toss can either choose the player they want to bat for them or whether they bat or bowl first.

— If the winner of the toss chooses a player, the loser of the toss gets the other play and decides whether they want to bat or bowl first.

— If the winner of the toss chooses to bat or bowl, the loser of the toss gets to choose which player they want.

— The player not on the field will be in the commentary box.

Lynn, who is a part-owner of the Northern Kings, said the Kayo Call could even see him playing against his own local side.

“I could actually be playing against the Kings… so it’s going to be quite funny,” he said.

Lynn’s future in the Big Bash is up in the air after he was cut by the Brisbane Heat, but he is hoping to continue his strong from the T20 Blast in the UK into this weekend’s action.

“I’m looking forward to getting out in the middle,” he said.

“I haven’t played local cricket for a while now so I’m keen to see how the juniors are travelling.”

“There’s going to be some buzz around Norths cricket club and we’re going to see some local talent on display. I’m probably a bit nervous because you’re expected to score runs.

“It’s all about scoring runs, I’m going to try and entertain. For those who can’t get down to Norths, it’s on Kayo so it’s a great endorsement from them to allow the Brisbane Premier League on that.”

The 32-year-old said the aim of the BPL is to showcase junior local talent to top level cricket.

“We’re trying to get some youngsters some exposure in men’s cricket,” Lynn said.

“We’ve just seen Adelaide starting their league as well. Ideally we’d love to have teams in every state. The world’s your oyster after that. The winners can play against each other, there’s a number of options that we’ve got.

“The guys have put a really good foundation in Brisbane. Having this festival century tournament is really going to make its mark in Brisbane Premier Cricket.”

The Brisbane Premier League (BPL) is available to stream live and free via Kayo Freebies. No credit card details are required to sign up.

Read related topics:Brisbane

Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: Jamaica beat Australia Diamonds in ‘extraordinary’ netball upset, score, result

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 5, 2022
No Comments on Commonwealth Games 2022: Jamaica beat Australia Diamonds in ‘extraordinary’ netball upset, score, result

Jamaica has defeated Australia for the first time in Commonwealth Games netball history, springing a shock 57-55 upset to shake up the race for gold.

Both nations went into the hotly anticipated clash undefeated and faced their first proper test to decide the winner of Group A.

There was nothing in it in the first half as the Diamonds and the Sunshine Girls went goal for goal, and Australia took a 30-29 lead into halftime.

Australia dominated the third quarter and took a six-point lead into three quarter time, largely thanks to their control of the midcourt and Gretel Bueta and Steph Wood firing on all cylinders in the shooting circle.

But just as the Aussies looked home and hosed, Jamaica somehow found another gear in the final term and chewed up the deficit in just a handful of minutes to hit the lead.

Bueta was silenced in the last quarter — she finished with 36 goals from 39 attempts, while Wood had 19 goals at 86 per cent shooting.

“How quickly this game has been turned on its head,” legendary Diamonds shooter Cath Cox said in commentary on Channel 7.

“It looked like Australia had taken control and it was all over.”

Jhaniele Fowler was superb at goal shooter for Jamaica in a physical duel with her West Coast Fever teammate Courtney Bruce.

Adelaide Thunderbirds duo Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson were outstanding in defense and secured ball at will for Jamaica with countless deflections.

“Extraordinary scenes, the Diamonds defeated for the first time this tournament,” Sue Gaudion said.

Cox said Jamaica’s performance “screamed ‘we can medal at these Games’,” adding Australia appeared to “shut up shop” in the last quarter.

“Australia couldn’t win the ball back — it was some brilliant defensive work from Jamaica. They really just lifted another level in the fourth quarter,” she said.

The two-point victory was Jamaica’s first over Australia in Commonwealth Games history and will seriously shake up the race for the medals.

It’s far from disaster for Australia, but they will now likely come up against England in the semi-finals on a more difficult path to the gold medal match.

Australia’s last Commonwealth Games netball gold medal came in Glasgow in 2014. The Diamonds claimed silver on the Gold Coast in 2018 after losing a thrilling final to England.

Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: Jamaica beat Australia Diamonds in ‘extraordinary’ netball upset, score, result

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 4, 2022
No Comments on Commonwealth Games 2022: Jamaica beat Australia Diamonds in ‘extraordinary’ netball upset, score, result