SPORTS
Top Two Seeds Djokovic, Thiem Ousted in Vienna Open Quarter-finals
World number one Novak Djokovic and U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem crashed out of the Vienna Open in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Both top seeds were beaten in straight sets by Lorenzo Sonego and Andrey Rublev respectively.
Djokovic, who had a 39-2 record this year, failed to convert a single break-point in a 6-2 6-1 loss while Sonego broke the Serb five times for the biggest win of his career.
Sonego’s first top-10 victory capped a dream week for the 25-year-old, who lost the final qualifier but entered the main draw as a lucky loser.
“For sure it’s the best victory of my life,” Sonego said in an on-court interview.
“I played so, so good today. I like this tournament, I like the conditions here. It’s unbelievable.”Djokovic said knowing that he had already secured the year-end number one spot in the rankings affected his performance.
The 33-year-old, who will not be defending his Paris Masters crown, said he was already looking forward to the season-ending ATP Finals.
“I’ve done what I needed to do and why I came here. I move on completely fine with today’s result and looking to the next chapter,” Djokovic said. “I’m healthy and looking forward to a strong finish in London.”
Earlier, Russian Rublev ousted defending champion Thiem 7-6(5) 6-2, firing 30 winners and saving both break-points he faced.
With neither player dropping serve in the opening set, it was Rublev who managed to swing the momentum his way in the tiebreak.
This was in what he described as “two unreal rallies” at 4-3 before early breaks in the second allowed him to seal the tie.
Rublev is seeking a Tour-leading fifth title of the year having won in Doha, Adelaide, Hamburg and, most recently, St Petersburg earlier this month.
“I came here with the mood that I have nothing to lose,” Rublev said. “I already (had) a really great season.
“I came here with zero expectations, just to do my best. To try to fight every match. At the end, I am here in the semi-finals.”(Reuters/NAN)
Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.
The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.
The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.
Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.
The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.
In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.
He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.
“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.
With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills”.
The event will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, at the Additional Sports and Entertainment (ASEP) Pro Limited, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Initiative.
A statement issued by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, on Tuesday, said that the seminar was part of the one-week sports and leadership boot camp titled “Awaken the Giant, She Can 4.
0,” proudly supported by NTTF.“This seminar will also represent the third stage of the 2024 “My Gender, My Strength” programme, which has table tennis star Abosede Akinsete, as a beneficiary.
“NTTF President,Tikon Ishaku, Vice President, Adesoji Tayo, and other board members are dedicated to initiatives that support the development of coaches.
“Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the GEDI Initiative.
He explained that the seminar would feature people, who would speak on leadership and management skills, to enhance the abilities of coaches to identify and develop talents, as well as encourage the development of high-performance table tennis players capable of competing globally. (NAN)
Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Sunday returned to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) summit as strong rivals Remo Stars FC faltered on Match Day 13.
Report says that Rivers United beat visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 after an Ndifreke Effiong 58th minute goal from the penalty kick spot.
Effiong’s goal in the match at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium helped them to move to 25 points from 13 matches, after seven wins, four draws and two losses.
Former leaders Remo Stars dropped to second with 23 points from 13 matches after seven wins, two draws and four losses, following a 0-2 loss to hosts Katsina United.
Plateau United of Jos beat visiting Nasarawa United of Lafia 2-0 to bolster their position.
Shooting Stars Sports Club also struggled to a 1-0 win over visiting Bayelsa United of Yenago.
A 15th minute goal by Anthony Okachi at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan gave them the win.
El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri had on Saturday beaten Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 to move into third place on the table with 22 points from 13 games.
Enyimba International of Aba remained in fourth place with 20 points from 12 matches, with their week 13 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure on hold.
Rangers International of Enugu are in fifth place with 20 points also, after a goalless draw with hosts Heartland FC ain Owerri on Saturday.
Bendel Insurance of Benin had also beaten Kwara United of Ilorin 3-1, while Lobi Stars of Makurdi drew 2-2 with visiting Kano Pillars in Lafia.
NAN reports that the league will enter Match Day 14 on Wednesday.(NAN)
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