SPORTS
Medvedev Stuns Alcaraz to Set up Sinner Final
Daniil Medvedev brought an end to world number one Carlos Alcaraz’s perfect start to 2026 to reach the final at Indian Wells.
Alcaraz began the year by winning the Australian Open and was on a 16-match winning streak until running into Medvedev.
The Russian made a quick start, taking the opening set in 35 minutes, en route to a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory in California.
The 30-year-old, who has finished runner-up at the California event on two occasions, will face Jannik Sinner after the world number two caught the eye with a 6-2 6-4 win over Alexander Zverev earlier in the day.
“It’s an amazing feeling to beat someone like Carlos – the number one in the world,” said Medvedev.
“In a way, when you play him or Jannik [Sinner] or Novak [Djokovic] it doesn’t matter the ranking.
“It’s just a great feeling to play them, and to beat them, of course, is even better.”
Medvedev took both break-point opportunities in the first set, before battling to victory via a tie-break in the second.
The 2021 US Open champion, who beat defending champion Jack Draper in the quarter-finals, extended his own winning streak to nine matches after taking last month’s Dubai Tennis Championship title.
“I just have to give credit to Daniil,” said Alcaraz.
“I think he just played an amazing match. Since the start of the match until the end of the match, he was playing unreal, I got to say. I have never seen, to be honest, playing Daniil like this.”
Sinner has won 21 of his 24 titles on hard courts and looked on top form as he raced to victory against Zverev in one hour and 23 minutes.
The 24-year-old is aiming to become just the third man – after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – to capture all six ATP Masters 1,000 hard-court titles.
“It was a great performance – very solid from the back of the court. I tried to go for shots and that felt like one of the keys,” Sinner said.
“He has a huge serve so I tried to mix it up. From my side I was very precise and it was a solid performance.
“I thought the match would be more physical but when both serve well it’s difficult to get into a rhythm with short points.”
Sinner has endured a frustrating start to 2026, failing to reach a final prior to this event, but was inspired as he attempts to land what by his standards is perhaps an overdue title.
It was in the first set where the mental damage was done as the Italian, who has now won seven of his 11 meetings with Zverev, dropped just four points on serve and broke twice.
Zverev struggled to find rhythm on serve in the opening set and Sinner made him pay – winning six of the eight second-serve return points.
The German, 28, stood firm to save three break points in the opening service game of the second set, but he was ultimately broken to trail 4-3 with the remainder of the match staying on serve.
Guinea will face Nigeria’s Flamingos in the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Guineans defeated Niger Republic 3-0 in the second leg of their qualifying fixture in Conakry on Saturday.
They won the contest 8-2 on aggregate, following their 5-2 triumph in the first leg last week.
The winner of the Flamingos versus Guinea clash will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos set up camp in Abuja for the clash with their fellow West Africans last week.
Newly appointed head coach, Akeem Busari invited 36 players to camp for the team’s preparation.
The Nigerian National League (NNL) side, Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi, has trimmed its squad and retained a few quality players to push for promotion to the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Lobi Stars Chairman Simon Ikya made the disclosure in a statement signed by Austin Tyowua, Principal Media Officer to the club, and made it available to newsmen on Thursday in Makurdi.
Ikya said that the club took the decision after a meeting with all the players and technical staff at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi.
The chairman explained that the decision was rooted in duty rather than dislike.
He stated that the players on the exit list would be granted clearance at the end of April once their entitlements were settled.
Ikya added that for those retained, there would be no room for laxity.
The chairman urged them to tighten their belts, keep the focus, and drive the Federation Cup campaign all the way to its final stop.
Meanwhile, the list of retained players was read out by the head coach, John Onuh.
The Kogi State Government has pledged to prioritise the development of basketball in the state to boost the sport’s profile and promote youth engagement.
The Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Monday Anyebe, made the pledge at the inauguration of the Kogi State Basketball Association on Tuesday in Lokoja.
Anyebe assured stakeholders of the government’s commitment to the development of basketball under the administration of Gov.
Ahmed Ododo.Represented by the Director of Sports in the state, James Igah, the commissioner said the administration would focus on nurturing basketball, particularly in rural areas, to enhance youth development.
He added that the government would collaborate with the association to promote sports development across the state.
Anyebe urged the newly inaugurated executives of the association to come up with innovative ideas to advance the sport.
Responding, the Chairman of the Kogi State Basketball Association, Mustapha Abdullahi, reaffirmed his commitment to the growth of basketball in the state.
Abdullahi, who is also the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, commended the state government for its efforts in promoting sports development.
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