Novak Djokovic wins 19th Grand Slam and more…7 min read
Reading Time: 5 minutesAdithya G
The Top Two
Novak Djokovic wins 19th Grand Slam
Novak Djokovic perhaps played his best match of the tournament in the semi-final to oust the ‘king of clay’ Rafael Nadal in 4 sets.
Thus, the World No.1 had to dig deep in the final as he came back from being two sets down against Stefanos Tsitsipas to become the only male player to have won each of the four Grand Slams at least twice. The Serbian beat Tsitsipas 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Djokovic now holds the all-time record for most five-set matches won at the Grand Slams (32), having eclipsed Federer (30).
Christian Eriksen’s stable after mid game collapse
Denmark footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during their Euro 2020 opener with Finland in Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and the 29-year-old was stretchered off. It was later revealed that he was resuscitated from cardiac arrest.
The game was temporarily suspended awaiting updates on Eriksen’s health, but resumed later in the evening after reports emerged that the player was awake and in a stable condition. It ended in a 1-0 win for debutants Finland.
Tennis
Krejcikova’s Sweeps Singles-Doubles at Roland Garros
Barbora Krejcikova became the first Czech Republic international in 40 years to win the French Open. She beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the women’s final to lift her maiden Grand Slam singles title.
This is the sixth consecutive year Paris has crowned a first-time Grand Slam women’s singles champion. Alongside compatriot Katerina Siniakova, Krejicikova went on to win the doubles crown at Paris as well.
Football – Euro 2020
Italy, Netherlands and England Begin on a Winning Note
In the opening match of the tournament, Italy beat Turkey 3-0 to maintain their unbelievable 11-match winning streak that includes 10 qualifiers for the tournament.
Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne both scored after an own-goal from Turkey defender Merih Demiral had given Italy the lead.
England registered a winning start with a 1-0 win over Croatia. Raheem Sterling’s brilliant goal in the second half proved to be the winner for Gareth Southgate’s men at Wembley.
Netherlands snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Ukraine in their opening game. The Dutch were in a good position with 20 minutes to go after skipper Gini Wwijnaldum and Wout Weghorst scored in quick succession.
Ukraine levelled the scores with two goals in four minutes. Andriy Yarmelenko scored a worldie and Roman Yaremchuk levelled the score with ten minutes to go.
Netherlands clinched the win with five minutes to spare as Denzel Dumfries’ header hit the back of the net.
Brazil off to a winning start in Copa America
Brazil kicked off Copa America 2021 with a 3-0 win over Venezuela in the tournament opener.
Marquinhos, Neymar and Gabriel Barbosa scored in the opening game, a day after several Venezuelan players tested positive for COVID-19. Venezuela had to summon 15 new players at short notice after eight squad members tested positive for COVID-19.
NBA
Phoenix Suns Reach Final after Denver Sweep
Chris Paul scored 37 points, Devin Booker had 34 points and 11 rebounds, as the visiting Phoenix Suns beat Denver Nuggets 125-118 to sweep the Western Conference semifinal series.
The NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic was given a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected late in the third quarter. He finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The Suns will play the winner of Utah Jazz and LA Clippers. The Jazz lead the Clippers 2-1 in the seven-match series.
Bucks & Nets Locked in Intense Battle
After losing the first two games of the seven-match series, the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to level the series in the fourth game. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points to help the Bucks to a 107-96 Game 4 victory.
The Nets have an ongoing injury crisis and are sweating on the fitness of Kyrie Irving and nine-time All-Star James Harden going into the fifth game of the series.
In the other semi-final in the Eastern conference, Philadelphia 76ers lead 2-1 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Cricket
New Zealand Wins Against England
1st Inn
ENG 303 (Lawrence 81*, Burns 81, Boult 4-85)
NZ 388 (Young 82, Conway 80, Taylor 80, Broad 4-48)
2nd Inn
ENG 122 (Wood 29, Wagner 3-18, Henry 3-36)
NZ 41/2 (Latham 23*)
The Kiwis got a morale-boosting Test victory over England, ahead of the first ever World Test Championship against India in Southampton.
A spectacular spell of bowling from New Zealand on the third day afternoon saw the host team slip to 122 all out and set the visitors a modest target of 38 in the fourth innings. New Zealand got there with ease to get their first Test win in England since 1999.
Pacer Matt Henry was awarded the Player of the match for his haul of six wickets in the game. Devon Conway, the man who had racked up 306 runs at 76.50 this series was named the player of the series.
Proteas Beat Windies in Test Series Opener
1st Inn
W.I. 97 (Holder 20, Ngidi 5-19, Nortje 4-35)
RSA 322 (de Kock 141*, Holder 4-75)
2nd Inn
WI 162 (Chase 62, Rabada 5-34)
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada took five wickets as the Proteas cruised to victory over West Indies by an innings and 63 runs before lunch on day three of the first test in Saint Lucia.
West Indies produced an lacklustre batting performance in the first innings to be bowled out for 97. South Africa helped themselves to a 225-run lead in the first innings. Quinton de Kock cracked aa stunning century to propel the team to a total of 322. The Windies were bowled out for 162 in the second innings as the South African seamers ran through the opposition batting order. All-rounder Roston Chase’s half-century was the only saving grace for the home team.
This was South Africa’s first away win since 2017.
Munro & Khawaja Break Records in PSL
The Pakistan Super League resumed after a two-month hiatus in Abu Dhabi.
In the third game after the restart, the opening batsmen of Islamabad United, Usman Khawaja and Colin Munro smashed records. The duo chased down the target of 134 with 10 overs to spare. They posted the highest Powerplay total in PSL history (97/0).
Only three times in top-flight franchise T20 cricket has a higher powerplay total been achieved.
Author’s note: Adithya is a freelance writer and sports enthusiast
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