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Cincinnati rain halts Alcaraz as defending champ Gauff ousted

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11 months ago

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Carlos Alcaraz was halted by rain on the brink of victory Thursday while defending women’s champion Coco Gauff crashed out in her first match at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open.

Spaniard Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, led France’s Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-6 (1/3) when rain halted play at the last major tuneup for the US Open, which starts on August 26.

Top seed Alcaraz, who lost to Novak Djokovic in last year’s Cincinnati final, took a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, also dropping that final to Djokovic.

Alcaraz is back on hardcourt for the first time since winning at Miami. He skipped last week’s ATP Montreal Masters.

Gauff was eliminated earlier in a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 upset loss to Kazakh spoiler Yulia Putintseva.

A disappointed Gauff will go back to the drawing board before defending her US Open crown.

Putintseva, ranked 34th, has made a recent habit of upsets, knocking off top-ranked Iga Swiatek barely a month ago at Wimbledon.

“I’m really proud of myself,” said Putintseva. “These courts are so fast, you have to just play on instinct. That’s what I did.”

Gauff became Cincinnati’s youngest champion a year ago at age 19 and carried that success into her first Grand Slam triumph at the US Open.

“I have to work on consistency. overall,” Gauff said. “I’m making a lot of unforced errors, especially when I was up 4-2 (in the third set),” Gauff said. “Most of the points (Putintseva won) were off (my) errors.

“She’s tricky to play, mixes up the ball and likes drop shots, She makes you earn the match.”

Putintseva will next face Spain’s Paula Badosa, who defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka polished her opening-match record at the event by defeating Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4.

Sabalenka missed Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics with a right shoulder injury but feels well.

“I’m happy with my level in the tough moments,” Sabalenka said. “Elisabetta is a difficult opponent. She fought to the last point.”

– Zverev advances –

Men’s third seed Alexander Zverev, the 2021 champion from Germany, won his ATP-leading 50th match this season. The German dispatched Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 in a repeat of his Tokyo Olympic final win.

Zverev, feeling poorly last week in Montreal, said his form is much improved.

“I felt well on court. If you feel good in training it’s easier to bring it to the match,” he said. “I just hope my form can get better. I’m happy I got the win today.”

Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta lined up the German’s next opponent after defeating Australian Max Purcell 6-3, 6-3.

Briton Jack Draper accounted for ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. The Greek served for the match leading 5-4 in the third set, but Draper won 12 of the last 14 points to turn the situation on its head.

Holger Rune defeated Portugal’s top player Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6 (10/8).

Fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who made a surprise comeback from July knee surgery by reaching last week’s Montreal quarter-finals, won his opener over Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

He next faces Italian Flavio Cobolli, who advanced when compatriot Luca Darderi retired trailing 7-6 (7/4), 3-1 with apparent illness.

In the WTA draw, Elena Rybakina was thwarted in her first match since Wimbledon, going down 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 as Canadian Leylah Fernandez saved two match points in an upset of the fourth seed.

Rybakina, who missed the Paris Games with acute bronchitis, suffered with 17 double faults — including on match points. Even 20 aces could not save her afternoon.

Elina Svitolina, a semi-finalist here nine years ago, saw off Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1 to next take on Sabalenka.

Sabalenka has won their last two matches, including a Roland Garros quarter-final in 2023 and a three-setter in Rome three months ago.

Newly minted Armenian Elina Avanesyan stunned eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 fightback.

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Africa

NBA pick Khaman Maluach Hoping to ‘Change the Narrative’ About Africa

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2 weeks ago

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June 27, 2025

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Immediately after getting drafted, Maluach was asked: “So many people, when they think about Africa, think about strife, think about war, think about not so great things about the continent, let alone South Sudan. How much of a responsibility do you think you have in changing perceptions of what people think Africa is in terms of thinking more about the resources, thinking about the people of Africa and South Sudan, specifically?”

Maluach’s native country, South Sudan, is undergoing a humanitarian crisis. His family fled the country to a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, in search of safety and opportunity during the South Sudan crisis. He now hopes to change the narrative about the region by highlighting its good parts on the world stage.

“I think about showing them the good parts of Africa,” Maluach said at the press conference after he was drafted. “I’m thinking about showing them the great places in Africa, like Kigali, whether it’s Senegal, whether it’s the safaris in Africa, and showing them the cultures we have and the people we have, which is different from the stuff they see on TV. I just want to change the narrative, the narrative of our people and how they see my continent.”

Maluach was born in Rumbek, once an important city in South Sudan that was ravaged by the country’s civil war. The 7’2″ center’s road to success was far from easy. The nearest basketball court to his house was nearly an hour’s walk away and usually packed. Moreover, he played his first game in Crocs, not basketball shoes. But his dedication was enough to catch the eye of local coaches Wal Deng and Aketch Garang.

Through the effort that he put in, Maluach made it to the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, then to the Duke Blue Devils, and now the Suns. He hopes the moment inspires kids on the continent.

“Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back. Giving hope to young kids,” he said after the Suns selected him No. 10 overall.

Maluach considers basketball a gift God gave him, and hopes to finish off his NBA career as a Hall of Famer.

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Africa

Nigeria’s female cricket team is from West Africa to qualify for a World Cup

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5 months ago

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January 25, 2025

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Nigeria’s women’s under-19 cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens , made history by qualifying for the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is being held in Malaysia . The Junior Yellow Greens’ qualification made it the first female cricket team from Nigeria and West Africa as a whole to qualify for a World Cup.

The team’s outstanding performance in the regional qualifiers won them a spot. Despite a rain-soaked final match, they beat Zimbabwe on points earned during the group stages.

With this victory, Nigeria secured their place in Malaysia and made their second-ever appearance in a cricket World Cup. The male U-19 team competed in the 2020 edition in South Africa.

Victory Igbinedion, Naomi Memeh, Anointed Akhigbe, Amusa Kehinde, Omosigho Eguakun, Umoh Inyene, Beauty Oguai, Jessica Bieni, Usen Peace, Adeshola Adekunle, Deborah Bassey, Christabel Chukwuonye, Peculiar Agboya, Lilian Ude, and Lucky Piety are among the 15 players on the female team.

They now hope to make it to the semi-finals.

Brila reports that despite Nigeria’s 41-run (DLS method) loss to South Africa on Wednesday, their thrilling two-run victory over New Zealand earlier in the tournament and a shared point with Samoa guaranteed them a place as the second-best team in Group C.

The team will now face England on January 25 and Ireland on January 29, as they continue their quest for a historic semi-final appearance.

The 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which runs from January 18 to February 2, started with 16 teams exhibiting some of the best young talents in women’s cricket .

This year’s tournament, the second edition of this worldwide event, features the top four teams from 2023—India, England, Australia, and New Zealand—along with four debutants: hosts Malaysia, Nepal, Samoa, and Nigeria.

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Africa

Nigeria tears down Benin 3 – 0 in Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers – Highlights

Published

10 months ago

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September 8, 2024

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In a bittersweet first half, Nigeria took the lead in stoppage time through Ademola Lookman and went into the break on top. Benítez’s side improved in the second half, but it was not enough. Nigeria stepped on the gas in the final half and Victor Osimhen made it 2-0 in the 78th minute before Ademola Lookman doubled the advantage in the 83rd minute. Nothing else happened in the match and Nigeria ran out 3-0 winners in the first match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

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