Alcaraz powers into Indian Wells quarter-finals
The Straits Times
March 11 - World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway's Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2), while Jack Draper upset world number three Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 7-6(5) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 11 - World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway's Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2), while Jack Draper upset world number three Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 7-6(5) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert.
Alcaraz relied on a near-flawless service game to seize control of the match, racing through the opening set in just 37 minutes after breaking Ruud's serve three times.
Thirteenth-seeded Ruud raised his level in the second set and forced a tiebreak, hoping to push the match to a decider, but Alcaraz kept his foot on the gas to seal his 15th consecutive victory of the season to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth straight year.
"The conditions were difficult to be honest. Today the ball was tough to control but we both played great," two-time champion Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
"My first set was incredible I'm really happy of playing that kind of level, really happy to get through and hopefully I'll play this level on the next round."
Alcaraz will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, who earlier beat Australia's Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-2, with the Spaniard looking to avenge a defeat to the Briton at last year's Paris Masters.
March 15 - Toko Koga scored twice as Japan stayed on course for a third Women's Asian Cup title with a 7-0 win over the Philippines in Sydney on Sunday, setting up a semi-final against South Korea. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 15 - The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reprimanded Pakistan batter Salman Agha for his reaction to a controversial run-out in the second One-Day International against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
INDIAN WELLS, California, March 15 - Daniil Medvedev said his Indian Wells semi-final win over Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday would prove nothing more than a temporary setback for the Spaniard, and that he and Jannik Sinner were playing at a totally different level from the rest of the tour. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PARIS, March 15 - France head coach Fabien Galthie hailed Louis Bielle-Biarrey as a “lethal weapon” following in the footsteps of Antoine Dupont after the winger’s four-try masterclass helped secure a dramatic Six Nations title-clinching victory over England on Saturday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - All who wander up and down the leaderboard are not lost. Read more at straitstimes.com.
People feared for the safety of seven delegation members after they refused to sing Iran's national anthem. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The fourth-placed Lakers are currently on a four-game winning streak. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 14 - The U.S. and Israel's conflict with Iran has led to sporting events being postponed in the region, while competitions elsewhere have been hit by travel disruption, with thousands of flights cancelled in some of the world's busiest transit hubs. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The 52-year-old sits atop the leaderboard with Joaquin Niemann heading into the final round. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 14 - World number one Aryna Sabalenka said players must halt points straightaway to seek a video review for hindrance and not wait to decide, after Daniil Medvedev's dispute with Jack Draper sparked controversy at Indian Wells. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Victory also ensured their direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 13 - Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina moved into the Indian Wells final with straight-sets victories over Linda Noskova and Elina Svitolina on Friday, setting up a rematch of their Australian Open Grand Slam title clash. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 14 - Australia coach Joe Montemurro said Friday's 2-1 victory over North Korea had given them the belief to go on and win the Women's Asian Cup for the first time in 16 years after securing their place at next year's World Cup. Read more at straitstimes.com.