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D Gukesh is now one win away from securing a win at the 2024 FIDE Candidates after he took the sole lead of the tournament. Indian wrestler Anshu Malik secured her quota for the Paris Olympics in the women’s 57 kg category.
Read below to learn more about major happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Chess
D Gukesh takes sole lead after Round 13; one win away from World Championships
D Gukesh is now one win away from securing a win at the 2024 FIDE Candidates after he took the sole lead of the tournament. He secured a win over Alireza Firouzja in Round 13, whereas other competitors including Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi and USA's Hikaru Nakamura ended up in a draw. With him, Fabiano Caruana of the USA also drew level in second place with Nepomniachtchi and Nakamura after a win over R Praggnanandhaa that took the American to 8 points, while Gukesh had 8.5 points.
Wrestling
Anshu Malik secures her quota for Paris Olympics 2024
Indian wrestler Anshu Malik secured her quota for the Paris Olympics in the women’s 57 kg category. She reserved her seat in the 2024 edition of the tournament by defeating Laylokhon Sobirova of Uzbekistan by 11-0 at the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament. Anshu, who clinched a silver at the World Wrestling Championship won both her bouts by technical superiority. On the other hand, Mansi Ahlawat slumped in her last hurdle and missed out on a quota after she lost 0-6 to Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Hyon G Mun, the reigning Asian Games champion, in the quota bout.
Vinesh Phogat books her Paris Olympics 2024 berth
Two-time World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat secured her Paris Olympics 2024 quota in the 50 kg category. Phogat defeated Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikzy in the 50 kg semifinals of the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Bishkek. Apart from Vinesh and Anshu, the U23 World Champion Reetika also booked her Olympic berth in the 76 kg category. Reetika defeated Chinese Taipei’s Hui T Chang 7-0 to secure her first Olympic quota place.
Football
Real Madrid announce squad for El Classico against Barcelona
Real Madrid announced their squad for their Sunday’s decisive El Classico against FC Barcelona. Ferland Mendy will be available for the game even though he missed the team’s Saturday training session due to leg soreness. According to the official statement of Real Madrid, Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to return to the squad after missing the game against Manchester City. The squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Lunin, Kepa, and Mario de Luis.
Defenders: Carvajal, Militão, Nacho, Lucas Vázquez, Fran García, Rüdiger and Mendy.
Midfielders: Bellingham, Kroos, Modrić, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos and Arda Güler.
Forwards: Vini Jr., Rodrygo, Joselu and Brahim.
Lionel Messi’s double helps Inter Miami beat Nashville in Major League Soccer
Lionel Messi scored twice and helped his side defeat Nashville 3-1 in their Saturday’s game to maintain top spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. Nashville’s only goal in the game came from their defender Franco Negri after he deflected from Daniel Lovitz in the second minute of the game. However, Lionel Messi scored two goals in the game to keep his side in the game. The game also saw Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Busquets score his first goal in MLS.
David Beckham takes Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg to court after suffering loss of £ 8.5million
Manchester United legend and Co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami, David Beckham has sued Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg after a brand deal turned sour, allegedly leaving the Englishman £8.5million in loss. Media reports claim Beckham's DB Ventures Ltd has claimed the Hollywood star “duped” the England football legend into working with F45. The former Real Madrid star claims he suffered losses of close to $16.4 million when he was withheld promised shares until after share prices plummeted $12 to $3 per share. His legal team claims this delay cost him up to $10.5 million [£8.5 million] in potential profit.
Major football results
England-Premier League
Wolves 0-2 Arsenal
Everton 1-0 Nottm Forest
Spain LaLiga
Girona 4-1 Cadiz
Getafe 1-1 Real Sociedad
US Major League Soccer
Atlanta United 1-2 Cincinnati
Montreal 2-2 Orlando
Columbus 2-2 Portland
Inter Miami CF 3-1 Nashville SC
Tennis
Elena Rybakina secures third WTA Tour title of the year in Porsche Tennis GP
World number 4, Elena Rybakina secured her third WTA Tour title of the year on Sunday, as she defeated Number 27 Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. This is Rybakina’s eighth career title and third on clay, after she won the 2023 Rome and 2019 Bucharest. Not only this, but her win over Kostyuk was her tour-leading 26th win of the season. The 21-year-old Kostyuk will rise to a new career-high ranking of number 21 on Monday, and needless to say, she is having the best season of her career.
Stefanos Tsitsipas advances to Barcelona final
Stefanos Tsitsipas extended his winning streak to 10 matches at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell by advancing to the finale. With his comeback, Tsitsipas secured a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 win over Dusan Lajovic to make it to the finale of the ATP 500. He had come on the back of a win against Facundo Diaz Acosta in the quarterfinal of the tournament. Tsitsipas secured his third ATP Masters 1000 crown in Monte Carlo last week.
