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Vinesh Phogat secured her berth in the 50kg category of Asian Olympic Qualifiers after she was allowed to fight in two weight divisions during the trials. Novak Djokovic engaged in a war of words with the chair umpire during his loss at the Indian Wells.
Read below to learn more about the latest happenings in the sporting world
Nishant Dev fails to secure Paris Olympics quota by split decision
India’s Nishant Dev failed to secure a Paris Olympics quota by a whisker as he suffered a heartbreaking loss in the 71 kg QF of the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier. Dev slumped 1-4 to USA’ Omari Jones in the light middleweight quarterfinal. His win in the last eight stages would have earned him an Olympic quota. Notably, after two qualification events, the Asian Games and the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier, not even one male boxer could book an Olympic quota.
Vinesh Phogat secures berth at Asian Olympic qualifiers following drama-filled trials
India’s celebrated wrestler Vinesh Phogat secured her berth in the 50kg category of Asian Olympic Qualifiers after she was allowed to fight in two weight divisions during the trials. Phogat defeated Shivani 11-6 to book her berth in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 19 to 21. Phogat appeared in 50kg category as well as the 53 kg category trials, after holding up the bouts for three hours and demanded an exception for herself.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic loses cool, argues with umpire after Indian Wells loss
World number 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic engaged in a war of words with the chair umpire during his loss at the Indian Wells. Djokovic was stunned 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by Luca Nardi, and thus, bowed out of the tournament. During the match, when Djokovic took a 2-0 lead in the second set, Nardi bounced back and Djokovic found himself 0-40 down. Following a fault by Djokovic, Nardi seemed to be quite hesitant to play the return and expected the umpire to give a hindrance call. However, the umpire refused to do so, which led to an argument between the two of them.
Venus Williams and Serena Williams’ ex-coach makes revelation about return tactics
Former coach of Venus and Serena Williams Rick Macci made an interesting revelation about their returning tactics. Macci hilariously revealed on March 11 that Richard wanted his daughters to take second serves earlier off the rise than they normally did. He said, "Was asked why Venus and Serena stood WHERE THEY DID AND WHY SO CLOSE to return the second serve. Richard the Compton Comedian actually wanted them to stand EVEN CLOSER! I told him many times IT IS ILLEGAL TO VOLLEY the return.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner advance to Indian Wells Masters QF
Carlos Alcaraz and his Italian rival Jannik Sinner breezed past the last eight in the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday. Alcaraz defeated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 6-3, while Sannik defeated Ben Shelton 7-6 (7/4), 6-1. This marked Sinner’s 18th back-to-back win, while putting him in contention for a third title of the season after the Australian Open and Rotterdam. After the win, Sinner said, “I played really well in the tight moments. I knew I would not get much rhythm from him. The wind didn’t make it easier, but I tried hard to stay positive and it worked out.”
Casper Ruud opens up on not being impressed by 'Break Point'
Casper Ruud shared his thoughts on his experience filming for the Netflix series “Break Point”, which got cancelled after two seasons. Ruud said that he was not impressed by the series, and it was a bit staged. The tennis star said, "I didn't watch it, honestly. I see this every day anyway, so it's not a must for me to watch. You know, I sat down and watched my part together with kind of the guys who made it, and, you know, no offence to them, but I wasn't really impressed with the show.”
He added, "It was too much about -- I understand that you should try to get to know the other players too much, but it just demanded too much of my time, because they want you to do this and they want to do this, and everything was a little staged in my eyes.”
Football
Al-Hilal set record of most consecutive wins, reach Asian Champions League SF
Al-Hilal set a world record for registering consecutive victories with their 28th win in a row and reached the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday. Al-Hilal defeated Al-Ittihad 2-0 to surpass the previous record of 27 straight wins set by the Welsh team The New Saints in 2016. The last year’s runners-up Hilal triumphed in the quarterfinal at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with their goals in the second half from Yasser Al Shahrani and Malcolm. They will now lock horns against Al-Ain in the last four next month.
Kerala Blasters lose CAS appeal, ordered to pay ₹4 crores fine
Kerala Blasters FC lost their appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and have been ordered to pay a sum of ₹4 crore to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It is because they walked out of the clash against Bengaluru FC in the ISL last season. They will now have to pay the fine within two weeks and will also have to reimburse AIFF for the legal fees. A senior official told TOI, “The AIFF always had a strong case and this has now been reflected in the decision of CAS, which is the world’s premier forum for resolving sporting disputes.”
Jamie Carragher accuses Kate Abdo of cheating on boyfriend on air
Former Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher accused CBS Sports anchor Kate Abdo of cheating on her boyfriend Malik Scott during the live coverage. Carragher was on the CBS Sports’ Champions League coverage alongside Thierry Henry and Micah Richards, and Kate Abdo hosted the panel. Abdo has been dating American boxer Deontay Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott. During the coverage, the former footballer accused Abdo of cheating on her boyfriend. This led to an awkward exchange between the two of them.
Major football results
Champions League R16
Arsenal 1-0 FC Porto
Barcelona 3-1 SSC Napoli
India-I-League
Delhi FC 0-2 Inter Kashi
AFC Champions League QF
Al-Ittihad 0-2 Al-Hilal
Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 Shandong Taishan
