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Indian Olympic medalist PV Sindhu lost her cool after getting down to Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the quarterfinal clash in Madrid Spain Masters 2024. Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen has mathematically confirmed his berth for the Paris Olympics via ranking quota.
Read more to know major happenings in the world of sports in last 24 hours.
PV Sindhu smashes badminton racquet after losing Spain Masters Quarterfinal
Indian Olympic medalist PV Sindhu lost her cool after getting down to Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the quarterfinal clash in Madrid Spain Masters 2024. Sindhu started off on a disappointing note but recovered early from the 4-8 trail. The Indian shuttler saved multiple points and won the opening game, but the Thai player came from behind and registered a 24-26, 21-17, 22-20 win over the two-time medalist. After the game, Sindhu smashed her racquet on the court and received a yellow card for the same.
Lakshya Sen unofficially qualifies for Paris Olympics 2024
Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen unofficially confirmed his berth for the Paris Olympics via ranking quota. With this, he became the second Indian men’s singles player for India to secure the qualification after HS Prannoy. With Lakshya and Prannoy’s qualification, India will have two representations in the men’s singles category at the same time after 20 years. Earlier, in the 2004 edition of the tournament, Abhinn Shyam Gupta and Nikhil Kanetkar represented India.
Tennis
Grigor Dimitrov reveals pep talk he received from Serena Williams
Grigor Dimitrov revealed the pep talk he received from Serena Williams before his Miami Open semifinal on Friday. He said, "She came to me like, 'I don't wanna distract you, I don't wanna distract you, but I gotta tell you something.' It was just like one sentence, you know, she always knows what to tell me, I think. In any given moment, I think, my friendship with her means so much to me. He added, “Been able to keep it that way throughout the years, and of course, having her coming to watch me like, 'I don't wanna distract you.' I was like, 'You actually helped me!' So, you know, again it's very humbling... those are the moments that keep me going."
Love reading horoscope: Grigor Dimitrov jokes about foreseeing victory over Carlos Alcaraz
Grigor Dimitrov joked after his victory over Carlos Alcarazin in the Miami Open 2024 quarterfinals on March 28. After the match, when he sat down in the press room, a journalist asked him if he saw the victory coming. He said, “Yeah, I love reading the horoscope every morning, I love doing that.” Further, he said, that he had focused more on his strengths so far, and revealed, "No, not really. Not really. Also, the past two, three days, to be honest, I barely hit any balls at practice. Conditions are very different throughout the day and night. You always try to focus on what works. The basic stuff, the recovery, preparing for the matches, resting, food, all that, it really adds up.”
How often you say I played against the best players: Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov opened up on the experience of playing in a competitive landscape among the Big 4, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. He said, "Totally the opposite, actually. Totally the opposite. Very lucky. How often you say I played in an era against the best players and you have beaten them all? It's great. I'm sorry, but I can live with that. You know, all that, the titles and all this, yeah, it's great. But the journey, the ride, it was, for me personally, not having these guys around, it's a little sad," he added.
Football
AIFF forms committee regarding Igor Stimac’s future with team
The All India Football Federation formed a five-member committee to discuss Igor Stimac’s future with the Indian team. The newly formed committee consists of names like N.A. Haris, Vice President, AIFF, Menla Ethenpa, Member, Executive Committee, Anilkumar Prabhakaran, I/M. Vijayan, and Climax Lawrence. They will hold discussions with Stimac regarding his future as well as seek clarity on the matter. The committee was formed after the AIFF boss Mr. Kalyan Chaubey held a virtual meeting with the federation members where they discussed the recommendations made by the Technical Committee after the team’s recent performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Afghanistan.
Igor Stimac’s termination put on hold due to missing clause: Report
Igor Stimac’s termination has reportedly been put on hold due to missing a clause. As per the Times of India, Stimac’s contract extension signed in October 2023 had a sub-clause 9.1 under Termination and related aspects, which stated that the coach would be reimbursed up to three months in case of a termination. An AIFF official told TOI, “Sacking him now can prove very costly for the federation, we would even be required to pay him his entire salary till 2026 (₹ 6 crore).”
Xabi Alonso quashes Bayern Munich and Liverpool coaching rumours
Former Spain mid-fielder and Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen’s manager, Xabi Alonso has confirmed his stay at the German club and quashed the rumours of his probable move to either Premier League club Liverpool or Bayern Munich for the next season. Both the clubs were scouting to appoint Alonso as a replacement for their current managers. Alonso squashed reports and said, “I had a good meeting with Bayer Leverkusen and I informed them that I will STAY and continue at the club.” “After lot of talks about my future, I used the break to reflect and make my decision. This is the place for me to be.”
Neymar sparks Messi, Suarez reunion after meeting David and Victoria Beckham in Miami
Brazilian star footballer Neymar Jr has sparked transfer rumours to Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami once again after he was spotted with the former English legend and Miami owner David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham. The star player had previously wished to reunite with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the American League. The Brazil forward, who is currently out of action due to a knee injury was pictured partying with his long-time friend and singer Anitta in her pre-birthday celebrations in his home-town. Brazilian singer Anitta announced that she will be doing a “whole one week of celebration” for her birthday which she celebrates on March 30.
England Premier League
Newcastle 1-3 West Ham
Spain LaLiga2
Burgos CF 0-0 Espanyol
Italy-Serie A
SSC Napoli 0-3 Atalanta
India- Indian Super League
Bengaluru FC 0-0 Odisha FC
Spain-LaLiga
Cadiz 1-0 Granada
