Picture Credit: X
International Chess Federation FIDE announced pairings for the elite Candidates Chess Tournament 2024. Spanish tennis giant Rafael Nadal shared his admiration for Carlos Alcaraz after the latter beat him in the Netflix Slam. In the realm of football, Inter Miami star Lionel Messi left a toddler in tears after hitting her with a free kick during Miami’s 5-0 win over Orlando City in Major League Soccer.
Check out major headlines in the world of sports in the last 24 hours.
Chess
FIDE announces Candidates Chess tournament 2024 pairings
International Chess Federation FIDE announced pairings for the elite Candidates Chess Tournament 2024. As per the announcement, the first round in the tournament will feature two of three Indians, Gukesh and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi facing off against each other on April 4.
The women’s event will have two Indians win the eight-women field, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Humpy Koneru locking horns in the first game. The third Indian in the open category R Praggnanandhaa will clash against Iran-born French star Alireza Firouzja in the opening clash.
Table Tennis
Indian men’s and women’s table-tennis teams secure historic Paris Olympics 2024 quota
In a remarkable turn of events, Indian men’s and women’s teams secured the Paris Olympics 2024 quota for the first time, based on their world rankings. In the women’s event, India, ranked 13, Poland at 12, Sweden at 15, and Thailand earned their entry to the Paris event.
On the other hand, Croatia at 12, India at 15, and Slovenia at 11 have earned their calls in the men’s team event. Veteran Sharath Kamal tweeted, on the occasion which read, "Finally!!!! India qualifies for the team event at the Olympics! Something I have wanted for a long long time! This one is truly special, despite it being my fifth appearance at the Olympics! Kudos to our Women’s Team who also secure a historical quota!"
Badminton
BAI announces India’s squad for French Open 2024 Super 750 Badminton Tournament
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced India’s squad for the French Open 2024 Super 750 Badminton Tournament. The tournament will feature ace doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty aiming for their fourth lucky after finishing up as runners-up for three consecutive times.
India’s contenders in men’s singles will be HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and Priyanshu Rajawat. On the other hand, PV Sindhu will be India’s sole representative at the forthcoming tournament in women’s singles event. The pair of Tanisha-Ashwini and Treesa-Gayatri will be women’s doubles participants.
Last but not least, the men’s duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will fight for India’s glory in men’s doubles.
Tennis
Good thing is I will not face Carlos Alcaraz many times: Rafael Nadal after losing Netflix Slam
Spanish tennis giant Rafael Nadal shared his admiration for Carlos Alcaraz after the latter beat him in the Netflix Slam. Alcaraz claimed a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 14-12 victory over the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
After losing to the modern-day tennis star, Nadal said, “It was great. I was supposed to be here last year; unfortunately, due to some issues, I was not able to be here, I enjoyed a lot. Congratulations to Carlos for a great match. And on a personal level, yeah great. I was not able to play a lot for the last two years so to play here with Carlos in front of an amazing crowd in Las Vegas means a lot to me. Super happy.”
Rafael Nadal reminded me of me when I was approaching retirement: Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi recently drew a comparison between himself and Rafael Nadal after news of his retirement surfaced. Agassi said, "Rafa reminded me of me when I was approaching retirement and I had people like Andy Roddick behind me, now it is Alcaraz today. He deserves to retire when and where he wants. I hope his body allows him to make the decision when it is really clear to him.”
Football
Georgina Rodriguez's post sparks wedding rumours with Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-time girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez shared an invitation card, leading to wedding speculations among fans. Rodriguez posted an Instagram story, wherein she shared an invitation card, resembling a wedding invitation. Rodriguez’s name was mentioned on the card, but the other name was covered, with the date March 5, 2024. While the post left fans confused, it is speculated to be a brand collaboration announcement.
Lionel Messi hits toddler in stands during Inter Miami vs Orlando City MLS clash
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi left a toddler in tears after hitting her with a free kick during Miami’s 5-0 win over Orlando City in Major League Soccer. Messi hit a free-kick outside the opposition penalty box after hitting two goals for his side within seven minutes.
However, Messi’s effort went past the post as the ball hit a baby girl in the stands, behind the goal post. After the match, he said, "We're doing well, we're enjoying it, we're growing. Today was an important match to win, to continue on this path of growth and this has to make us very strong for everything that's to come."
Erling Haaland delights Man City fans with Poznan celebration after derby win
Manchester City extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 19 games with a dominant derby win against Manchester United on Sunday in the English Premier League (EPL). Marcus Rashford gave an early lead to the Red Devils as he found the back of the net in the 8th minute.
The visiting side maintained the lead through the first half, however, Phil Foden broke the deadlock for the Cityzens in the 56th minute and scored another goal to take the lead in the 80th minute. City's star striker Erling Haaland doubled the lead for his side in the 90+1st minute and delighted the fans at the Etihad Stadium with his goal celebration.
Georgina Rodriguez drops massive hint on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement
Supermodel Georgina Rodriquez recently was seen walking at the Paris Fashion Week Fall 2024 where she paid tribute to her boyfriend and Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo. However, videos of her walk at the Paris Fashion Week went viral, in another video which has been doing rounds now, the supermodel hinted on CR7’s possible retirement.
During her exchange at the winter show, the 30-year-old revealed that Ronaldo might not play professional football after a year or two. In videos doing rounds on social media, the supermodel could be heard saying, “Cristiano one year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”
Major football results
India-I-League
Sreenidi Deccan FC 2-3 Real Kashmir FC
US-Major League Soccer
New England 0-1 Toronto
Argentina-Primera Nacional
Aldosivi 0-0 Almirante Brown
Arsenal Sarandi 1-0 CA San Miguel
Armenia Premier League
Pyunik 2-1 West Armenia
