Sports

[ad_1] MADRID : Rafael Nadal thrashed 16-year-old wild card Darwin Blanch 6-1 6-0 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday and will face Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur next. The 22-time Grand Slam champion broke the American at the first opportunity in the second game before grabbing the first set in […]

[ad_1] MADRID : Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set to return for the final stretch of the season after making a full recovery from two knee injuries, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Thursday. Real boss Ancelotti said he will be cautious with Courtois, who has not played this season after sustaining an ACL tear […]

[ad_1] LONDON: One fixture lurking like a troll in Arsenal’s Premier League title run-in has probably consumed the thoughts of the club’s fans more than any other – Sunday’s (Apr 28) short trip down the road to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Like all big city derbies, pride and bragging rights are always huge motivating factors, but […]

[ad_1] An all-woman refereeing team will officiate a Serie A match for the first time this weekend, the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) said on Thursday. League champions Inter Milan host Torino on Sunday, and the game will be refereed by Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi who will be joined by Francesca Di Monte and Tiziana Trasciatti […]

[ad_1] BERLIN : RB Leipzig are determined to wrap up a top-four Bundesliga finish, despite fifth spot possibly earning a place in next season’s Champions League, the club’s chief business officer said on Thursday. Leipzig, who host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, are fourth on 59 points, two ahead of Dortmund with four games left in […]

[ad_1] Juventus v AC Milan is traditionally one of the biggest rivalries in Italian football, but this weekend’s Serie A meeting between the pair is a battle for the runners-up spot, with both managers unsure of their future. Milan lost the derby on Monday, a defeat which allowed Inter Milan to clinch the league title […]

[ad_1] Last year’s Giro d’Italia runner-up Geraint Thomas will lead the Ineos Grenadiers team at the race which starts next month, the British outfit said on Thursday. Former Tour de France winner Thomas, 37, heads an experienced squad that he said will adopt an aggressive approach to the year’s first Grand Tour. “The core is […]

[ad_1] For New Zealand’s trampoline gymnastics team, the Paris Olympics will be a labour of love. Dylan Schmidt and Maddie Davidson were Olympic team mates in Tokyo but return to the Games as a couple seeking medals and inspiration from each other. In a career of ups and downs, former world champion Schmidt became New […]

[ad_1] MELBOURNE: The anti-doping authorities of Britain and Australia have called for a review of WADA’s processes following the global body’s widely-criticised handling of failed drug tests in Chinese swimming. WADA has been under fire since confirming media reports that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Games. […]

[ad_1] French President Emmanuel Macron continues to show off his sporting abilities ahead of the Paris Olympics after dispatching a penalty in a charity soccer match on Wednesday. Macron, playing alongside a mix of former international players and healthcare professionals, fired his shot low into the bottom corner as the goalkeeper remained rooted to the […]