Sports

Ruud Ends Djokovic Jinx In Monte Carlo To Set Up Tsitsipas Title Clash

Published

10 months ago

April 14, 2024

Casper Ruud finally defeated Novak Djokovic at the sixth attempt on Saturday, setting up a Monte Carlo Masters title showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Norwegian eighth seed Ruud, who had been swept off the court by the world number one in a demoralising French Open final loss last year, came through 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in his semi-final when Djokovic double-faulted after saving two match points.

An inspired Tsitsipas handed world number two Jannik Sinner just his second loss of the season as the two-time champion Greek booked his place in Sunday’s final, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

“I’m super-happy, this is a day I will remember for a really long time,” said Ruud who had never taken a set off Djokovic in their five previous meetings.

“I’ve never beaten Novak and I’ve never beaten a world number one. I’m still in a little bit of shock.”

Ruud and Djokovic traded breaks in the final set, with the Norwegian getting the final word when Djokovic blinked first after just over two and a quarter hours.

“I was up and he came back, the top guys are good under pressure,” Ruud said. “I was just hoping the match would not slip away.

“In the last game I was hoping something or someone up above was listening… I was so happy to see that last ball sail along.”

On Sunday’s final, Ruud added: “Stef will be tough in the final but I will give it my all.”

Djokovic was competing in his first semi-final in Monte Carlo since he lifted his second title in 2015. He was hoping to reach a 59th Masters final.

“Congratulations to Casper. He played really good, especially in the beginning of the first and third set,” said the 36-year-old top seed.

“Of course I’m disappointed now, to lose a match like this… it was a close one.”

‘Great Day’
Tsitsipas’s victory ended the nine-match winning streak of Australian Open champion Sinner who also has titles in Rotterdam and Miami to his name this season.

“Today was a great day, I’m hoping for a good recovery and a fresh mind,” said Tsitsipas. “I hope to come out extra strong tomorrow.”

Sinner began the final set, during which he was twice treated for a right knee injury, with a break of serve.

But he lost it in the eighth game after saving four break points which allowed Tsitsipas to level at 4-4.

The Greek then finished it off by playing what he called “tennis at the highest level that I’ve been able to play recently”.

Tsitsipas, ranked 12th, won the title in Monte Carlo in 2021 and 2022 and declared he is returning to top form after falling out of the top 10.

“It will help my confidence to have a win like this,” he said. “I’m aiming for the top level again.”

Tsitsipas secured the opening set with a break in the third game, but the Italian put up a fight to level in the second.

Sinner broke on the way to a 3-0 lead and fought to save five break points in a 13-minute marathon final game before squaring the match on his second set point.

Sinner said a poor third-set line call caused him to cramp up and lose focus.

Instead of a double-fault being called, which would have given the Italian a double break, the point played on, with Tsitsipas holding serve for 2-3.

After two more games, Sinner called for the trainer.

“It’s hard to accept it,” the Italian second seed said of the call. “I was playing really well at that time.”

“Everyone can make a mistake. Afterwards, I had cramps, most likely because of what happened, because it also affects your nerves.”

Sports

Former Belgium player Radja Nainggolan arrested for alleged cocaine smuggling

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Former Belgian footballer, Radja Nainggolan has reportedly been arrested for alleged involvement in cocaine smuggling.

According to a report by Corriere della Sera, the former AS Roma midfielder was allegedly part of a smuggling operation transporting cocaine from South America to Antwerp.

The Brussels public prosecutor’s office confirmed Nainggolan’s arrest as part of a large-scale raid on 30,000 houses in Antwerp and Brussels on Monday, January 27, 2025.

“The federal judicial police of Brussels carried out thirty house searches on Monday morning in the context of a case from the Organized Crime department of the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. The searches mainly took place in the province of Antwerp and in Brussels.”

“The investigation concerns suspected activities related to the importation of cocaine from South America to Europe via the port of Antwerp, as well as its distribution in Belgium. We can confirm that the footballer RN (Radja Nainggolan) has been taken into custody in connection with this case,” the statement read as quoted by UK outlet, Daily Mail.

“Given that interrogations are ongoing, and in compliance with the principle of presumption of innocence, no further comment will be made at this stage.”

Nainggolan, 36, currently plays for Lokeren-Temse, a lower-tier club in Belgium. He rose to prominence during his time in Italy, representing clubs such as Inter Milan, AS Roma, and Cagliari.

The former midfielder announced his retirement from international football in 2018 after being omitted from Belgium’s squad for the FIFA World Cup that year.

Sports

Full List: AFCON 2025 Draw Confirmed

Published

1 day ago

January 28, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, has been confirmed on Monday.

The tournament is scheduled to run from December 21, 2025 until January 18, 2026.

All the 24 countries that will be present in Morocco have been found out their initial opponents.

All but two of the 52 Confederation of African Football (CAF) member participated in the qualifying series.

Following the preliminary round, 48 teams were divided into 12 groups of four, playing home and away in a total of six matches, where the top two teams from each group qualified.

The tournament will take place in six cities over four weeks, but there can only be one nation crowned the kings of Africa.

Here are all the important details and the full draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

AFCON 2025 groups
Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

Sports

Para Badminton Int’l: Nigeria’s Bolaji wins gold in Egypt

Published

2 days ago

January 27, 2025

Naijablitznews

By Francesca Hangeior

Paralympic bronze medalist, Eniola Bolaji, on Sunday won gold medal in her final match at the Egypt Para Badminton International 2025.

To get this point, Bolaji won all her previous games in the competition hosted by Egypt.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bolaji defeated Sweden’s Hillevi Salomonsson 2-0 (21-1, 21-2) in the women’s SL3 final on Sunday in Cairo Egypt.

The African champion demonstrated her skill throughout the tournament, beating Shahinda Mohamed (21-7, 21-2).

She also defeated Basma Nabil-Fawzy (21-6, 21-4) and further conquered Elizabeth Puma (21-2, 21-4) with straight-set victories in earlier rounds.

Bolaji triumphed in dominant style, extending her remarkable winning streak by claiming her 10th title in 10 tournaments, while securing her 58th win in 64 matches

According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Bolaji has competed in 10 international championships over the past two years, emerging victorious in all.

This is a remarkable feat that bonds her as a force to be reckoned with in Para Badminton.

She broke multiple records and brought pride to Nigeria and Africa.

Bolaji’s achievement followed her radical success in 2024 where she made history as the first African athlete to win a badminton medal at the Paralympic Games

The Egypt Para Badminton International 2025 which started on Jan.21, ended on today (Jan. 26) in Cairo.