Guardiola; Tennis-Tsitsipas raring to go on clay with eyes on third Monte Carlo crown and more
Updated: 09-04-2023 13:46 IST | Created: 09-04-2023 13:42 IST
Stefanos Tsitsipas Image Credit: Twitter(@steftsitsipas)
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Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Soccer-City's Haaland on the same level as Messi, Ronaldo - Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said striker Erling Haaland is of the same calibre as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Norwegian international scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 Premier League victory at Southampton. Haaland scored on a header and remarkable bicycle kick, taking his tally to 44 goals in all competitions this season, with 30 of those coming in the Premier League.
Tennis-Tsitsipas raring to go on clay with eyes on third Monte Carlo crown
Stefanos Tsitsipas said he is relishing a return to the European claycourt season as the Greek world number three targets a third consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title in the build-up to the French Open starting next month. After losing the Australian Open final against current world number one Novak Djokovic in January, the 24-year-old Tsitsipas suffered early defeats in Rotterdam and Indian Wells before a fourth-round loss in Miami.
NBA roundup: Wolves take key step in play-in race with win
Anthony Edwards scored 33 points in less than three quarters of court time as the Minnesota Timberwolves set the table to move up in the play-in tournament pecking order with a dominating 151-131 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas. Minnesota clinched at least a ninth-place finish in the Western Conference standings entering a showdown with New Orleans on Sunday in the teams' regular-season finale in Minneapolis. Minnesota and New Orleans are jockeying for position in the West.
Golf-Koepka extends Masters lead before round three suspended due to rain
LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka extended his lead to four shots over Spaniard Jon Rahm before third-round play at windy and cold Augusta National Golf Club was suspended for the day due to intense rain that waterlogged the course. Koepka, who began the day two shots clear of Rahm with amateur Sam Bennett a further two strokes back, had one birdie through six holes and was staring at an 11-foot par putt at the seventh when play was suspended at 3:15 p.m. ET (1915 GMT) with no players having completed their rounds.
Soccer-Man City cruise to win over Saints, Newcastle maintain top-four push
Manchester City cut Arsenal's Premier League lead to five points after Erling Haaland scored twice in a 4-1 win over bottom side Southampton, while Newcastle United edged closer to a return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
Haaland was at his sublime best on his return from injury and he signed off with a stunning bicycle kick that took his league tally to 30 goals in 27 games -- five goals shy of breaking the Premier League record.
Mixed Martial Arts-Adesanya stuns Pereira to reclaim UFC middleweight crown
Israel Adesanya pulled off a stunning knockout win over Alex Pereira to reclaim the middleweight crown at UFC 287 at the Kaseya Centre on Saturday, downing the Brazilian in the second round to avenge his only UFC defeat at middleweight. After a cagey opening frame that saw Pereira target Adesanya's lead leg with brutal kicks, the fight burst into life in the second, with both men landing head kicks early and Adesanya's crisp boxing beginning to tell.
Soccer-Real Madrid crash to Villarreal defeat as title chances fall further away
Samu Chukwueze scored twice to inflict a further blow on Real Madrid's title hopes as they were beaten 3-2 by Villarreal at home in LaLiga on Saturday despite twice taking the lead. Carlo Ancelotti's side had been imperious as they thrashed rivals Barcelona 4-0 at the Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday.
Golf-McIlroy's career Grand Slam bid officially ends with missed cut
Rory McIlroy's bid for a career Grand Slam officially came to an end for another year on Saturday when the Northern Irishman failed to make the Masters cut. Needing only the Green Jacket to complete a set of all four major titles, McIlroy's fate was pretty much sealed on Friday when he signed for a second-round five-over 77 to leave him at five-over for the tournament.
Tennis-Jabeur awaits opponent after winning rain-hit Charleston semi-final
Ons Jabeur said a rain delay that lasted more than three hours helped her regroup and eventually win her Charleston Open semi-final against Daria Kasatkina, after a disappointing start had threatened her chances of reaching a first final in 2023. World number five Jabeur, who had minor surgery in February and skipped events in Doha and Dubai, was trailing her Russian opponent 3-5 in the first set when rain stopped play and she returned rejuvenated to complete a 7-5 7-5 victory.
Soccer-Three arrested over homophobic chants at Wolves v Chelsea
Three people were arrested in connection with homophobic and discriminatory chants made during an English soccer match on Saturday between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea, the Wolves said. Both teams and the Premier League condemned the chants directed at Chelsea supporters during the game, which the Wolves won 1-0 at home.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Sunday, April 9, 2023 at 8:12 am