Griekspoor stuns top-seeded Zverev, avenges French Open heartbreak

 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands plays a forehand against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their second round match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 07, 2025 in Indian Wells, California.(AFP)
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Updated 08 March 2025
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Griekspoor stuns top-seeded Zverev, avenges French Open heartbreak

  • It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German
  • American Marcos Giron joined Griekspoor in posting his first win over a top-five player, upsetting fourth seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2
  • Iga Swiatek, the women’s defending champion in this combined ATP and WTA 1000 event, eased through her opener 6-2, 6-0 against French veteran Caroline Garcia

INDIAN WELLS: Tallon Griekspoor stunned top-seeded Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells on Friday, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year.

Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017.

It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German.

That included a five-setter at the French Open in which Griekspoor was up a double break in the fifth in a defeat he called “absolute heartbreak.”

“It was such a mental thing. I played so many battles against him and had chances but they all went his way,” said Griekspoor, who claimed his first victory over a top-five player in his 19th attempt.

“I am incredibly proud of myself from this performance and to get it over the line,” the 28-year-old added.

Broken to trail 5-6 in the third set, Zverev saved five match points in a dramatic 12th game, finally converting his fifth break point of the game to force the tiebreaker.

But Griekspoor sealed it on his first chance in the decider.

The defeat in a tension-packed Stadium Court clash continued a lackluster run for Zverev since he fell to Sinner in the Australian Open final. Following that loss he has made early exits at Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco.

“I always struggle against him,” Zverev said of Griekspoor. “He played a good match. There’s no question about that. But I have to look at myself a little bit, and it’s nowhere near where I want to be.”

American Marcos Giron joined Griekspoor in posting his first win over a top-five player, upsetting fourth seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz the past two years, moved on with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over 71st-ranked Bu Yunchaokete of China.

Fifth-seeded Medvedev, bundled up against the cold desert night air with leggings under his shorts and long sleeves, dropped his serve to open the match.

But he broke back immediately and was never seriously threatened despite the wealth of long rallies.

“I’ll be surprised if he had more than five winners in the match,” Medvedev said. “I just knew that I have to put the ball in court and run.”

Iga Swiatek, the women’s defending champion in this combined ATP and WTA 1000 event, eased through her opener 6-2, 6-0 against French veteran Caroline Garcia.

“I’m happy that I was solid until the end, and I’m just happy that I adjusted to the conditions well,” said Swiatek, who played as the late afternoon temperture dropped and the breeze picked up.

“First matches are not easy, and didn’t know what to expect from Caro, but I’m happy that I could dominate from the beginning.”

Swiatek converted six of her nine break points and was broken only once in the 61-minute victory.

Fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula also powered through, beating Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2.

“Honestly, I think it was just handling the conditions,” Pegula said. “I felt like I was able to handle the side with the wind pretty well and really take advantage of using that for my serve ... and then just being a little gritty and digging out some tough points on the side that was against the wind.”

Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian, who became the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion in Dubai last month, battled back from 0-4 down in the second set to beat France’s 70th-ranked Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 6-4 in another windblown, error-laden late match.

Andreeva, seeded ninth, booked a third-round meeting with Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the woman she beat in the Dubai final.

Tauson advanced with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory over Colombian Camila Osorio, who had ousted four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first round.


Son, Kim and Lee tasting success in Europe despite South Korea’s soccer struggles

Updated 6 sec ago
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Son, Kim and Lee tasting success in Europe despite South Korea’s soccer struggles

Kim Min-jae helped German giant Bayern Munich lift the Bundesliga title
“I think this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something I may never have again,” Son said

SEOUL: South Korea’s national soccer team may be stumbling toward 2026 World Cup qualification and its clubs may have struggled in the Asian Champions League, but three of its biggest stars have been finding success in Europe.

Kim Min-jae helped German giant Bayern Munich lift the Bundesliga title, the 28-year-old defender’s second major prize in Europe after winning the Italian championship with Napoli two years earlier.

While Kim has two European trophies, the biggest star in Korean soccer is Son Heung-min and the 32-year-old forward is yet to win a major title. That could change next week with the Tottenham captain preparing to lead the London-based Spurs in the Europa League final against Premier League rival Manchester United.

“To complete the puzzle, you need every piece. Ultimately, I think, the most important final piece is still missing,” Son, who joined Tottenham in 2015, told South Korea media in London on Monday.

“I think I’ve been chasing that piece for 10 years. I’d love to finish that puzzle this time.”

Son was part of the Tottenham team that lost the 2019 UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool. Now, as the senior player, he’s determined to end what has been a difficult season for club — Tottenham are currently 17th out of 20 teams in the Premier League — and country, on a high.

“I think this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something I may never have again,” Son said. “I hope I won’t have regrets afterward. When I return to Korea after the season, I’d like to give my Korean fans and our Tottenham supporters the biggest smile I can bring.”

Son returned to action last weekend after an absence through injury but is set to start against Manchester United. The same is not automatically the case for Lee Kang-in.

The 24-year-old Lee, an attacking midfielder has been struggling for playing time of late for Paris Saint-Germain. He has appeared in 11 UEFA Champions League games this season but was on the bench as the French club beat Arsenal in the semifinals to book a final against Inter Milan on May 31 in Munich.

That game will marks the end of the European season and the start of transfer speculation. Lee has been linked with clubs elsewhere in Europe. So has Kim, whose season at Munich has been affected by injuries.

“I want to keep playing for Munich,” Kim said last month. “There’s no reason why I should leave this team. I like playing for Munich. I want to continue playing for this team next season. It’s one thing that’s important to me right now.”

It remains to be seen where the three biggest stars in Korean football are in August but the focus is currently on winning three prizes in European club football and bringing some good news for fans at home.

Cycling great Wiggins admits cocaine addiction after retiring

Updated 23 min 43 sec ago
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Cycling great Wiggins admits cocaine addiction after retiring

  • Wiggins, who won the Tour de France in 2012, said he attends regular therapy sessions
  • “There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning“

LONDON: Five-time Olympic champion and Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins says he became a cocaine addict following his retirement from cycling and is “lucky to be here.”

The British father of two, who quit his addiction a year ago, said his children wanted to put him in rehab, fearing the issue could prove fatal.

Wiggins, who won the Tour de France in 2012, said he attends regular therapy sessions, and feels “a lot more at peace” with himself.

“There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning,” he told The Observer. “I was a functioning addict. People wouldn’t realize. I was high most of the time for many years.”

He added: “I was walking a tightrope. I realized I had a huge problem. I had to stop. I’m lucky to be here.

“I was a victim of all my own choices, for many years.

“I already had a lot of self-hatred, but I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realized I was hurting a lot of people around me.”

Since ending his career in 2016, Wiggins has spoken about his father’s jealousy and being groomed by a coach as a child.

The 45-year-old, last year declared bankrupt, said disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, who confessed to doping in 2013, had helped his recovery, including offering to pay for therapy.

“My addiction was a way of easing that pain that I lived with,” said Wiggins, according to Cycling Weekly.

“I’m still figuring a lot of this out but what I have got is a lot more control of myself and my triggers. I’m a lot more at peace with myself now which is a really big thing.”


Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

Updated 13 May 2025
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Tennis Coach Murray and Djokovic part ways ahead of French Open

BENGALURU: Andy Murray will no longer coach 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, with the pair’s high-profile partnership coming to an end after only six months, the Briton’s team announced on Tuesday.
Djokovic appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with Murray for an indefinite period.
However, the partnership will now end as Djokovic looks to arrest a dip in form during the clay season by competing in the Geneva Open next week, ahead of his quest for a fourth French Open title when Roland Garros gets underway on May 25.
“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months,” Murray said in a statement.
“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”
Djokovic, who won 25 of his 36 matches against Murray, said he was grateful for his former rival’s hard work and support in their short spell together.
“I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together,” Djokovic added.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before injury ended his campaign. He made the Miami Open final in March but his bid for a 100th tour-level title ended in a defeat by Jakub Mensik.
The Serb, who turns 38 three days before the year's second Grand Slam begins, has been woefully out of form since that Miami defeat and was beaten in his opening matches at Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid last month.
He was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but skipped the ongoing Italian Open without giving a reason.
Djokovic accepted a wildcard for the May 18-24 Geneva Open.


Cummins and Green set to return for Australia in cricket's World Test Championship final

Updated 13 May 2025
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Cummins and Green set to return for Australia in cricket's World Test Championship final

BRISBANE: Pace bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and allrounder Cameron Green have been recalled from injury and young batter Sam Konstas has been retained in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa next month.
Australia is the defending WTC champion and finished the league stage with an away win over Sri Lanka after a home series victory against India.
“Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now presents us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship,” Australia’s chief selector George Bailey said in a statement Tuesday. “It means a lot to the group to reach the final and they are very much looking forward to the challenge South Africa will present at Lord’s.”
The same squad will head to the Caribbean for a three-test series against the West Indies following the June 11-15 WTC final.
Green hasn't played international cricket since September because of back surgery, but the 25-year-old allrounder is making a graduated return and currently batting at county level in England.
Skipper Cummins missed the two-test series in Sri Lanka with an injured ankle and Hazlewood hasn't played a test since developing a side strain in November, early in the series against India.
Both veteran pacemen have been playing in the Indian Premier League, which was suspended last week because of the border tension between India and Pakistan but is set to resume this weekend.
“We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat, Josh and Cam back in the squad,” Bailey said.
Opening batter Konstas made an impressive debut against India with a half-century in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne but was dropped ahead of the subsequent tour to Sri Lanka.


Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes

Updated 13 May 2025
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Knicks take a 3-1 lead over the Celtics with a 121-113 victory as Tatum is injured in final minutes

NEW YORK: Jalen Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists, and the New York Knicks moved a win away from their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years and pushed the defending champion Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination with a 121-113 victory Monday night in Game 4.
The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit to extend their title reign and may have to do it without All-Star Jayson Tatum, who was carried off the court with a right leg injury with 2:58 left.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston. If not, they would come back to Madison Square Garden to try to do it Friday night.
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs, before he was hurt when the Celtics turned the ball over and his leg gave out as he tried to lunge forward toward the loose ball.
The Knicks had taken control just before that in front of a delirious crowd of fans who haven’t seen them play in the conference finals since they lost to Indiana in 2000.
Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn’t happened when a team had to win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.