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Djokovic & Nadal through, Norrie out in Monte Carlo
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal breezed into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals, but Britain's Cameron Norrie could not progress from the last 16.
Top seed Djokovic, 31, needed just one hour and eight minutes to win 6-3 6-0 against American Taylor Fritz.
Second seed Nadal eased past Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in a 6-4 6-1 win on the clay - having now won 23 consecutive sets at the Masters 1000 tournament.
Norrie lost 6-2 7-5 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego, ranked 40 places below him.
The British number two, who is set to rise into the top 50 next week, was broken four times and struggled to test Sonego's serve.
Norrie, 23, did break back when Sonego served for the match at 5-4, only to lose his serve in the next game as the Italian went on to seal victory with a hold to love.
Nadal, 32, encountered few problems against Dimitrov, who he has now beaten in 12 of their 13 meetings, as he continued to look dominant on his favoured surface.
Bidding for an unprecedented 12th title in the principality, the French Open champion outclassed the former world number four and won eight of the last nine games.
Top seed Djokovic converted six of 10 break points against Fritz as he moved closer to matching Nadal's record of 33 Masters titles.
The reigning Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion will face a last-eight meeting with Russian 10th seed Daniil Medvedev - who he beat on his way to victory in Melbourne in January and has not lost against in three meetings.
Medvedev, 23, continued his good form against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 6-2 1-6 6-4 to extend to four victories his 100% record over the ATP Next Gen champion - who doubled faulted on match point.
German third seed Alexander Zverev and Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem - last year's French Open runner-up - suffered shock defeats in the third round.
Zverev was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 by Italian Fabio Fognini, while Thiem lost 6-3 6-3 to unseeded Serb Dusan Lajovic.
Italian 11th seed Marco Cecchinato was also knocked out after a 6-4 4-6 6-4 defeat by Argentina's Guido Pella, who goes on to meet Nadal.
Narrow margins but Nicole Arlia and Miriam Carnovale respond
First place in the initial phase group and an unbeaten record maintained, was secured courtesy of a 3-2 win in opposition to the no.9 seeds, the partnership formed by Anna Peters of the Netherlands and Ireland’s Sophie Earley. The player caused the Italians problems being Sophie Earley, she accounted for both Miriam Carnovale (11-3, 7-11, 11-3, 12-10) and Nicole Aria (11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7).
Tense moments to gain a main draw place, it was the very same against the no.5 seeds, the Greek partnership formed by Chrysi Fotiadu and Malamentinia Papadimitriou in the quest for a quarter-final reservation; a further 3-2 win was posted. The backbone of the victory was Nicole Aria. She accounted for Chrysi Fotiadu (11-6, 11-5, 11-6), before by the narrowest of decisions overcoming Malamentinia Papadimitriou (9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9). The stage set, Miriam Carnovale beat Chrysi Fotiadu (2-11, 12-10, 12-10, 14-12) to complete the victory.
One surprise first round place and according to seeding there were two more; the no.15 seeds, Russia’s Anastasiia Beresbova and Vlada Voronina recorded a 3-0 win against the combination of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Dora Cosic and Poland’s Anna Brzyska, the no.4 seeds, to top their group. Meanwhile in an upset that was no upset at all, China’s Leng Yutong and Xu Yi secured the same margin of victory when facing to the top seeded partnership formed by Croatia’s Hana Arapovic and Puerto Rico’s Brianna Burgos.
Defeat for the top seeds but no such misfortune for the second seeds; Chinese Taipei’s Liu Ru-Yun and Tsai Yun-En duly secured first place in their initial phase group.
Play in the cadet girls’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
Germans and Italians find form, surprise quarter-finalists
In the group phase of affairs, Leonardo Bassi and Federico Vallino Costassa recorded a 3-0 win in opposition to the no.10 seeds, the Czech Republic pairing of Daniel Kostal and Borek Otahal, to end matters unbeaten and thus in first place.
Success against the host nation duo was followed by success in opposition to the no.7 seeds, the Netherlands combination formed by Milo de Boer and Gabrelius Camara, a contest in which Leonardo Bassi excelled. He accounted for Milo de Boer (11-8, 5-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-3) and Gabrelius Camara (11-4, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8) to set the scene for Federico Vallino Costassa to be the hero of the hour. He duly obliged, in the vital fifth match of the engagement he sealed the victory with a four games win in opposition to Milo de Boer (11-13, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6).
Similarly, contrary to expectations, Soren Dreher and Vincent Senkbal secured first place, as did the no.14 seeds, the Russian outfit formed by Vladislav Bannikov, Aleksei Samokhin and Roman Vinogradov. Notably, Soren Dreher and Vincent Senkbal duly advanced directly to the quarter-finals, for the Russians, with Aleksei Samokhin resigned to the bench, it was a 3-1 opening round defeat at the hands of the no.6 seeds, Spain’s Daniel Berzosa and Miguel Angel Pantoja.
Surprise outcomes but not amongst the leading outfits; the Czech Republic’s Simon Belik, Ondrek Kveton and Martin Skotnica duly booked their quarter-final place without due alarm, as did the no.2 seeds, the Chinese selection formed by Tao Yuchang, Chen Yuanyu and Lin Shidong.
Play in the cadet boys’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
Drawing the short straw, Russia draws shortest of all
After both outfits had recorded 3-0 wins against the Czech trio formed by Anna Klempererova, Kristyna Penkavova and Lind Zaderova; the two teams met. China imposed its authority.
Winner of the junior girls’ singles title one day earlier, Zhang Xiaotong gave her team the perfect start by beating Elizabet Abraamaian (11-9, 11-7, 11-6), before Li Yuqi accounted for Anastasia Kolish (11-5, 11-13, 11-5, 11-7) to set the scene for Huang Yingqi to complete matters. She duly obliged, she overcame Olga Vishniakova (11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2) to seal an emphatic victory.
Only first place in the group ensured progress to the quarter-finals. The “Lucky Loser” spots for finishing in runners up spot went to the Belgian contingent comprising Jana Bernard, Elodie Bossut, Estelle Duvivier and Awa Sow, alongside Sweden’s Jennie Edvinsson, Hanna Kjellson and Rebecca Muskantor; thus for the Russians, it was journey’s end.
An earlier than predicted exit for the top seeds, for the remaining outfits who started the day as to highest rated in their particular groups, it was success.
Three outfits very much attracted the attention. Poland’s Anna Wegrzyn, Katarzyna Wegrzyn and Aleksandra Michalak, the no.2 seeds, impressed as did the no.3 seeds, the German combination of Anastasia Bondareva, Sophia Klee. Similar to the no.6 seeds, the formation comprising Guatemala’s Lucia Cordero who lined up alongside India’s Swastika Ghosh and Manushree Patil, ended the day without conceding a single individual match.
All can proudly say they matched China! Play in the junior girls’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
Top seeds secure first place, survive severe test
They were tested by the Japanese combination of Hiroto Shinozuka, Hayate Suzuki and Jo Yokotani; a 3-1 win was the end result but two of those successes were by the minimal margin in the deciding game.
Hiroto Shinozuka gave his team the best possible start by beating Lev Katsman, (11-8, 11-4, 11-4), the highest rated player on duty in Spa, before Maksim Grebnev overcame Jo Yokotani (11-4, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9) and Artem Tikhonov swayed the momentum in favour of Russia. He accounted for Hayate Suzuki in a further nail-biting contest (6-11, 11-4, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9). Stung by the earlier reverse, Lev Katsman returned to the table, in some style he ended matters by overcoming Jo Yokotani (11-9, 11-9, 11-6).
Success for the top seeds, it was also first places in the group phase for the other major medal contenders. The second seeds, the formation of Iran’s Amin Ahmadian and Radin Khayyam alongside India’s Manush Utpalbhai Shah and Raegan Alburquerque duly topped their group, as did the third seeded outfit formed by Austria’s Maciej Kolodziejczyk, Belgium’s David Cameliau and Serbia’s Dimitrije Levajac.
However, further down list there were surprise first places. The no.9 seeds, the Chinese Taipei trio formed by Feng Yi-Hsin, Huang Yan-Cheng and Li Hsin-Yu remained unbeaten, notably recording a 3-0 win against the no.7 seeds, Germany’s Kirill Fadeev, Daniel Rinderer and Kay Stumper.
Similarly, New Zealand’s Nathan Xu alongside Japan’s Takeru Kashiwa and Ryoichi Yoshiyama, the no.10 seeds, finished ahead of the no.8 seeds, the outfit comprising Canada’s Edward Ly, who joined forces with Gal Alguetti and Sharon Alguetti of the United States.
Play in the junior boys’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
Twitter followers around the world will notice that the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has launched its own unique emoji on the platform in the build-up to and during the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships.
The move forms part of the ITTF’s innovative digital strategy around the biggest table tennis event of the year, held between 21-28 April in Budapest, Hungary, with clear objectives to drive fan interaction and brand awareness to new levels.
The emoji, which has taken on the form of the official event logo, appears when the following five hashtags are tweeted:
“In essence, the World Table Tennis Championships emoji will revolutionise the user experience for followers on Twitter, providing an easier and more engaging way for them to interact with the ITTF and one another, including of course the sharing of either official or user-generated content, from Budapest and beyond.”
ITTF Marketing Director, Matt Pound
The introduction of the World Table Tennis Championships emoji is the latest sign of how the ITTF is breaking new ground in the sport, inspired by successful emoji initiatives already run by the likes of Major League Soccer (MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB).
The ITTF is establishing itself as one of the top-performing sports brands on Twitter, especially among those based in the Asia-Pacific region.
By delivering eye-catching and engaging video content on a daily basis, the ITTF achieved almost 25 million video views during 2018, figures which are on course to grow significantly in 2019.
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Julianne Courtice makes massive impact with big win at El Gouna
Julianne Courtice (left) on the way to victory over Joey Chan
Scots Lobban and Clyne win through
By MATT COLES
Spain’s Iker Pajares Bernabeu and England’s Julianne Courtice secured surprise victories against France’s Lucas Serme and Hong Kong’s Joey Chan, respectively, on day two of the El Gouna International as the PSA World Tour Platinum event continued at the El Gouna Squash Complex.
World No.59 Pajares overcame the higher-ranked Serme to ensure that a trio of Spaniards will line up in the second round of the El Gouna International for the first time. The 23-year-old Pajares is ranked 26 places below Serme in the PSA World Rankings but put in a fine performance to win 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 and beat his opponent for the first time in his career.
Serme had won all four of their previous matches on the PSA Tour – including a 3-1 win in the final round of qualifying 12 months ago in El Gouna – but Pajares avenged those defeats with an accurate performance to join compatriots Borja Golan and Edmon Lopez in the last 32.
Bernabeu will line up against former World No.3 Omar Mosaad in the next round as he bids to reach the third round of a PSA Platinum tournament for the first time.
“I’ve played Lucas four times on the PSA, and I’ve lost all of them,” Pajares said afterwards.
“I’m happy to beat him in three today, I felt very confident today on court, yesterday Borja and Edmon won, so that gave me confidence for today as well.
“I’ve played Lucas around 10 times in all, including PSA and league, so I’ve gotten used to his game. Having Edmon and Borja here supporting me is always an extra bonus, when you’re playing PSA you’re normally alone, especially if you don’t bring family or coaches with you.
“It’s going to be my first time playing Omar Mosaad. I’m also going to play him in two weeks’ time at the Wimbledon Open, and I think it’s going to be a good pace. I know how he plays, and we’ll see how close I am.”
Iker Pajares Bernabeu wins at El Gouna
Egypt’s Fares Dessouky is also through to the second round after beating Todd Harrity, having been granted a wildcard spot in the tournament as he continues to make his way back from injury.
A torn ACL had seen him plummet down the World Rankings, falling as low as World No.502 in January. The 24-year-old has risen back into the world’s top 50 since then and now sits at No.42. The two-time El Gouna semi finalist came through his first round match against Harrity with relative ease winning out in 36 minutes to claim a third successive win over the men’s United States No.1.
“I’m very happy with the way I played, it was a very tough match, and the score doesn’t say everything. It was tough physically as well, the court was a bit bouncy, and I had to adapt my game,” Dessouky said.
“Being the wildcard is something good and new for me. This is such a great tournament, I love it so much, and I love playing here. I’m looking forward to playing well, but my goal nowadays is to stay injury-free, to play well and to enjoy it.”
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, Alan Clyne shocked Hong Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip to advance in the other surprise result of the day, while compatriot Greg Lobban is also through to the last 32 after beating Egypt’s Mohamed Reda.
Nicolas Mueller, Youssef Soliman, Nafiizwan Adnan, Cesar Salazar and Max Lee also navigated their way through their first round matches today.
Fares Dessouky wins through
There was also a surprise in the women’s draw, as Julianne Courtice beat Hong Kong’s Joey Chan in a five-game thriller to book her place in the second round.
The pair had never met before on the PSA Tour, and the Englishwoman, who sits 23 places below World No.17 Chan, claimed an 11-7, 9-11, 17-15, 11-13, 11-8 victory. Courtice’s reward for beating Hong Kong’s No.2 is a clash with Hong Kong’s No.1 Annie Au, with the pair set to face off on the plaster courts at the Squash Complex on Saturday April 20.
“It feels great. I have been wanting a win against one of the top 20, top 30 players for a while now,” Courtice said after the win.
“I just felt relaxed going into this one, and obviously it was really tight in the games, but I feel great in getting through. [I was] definitely panicking. I probably took the third when she was ahead, and she took the fourth after being ahead and me coming back. It was just nip and tuck all the way. When we went into that fifth game I just told myself to go for it.
“As soon as I got to 10-8, it is not a given to win. We had both had game balls throughout the match, so I just thought I had to play the next point and to get through it, and it just happened.”
Also in the women’s draw, Yathreb Adel secured her passage through to the last 32 after she defeated South Africa’s Alexandra Fuller in straight games.
Adel, who sits at World No.18, showed her class throughout against the South African, ranked 27 places below her in the world. Although Fuller bounced back from an 8-2 deficit in the third game to send it to a tie-break, Adel was able to take the victory and set up a meeting with three-time World Champion Nour El Sherbini in the second round.
“I am very happy to be through today in three. Alex is obviously one of the good players on court, and it is tricky to play her so I am happy to come out with a 3-0 win today,” Adel said after her victory.
Yathreb Adel (left) wins in style
“She is quite fast on court so I just had to be more patient, rather than just going for my shots all the time because she would get there and get it back.”
There were also victories for fellow Egyptians Nadine Shahin, Rowan Elaraby and Zeina Mickawy at El Gouna’s Squash Complex.
Millie Tomlinson, Olivia Blatchford Clyne and Hollie Naughton also secured wins, against Ho Tze-Lok, Liu Tsz-Ling and Rachel Arnold, respectively.
The top half of the draw will play their second round matches tomorrow starting at 12:00 local time (GMT+2), with the seeded players entering the draw at this stage. The majority of matches will take place at the El Gouna Squash Complex, while the likes of World No.1s Ali Farag and Raneem El Welily will be in action at the glass court at the Abu Tig Marina from 18:30 local (GMT+2) onwards.
Matches from the glass court will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).
El Gouna International Open 2019, El Gouna Marina, El Gouna, Egypt (PSA .
PSA World Tour Platinum ($176k) Men’s First Round (Bottom Half):
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Mohamed Reda (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6 (65m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (55m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-2: 11-8, 1-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7 (61m)
Alan Clyne (SCO) bt Tsk Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (40m)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5 (80m)
[WC] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt Todd Harrity (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 (36m)
Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (44m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-1: 3-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 (39m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 8-11, 11-1, 11-2 (44m)
Men’s Second Round (Top Half) Friday April 19:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Cameron Pilley (AUS)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) v Diego Elias (PER)
Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Joel Makin (WAL)
Borja Golan (ESP) v [7] Paul Coll (NZL)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) v Tom Richards (ENG)
Adrian Waller (ENG) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Edmon Lopez (ESP)
Zahed Salem (EGY) v [3] Tarek Momen (EGY)
Men’s Second Round (Bottom Half) Saturday April 20:
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Greg Lobban (SCO)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Alan Clyne (SCO)
Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v [8] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
[6] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
Youssef Soliman (EGY) v [WC] Fares Dessouky (EGY)
Nafizzwan Adnan (MAS) v Cesar Salazar (MEX)
Max Lee v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
PSA World Tour Platinum ($176k) Women’s First Round (Bottom Half):
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 16-14, 13-11, 12-10 (34m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 11-3, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 (31m)
Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 3-2: 11-7, 9-11, 17-15, 11-13, 11-8 (62m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (21m)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 3-1: 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3 (38m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt [WC] Farida Mohamed (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9 (42m)
Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-1: 11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10 (42m)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-0: 11-6, 12-10, 14-12 (32m)
Women’s Second Round (Top Half) Friday April 19:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v Nicol David (MAS)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [16] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[14] Victoria Lust (ENG) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)
Coline Aumard (FRA) v [5] Joelle King (NZL)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v Nele Gilis (BEL)
Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [13] Amanda Sobhy (USA)
[12] Salma Hany (EGY) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
Rachael Grinham (AUS) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Women’s Second Round (Bottom Half) April 20:
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) v Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [10] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[11] Annie Au (HKG) v Julianne Courtice (ENG)
Rowan Elaraby v [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v [15] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[9] Alison Waters (ENG) v Nadine Shahin (EGY)
Yathreb Adel (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Wynand Olivier: Worcester centre & South Africa World Cup winner to retire
Worcester centre Wynand Olivier, who was part of the South Africa squad that won the World Cup in 2007, will retire at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old has made more than 50 appearances since joining from French Top 14 club Montpellier in 2015, but has not played in the Premiership this term because of a hamstring injury.
He won 38 caps for his country, with the most recent coming in 2014.
"I've been very privileged to play the game I love for so long," said Olivier.
"I've had a long career, made some great memories and it will be undoubtedly be an emotional experience leaving the game but I'm excited about what the future holds outside of rugby."
Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons added: "Wynand has had a terrific career. He is a superb rugby player, a wonderful bloke and a great team man."
Mark McCafferty: Outgoing Premiership rugby boss urges unity over future of the sport
The outgoing boss of English club rugby has urged collaboration and sacrifice as the professional game enters a pivotal stage in its development.
Mark McCafferty will stand down as chief executive of Premiership Rugby at the end of the season after 14 years.
It comes after the clubs sold a share to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, while the international game is also at a crossroads.
"People have just got to work together," McCafferty told BBC 5 Live.
"It's tough, because it probably takes some give and take. There is too much [thinking] independently - and sometimes we are guilty of that as well.
"But the big secret is trying to bring the right people and trying to make things happen with a longer-term, collaborative perspective on it."
The Premiership clubs agreed a deal with CVC at the end of last year to sell a 27% stake in the business for more than £200m, while talks continue on a global level over the future of the international game.
The Six Nations council announced on Wednesday they would be proceeding with due diligence over the proposed World Rugby Nations Championship, but are also exploring other options - including selling to private equity.
"If I look back at how little progress was made when the RFU and the clubs were going in opposite directions, and how much progress we have started to make now, I think that is true at the world level," McCafferty continued.
"We have to bring people together in a way that they act more collaboratively. There is also the whole issue of player welfare, and I suspect everyone is going to have to play slightly less than they already do if we are going to get that balance right."
'Opportunity for the club game to grow'
After he stands down as PRL chief executive in May, McCafferty will work as an adviser to CVC, and he will also remain part of English rugby's Professional Game Board (PGB).
"It's about [helping CVC understand] the whole rugby landscape and what is happening there," he added.
"It's a fantastic sport and it's rooted in some values that we all cherish but in the professional age they will always come under pressure a bit.
"I know most of the personalities around the global scene and hopefully can help navigate the club game through to the next phase of growth.
"They have made a big investment and given all the experience I have got it worked for both parties to help facilitate [the partnership], because there will inevitably be some big challenges ahead.
"But also there is an opportunity for the club game to grow and thrive which hopefully it has over the past ten or so years."
So after 15 years in professional rugby, Ulster and Ireland captain Rory Best will call time on his career after this year's World Cup.
From Grand Slam glory to Heineken Cup heartache, the 36-year-old has been through the lot as a player.
How much can you remember about his career?
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