Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz will enter the tennis top 10 this week, becoming the youngest male tennis player to acheive that feat since compatriot Rafa Nadal 17 years ago.
Carlos Alcaraz with the Barcelone Open trophy. Photo: AFP o
Alcaraz, 18, has captured his fourth title at the Barcelona Open, with a straight sets win over eighth seed Pablo Carreno-Busta. He is projected to rise as high as number nine when the latest ATP rankings are released.
The young Spaniard had to work hard for his latest crown, with the semi-finals at Barcelona pushed to Sunday because of rain on Saturday and Alcaraz saved two match points to overcome Alex de Minaur 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 6-4.
His victory in three hours and 40 minutes earned him a title clash with mentor Carreno Busta.
"It's tough to play a final this afternoon after this match, after this week, but it's a final," Alcaraz said earlier.
"You have to give 100%, fight until the last ball. It's no time to be tired, you have to fight like the first day."
- Reuters
Ferocious Mystics dominate Stars
The defending champions the Mystics have beaten Auckland cross town rivals the Stars 68-44 in their ANZ netball premiership encounter.
Mystics shooter Grace Nweke was a dominant force in her side's win. Photo: Photosport
The 24 point win equalled their biggest winning margin.
Mystics shooter Grace Nweke was dominant in the circle scoring 59 from her 66 attempts
However at the other end of the court Stars shooter Maia Wilson struggled with accuracy and was substituted as the third quarter came to a close.
The Mystics sit at the top of the table with five wins from seven games.
-RNZ
Verstappen too quick at Imola sprint
World champion Max Verstappen has taken maximum points from Formula One's Imola sprint weekend.
Verstappen led a dominant Red Bull one-two as Ferrari's homecoming turned sour for overall leader Charles Leclerc and his Italian team finishes sixth.
Mercedes' seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton was lapped by Verstappen after 41 of the 63 laps and finished 13th.
-Reuters
Chelsea tighten grip on top three; Burnley resurgence continues
Chelsea have tightened their grip on third place in English football's Premier League with a 1-nil win over West Ham.
Christian Pulisic's 90th-minute winner at Stamford Bridge made up for his team mate Jorginho's missed penalty.
Victory takes Chelsea went five points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal, with a match in hand.
Burnley climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone and pushed Everton into the bottom three with a tense 1-nil win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Turf Moor.
Title drought continues for Djokovic
World number one Novak Djokovic's barren title spell in 2022 has continued losing to Russian Andrey Rublev in the Serbia Open final in Belgrade.
Djokovic lost 6-2 6-7 6-0.
Novak Djokovic. Photo: AFP
Playing his second tournament on clay this season Djokovic was off to a slow start as second seed Rublev broke him twice to clinch the opening set 6-2.
Djokovic had prevailed from a set down in his last three matches and the 20-times major winner, cheered on by a capacity home crowd, raised his game in the second set to take the tie-breaker despite earlier squandering five set points..
The Serbian missed a chunk of the early season, including the Australian Open as well as ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami and Indian Wells, due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 - and his lack of match practice showed in the deciding set.
-Reuters
World champ badly injured
World champion Julian Alaphilippe has suffered two broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung after hitting a tree during the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day race.
The 29-year-old Frenchman's condition is stable, but he has been kept in hospital for observation.
A huge crash brought down many riders 62km out, with Alaphilippe landing in a ditch and hitting a tree.
His Belgian teamate Remco Evenepoel, 22, won the race.
-BBC