Naomi Osaka overcame nerves and a second set wobble to get her 2022 season off to a winning start on Tuesday having not played a competitive match for four months.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka called time on her 2021 season after losing in the third round of the US Open at the start of September, admitting in a tearful press conference that she was "dealing with some stuff" emotionally. It came after the Japanese star had taken a six-week mid-season hiatus following her withdrawal from the French Open to focus on her mental health.
Osaka, 24, had since mostly laid low before flying into Melbourne last week to prepare for her Australian Open title defence. She took the first step towards that goal at the Melbourne Summer Set tournament, but was nowhere near her best in beating France's 61st-ranked veteran Alize Cornet 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena.
"It always feels really good to come back here," world No 13 Osaka said in her on-court interview. "It feels really nice to play in front of people."
Osaka looked to be cruising after taking the opening set 6-4 and racing to a 3-1 lead in the second, but lost focus as the 31-year-old Cornet won five straight games to level the match.
Osaka pulled herself together to score an early break in the third set and never relinquished it. She made several mistakes in a rusty first competitive outing for four months, and admitted nerves played a part.
"I feel like I made a lot of unforced errors, but I kind of expected that because it is my first match and I was really nervous," she said. "I'm just so glad I was able to hold my serve in that last game."
The win set up a last-16 clash with Belgium's Maryna Zanevska, who defeated Croatia's Petra Martic in her opening match.
While it was a victorious return to the tour for Osaka, fellow multi Grand Slam champion Andy Murray was defeated in his first match of the season.
Murray defeated by Bagnis
In the men's ATP 250 event at the same venue, former world No 1 Murray suffered a setback in his preparation for the Australian Open as Argentine Facundo Bagnis claimed a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory in the Round of 32.
"To beat him is amazing, I'm really happy. I enjoyed every point in the match," world No 76 Bagnis said.
Five-time Australian Open finalist Murray, down to 134 in the world rankings after layoffs due to hip surgery, has accepted a wildcard to the main draw of the year's first major, which begins on January 17.
But the 34-year-old Briton will need to find a much higher level if he is to enjoy another deep run at the Melbourne Park major.
After an evenly-poised first set, Murray dropped serve at the worst possible time, handing Bagnis a 5-3 lead before the Argentine served out the opener.
The three-time Grand Slam champion took charge of the second set by moving ahead 4-1 and could have had a second break to lead 5-2, only to squander two chances. Bagnis made Murray pay by breaking back and levelling the set at 4-4, but it was then the Argentine's turn to wobble at a crucial moment and his double fault at set point allowed Murray to take the match into the decider.
However, it was Bagnis who found another gear in the third set, breaking Murray for a 3-2 lead and again when the former world No 1 was serving to stay in the match.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios was scheduled to play in the same event but withdrew shortly before his first round match against Slovakian Alex Molcan due to asthma.
Kyrgios, 26, only played 15 matches in 2021 and had been recovering from a knee injury since the end of September. With his ranking now down at No 93, he required a wildcard for the Melbourne tournament, but will instead make his return at the Sydney Classic next week, where he has also been given an invitation.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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57%20Seconds
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FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
Blonde
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
The%20specs
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Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
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