Rafael Nadal booked his place in the Australian Open quarter-finals with a straight sets win over Adrian Mannarino on Sunday, but only coming through an epic 28-minute opening-set tiebreak.
Shortly after the 20-time Grand Slam champion advanced, third seed Alexander Zverev was emphatically defeated by Canada's Denis Shapovalov as the German's wait for a first major title goes on.
Nadal, seeded sixth, needed all of his experience and resolve to claim a 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory inside a baking hot Rod Laver Arena. It is the 35-year-old Spanish great's 14th quarter-final in his 17th visit to Melbourne.
"I was a little bit lucky at the end of the tiebreaker, I had my chances but then he had a lot of chances too," Nadal said. "That crazy first set was so important and the service break at the beginning of the second set too.
"He had been playing some fantastic tennis during the whole tournament, winning against amazing players, and today the first set was super difficult.
"His ball was very difficult to control, very flat, very fast and I am very happy that I survived that."
Nadal is chasing a men's record 21st Grand Slam title and coming off a curtailed 2021 season caused by a chronic foot injury followed by a bout of Covid-19 in December.
The story of the match was the extraordinary opening-set tiebreak, where Nadal held seven set points and Frenchman Mannarino four. It proved an epic in the boiling heat, before Nadal prevailed 16-14 after winning a furious rally.
The 69th-ranked Mannarino appeared to injure himself in chasing down a drop shot during the tiebreak and needed treatment courtside. The effort of the draining opening set told on Mannarino, who lost his opening service game of the second set and followed up with another in the fifth game.
The outcome was inevitable with Nadal fully in command and getting the job done.
Mannarino was also coming off a 4hr 38min struggle to get past 18th seed Aslan Karatsev in the previous round which finished in the early hours of Saturday. He battled on but Nadal gained ascendancy to work his way to victory to remain unbeaten after seven matches this season.
Nadal next faces 14th seed Shapovalov, who dominated Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to reach his first Australian Open quarter-final.
The 22-year-old Canadian was magnificent against the German third seed, earning one of his biggest career victories at Margaret Court Arena.
Shapovalov blew a match point with a wild forehand into the tramlines but wrapped up the match when Zverev netted under pressure.
"It's always an honour to play someone like Rafa," said Shapovalov, who recently played, and beat, the Spaniard at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi last month.
"Always fun, always going to be battle, it's going to be tough."
Monfils 'not finished yet'
Gael Monfils warned he's "not quite finished yet" after winning a drawn-out battle with Miomir Kecmanovic to reach his second quarter-final at the Australian Open.
The 17th-seeded Monfils carved out a torrid straight-sets win over the 77th-ranked Serb 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 in 2hr 34min on John Cain Arena.
Monfils, yet to drop a set in his four wins at the year's first major, will face either Italy's seventh seed Matteo Berrettini or 19th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the last eight.
It is the 35-year-old Frenchman's first quarter-final appearance in Melbourne since 2016 when he lost to Canada's Milos Raonic.
"It was really tough. He passed me on both sides. I tried to be very aggressive," Monfils said. "I tried not to let him dictate the points and that went well. It was just a battle."
Monfils does not intend to go home any time soon.
"I want to do better and I will try to play this quarter-final not like the last time ... I'm not quite finished yet."
Kecmanovic's winning run is over after he was initially drawn to play compatriot and world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round.
After the defending champion was deported, Kecmanovic found himself instead facing lucky loser Salvatore Caruso.
He went on to win three matches to get through to the last 16 and come away with $A300,000 (US$215,000) in prize money and 180 ranking points.
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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Company%20profile
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The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEmonovo%20(previously%20Marj3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECairo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2016%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeducation%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ethree%20rounds%2C%20undisclosed%20amount%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
