World No 3 Jessica Pegula is out of the Rome Masters after falling to a shock defeat against Taylor Townsend on Thursday.
American Townsend is through to the third round at a WTA 1000 event for only the second round time in her career after beating her countrywoman 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Townsend's only previous victory against a top-10 player came during a breakthrough fourth-round run at the 2019 US Open, where she beat then-No 4 Simona Halep in the second round inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
She will now face China's Wang Xiyu who defeated Madrid Masters quarter-finalist Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 6-4, 7-5.
Victoria Azarenka stepped up her singles game in Rome after defeating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-3 at Foro Italico.
Fresh from winning a doubles title alongside Beatriz Haddad Maia in Madrid last week, Azarenka started her campaign in Italy with victory over the American who was coming off a singles victory at a smaller clay-court event in Saint Malo, France.
Despite the score line, Azarenka's one hour, 42-minute victory was far from straightforward. The 2013 finalist trailed by a break twice in the first set and once in the second; there were 10 breaks of serve in total.
“I was definitely quite nervous before the match,” said Azarenka, who will now take on another American in Madison Keys.
“I felt like I didn’t have too many matches under my belt and Sloane just won the tournament, so I knew she’s in a good form, so I just tried to kind of stay focused on myself.”
Azarenka is making her 14th appearance at the Foro Italico, having reached the final in 2013, when she lost to Serena Williams.
“It feels like it was such a long time ago,” Azarenka added. “Time goes by fast. I try to appreciate every moment I have on the court. I’m not sure how long I will play longer, so I want to enjoy it. But I still feel like I can be very competitive.”
Last year's French Open runner-up, Coco Gauff, routed Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 on way to a 59-minute victory.
“I usually have long matches with her. I was fully prepared for that. But I told myself to play on my terms, not her terms,” said the 19-year-old American who is seeded sixth.
“She’s obviously a tricky player, has some big wins. Made the quarters of the French a couple times. I know clay is her surface. It’s also kind of mine, too, so it was a good match today.”
Gauff will face 27th seed Marie Bouzkova next for a spot in the last 16. The Czech rallied from 4-0 down to Caty McNally of the US to win 10 consecutive games before closing out a 6-4, 6-3 win.
Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova, the 2019 Rome champion and two-time runner-up, was eliminated by Hungarian qualifier Anna Bondar 7-6, 6-2.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Honeymoonish
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AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
Scores:
Day 4
England 290 & 346
Sri Lanka 336 & 226-7 (target 301)
Sri Lanka require another 75 runs with three wickets remaining
