Novak Djokovic described his Australian Open fourth-round match against Adrian Mannarino on Sunday as "cat and mouse" – an analogy that only really fits if Djokovic views himself as a bloodthirsty lion, such was the mauling dished out on Rod Laver Arena.
It took the defending champion a mere one hour and 44 minutes to charge into the quarter-finals with a resounding 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 victory that will no doubt turn the heads of his remaining rivals. As usual, Djokovic is getting better as the tournament progresses, even as he's dealing with physical ailments; he arrived at Melbourne Park with a niggling wrist issue and is now battling an illness.
The viral infection appeared to affect Djokovic, who was coughing and breathing heavily at times during the match. After winning eight straight games, the Serb was tested in a marathon ninth and frequently hunched over between points to catch his breath.
It could have been a sliding doors moment had Mannarino capitalised. Instead, Djokovic did what he often does and slammed that door shut before racing into a two-set lead on his way to the most comfortable of victories.
"The first two sets were some of the best sets I've played in a while," Djokovic, 36, said on court. "I really didn't want to lose that third game in the second set because the tension was building inside the stadium. I just needed to get that one out of the way so I could refocus on what I needed to do to close out the match.
Djokovic, the record 10-time Australian Open champion, was always going to be the heavy favourite against a player he has beaten on all four previous occasions, although at a career-high No 19 in the world, Mannarino has been enjoying a resurgence.
However, the French 19th seed was taught a lesson by the world No 1, who is through to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the 58th time, equalling Roger Federer's men's record.
"It's never easy to play Adrian, who is a very unorthodox player, he uses the angles pretty well and has one of the most consistent backhands in the game. It was kind of a cat-and-mouse tennis match against him, so I had to endure the long rallies and run around the court ... all in all a great performance."
Djokovic almost always plays the night session on Rod Laver Arena, but was bumped to the afternoon on Sunday. That's because home hope Alex de Minaur, seeded 10, is bidding to make the last eight for the first time, with Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev standing in his way.
"I don't mind playing in the day," Djokovic said. "It's no secret that I love to play at 7pm but it wasn't too bad at all today."
Next up for Djokovic is Taylor Fritz, an impressive four-set winner over last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas over on the John Cain Arena.
The American 12th seed will represent another step up in quality, and should he replicate his performance from Sunday, has the ability to test the 24-time major winner. That said, Fritz has lost all eight matches against Djokovic, including the last five in straight sets, but did push him the distance at the Australian Open two years ago.
"Obviously it's going to be a tough one," Djokovic said of his quarter-final opponent. "There are no easy matches now so I'm going to have to be ready for a battle."
Lurking in the same side of the draw is Jannik Sinner, with the Italian shaping up to potentially be Djokovic's most dangerous opponent should both players advance to the semi-finals.
The fourth seed is yet to drop a set in Melbourne and was too strong for Russian 15th seed Karen Khachanov in a 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Sabalenka sails through
Defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka was in similarly unforgiving form on Margaret Court Arena, sweeping past unseeded Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Fourth seed Coco Gauff has been almost as impressive. She swatted aside Poland's unseeded Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, with the 85-year-tennis legend watching from the stands.
"It was an honour to play in front of you, so thank you for coming to my match," said 19-year-old US Open champion Gauff, who had never progressed beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park in four previous attempts.
"First Aussie quarter-final. Super happy to be in this position and be here ... It's cool to get over that hump."
Gauff will next meet Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, who beat Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1.
With seven of the women's top 10 seeds knocked out in the first week, including world No 1 Iga Swiatek, both Gauff and Sabalenka have a glorious chance to win their second major titles.
They are on the same side of the draw and will not meet in the final, with a potential last-four clash looming instead.
Sabalenka has dropped just 11 games in four matches and is favoured to win another title to go with her breakthrough Grand Slam crown last year. Should she go all the way, the 25-year-old Belarusian will be the first woman to retain the title since compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013.
"I'm getting stronger because I enjoy the atmosphere and I really want to stay here as long as I can till the very last day," said Sabalenka, who is yet to drop a set and takes on Barbora Krejcikova in the next round after the Czech ninth seed defeated teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGuillermo%20del%20Toro%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tim%20Blake%20Nelson%2C%20Sebastian%20Roche%2C%20Elpidia%20Carrillo%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
