Alexander Zverev was stretched to the limit by a dogged Cameron Norrie before making it to the Australian Open quarter-finals after a grueling five-set battle on Monday.
The German sixth seed triumphed 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (10/3) in a match that lasted more than four hours.
"At the end of the day it's a Grand Slam and everyone is playing at their best here," said Zverev. "Cam has definitely been playing amazing tennis and I'm just happy to get through."
Both players were solid on serve in the first set until Zverev won a 16-shot rally to earn two break points in the 11th game, making the vital breakthrough when Norrie netted.
The German, who had won all four of their previous Tour-level matches, broke first in the second set to ramp up the pressure on his 19th-seeded opponent but Norrie then went on a four-game winning spree to level the match.
A single break was enough to give Zverev the third set and the roles were reversed in the fourth set as Norrie hit back.
The scenarios quickly changed for the British number one, who dumped a forehand into the net to lose his serve in the opening game of the deciding set.
But he was back on level terms within minutes, breaking for the fourth time in the match. A wild forehand from Norrie in the seventh game handed Zverev two more break points but he failed to close the match. The deciding set went to a tie-break, which turned into a one-sided affair. Zverev raced into an 8-2 lead and he secured the match.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, setting up a showdown against Olympic champion Zverev.
The 20-year-old Wimbledon champion missed the season-opening major in 2023 because of injury but is more than making up for lost time. The No 2 seed beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in less than two hours to open the night session on Rod Laver Arena.
He has dropped just one set en route to the last eight.
Also, two-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev overcame stubborn resistance from Portugal's Nuno Borges to book a place in the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 win. He will meet Polish ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz next.
World number three Medvedev, whose only Grand Slam title was at the 2021 US Open, was a Melbourne finalist in 2021 and 2022, losing to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
But he said he had improved since.
"I know what I'm worth. I know how good I can play," he said. "I proved it at the US Open, especially for myself, playing some tough opponents, in my opinion, like gamestyle-wise. I managed to beat them.
"I'm ready. Hopefully I can show it on the tennis court. We can talk forever who is ready, who is favourite. You need to win."
In the women's section, seeded players continued to topple as Dayana Yastremska and Linda Noskova advanced to the quarter-finals.
Yastremska beat 18th seed Victoria Azarenka 7-6, 6-4, a two-time Australian Open champion, and No 23 seed Elina Svitolina had to retire after hurting her back when she was trailing Noskova 3-0.
Anna Kalinskaya beat No 26 seed Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-2 in a later match.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
