World No 3 Aryna Sabalenka dropped out of Wimbledon just hours before her first-round match with Emina Bektas at the All England Club on Monday.
Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka revealed at the weekend that there was a chance she could withdraw due to an continuing shoulder problem that primarily affects her serve.
Sabalenka was set to be second on Court One but cut short her practice on Monday afternoon before organisers confirmed she had been forced to withdraw, with Erika Andreeva handed a place in the main draw as a lucky loser.
“Heart-broken to have to tell you all that I won't be able to play The Championships this year. I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not co-operating,” Sabalenka, a semi-finalist in 2021 and 2023, wrote on social media.
“I pushed myself to the limit in practice today to try my best, but my team explained that playing would only make things much worse. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I'll be back stronger than ever next year.”
On court, ninth seed Maria Sakkari eased into the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over qualifier McCartney Kessler of the US on Court 12. The 28-year-old Athenian has never been beyond Round 3 but believes there is an opportunity to improve on that mediocre record this year.
With Sabalenka dropping out and no obvious dominant force on grass courts in the draw, Sakkari said many players will believe they can emulate last year's winner Marketa Vondrousova.
“From my side, it's wide open,” Sakkari said after her win. “So anyone can win. Going into the tournament I think that we could name like 20 or 25 girls that could win the tournament right now. The depth of women's tennis is just very good right now, and everyone is playing good.”
French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini was also a straight-sets victor with the Italian seventh seed securing a 7-5, 6-3 win over Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo, while Ukrainian 18th seed Marta Kostyuk beat Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 6-3 6-2.
In the men's draw, meanwhile, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was given a sterner than expected test by Estonia's Mark Lajal before eventually securing a 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 win on Centre Court.
The Spaniard, who defeated Novak Djokovic after a five-set-thriller in last year's final, was taken to a tie-break in the opening set on Monday and needed a crucial break in game 11 to seal the second before his 269th-ranked opponent ran out of steam in the third.
Alcaraz is attempting to win back-to-back major titles after triumphing at the French Open last month but came up against a determined player in his first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw.
“Honestly it surprised me a little bit because I haven't seen him playing or practising too much,” said Alcaraz. “He has the level to go up a lot. He is really young, the same age as me, and I am sure I am going to see him more often.
“Stepping on this court, it is the most beautiful court I have played on,” added Alcaraz. “I still get nerves when I play here.
“I practised for 45 minutes on Thursday and it was the first time I was nervous on practice because I was playing on this court.”
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev is through to the next round with a minimum of fuss after defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic of the US 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Court Two.
“It was a great match, it's never easy the first match,” admitted the Russian, who reached the semi-finals last year before losing to Alcaraz. “There were moments when it wasn't as easy as the score suggests.
“I've still never lost on Court One so hopefully I can play a lot more matches on this court. Last year I said it was unfortunate I had to go to Centre Court for the semis and I lost. So for the moment, I want to play on Court One, enjoy and try to win.
“It is never easy to win in straight sets, especially on grass. He was serving well and I only had one chance and I was lucky to get a winner on a first serve.”
Norwegian eighth seed Casper Ruud is safely through after beating Australian qualifier Alex Bolt 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 while former semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov of Canada knocked out Chilean 19th seed Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
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'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Brief scores:
Toss: India, opted to field
Australia 158-4 (17 ov)
Maxwell 46, Lynn 37; Kuldeep 2-24
India 169-7 (17 ov)
Dhawan 76, Karthik 30; Zampa 2-22
Result: Australia won by 4 runs by D/L method
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
