Day 7 at the Australian Open started with a couple of shock results in the men's singles as third seed Dominic Thiem was thrashed in straight sets, while Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev continued his fairytale run.
Thiem, the US Open champion and third seed in Melbourne, faced a dangerous opponent in the fourth round on Wednesday, although the Austrian was the favourite against Bulgaria's former world No 3 Grigor Dimitrov.
A fatigued-looking Thiem, coming off a five-set win over Australia's Nick Kyrgios, slumped in straight sets to Dimitrov, who won 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in just over two hours.
Dimitrov's victory against last year's Australian Open finalist Thiem sets up a quarter-final with surprise package Aslan Karatsev, who is into the last eight on his Grand Slam debut.
"Whether it's a fairytale or not, it's a match and you've got to be ready," Bulgaria's Dimitrov said of the unheralded Russian. "I've seen a little bit of his matches, clearly he's a dangerous player."
Karatsev had not dropped a set in his previous three rounds, including a win over eighth seed Diego Schwartzman, but he looked outmatched against Canadian 20th Felix Auger-Aliassime, who took a commanding two-set lead.
However, world No 114 Karatsev rediscovered the game that got him this far to seal a 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-3 6-4 win.
The 27-year-old took a bathroom break after losing the second set and returned a different player, going for broke and keeping a lid on his errors to win three sets in a row and claim victory in a battle lasting almost three and a half hours.
"It was really difficult in the beginning to play with him. He's a really good player and was playing really fast and it took me two sets to find my rhythm," Karatsev, ranked 114th in the world, said in his on-court interview.
"I put everything into this match and I'm really happy."
Playing the first five-setters of their careers, both players showed nerves but it was Karatsev who displayed better control in the end as 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime began to struggle with his serve.
Karatsev converted his first match point with a forehand crosscourt winner and celebrated with a huge roar as he became the first male player since Alex Radulescu at Wimbledon in 1996 to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final on their debut.
Karatsev also became the lowest-ranked man to reach the Australian Open quarters since No 114 Patrick McEnroe in 1991 and the first qualifier since Bernard Tomic at 2011 Wimbledon to reach the last eight at a major.
Auger-Aliassime said his serve had let him down and he was unable to compensate.
"Of course I wish I could have served better, but I can't just snap my fingers and it just happens," he said. "So I just got to be a better player overall to overcome these situations.
"The positive thing is mentally I stayed positive ... I believed until the end."
Karatsev will next play 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who ousted third seed Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-4 6-4 6-0, for a place in the semi-finals.
"I'll be ready for everyone," said Karatsev, one of three Russians who reached the last 16 this year. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will be in action on Monday.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
