World No 1 Novak Djokovic continued his recent dominance over Rafael Nadal when he beat the Spaniard in the final of the China Open to win the tournament for the sixth time on Sunday.
The Serbian showed no mercy against world No 8 Nadal, who was hampered by a foot problem in the second set, as he cruised to a 6-2 6-2 victory at the National Tennis Centre in the Chinese capital.
Djokovic has now beaten Nadal in seven of their last eight meetings, dating back to the 2013 China Open, and is on the verge of levelling their head-to-head record.
The pair have played each other 45 times with Nadal hanging on to a 23-22 advantage.
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The Spaniard, who has struggled with his form and niggling injuries in the past year, took a medical timeout early in the second set when he hurt his right ankle but continued on, despite appearing to be in discomfort.
Djokovic was already well on top by then and in complete control. He broke Nadal’s opening service game and fought off two break points on his own serve in the sixth game.
He broke Nadal again and took out the first set in 41 minutes, then ran away from his ailing opponent in the second.
Djokovic has never been beaten at the China Open, winning 29 matches in a row, and six titles in total.
The 28-year-old has now 56 career titles, eight of them this year, including the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open grand slam crowns.
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Fixture and table
UAE finals day: Friday, April 13 at Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
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2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
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2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
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Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
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