Roger Federer eased past Denis Istomin and into the second round of the French Open on Monday.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion is playing in his first major tournament since last year's Australian Open after two knee operations.
Federer, who turns 40 in August, said after his Geneva Open defeat to to Pablo Andujar earlier this month that he had no chance of winning at Roland Garros for what would only the second time in a glittering career.
But the eighth seed made light work of Uzbekistan qualifier Istomin, without hitting anything like top gear, winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 33 minutes.
Federer will face a tough challenge next in former US Open winner Marin Cilic who beat wild card Arthur Rinderknech 7-6, 6-1, 6-2.
"It's a great pleasure to return. It was important to have some rehabilitation and lots of training," said Federer, who is competing in the tournament for only the second time since 2015 and the first time since reaching the 2019 semi-finals.
It was a momentous day for Russian second seed Daniil Medvedev who won a match in Paris for the first time at the fifth attempt by defeating Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
It was only Medvedev's 12th win on clay out of 180 matches and the world No2 will now be looking to make it lucky number 13 against United States' Tommy Paul in the second round.
"It was a good match and I've been training really well," said Medvedev. "I struggled in recent tournaments on clay, the balls are suiting me this week though and I hope I can go a long way. I think I move well on clay but I sometimes struggle with getting the power."
Paul sealed his spot in the next round after winning an epic match against Australia's Christopher O'Connell 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 10-8.
Italian Jannik Sinner teenager struggled to a 6-1, 4-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory against France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The 19-year-old Sinner, who reached the quarter-finals on his Roland Garros debut last year, was 5-4 down in the fourth set but saved a match point and fought back to seal a second-round tie with countryman Gianluca Mager.
John Isner eased to victory in the battle of the big-hitting Americans after beating Sam Querrey 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes. Serbia's Filip Krajinovic is next up for Isner.
In the women's draw, defending champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 20th birthday by beating best friend Kaja Juvan 6-0, 7-5 to claim an eighth successive win in Paris.
"It's never easy to play against your best friend," Swiatek, who will now face Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, said. "You just try to block this friendship for two hours, just focus on the game. I think I'm doing that pretty well.
"So I was just trying to treat Kaja as any other girl, as any other opponent, because in sports when we are on court you can't have, like, thoughts that are going to make your game more soft."
Sixth seed Bianca Andreescu suffered a shock defeat after losing a three-set marathon to world No 85 Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.
The Canadian, who withdrew before her quarter-final against Sorana Cirstea last week in Strasbourg due to an abdominal injury, was beaten 6-7, 7-6, 9-7 after a battle that lasted three hours and 20 minutes.
This was only Andreescu's second tournament since the beginning of April because of an ankle problem and testing positive for coronavirus.
Dutch 16th seed Kiki Bertens also saw her tournament end at the first hurdle as she lost 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to Slovenia's Polona Hercog.
Belgian 14th seed Elisle Bertens had no such problems as she blew away Storm Sanders of Australia 6-4, 6-1. Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova, the 2019 runner-up who is seeded 20th this year, managed to avoid an early exit after battling back from a set down to beat Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
British No 1 and 19th seed Johanna Konta will drop out of the world's top 30 after losing 7-6, 6-2 to Romanian Sorana Cirstea. It continued a poor season so far for the 30-year-old, who has only won three matches in 2021.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
World%20Cup%202023%20ticket%20sales
%3Cp%3EAugust%2025%20%E2%80%93%20Non-India%20warm-up%20matches%20and%20all%20non-India%20event%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2030%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Guwahati%20and%20Trivandrum%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2031%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Chennai%2C%20Delhi%20and%20Pune%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%201%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Dharamsala%2C%20Lucknow%20and%20Mumbai%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%202%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Bengaluru%20and%20Kolkata%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%203%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Ahmedabad%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%2015%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%20and%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
SUZUME
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Makoto%20Shinkai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Nanoka%20Hara%2C%20Hokuto%20Matsumura%2C%20Eri%20Fukatsu%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
Kibsons%20Cares
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERecycling%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3EAny%20time%20you%20receive%20a%20Kibsons%20order%2C%20you%20can%20return%20your%20cardboard%20box%20to%20the%20drivers.%20They%E2%80%99ll%20be%20happy%20to%20take%20it%20off%20your%20hands%20and%20ensure%20it%20gets%20reused%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKind%20to%20health%20and%20planet%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESolar%20%E2%80%93%2025-50%25%20of%20electricity%20saved%3Cbr%3EWater%20%E2%80%93%2075%25%20of%20water%20reused%3Cbr%3EBiofuel%20%E2%80%93%20Kibsons%20fleet%20to%20get%2020%25%20more%20mileage%20per%20litre%20with%20biofuel%20additives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESustainable%20grocery%20shopping%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENo%20antibiotics%3Cbr%3ENo%20added%20hormones%3Cbr%3ENo%20GMO%3Cbr%3ENo%20preservatives%3Cbr%3EMSG%20free%3Cbr%3E100%25%20natural%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
