Reigning French Open champion Ashleigh Barty shook off a horrid first set to defeat Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Monday in the first round of the US Open.
The Australian second seed advanced to a second-round match against America's 73rd-ranked Lauren Davis or 171st-ranked Swedish qualifier Johanna Larsson.
Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova also struggled into the second round, while 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori of Japan needed only 47 minutes to advance.
Pliskova held off 138th-ranked Czech qualifier Tereza Martincova 7-6, 7-6 after an hour and 46 minutes.
"It's tough to play Tereza," Pliskova said. "We never played and especially tough to play in the first round. Not my best performance today for sure, and she made some great shots."
Seventh seed Nishikori reached the men's second round 6-1, 4-1, when 205th-ranked Argentine qualifier Marco Trungelliti retired with a back injury.
"It's a little bit sad to see. He's a great player," Nishikori said of his stricken opponent. "For me, I played great tennis from the beginning and I'm happy with the way I played today."
Pliskova and her compatriot exchanged breaks of serve through the first six games of their match, Martincova breaking again for a 5-4 edge and coming within two points of taking the set before Pliskova rallied and broke back to equalize at 5-5.
Pliskova took the first tie-breaker with forehand winners on the final two points, then squandered a 3-0 edge in the second set before taking the final four points of the last tie-break, smashing a service winner to claim the match.
"Not happy that I lost three breaks of serve in a row. That's not possible for next time," Pliskova said. "I'm happy I could get through. And happy to win in two tie-breaks. That hasn't happened for a long time."
Pliskova, Barty, Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and top-ranked defending champion Naomi Osaka all have a chance to stand atop the rankings at the end of the US Open.
Men's former world No 4 Tomas Berdych was a high-profile departure on the first day, the Czech going down 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to American qualifier Jenson Brooksby.
Berdych has been struggling with a back injury for the past 14 months and entered the US Open under a protected ranking. Based on his performance against Brooksby, it is clear the former Wimbledon finalist is still some way short of match fitness.
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
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
More on Quran memorisation:
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Company%20Profile
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