Novak Djokovic beats Sebastian Korda, advances to semifinals in push for 7th Miami Open title

Novak Djokovic beats Sebastian Korda, advances to semifinals in push for 7th Miami Open title
Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates his win against Sebastian Korda of the US during the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Updated 28 March 2025
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Novak Djokovic beats Sebastian Korda, advances to semifinals in push for 7th Miami Open title

Novak Djokovic beats Sebastian Korda, advances to semifinals in push for 7th Miami Open title
  • Djokovic is 12-1 against the 33-year-old Dimitrov, who reached the tournament finals in 2024
  • In the first women’s semifinal, No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka routed sixth-seeded Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 in 71 minutes to advance to her first Miami Open final

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Novak Djokovic is finding a higher gear in South Florida after a sluggish start to 2025.

Djokovic, gunning for his seventh Miami Open title, dispatched American Sebastian Korda 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) Thursday in one hour, 24 minutes in a quarterfinal match that was postponed from Wednesday night because the women’s quarterfinal between Jessica Pegula and Emma Raducanu ran past 11 p.m. and would have begun at about midnight — against new ATP rules.

Djokovic advanced to Friday’s semifinals and will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic is 12-1 against the 33-year-old Dimitrov, who reached the tournament finals in 2024.

Djokovic, who won all six of his titles at the tournament’s previous venue at Key Biscayne, is going for his 100th professional title.

“I’m getting great support,” Djokovic said. “I feel I have a really good chance to go all the way here. ...I’m playing the best I have in some time.”

With the Hard Rock Stadium fans cheering the 37-year-old and chanting his name despite him facing an American opponent, Djokovic rallied in the second set from 4-1 and 5-2 down to win in a tiebreaker.

He served an ace on match point and finished with an 83 first-service percentage against the 24th-seeded Korda. The 37-year-old Serbian let out a yell after the victory and strummed his racket like a violin.

“One word — serve,″ Djokovic said when asked the key to his second-set surge. “I was serving very well — best serving performance in a long time.”

The men’s leader in Grand Slam titles at 24 has been out of form this year, starting with an injury retirement at the Australian Open in January. Earlier this month, Djokovic lost his first match at Indian Wells to Botic van de Zandschulp.

Korda, son of Grand slam champion Petr Korda who grew up at the Bradenton, Florida, tennis academies, had beaten a top-10 opponent in Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier in the tournament and played at a flawless level to build a 4-1 second-set lead before Djokovic found his game.

In the first women’s semifinal, No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka routed sixth-seeded Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 in 71 minutes to advance to her first Miami Open final.

Paulini, the 2024 French Open finalist, spent some of the afternoon smirking at Sabalenka’s deft shot-making, saying at one juncture “What a day.’’

Sabalenka, of Belarus, was efficient in converting four of her five break points and pounded 31 winners to just 12 unforced errors.

When Paolini tried to mount a comeback in the second set, closing to 4-2 and up a double-break point at 15-40, Sabalenka hit three open-court winners and an ace to close the game.

Paolini, in her best showing at the Miami Open, couldn’t match Sabalenka’s brilliance. The Belarusian hasn’t dropped a set so far.

“I think I was so focused and everything went smoothly,’’ Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka will face the winner of Thursday night’s semifinal between Jessica Pegula and lexandra Eala of the Philippines.

Asked if she would watch the match or go out in Miami, where she now lives, Sabalenka said, “I usually go for dinner, but other than that, it’s always tennis on my TV, actually. I’m actually enjoying, like, watching tennis lately. That’s crazy. I’m getting old.’’

In the day’s first men’s quarterfinal, unseeded teenager Jakub Mensik beat 17th-seeded Arthur Fils 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. The 19-year-old Mensik advanced to his first semifinal at an ATP 1000-point level event.

Mensik, of the Czech Republic, squeaked out the tiebreaker and then stormed to a 4-0 lead in the second set to knock out the 20-year-old Frenchman. The 54th-ranked Mensik hit 13 aces and a crosscourt forehand winner that ended the match in 75 minutes.

Mensik will face the winner of Thursday night’s Taylor Fritz-Matteo Berrettini quarterfinal.


Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead

Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead
Updated 48 sec ago
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Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead

Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead
  • The draw moves Hansi Flick’s Barca on to 67 points, four ahead of rivals Real Madrid who slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home by Valencia earlier on Saturday
  • Gavi: If we won we would be higher up the table, but in the end it’s football

BARCELONA: Barcelona spurned the chance to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga standings when they were held at home 1-1 by Real Betis on Saturday, with visiting defender Natan canceling out Gavi’s early opener.

The draw moves Hansi Flick’s Barca on to 67 points, four ahead of rivals Real Madrid who slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home by Valencia earlier on Saturday, while Betis climbed to fifth on 48 points.

The hosts had been given further motivation by Real’s shocking loss and had a great start when Gavi opened the scoring from close range, brilliantly assisted by Ferran Torres in a great team play seven minutes after kickoff.

However, Natan headed the equalizer from a corner in the 17th minute and though they dominated, Barca could not find a way past 38-year-old goalkeeper Adrian who made a string of saves later on to frustrate the hosts.

Adrian’s brilliant performance started even before Barca opened the scoring, when he palmed away Pedri’s strike from inside the box, but there was nothing he could do to keep Gavi from scoring moments later.

Barca kept up the pressure after taking the lead but Betis equalized from a Giovanni lo Celso corner which Natan jumped higher than defender Ronald Araujo to meet and head into the back of the net.

Adrian came to the rescue again as he made a stunning one-handed save from a Lamine Yamal curling strike from inside the box in the 38th minute.

Coach Hansi Flick subbed on Raphinha in the second half and Barca came back even stronger, dominating more than 75 percent of possession but wasting too many chances.

The Brazilian forward was a constant menace and missed with a curling strike from the edge of the box, with Adrian making two great efforts to deny a Jules Kounde strike in the 55th minute and a Fermin Lopez shot in the 85th.

“If we won we would be higher up the table, but in the end it’s football,” Gavi told Movistar Plus.

“We’re bitter about the result, because we couldn’t take advantage of the chances we had throughout the match, but we have to accept it and move on.”


Trinity Rodman scores early in return from 8-month injury absence, and US women beat Brazil 2-0

Trinity Rodman scores early in return from 8-month injury absence, and US women beat Brazil 2-0
Updated 44 min 34 sec ago
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Trinity Rodman scores early in return from 8-month injury absence, and US women beat Brazil 2-0

Trinity Rodman scores early in return from 8-month injury absence, and US women beat Brazil 2-0
  • Played before a lively crowd of 32,303, this game was billed as the first professional women’s sporting event at SoFi Stadium, the nearly 5-year-old home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams
  • The Americans had been 15-0-2 since Hayes took over in June 2024

INGLEWOOD, California: Trinity Rodman drilled her shot into the bottom corner of Brazil’s net and promptly got mobbed by her teammates. She broke away from the goal celebration and grabbed her lower back, pretending to seize up with pain — only to stand up tall and laugh while flipping her pink hair over both shoulders.

After eight months of recovery from back woes, Rodman is feeling close to her old self again. The US women’s national team also showed signs of their top form while coolly handling another world power.

Rodman scored in the fifth minute of her return from a lengthy injury absence, and the Americans beat Brazil 2-0 Saturday in a friendly rematch of the Paris Olympics gold-medal match.

Rodman, the 22-year-old star and Orange County native, delivered her 11th goal for the US by finishing off a brilliant run by Alyssa Thompson. Rodman hadn’t played for the US since the Olympic final due to persistent back problems — hence her cheeky celebration.

“The medical staff was freaking out, but I felt like I had to do it,” Rodman said with a grin. “It felt so good to be in this atmosphere again, to be with the team. The stadium was crazy.”

Phallon Tullis-Joyce made six saves while keeping a clean sheet in the 28-year-old goalkeeper’s US debut. Captain Lindsey Heaps also scored a second-half penalty goal in the first of two California friendlies in four days against Brazil, who lost 2-1 in Paris as the US secured its fifth Olympic gold medal.

“I think it shows where this group is going,” Heaps said. “Our group is just getting better and better, and there’s not massive gaps between players. These young guns coming in ... it’s such a cool thing for us to see.”

Played before a lively crowd of 32,303, this game was billed as the first professional women’s sporting event at SoFi Stadium, the nearly 5-year-old home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.

The teams meet again Tuesday night in San Jose, California.

In their most recent outing in late February, the US women took their first defeat of coach Emma Hayes’ tenure, falling 2-1 to Japan in San Diego in the final of the SheBelieves Cup. The Americans had been 15-0-2 since Hayes took over in June 2024.

Back at it in SoFi, the Americans struck early — and with style.

Studio City native Thompson got a midfield touch and made an impressive run through Brazil’s formation, sending one defender to the grass in confusion before pushing a perfect pass to Rodman for her cool finish.

Rodman’s celebration was a treat as well — for most observers, anyway.

“Except I didn’t think she was pretending,” Hayes said with a grimace. “I will have a word with her, because that was like a ‘cry wolf’ moment. I turned to the physios and said, ‘Her back’s hurting,’ instantly. And then I realized she was tricking us.”

Later in the first half, Rodman appeared to be dealing with actual pain, which she blamed on a charley horse from getting kneed by an opponent. She still played 16 minutes into the second half before coming off.

The US was awarded a penalty when substitute Lily Johannes was tripped in the box. Heaps hammered it home for her 37th goal.

The depleted US defense had several rough moments in front of goal. The Seleção carried significant stretches of play and forced Tullis-Joyce to work hard, but the Long Island native who plays for Manchester United handled every chance capably.

Tullis-Joyce is competing for the first-string job after the retirement of Alyssa Naeher. Her parents and brother attended the match, but they didn’t know she would start until the lineup was announced an hour before kickoff.

“I love a clean sheet,” Tullis-Joyce said. “Happy for my teammates as well. That back line, they really gritted it out. Everybody was putting their body on the line. Credit to Brazil.”

The Americans will be without starting center backs Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson for the near future. They were replaced by Emily Sonnett and Tara McKeown, who only broke into the US lineup earlier this year.

Two weeks after the Mexico men’s team won the CONCACAF Nations Cup at SoFi, this friendly match was another early chapter in a series of upcoming soccer events in the Los Angeles area, including the 2026 men’s World Cup, the Los Angeles Olympics tournament and probably the Women’s World Cup in 2031.


Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special

Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special
Updated 05 April 2025
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Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special

Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special
  • For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement
  • There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury

JEDDAH: It was honors even in a thrilling Sea Derby on Saturday as Al-Ahli drew 2-2 with Al-Ittihad who twice came back to earn a precious point.
A 95th minute strike from Karim Benzema broke the hearts of home fans and put the leaders five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement and entertainment in a game that could have gone either way.
There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury in the thrilling King’s Cup semifinal win over Al-Shabab on Tuesday but stand-in Mohammed Al-Mahasneh showed his worth early in the first start of the season.
In the eighth minute, he saved from Firas Al-Buraikan’s low shot from inside the area and then got down quickly to deny Ivan Toney from the rebound.
At the other end, Edouard Mendy returned to the number one position and returned to fitness for Al-Ahli, who had not played a competitive game for three weeks. There is no doubt however that his opposite number had more to do in the early exchanges. It could have been worse as Ittihad survived two penalty appeals turned down late in the first half.
The Tigers were, however, starting to look dangerous and just before the break, N’Golo Kante broke into the area, went around the goalkeeper but pulled his shot just wide.
The miss became more painful four minutes after the restart as Al-Ahli took the lead with a simple set piece. Riyad Mahrez swung over a corner kick from the left and Brazilian defender Ibanez climbed high on the edge of the six-yard box to head the Greens into a deserved lead.
It was all looking good for the hosts but then, with 15 minutes remaining, the fans in yellow and black were celebrating. Saleh Al-Shehri dropped deep and his slide rule pass found Moussa Diaby on the right side of the area and the French winger made no mistake with his first time shot.
Then, in the 82nd minute, Al-Ahli were back in front. Kante tried to block a cross but succeeded only in finding Ivan Toney and the England striker shot home from close range.
That strike looked as if it had won a famous victory for the home team but for the second time in four days, Al-Ittihad hit back deep into added time. Abdulelah Al-Amri found Benzema with an exquisite pass to the back post and the former Real Madrid star was never going to miss.
The goal takes the leaders onto 62 points from 26 games, five clear of Al-Hilal. Al-Nassr are third with 54, two and five ahead of Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli respectively.


Qatar’s Hit Show wins the Dubai World Cup at Meydan

Qatar’s Hit Show wins the Dubai World Cup at Meydan
Updated 05 April 2025
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Qatar’s Hit Show wins the Dubai World Cup at Meydan

Qatar’s Hit Show wins the Dubai World Cup at Meydan
  • Horse owned by Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing ridden to triumph by jockey Florent Geroux

LONDON: American horse Hit Show, owned by the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing, clinched victory in the Dubai World Cup’s main event on Saturday, topping a world-class field at Meydan Racecourse in the $12 million feature race.

Trained by Brad Cox, Hit Show was ridden to triumph by jockey Florent Geroux, completing the race in 2:03:50 minutes and securing the $6.96 million winner’s prize with just over a half-length lead.

American contender Mixto, owned by Calumet Farm and ridden by Frankie Dettori, finished second for trainer Doug O’Neill, earning $2.4 million.

Japan’s Forever Young, owned by Susumu Fujita and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, placed third under jockey Ryusei Sakai, collecting $1.2 million.

Saudi Arabia’s Walk of Stars, representing Athbah Racing, finished in fourth place.


Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby

Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby
Updated 05 April 2025
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Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby

Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby
  • The incident occurred at the end of the Turkish Cup quarter-finals
  • A mass scuffle had broken out between both sets of players

ISTANBUL: Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for three matches and handed a fine of around 6,000 pounds ($7,734.00) after grabbing the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk in the Istanbul derby, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said on Saturday.
The incident occurred at the end of the Turkish Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, which Mourinho’s side lost 2-1 at home.
A mass scuffle had broken out between both sets of players, with the referee sending three players off, two from Galatasaray, and after the final whistle the 62-year-old Portuguese appeared to pinch Buruk’s nose who then fell dramatically to the ground.
“Mourinho shall be banned from entering the dressing room and the bench for three official matches,” TFF said in a statement.
Mourinho will miss the games against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor and Kayserispor.
Fenerbahce are second in the Super Lig, trailing leaders Galatasaray by six points with a game in hand.