Rafael Nadal Loses in Three Sets to Norrie at United Cup 

Britain's Cameron Norrie (R) shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning in the men's singles match on day three of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on December 31, 2022. (AFP)
Britain's Cameron Norrie (R) shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning in the men's singles match on day three of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on December 31, 2022. (AFP)
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Rafael Nadal Loses in Three Sets to Norrie at United Cup 

Britain's Cameron Norrie (R) shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning in the men's singles match on day three of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on December 31, 2022. (AFP)
Britain's Cameron Norrie (R) shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning in the men's singles match on day three of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on December 31, 2022. (AFP)

Rafael Nadal has ended an up-and-down 2022 with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Britain’s Cameron Norrie at the United Cup mixed teams tournament on Saturday. 

Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open to take his career Grand Slam singles total to a leading 22. But foot, rib and abdomen injuries meant he played only four events after Wimbledon in July. 

Norrie’s win gave Britain a 1-0 lead over Spain with a women’s singles match to follow. 

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek gave Poland an early lead over Kazakhstan when she beat Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-3 at Brisbane. 

"First matches of the season are always kind of rusty, so I’m happy that in the important moments I was really composed," Swiatek said. 

At Perth, Bulgaria and Belgium were level at 1-1 after the first day. Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov beat David Goffin 6-4, 7-5 after Alison Van Uytvanck had a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 win over Isabella Shinikova to give Belgium the early lead. 

Earlier, Jiri Lehecka scored a 6-4, 6-2 upset win over world No. 12 Alexander Zverev to help give the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead. 

The 21-year-old Lehecka, ranked No. 81, broke four times in the Group C match at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney to bounce back from an opening singles loss to Taylor Fritz of the United States on Thursday. 

Marie Bouzkova later beat Jule Niemeier 6-2, 7-5 in the second match to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead. Czech women’s No. 1 Petra Kvitova can clinch the tie on Sunday when she faces Laura Siegemund. 

Zverev was competing for the first time since June when he tore three ligaments in his right ankle during his Roland Garros semifinal match against Nadal. 

"I knew before the match that he hadn’t played in a while but with a player like him that can mean nothing," Lehecka said. "In the crucial moments I showed all the experience from the last year playing against good players." 

In other matches Saturday, Brazil took a 2-0 lead over Norway at Brisbane. 

World 15th-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia improved her tournament record to 2-0 after defeating Malene Helgo of Norway 6-4, 6-2. Felipe Meligeni Alves gave Brazil its second win of the day when he beat Viktor Durasovic 6-3, 6-3. 

"I was trying to be as aggressive as I could," Haddad Maia said. "I was happy that I was patient and giving myself chances . . . even if I was missing. I was happy with the way I was thinking in this match." 

Two singles matches — one men's and one women's — are played over each of two days, with a mixed doubles to conclude the five-match encounter on the second day. 

The inaugural United Cup has teams from 18 countries competing in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney through to Jan. 4. The three city champions and the next-best performing country from the group stage will meet at Ken Rosewall Arena from Jan. 6 to 8 to determine the overall winner. 

After matches completed Friday, top-ranked Greece led Group A with a 4-1 record, Switzerland heads Group B (5-0), the U.S. is first in Group C (4-1), Britain (3-2) tops Group D, Italy is in first place in Group E with a 3-2 record and France (5-0) leads Group F. 



'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."