Carlos Alcaraz Advances to Quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Jannik Sinner Wins 18th Straight Match https://english.aawsat.com/sports/4908436-carlos-alcaraz-advances-quarterfinals-indian-wells-jannik-sinner-wins-18th-straight
Carlos Alcaraz Advances to Quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Jannik Sinner Wins 18th Straight Match
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain serves to Fabian Marozsan of Hungary during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2024 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Carlos Alcaraz Advances to Quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Jannik Sinner Wins 18th Straight Match
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain serves to Fabian Marozsan of Hungary during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2024 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz avenged a previous loss to Fabian Marozsan, winning 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open as the top remaining seed in the men’s draw.
A day after “lucky loser” Luca Nardi stunned No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round at Indian Wells, Alcaraz advanced easily over the Hungarian who ousted him from the Italian Open in May.
Marozsan was a qualifier and the No. 135 player in the world when he upset Alcaraz — then on the verge of taking the top spot in the rankings — 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the third round in Rome.
“Honestly, I was nervous before the match. I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said. “Playing against someone that beat you. ... Today I knew what I had to do.”
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner beat Ben Shelton 7-6 (4), 6-1 later Tuesday for his 18th consecutive victory. The third-ranked Italian has won 15 matches in a row to start 2024, claiming titles at Melbourne and Rotterdam. It was the 150th hard-court victory for the 22-year-old Sinner, who became first player born in the 2000s to reach that milestone.
Sinner had a set point, up 5-4 and 40-30 in the first, before Shelton was saved by a net cord. It then took Sinner another 15 minutes to close out the first set; in the second, he went up 3-0 and coasted to the victory.
Sinner advanced to the quarterfinals to play Jiri Lehecka, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Alcaraz, the defending champion at Indian Wells, dropped the first set in his opening match this year but has lost just 12 games in the other six sets. He will face Alexander Zverev, who rallied after losing the first set to Alex de Minaur and won 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
On the women's side, top-seeded Iga Swiatek had a 6-1, 6-2 win over Yulia Putintseva, Caroline Wozniacki beat Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-2 in a contest between two former No. 1-ranked players, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk fended off Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-4, 6-1, and Anastasia Potapova defeated Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 0-6, 6-3.
World Cup 2026: South Korea Coach Hails Team Unity after Comeback Win over Czechshttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5283133-world-cup-2026-south-korea-coach-hails-team-unity-after-comeback-win-over-czechs
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - South Korea v Czech Republic - Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico - June 11, 2026 South Korea's Oh Hyeon-gyu scores their second goal REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
World Cup 2026: South Korea Coach Hails Team Unity after Comeback Win over Czechs
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - South Korea v Czech Republic - Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico - June 11, 2026 South Korea's Oh Hyeon-gyu scores their second goal REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said his team had followed his pre-match instructions to the letter after they staged a 2-1 comeback victory over the Czech Republic in their World Cup Group A opener on Thursday.
After falling behind to a second-half header from Ladislav Krejci, the Koreans rallied through goals from Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu to secure three crucial points in Guadalajara, Reuters said.
"Before the match I gave two messages: not give up until the end and unite as one," he told a press conference. "Whether on the pitch or not, we need to play as one team."
The victory came despite an uncharacteristic off-day for captain Son Heung-min, who missed five chances in the first half alone before being replaced by eventual match-winner Oh.
Despite the misfiring performance, the coach was quick to defend his veteran forward.
"Son is our best player and is also a very stable captain. We believe that Son did his best," the coach said, though he added the team must "brush up" on finishing their chances.
South Korea are tied on three points with Mexico at the top of the group, setting up a high-stakes clash against the tournament co-hosts on June 18.
"Both teams scored three points ... the next match will be very important," Hong said.
Co-Hosts Mexico Kick Off World Cup with Dramatic Victoryhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5283125-co-hosts-mexico-kick-world-cup-dramatic-victory
Mexico's Julian Quinones celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
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Co-Hosts Mexico Kick Off World Cup with Dramatic Victory
Mexico's Julian Quinones celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in a drama-filled opening match of the World Cup at the Estadio Azteca Thursday, kicking off the biggest ever edition of the global football extravaganza.
Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament after nine minutes and 35-year-old striker Raul Jimenez headed in Mexico's second goal at the Azteca, which became the first stadium in the world to host games at three World Cups.
Three players were sent off -- two from South Africa and one from Mexico -- in front of a capacity crowd of 80,000 spectators.
South Africa had Sphephelo Sithole dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity before Themba Zwane was shown a red card for a slap. Mexico's Cesar Montes was sent off late in the game, for a foul.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre revealed his players had overcome severe first-day nerves.
"When you're starting out the World Cup, of course your legs will shake," Aguirre said. "Never in 25 years had anyone had any cramps but three of them had cramps today.
"We were in awe when we saw the stadium and they got a little bit of stage fright. But we never suffered."
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - Mexico v South Africa - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico - June 11, 2026 Shakira performs during the opening ceremony before the match. (Reuters)
- Sprawling tournament -
Mexico's victory launched a 48-team tournament also hosted by the United States and Canada that will last nearly six weeks, culminating in the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Before kickoff, Colombian superstar Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy performed "Dai Dai", the official song of the tournament and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli rounded off the opening ceremony.
There was a festive atmosphere inside the stadium, but outside dozens of protesters clashed with police.
Groups of teachers, relatives of Mexicans who have gone missing, and student activists gathered outside the stadium.
Some protesters broke through barriers and traded blows with police officers guarding the stadium's perimeter moments after Mexico scored their opening goal.
Tens of thousands of fans crammed into a fan zone in central Mexico City to watch the game, which was also enthusiastically followed by a large crowd of fans from California's Mexican community on giant screens at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.
- Korean joy -
South Korea got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Czech Republic 2-1 in the opening day's second game.
Until the 80th-minute mark, it seemed that the Czechs would punish the Koreans' wastefulness in front of goal, but substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu notched the decisive goal in a Guadalajara stadium that was far from full.
South Korea face Mexico in Guadalajara on June 18 in their next Group A fixture while the Czechs play the South Africans in Atlanta on the same day.
The start of the action on the pitch will have come as a welcome relief to football's world governing body FIFA, which has faced stinging criticism over the eye-watering cost of tickets.
In addition, Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has seen a top referee, Iranian team officials and fans refused entry to the United States.
On the eve of the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the organization and brushed off criticism over visa issues.
Infantino insisted that tickets -- which in some cases have topped $30,000 -- had been priced appropriately.
"Our average price which is below 500 dollars is again the lowest of the American sports on average," he said.
South Korea's Oh Hyeon-gyu, left, reacts after scoring his team's second goal during the World Cup Group A match between South Korea and Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
On Thursday, European football's governing body UEFA announced that Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry to the US and barred from the World Cup, had been selected to referee its European Super Cup, between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
US authorities have alleged Artan was "associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations".
Senegal and Ivory Coast said members of their official supporters' groups had also been denied US visas.
- Iran squad appear -
Infantino portrayed Iran's participation at the World Cup in the midst of its military conflict with the US as a victory for his organization, saying: "I don't know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances -- which we could not influence -- Iran could come and play."
Four days after they arrived at their base camp in Mexico, the Iran players finally took to the training pitch in front of journalists Thursday.
Meanwhile, the World Cup squad from the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo was allowed to enter the United States.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who plays in England for West Ham, said after coming through immigration at Houston airport after a flight from Paris that the team had faced "no problems".
US authorities had insisted the squad serve a 21-day quarantine period before entering US soil.
Serena Williams' Comeback at Queen's Club is Over after Injury to Doubles Partnerhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5282981-serena-williams-comeback-queens-club-over-after-injury-doubles-partner
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 10, 2026 Serena Williams of the US during practice REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
Serena Williams' Comeback at Queen's Club is Over after Injury to Doubles Partner
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 10, 2026 Serena Williams of the US during practice REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
Serena Williams' much-hyped comeback to professional tennis at the Queen's Club lasted just one match.
The 44-year-old Williams' doubles partner, 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the draw on Thursday because of a knee injury she sustained in a singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the last 32 on Wednesday.
In her first professional match since the 2022 US Open, Williams teamed up with Mboko to beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the grass-court event on Tuesday. They were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
Williams is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week. Her partner has yet to be announced, The Associated Press reported.
Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than "retiring."
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