Rublev Beats Top-seeded Defending Champion Sinner to Reach Montreal Semifinals

MONTREAL, CANADA - AUGUST 10: Andrey Rublev celebrates a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory against Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Men's Singles quarterfinals round match during Day Five of the ATP Masters 1000 National Bank Open at Stade IGA on August 10, 2024 in Montreal, Canada. Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images/AFP

Asharq Al Awsat

06:27-11 August 2024 AD ـ 06 Safar 1446 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:27-11 August 2024 AD ـ 06 Safar 1446 AH

Rublev Beats Top-seeded Defending Champion Sinner to Reach Montreal Semifinals

Fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev outlasted top-seeded defending champion Jannik Sinner 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 on Saturday night to reach the semifinals in the rain-delayed National Bank Open, The Associated Press reported.
Rublev beat Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-2 earlier Saturday, while Sinner also was playing his second match of the day after topping beat Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3 in the afternoon.
Rain washed out play Thursday night and all of Friday as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby rolled through, putting the event set to end Monday behind schedule.
Sinner missed the Olympics because of tonsillitis after a quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon. In January, the Italian star won the Australian Open final for his first Grand Slam title.
Rublev has victories this year in Madrid and Hong Kong. The 26-year-old Russian will face Matteo Arnaldi in the semifinals. Arnaldi beat Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-5 in the late match.
The other two quarterfinals were pushed back to Sunday. Second-seeded Alexander Zverev was set to face Sebastian Korda, the winner last week in Washington, while fourth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz was scheduled to play Alexei Popyrin.
Zverev beat 13th-seeded Holger Rune 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Korda topped ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6 (4) in a second-round match that was originally scheduled for Thursday night, then moved on after sixth-seeded Casper Ruud withdrew because of illness.
Popyrin beat seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Hurkacz beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the second round, then topped Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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Late Push Wasn’t Enough to Give France Olympic Football Gold on Home Soil

Paris 2024 Olympics - Football - Men's Gold Medal Match - France vs Spain - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. France coach Thierry Henry reacts after the match. (Reuters)

10:28-10 August 2024 AD ـ 05 Safar 1446 AH

Late Push Wasn’t Enough to Give France Olympic Football Gold on Home Soil

Paris 2024 Olympics - Football - Men's Gold Medal Match - France vs Spain - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - August 09, 2024. France coach Thierry Henry reacts after the match. (Reuters)

The men’s football tournament came to a dramatic end at the Paris Olympics.

Just not the end the host nation wanted.

Jean-Philippe Mateta, who had helped fuel France’s comeback after falling in a 3-1 hole in the first half against Spain, limped off the field in exhaustion at the final whistle. His teammates were just as weary, lying on the field while Spain’s players wildly celebrated their 5-3 victory after extra time.

Despite the ending, fans at Parc des Princes serenaded the team with the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise."

"It’s cruel but that’s football," France midfielder Desire Doue told television station France 2. "We gave a lot throughout the competition, and again tonight. We came back and took it to extra time. We gave it our all. Unfortunately, we didn’t take some of our chances, we lacked a bit of efficiency."

Enzo Millot scored an early goal for France but then Spain answered with three goals in a short period, putting the home team down 3-1 at the break.

Mateta had converted a penalty kick in stoppage time, pulling even with Spain 3-3 and sending the final into extra time. But ultimately, Spain prevailed with two goals from Sergio Camello.

"It’s part of football," said captain Alexandre Lacazette said. "Sometimes you come back, you fight back, but it’s just a matter of small things sometimes."

Coach Thierry Henry told his players afterward he was proud of them, and reminded them that medaling at the Olympics was "an extraordinary feat."

"I told them, ‘You won. You’ve earned respect for life. You never gave up, in the training sessions, whatever happened, you always stayed. You always fought,’" Henry said. "We know this group of players will never meet again. It’s impossible. We know that, but this group of people will remain together forever in my eyes."

Henry was one of the most decorated players of his generation. He won the World Cup as a player in 1998 on home soil, then was part of the squad that was runners-up in 2006. He also won a European Championship with the French in 2000.

Going into the match, Henry was credited with creating chemistry on a team without superstar Kylian Mbappe, who wasn’t released by new club Real Madrid.

The team went undefeated at the Olympics until the end, finishing atop its group and then beating Argentina and Egypt in the knockout round for a spot in the final.

Despite the loss, Henry and the France squad applauded the fans in the stands. They won a medal, after all, just not the color they had hoped for.

"It’s difficult in the moment to take it all in but it was still a beautiful story," he said.

Rublev Beats Top-seeded Defending Champion Sinner to Reach Montreal Semifinals

Rublev Beats Top-seeded Defending Champion Sinner to Reach Montreal Semifinals

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Late Push Wasn’t Enough to Give France Olympic Football Gold on Home Soil

Late Push Wasn’t Enough to Give France Olympic Football Gold on Home Soil

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