Alcaraz Powers into Indian Wells Quarter-finals; Draper Upsets Djokovic

11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Alcaraz Powers into Indian Wells Quarter-finals; Draper Upsets Djokovic

11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
11 March 2026, US, Indian Wells: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz celebrates defeating Norway's Casper Ruud during their men's singles round of 16 match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

World number one Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant run at Indian Wells, beating Norway's Casper Ruud 6-1 7-6(2), while Jack Draper upset world number three Novak Djokovic 4-6 6-4 7-6(5) on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals in the California desert.

Alcaraz relied on a near-flawless service game to seize control of the match, racing through the opening set in just 37 minutes after breaking Ruud's serve three times.

Thirteenth-seeded Ruud raised his level in the second set and forced a tiebreak, hoping to push the match to a decider, but Alcaraz kept his foot on the gas to seal his 15th consecutive victory of the season to reach the quarter-finals for a fifth straight year.

"The conditions were difficult to be honest. Today the ball was tough to control but we both played great," two-time champion Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

"My first set was incredible I'm really happy of playing that kind of level, really happy to get through and hopefully I'll play this level on the next round."

Alcaraz will next face 2021 champion Cameron Norrie, ⁠who earlier beat ⁠Australia's Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-2, with the Spaniard looking to avenge a defeat to the Briton at last year's Paris Masters.

Defending champion Draper claimed one of the biggest wins of his career by beating Djokovic in a deciding-set tie-break after two hours and 35 minutes.

Draper, who trailed after dropping the opener 6–4, stormed into the second set by breaking Djokovic early and surviving multiple break points before sealing it with aggressive baseline play.

Djokovic won a stunning 26-shot rally at 30-all in the opening game of the decider, but Draper surged to leads of 3-1 and 5-3 before the 38-year-old Serb battled back to ⁠5-5 and then broke the Briton as he first served for the match.

The 24-year-old kept his composure, forced the tie-break and dominated it to close out a statement victory.

"I still don't feel like I'm playing anywhere near the way I want to play," Draper said in an on-court interview, according to Reuters.

"I came out here tonight and I won that match through determination and trying to problem-solve and do my best and have a great attitude.

"I'm proud of the way I regrouped. I haven't been playing on the tour (in) a long time, so to put away guys who are top players, it's something that comes with confidence."

Draper will next face Russian 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2 6-4 in a commanding performance, needing just one hour and 27 minutes to dismantle the American and maintain his strong form after winning last month's Dubai Open.

World number two Iga Swiatek delivered a dominant 6-2 6-0 victory over Czech 13th seed Karolina Muchova, ⁠reeling off 10 consecutive games ⁠to secure her fifth win over the Czech, whom she also beat at the same stage of the tournament last year.

"I felt I was playing better and better, just great," Swiatek said.

"I love playing here ... It's a great place to play tennis, hopefully I can keep doing that until the end."

Swiatek, chasing a third Indian Wells title, will face ninth seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after the Ukrainian advanced when Katerina Siniakova retired injured.

American fifth seed Jessica Pegula overcame Belinda Bencic 6-3 7-6(5) to secure her first victory in five meetings between the pair.

Pegula, coming off a dramatic comeback win over Jelena Ostapenko, took control as she clinched the opening set - her first ever against the Swiss - before edging a tightly contested tiebreak to close out the match.

Third seed Elena Rybakina advanced to the quarter-finals after Sonay Kartal retired while trailing 6-4 4-3.

Rybakina, the 2023 champion, controlled most of the match, surging to a double-break lead in the opening set and steadying after Kartal took multiple medical timeouts.

Although the Briton briefly recovered to level the second set at 3-3, Rybakina broke in the seventh game before Kartal stopped.

Rybakina next faces Pegula, a rematch of their Australian Open semifinal.



Bayern Are in Driving Seat, but Wounded Real Could Be Dangerous, Says Neuer

14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
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Bayern Are in Driving Seat, but Wounded Real Could Be Dangerous, Says Neuer

14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)
14 April 2026, Bavaria, Munich: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in action during a training session at the training facility on Saebener Strasse ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid. (dpa)

Treble-chasing Bayern Munich ‌are in control of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid after a 2-1 first-leg win but the Spanish giants, struggling for form, could prove dangerous with their backs to the wall, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said on Tuesday.

The Bavarians host Real in the return leg on Wednesday, hoping to book a semi-final spot to go along with their German Cup semi-final place and a 12-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

Real, out of Spain's ‌Copa del Rey ‌and second in La Liga, nine points ‌behind ⁠Barcelona, have only ⁠one realistic shot at a trophy.

"Yes, it is a big chance for Real to improve things," Neuer told a press conference. "It is a really difficult period for a club like Real at the moment. We have experienced it ourselves in the past."

"When you are with your back to ⁠the wall you can move mountains," Neuer ‌said.

But the Spaniards will be ‌facing a Bayern team in stellar form. On Saturday they set ‌a new Bundesliga all-time goal record, with their 5-0 ‌demolition of St Pauli, to take their season tally to 105 goals with five games still remaining. The previous best mark was 101 goals in the 1971-72 campaign.

"We are in a flow ‌right now. We are still in all competitions and it's in our own hands," ⁠Neuer said. "We ⁠are sitting in the driver's seat."

Bayern can potentially secure the league title as early as this weekend if Dortmund slip up on Saturday against Hoffenheim. They also face Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on April 22.

"We won the first match, but there is only one goal difference," the 40-year-old Neuer said. "We know the fight we have to deliver. But we have that one goal advantage."

"Our motivation is sky high so the starting point is good, but we cannot overestimate it," he said. "We have experienced how Real can hit back but we are confident."


Swiatek Banks on Nadal's Former Coach to Reignite her Season

FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
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Swiatek Banks on Nadal's Former Coach to Reignite her Season

FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa
FILED - 28 June 2025, Hesse, Bad Homburg: Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US Jessica Pegula during their women's singles final match of the Bad Homburg Open Tennis Tournament. Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa

Iga Swiatek is hoping to benefit from new coach Francisco Roig's experience and technical expertise when the world number four begins her claycourt season at the Stuttgart Open this week after a disappointing start to the year.

The Polish six-times Grand Slam champion lost in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells before a shock second-round defeat by Magda Linette in the Miami Open last month.

That prompted Swiatek ⁠to part ways ⁠with her coach Wim Fissette and hire Roig, who worked with her idol Rafa Nadal from 2005-22 and more recently with Briton Emma Raducanu.

"I'm really happy to start with Francis," Swiatek told a press conference in Stuttgart, according to Reuters.

"I was basically looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also a ⁠person that is experienced enough to help me through some different kind of situations. I feel Francisco has lived through everything on tour.

"It's going really amazing ... I was able to find a new coach pretty fast, which is a positive thing because when you do that in the middle of the season, it's nice to have some security in that."

Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles on her favored clay courts, began preparations for the Grand Slam that begins on May ⁠24 with ⁠a training block at Nadal's academy in Mallorca under the watchful eyes of the Spaniard.

"I asked if it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some kind of inspiration, also hear some feedback from him," Swiatek said.

"It was a privilege to have him on court. I honestly didn't have many expectations because I know he's super busy and he has a lot of stuff to do, even though he always has different projects and everything.

"Now I'll continue with Francisco. He'll be the person that takes care of the whole process. That's the plan for now."


Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
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Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)

Iraq coach Graham Arnold said ‌his future beyond the World Cup remains undecided as his contract ends after the tournament and no formal talks have yet taken place, though retirement is not on his mind.

The 62-year-old Australian, who took charge of Iraq in May of last year, said he was keeping his options open and wanted to focus fully on the World Cup, where the team will make its first appearance in 40 years.

"The book is ‌open. My ‌contract finishes straight after the World ‌Cup. ⁠There has been ⁠talk about them wanting me to stay on, but I haven't had anything formal yet," Arnold told AAP.

"I really don't want anything formal yet. I want to go to the World Cup and enjoy it and after that I've got to make a decision whether ⁠to stay on or move on."

Arnold, ‌who guided his native Australia ‌to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup ‌in Qatar, said the prospect of leading teams ‌that have struggled to reach major tournaments continues to motivate him.

"There's some nations that I look at and I think to myself, they haven't qualified for a long time, I'd ‌like to do it again," he said.

"I've obviously had the experience throughout Asia, ⁠but I'm ⁠nowhere near ready to retire."

Iraq qualified for the World Cup by beating Bolivia 2-1 in Mexico in their inter-confederation playoff earlier this month.

Arnold said Iraq's qualification campaign had reinforced his belief that the team could trouble more-established sides on the global stage.

"We're going out there with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and with the chance to shock the world," he said.

"We'll be the underdog. We'll be fighters. If no one is giving us a chance, we can go there and achieve something special."