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Serena Williams’ comeback hit a bump Tuesday with a loss in her opening-round doubles match at the Berlin Open.Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe defeated Williams and her partner Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-4 to end Williams’
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France's Corentin Moutet left British television viewers stunned with a foul-mouthed outburst after his victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at Queen's Club on Tuesday.Moutet said the 'F' word seven times in a remarkable on-court BBC
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Lionel Messi used the front of his white-and-blue, sweat-soaked jersey to wipe the tears from his eyes, a flood of emotions cracking his usually calm, confident demeanor after he gave Argentina an early lead in
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Fit-again fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph have returned to the West Indies test squad for the upcoming two-match home series against Sri Lanka, while Joshua Da Silva has been drafted in to replace
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Sponsored by Edge Group, the Turkish capital, Istanbul, will host the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu 2026–2027 season, bringing together elite athletes and academies from around the world at the start
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For most people, success is measured by what they achieve. For Anisha Khadka, it is measured by how many times she rises after being knocked down.Born in Nepal, Anisha began her martial arts journey at
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Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France launched their bid for a third World Cup crown with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I on Tuesday.Real Madrid star Mbappe took his career World Cup goals
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Germany's Alexander Zverev in action during his round of 32 match against Czech Republic's Vit Kopriva at the Halle Open at OWL Arena, Halle, Germany, on June 16, 2026. (Reuters) Top seed and world number three Alexander Zverev battled past Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva in three sets to reach the second round at the Halle Open, while defending champion Alexander Bublik suffered a shock early exit on Tuesday. Zverev, who claimed his first Grand Slam title at the French Open nine days ago, looked in control as he took the opening set comfortably on the Halle grass. But Kopriva, ranked 64th, hit back to level the match, winning a late break point and then claiming the second set to push the match to a decider. "I’m very pleased and happy to play my first match as a Grand Slam champion in Germany but I don’t think that affected me too much,” Zverev told reporters after finishing off a 6-3 4-6 6-2 win. "It was really the change of surface, and my opponent was really good today. I thought he played a fantastic match and he was hitting his groundstrokes incredibly well, serving unbelievably well. 'PLEASED WITH THE WIN' "To be honest I’m very pleased with the win because I think it was a difficult match, a difficult opponent, and for the first grass-court match, it was not too bad.” Kopriva finished the second set with 14 winners, while Zverev had 11, before the German picked up his game and closed out a victory which set up an all-German second-round clash with Yannick Hanfmann who defeated rising Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca 6-2 6-2 in the first round. Earlier, Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci produced a clinical display to knock out Bublik 7-6(6) 6-1 in just 75 minutes. The world number 74 outplayed the seventh-seeded Kazakh, who won here in 2023 and 2025, on his preferred grass surface.Bellucci will face Belgium’s Raphael Collignon for a place in the quarter-finals. Related Story
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Qatar face a stern test against co-hosts Canada in their Group B World Cup clash in Vancouver on Thursday (Friday 1am Qatar time), but the two-time Asian champions are well prepared and determined to build on their opening result.Both teams opened their campaigns with draws. Julen Lopetegui’s side showed character in their 1-1 draw with Switzerland, staying in the contest under pressure before forcing a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser through Miro Muheim’s own goal. Canada were held 1-1 by Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto and will again enjoy strong home support.Qatar arrived at this tournament seeking to improve on their only previous World Cup appearance, when they hosted the 2022 edition and exited bottom of their group without a point. They have already bettered that return. Group B is finely balanced, with all teams on a point after their respective openers. Victory in Vancouver would send Qatar to the top of the standings and place them in a strong position to reach the knockout stage, while anything less would leave their hopes resting on the final group match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24 in Seattle.'We are preparing very well for the Canada match,' midfielder Karim Boudiaf said ahead of the game.'We fully understand the importance of this match for us and know it will be an important stage in our tournament journey. We know very well that the match will not be easy at all. The Canada team has quality players and will be playing on their home soil and in front of their fans, which gives them extra motivation. But we also have great ambition and determination to deliver our best and achieve a positive result.”Qatar know they will have to absorb pressure against a Canada side playing on home soil, but their disciplined performance against Switzerland offers encouragement.'We will enter the match with high focus and high morale. The players have a great desire to continue working with the same seriousness and discipline, and our goal is clear: to return with a positive result that gives us confidence for the remainder of the tournament,' the 35-year-old Boudiaf, who plays for Al Duhail in the Qatar Stars League, said.With a squad drawn largely from their domestic league, Qatar have developed a cohesive unit that has proved formidable in Asia. Compact defending, quick transitions and moments of inspiration from Akram Afif and Almoez Ali are again expected to be central to their approach. They may not dominate possession, but they have shown they can stay organised and find a way back into matches.Qatar's all-time leading scorer Almoez Ali, who did not feature against Switzerland, expects another stern examination against Canada.'Canada are a very strong team with outstanding players. They will also be playing in front of their own fans, which gives them an advantage. We have studied them closely, understand their strengths, and the coaching staff are preparing us accordingly,” he said.Canada, meanwhile, will be under pressure to make home advantage count after needing Cyle Larin’s late equaliser to avoid defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The hosts have pace and physicality but Qatar will look to frustrate them by slowing the tempo and punishing any spaces left behind.Canada captain Davies unlikely for Qatar matchFor Canada, anything less than a win may feel like a missed opportunity. The status of their captain Alphonso Davies remains shrouded in secrecy, with the team remaining tight-lipped about his recovery from a hamstring injury.Davies took the field with his teammates in Tuesday’s training at the National Soccer Development Centre and took a full part in the 15 minutes of the workout that were open to media, but team officials kept their cards close to their chest about his fitness.After being told on Monday that Davies was in a return-to-play protocol, reporters gathered pitch-side were informed that defender Alfie Jones would not take part in training due to 'personal recovery' with no further information offered on Davies, and none forthcoming when journalists asked.Davies became Canada's youngest senior men's international when he made his debut aged 16 against Curacao in June 2017, and since then he has scored 15 goals in 58 games for Canada, including the country's first goal at a World Cup during the 2022 tournament in Qatar.However, he has not played for the national team since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in March 2025, and he has been hampered by recurring hamstring problems since his return.'Mentally, it was very draining, suffering these injuries,' Davies said last week. 'I was going into a hole where I was doubting myself, but I had that time off (during the injuries) and I thought about why I'm doing this, and how important this is to me.'Key statsCanada have won their last four matches played in Vancouver, scoring 17 goals and conceding only two. The last team to beat them in the British Columbia city were Mexico in a March 2016 World Cup qualifier (3-0). Qatar ranked bottom of sides in Group B for shots (6), average possession (32%), forward passes (118), touches in the opposition box (8) and successful final-third passes (24) on the opening round of matches. Qatar had 32% possession, eight touches in the opposition box to Switzerland’s 42, and allowed 3.2 expected goals. And yet they managed to escape with a draw thanks to an own goal from Miro Muheim in the fourth minute of added time. This will be Canada and Qatar’s first meeting at a World Cup. Their only previous encounter ever came in a September 2022 friendly in Vienna – Canada won 2-0 through goals from Larin and Jonathan David.
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England's Sonny Baker celebrates after taking the wicket of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra caught out by England's Jacob Bethell during on day one of the second Test at the Oval, London, Britain, on June 17,
