After Carlos Alcaraz on Monday dispatched Martin Cilic in the opening round of the Qatar Open, he lingered on court to play a few balls with a spectator — NBA star Jimmy Butler.
Alcaraz took his time to find his rhythm on a windy night, but eventually overcame the veteran Croatian 6-4, 6-4, then took on Butler.
The 35-year-old guard, recently traded to the Golden State Warriors, opted not to stay by the Bay while it hosted Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. Instead he flew to the Gulf and was in the crowd to see Alcaraz win.
Photo: Reuters
Butler then came on court. Both men donned microphones as they put on a short show for fans. Butler even attempted to return an Alcaraz lob with a between-the-legs shot, but missed.
Against the 36-year-old Cilic, Alcaraz was stronger at the pivotal moments. The first set turned on an 18-minute seventh game which ended with Alcaraz gaining the service break he needed.
In the second set, Alcaraz fell 0-40 behind on serve in the eighth game. He responded by taking 15 of the next 19 points to win the match in 1 hour, 38 minutes.
“I’m really pleased about saving that game,” Alcaraz said on court. “Marin puts a lot of pressure when you’re serving, he’s a great returner. I’m really happy to stay calm in that moment, do my routine and make good shots. I’m really happy to win in two sets.”
He is to face Zhang Zhizhen or Luca Nardi in the second round.
Cilic was competing in his first event since knee surgery in November last year.
Jiri Lehecka beat seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-4.
It was the Czech’s 11th victory this year, tied for the ATP Tour lead with Alex de Minaur and Miomir Kecmanovic.
In the round-of-32 of the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien and Jiang Xinyu of China were thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Chinese pairing Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan.
Additional reporting by staff writer
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
BRING THE NOISE: Brazil’s Fonseca attracted a boisterous crowd that brought such dominant soccer-style energy the referee switched to Portuguese to ask for quiet Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout the day, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and soccer-style chanting. Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with blistering forehands and a partisan crowd. Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet. However, De
The Chicago Bulls on Saturday stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 146-115, spoiling superstar LeBron James’ return from a two-week absence with a groin injury. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer James delivered 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes on court. Luka Doncic, back in action after resting a sore ankle, drilled eight three-pointers on the way to a team-high 34 points, but he ran out of steam in the second half, and no one else stepped up. Austin Reaves, who had also missed action with ankle trouble, scored 25 points. Rui Hachimura, playing limited minutes after missing
RSS