Defending champion Novak Djokovic dispatched Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 6-3 in 59 minutes to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, improving his record to 8-0 against the Cypriot.
Djokovic has not lost a set to Baghdatis in their last three meetings dating back to 2011. The Serb looked every inch the world’s No. 1 men’s player, connecting on 74 percent of his first serves and dictating from the baseline.
Djokovic is the defending champion at Indian Wells, where he is bidding to win his 50th career title. He’s currently tied with coach Boris Becker on 49.
Sixth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard beat Lucie Hradecka 6-2, 6-2 in two minutes less than Djokovic took on the same court. She broke the Czech six times in winning against Hradecka for the first time in three tries.
Andy Murray beat Vasek Pospisil 6-1, 6-3, with the hard-serving Canadian committing 35 unforced errors.
Two-time champion Maria Sharapova needed six match points before putting away Yanina Wickmeyer 6-1, 7-5 in her bid to become the first woman to win the tournament three times.
Kei Nishikori beat American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-4, while defending women’s champion Flavia Pennetta easily advanced on a 91-degree day in the desert.
Other women’s winners were: No. 4 seed Caroline Wozniacki, fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic, No. 11 Sara Errani and No. 16 Madison Keys, who got an on-court visit from her coach and former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, applauded by fans who recognized her.
On the men’s side, Juan Monaco upset No. 10 Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, while No. 16 Kevin Anderson, No. 26 Phillip Kohlschreiber and No. 28 Fernando Verdasco all won in straight sets. World No. 23 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez lost to wild-card Thanasi Kokkinakis, 6-4, 6-1 and world No. 25 Julien Benneteau was beaten by Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-2, 6-3.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two