Sports

Andy Murray Crashes Out of Australia Open as Federer, Nadal Move On

Published

7 years ago

January 15, 2019

Eric

A battling Andy Murray bowed out of the Australian Open at the first hurdle Monday, but it was business as usual for ruthless Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who joined Caroline Wozniacki in round two.

The Scottish five-time Melbourne Park finalist gave it everything he had and showed glimpses of the form that won him three Grand Slams, but his ailing body let him down during a gutsy 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (4/7) defeat to 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

Murray tearfully revealed before the tournament that he was in constant agony from a hip injury and planned to retire this year.

The 31-year-old hopes to end his career at Wimbledon, but has admitted the Australian Open could be his last event unless he has a late change of heart.

“Amazing. That was incredible, thank you so, so much to everyone that came out tonight,” he said after being given a rapturous send-off.

While his tournament ended in despair, Swiss master Federer, six years older than Murray, continued his march towards a record seventh Australian Open title.

He swept past Uzbek Denis Istomin 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 said he was in “disbelief” that he was the double defending champion at his age and vowed to give his all to make it three in a row.

“I’m going to try everything possible (to win again) and leave it all on the court,” said the world number three.

His long-time rival Nadal, who cut short his 2018 season to have surgery on a foot injury, showed no mercy to Australian wildcard James Duckworth in his opening round clash.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner cruised through 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 and said it was an important victory.

“Not easy to come back after a lot of months, especially against a player playing super aggressive on every point,” said the 2009 Australian champion, who showed no sign of any injury worries. “The energy I feel in this place is fantastic.”

The second seed is bidding to become the first man in the Open era, and only the third in history along with Roy Emerson and Rod Laver, to win each Grand Slam on two or more occasions.

Fifth seed Kevin Anderson progressed, as did NextGen Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. But ninth seed John Isner became the first top seed to crash out.

World number three Wozniacki, who made her Grand Slam breakthrough in Melbourne last year, opened her defence with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over Belgium’s Alison van Uytvanck.

It was an emotional win for the Dane who is struggling with rheumatoid arthritis and she was in tears afterwards.

“Last year I had some special memories and just to be able to be back out here on Rod Laver Arena is something extremely special and emotional,” she said.

– Good test –
Second seed and 2016 champion Angelique Kerber was also impressive, breezing past Slovenia’s Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-2.

Maria Sharapova, a winner at Melbourne in 2008, signalled her intent with a rare 6-0, 6-0 double bagel demolition of Britain’s Harriet Dart.

Playing in her 15th Australian Open, the three-time finalist said she was pleased to go through so easily as she battles back from injuries.

“I’m still working through some painful days. But, you know, I felt like I did all the right things today in order to get through that match,” said the Russian.

Fifth-seeded Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion who struggled in her warm-up tournaments in Brisbane and Sydney, got back to business with an easy two-set win against fellow American Taylor Townsend.

Eleventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, widely tipped as a potential future champion, also safely negotiated round one on a hot day. But Germany’s 14th seed Julia Goerges was knocked out, as was former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Britain’s Katie Boulter, meanwhile, created a slice of history by becoming the first woman to win in a third set tiebreak -– a new rule introduced to the Open this year, beating Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6).

Sports

Morocco’s Hakimi Wins Africa Football Player of the Year Award

Published

2 weeks ago

November 20, 2025

Eric

Morocco and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi has been crowned the Confederation of African Football Men’s Player of the Year Award for 2025, edging out finalists Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray).

The announcement came on Wednesday during the glittering CAF Awards ceremony in Rabat, Morocco, where Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back, was the only finalist in attendance, adding to the electric atmosphere.

This marks a historic breakthrough for Hakimi, after finishing as runner-up in both 2023 and 2024 (behind Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, respectively), the 27-year-old has finally claimed Africa’s top individual football honour.

It’s also the first win for a Moroccan since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, and only the fourth for a defender in the award’s modern history.

Sports

Heartbreak As Congo Ends Super Eagles 2026 World Cup Dreams

Published

3 weeks ago

November 17, 2025

Eric

The Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup dream suffered a major blow on Sunday as DR Congo advanced to the intercontinental playoff following a dramatic penalty shootout at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying ended in heartbreaking fashion, marking the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.

The match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, sending the high-stakes encounter to penalties.

Nigeria initially went ahead through Frank Onyeka in the third minute, but DR Congo equalised in the 32nd minute through M. Elia.

Extra time saw both teams create chances, with Tolu Arokodare missing a header for Nigeria and Nwabali making a crucial save from a DR Congo free kick, but neither side could break the deadlock.

The tension continued into the penalty shootout.

Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missed early chances, while Nwabali denied DR Congo’s first penalty.

Akor Adams kept the Super Eagles alive, but DR Congo struck back through Sadique and later scored the decisive fourth penalty, leaving Nigeria trailing 4–3 in the shootout.

The victory sets up DR Congo for a chance to secure one of the final World Cup tickets to the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Nigeria’s defeat marked the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.

Both teams had earned their places in the final after dramatic semi-finals.

Nigeria had booked their place in the final with a dramatic 4–1 extra-time win over Gabon in Thursday’s semi-final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.

DR Congo also advanced with a 1–0 victory over Cameroon at the Al Barid Stadium the same evening.

The Leopards now await their intercontinental playoff opponent, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup, while the Super Eagles’ campaign comes to an agonising end in Rabat.

Sports

Unruly Behaviour: NPFL Slams N9m Fine on Katsina United, Banishes Club to ‘Empty’ Jos Stadium

Published

4 weeks ago

November 10, 2025

Eric

The Nigeria Premier Football League has handed Katsina United a total fine of N9m and ordered them to play all remaining home games behind closed doors in Jos following incidents of violence during their 1–1 draw with Barau FC on Saturday, according to The Punch reports.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the league body charged Katsina United with multiple breaches of its Framework and Rules, including failure to provide adequate security and failure to control their supporters.

The league said unauthorised persons gained access to restricted areas, while fans also threw harmful objects onto the pitch, resulting in injuries to Barau FC players.

“The club failed to ensure proper conduct of their supporters leading to the harassment of Barau FC players and match officials,” the NPFL said.

“Furthermore, Katsina United supporters displayed conduct capable of bringing the game into disrepute.”

The NPFL imposed a N3m fine for throwing objects, misconduct of supporters and bringing the league into disrepute, while another N2m penalty was issued for failure to provide effective security.

Katsina United were also ordered to pay N4m as compensation for medical treatment of injured players, damages to the away team’s buses, and for holding the visitors and match officials hostage after the match.

The total sanction amounts to N9m.

The league body directed that all subsequent home matches be played at the New Jos Stadium and without spectators. Katsina United have 48 hours from the date of the notice to appeal the decision.

The disciplinary action follows reports that Barau FC player Nana Abraham sustained a neck wound after being attacked by fans during the game at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium.

The incident reportedly occurred shortly after Barau equalised in the 69th minute, leading to chaos inside the ground. Photographs from Barau FC showed Abraham bleeding as officials intervened to restore order before the game eventually resumed and ended 1–1.

Before the NPFL verdict, Katsina United had denied reports of violence and any player injury, describing such claims as “entirely baseless”.

In a separate statement, the club’s media director, Nasir Gide, said the reports were “a deliberate attempt to tarnish the club’s image,” insisting that security operatives maintained order throughout the game.

“At no point during the match did any supporter gain access to the main pitch,” Gide said.

“Katsina United football club is committed to professionalism, discipline, and fair play both on and off the pitch.”

He added that the club had demanded a retraction from platforms that published the report and threatened legal action if corrections were not made.

Saturday’s unrest in Katsina comes just weeks after the NPFL sanctioned Kano Pillars for a similar violent incident in October, when fans invaded the pitch following a late equaliser against Shooting Stars in Kano.

The league fined the club N9.5m, imposed a points deduction, and closed the Sani Abacha Stadium indefinitely.