Hurkacz humbles Humbert in Halle; Medvedev wins opener
Halle, June 16: Defending champion Ugo Humbert and the second-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas were both eliminated from the Halle Open in the second round. Humbert lost to Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (5), 6-3, and Nick Kyrgios fought back to beat Tsitsipas 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 at the grass-court tournament. Tsitsipas next faces Pablo Carreno Busta, who defeated Sebastian Korda 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 earlier. The fifth-seeded Hurkacz will next play Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals. The Canadian player defeated Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (7), 6-1 in their second-round match. Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev advanced by beating David Goffin 6-3, 6-2. The Russian will next play Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in the second round. (AP)
Boca Juniors president says Vidal, Cavani on club’s radar
Buenos Aires, June 16: Top Argentine football club Boca Juniors could make a move for Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, club president Juan Roman Riquelme has said. Cavani is out of contract at Manchester United while Vidal is expected to leave Inter Milan by mutual consent. “They were born to play for this club, but whether we can afford them is another matter,” Riquelme said on Wednesday in an interview broadcast on Argentine television. “I listen to a lot of things. We are very happy with the squad we have but we’re talking about star players.” Vidal has represented Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona before joining Inter Milan in 2020, while Cavani has played for Palermo, Napoli, and Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Manchester United from 2020 to 2022. (IANS)
Chennaiyin FC sign midfielder Mohammed Rafique
Chennai, June 16: Two-time champions Chennaiyin FC have signed former Indian Super League (ISL) winner Mohammed Rafique on a two-year deal ahead of the upcoming season. The 31-year-old midfielder, who made headlines after scoring the breathtaking winning goal in stoppage time that handed Atletico de Kolkata the ISL title in the inaugural season, will be a valuable addition to the Chennaiyin FC midfield, the franchise said in a release on Thursday. A versatile footballer, Rafique has played in nine positions in his decade-long professional career and has 153 matches under his belt. The Kolkata-born footballer has also represented the national side on 12 occasions. (IANS)
IBA president seeks new election after court ruling
Lausanne, June 16: After a court ruled that his election opponent was wrongly barred, International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev said he wants a new contest. A clean election could be key for the International Olympic Committee to consider reinstating the IBA after excluding it from organizing bouts at the Tokyo Olympics over integrity issues and threatening to drop the sport from future Summer Games.On Tuesday, a Court of Arbitration for Sport judge said Dutch candidate Boris van der Vorst should not have been removed from the ballot for just a minor breach of campaigning rules. The court did not order a re-run of the contest Kremlev won by acclamation on May 14 but now the Russian official says “let us have a new election.” Kremlev won two presidential elections in the past 18 months though neither has fully satisfied the IOC. (AP)