Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates his victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie during their men’s singles third round match on the sixth day of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 3, 2021. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
Roger Federer moved into the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the 69th time on Saturday, overcoming a raucous home crowd and the last British man in the draw Cameron Norrie in an entertaining 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win at Wimbledon.
Federer kept his dream alive of a record-extending ninth singles title.
On the women’s side, Australia’s world number one Ashleigh Barty looked a bit more fluent after two inconsistent performances in moving into the Last 16.
The 25-year-old’s 6-3, 7-5 win over Katerina Siniakova reassured her fans she can win the title on the 50th anniversary of fellow indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s first Wimbledon crown.
Victory pitches her into a fourth-round clash with French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Krejcikova has been under the radar but battled through to the Last 16 beating Anastasija Sevastova of Lativa 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-5.
Federer said this Wimbledon held special significance for him.
“I hope there is a little bit more left in me as this one is special for it is the last slam before I hit the big 40,” said Federer, the third oldest man to reach the Last 16 in the Open era.
Norrie follows two-time champion Andy Murray and British number one Dan Evans in exiting in the third round.
Federer’s half of the draw looks more treacherous than defending champion Novak Djokovic’s with two of the younger generation Daniil Medvedev and Germany’s Alexander Zverev potentially lurking further down the line.
– ‘It’s disgraceful’ – Second seed Medvedev showed his mettle as for the first time in his career he came from two sets down to beat 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic.
Zverev ended big-serving Taylor Fritz’s impressive campaign — 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) — given he exited the French Open in a wheelchair due to a knee injury.
The match of the day on the men’s side was a damp squib as fiery Aussie entertainer Nick Kyrgios retired with an abdominal injury tied at one set all with stylish Canadian 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The maverick that is Kyrgios did not have the best of starts as he left his shoes in the locker room.
“One minute I thought I was professional, got my racket, got my clothes, walked out here so confidently and then bang, I forget my shoes in the locker,” said Kyrgios on court before the match.
Despite the disappointing end to his singles campaign — his mixed doubles campaign with Venus Williams must be in doubt — the 26-year-old said he had rediscovered his love of the sport.
“Coming out here (Court One) and having this support has given me a second wind,” he said.
Barty is quite the opposite to her compatriot, rarely showing her emotions on the court however she is playing.
Barty remained poker-faced even when she served for the match and once again her serve was found wanting as Siniakova broke her.
However, she made no mistake the second time she served for it and did a gentle fist pump to celebrate it.
“Another great challenge (Krejcikova) but looking forward to it,” said Barty.
“She has been playing some great stuff and it will be a new challenge for me as I have never played her before.”
Should Barty reach the quarter-finals for the first time she will face a tough rival in either Coco Gauff or 2018 champion Angelique Kerber.
Gauff and Kerber will meet in the last 16 after the American teenager breezed past Slovenian Kaja Juvan while the German had a tough three-setter against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Gauff is not the only teenager making her mark at Wimbledon this year.
Britain’s Canada-born 18-year-old Emma Raducanu, who moved with her Romanian father and Chinese mother to England aged two, produced a brilliant display to beat the experienced Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-3, 7-5.
Raducanu — the world number 338 at the start of the Championships — only sat her school-leaving exams in April.
She next faces Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic who accused her opponent Jelena Ostapenko of “lying” when she took a medical time-out at 0-4 down in the final set of their third-round clash on Saturday.
“I think it’s disgraceful behaviour from someone that is a Slam champion,” said the Australian who completed a three-set win.
Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is through to his first Grand Slam semifinal after posting a 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov on Wednesday at Wimbledon.
Shapovalov, seeded 10th at the All England Club, fired 17 aces in the match and won 86 per cent of first-serve points, which helped lessen the impact of his 10 double-faults.
Later Wednesday, Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime missed a chance to join Shapovalov in the final four after a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 loss to No. 7 Matteo Berrettini of Italy.
Still, it was a breakout tournament for the 20-year-old Auger-Aliassime, who reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career with a captivating five-set win over fourth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the fourth round.
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The 22-year-old Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., hit 59 winners to Khachanov’s 31 and converted five of his 19 break point chances in the match at No. 1 Court that took nearly 3 1/2 hours to complete.
The last break came at 4-all in the fifth set. Shapovalov converted his fourth break chance in that game when Khachanov sent a forehand long.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match against Karen,” Shapovalov said. “We played once before and it was really physical and difficult. I knew he was playing well going into (the match) and honestly I felt he was outplaying me for most of the match.
Tennis players forced to train for Australian Open while in quarantine
Tennis players forced to train for Australian Open while in quarantine – Jan 18, 2021
“Everything was going his way, so in the fourth set I tried to step in a little bit and play more aggressively. I felt he got a little bit tired in the fourth set and I also stepped up.”
Shapovalov’s previous best performance at a Grand Slam was at least year’s U.S. Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.
Shapovalov faces top seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals on Friday. Djokovic is looking for this third straight Wimbledon title and sixth overall.
“He’s the best player in the world but anything is possible,” Shapovalov said in his post-match interview.
“When you look at the scoreboard first thing on Friday it’s going to be 0-0. Nothing else matters.”
Djokovic has won all six of his previous meetings with Shapovalov, most recently posting a 7-5, 7-5 victory in the round robin the ATP Cup at Melbourne, Australia back in January.
Djokovic called Shapovalov one of the leaders of the next generation of tennis stars.
“Maybe he was not winning big matches over the last couple of years, (but) it seems like he’s maturing,” Djokovic said. “You would expect that from a player like him that has really an all-around game.
“Huge serve, lefty _ it’s always tricky to play someone who is left-handed on the quick surfaces _ he’s comfortable coming to the net. I think his movement has improved, and due to his movement he’s probably making less errors, which was part of the game that was troubling him.”
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“You don’t get many opportunities against his service game, especially on grass,” he added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2021.
New Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said on Wednesday he will welcome Christian Eriksen back with “open arms” after the Denmark midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest during last month’s Euro 2020 defeat by Finland.
The 29-year-old spent several days in hospital and had a defibrillator implanted to regulate his heartbeat after the game on June 12.
Eriksen’s prospects of resuming his career are in doubt and the use of such devices in professional football in Italy are not clear but the club are set to undergo medical tests on the former Tottenham playmaker.
“For now, he needs to rest, but as Inter coach I wait for him with open arms,” Inzaghi said.
“I spoke to him before the Euro, not since his accident. He’s a player who I would count on,” he added.
YouTubers and TikTokers will be clashing in the boxing ring tonight, in a one-of-its-kind event named the ‘Battle of the Platforms’. The night will feature a whole host of popular social media stars, including Austin McBroom, Bryce Hall, and Nate Wyatt.
Social media stars are continuing to assert their influence over the sport of boxing.
The high-profile KSI vs Logan Paul fight in August 2018 drew huge numbers of viewers, owing to their large respective fanbases.
The subsequent rematch, in November 2019, was a full pay-per-view fight, promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and was broadcast on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK.
Now, the world of social media has gone one step further, and has launched a full scale boxing event, featuring eight fights between YouTubers and TikTokers.
PHOENIX — After waiting 16 years to make the NBA Finals for the first time in his career, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul found himself with no basketball to watch on TV as he tried to kill the time in the days and hours leading up to Tuesday’s Game 1.
“I was watching them soccer games,” Paul said after the Suns’ 118-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. “I watched a hockey game last night. I’m watching that, like, ‘Damn, how do they know to pass it there?’ And they probably think the same thing with us. But we do this so often, and we have seen just about every coverage you could possibly see, so it’s second nature.”
And Paul’s wealth of experience made it feel natural for Suns coach Monty Williams to see his point guard carve up the Bucks’ defense in the third quarter — scoring 16 of his game-high 32 points on 6-for-7 shooting — because Williams implicitly trusts Paul to execute for their team.
“When it’s going like that, you just want to space the floor well and let him orchestrate,” Williams said after his team went up 1-0 for the fourth time in the four series they’ll play this postseason. “I thought he was making the right plays.
“He was making shots, and when he’s in that mode, we just feed off of that.”
Part of Paul’s offensive explosion came by exploiting the Bucks’ switching schemes. With just under 3½ minutes to go in the third and Phoenix starting to pull away, Milwaukee center Bobby Portis found himself switched out on Paul well beyond the 3-point arc.
The 6-foot Paul dribbled back nearly to the half-court line like a windup toy ready to spring into action and then attacked the 6-foot-10 Portis, unleashing an inside-out dribble, followed by a crossover, followed by a hesitation move to blow by the hapless Bucks big man as Paul capped the sequence with a finger roll layup to put Phoenix up by 18.
“We have to punish teams for switching 1 through 5 like that,” said Suns shooting guard Devin Booker, who poured in 27 points of his own. “Like I just heard Chris say, we prepare for any type of defense and we watch a lot of basketball, and where we have been most successful in that situation is space out. So, every time he shoots it, we think it’s going in.”
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer admitted Paul rendered their defense ineffective.
“So, yeah, he’s a good player,” Budenholzer said, stating the obvious. “Their pick-and-roll game is tough to guard. I think we have to just keep getting better. We have to keep looking at the film and see how we can maybe take away some of the rhythm or make it where he’s not getting into his spots as easily. That will be a big part of looking between Game 1 and Game 2.”
Paul and Booker became the third set of teammates to each score 25-plus points in their Finals debut since 1980, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information, joining the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (2012) and the Orlando Magic‘s Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway (1995).
Booker and Paul were particularly devastating when they took on the Bucks’ defense in isolation opportunities. They went 12-for-19 out of isolation, according to ESPN Stats & Info data, accounting for their most iso makes and attempts in any game since they became teammates last offseason.
It was a spectacular carryover for Paul, in particular, from the Western Conference finals, when he closed out the LA Clippers in Game 6 with 41 points. The 73 combined points are the most he has ever had over a two-game span in his postseason career, and Paul became just the fourth player in league history — joining two former Suns greats in Steve Nash and Kevin Johnson and a fellow do-everything guard in Oscar Robertson — to total 70-plus points on 65% shooting and 15 assists over two games in the playoffs.
“Chris Paul, he’s been a bucket, man,” Booker said. “I mean, he obviously gets his team involved; he’s the greatest leader to play this game. But he’s been a bucket for a very long time. And my six years of playing against him, or five years of playing against him, you understand that. There’s no scouting report that says Chris Paul can’t get a bucket.”
Paul waited a long time for Game 1 of the Finals. And then he didn’t wait to make his mark once he was in it.
“He’s just a really good basketball player,” Williams said. “He’s one of those rare guys that can see the floor, and he knows where all five guys should be. He took advantage of his opportunities tonight versus their switching defense, and thankfully he made shots.”
YouTubers and TikTokers will be taking to the boxing ring tonight to face each other in a one-of-its-kind event named the ‘Battle of the Platforms’. The night will feature a whole host of popular social media stars coming face-to-face, including Austin McBroom, Bryce Hall, and Nate Wyatt.
Social media stars are continuing to assert their influence over the sport of boxing.
The high-profile KSI vs Logan Paul fight in August 2018 drew huge numbers of viewers, owing to their large respective fanbases.
The subsequent rematch, in November 2019, was a full pay-per-view fight, promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and was broadcast on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK.
Now, the world of social media has gone one step further, and has launched a full-scale boxing event, featuring eight fights between YouTubers and TikTokers.
A Saskatchewan First Nation made history Tuesday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Scott Moe signed an agreement that will see the community retake jurisdiction of its child welfare.
In March 2020, Cowessess First Nation members decided they want to assert their rights for their children and families in need of help under Canada’s landmark Bill C-92, which empowers Indigenous communities to reclaim jurisdiction.
“This responsibility is a part of the long-term goal of controlling our own plan to self-government based on our Inherent Rights and Treaty relationship,” Chief Cadmus Delorme with the Cowessess First Nation said in a statement on Twitter on Monday.
“The coordination agreement is a transition plan to assure the transfer of jurisdiction is professional and at the pace of Cowessess First Nation.”
Cowessess is also the site of a former residential school where, last month, ground-penetrating radar detected an estimated 751 unmarked graves.
Saskatchewan tops 2019 child welfare deaths, highest in recent history
Saskatchewan tops 2019 child welfare deaths, highest in recent history – Jan 18, 2021
Although the community is the first to exercise this right, several other Indigenous groups have also notified the federal government that they intend to handle their own child and family service.
Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, called the act “a very important and historic piece” and would like to see more First Nations across Canada enact it.
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“The key is whether or not the federal government is going to provide the resources that will be needed to ensure all the children see full benefit from that legislation,” she said.
Here’s what to know about Bill C-92, the act the First Nation used to regain control of its child welfare.
Under this law, Indigenous communities have the right to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services, based on their own history culture and law.
The jurisdiction is recognized as federal law and given priority over provincial child and family services laws.
The act allows Indigenous groups two options to exercise its jurisdiction.
Option one means Indigenous groups can exercise their jurisdiction, but their laws on child and family services do not trump federal, provincial and territorial laws.
Option two allows Indigenous communities to exercise their jurisdiction, but their laws on child and family services prevail over federal, provincial and territorial ones.
The aim of the bill is to reduce the number of Indigenous children in provincial care.
A child welfare system led by Indigenous communities is a departure from how Canada’s current system works, which sees provinces remove children from their caregivers and place them into a government-run welfare system.
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The current federal system has been widely criticized for the inability to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care and for not meeting the cultural needs of those children.
For example, 2016 federal data found over half of the children (52.2 per cent) under age 15 in foster care in Canada were Indigenous, despite Indigenous children only accounting for 7.7 per cent of the child population.
Feds to introduce legislation on Indigenous child services in 2019
Feds to introduce legislation on Indigenous child services in 2019 – Nov 30, 2018
The history of Indigenous children in care stretches back to the forceful placement of kids in residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, where thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their homes by child welfare service workers between the 1960s and 1980s and placed with mostly non-Indigenous families.
The conditions that cause so many Indigenous kids to land in the child welfare system are “related to the intractable legacies of residential schools including poverty, addictions, and domestic and sexual violence,” according to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report.
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But Bill C-92 aims to help fix the child welfare crisis.
The legislation addresses the TRC’s fourth call to action which demands the government “enact Aboriginal child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases.”
“The closer decision-makers are to the children, the better they’ll do,” Blackstock said. “This is going to reaffirm in terms of that cultural match in terms of the law and the experience with the children.”
How is Cowessess First Nation using it?
The ability for First Nations to take charge of their own social services came into effect on Jan. 1 under Bill C-92.
So far Cowessess First Nation is the only band to enact it, which gives the band full coast-to-coast jurisdiction over its children in care anywhere in the country.
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The band office previously verified 165 Cowessess kids currently in government care, spread out between Manitoba and British Columbia.
Cowessess released their draft legislation, called the Miyo Pimatsowin Act, on Dec. 13, 2019, which officially launched on April 1, 2021. Miyo Pimatsowin means “living a good life” when translated from Cree.
The Miyo Pimatsowin Act focuses on keeping children with their families, whether it’s an immediate or extended family member within the community. Developing ways to help prevent the need for child apprehension is one of the main goals of the act.
In March, the band launched the Eagle Woman Tribunal (EWT), which will make the decisions on child welfare concerns, including custody disputes and citizen appeals.
Eagle Woman Tribunal said it aims to help community members in child welfare disputes find their own resolutions but facilitating talking and healing circles with the help of mediators.
There are nine people on the tribunal board: three on-reserve members, three off-reserve members and three non-members.
Tribunal decisions will be final and binding under federal law.
First Nation in Sask. preparing to take control of child welfare
First Nation in Sask. preparing to take control of child welfare – Jan 6, 2020
The child welfare services will be held at the Chief Red Bear Children’s Lodge, the First Nation’s child safety service, which provides preventative and protective services to keep families together.
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The final say on what happens to children in need will fall on the lodge’s CEO, Eva Coles — rather than a provincial judge or minister.
The lodge employs fewer than 20 people, but Chief Delorme told Global News earlier this year that it will expand to 60 in the coming years.
Cowessess previously stated it is hoping for roughly $20 million annually from both levels of government to operate the lodge.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which represents 74 Saskatchewan First Nations, also announced last year that it wanted $360 million from Ottawa over five years to apply the legislation on reserves.
One of the main criticisms of the bill was that the act does mention funding, but nothing concrete.
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“… the Government of Canada acknowledges the ongoing call for funding for child and family services that is predictable, stable, sustainable, needs-based and consistent with the principle of substantive equality in order to secure long-term positive outcomes for Indigenous children, families and communities,” the act states.
However, Trudeau on Tuesday pledged $38.7 million to support the implementation of the Cowessess First Nation’s Child and Family Services system.
“At the end of the day, it will mean fewer children and youth in care,” he said.
Trudeau added that the federal government is working with other First Nations across the country to reach similar agreements.
“Never again should kids be taken from their homes, families and communities,” he said. “My commitment is this: that we will continue to work as a partner with all communities on what they need to thrive.”
Years-long court battle delivers victory to surviving ‘day scholars’ of Canada’s residential schools
Years-long court battle delivers victory to surviving ‘day scholars’ of Canada’s residential schools – Jun 9, 2021
Blackstock said she was hopeful but “cautious” that Trudeau would commit to funding this piece of legislation.
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“”The key is whether or not the funding is going to be there to make sure the key drivers from over-representation, the poverty, the mental health and addictions flowing from residential schools, whether supports are going to be adequately funded,” she said.
Blackstock explained there are other First Nations hoping to follow a similar path as Cowessess and pursue autonomy of their child welfare. However, unless there is concrete funding in place, many bands may be cautious to go this route.
“They don’t want to have a law that is just a paper tiger,” she said.
–With files from Global News’ Emerald Bensadoun, David Baxter, David Giles and The Canadian Press
Italy and Spain meet in a blockbuster first semi-final at Euro 2020 before an expected crowd of 60,000 at Wembley on Tuesday as anticipation builds ahead of host nation England’s last-four tie against Denmark.
Tuesday’s game is the latest episode in a burgeoning rivalry between Italy and Spain with the nations meeting in a fourth consecutive European Championship.
Spain won on penalties in the quarter-finals in Vienna in 2008 on their way to winning the trophy and then thrashed Italy 4-0 in the final in Kiev four years later.
Italy gained a measure of revenge by winning 2-0 in the last 16 at Euro 2016 and the Azzurri appear the favourites this time as they arrive at Wembley having knocked out Belgium in the quarter-finals to stretch their unbeaten run to a remarkable 32 games.
“We know that if we play the way we have in the last 30 matches or so then we can come away with a good result,” said Italy’s defensive stalwart Leonardo Bonucci on Monday.
While Italy — whose only European Championship title came in 1968 — have been the standout team at the tournament so far, Spain has overcome a difficult start to reach the last four as they target a record fourth continental crown.
Luis Enrique’s team beat Croatia 5-3 in extra time in the first knockout round before edging Switzerland on penalties in the last eight.
“We simply need to be motivated by the fact we are coming up against such a great and prestigious side in such a wonderful arena as Wembley, in the knowledge that we could be involved in the final in just a few days’ time,” added Bonucci.
Both Italy coach Roberto Mancini and Luis Enrique expressed regret that supporters of the two semi-finalists will not be able to travel to attend the game in London.
– Lack of travelling fans ‘unfair’ – More than 60,000 spectators will be allowed inside the 90,000-capacity Wembley after the British government eased the coronavirus restrictions that have been in place during the tournament.
According to the Italian FA an estimated 11,000 Italian fans are expected in the stands as well as 9,000 Spanish spectators.
These will be supporters based in Britain, as fans have not been permitted to travel from either country just for the match, without quarantining first, something which has been a common occurrence at this pandemic-affected tournament.
“It is a strange situation. I hope that there are Spanish and Italians more than English fans, but they are things we cannot control,” Luis Enrique said.
“I am not going to waste any energy on it. We wish it was different but we accept it.”
Italy and Spain both enjoyed the support of their own fans when playing group games at home, in Rome and Seville respectively, and Mancini called the situation in London “unfair”.
“It is pretty unfair if I’m perfectly honest, very unfair indeed,” said the former Manchester City manager.
Italy are without stricken full-back Leonardo Spinazzola, one of the outstanding players of the tournament, who on Monday underwent surgery on the torn Achilles tendon he suffered against Belgium in Munich.
– ‘More belief’ in England – Whoever emerges victorious from Tuesday’s showdown will await the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between England and Denmark.
Gareth Southgate’s England side have raised the hopes and expectations of the host nation with their displays so far, making it to the last four without even conceding a goal.
They are dreaming of reaching the first major tournament final since winning the World Cup at Wembley in 1966.
England does not have happy memories of recent semi-final appearances, including most notably losing at that stage to Croatia in Moscow in the 2018 World Cup.
“We’ll probably have a little bit more belief going into the Denmark game than what we did in the Croatia game,” Manchester United captain Harry Maguire said.
“We hadn’t been to a semi-final in so long as a country, so the belief wasn’t there. I’m sure the fans are believing more now.”
Denmark has themselves enjoyed a remarkable run at this Euro since the trauma of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest in their opening defeat against Finland in Copenhagen.
“We have incredible support in England and we were their preferred second team but now we are their enemies,” Danish defender Andreas Christensen, who plays club football for Chelsea, told local media.
The 2021 NBA Finals feature one of the most unexpected matchups in recent league history. And, at the moment, the Phoenix Suns–Milwaukee Bucks showdown is one of the most difficult to predict.
If Antetokounmpo is sidelined or limited throughout the series, Chris Paul and the Suns could be on their way to the franchise’s — and the Point God’s — first championship.
Which team will win the title? Which star is the trendy pick to take home NBA Finals MVP honors? Let’s take a look at our experts’ predictions.
And Hearn says a fight between Joshua and Fury will be “even bigger” if both men succesfully defend their belts to set up an undisputed heavyweight showdown.
“If AJ knocks out Usyk and Fury knocks out Wilder then in four months we are talking about an even bigger fight,” added Hearn.
“One could lose or look bad but I do get the feeling if they both win then the fight is huge. I am hoping it works out for the best.”
Usyk, 34, is a former undisputed world cruiserweight champion and has 18 wins from 18 bouts.
Hearn added: “AJ knows how good Usyk is but he wants to do a job on him because he also knows people are unsure about him winning the fight and I think he likes that.
“He has done four weeks of southpaw sparring up in Sheffield and he is gearing himself up for a big fight. We just hope that everywhere is open because we want to do 60-70,000 at Spurs.”
