World No 1 Novak Djokovic booked his place in the third round of the French Open after defeating Slovakia's Alex Molcan 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
Molcan was able to push Djokovic to a third-set tiebreaker but threw his racket down in frustration after hitting the ball into the net – his 34th unforced error – to fall 6-3 behind before the Serbian closed it out.
Next up for the 20-time Grand Slam winner and defending champion is 32-year-old Slovenian Aljaz Bedene.
Third seed Alexander Zverev fought back from two sets down and saved a match point to win a thriller against Argentina's Sebastian Baez 2-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5.
Just as fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas had in his five-set win over Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday night, Zverev was able to muster a mid-match turnaround on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The German struggled to find his peak level in a three-hour, 36-minute victory, but his big serve and thumping backhand were the foundation for a stirring comeback.
“I just tried to fight,” said Zverev. “You have to win these kind of matches, when you're not playing well because you can't always play well.”
British 10th seed Cameron Norrie set up a third-round match with Russia's Karen Khachanov after beating Australian qualifier Jason Kubler 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
In the women's draw, US Open champion Emma Raducanu saw her Paris campaign ended in the second round by Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The 12th-seeded Briton, who had to dig deep in her opening match to come from a set down to beat Czech qualifier Linda Noskova, took the first set before collapsing to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 defeat.
Raducanu has now lost in the second round in her two Grand Slams since the win in New York last year, although the 19-year-old had been struggling with a back injury in the run-up to Roland Garros.
It has been a solid effort on her debut clay-court season, though, with Raducanu winning six of her 11 matches. “I still have got quite a long way to go on this surface,” she said. “I had a good first experience on clay and definitely can improve a lot more than I play right now.
“Before I would let the losses affect me more than right now,” she added. “Now I look at everything as a lesson and know exactly where I went wrong and where I can improve.
“I definitely look at these matches as a way to improve my own game. I am playing good tennis, training well.”
Sasnovich will now take on Germany's Angelique Kerber after the former world No 1 and three-time Slam winner knocked out French teenager Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-6.
Kerber, who won a 14th career title in Strasbourg last week, said: “It's great to be back here and I hope I can still play a few more matches.
“When you achieve everything you want, you play for the love of the game. I just love the sport. Let's see how long I can keep playing at a high level.”
Fourth seed Maria Sakkari was knocked out 7-6, 7-6 by Czech Karolina Muchova, leaving red-hot favourite Iga Swiatek and third seed Paula Badosa as the only two players from the top six left in the women's draw.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus is through after beating Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-6 and secured a third-round clash with Jil Teichmann, after the Swiss defeated Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-1.
American teenager Coco Gauff, who reached the quarter-finals last year before losing to eventual winner Barbora Krejcikova, is safely into the next round after the 18th seed beat Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck 6-1, 7-6.
There was huge disappointment for Mayar Sherif, though, when the Egyptian was forced to pull out of her match with Slovenia's 24th seed Tamara Zidansek due to stress fracture in her foot.
Sherif had become the first woman from her country to win a main draw match at Roland Garros after defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 7-5 in the first round on Tuesday.
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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HEADLINE HERE
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
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