Iga Swiatek, the world no 1 and tournament top seed, was dumped out of the Australian Open on Saturday, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Czech teenager Linda Noskova in the third round.
The Pole's wait for a first title at Melbourne Park goes on after this collapse, which came after two difficult matches against Sofia Kenin and then Danielle Collins in the last round. Noskova became the first teenager to knock out the top-ranked player at the Australian Open since Amelie Mauresmo beat Lindsay Davenport in 1999.
"I'm speechless, I knew it was going to be an amazing match with the world number one and such a player, but I didn't really think it would end up like this," said the 19-year-old Noskova.
Noskova looked on paper to be a potential banana skin for Swiatek with three top-10 wins to her name, but the Pole seemed in no mood to be dragged into another scrap as she broke in the sixth game and held to love in the next.
Having wrapped up the first set, the 22-year-old Swiatek looked to take control but Noskova held firm and turned the tables, responding with some dynamic hitting of her own to break and then level the match.
The Czech broke early in the decider and despite Swiatek briefly levelling, got her nose in front again and served for the match to seal a big upset.
"I was shaking a little," Noskova said about serving for the victory. "I didn't hit two first serves which was not the best start for me but I pulled out an ace."
Meanwhile, two-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev swept past Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime to power into the last 16.
The Russian third seed won 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 and set up a clash against Portugal's world number 69 Nuno Borges, who upset Bulgarian 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov in four sets.
It was a vastly different match from his late-night escape from two sets down against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round, a contest that finished at 3:40am on Friday.
Medvedev admitted the early-hours finish had taken its toll, saying he had not got to bed until 7am.
"It was not easy, I'm not feeling fresh, I'm not feeling 100 per cent," said the Russian, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2021 Melbourne Park final and Rafael Nadal a year later.
"It was tough, especially after the last match I had. I felt it was hard for me when I ran, so I tried to always give him a tough shot so I didn't have to run. Finally, especially in the third set, I managed to pull off some good shots and am happy about my game."
Cameron Norrie produced his best ever grand slam victory to reach the fourth round for the first time.
Norrie had never beaten a player ranked as high as world number 11 Casper Ruud at a major tournament and had lost all three previous matches against the Norwegian, who is a three-time major finalist.
But the 28-year-old played with purpose to claim a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
He said: “It’s so special. I just kept a really good level throughout the match. I’ve been working really hard in the off-season on trying to be a little bit more aggressive. I managed to free up in the match and I really let go.”
Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round for the first time after opponent Shang Juncheng retired with injury in the third set.
Remarkably, this was 20-year-old Alcaraz’s first experience of playing a younger player in his 201st tour level match, but it was barely a contest, the second seed dropping just two games before Shang called it a day trailing 6-1, 6-1, 1-0.
Elsewhere, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka beat 11th seed Jelena Ostapenko and Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen defeated her compatriot Wang Yafan to go through.
EXPATS
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Company%20profile
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
AL%20BOOM
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1