Days after pushing top-ranked Novak Djokovic and world No 4 Daniil Medvedev all the way in tough three-setters, Alexander Zverev stumbled out of the blocks in his Australian Open first-round clash with Marcos Giron.
Sixth-seed Zverev lost the first set in a tiebreaker, after saving four set points, then smashed up his racket in frustration during the second against the world No 73.
That appeared to wake up the German who regained his composure to beat the 27-year-old American 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“He played incredible. He knew on a big stage, against a top-10 player, he has to come out firing,” Zverev, said. “He had me in trouble.
“Two days ago I was spending three hours on court against Medvedev and Novak [at the ATP Cup] – my body was a bit fatigued. But this is a Slam, you don’t get easy matches.”
French 10th seed Gael Monfils broke down in tears after he was beaten by 86th-ranked Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
It was the first time Monfils, 34, has lost in the first round at Melbourne, against a Finn playing in only his fourth match at a Grand Slam.
"I lost, I have zero confidence, I played badly," said Monfils, after his seventh consecutive tour-level loss. "I know that I have lost a lot and it hurts me. I would like to wake up and tell myself that this nightmare is over, but I don't know when it will stop."
Defending champion Djokovic, meanwhile, had no such problems up against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy at Melbourne Park. The Serb powered to a 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Home favourite Nick Kyrgios also sailed through to the next round, beating Portugal's Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
After a slow start and opening set tie-break, US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria defeated Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Swiss 17th seed Stan Wawrinka, who won the title in 2014, made light work of Portugal's Pedro Sousa, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
In the women's draw, Serena Williams, 39, got off to a flyer despite losing the opening game. The American went on to win 10 games in a row and thrashed Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1 in 56 minutes.
"This was a good start, it was vintage Serena," said 10th seed Williams as she chases Margaret Court's record Grand Slam tally of 24. "Wasn't sure how my serve would be after the shoulder [injury], but it's feeling good."
Second-seed Simona Halep of Romania breezed into the second round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Australian wild-card entry Lizette Cabrera.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 23, overcame a potentially tricky opening contest by easing past world No 39 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-1, 6-2.
"I was really nervous. I couldn't really sleep last night," said the Japanese third seed. "I can't sleep before finals and before the first rounds. I never want to lose in the first round."
Ninth seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic also won in straight sets, beating Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4.
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, seeded 27, was made to work for her passage to Round 2 with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Germany's Andrea Petkovic.
Venus Williams, meanwhile, won a Grand Slam match for the first time since 2019 after the 40-year-old defeated Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-2.
Williams is the oldest woman in this year’s draw and is only the sixth player in her 40s to compete at the tournament.
Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open title winner Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus breezed past Viktoria Kuzmova 6-0, 6-4.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
