TORONTO // Novak Djokovic began his defence of the Rogers Cup with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Canadian wild card Frank Dancevic. One of the top eight seeds to earn a first-round bye, third seed Djokovic was seeing his first action since a surprising second-round loss to Marat Safin at Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old Serb, who admitted he was mentally worn out at the All England Club, won this hardcourt event last season, posting consecutive victories over the top three players in the world en route to the title.
Djokovic topped the then world No 3 Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals, second-ranked Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and world No 1 Roger Federer in the championship match to become the first player to defeat the world's top three in the same event since Boris Becker in October 1994 at Stockholm. Despite having the crowd behind him as the top-ranked Canadian in the field, Dancevic was unable to prevent Djokovic from advancing from their second round match.
The 82nd-ranked player in the world, Dancevic watched his opponent save both break points he faced in the first set and win 78% (14-of-18) of his first-serve points in the second en route to victory.
Roddick, the sixth seed here, opened with a 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-3 second-round victory over Nicolas Mahut. The Frenchman was a three-set winner over Janko Tipsarevic on Monday.
Like Djokovic, Roddick also made an unexpected second-round exit at Wimbledon, and the shoulder injury which kept him from competing at the French Open remains an area of concern, as evidenced by his needing three sets to dispatch Mahut.
However, he was pleased with how the shoulder responded. "I felt good today and I felt like I hit the ball well," Roddick said.
Meanwhile, Nadia Petrova took her first step toward another final at the East West Bank Classic by defeating Alina Jidkova 6-0 6-4 in the first round. The ninth seed had lost to the current world No 1 Ana Ivanovic in last year's final here at Los Angeles.
Though Petrova turned in a respectable quarter-final effort at Wimbledon, the Russian has yet to play with much consistency this season.
Anna Chakvetadze is another Russian hoping to turn her year around and the third seed dominated Marta Domachowska 6-1, 6-1 in 50 minutes.
The sixth seed Daniela Hantuchova defeated Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-2, 6-4 in another second round match.
Other seeded players in first-round action included No 10 Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who cruised past Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-1, 6-0 and 11th seed Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic, who beat Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1. Vania King defeated Angela Haynes 6-3 6-3 in an all-American battle.
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
SPEC%20SHEET
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The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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2252 – Dh 50
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
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The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
SQUADS
India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur
New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult
Killing of Qassem Suleimani