World No 1 Novak Djokovic and reigning champion Rafael Nadal made short work of their respective third-round opponents in the French Open on Saturday.
Djokovic produced a dominant performance to sweep aside 93rd-ranked Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 32 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier and is yet to lose a set in three matches.
Nadal proved too strong for unseeded British opponent Cameron Norrie, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 at Roland Garros. The Spaniard beat Djokovic in last year's final and the pair remain on course to meet in the semi-finals this time round.
Djokovic broke Berankis six times in Paris and such was his control that he did not face a single breakpoint on his own serve.
It means the 34-year-old Serbian becomes the first man in the Open era to reach the fourth round for a 12th consecutive year and stays on course for a 19th Grand Slam title.
He faces 19-year-old Lorenzo Musetti next after the World No 76 reached the last 16 on his Slam debut.
Musetti smashed 50 winners past compatriot Marco Cecchinato on his way to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.
"I think Lorenzo is very nice, first of all, very nice kid. I really like how he plays. He's got a really all-around game," said Djokovic.
"I know very much so that he is a big challenge to me. So there is no question I have to go out playing on a high level because he will not have much to lose.
"I'm sure he's going to come out and really try to play the tennis of his life playing on one of the two big courts."
Relentless Nadal, meanwhile, cruised into the last 16 for the 16th time and extended his winning run on the clay-courts Grand Slam to a remarkable 30 sets in a row.
World No 45 Norrie battled gamely against the third seed, even breaking Nadal twice in the second set, but the 35-year-old went on to seal victory in a shade over two hours.
Nadal will now face Italian 19-year-old Jannik Sinner, who defeated the unseeded Mikail Ymer of Sweden 6-1, 7-5, 6-3.
Argentina's Diego Schwartzman powered past Philipp Kohlschreiber after completing a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 demolition job on the German, meaning the 10th seed has yet to drop a set in this year's competition.
He will now go up against the German Jan-Lennard Struff who eased past Carlos Alcaraz Garfia 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.
In the women's draw, Elina Svitolina became the latest big name to exit the tournament after the fifth seed was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Barbora Krejcikova. "I am super happy, most of my shots were amazing," said the Czech.
Svitolina's loss means four of the top five seeds are already out, with the Ukrainian outplayed by her opponent, who will now take on Sloane Stephens for a place in the quarter-finals.
The American eased past 18th seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to earn her spot in the next round. "Obviously one of my favourite tournaments of the year, so peaking here has always been really important," said Stephens.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek came through a testing first set to then ease past No 30 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia.
The eighth seed from Poland, who has now won 20 consecutive sets at Roland Garros, completed a 7-6, 6-0 victory.
Fourth seed Sofia Kenin – who lost to Swiatek in last year's final – fought back from losing the opening set to defeat Jessica Pugula in an all-American clash.
The 2020 Australian Open winner recovered from a slow start to overcome the 28th seed 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a mixed display that featured 48 winners, 41 unforced errors and 10 double faults.
"I was obviously really happy. It was a tough match. It was a lot of ups and downs, emotions," Kenin said after the win. "I'm just really happy with the way I'm playing."
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur produced a brilliant recovery to come back from a set down and beat Magda Linette of Austria 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
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The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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