Updates from Day 3 of the Australian Open.
World No 3 Roger Federer cruised into the Australian Open third round with a straight-sets win over practice partner Aleksandr Dolgopolov.
The 17-time grand slam champion was never in trouble against the 35th-ranked Ukrainian and strolled to a regulation 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 win in one hour 33 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
It was Federer’s 299th Grand Slam singles victory as he chases his fifth Australian crown.
Federer practiced with Dolgopolov in Dubai in the off-season and took his record over him to 3-0.
Dolgopolov’s game unravelled in the final set as Federer put the finishing touches to a convincing win.
The third seed, who has now reached the third round in all of his 17 visits to Melbourne, broke Dolgopolov’s serve five times and did not face a single break point on his own serve.
Federer hammered a total of 39 winners, which included 25 aces in a dominant serving performance.
He will now have a third-round encounter with either Bulgarian 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov or Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti.
“I’m very happy. The conditions are extremely quick so you are not going to find that much rhythm out there,” Federer said.
“Aleksandr can play great when you give him too much time so maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that it was as fast as it was.
“But I served well and as the match went on I started to feel better and better, but the second set was crucial and I’m glad I got it done.”
COMMENT: Australian Open exit a setback but patience is needed for Rafael Nadal's return to the top
Nishikori puts friendship aside
Japanese hope Kei Nishikori came out on top of an awkward match with his close friend and practice partner Austin Krajicek to reach the third round.
The seventh seed advanced but not before a second-set struggle, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in one hour, 53 minutes on Margaret Court Arena with the roof closed after morning rain.
Nishikori, who has yet to pass the quarter-final stage at Melbourne Park, will next play either Spain’s 26th seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or German qualifier Daniel Brands.
Nishikori and Krajicek grew up training together at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, and they were facing each other in a match for the second time after the Japanese star won in three sets in Memphis last year.
“I tried to forget in the match. But it’s never easy to play with good friends and especially I know him when we were like 15, 16,” Nishikori said. “So it’s not easy, but on the court I try to concentrate on whoever is over the net.
“I should have closed out the second set when it was 5-4 but he started playing better and it was a tight tiebreaker. Once I got the tiebreaker I was better.”
Williams powers on
World No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams powered into the third round with a straight-sets demolition of Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.
The six-time Australian Open winner, who is gunning to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles, blitzed Hsieh 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
She next faces either Russian Daria Kasatkina with a potential quarter-final clash against arch-rival Maria Sharapova awaiting.
“She was definitely a tricky opponent but it was a good match for me to play someone like that. I needed that,” said Williams, who made her grand slam debut in Melbourne in 1998.
“It all started here for me, that is where I played my first match in a Grand Slam, on this court, and I’m still going. It’s an honour.”
Australian Open Day 3 order of play: Sharapova, Williams, Federer and Djokovic in action
Sharapova untroubled
Maria Sharapova cruised into the third round, sweeping past Aliaksandra Sasnovich with the loss of just three games.
The on-song Russian, 28, shook off any early-season rust off in the opening round and she continued her impressive form against Sasnovich, crushing the 105th ranked Belarusian 6-2, 6-1 with the roof shut on Rod Laver Arena as rain came down.
A winner here in 2008 and a three-time runner-up, Sharapova was always heavily favoured, although the departure of second seed Simona Halep to a qualifier on Tuesday showed there are no guarantees.
The win keeps her on track for a potential last-eight clash against her nemesis Serena Williams, who beat her in the final last year and has won every match they have played since 2004. Williams is on court later Wednesday.
“It’s great to be back on this court after such a good run (to the final) last year,” Sharapova said. “It was an opponent I had never faced before which is always tricky and I’m happy I got there.”
Brilliant Berdych advances
Twice semi-finalist Tomas Berdych only lost seven games in reaching the third round at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Czech sixth seed was too strong for Bosnia’s Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 in one hour 38 minutes and will face either Australian Nick Kyrgios or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay next.
Radwanska punishes wasteful Bouchard
Eugenie Bouchard’s hopes of rehabilitation at the Australian Open came to a swift end as Agnieszka Radwanska sent the Canadian spinning out of the tournament with a 6-4 6-2 defeat in the second round.
Bouchard, whose career hit the buffers last year following her break-out 2014 season when she reached the Wimbledon final, crumbled under the lights of Rod Laver Arena after sprinting into a 4-2 lead in the first set.
She lost six straight games to gift the set and an early break in the second to the Polish fourth seed, and was then powerless to mount a challenge as her forehand misfired and the errors started piling up.
Staring down the barrel at 5-2, Bouchard was presented with one last chance to rally, having prised three break-points as Radwanska served for the match.
But the 37th-ranked Canadian squandered them all in a run of four unforced errors, capitulating meekly at the tournament that was the springboard for her sensational 2014.
Kyrgios sets up Berdych showdown
Nick Kyrgios forged a straight sets win over Pablo Cuevas to set up a third round showdown with sixth seed Tomas Berdych.
Kyrgios, 20, showcased all his mercurial skills to get past the 41st-ranked Uruguayan 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in almost two hours before a supportive home crowd on Hisense Arena.
The 29th-seeded Australian smashed 50 winners as he broke the Uruguayan’s serve four times to take the second round match.
The victory sets him up for a crack at Berdych, who has reached the last two semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
“I am very relieved to get through that in straight sets,” said Kyrgios, who made the quarter-finals last year where he lost to Andy Murray.
“He’s a great competitor and he’s one of the best athletes on the tour.
“The crowd helped me deep in that third set, I was struggling a little bit, but the crowd really lifted me.”
RESULTS FROM DAY 3
Men
2nd rd
Federico Del Bonis (ARG) bt Renzo Olivo (ARG) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-2
Gilles Simon (FRA x14) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 7-5
Kei Nishikori (JPN x7) bt Austin Krajicek (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 6-3, 7-5, 6-1
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x27) bt Marco Trungelliti (ARG) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Dominic Thiem (AUT x19) bt Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
David Goffin (BEL x15) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2
Marin Cilic (CRO x12) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
Roberto Bautista (ESP x24) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Mirza Basic (BIH) 6-4, 6-0, 6-3
Women
2nd rd
Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 6-1, 6-2
Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Ana Konjuh (CRO) 6-4, 6-3
Belinda Bencic (SUI x12) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 6-3, 6-3
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x23) 6-1, 7-5
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 7-6 (9/7) abandon
Maria Sharapova (RUS x5) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-2, 6-1
Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 6-3, 6-4
Roberta Vinci (ITA x13) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 6-2, 6-3
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
New schools in Dubai
The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Sour%20Grapes
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Superliminal%20
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20One%20%26amp%3B%20X%2FS%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PC%20and%20Mac%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
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
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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.”
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
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
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
Jiu-jitsu calendar of events for 2017-2018:
August 5:
Round-1 of the President’s Cup in Al Ain.
August 11-13:
Asian Championship in Vietnam.
September 8-9:
Ajman International.
September 16-17
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Ashgabat.
September 22-24:
IJJF Balkan Junior Open, Montenegro.
September 23-24:
Grand Slam Los Angeles.
September 29:
Round-1 Mother of The Nation Cup.
October 13-14:
Al Ain U18 International.
September 20-21:
Al Ain International.
November 3:
Round-2 Mother of The National Cup.
November 4:
Round-2 President’s Cup.
November 10-12:
Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro.
November 24-26:
World Championship, Columbia.
November 30:
World Beach Championship, Columbia.
December 8-9:
Dubai International.
December 23:
Round-3 President’s Cup, Sharjah.
January 12-13:
Grand Slam Abu Dhabi.
January 26-27:
Fujairah International.
February 3:
Round-4 President’s Cup, Al Dhafra.
February 16-17:
Ras Al Khaimah International.
February 23-24:
The Challenge Championship.
March 10-11:
Grand Slam London.
March 16:
Final Round – Mother of The Nation.
March 17:
Final Round – President’s Cup.
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
