Author: The Guardian

DDeep inside the Vienna Skating Club, a massive rink that was temporarily converted into an indoor tennis court in October, Jack Draper is training hard ahead of the final game of the season. His sparring partner that day was Frances Tiafoe, a top-20 fighter also known for his humor during intense fights. As they toiled in training, the Americans kept reacting to their spectacular winners, eyes darting down the court, each time trying to catch their opponent’s eye so he could pull off another joke.Draper, however, had other priorities. The English number one is completely locked in, focused solely on…

“frameBorder=”0″class=”dcr-ivsjvk”>The current champions, Chinese player Ding Lihe and 18-year-old Indian player Gukesh Domraju, played three games in the best-of-14 match at the World Chess Championship in Singapore, with a record of 1.5-1.5. Ding Junhui won their first game before challenger Gukesh evened the score in the third game when Ding Junhui lost the match on time in the 37th move in a hopeless situation.Friday’s fourth match starts at 9am GMT and is expected to last around four to five hours. You can watch the live stream for free on Fide’s YouTube channel, where commentators are England’s David Howell and Jovanka…

It would be wrong to say that Kane Williamson looked like a man making up for lost time on day one in Christchurch, finishing with 93 runs in such a composed manner. Given his famously selfless views, it would also be a stretch to claim this was driven by some inner turmoil at missing out on New Zealand’s historic win in India.But considering he came back from a groin injury in the series opener against England and dismissed Will Young – the man of the match in a 3-0 series win – it’s still a timely win. Performance. The Kiwis…

A bemused Ilkay Gundogan described City’s form after a 3-0 lead was eventually tied 3-3 at the 75th minute of Tuesday’s Champions League tie at the Etihad Stadium. It’s puzzling.”Haaland’s brace and Gundogan’s strike put Pep Guardiola’s side firmly in control as they look to end a five-game losing streak with a victory. But two misplaced passes from Josko Gvardiol and an ill-judged rush from Ederson allowed Anis Haji Moussa, Santiago Jimenez and David Hanke to score for the visitors. ball and saved a tie, tying the game with a minute to go in regulation.Gundogan said: “I think the way…

timeThere are plant-based burgers and fried rice balls served on glossy, dark plates. There’s a beer mat with Brendan Dolan’s face on it. In a corner of the room, Michael van Gerwen was being interviewed live by Troy Deeney on TalkSport. In another video, an internet celebrity named JaackMaate was filming a video for his YouTube channel.Dave Allen, head of press at Professional Darts, remembers their first media conference before the World Championship. It was 2008, and Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and Sid Waddell were dressed as Santa Claus, holding a giant novelty dart. A few people came, took…

If you’re feeling like NFL special teams have been particularly inconsistent this season, you’d be absolutely right.Still, as strange as the special teams team’s first 11 weeks of the season have been, nothing can compare to what happened Sunday. Missed kicks and turnovers are common, but there were far more of them on Sunday than usual.The most famous of these was Austin Seibert of Washington Commander. The seven-year veteran had a strong performance in Sunday’s game and is 25-for-27 on extra point attempts this season.Then Seibert had a complete disaster against the Dallas Cowboys, as the Commanders lost 34-26. With…

medium sizeAx Verstappen has made it clear all season that he wants to win the Formula One world title with a dominant car, just like he did the previous two years. While he may prefer to jog, the fight for his fourth title in Las Vegas is not only a greater sport, but also a sign of the maturity he has become as a driver.As his title rival Lando Norris admits, beating him will be a tough task in the future.Early in the season, Verstappen seemed to be coming into his own again. He directed the Red Bull around the…

George Russell took pole position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a stunning lap on the city streets, narrowly beating Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Second place. With the title race likely to be decided in Las Vegas, Max Verstappen finished fifth, ahead of nearest rival Lando Norris in sixth. In a tight battle, Alpine Racing’s Pierre Gasly finished third, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fourth and RB Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda seventh.The result ensures Verstappen still has a chance to claim a fourth successive world title in Saturday’s race and take the title with two rounds remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Verstappen…

Chinese world champion Ding Li, 32, and Indian rival Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, are the youngest ever title challengers in a $2.6 million 14-fight fight in Singapore on Saturday. The opening ceremony of the championship, the first game is scheduled to start at 12 o’clock.This will be the 50th time the crown has been fought since 1886 and the first time both contestants are Asian. The first place finishers at that time were almost always contestants, but not in 2023 or 2024. The world champion has not won a Classics match since January. Gukesh is a 1-5 favorite, while Ding is…

Formula 1 drivers are fed up and have lost faith in the sport’s governing body, the FIA, and its president, Mohammed bin Sulayem, after their collective criticism of the FIA ​​in public statements fell short. Get a response. They have called for dialogue to resolve their grievances, but the FIA ​​has yet to respond since it was published two weeks ago.This weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix is ​​the first meeting since the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) issued a statement, a scathing indictment of the FIA ​​and Ben Sulayem, demanding they stop treating like Kids treat all 20 drivers on…