Daniel Dubois knocks out Anthony Joshua at Riyadh Season event in London

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Updated 22 September 2024
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Daniel Dubois knocks out Anthony Joshua at Riyadh Season event in London

  • Riyadh Season event draws 98,128 people, setting postwar British record

LONDON: Billed as Anthony Joshua’s next stop on a comeback tour, a record Wembley crowd of 98,128 were left stunned as Daniel Dubois confirmed his credentials on the world heavyweight stage by dismantling the former two-time world champion.

Looming over the Wembley Edition of this Riyadh Season was the specter of Tyson Fury, who took a seat for the first of the undercards, the camera repeatedly cutting to him amid great applause from the gathering crowd.

Fury’s presence added only further fuel to the fiery demand for a long sought-after Joshua-Fury bout, which would bring the two biggest names in British boxing of the past decade together, but Joshua first had to get past IBF Heavyweight Champion Dubois.

It may have been Dubois’ belt at the start of the night, but Joshua entered to a medley beginning with “The Godfather” theme, before Jay Z’s “Public Service Announcement.”With the song’s line “allow me to reintroduce myself,” here was the main man.

Certainly, the crowd — pumped by a three-song Oasis set from the frontman of the newly reformed band, Liam Gallagher — and the experts concurred with that assessment.

Dubois’ opening volley, however, suggested that he was unphased by his underdog status.

And it was not long before he connected with a thunderous, and likely decisive, overhand right, putting Joshua to the floor for the first of what would be four times over the course of the bout, leaving the bumper crowd in shock.

Dubois carried the momentum into the second, and that overhand right seemed to hang over Joshua, whose legs trembled throughout as multiple shots from the champion hit hard and true.

Another hard left from Dubois unnerved Joshua as he stumbled in the final 10 before going down as the bell tolled. Nearby spectators were shocked, with one saying: “I can’t believe what I’m seeing here.”

Two more knock-downs followed in the third, although the second rather unconvincingly was ruled a slip as unified champion Oleksandr Usyk watched on, likely growing more and more convinced that Dubois would be among his pending fights.

Dubois was unrelenting, but in the fourth, Joshua showed signs of the determination that had seen him previously rebuild from career setbacks; after goading and mocking the titleholder, Joshua finally landed a convincing shot before the bell went.

That new momentum carried into the fifth and it seemed that a miraculous comeback could be on the cards as again Joshua connected with Dubois. Sensing an opening, he went for the double, in a move that his manager Eddie Hearn would later call greedy.

In that moment, Dubois spotted a chance, landing a counter-right that put the challenger down for the fourth and final time, his team in the corner moving to save him from himself as he scrambled to beat the count. It was to be Joshua’s fourth loss in 32 bouts.

After the winner had been declared he took to the mic, though, to suggest that he was not done yet, despite many already suggesting this had been something of a last chance saloon for the fighter.Seemingly, the commentariat’s short memories drove that narrative; had Joshua won, he would have emulated the likes of Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis as a three-time world champion.

 

Confident that he was not yet set for retirement, Joshua recognized his own failings over the course of the five rounds, admitting that he had come up against a “fast and sharp opponent … a lot of mistakes from my end.”

Dubois, though, delivered not only the best shots of the night, but also the best line, yelling to the crowd “Are you not entertained?” He was quoting the Russell Crowe movie “Gladiator,” in reference to Joshua having described himself as just that.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster run; this is my time, my redemption story,” Dubois added, after it appeared that he may have silenced those critics who had doubted his true potential in the buildup.

“I want to get to the top of this sport and reach my full potential,” he said.

A Joshua win would almost certainly have ramped up expectations that, finally, now would be the time the much-hyped, long sought-after dust-up with Fury happened — a fight the Saudi sport authority would have been only too keen to host.

But as Joshua dusted off his wounds, it appeared that Fury had already left the stage, leaving hopes of that prospective bout in tatters, as one spectator walked past asking: “What have we just witnessed here?”

 


AS IT HAPPENED (All times BST):

22:30 - Game over

Daniel Dubois, IBF heavyweight champion, walked into the ring as the underdog against Anthony Joshua on Saturday night in front of a sold-out Wembley crowd, but showed the world why he needs to be taken more seriously with a statement-setting knock-out of the favorite in the 5th round. Dubois had Joshua reeling from a damaging blow in round one, which the two-time former unified world champion never recovered from. Dubois gains more admirers and retains his belt, Joshua now ponders where he goes from here.

A spectacular Riyadh Season show in London comes to an end with a number of impressive fights and a dramatic main card that has the boxing world in shock. 

That’s all from us tonight. Check out more on Arab News Sport.

22:30 - Main event

Hanging over this fight was the spectre of Tyson Fury. A match between Joshua and Fury has long been touted, and it didn’t take long for Fury to appear. Throughout the undercard fights cameras would pan to him, eliciting roars of delight from the ever increasing crowd.

If Fury is the superstar on Joshua’s mind, Usyk was also not to be forgotten, the pair sat front row.

It may have been Dubois’ belt at the start of the night but AJ, as he’s colloquially known entered the ring with a clear message: here was the boss, as the theme from mafia movie The Godfather blared out, followed precipitously by Jay Z’s HoVA, beckoning the crowd to let him reintroduce himself.

All the experts we spoke too, were unified in their belief that the challenger was the favourite. Dubois seemingly welcomed the underdog status unbecoming his title.

He started well, setting out his stall with a volley of shots that immediately appeared to ask questions of Joshua, an overhand right landing heavily. It was just before the end of the first round that the crowd erupted as the challenger went down. Dubois had dropped Joshua.

He opened the second round with that same level of ferocity. Joshua appeared stunned, his legs seemingly having given up, and then a left hook making contact with his face further unnerved him. 

Nearby spectators were shocked, one noting “I can’t believe what I’m seeing here”.

By the end of the third, Joshua’s legs were clearly failing him, and in the final 10 of he stumbled, before going down again as the bell tolled.

More followed, within 15 seconds of the fourth he was again down before jumping up only to be put down again. Joshua may have looked lost but there remained a determination as he sought to fight on, but Dubois was unrelenting.

Finally, after goading Dubois, Joshua made contact and then the bell went.

That seemed to spark the fight into Joshua, who began the fifth strongly. The crowd clearly in his corner as they cheered him on.

Now it was his turn to send a message. Dubois was as in pain but not for long. It was all too little too late from Joshua.

Dubois had him down again. That was it. Game over. 

Fury didn’t appear to stick around, turning his back on the ring and walking off.

"What have we just seen?" one spectator asked. 


20:44 - With the main event looming, the penultimate fight of the night featured Tyler Deeny and Hamzah Sheeraz battling it out for the European Middleweight Title.

The hype was certainly flowing in Sheeraz’s favour and, with what was the first shot of the night he had Deeny on the mat.

After eight seconds he was up but it was an auspicious start, which Sheeraz followed up by backing him into the rope and unleashing blow after blow.

His height advantage showed. And in the second he had it, knocking Deeny down and rewarding Frank Warren’s faith in him.

There was more excitement emanating outside the ring as frontman of the newly reformed Oasis, Liam Gallagher, was spotted for the first time tonight.

Gallagher’s performance immediately before the main event tonight had been known for some time. But earlier this month, he and his brother Noel announced the first Oasis shows for 15 years. 

Now the hype was mounting that maybe tonight there would be a preview of what those who landed tickets to next year’s shows could expect.


20:20 - This was a fight that really opened up in the sixth, with Britain’s Joshua Buatsi - entering the match up with 18 win, 13 by knock out - putting Scotland’s Willy Hutchinson - with 18 wins, 13 by KO and one loss - down.

The Scot was back up on the eight count but Buatsi went straight back in. If the preceding rounds had been tight, this was definitely the Brit’s.

And he opened the seventh in similar fashion, clearly hoping to capitalise on his success in the closing stages of the preceding round.

Hutchinson though wasn’t prepared to surrender, stirring the crowd with his own volley of attacks.

At the end of the seventh, the first images of Dubois flashed across the screens, garnering whoops for a now nearly full Wembley audience. It bears repeating that tonight, will see a record 96,000 at the home of English football.

Two minutes into the eighth and it seemed Hutchinson may again taste the mat, but he managed to keep to his feet and see the round out, before opening the ninth with a series of attacks that could have flipped things on their head before Buatsi again had Hutchinson down for another eight count, having pinned him into a corner with an uppercut before unleashing a left that sent him to the ground.In the tenth, Buatsi was wrong-footed, tripping onto the rope, but it remained very much his to lose.

Having gotten Hutchinson to the mat twice, Buatsi was not going to be rushed in the final round, instead willing to absorb the Scot’s final few attacks. 

And then the bell went. We were again back to the judges.

As it did, the Scot was at a self-inflicted disadvantage, having been docked points for use of the head following repeated warnings in the earlier half of the bout.

Catching everyone in attendance off guard, the judges came to a split decision, but this was Buatsi’s night as he was crowned WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Title.


19:15 - Tonight’s first title fight as Ireland’s Anthony Cacace put the IBO Super Featherweight Championship he won in May on the line against Britain’s Josh Warrington.

Again, with the fight having gone the distance, it was fair to say a theme was emerging in the early stages of this Riyadh Season event, with the judges deciding the outcome.

Watching on in the role of commentator, former WBC Cruiserweight Champion Tony Bellew consistently rated Cacace as the better.

The positivity surrounding Cacace did not match his experience, the Irishman the less seasoned of the two, having won 22 of his 23 compared to his competitor’s 31 wins and 3 losses.

Bellew, providing his own scores throughout, considered it tight between the pair.

For the judges though, the situation was more clear cut, scoring it 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111, all in Cacace’s favour, as he retained the belt he’d won just four months earlier.

It seems that this may have also been the last of Warrington’s fights in what has been a glittering career for the proud Leeds man. 

Those 31 wins of his twice brought him the IBF title he was vying for, with victories against the likes of Carl Frampton, Kiko Martinez, and Lee Selby.


18:15 - If the opening fight of this Riyadh season was a trial in patience, the second bout was its opposite.

A middleweight division fight, it featured Team GB representative at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Josh Kelly - who started today having fought 15 times, with 13 wins, 8 of which were by knock out - against the undefeated Ishmael Davis who’d stopped four of his last five fights.

Kelly was the clear favourite as far as the audience were concerned, having the back of 69 percent of those who voted.

And in the early rounds he certainly evidenced that faith.

Davis, however, seemed happy to absorb Kelly’s efforts in the early rounds.

The closing seconds of the fourth round whipped the audience up as both fighters traded blows.

But it would be in the final round that things heated up.

Barely a minute in, Davis elicited audible gasps from the watching crowd as shot after shot rained down on Kelly, opening up his face.

Davis could, metaphorically and literally, smell blood now. 

And Kelly appeared shaken. But the bell went before a knock out.

Off the back of those three minutes, Kelly appeared the less assured of the two, seeming to motion to his team that he’d messed it up.

Again, we went to the judges.

The first scored it a draw at 114-114 each. The other two, though, determined a clear winner, scoring it 115-114 and 115-113 in Kelly’s favour.


17:00 Opening the Riyadh Season, super lightweight fighters Mark Chamberlain and Josh Padley squared off at a rapidly filling Wembley Stadium.

With 96,000 due for the main event, those who were gathered for this first bout certainly made their voices heard.

Neither Chamberlain nor Padley had lost in their preceding respective 16 and 14 fights.

For Chamberlain, 12 of those victories had come by knock out, while Padley had landed knock outs in all of his. 

This fight wasn’t to go that way, as chants of “Blue Army” - in reference to Chamberlain’s home city of Portsmouth - and “Padley” rang out.Indeed both pugilists seemed to recognise the quality of their opponent with the opening rounds proving tentative.

Of the two, Padley was the more aggressive, hurling a volley of shots.

Later, the stats would show Chamberlain had landed an ever so slightly higher percentage of his shots.

Eventually Padley’s determination would pay off, a left hook knocking chamberlain down halfway through the 8th round.

He was not down for long though.

And it seemed to spark some urgency in the Pompey lad.

But as the bell rang out to end the 10th round, Padley seemed far more assured he’d done enough to gain the judges favour.

And the audience agreed, with just 37 percent giving the win to Chamberlain. When the results were announced Padley had won unanimously, with the judges scoring it 95-93, 96-92, and 96-92 in his favour.


Olympic organizing team unveiled for 2030 Winter Games in French Alps

Updated 19 February 2025
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Olympic organizing team unveiled for 2030 Winter Games in French Alps

  • A bid hastily pulled together in 2023 was approved by the International Olympic Committee only last July — in Paris on the eve of a hugely successful Summer Game
  • The project is now led by Edgar Grospiron, a freestyle skiing gold medalist in 1992 when France last hosted the Winter Games and a late hire in recent days as president of the organizing committee
  • The French Alps organizing committee has a prudent operational budget of €2 billion ($2.1 billion)

LYON, France: Just five years before the opening ceremony, French organizers of the 2030 Winter Games put on a united front Tuesday to unveil the team given the tightest schedule of any modern Olympics.

The 2030 French Alps Olympics must tie together snow and sliding venues in the mountains with skating and curling arenas among the palm trees on the Riviera coastal city Nice.

A bid hastily pulled together in 2023 was approved by the International Olympic Committee only last July — in Paris on the eve of a hugely successful Summer Games — and even then with a special exemption to wait several months for guarantees from the national government.

The project is now led by Edgar Grospiron, a freestyle skiing gold medalist in 1992 when France last hosted the Winter Games and a late hire in recent days as president of the organizing committee.

“What’s important now is that from now we organize it, we deliver it,” Grospiron said at a slick launch event at the stadium of soccer club Lyon, aiming for a Winter Games that is “impeccable and irreproachable.”

Grospiron spoke after a parade of national and regional political figures, including sports minister Marie Barsacq and Michel Barnier, who as prime minister last October signed off the government’s support.

Layers of lawmakers’ support has been vital to a project that still needs an ice arena built in Nice and a venue for speed skating, which could end up in Italy or the Netherlands.

The popular success and expertise gained at the Paris Olympics was stressed as a foundation for the Winter Games which used to be given seven years by the IOC to organize.

“We are not starting from zero,” the IOC’s executive director of Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi, told The Associated Press. “We had a great shortcut and it’s called Paris 2024. Many of those things we can cut and paste.”

The IOC started 2023 with no clear candidate and a shrinking pool of options to host a cost-effective and sustainable Winter Games in 2030. A Swedish project centered on Stockholm seemed favored before a French bid emerged out of the IOC’s strong pre-Paris relations with President Emmanuel Macron and national Olympic officials.

France’s win was confirmed on the same day in Paris as the 2034 Winter Games were awarded to Salt Lake City with four extra years to prepare. Its organizing team was unveiled in Utah last week.

“We are the cradle of Olympism,” said David Lappartient, leader of the French Olympic body and a candidate in the IOC presidential election next month. France already hosted three Summer Games in Paris and three previous Winter Games: Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992 that Barnier helped organize.

The French Alps organizing committee has a prudent operational budget of €2 billion ($2.1 billion) and speakers Tuesday stressed the need for a project that was financially sober and in moderation.

A key theme also was adapting to climate change and delivering an Olympics and subsequent Paralympic Winter Games that are sustainable.

“I would never pretend that the games want to save the world,” Grospiron said, “but I think we can contribute to changing how it moves forward.”

Rising to environmental challenges was stressed by the head of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region that includes Nice and Marseille. Renaud Muselier cautioned that in dealing with the reality of climate change “defeatism has the same effect as skepticism.”


Bayern score late to see off Celtic in Champions League

Updated 19 February 2025
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Bayern score late to see off Celtic in Champions League

  • Bayern will face either their fellow German rivals Bayer Leverkusen or Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the last 16

MUNICH, Germany: Bayern Munich secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 94th minute strike by Alphonso Davies on Tuesday to secure a 1-1 draw on the night and a 3-2 aggregate win.
Bayern will face either their fellow German rivals Bayer Leverkusen or Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the last 16.
Celtic had led 1-0 since the 63rd minute and the Scottish side had been on the verge of taking the German giants to extra time and pulling off their first ever win in Germany.
But with Harry Kane off injured and time running out, Davies stepped up as Bayern’s savior, tapping in after Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel had kept out Leon Goretzka’s header.
Bayern went into this game 2-1 up from last week’s first leg at Celtic Park and seeking to stretch their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
Bayern dominated possession in the first half but Celtic were more dangerous with at least three clear cut chances to score before the break.
Former Bayern Munich second-team player, Nicolas Kuehn beat Manuel Neuer but Raphael Guerreiro cleared off the line.
Moments later, Alistair Johnston flashed a dangerous ball across the Bayern goal. With Neuer stranded the ball flew just beyond Daizen Maeda.
Then Maeda missed a golden opportunity to put Celtic ahead. When Dayot Upamecano was forced into a stray pass, Kuehn led the surge forward and fed Maeda, who blazed over with Kuehn and Jota in support.
Bayern dominated the ball on a freezing night but suffered with a lack of quality in attack.
Serge Gnabry was wasteful while Kane sometimes cut an isolated figure, starved of service.
The England captain’s best chance saw him rattling the bar with a snapshot after Josip Stanisic picked him out from the right.
That would be Kane’s final action. The striker was withdrawn at half time, feeling the effects of an injury picked up against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Bayern upped the pressure after the break and fashioned a clear chance when Goretzka went clean through. Schmeichel, however, made a crucial stop to keep Celtic in the game.
Soon after, Celtic were in front. Maeda seized on a loose pass by Josip Stanisic and helped it on toward Kuehn. Min-Jae Kim reached the ball first but could not clear and Kuehn was able to take a touch and find the bottom corner.
It was a goal that shocked the Allianz Arena and threatened Bayern’s record of 20 European home games unbeaten. Celtic were delivering on coach Brendan Rodgers’ pre-match battle cry to show bravery.
Bayern sought an equalizer but Vincent Kompany’s side were reduced to long-range shots, with Schmeichel pulling off saves from Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olize and substitute Leroy Sane.
Celtic were moments away from inflicting Bayern’s first defeat by a Scottish team and taking the tie into extra-time but the game had a sting in the tail. Olize delivered a pinpoint cross that was met by Goretzka.
Schmeichel saved but Davies scrambled the rebound home off his shin to send Bayern through to the last 16.


Ancelotti downplays Guardiola’s suggestion Man City have 1 percent chance of eliminating Madrid in playoffs

Updated 18 February 2025
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Ancelotti downplays Guardiola’s suggestion Man City have 1 percent chance of eliminating Madrid in playoffs

  • “He doesn’t really think that,” Ancelotti said on Tuesday in a pre-match news conference
  • Guardiola later said he lied a bit when he talked about the 1 percent, and that he knows City’s chances of reversing the first-leg defeat are higher than that

MADRID: Coach Carlo Ancelotti is not buying Manchester City rival Pep Guardiola’s suggestion that his own side have only a 1 percent chance of eliminating Real Madrid in the Champions League playoffs on Wednesday.
Madrid rallied late to win the first leg 3-2 last week in England to seize control ahead of their home match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
After City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday, Guardiola said his team would arrive in the Spanish capital with a “1 percent” chance of going through to the round of 16.
“He doesn’t really think that,” Ancelotti said on Tuesday in a pre-match news conference. “Tomorrow I’ll ask him before the match if he really thinks that they only have a 1 percent chance. He thinks he has more than that, just as we don’t think that we have only a 99 percent chance. We know that we have an advantage, and we have to make the most of it.”
Guardiola later said he lied a bit when he talked about the 1 percent, and that he knows City’s chances of reversing the first-leg defeat are higher than that.
“You have to play an almost perfect game,” he said. “The result was not so good, we usually come into the second leg with a better result, so it is not the perfect situation. We have to attack, we have to score goals. We want to win, so let’s see if we can adjust some things that didn’t work in the first leg.”
Ancelotti said he was not one of those coaches who liked to fully downplay his team’s advantage.
“It’s foolish to say that we will prepare for the game as if we were tied 0-0,” he said. “Nobody will believe you because it’s a fact that we scored three goals and City two. You can’t change that. We have to try to play the same way as we played a week ago, but without forgetting that we have an advantage.”
Guardiola has never failed in 16 seasons of coaching — four at Barcelona, three at Bayern and nine in Manchester — to take his team to the last 16. The 2012-13 season was the last time City did not play at that stage.
City have been struggling recently, though, and Guardiola said that has to be taken into consideration.
“This season the reality is we have been miles, miles away,” he said. “The results have been poor.”
Madrid got the better of City in the quarterfinals last year, and with a 3-1 win in extra time in the semifinals in 2022. Each time Ancelotti’s team went on to win the title, extending the club’s record to 15 Champions League trophies.
Ancelotti can count on central defender Antonio Rüdiger, who has recovered from the muscle injury that has kept him out in recent weeks. Against City last week, Ancelotti fielded an improvised back line who played together for the first time.
Ferland Mendy, youngster Raúl Asencio and midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde played at the back in England.
Ancelotti said Rüdiger can start on Wednesday, though he didn’t say whether the central defender would replace Tchouaméni or the 22-year-old Asencio.
It is the fourth consecutive season in which the teams are facing each other in the Champions League, with City prevailing in the semifinals two seasons ago on their way to winning the European title for the first time.


Feyenoord knock out 10-man AC Milan to reach Champions League last 16

Updated 18 February 2025
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Feyenoord knock out 10-man AC Milan to reach Champions League last 16

  • Julian Carranza thumped home the winning header in the 73rd minute
  • Argentine attacker Carranza struck for Feyenoord shortly after coming on as substitute

MILAN: Feyenoord reached the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday after a 1-1 draw at 10-man AC Milan which took them past the seven-time kings of Europe 2-1 on aggregate.
Julian Carranza thumped home the winning header in the 73rd minute at a frigid San Siro, canceling out Santiago Gimenez’s first-minute opener for Milan and sending the Dutch through to meet either Inter Milan or Arsenal.
Argentine attacker Carranza struck for Feyenoord shortly after coming on as substitute as the away side pushed to reach the next round, while Milan struggled following Theo Hernandez’s sending off early in the second half.
Already on a booking for a needless foul on Anis Hadj-Moussa just before half-time, Hernandez was ruled by referee Szymon Marciniak to have dived in the penalty box when under pressure from Givairo Read.
The France full-back was dismissed, leaving Milan on the back foot after having dominated up to that point.
Hernandez’s sending off and Carranza’s tie-winning header ruined what looked to be Gimenez’s night when he nodded home the opener against his old team after just 36 seconds.
Mexico forward Gimenez has already scored three times for Milan since signing from Feyenoord during the winter transfer window but his sixth goal in the Champions League this season was also his last.
Sergio Conceicao’s Milan are by no means assured of a spot in next year’s tournament as they sit seventh in Serie A, five points off the top four with a game in hand.


Medvedev edges Khachanov in windy Qatar Open

Updated 18 February 2025
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Medvedev edges Khachanov in windy Qatar Open

  • Medvedev, who won the tournament in 2023, scored his first victory over a top-30 player in 2025
  • In match of long rallies, Medvedev did not carve out a break point until the 12th game of the second set

DOHA: World No.6 Daniil Medvedev eliminated compatriot and defending champion Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the second round of the ATP Qatar Open on Tuesday.
Medvedev, who won the tournament in 2023, scored his first victory over a top-30 player in 2025.
Medvedev, the former world No.1, has not won a tournament since the Rome Masters in spring 2023. He was knocked out in the second round of this year’s Australian Open by teenage American Learner Tien.
In match of long rallies, Medvedev did not carve out a break point until the 12th game of the second set, by which time he was a set down. He took his chance and then went on attack in the third set to win in two hours 30 minutes.


A third Russian former champion, Andrey Rublev, the fifth seed, beat Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-4.
Alex de Minaur celebrated his birthday by beating Russian Roman Safiullin 6-1, 7-5, even though the Australian did not enjoy the weather.
“They’re tough days, these ones,” said De Minaur. “It’s cold, it’s windy, you probably don’t want to get out of bed. But once you step on court, you have to do everything you can to win. Whether it’s ugly or pretty tennis, you just put the ball in the court, and that’s what I did today.”
“Out went any sort of tactics you had for the match and it was all about surviving more than anything.”
In the evening matches, Novak Djokovic was making his comeback against Matteo Berrettini after his Australian-Open semifinal injury.
Earlier in the day, Djokovic said that Andy Murray would continue as his coach “indefinitely.”
“I expressed my desire to continue the collaboration with him so I am really glad he did accept,” said Djokovic.