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Djokovic, Sabalenka dodge upsets to go full steam ahead at Australian Open
In a Grand Slam that has seen several top-ranked players drop out in the first three rounds, defending champions Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka have dodged upsets to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals without a major blip.
Djokovic was ruthless in a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 win over Adrian Mannarino on Sunday as he entered his 58th Grand Slam quarterfinal to match Roger Federer’s all-time Grand Slam record.
In a rare daytime appearance on Rod Laver Arena, the 10-time Australian Open champion hit 31 winners and raced to victory in 1 hour and 44 minutes.
Djokovic is into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 14th time, which is equal second on the all-time list with Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe. The difference is that he has converted most of those quarterfinal runs into titles at Melbourne Park.
He will face Taylor Fritz, who reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time with a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, last year’s runner-up.
Meanwhile, the ruthless women’s world number two, Aryna Sabalenka, warned that she is stronger now than when she won her maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne as her imposing march towards another title gathered steam.
The Belarusian was in total control against unseeded American Amanda Anisimova on Margaret Court Arena, blazing home 6-3, 6-2 in 70 minutes.
Sabalenka has dropped a scant 11 games in her four matches and, with top seed Iga Swiatek out of the tournament, is the clear favourite to win a second Grand Slam.
Should she do so, she will be the first woman to retain the title since compatriot Victoria Azarenka completed the feat in 2013.
“I think I feel stronger than last year. So far I feel good. Hopefully, I just can keep it up,” said the 25-year-old, who has embraced her status as reigning champion in Melbourne. “I’m getting stronger because I enjoy the atmosphere and I really want to stay here as long as I can, till the very last day.”
Last year’s US Open champion Coco Gauff has kept up with the two singles favourites after racing past unseeded Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes on Rod Laver Arena as she zeroes in on a second Grand Slam title.
Gauff said she was enjoying “learning adulthood” after showing poise and determination to storm into her first Australian Open quarterfinal.
The tournament’s top seed among women Iga Swiatek lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Czech teenager Linda Noskova in the third round on Saturday. Swiatek’s four Grand Slam titles and 18-match winning streak were no help against the big-hitting teen.
But pedigree and past performance seem to mean little to nothing at Melbourne Park so far this year, setting up a closing week that features a bunch of new players and storylines.
Apart from Swiatek, the other seeded players to depart the Grand Slam are Elena Rybakina (3), Jessica Pegula (5), Ons Jabeur (6) and Marketa Vondrousova (7).
In men’s draw, seeded players such as Ben Shelton (16), Holger Rune (8) and Casper Ruud (11) have also dropped out before the last-eight stage.
Briton Andy Murray was a first-round victim, along with returning former champion Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki.
(Aljazeera)
European leaders, including in France and Germany, have announced they are working on a plan in the event the United States follows through on its threat to take over Greenland as tensions soar.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio on Wednesday that while nations want to act if the US moves to seize Greenland from an ally, Denmark, they want to do so “together with our European partners”.
“I myself was on the phone with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday. He discarded the idea that what just happened in Venezuela could happen in Greenland,” Barrot said.
On Saturday, the United States – using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and special forces – abducted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, bringing him to New York City to be tried for alleged drug trafficking.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to greenlight the abduction of Maduro led to widespread condemnation and fear that Greenland, which the president has previously said should be part of Washington’s security apparatus, could be forcibly taken.
But since then, European allies have rallied behind Greenland’s sovereignty, saying the country belongs to its people.
Johannes Koskinen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Finland’s parliament, called for the issue to be raised within NATO.
“[Allies should] address whether something needs to be done and whether the United States should be brought into line in the sense that it cannot disregard jointly agreed plans in order to pursue its own power ambitions,” he said.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, requested an urgent meeting with Rubio to discuss the situation.
“We would like to add some nuance to the conversation,” Rasmussen wrote in a social media post. “The shouting match must be replaced by a more sensible dialogue. Now.”
Denmark has warned that any move to take Greenland by force would mean “everything would stop”, including NATO and 80 years of close security links.
Greenland’s government will join a meeting between Rubio and Danish officials next week following renewed US claims on the Arctic island, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.
The European Union will support Greenland and Denmark when needed and will not accept violations of international law no matter where they occur, European Council President Antonio Costa said.
“On Greenland, allow me to be clear: Greenland belongs to its people. Nothing can be decided about Denmark and about Greenland without Denmark or without Greenland,” Costa said in a speech.
“The European Union cannot accept violations of international law – whether in Cyprus, Latin America, Greenland, Ukraine, or Gaza. Europe will remain a firm and unwavering champion of international law and multilateralism.”
Greenland – the world’s largest island, with a population of 57,000 people – is located between Europe and North America. Since 2019, during Trump’s first term, the president has raised the idea of controlling Greenland, saying it would benifit US security.
So far, Trump has not ruled out using force to take the island.
Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Trump’s intention is to buy Greenland. “That’s always been the president’s intent from the very beginning.”
House US House Speaker Mike Johnson said he hasn’t heard talk of sending the military into Greenland and the US is “looking at diplomatic channels”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his national security team have “actively discussed” the option of buying Greenland.
“He views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region. And so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like,” Leavitt told reporters.
Neither Leavitt nor Rubio ruled out the use of force. But Leavitt said, “The president’s first option, always, has been diplomacy.”
[Aljazeera]
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Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya
The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya for the next 24 hours commencing at 1200hrs today [08]
Accordingly
LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Ududumbara in the Kandy District, Wilgamuwa in the Matale District, and Nildandahinna and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya District.
LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Meegahakiwula, Welimada, Kandaketiya, Lunugala, Badulla, Passara, Uva Paranagama and Hali_Ela in the Badulla District, Ambanganga Korale in the Matale District, and Mathurata and Hanguranketha in the Nuwara Eliya District.
Greenland allies vow action if Trump moves to seize world’s largest island
Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya
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