Olympics
Djokovic and Alcaraz set up golden showdown
Novak Djokovic snapped his Olympic semi-final jinx with a 6-4 6-2 defeat of Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Friday to set up a blockbuster battle for gold against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
The 37-year-old Serb had lost his three previous Olympic singles semi-finals but was in no mood to suffer more heartache as he dominated a high-quality duel at Roland Garros.
Earlier on Court Philippe Chatrier, the 21-year-old Alcaraz thrashed Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1 6-1.
Djokovic needs only the Olympic gold to complete the full set of achievements in a career that has earned him 24 Grand Slam titles and the relief of reaching the final was clear as he laid on his back, arms outstretched, after match point.
“Three of the (previous) four Olympic Games I played I made semi-finals but failed to overcome that hurdle,” Djokovic, whose only medal was a singles bronze in 2008, told reporters.
“Just to secure a higher medal for my country, whatever happens on Sunday, is a huge pride and honour. I’m going for gold, but this is a big deal.”
Djokovic lost to Rafa Nadal in the semi-final in Beijing, Andy Murray in the 2012 last four in London and in Tokyo it was Alexander Zverev who blocked his path.
Musetti, bidding to emulate the Italian duo of Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani who reached the women’s doubles final, started superbly but Djokovic found another gear to break serve in the 10th game from 40-0 down and take the first set.
Djokovic, who had concerns over his strapped-up knee ahead of the match, lost his cool in the second after twice dropping his serve, and was raging after a code violation.
But he responded like the warrior he is, reeling off five games to became the oldest Olympic men’s singles finalist since tennis returned to the Games in 1988.
FORMIDABLE OBSTACLE
Second seed Alcaraz is the youngest and judging by his demolition of Auger-Aliassime he will be a formidable obstacle.
The 21-year-old, who outplayed Djokovic to win his second Wimbledon title last month, was in devastating form and needed little more than an hour to earn his shot at gold.
“It means a lot to me being in a final at the Olympic Games and giving myself the chance to fight for a gold medal for my country. It is a special moment for my career and my life,” Alcaraz, who like Djokovic has not dropped a set, said.
“I’m really happy to bring a medal to my country, and hopefully, it’s going to be the gold one.”
Auger-Aliassime, bidding to become the first Canadian to reach an Olympic singles final, was outclassed.
“In every aspect, I was dominated, there’s not much more to say,” the 23-year-old said.
Realistically, Sunday’s final is Djokovic’s last chance to scratch his Olympic itch but he said he has nothing to lose.
“Alcaraz has proved the best player in the world at the moment,” he said. “He’s definitely favourite, but it’s the Olympics, it’s anybody’s game.”
The first gold medal of the tennis event went to Czech pair Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac who won the mixed doubles, beating China’s Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen 6-2 5-7 10-8.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek earned some consolation for her tearful semi-final defeat on Thursday as she easily beat Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 6-1 to win bronze.
“I think if I hadn’t played today I would cry for a week, so I needed to get it together,” the world number one said.
Swiatek’s conqueror Zheng Qinwen of China plays Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the women’s gold medal match on Saturday.
Italy are guaranteed their first Olympic tennis medal since 1924 after Paolini and Errani eased past Czech duo Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 6-3 6-2 to reach the doubles final.
They will play Russians Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who are competing as neutrals, after they crushed Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes 6-1 6-2.
Unseeded Australian pair Matthew Ebden and John Peers booked their place in the men’s doubles final with a 7-5 6-2 victory against Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. They will face another U.S. duo in Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek for the gold medal.
-Reuters
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will face a confident and free-scoring Comoros side in the next round of the women’s football qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after the island nation completed a staggering 30-0 aggregate demolition of Sudan.
Comoros sealed their passage to the next stage with a 13-0 victory in the second leg of their first-round tie, having already recorded a commanding win in the opening match. The result saw the Coelacanthes score an extraordinary 30 goals across the two legs without conceding a single goal.
The emphatic triumph has generated excitement around the rapidly improving Comoros women’s national team, but a much sterner examination now awaits against Africa’s most successful women’s football nation.
Nigeria, ten-time African champions and one of the continent’s traditional powerhouses, enter the next round as overwhelming favourites. However, Comoros’ remarkable scoring exploits against Sudan suggest they will arrive with growing confidence and belief.
The Coelacanthes dominated both encounters from start to finish, displaying clinical finishing and defensive solidity that left Sudan with no answer. Their tally of 30 goals over two matches represents an astonishing average of 15 goals per game.
For Nigeria, the fixture will mark the beginning of another quest for Olympic qualification after missing out on the women’s football tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Super Falcons, who recently impressed in their international friendly victories over Senegal in Ikenne, boast vastly greater experience and pedigree than their upcoming opponents. The nine-time Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions have consistently been among the continent’s strongest teams and remain Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national side.
Comoros coach Youssouf Abdallah has described his team’s performances against Sudan as evidence of the progress being made within the squad, but the encounter with Nigeria will provide a true measure of their development.
While Comoros’ record-breaking victory has captured attention across African football, the challenge of overcoming Nigeria represents a significant leap in quality. The Super Falcons have traditionally dominated lower-ranked African opponents and will be expected to continue their march towards a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The dates for the second-round qualifiers are expected to be confirmed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with the winners advancing further in the race for a place at the Olympic Games in the United States.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will begin their campaign for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games from the second round of the African qualifiers after being granted a bye in the opening stage.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), placed Nigeria among 29 higher-ranked teams exempted from the first round of the series.
The Super Falcons will take on the winner of the first-round clash between South Sudan and Comoros in their opening fixture of the qualifiers.
A total of 35 nations are competing for just two available slots allocated to Africa for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, underlining the intensity and high stakes of the qualification process.
The qualifiers will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, leaving little room for error as teams battle for continental representation on the global stage.
The first round involves the six lowest-ranked teams—Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Winners from this stage will advance to face each other again before the 29 seeded teams, including Nigeria, enter the fray.
Nigeria will be aiming to consolidate their status among Africa’s elite women’s football nations, having qualified for the most recent Olympic tournament alongside Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Although the Super Falcons boast a notable Olympic pedigree, having made their debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and subsequently appearing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, qualification has not always been easy.
The 16-year gap between their last two participations in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024 illustrates the tough time they have endured in the qualifying series.
With the women’s football event at Los Angeles 2028 set to feature 16 teams—including hosts the United States—Nigeria’s path to qualification is expected to be demanding.
Attention will now shift to the preliminary encounter between South Sudan and Comoros, as Nigeria’s technical crew intensify preparations ahead of their second-round entry point.
For the Super Falcons, the mission is clear: successfully navigate a rigorous qualifying campaign and secure a return to the Olympic stage in 2028.
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Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will on Wednesday discover their route to the football event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, will set in motion Africa’s qualifying campaign for the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A total of 35 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the race for just two tickets allocated to Africa for the Olympic football event, which will take place from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Alongside Nigeria, other contenders include continental heavyweights such as South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Zambia, as well as a wide range of emerging nations from across the continent.
The full list of participating teams also features Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
According to CAF, the qualification series will be played over five rounds, gradually narrowing the field to the two teams that will fly Africa’s flag at the Olympics in the United States.
For Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the qualifiers present another opportunity to reaffirm their continental dominance and secure a return to the Olympic stage after recent mixed fortunes in global competitions.
The Super Falcons, nine-time African champions, are expected to be among the top seeds when the draw is conducted, a factor that could influence their early-round opponents.
Wednesday’s ceremony in Cairo will therefore provide clarity on the fixtures, timelines and potential hurdles facing Nigeria and other contenders as the road to Los Angeles officially begins.
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