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Tennis: Gen Z Aim To Deny History-Chasing Djokovic

French Open 2025 men’s singles semi-finals

Date: Friday, 6 June Time: 13:30 BST Venue: Roland Garros

Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app

The era of the ‘Big Three’ may be coming to an end – but the threat has not disappeared.

Players born in the 1990s were restricted to just two Grand Slam singles titles between them as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic diced up the major prizes for more than two decades.

Two players born after 2000 have captured seven major titles between them.

That is the current top two of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are on a collision course in Paris.

But Novak Djokovic still looms large as the ‘Gen Z’ players look to add to their hauls.

The 38-year-old faces Sinner – who is 15 years younger than him – in Friday’s first French Open semi-final, having become the oldest man to reach the last four since 1968.

“I think at the moment he’s a bit underrated,” world number three Alexander Zverev said after falling to Djokovic in four sets on Wednesday.

“I think a lot of people count him out already, but this year he’s had wins over Carlos at the Australian Open, he has beaten me at the French Open.

“Forget the age. For any player, those are pretty good results.”

Defending champion Alcaraz, meanwhile, will look to continue his recent dominance over Lorenzo Musetti in the second semi-final.

Djokovic is bidding for another slice of history. Win in Paris and he will secure a record-breaking 25th major singles title.

But no man has defeated the top three men’s players to win a major since the ATP rankings were introduced.

Djokovic is on a nine-match winning streak heading into the 51st major semi-final of his career. Victory in Geneva last month secured him the 100th tour-level title of his career – a timely confidence boost following a run of three successive defeats.

That run included consecutive opening-round defeats to begin his clay-court season, and the Olympic champion entered Roland Garros in the unusual position of sixth seed.

But he showed age is not inhibiting him as he won a 41-shot rally to save a break point in the fourth set on his way to beating Zverev in three hours and 18 minutes.

He displayed impressive variety to disrupt the German’s baseline dominance with drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics.

Sinner, however, will pose a sterner test.

While their head-to-head record stands at 4-4, the Italian has won their past three meetings.

The reigning US Open and Australian Open champion is on a 19-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments – the fourth longest this century after the Djokovic (30), Federer (27) and Nadal (25).

He is chasing history of his own at Roland Garros, seeking to become the first Italian man to win the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

In his 52nd week as world number one – despite serving a three-month doping suspension between February and May – Sinner could become the first man to win three consecutive majors since Djokovic in 2021.

With unshakeable consistency and devastating precision, Sinner is yet to drop a set this fortnight before attempting to break down arguably the greatest defensive player the game has seen.

Alcaraz looks to continue dominance over Musetti

Alcaraz appears to have hit top gear at the perfect time.

After losing just five games in his straight-set quarter-final win over American Tommy Paul, the Spaniard said: “I could close my eyes and everything [would have gone] in.

“My feeling today was unbelievable. I was trying to hit every shot at 100% – not thinking about anything else, just hitting.”

The four-time major winner did not face a single break point in that match and will now target a sixth successive win over Musetti, having lost just one set in their previous five meetings.

Musetti, whose sole victory over Alcaraz came in their first meeting back in 2022, has risen to sixth in the live rankings after moving to the brink of a first major final.

The Italian will hope to offer greater resistance in their latest meeting after working to improve his serve in the off-season.

“We shortened a bit the motion to have more control, and then I got more confidence in what I was having as a motion,” Musetti said.

“Right now in really difficult situations, I make an ace or have my serve as a weapon, and it was a pretty big change for my game.”

Bbc.com

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NSC Hails Junior D’Tigress On Winning Start At FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has congratulated the Junior D’Tigress of Nigeria for their remarkable start to the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Czech Republic.

The Nigerian U19 Women’s Basketball Team secured a thrilling 93-88 victory over China in their opening group match.

Despite trailing 44-38 at halftime, the Nigerian girls mounted a spirited comeback in the second half, showcasing resilience, skill, and heart.

NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, hailed the performance as a “victory of belief and preparation,” commending the athletes for making the nation proud on the global stage.

“This victory is not just a win on the court—it is a statement of what Nigerian sports can achieve with focus, teamwork, and the right support. Our J’Tigress U19 girls have demonstrated courage and resilience, and we are extremely proud of them,” said Mallam Shehu Dikko.

Furthermore, Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, praised the team’s fighting spirit and discipline:

“Today’s triumph is a testament to the growing strength of women’s basketball in Nigeria. The composure, technical discipline, and collective effort from the players and coaching crew speak volumes. We salute the J’Tigress and assure them of our full support as they progress in the tournament.”

The standout performer of the day, rising basketball star Nora Ezike, delivered an electrifying performance with 25 points—16 of them in the decisive fourth quarter—to help seal the memorable win for Nigeria.

The NSC extends its congratulations to the team, coaching staff, and all stakeholders involved in this success, encouraging Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to continue supporting the team as they aim for further glory at the World Cup.

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Nigeria’s Valentine Chiemelie Thinks Big Ahead CAA Athletics Championship

A dominant figure in Team Nigeria to the Confederation of Africa Athletics U-18/U-20 Championship, Valentine Chiemelie, on Saturday, expressed happiness in representing Nigeria at the event.

He made his feelings known in an exclusive interview with your authoritative and award-winning news channel, FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG’S Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye.

He stated that this is his first time representing Nigeria, and he will do everything within his power to make it count.

The terrific javelinist made his presence felt in Shagamu, during the National Trials and is very confident he can make it happen again, at the Rock City, Abeokuta, Ogun State during the championship.

“I’m happy to be representing Nigeria on the continental stage, I’m a bit nervous, it’s my first dawning the colours of my country, but I will make my presence felt,” he said.

He emphasized that he had begun training for this moment, immediately after the MTN Championship Grand Finale Season 3.

“I’ve been training for the trials for a time, after I came back from the MTN Championship Grand Finale Season 3, which I had my javelin throw there and I won a bronze medal, I was so excited and very happy, and then I started training for the National Trials, although not intensely, I thank God that I made it in this trials, God has been my backbone all the way,” Valentine stated.

He commended the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, (AFN) and the Nigeria Sports Commission, (NSC), for the pre-championship camping, stressing that it has been a platform for athletes to sharpen their skills.

He went on to add that the camp has been a memorable one for him as athletes have been given the best from feeding to accommodation.

“The camp is going great, the accommodation is excellent, the feeding is great, training has been exceptional,” he added.

Over 700 athletes will be participating in the age grade competition, slated for July 16-20, 2025.

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Wrestling: Lt Col Okou Urges Customs Comptroller General To Run For NWF Presidential Election

An International Wrestling referee, Lieutenant Colonel Okou Femedein Timipre, has called on the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR to present himself as the Armed Forces, Police and Paramilitary constituency’s presidential candidate ahead of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation Elections

The call became imperative considering the Customs Boss’ antecedents to sports development, particularly Wrestling

Lt Col Okou, in a statement issued out said relatively Comptroller Adeniyi, has shown distinctive attributes and characteristics, indicating how well he satisfies requirements and expectations

Lieutenant Colonel Okou, who is a member of the World Military Sports Science Commission, maintained that the impeccable contribution of CG Adeniyi to the development of wrestling is unmatched

Pleading on behalf of the Armed Forces, Police and Paramilitary constituency for the candidature of CG Adeniyi as President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation

Equally, Dr. Okou urged President Daniel Igali, Board Members, and the Nigeria Wrestling Stakeholders to accept Adeniyi’s candidature from his constituency, who has contributed immensely to the growth of the sport

Okou acknowledged that the Wrestling Federation needs a successor who has the capacity to continue the developmental policies under the leadership of honourable Daniel Igali while maintaining the standards the Wrestling Federation has attained globally.

Lieutenant Colonel Okou Femedein Timipre stressed that with the collaborative support of every stakeholder, the Nigeria Wrestling Federation has the potential to win world and Olympic gold under CG Adeniyi, adding that the current NWF Board led by Daniel Igali has laid salient foundation to consolidate upon.

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