- Judge orders Giuliani to hand over valuables in bankruptcy
- Mourinho reunion a reminder of how little has changed for mediocre Man Utd
- Taiwan says Chinese warships sailing towards sensitive strait
- Chile ex-international footballer Valdivia held over rape complaint
- McDonald's linked to one death, dozens of food poisonings in US
- Miners, farmers protest COP16 host Colombia's nature protection plans
- Safieddine, the apparent Hezbollah heir who was killed by Israel
- Roman Polanski 1970s sexual assault lawsuit dismissed: lawyer
- ABBA's Bjorn among 11,000 artists issuing AI warning
- Vinicius hat-trick saves Real Madrid in Champions League, Villa go top
- Mexico arrests suspected killer of prominent priest
- Toure snatches last-gasp win for Stuttgart at Juventus
- McDonald's linked to dozens of food poisonings, one death in US
- US regulator finalizes air taxi rules
- PSG pay for missed chances again in PSV Champions League draw
- Aston Villa beat Bologna to go top of the Champions League
- Vinicius treble fires Champions League holders Madrid to Dortmund comeback
- Arsenal grind out win over Shakhtar in Champions League
- Uganda fuel truck explosion kills 11
- Austria's Grand Slam winner Thiem ends career cheered on by home crowd
- Union sees 'tight' vote on contract to end Boeing strike
- Reijnders fires AC Milan to first Champions League points with Club Brugge double
- Record-breaking Liverpool vow to improve against Leipzig
- Uganda fuel truck explosion kills at least 10
- Forest owner Marinakis banned for spitting towards officials
- ECB chief Lagarde invites Trump to visit after central bank criticism
- Blinken urges Israel to reach Gaza truce, allow more aid
- As Trump touts tariffs, Yellen says US has rejected 'isolationism'
- Argentina prosecutors deny releasing Liam Payne toxicology tests
- India, China and S.Africa leaders bolster Putin at key summit
- Windfall tax backlash menaces Spain's green energy sector
- England winger Gordon signs Newcastle contract extension
- Ex-Abercrombie CEO charged with sex crimes
- US plans to contribute $20 bn for Ukraine loan: Yellen
- Critically endangered whale species rebounds slightly
- US interest rate, election uncertainty hit stock market sentiment
- Russian dissident Navalny's memoir published worldwide
- Strong auto prices lift GM results as it eyes China revamp
- 'Dutchman' Hirscher to step out of retirement in Soelden
- UN eyes modest 2024 maritime trade growth, but future uncertain
- 70% of Cuba's population has power back after blackout
- Families separated by front line in Russia's Kursk region
- India, China and S.Africa leaders underpin Putin at key summit
- Navalny memoirs spark mix of curiosity, indifference in Moscow
- Modi calls for quick end to Ukraine conflict in talks with Putin
- Ukraine peace talks, NATO invite may hinge on US elections, Zelensky says
- Leipzig players 'not yet talking' about Klopp, says Openda before Liverpool tie
- IMF predicts slightly slower global growth in 2024 and 2025
- US interest rate, election uncertainy hit stock market sentiment
- Guardiola applauds Man City mentality ahead of Sparta Prague test
Djokovic stages French Open escape act, Medvedev out
Novak Djokovic sealed a 15th consecutive French Open quarter-final with a thrilling comeback victory over Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round on Monday, while Daniil Medvedev became the highest seed to crash out at Roland Garros so far.
In the women's draw, both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina comfortably powered into the last eight.
A limping Djokovic looked to be heading for a shock defeat when 2-1 down in sets and 4-2 behind in the fourth set, but battled back from the brink to delight the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd by winning 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after four hours and 39 minutes.
"Three or four times I was points away from losing this match," the reigning champion said to the spectators. "I'm not sure how I won this match."
Djokovic narrowly avoided his earliest exit from the tournament since 2009, teeing up either a rematch of last year's final against Casper Ruud or a clash with Taylor Fritz.
The 24-time Grand Slam title winner had reached the last 16 by defeating Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in another bruising five-set encounter which concluded at 3:07 a.m. Sunday.
He appeared to be feeling no ill-effects as he dominated the first set, but then needed a medical time-out early in the second after pulling up with an apparent knee injury.
The 37-year-old, eyeing a record 370th Grand Slam match win to break out of a tie with Roger Federer, played on but continued to walk gingerly between points.
Cerundolo grabbed the second set by finally taking a break point after 12 previous misses.
The 23rd seed moved ahead by two sets to one against an increasingly frustrated top seed, who was complaining the court was too slippery, before edging to the cusp of a famous win by forging 4-2 in front in the fourth.
But, seemingly from nowhere, Djokovic dug deep to break and level at 4-4.
He forced a decider on his fourth set point of a dramatic 12th game when a stretching Cerundolo could only find the net.
There appeared to be only one outcome on the cards when the Serbian star took a 2-0 advantage in the fifth, but his opponent rallied to level.
Djokovic was left covered in clay after a nasty tumble, sarcastically saying: "Well done supervisors, ground staff, everyone, the court is not slippery at all."
But he was not to be denied, grabbing the decisive break with a blistering forehand that clipped the back of the baseline.
A dramatic triumph and yet another quarter-final was secured on his first match point when a Cerundolo backhand was given out by the chair umpire after initially being ruled in.
- De Minaur beats Medvedev -
Fifth seed Medvedev suffered a four-set loss to Australia's Alex de Minaur, starting strongly before slipping to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 defeat.
De Minaur will face either Alexander Zverev or Holger Rune, who meet in the night session, in his second Slam quarter-final and first since the 2020 US Open.
Medvedev's best performance in the French Open remains a quarter-final run in 2021, while he has also lost in the first round in five of his eight appearances.
"Alex played better," admitted Medvedev, a former US Open champion and six-time Grand Slam finalist.
De Minaur had never got past the second round at the tournament before this year, winning just three of 10 matches.
- Stroll for Sabalenka -
In the women's tournament, world number two Sabalenka, who was a semi-finalist in 2023 and has made at least the last four at her past six Grand Slams, proved far too strong for American 22nd seed Emma Navarro.
The Belarusian raced into the quarters, hammering 36 winners during a 6-2, 6-3 success in only 69 minutes.
"I'm super happy that I was able to bring this consistency on the Grand Slams," said the two-time Australian Open champion. "That's really amazing."
Sabalenka, who lost to Iga Swiatek in the Madrid and Rome Open finals this clay-court season, will play 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
Andreeva became the youngest French Open women's quarter-finalist since 2005 with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Russian-born French player Varvara Gracheva.
"When they were screaming 'Varvara, Varvara, Varvara', I imagined they were screaming my name and it really helped," Andreeva said.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina, the fourth seed and the only woman to defeat world number one Swiatek on clay this year, saw off experienced Ukrainian 15th seed Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3, also in just 69 minutes.
She will next face Italian Jasmine Paolini after the 12th seed fought back to defeat Russian Elina Avanesyan 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.
P.Silva--AMWN