Sports World: Rafael Nadal Loses To Australia's Alex De Minaur In Barcelona Open - As It Happened

Here are the highlights of the sports world news and events from around the world for today, 17 April 2024. Barcelona humbled Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund defeated Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. In the Indian Premier League 2024, Gujarat Titans went down against Delhi Capitals in match 32 of the tournament in Ahmedabad. Rafael Nadal also lost to Australia's Alex De Minaur in the round of 32 match at the Barcelona Open. Catch the highlights of the sports world for 17 April 2024, here.

Kylian Mbappe struck twice as Paris Saint Germain capitalised on the dismissal of Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 win in the second leg. Barcelona ran out at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys armed with a 3-2 triumph from their first meeting in Paris and when Raphinha capitalised on Lamine Yamal’s skillful approach work to fire the opener, they had sight of the last four.

But a setback came in the 29th minute when defender Araujo was sent off for tripping winger Bradley Barcola on the edge of the area, VAR confirming the on-field decision for a red card. The pressure built on the home goal and PSG hit back through Ousmane Dembele in the 40th minute before Vitinha drilled the French champions into the lead on the night.

Borussia Dortmund overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg to topple Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. In a pulsating last-eight match, Dortmund went 2-0 up through Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen before a Mats Hummels own goal and Angel Correa’s strike levelled the score.

Atletico were in the driving seat but the hosts responded magnificently with Niclas Fullkrug and Marcel Sabitzer hitting the target to ignite celebrations at the Westfalenstadion.

Conor Shaughnessy struck late on as Portsmouth secured the League One title and promotion to the Championship with a 3-2 win over Barnsley at Fratton Park. Pompey knew one point would return them to the second tier following a 12-year absence, but they were up against it after Devante Cole and John McAtee scored for the play-off chasing Tykes either side of Kusini Yengi’s equaliser.

However, the hosts got the job done courtesy of Colby Bishop’s 83rd-minute penalty and Shaughnessy’s last-gasp effort.

Veteran defender Curtis Davies headed home the winner to complete a precious Cheltenham 2-1 comeback victory over League One relegation rivals Burton at the Pirelli Stadium. The Robins produced a stirring second-half fight back to end their four-game losing run with goals from Matty Taylor and Davies after substitute Steve Seddon had given the Brewers the lead.

Seddon fired home in stoppage time at the end of a first half which, by and large, was a scrappy affair with both sides aware of the magnitude of the game, in terms of the scrap to beat the drop.

Boreham Wood nudged closer to National League safety after settling for a goalless draw at mid-table Rochdale. The visitors headed into the game on the back of two straight wins that had taken them to the brink of safety and knew victory would lift them out of the bottom four.

Rochdale had the better of the first-half chances with D’Mani Mellor twice coming close, while

The United States and China are expected to finish 1-2 in the gold and the overall medal counts at the Paris Olympics, which open in 100 days, Associated Press reports. The United States is projected to win 123 medals overall, including 39 golds. China is projected to win 35 gold and 89 medals overall. The two also finished 1-2 in both categories three years ago in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

This forecast is done by Nielsen's Gracenote Sports, which supplies statistical analysis for sports leagues around the world. It also tracks major competitions involving Olympic sports leading up to the Games.

LeBron James produced 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Zion Williamson’s 40 points to clinch a play-off berth with a 110-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference play-in tournament. D’Angelo Russell added 21 points with five 3-pointers and Anthony Davis had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who advanced to face the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last season's West finals.

Keegan Murray scored 32 points with eight 3-pointers and every Sacramento starter scored in double figures as the Kings cruised to a 118-94 victory to eliminate the Golden State Warriors and stay alive in the play-in tournament. Harrison Barnes scored 17 points, Domantas Sabonis added 16, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Keon Ellis contributed 15 points as the Kings moved on to a match-up with New Orleans, with a chance to return to the play-offs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

In match 31 of Indian Premier League 2024, Rajasthan Royals beat hosts Kolkata Knight Riders by two wickets last night in a thrilling run-fest, pulling off the joint-highest run chase in the league's history. Jos Buttler was deservedly named Player of the Match for his undefeated 107 off 60 balls that won RR the match.

With the win, RR have strengthened their position on top of the points table. KKR are second with eight points from six games.

Hangzhou Asian Para Games gold medallist Sheetal Devi narrowly missed a top of the podium finish at the Khelo India NTPC national ranking meet for women at the DDA Yamuna Sports Complex, Surajmal Vihar, last week. Competing in a meet replete with archers without disabilities, Sheetal finished behind Haryana’s Ekta Rani in the final shoot off in the sub-junior girls’ section. The teenager lost 138-140 but not before giving Ekta, a world youth champion, a mighty scare.

“This result will help me more going ahead in the international platforms and the Olympics,” said Jammu girl Sheetal, a strong medal contender at the Paris Paralympics in August.

After his team suffered a narrow two-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals at home on Tuesday (April 16) evening, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer has been fined INR 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during their Indian Premier League 2024 clash at the Eden Gardens. "As it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Iyer was fined Rs 12 lakhs," said the IPL in a media release.

After a rain delay, action has begun in the ACC Premier Cup T20I match between Nepal and Saudi Arabia at the Al Amerat Stadium in Oman. The match has been reduced to an eight-over-a-side affair and Saudi Arabia have been invited to bat first by Nepal. KSA are currently batting at 42/3 after four overs.

Saudi Arabia scored 73 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their stipulated 8 overs and Nepal are now in pursuit of the 74-run target in the ACC Premier Cup match.

Nepal eventually chase down the 74-run target with ease. Gulsan Jha stays unbeaten with a 19-ball 32 to guide his team home, with six wickets and four balls to spare. With that comfortable victory over Saudi Arabia, Nepal end their group-stage ACC T20I Premier Cup campaign unbeaten, and finish on top of Group A with eight points from four games.

Nepal will next take on the team that finishes second in Group B, in the semi-finals on Friday.

Former steeplechase world champion Norah Jeruto faces a doping case hearing in June, five weeks before the Paris Olympics open, Associated Press reports. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it will hear an appeal by World Athletics on June 17 against a ruling last year that cleared the 2022 world champion of suspected blood doping.

Jeruto had argued that ulcers and a bout of COVID-19 could explain her blood test results in 2020 and 2021 which were later judged to be irregular. She did not test positive for a banned substance.

Hong Kong have defeated Malaysia by seven wickets in their ACC Premier Cup clash to seal their semi-final berth alongside Group A toppers Nepal. Nizakat Khan's side chased down the target of 141 runs with a whopping 47 balls to spare.

A new American team with ties to the NASCAR stock car series, a new television deal in the United States and upcoming American ownership.

MotoGP, global motorcycle racing's version of Formula 1, looks primed for a bid to copy F1's explosive growth in recent years and bring a new group of fans — notably from the US — to the thrills of two-wheeled speed, according to AP reports.

Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Wednesday said with 100 days left for the Paris Olympics, every day, every practice and every drill will count towards building momentum to shine on the biggest sporting stage, according to PTI reports.

Last edition's bronze medallist India are currently placed sixth in the world, but Harmanpreet said they are hungry to improve upon their Tokyo result in Paris.

Star Indian table tennis player Manika Batra and her compatriot Sreeja Akula exited in the second-round group stage after losing against China's Wang Manyu and defending champion Chen Meng respectively at the ITTF World Cup in Galaxy Arena in Macau on Wednesday, according to PTI reports.

World no. 39 Sreeja lost 1-3 (4-11 4-11 15-13 2-11) to reigning Olympic champion and world no. 4 Meng of China and finished second in Group 4.

Olympic medallist Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik has been listed among the 100 most influential people of 2024 by Time magazine, according to PTI reports.

Sakshi, India's only female Olympic medallist in wresting, has been honoured for her relentless fight against alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Stephen Curry is headed to the games for the first time. Kevin Durant will go there with his eyes on history, according to AP reports.

And they're just part of a star-studded roster the Americans have assembled for the Paris Games.

Teen shooter Palak Gulia was rewarded for her Paris quota-winning performance in Rio de Janeiro as she secured a spot among the five women 10m air pistol shooters for the Olympic trials, scheduled to commence at the Karni Singh Ranges in New Delhi on Thursday, according to PTI reports.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) had announced in March the list of competitors for pistol and rifle trials to select the team for the Paris Olympics, but had withheld the names in the women's 10m air pistol category as the Final Olympic Qualification Championship (Rifle and Pistol) in Rio was scheduled in mid-April.

Chandigarh's Rajiv Kumar Jatiwal followed up his first round of 66 with another top-notch effort of five-under 67 in round two to emerge as halfway leader at 11-under 133 at the Rs 1 crore Gurgaon Open golf tournament in Nuh on Wednesday, according to PTI reports.

Bengaluru golfer M Dharma's 69 placed him second at nine-under 135 at the Classic Golf & Country Club.

Punjab Kings' influential skipper Shikhar Dhawan is currently undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a shoulder injury, the team's spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi said on Wednesday, according to PTI reports.

Sam Curran stood in as Punjab Kings captain in Dhawan's absence in their match against Rajasthan Royals.

With Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya continuing to receive hostile treatment from fans in the ongoing Indian Premier League, his teammate Shreyas Gopal felt on Wednesday it will only strengthen his resolve to come back stronger with some good performances, according to PTI reports.

Pandya was announced as MI captain for the IPL 2024 season, replacing fan-favourite Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five titles.

Jos Buttler’s match-winning century against Kolkata Knight Riders highlights the need for professional cricketers to be elite athletes as well, said former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody after the Rajasthan batter smashed his second ton this IPL, according to PTI reports.

Buttler (107 not out off 60 balls) fought his way through a slow start and rapidly rising asking rate to be there till the end for Rajasthan Royals, dwarfing Sunil Narine’s (109) century in the first half to hit the winning runs on the final ball.

Rafael Nadal's first tournament since January was cut short after only two matches. The Spaniard lost 7-5, 6-1 to Alex de Minaur at the Barcelona Open on Wednesday, which is played on clay courts.

Nadal, who was making a comeback after an injury layoff, showed glimpses of his old form during the second-round match. However, he couldn't keep up with the 11th-ranked De Minaur.

Star India gymnast Dipa Karmakar on Wednesday entered the women's vault final after finishing sixth in the qualifying round of the ongoing FIG Apparatus World Cup, a Paris Olympics qualifying event, in Doha, according to PTI reports.

The 30-year-old, who had finished a creditable fourth at the Baku Apparatus World Cup in Azerbaijan last month, scored 12.500 in the first vault and 13.066 in the second vault for a total of 12.783.

Delhi Capitals defeated Gujarat Titans by six wickets in a lop-sided IPL match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, according to PTI reports.

Opting to field, DC bowled out former champions GT for a meagre 89 and then came back to overhaul the target, scoring 92 for four in 8.5 overs.

Jake Fraser-McGurk (20), Shai Hope (19) and Rishabh Pant (16 not out) all played cameos to take the team home.

Manchester City:

Starting XI: Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Haaland

Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Stones, Ake, Kovacic, Doku, Alvarez, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis

Olympic gymnastics all-around champion Suni Lee revealed that at the height of dealing with a kidney disease last year, she questioned whether a return to top form was even possible, according to AP reports.

“My motivation started to fall,” Lee said this week at the Team USA media summit.

“I could not bend my legs the slightest, I couldn't squeeze my fingers, my face was swollen,” Lee said, noting she retained 45 pounds in water weight. “I looked like a completely different person. It was very, very miserable.”

We will be taking your leave now. Join us tomorrow at the same place. That's all from our side. Goodnight!