Sports News Highlights: Mirra Andreeva Stuns World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka To Reach French Open 2024 Semi-Finals

Today's Sports News Highlights, June 5: Indian cricket team began its T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note with a eight-wicket win against Ireland. In the French Open, Alexander Zverev will take on Alex de Minaur to decide the last semifinalist. The Indonesia Open badminton saw India's PV Sindhu exit early. Check all the live score and latest updates from sports world here

The world no. 3 Carlos Alcaraz continued his winning start to the French Open, as he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday.

2024 marks the second year running that Alcaraz has brushed aside Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, this time with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory. Now the Spaniard will face the world no.1 Jannik Sinner next.

Pacer Pat Cummins has signed a four-year contract with San Francisco Unicorns, becoming the latest Australian to join USA' Major League Cricket.

The second season of the USA franchise T20 league, which has acquired List A status from the global governing body ICC, is slated from to be played from July 6 to 29.

"MLC is developing at a rapid rate, and the US market potential is huge for cricket,” Cummins said in a video post on the franchise's X handle.

The Australian Test and ODI skipper has so far played only in one overseas league -- the IPL. He has also not play Australia's Big Bash League since the 2018-19 season. (PTI)

Netherlands sealed victory in their opening match against Nepal by six wickets with eight balls remaining in a tight contest that was delayed by rain at the Grand Prairie in Texas.

The Dutch opted to bowl first and dismissed Nepal for 106 in 19.2 overs, led by captain Rohit Paudel's 37-ball 35.

The defending champions Italy ended up in a 0-0 draw against Italy in the first two warm-up matches at home before starting their campaign in the European Campionship set to begin next week.

Tuesday's match was overshadowed by a serious-looking injury to Turkey defender Ozan Kabak, who is more likely to miss the Euro 2024 in Germany.

Ireland sealed a 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary with Troy Parrott emerging as the last-gasp hero, two weeks before the Euro 2024 campaign starts.
Adam Idah opened the scoring in the first half at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, only for Adam Lang to level for the visitors four minutes later.

Emotions will run high when the talismanic Sunil Chhetri leads India out one last time in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait here on Thursday, hoping to propel his team into the next round as a parting gift after dominating the national football landscape for 19 years.

The 39-year-old Chhetri will hang his boots at the end of this match and would like to ensure that the team enters the final-18 stage of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time.

The top two teams from nine groups of four teams each will go on to make the third stage. This round will decide FIFA's increased allocation of eight World Cup berths for Asia. (PTI)

With the World Test Championship mace and the 50-over World Cup trophy already in their bag, Australia will look to hit the ground running in their quest to become the first team to simultaneously hold all three world titles when they take on Oman in their T20 World Cup opener in Bridgetown, Barbados. (PTI)

India's star shuttler P V Sindhu went down to Hsu Wen-chi of Chinese Taipei in the first round of the Indonesia Open BWF Super 1000 tournament on Wednesday in Jakarta.

The two-time Olympic medallist lost the women's singles contest 15-21, 21-15, 14-21, marking her maiden loss to Wen-chi in an hour and 10 minutes match.

Six straight losses in FIH Pro League have left the Indian women's hockey team's pointing out their weaknesses.

"We have faced tough challenges but each match has been a valuable learning experience for us. Despite the setbacks, our team has shown resilience and improvement, especially in our closely contested matches against Belgium and Great Britain," said the vice captain Navneet Kaur in a recent Hockey India press release.

Chennaiyin FC on Wednesday signed versatile Brazilian defender Elson Jose Dias Junior, popularly known as Elsinho, on a two-year deal that will keep him with the club until 2026.

Elsinho became the second signing of the 2024-25 season for the Marina Machans after they acquired the services of midfielder Jitendra Singh earlier this week.

"Elsinho is a versatile, strong and technical footballer who can fit in at central midfield and at centre back. He gives us options at the back while also providing a goal threat in the opposition box. (PTI)

Antonio Conte was confirmed as the new Napoli coach on Wednesday, making him the team's fifth manager in little more than a year for the deposed Serie A champion.

“Napoli is a club of huge importance on the international stage,” Conte said in a statement.

“I'm happy and excited by the idea of taking my seat in the Napoli dugout.

"I can certainly promise one thing: I'll give my all to develop the team and the club. I'm fully committed to the task at hand, as are my staff.”

All-rounder Imad Wasim will miss Pakistan’s T20 World Cup opener against the USA on Thursday due to a persistent side strain, said captain Babar Azam.

Babar said Wasim has still not completely recovered from his side strain and the left-arm spinner is under observation.

Turkey defender Ozan Kabak will miss the European Championship after tearing a cruciate ligament in his right knee in a friendly against Italy, the Turkish Football Association said on Wednesday, according to AP reports.

Kabak was injured after challenging Italy forward Mateo Retegui for the ball shortly before halftime in the friendly, which finished 0-0.

"Of course as a coach I'm sad that Sunil is leaving us. I'm still not sure if I'm going to send him another call, if I feel we need him and he plays well for Bengaluru FC. I'm still thinking about it," he said in a lighter vein.

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

Ireland: Paul Stirling (Captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Benjamin White.

The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) of the NADA has suspended powerlifter Sandeep Kaur for 10 years, one of the longest ban periods handed by the committee, for her second doping offence as well as for using multiple prohibited drugs which constituted aggravating circumstances.

The 31-year-old Punjab powerlifter received eight years ban for her second doping offence -- the first being in 2019 (tested positive for Stanozolol) -- and additional two years after her sample was found to contain multiple banned substances. (PTI)

Coco Gauff reached the French Open semifinals in doubles on Wednesday, a day after getting that far in singles. Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion in singles, and Katerina Siniakova won their doubles quarterfinal 6-0, 6-2 against Miyu Kato and Nadiia Kichenok.

Novak Djokovic has decided to have surgery for a medial meniscus tear in his right knee and could miss Wimbledon, the French newspaper L'Equipe reported Wednesday, without citing a source. The 24-time Grand Slam champion injured his knee during a fourth-round victory at the French Open on Monday, then announced he was withdrawing from the tournament on Tuesday. He was supposed to play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. L'Equipe said the operation would be Wednesday in Paris.

Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto has been stripped of his world record in men's 10-kilometer road racing and banned for six years in a doping case. A disciplinary panel ruled that abnormalities in Kipruto's blood samples pointed to “a deliberate and sophisticated doping regime” and Kipruto likely had help from unknown third parties. At the time, he was aiming to qualify for the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The panel imposed a six-year ban because of what it deemed the “aggravating circumstances” in the case, up from a standard four-year doping ban.

What an eventful day in the world of sports it has been. Will tomorrow be any better? Let's wait and watch. Till then, good night!