Sports News Highlights: Iga Swiatek Pips Naomi Osaka In French Open Thriller

Welcome to the highlights of our coverage of Wednesday's sports news and events. With the 2024 T20 World Cup just four sleeps away, the pre-tournament warm-up matches gathered steam, as Australia defeated Namibia by seven wickets in Port of Spain. In badminton, India's singles stars PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy advanced to the second round at the BWF 750 Singapore Open with wins, but Lakshya Sen was knocked out and Kidambi Srikanth had to withdraw owing to a knee issue. Meanwhile, the French Open main draw entered Day 4, and the top-ranked Iga Swiatek withstood a royal resistance from four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka to enter the third round at Roland Garros. Catch all the highlights from the sports world on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 right here.

Australia beat Namibia by 7 wickets

The 15-time winner of the LGPA Tour Lexi Thompson is retiring this year from full-time competition, ending a career at only 29. She is playing in her 18th Women's Open currently having started her career at young age of 12. she was the youngest ever player to qualify for the 2007 US Women's Open, setting the record for the youngest winner in the history of the LGPA Tour.

The 34-year-old Alizé Cornet was given a standing ovation and a farewell trophy as she played the final match of her long tennis career. She retired from tennis after a 6-2, 6-1 loss to No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday.

Cornet is a Frenchwoman who was given a wild-card entry into the tournament. She had announced ahead of time that this would be her last event before retirement.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team will have a very special person supporting them as the legendary Sachin Tendulkar is expected to be present during their marquee T20 World Cup clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in New York on June 9.

According to a source close to ICC, 51-year-old Tendulkar, who is associated with a brand that is one of the key sponsors of the global body, will be in attendance at the Nassau County ground in the outskirts of New York, which is expected to be full on that particular morning. (PTI)

The defending champion Iga Swiatek returns to French Open action on Wednesday and is set to face Naomi Osaka, who is returning from maternity leave and is currently ranked 134th. In the third match of Court Phillipe Chatrier, they will clash against each other for the third time.

Goalkeepers: Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague), Matej Kovár (Leverkusen), Vítezslav Jaroš (Sturm Graz).

Defenders: Vladimír Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), Tomáš Holeš (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranác (Viktoria Plzen), Ladislav Krejcí (Sparta Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague), Tomáš Vlcek (Slavia Prague), David Jurásek (Hoffenheim), Martin Vitík (Sparta Prague).

Midfielders: Tomáš Soucek (West Ham), Michal Sadílek (Twente), Antonín Barák (Fiorentina), Lukáš Provod (Slavia Prague), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord), Václav Cerný (Wolfsburg), Matej Jurásek (Slavia Prague), Pavel Šulc (Viktoria Plzen), Lukáš Cerv (Viktoria Plzen).

Forwards: Patrik Schick (Leverkusen), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Tomáš Chorý (Viktoria Plzen), Mojmír Chytil (Slavia Prague), Adam Hložek (Leverkusen)

The Indian junior men's hockey team went down 2-3 to Germany in a match that went down to the final minute on its Europe tour.

Yogember Rawat and Gurjot Singh scored for the India on Tuesday.

The first quarter had plenty of action with both teams finding themselves with opportunities to take the lead through penalty corners. As neither team got past each other’s defence, the quarter remained goalless. (PTI)

For the second time this series, rain washed the T20I match between England and Pakistan, at the Sophia Gardens on Tuesday. The opening match was abandoned at Headingley without a single ball bowled. However, now that England have the 23-run victory at Edgbaston in the second and only match played, they take an unassailable 1-0 lead.

India's highest-ranked men's singles player HS Prannoy start his campaign for a top podium finish at BWF Super 750 tournament Singapore Open on Wednesday, May 29.

Prannoy, ranked 10th in the world, will go against lower ranked Julien Carraggi at Singapore Indoor Stadium in the Round of 32.

In round of 32 at the Singapore Open badminton tournament, the star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has taken 1-0 lead with 1-0, 21-12 in the first set.

Lakshya Sen is trailing 0-1 in the round of 32 at the Singapore Open badminton tournament against Viktor Axelsen after first set, 0-1, 31-21, 14-12

PV Sindhu seals easy 2-0, 21-12, 22-20 victory over Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt of Denmark in round of 32 at the Singapore Open.

India's star shuttler Lakshya Sen lost the round of 32 at the Singapore Open to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 1-2, 13-21, 21-16, 13-21 and ends his campaign along with K Srikanth.

Germany forward Timo Werner will stay on loan at Tottenham from Leipzig for the whole of next season.

Spurs announced the deal on Tuesday and said the team has an option to sign Werner on a permanent basis.

India has submitted its bid to host the much-anticipated World Chess Championship clash between teen sensation D Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren of China in November-December this year.

The 17-year-old Gukesh became the youngest ever challenger for the world title by winning the Candidates Tournament last month. He will face Liren between November 20 to December 15 in Chennai if the All India Chess Federation (AICF) manages to claim the hosting rights. (PTI)

The boxing governing body declared rogue by the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday it will pay $50,000 in prize money to each gold medallist at the Paris Games, according to AP reports.

The cash promise is doubly confrontational for the IOC, which has severed ties with the International Boxing Association and does not approve of governing bodies paying prize money to Olympic medallists.

India's star singles player HS Prannoy does not have it easy, but ultimately prevails in his opening-round clash against Belgium's Julien Carraggi at Singapore Open. The Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist wins in three games 21-9, 18-21, 21-9 to march into the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF 750 event. He will next face Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the round of 16.

Barcelona have appointed former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick as the replacement for Xavi Hernandez. It's the 59-year-old Flick's first coaching job since being fired by Germany in September last year. He previously spent two years at Bayern Munich, winning the Champions League and back-to-back German league titles.

Jude Bellingham has been named as La Liga's Player of the Season after playing a vital role in leading Real Madrid to their 36th Spanish league title. Bellingham pipped teammate Vinicius Junior, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Girona's Artem Dovbyk and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski in votes cast by fans, club captains and a panel of experts.

The midfielder scored 19 goals and had six assists in 28 league games this season, aggregating 23 goals and 12 assists in all competitions in his first campaign with Los Blancos.

The Indian football team has arrived in Kolkata for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6, and all eyes are on Sunil Chhetri, who will hang up his India boots after this match.

"These last few days, I've been caught in a bit of a dilemma. Now that there's a number to my days with the national team, what's the right route to take - do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end?," PTI quotes Chhetri as saying.

World number 9 Ons Jabeur beats Camila Osorio 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the third round at Roland Garros. The Tunisian had defeated Sachia Vickery in her opening match.

India's women's doubles pairs come up with contrasting results at Singapore Open. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat Chinese Taipei's Cheng-Sun, while Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto go down in three games to Ukraine's Buhrova and Kantemyr.

Indian pugilists Ankushita Boro (60kg) and Nishant Dev (71kg) have registered comfortable victories in their respective weight categories to reach the quarter-finals, while national champion Arundhati Choudhary has advanced to the round of 16 in the 66kg weight category at the Boxing World Qualifiers for Paris Olympics 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.

India continue to hold their numero uno position in the latest ICC T20 rankings, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. The 2022 semi-finalists have 264 rating points, and Australia are second with 257 points. Defending champions England are third with 254 points, while two-time champions West Indies have moved up to fourth position.

Bayern Munich have confirmed the appointment of Vincent Kompany as their new head coach. Kompany has joined Bayern on a three-year deal, and comes in as Thomas Tuchel's replacement.

Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz survives an anxious few moments at his French Open second round clash, overcoming qualifier Jesper de Jong in four sets to enter the third round. Alcaraz had raced into a two-set lead, but the 23-year-old Dutchman fought back and made the Spaniard dig deep, before the world number 3 wins it by a 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 scoreline.

Women's Super League champions Chelsea have hired Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor as their new head coach with a four-year deal. The 43-year-old Bompastor takes over from Emma Hayes, who has left to become the U.S. women's soccer coach.

Hayes led the Blues to 14 major trophies, including a fifth consecutive league title on the final day of the recently concluded season.

Four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka is taking the fight to the top-ranked Iga Swiatek in their French Open, second round clash. The decider is poised at 5-5 right now with Swiatek on serve. Osaka was leading the set 5-3 at one point and had match points too, but Swiatek has clawed her way back like she is wont to.

After a see-saw contest that is easily the most enthralling match of French Open 2024 so far, world number 1 Iga Swiatek finally prevails. She keeps her cool to see off a fantastic fight by Naomi Osaka and win the second-round clash 7-6, 1-6, 7-5.

That's all from us tonight. We will be back tomorrow morning with everything that's current in the world of sports. Until then, goodbye.