Djokovic is a winner again
Novak Djokovic raised his first trophy of the year at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday and showed that he’s back in top form exactly a week before the French Open starts.
After missing a large portion of the season because he wasn’t vaccinated against the coronavirus, the top-ranked Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 (5) for his sixth Rome title.
Djokovic didn’t drop a set all week, having won his 1,000th career match over Casper Ruud in the semifinals.
Earlier on the red clay court at the Foro Italico, Iga Swiatek defended the women’s title by overwhelming Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-2 to extend her winning streak to 28 matches.
Djokovic needed only a half hour to win the opening set, during which Tsitsipas got so frustrated at one point that he banged his racket against his bag during a changeover and mangled the frame.
Djokovic, who was deported because of his unvaccinated status ahead of the Australian Open, hadn’t won a tournament since raising the Paris Masters trophy in November.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion reached the final of his home Serbia Open last month. He was beaten by 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the Madrid Open semifinals last week.
“This year it was a particular situation. With everything that happened in Australia, it took some time,” Djokovic said. “I found my best shape here. I’m going to Paris with a lot of confidence.”
BASEBALL
Reds starter Hunter Greene and reliever Art Warren combined to allow zero hits in a complete game, but it didn’t count as a no-hitter – or even a win – because the Pittsburgh Pirates eked out a run in the eighth inning for a 1-0 win in Pittsburgh.
This was the sixth time in big league history since 1901 that a team has won despite not getting any hits. It last happened in 2008.
By Major League Baseball record-keeping rules, Cincinnati’s accomplishment isn’t an official nohitter because its pitchers didn’t go at least nine innings.
Greene was pulled after a pair of one-out walks in the eighth. Warren walked Ben Gamel to load the bases and Ke’Bryan Hayes’ grounded into a runscoring force-out for the only run. Cincinnati batters went down in order in the ninth
Mariners short-handed: Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais said “a couple players” won’t make the trip for the three-game series that starts Monday at Toronto because of the Canadian government’s vaccine mandate. He did not identify which players will be unavailable.
Canada requires anyone entering the country to have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the second at least 14 days before entry.
NBA
The Memphis Grizzlies are willing to spend whatever necessary to keep their core together, including signing all-star guard Ja Morant to a contract extension this offseason.
Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies’ general manager and vice president of basketball operations, made that very clear Sunday, two days after Memphis was eliminated from the playoffs by Golden State in six games. Memphis’ goal is maintaining team chemistry while working toward winning a championship despite being a small-market team.
HOCKEY
Juuso Parssinen scored his first North American goal in the first period and River Falls native Tommy Novak added a power-play goal in the second as the Milwaukee Admirals scored a 2-1 victory over the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg to advance to the third round of the American Hockey League playoffs.
Connor Ingram made 27 saves for the Admirals.
BOXING
Retired NFL star Frank Gore flattened opponent Yaya Olorunsola with a brutal overhand right to win his professional boxing debut by fourth-round knockout Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi.
While the match was Gore’s first in the professional ranks, he lost an exhibition bout against former NBA star Deron Williams in December.