Roger Federer US Open return: When and where to watch Swiss legend’s …

Roger Federer will return to the US Open this week for an exhibition match against former rival Andy Roddick at Arthur Ashe Stadium. mieszalniakolorado.pl

Federer has not played at Flushing Meadows since 2019 and retired from professional tennis in 2022. He will now be back on the court as part of the US Open Fan Week programme, with Roddick standing across the net in a one-set singles match.

Federer and Roddick played 24 times during their careers, with Federer winning 21 of those meetings. Their rivalry also featured a US Open final. Federer beat Roddick in the 2006 final to win his third title at the tournament.

The exhibition will also feature another match involving four former world No. 1s. Federer will pair up with John McEnroe in a doubles contest against Roddick and Andre Agassi.

The event gives Federer another appearance at the tournament where he enjoyed one of his best runs. He won the US Open five times in a row from 2004 to 2008. His last appearance came in 2019, when he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Grigor Dimitrov.

Federer did not play at the US Open in 2020 and 2021 because of injury before bringing an end to his professional career the following year. His retirement came after a long battle with knee problems.

The Swiss has also made it clear that the exhibition is not the start of a comeback. Federer has no plans to return to professional tennis and will instead play the event as a former champion and one of the biggest names in the tournament’s history.

The match will take place on Tuesday, August 25 in New York. For viewers in India, the action will begin at 5:30 AM IST on Wednesday, August 26. The exhibition will be available to watch on JioHotstar, with television coverage on Star Sports.

The event will bring Federer back to Arthur Ashe Stadium alongside three players who also made their mark at the US Open. Roddick won the tournament in 2003, while Agassi won it twice. McEnroe lifted the title four times.

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If India’s cricket fans expect Australia to be vulnerable in next year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) after Pat Cummins & Co’s shock defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test at Darwin, they’re mistaken, according to Australian High Commissioner Phillip Green. “We learn when we win, but we learn a bit more when we lose. Pat Cummins is an extraordinary leader, so India should not be particularly comforted [by Australia’s defeat to Bangladesh] because, while we’re good at all times, we’re even better with our backs against the wall,” Green told mid-day during an exclusive interaction at the Australian Consulate-General office in Bandra-Kurla Complex recently.

Green is in the city to promote the India-Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration, titled ‘G’Day, Namaste,’ which will kick off with a Big Bash League match between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades in Chennai this December. “India and Australia share a great cricket connection. Hats off to Cricket Australia for coming up with this idea and the Indian authorities for agreeing. Sport is the newest field of bilateral engagement,” Green said, adding that Australia’s Trade team will be hosting a Sports Industry Summit in Mumbai in December to promote collaboration between Indian and Australian companies in sports equipment manufacturing, and sports businesses.

Australia is also keen to share its expertise in hosting major sporting events as India looks to stage the 2032 Commonwealth Games and potentially, the Olympics.

“Australia have hosted five Commonwealth Games, and Brisbane 2032 will be our third Olympics. So, we have a range of expertise in tech and sport which we can make available to India,” said Green, pointing to Australia’s success in elite athlete development which is proved by the fact that despite a population of just 26 million, Australia finished fourth in the medals tally at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Interestingly, kabaddi and kho-kho are also part of this collaboration thanks to the near-one million Indians in Australia. “Kabaddi and kho-kho are very popular; there’s a serious kabaddi league in Australia. A kabaddi player and an Aussie Rules footballer need similar physical qualities, so there’s some real adjacency there which can be harnessed. We did a kabaddi exhibition game at the MCG when the Prime Ministers of both nations met earlier this year. Also, our men’s and women’s teams were part of the Kho Kho World Cup in Delhi last year,” concluded Green.

Vaibhav Tripathi, Colombo

Just a few hundred metres from the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) stands the Colombo Cricket Club (CCC), where a group of aspiring cricketers were hard at work in the nets under the watchful eye of their coach, Sonal Dulshan Alwalage.
At SSC, meanwhile, one of his students, Sonal Dinusha, was fighting for Sri Lanka in the middle with the bat in hand against India.

Dulshan had a job to do. His eyes were on the young players in front of him, guiding them through their training and ensuring every detail of the session was right. But every few minutes, his attention would briefly drift to the scorecard. He wanted to know how his other student was progressing against India.

He would have loved to be in Galle, watching Sonal’s innings unfold ball by ball. Instead, coaching duties kept him at CCC, leaving him to follow his student’s performance from a distance.

For many, Sonal’s batting in Galle may have been an unexpected sight. It was only his fifth Test match, after all. But for Dulshan, there was little surprise.

“I have been working with him for 13 years now. Sonal is truly a humble, honest and talented player,” Dulshan said in an exclusive interview with RevSportz.

In Galle, he showed his mettle by smashing a hundred and 84 in just his fourth game. And he’s unbeaten on 85 again at the SSC. The sweep shot has been Sonal’s most productive scoring shot in this series. Since his early days, he has mastered the art of playing that shot.

“I am not really surprised by the way he has played in the series so far,” said Dulshan. “Since the surface here favours spinners, and the sweep shot — his signature stroke — is something he has practised extensively since childhood, I have long known that he scores very effectively with it. He spends two to three hours practising the sweep.”

Coming from a humble background, Sonal didn’t have the resources to pursue his dream. He might have given up on it if not for the support he received from Dulshan and other people in his inner circle. In Sonal, coach Dulshan found a young boy with a vision.

“He has been deeply passionate about cricket since childhood. From a young age, he demonstrated the drive and dedication to excel in bowling, fielding and batting. His family background did not provide the financial means to support his pursuit of the sport. However, I, along with other coaches and his friends, provided him with significant support. This was because he possessed a genuine determination to advance in the game of cricket. He had a clear vision from an early age, and he never once deviated from that vision.”

Much like some of the greats of the game, Sonal also started his career as a bowler. He’s more than a decent left-arm spinner, but his batting is his real strength.

“He initially played as a spin bowler during his childhood,” Dulshan said. “Consequently, he was engaged in bowling very effectively from a young age.”

When Sonal earned his maiden national call-up, tears rolled down Dulshan’s cheeks as his 13-year project finally came to fruition.

“Playing for the Sri Lankan team is everyone’s dream. However, he was driven by a goal to represent the team through immense, boundless dedication — working tirelessly while distancing himself from worldly distractions. It was a journey that required 13 years of patience; I view it as a project. When I heard the news that he had been selected for the Sri Lankan team, tears came to my eyes. I felt that my project had succeeded. Words cannot fully describe the sacrifices made to achieve this,” said Dulshan.

Adaptability, game awareness, sound technique and a calm head are what make Sonal the player he is, according to Dulshan.

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“One of Sonal’s standout qualities is his ability to quickly settle into a match and adapt his batting to the specific situation,” he said. “He does not lose his temper and possesses an excellent ability to listen attentively. In his life, he prioritises the sport above worldly matters. When it comes to batting, he has the ability to adapt to the game with a deep understanding and knowledge.”

It’s premature to ask, but can Sonal be the future captain of Sri Lanka?

“He is already serving as the captain of the CCC Club,” said Dulshan. “He possesses good leadership qualities; however, I believe that, more than focusing on leadership, he needs further training to build the necessary foundation to secure his place in the Sri Lanka team.”

The post Humble Roots, 13 Years With One Coach, Endless Sweeps: The Making of Sonal Dinusha appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Rising Sri Lankan all-rounder Sonal Dinusha struck a second successive century to anchor his team’s innings but could not prevent the follow on that India imposed on the hosts after bowling them out for 290 to grab a 213-run first-innings lead in the second Test here on Wednesday.

India lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning the Galle Test by 165 runs.

Resuming the penultimate day at 265/8, Sri Lanka were steered by Dinusha, who added quick runs before the hosts were bundled out in 89.4 overs.

India had declared their first innings for 503/9.

The Lankan No.7, who was overnight on 85, attacked debutant off-spinner Saransh Jain with a six and a four in the spinner’s first over of the day to race into the nineties.

Dinusha then completed his second Test century in the next over with a boundary off Prasidh Krishna. The 25-year-old left-hander scored 100 and 84 in the opening Test at Galle.

For India, Saransh (1/45) provided the first breakthrough of the day, dismissing Lahiru Kumara for his maiden Test wicket, before taking the prized scalp of Dinusha who got out for 103 (162b; 8×4, 3×6).

Prasidh Krishna (3/52) and Manav Suthar (3/85) picked up three wickets each.

Brief Scores:

India: 503/9 declared.

Sri Lanka: 290 all out in 89.4 overs (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3/52, Manav Suthar (3/85).