Nadal crushes Federer to reach 12th French Open final
Paris: Rafael Nadal reached the French Open final for the third time in a row, and a record extending 12th overall, with a straight set win over arch-rival Roger Federer, here on Friday.
The Spaniard beat the Swiss legend 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 at the Philippe-Chatrier Court in the 39th meeting between the two stalwarts.
While Federer was playing the French Open for the first time since the 2015 edition, it was Nadal who re-established himself as the best player in the world on clay court after a brief slump due to injuries.
The 11-time champion will now face either world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem who will clash in the other semifinal later in the day.
It was a windy day in Paris and despite water being poured on the court to keep the clay down, the wind kept kicking up the dust. Nadal raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set before Federer fought back with a hold and a break to make it 3-2. Nadal responded by breaking back and then went on to win the next two games to pocket the set.
Federer took a 2-0 lead in the second set as Nadal struggled to adjust to the dust that was being blown due to the wind, but soon levelled up the set. It was an even contest until 4-4 before Nadal broke Federer and then served out the set.
The third was a more one-sided affair, although Federer did initially take a 1-0 lead. His next win in the set, however, came only to delay Nadal's victory as the Swiss held his serve at 5-2. Nadal eventually served for the match and raised his arms to soak in the applause from the crowd at the Philippe-Chatrier Court.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
