Defending champion Rafael Nadal bows out of Australian Open
Melbourne (AP): A clearly hurting Rafael Nadal lost his second-round match at the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday, abruptly ending his title defense and bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy.
It was not immediately clear what was bothering the 35-year-old Spaniard, but he pulled up awkwardly at the end of a point late in the second set against the 65th-ranked McDonald.
The No. 1-seeded Nadal was visited by a trainer on the sideline, then left the court for a medical timeout. Up in the stands, his wife wiped away tears. Nadal returned to play, but was physically compromised and not his usual chase-every-ball self.
This is Nadal's earliest exit at any Grand Slam tournament since bowing out in the first round in Melbourne in 2016 against No. 45 Fernando Verdasco. That also made Verdasco the lowest-ranked player to defeat Nadal in Australia until, of course, McDonald on Wednesday.
McDonald is a 27-year-old American who won NCAA championships in singles and doubles for UCLA in 2016. He has never been past the fourth round at a major tournament. In his lone previous matchup against Nadal, at the 2020 French Open, McDonald won a total of just four games in his lopsided loss.
Nadal won the Australian Open for the second time a year ago for his 21st major championship, then raised his total to 22 the most for a man at Roland Garros.
He is currently ranked No. 2 but was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is sitting out the Australian Open with a bad leg.
Nadal has dealt with a series of health issues recently.
He needed pain-killing injections for his left foot on the way to winning the French Open last June, pulled out of Wimbledon last July before the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle and also dealt with a problem with rib cartilage in 2022. (
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Man assaulted over fish auction dispute at Malpe Harbour
Malpe: A 52-year-old man was allegedly assaulted at Malpe harbour on Tuesday morning around 7.30 am over a dispute related to a fish auction.
The injured has been identified as Sheikh Ayub (52), a resident of Ambalapady. He has sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Ajjarkadu, Udupi.
According to the complaint, Ayub works as a fish auctioneer at Malpe. On Tuesday morning, a boy reportedly brought fish to him for auction. While Ayub was conducting the auction, Mithun Karkera allegedly arrived at the spot and questioned him as to why he had brought the fish and why he was conducting the auction.
It is alleged that Mithun assaulted Ayub with his hands, hitting him on the face, eyes, stomach and head. He is also accused of abusing and threatening him.
A case has been registered at Malpe police station and further investigation is underway.
