New York : World No. 1 Rafael Nadal retired injured from his semi-final match against No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro. Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic reached his eighth U.S Open final, defeating Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday.

Djokovic and del Potro will face each other in the finals on Sunday.

Nadal, the defending U.S Open champion, was trailing 7-6, 6-2 when a knee problem forced him to stop after almost two hours of playing time.

“It was difficult for me to keep playing. I was in too much pain,” he said. Nadal, who was bidding to win his 18th Grand Slam title, faced similar issues during his third-round match against Russia’s Karen Khachanov. This is the second time he has retired in a Grand Slam this year.

del Potro will return to a Grand Slam final nine years after his first, when he defeated Roger Federer at the U.S Open in 2009. He will play Novak Djokovic, who beat Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the other semi-final.

Djokovic is bidding to win his third U.S Open title and 14th overall Grand Slam title. He avenged his most recent last-four loss in New York — in 2014 vs. Nishikori, the only prior time they had met in Flushing Meadows.

“I came out of the blocks with great intensity and focus,” Djokovic said.

Djokovic missed last year’s tournament owing to an elbow injury. Should he win on Sunday, he will equal Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles. Only Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (17) will have more titles than him.

courtesy : thehindu.com


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Mangaluru: An international workshop on clinical neuroimmunology will be held in Mangaluru on March 7 and 8 at Avishkar Hall of KS Hegde Hospital, ABSMIDS.

The two-day academic programme is being organised by the Centre for Advanced Neurological Research of Nitte (Deemed to be University). The event is expected to bring together neurologists, clinicians and researchers from India and several other countries.

According to the organisers, the workshop aims to improve the diagnostic skills of practising neurologists through exposure to advanced imaging methods, visual diagnostic tools and biomarker analysis used in the diagnosis of neuroimmunological disorders.

The programme will feature hands-on training sessions and demonstration-based learning. Activities will include live Optical Coherence Tomography workshops, video-assisted demonstrations and interactive discussions with experts from Canada, the United States, South Asia and the UAE.

The workshop is being conducted under the leadership of Dr. Lekha Pandit, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Centre for Advanced Neurological Research at KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), who is serving as the course director for the programme.


Dr. Asha Kishore, Director of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Centre at Aster Medicity, Kochi, will inaugurate the workshop as the chief guest. The inaugural function will be presided over by Prof. M. S. Moodithaya, Vice-Chancellor of Nitte (Deemed to be University).

Registrar Dr. Harsha Halahalli and Dr. Sandeep Rai, Dean of KS Hegde Medical Academy, will also be present at the inaugural ceremony.