Maria Sharapova to continue as United Nations goodwill diplomat in April

Maria Sharapova was initially expelled from the game for a long time, a suspension that was later sliced to 15 months.

Maria Sharapova will be permitted to resume her part as a United Nations (UN) goodwill diplomat when her medication suspension closes in April, the body said on Thursday. Five-times terrific hammer champion Sharapova turned into a minister for the UN Development Program (UNDP) in 2007, however was dropped in March subsequent to conceding she had utilized the banned substance meldonium.

The United States-based Russian was initially expelled from the game for a long time, a suspension that was later sliced to 15 months.

She will come back to activity so as to challenge three of the four thousand pummels one year from now, missing just the Australian Open.

"The UNDP is happy to discover that Maria Sharapova can come back to the game she adores sooner than anticipated and we will lift the suspension of her part as our goodwill represetative once the diminished boycott terminates," the UN said in an announcement.

The UNDP attempts to handle imbalance and destitution.

Queen’s 2016: Andy Murray steers into quarters on the whole Briton conflict

Andy Murray beat kindred Briton Aljaz Bedene in straight sets and faces another comrade Kyle Edmund next.

Andy Murray continued track to assert a record fifth title at Queen's Club by beating kindred Briton Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4 to achieve the quarterfinals on Thursday.

American John Isner let go 43 pros and held 10 match indicates yet fizzled overcome Gilles Muller of Luxembourg as he drooped to a 3-6, 7-6 (16), 7-6 (7) rout.

Murray confronted a break point in the opening amusement however then broke to lead 5-3 and served out the set. Murray kept up the weight in the second set, and regardless of neglecting to change over four break focuses to lead 1-0 and dropping his own particular serve subsequent to breaking for 2-1, a further break for 4-3 demonstrated definitive.

"I thought it was alright," said Murray of the match. "It was significantly more mobilizes than the principal match, so no doubt, it was entirely diverse. I have never played against him. I have not seen him play loads on grass, either. That is never simple."

Murray's next adversary will be another kinsman, Kyle Edmund, who got a walkover when Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu pulled back with a wrist harm.

Isner appeared to be set for triumph against Muller, holding six match focuses in the second set sudden death round before Muller leveled the match on his fifth set point. In the last set, the American held off five break focuses as the set moved to another sudden death round, however then neglected to gain by a further four match focuses.

The second-set sudden death round highlighted the longest singles primary draw sudden death round at Queen's Club subsequent to Goran Ivanisevic beat Greg Rusedski 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (18) in the 1997 elimination rounds, and Muller is the principal player to win an ATP Tour match in the wake of sparing 10 match focuses following Rainer Schuettler beat Andreas Seppi in Kitzbuehel in 2004.

Third seeded Canadian Milos Raonic additionally progressed by vanquishing Czech Jiri Vesely 7-5, 7 (6), and Australian Bernard Tomic overcame Fernado Verdasco of Spain 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4. The match between 6th seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and American Donald Young was suspended overnight because of downpour with Bautista Agut driving 6-4.

Caroline Wozniacki slip and slide out of Birmingham, Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki both lost their second round games in the WTA tournament.

Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion who has been hoping to build her grass court momentum for a third tilt at the oldest Grand Slam title, instead became the latest big name to lose at the rain-hit Birmingham WTA tournament on Thursday.

Moving gingerly on the lush surface, Kvitova subsided to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 second round loss to Jelena Ostapenko, the world number 38. Erasing a 0-2 deficit in the decider visibly encouraged the 19-year-old Latvian, who pressed harder, hit flatter, and often played the big points better.

“It was difficult to put the pressure on her,” said Kvitova, who played with her right thigh strapped.

“When she dropped serve she became more dangerous. And I wasn’t moving very well today. At the beginning (of the grass court season) it is really difficult for the body. I don’t know that I did anything wrong. But at least I played two matches here, and I hope to get more at Eastbourne (next week).”

Neither player was helped by a slightly late start and a 40-minute interruption in the middle of the match, both caused by incessant showers which have blighted the tournament for four days.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it was the younger player who proved more resilient in dealing with it all.
The most crucial moments came immediately after Kvitova had broken serve to level at a set all, and then surged into a 2-0 lead in the decider.

She followed it with a poor game, failing to land her first serve frequently enough and then playing an even more disappointingly in the seventh game, delivering a double fault and dropping her serve to love.

She earned a break back point in the following game but was denied by a brilliant forehand from Ostapenko and after that the match ended swiftly.

“I’d beaten her before,” said Ostapenko, referring to a victory on hard courts in Doha in the first week of the year.

“So I thought I could do it again.”

She next plays Madison Keys, the top 20 American for a place in the semi-finals. Kvitova was followed to the exit door by Caroline Wozniacki, the former world number one, was who beaten 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 by Yanina Wickmayer, ranked down at 49 but a former finalist in Birmingham.

Wozniacki has also been struggling with injuries in recent weeks, and had moments when she appeared concerned not to aggravate them in a match that was interrupted three times by the weather.
Two other seeds, Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, and Carla Suarez Navarro were also struggling when rain ended play early for the fourth day in a row.

Kvitova’s and Wozniacki’s exits followed those on earlier days of Agnieszka Radwanska, the top seed, of Belinda Bencic, the youngest world top 10 player, and Karolina Pliskova, the eighth-seeded Czech who won the title on the Nottingham grass last week.