Paris (The Hawk): At the Paris Masters on Wednesday, Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur shocked World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev with a thrilling 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory.
De Minaur appeared to have lost his early momentum in the third set against Medvedev after falling behind by a break, but he persevered to beat the 2020 champion and 2021 semifinalist Medvedev with a combination of relentless retrieving and fearless serving at crucial times, saving 12 of 15 break points he faced at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
"It's definitely a nice one to get.
Everyone is a little worn out at this time of year, but I'm quite proud of how I performed. I simply played very shrewd, "De Minaur stated.
"I was aware that the situation would resemble a game of chess where one player would try to provoke the other into aggression while simultaneously being careful not to overdo it at other moments. It was a fierce struggle, and I'm glad I was able to prevail "Added he.
In a wild final set, De Minaur came back from being down 2-0 before letting two match points slip in a titanic 10th game. Despite this setback, he played aggressively on the return at 6-5, and a double fault by Medvedev on match point at 30/40 sealed the biggest victory of the World No. 25's career.
De Minaur's victory over World No. 3 Medvedev was his first over a player in the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings in 19 attempts. De Minaur's triumph equaled his best performance in Paris, where he had also advanced to the third round in 2019 and 2020.
a few trademarks The Australian had already won the first set thanks to the De Minaur defence. On set point at 5-4, 30/40, the fourth seed frantically attempted to send up a high ball, but mishit the smash long. Despite Medvedev raising his game to win the second set and take the lead in the third, De Minaur persevered to win in a nail-biting two hours and 46 minutes of play.
The 16th seed Frances Tiafoe, who earlier defeated Next GenATP Briton Jack Draper 6-3, 7-5, awaits the 23-year-old in the third round.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who began his Paris campaign with a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 victory over Daniel Evans in the second round, will be joining De Minaur in the third round.
The 2019 semifinalist was thrilled to get back to winning ways in Paris after being forced to retire from his second-round match against Alexei Popyrin a year ago. It was his 58th victory of the season, which is a Tour record.
After the game, Tsitsipas remarked, "I was really looking forward to getting out there and having a proper match."
"I didn't have the best recollections from last year, but I tried again this year. It was a wonderful start, and I'm pleased with how I played and the level of tennis I brought when necessary "Added he.
In both sets in Paris, Tsitsipas broke Evans in his first service game and did not give up the lead. In an 80-minute victory, he hit 28 winners, including eight aces.
With all four of his triumphs coming in straight sets, the Greek currently holds a 4-0 advantage over the British player in their ATP Head to Head series. In his quest to win his third Masters 1000 championship, the World No. 5 will next compete in Paris either the 12th-seeded Cameron Norrie or a local qualifier named Corentin Moutet.
(Inputs from Agencies)

At the Paris Masters on Wednesday, Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur shocked World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev with a thrilling 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory.

De Minaur stuns Medvedev, Tsitsipas defeats Evans at the Paris Masters

Los Angeles (The Hawk): Chris Evans' mother is a well-known actress. Lisa believes it is "about time" that her son gets named Sexiest Man Alive.
The 41-year-old actor was announced as the winner of People magazine's annual award earlier this week, and his mother Lisa has stated that she will inform "everyone" about his triumph, according to femalefirst.co.uk.
She told the Boston-based WHDH TV 7NEWS news channel: "'Of course, it's about time!' was my reaction. I gloat when he's potty trained and when he's walking, but this is something that everyone will know about. It makes me very pleased."
While Lisa was not startled by the 'Avengers: Endgame' actor's victory, she did disclose that her son was.
"He's always amazed at his own success, and he's always amazed at what people think of him," she said.
And, while she is pleased of Chris' new status, she believes his pals will use it to mock him.
"(His pals) will undoubtedly give him trouble about it, but - they're quite amusing," she remarked.
When his victory was revealed, Evans stated that his mother would be "overjoyed."
He stated: "My mother will be overjoyed. She is proud of everything I do, but this is something she is especially pleased of."
The 'Knives Out' star stated earlier this week that now that he is in his 40s, he needs to take better care of himself.
He stated: "I used to be able to eat anything I wanted and perform a couple of workouts per week and be fine.
"That is no longer the case. I wear it if I've had two beers. I haven't had to play a Captain America role in a long time, so things like diet and fitness routine haven't been on my mind. But as you become older, things click and hurt, it's harder to wake up, you have less energy...
"You know what it is, don't you? It was the fact that it happened so swiftly. I wasn't thinking about any of this a year ago. I was fortunate enough to not think much of it in my 30s, and then I turned 40 and it all came at once."
(Inputs from Agencies)

Chris Evans' mother is a well-known actress. Lisa believes it is "about time" that her son gets named Sexiest Man Alive.

Mom of Chris Evans is pleased with her son's "Sexiest Man Alive" award

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Chris Evans is married. The actor, 42, wed Alba Baptista during a ceremony at a private estate in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  Many of the couple's famous friends were spotted in nearby Boston for the wedding, including Evans' Marvel costars Robert Downey Jr and his wife Susan Downey, Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky, Jeremy Renner, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.  Page Six was first to report the news. Hemsworth, Downey, their wives and Renner were photographed dining and chatting at the Contessa restaurant in the five-star Newbury Boston hotel.  As per People, Krasinski and Blunt were seen returning from the festivities soon after midnight. A source said: "They were very happy, joking and smiling."  Evans and the Portuguese actress, 26, had been dating "for over a year and it's serious", People earlier reported.  A source added at the time: "They are in love and Chris has never been happier. His family and friends all adore her." Baptista — who speaks five languages and is the daughter of an engineer and a translator — starred in 2022's ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ and is also known for her role on Netflix's ‘Warrior Nun’. In 2018, she did an extensive amount of humanitarian work at an orphanage in Cambodia, focusing on education. She also won the Shooting Star award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2021.  Earlier this year, on Valentine's Day, Evans shared a photo montage of himself and his then-girlfriend in honour of the annual holiday. The 'Captain America' star included shots of the couple hiking and travelling together and hanging out with his dog Dodger.
—IANS

Hollywood star Chris Evans is married. The actor, 42, wed Alba Baptista during a ceremony at a private estate in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Chris Evans, Alba Baptista tie the knot in intimate Massachusetts ceremony

Hollywood star Chris Evans is married. The actor, 42, wed Alba Baptista during a ceremony at a private estate in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.


Los Angeles: Hollywood star Chris Evans has confessed his movie 'Ghosted' "could have been better" after it was criticised by critics.&nbsp;
The star appeared in the Apple TV Plus action movie opposite 'Blonde' actress Ana de Armas, playing a man who is ditched by his love interest who turns out to be a secret agent, reports aceshowbiz.com.
The film, however, was deemed a critical failure after receiving a slew of negative reviews and Chris has now admitted the film could have been done differently.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Evans believed to have been given prior to the SAG-AFTRA actors union strike.
He said: " 'Ghosted' to me felt like a movie that I grew up on, a movie that maybe we don’t see very much anymore. And the question is whether or not audiences have outgrown those types of films?"
He added: "I didn't think audiences had outgrown it prior, and I still don’t think they have, despite the fact, I mean, technically I think we did okay on, in terms of viewership. Critics didn't like it.”
“But that's more the fault of the movie as opposed to the appetite of the audience. I think the appetite's there, if it’s done properly. We could have been better."
During the interview he also reflected on his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comparing being a part of 'The Avengers' movies to playing in a Super Bowl game.
He continued: "You kind of feel like you were just lucky enough to go along for the ride. It's like winning the Super Bowl, but you weren't Tom Brady. I mean, you were on the team. You might have had a couple good plays, but it’s not your victory to own. You are a part of it, which is wonderful. And you’re a part of a cultural phenomenon."
—IANS

Hollywood star Chris Evans has confessed his movie 'Ghosted' "could have been better" after it was criticised by critics. 

Chris Evans weighs in on 'Ghosted' cricitism

Washington: For Dwight Mullen, the very public reparations process in Asheville, North Carolina, is an extension of his decades of behind-the-scenes data work on inequity.
The retired political science professor started digging into local racial disparities nearly 20 years ago – in health, education, criminal justice and other areas.  So when national racial justice protests began in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd, Mullen said it felt to many that the time had come for something different.  "It was a summation – we've got to do something as a city and county to make it right," Mullen, who chairs the local Community Reparations Commission, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.  "It starts with enslavement, and works its way through lynching and segregation and mass incarceration and urban renewal," he said. "It ends with the disparities incurred."  The commission was appointed by the city and surrounding Buncombe County in 2022, and in October released draft recommendations it hopes will address inequalities in criminal justice, economic development, education, health and housing.  The effort is one of dozens across the country, as local communities lead a reparations conversation that has languished at the national level for decades.  Some have looked at compensating Black Americans for their ancestors' enslavement and related violence and degradation, while others, as in Asheville, have focused on more recent structural racism – and its continued effects.  "Everyone's version of reparations is different," said Brenda Mills, Asheville's director of equity &amp; inclusion.  "Some people think it's money and land, while other people see it as programs and policy changes that can begin to correct."  The complexity and emotiveness of the issue is daunting.  "We're trying to look at where the rubber meets the road now, trying to make a difference in folks' lives," Mullen said. "But there isn't much precedent. I do feel like I'm flying the plane as we're building it."
Evanston Model  A national reparations bill has been introduced regularly in Congress since the 1980s, but it passed a key committee only in 2021, and still has not received a full vote.  Nevertheless, dozens of cities are moving forward on reparations processes, alongside state efforts in California, New York and New Jersey, and by institutions such as Harvard University.  The most advanced local initiative today is in Evanston, Illinois, which in 2022 began paying up to $25,000 to Black residents or their descendants hurt primarily by zoning laws before 1969, that in effect barred African Americans from buying homes in certain parts of town, among other impacts.  "These laws created the segregation we have even today," said Robin Rue Simmons, who spearheaded the reparations program while on the Evanston City Council.  "No neighborhood school, no healthy food access, deteriorating housing and clean air, less opportunity for business infrastructure, less green space," she said.  For any redress to be legal, the city first needed to admit that past policies were discriminatory, said former city attorney Nicholas Cummings, whose job was to create a sound legal framework for the program.  "There were some obstacles because we were the first ones," he recalled. "But it had the possibility to make an impact that was unlike other legislation or policy or programs before it."  The program has been "overwhelmingly popular," said Alvin B Tiller Jr., a political science professor at Northwestern University who oversaw a study published in October.  The survey found that 70 per cent of white and 64 per cent of Black residents supported the reparations work, which has also boosted trust in government, he said.  "You have a city where people can talk about these issues, learn about them and come out on the other side and say, 'I agree with this.' That's a hugely important finding."  Around 640 people applied to the program in Evanston, a city of 78,000 that is home to Northwestern University. Simmons said results were starting to trickle in.  "We're seeing it in ways we didn't plan, in how hearts and minds have changed, and how that's begun to heal and repair our community."  Simmons is now taking those lessons national, through a non-profit called First Repair, and has worked with more than 100 communities.  "Cities are leading the reparations movement," she said. "The local reparations movement is fueling and making the case for a federal bill for reparations."  'What reparative justice can do'  U.S. public opinion has been broadly negative on reparations. While more than three-quarters of African Americans say descendants of the enslaved deserve compensation, just 18 per cent of White Americans agree, the Pew Research Center said.  Local efforts continue to see push back, with conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch accusing the Evanston program, for instance, of spending "tax dollars in a racially discriminatory manner" and violating the constitution.  Others such as Duke University economist William A. Darity Jr. Question local initiatives, noting an estimated national cost to eliminate the racial wealth gap at more than $16 trillion.  "Under those circumstances piecemeal reparations efforts at the state, local, or even individual level will be incomplete, inconsistent and inequitable," he said in an email.  "My central concern is pursuit of piecemeal reparations will lead to a circumstance where many people will conclude federal action is unnecessary."  Darity grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, which is undertaking its own reparations process.  In September, the city's African Heritage Reparation Assembly published its final report, calling for reparations to prioritize education, affordable housing and business opportunities.  Those priorities came out of a public engagement process that was "eye-opening" in highlighting the local Black experience, said Michele Miller, a former town councilor and chair of the reparations assembly.  "We have on the one hand this very progressive town, but when it comes to being a Black person walking down the street, we've heard over and over that sense of not being represented and feeling invisible," she said.  Officials have committed to a $2-million fund, and in coming months another body will delve into how exactly residents want to use the funds.  But the process has already been the first time Amherst has sought such insights from its Black residents, said Miller.  "Local reparations initiatives, while they will never replace a federal bill, they give people the experience of what reparative justice can do for our society on a very micro level," she said, "and so can build momentum for any larger movement."
—Reuters

Discover how Asheville and Evanston navigate reparations, addressing racial disparities. From data analysis to public opinion, local initiatives aim to build momentum for reparative justice.

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De Minaur stuns Medvedev, Tsitsipas defeats Evans at the Paris Masters

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De Minaur stuns Medvedev, Tsitsipas defeats Evans at the Paris Masters

Pankaj Sharma

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