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BRISBANE SET TO BE AWARDED 2032 OLYMPIC GAMES

Brisbane is poised to be confirmed as the host city for the 2032 Olympic Games next month.

The International Olympic Committee’s members will take the final decision at the IOC Session on July 21st in Tokyo, after the organisation’s executive board proposed Brisbane as Games hosts on Thursday.

The Australian city is the first selected under the IOC’s new preferred candidate system, which has been designed to avoid cities wasting money and resources on unsuccessful bids but has been criticised for lacking transparency.

Brisbane was awarded preferred bidder status in February and IOC president Thomas Bach said on Thursday that it had just one final hurdle to overcome.

“Now it’s in the hands of the IOC members,” the German said.

“The Future Host Commission looked at all aspects of Brisbane 2032 – the master venue plan, sustainability, feasibility, legacy and highlighting the impressive public support, as well as the strong support across the political spectrum.

“All of this made it irresistible. But we are not there yet, it is in the hands of the IOC members to vote on July 21.”

The IOC said Brisbane’s bid made use of 84 per cent existing or temporary venues, although local officials have suggested that The Gabba cricket ground could be demolished and rebuilt to become the lead venue for the Games.

When asked where this left other cities that might have been interested in hosting the Games, Bach said: “The advantage of this new (preferred host) approach is that we now already have a pool of interested parties who want to organise an Olympic Games in 2036 or even 2040.

“I think we can be extremely satisfied that this process just continues. The future of the Games look bright.”

Bach said remarkably little about the Tokyo Games, which are little over a month away and will take place amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the IOC and the other organisers were fully in “delivery mode” for the Games, and that he intended to arrive in Japan in mid-July for the series of meetings which precede the sporting action, with the opening ceremony taking place on July 23.

The third version of the athletes’ playbook – a detailed guide to the Covid-19 protocols in place for the Games – will be published next week.

Bach said the excitement he could sense from athletes for the Games to begin was beginning to rub off on him.

“The athletes…accept and respect these restrictions that we will all have to face,” he said.

“In the end it’s about their competition, their determination and their reward for working not only for four years but for many more years to prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of them.

“There you can also see this excitement and anticipation and this also helped and encouraged me to feel the same.”

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‘HE WAS GONE’; DENMARK DOCTOR CONFIRMS CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN SUFFERED CARDIAC ARREST

Denmark’s team doctor Morten Boesen has confirmed Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and that “he was gone” prior to being resuscitated.

Eriksen collapsed on Saturday during the first half of Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 match against Finland before being treated on the pitch and taken to hospital.

After it was later confirmed the Inter Milan midfielder was stable, his team-mates agreed to resume the fixture in Copenhagen, with Finland claiming a 1-0 win thanks to Joel Pohjanpalo’s 59th-minute goal.

At a press conference arranged by the Danish Football Federation on Sunday afternoon, Boesen said: “He was gone. We did cardiac resuscitation, it was a cardiac arrest.

“How close were we to losing him? I don’t know, but we got him back after one defib, so that’s quite fast.”

“We don’t have any explanation why it happened. The details about what happened I am not quite sure of because I am not a cardiologist, I will leave that to the experts. I didn’t see it live, only on screens afterwards.”

The team doctor revealed that Denmark’s players and staff were visited by a psychologist on Saturday night, and in hindsight feel the game should not have resumed.

“I don’t think the right decision was to play the game,” Boesen said. “We have had help from a psychological point of view at the hotel last night.

“Everyone expressed their feelings and how they saw the situation, and everyone was pleased we did this and talked it through.

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PATRIK SCHICK HALF WAY STUNNER SUNK SCOTLAND EURO OPENER

Scotland opened their first major tournament match in 23 years with a 2-0 defeat to Czech Republic at Euro 2020, with Patrik Schick scoring twice — including a goal of the tournament contender.

Bayer Leverkusen striker Schick’s header on 42 minutes put the Czechs in front at Hampden Park, before he scored an outrageous second from all of 54 yards out. It meant a disappointing return to tournament football for Scotland, who must now regroup for their showdown with England in Group D on Friday.

Scotland’s Stuart Armstrong told the BBC: “We’re disappointed with the way the first goal went in, apart from that we defended pretty well, and they showed real quality for the second goal. Not to say we didn’t have chances second half, we did, and tried to push. They were clinical. At this level you do need to be clinical.”

Scotland suffered a major blow ahead of the match, with Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney missing out through injury, while Czech head coach Jaroslav Silhavy named an unchanged XI from the side that beat Albania 3-1 in their final pre-tournament friendly.

A vociferous crowd of 12,000 urged Steve Clarke’s Scotland on as they returned to top level international football for the first time since their appearance at the 1998 World Cup — an absence of five European Championships and five World Cups. And Clarke’s men began brightly, with Liverpool’s Andy Robertson looking lively down the left and John McGinn having an effort blocked inside the area, but it was Czech Republic who had the match’s first big chance as Schick brought a good save out of David Marshall down to his right.

The attempt sparked a Scotland response, with Robertson’s cross from the left diverted wide by Lyndon Dykes, who was unable to add to his two goals in 11 appearances for his country. The attacks kept coming, with Robertson — comfortably his side’s best player in the first half — fizzing a powerful effort towards goal, but it was well tipped over by Tomas Vaclik in the Czech goal.

Scotland were the better side but they fell behind just before half time when they failed to clear a succession of corners, and Vladimir Coufal’s cross was met superbly by Schick, who nodded past Marshall to put his side in front.

The setback was a cruel blow to Clarke’s men just before the break but not unexpected, with Czech Republic scoring over half their goals in Euro 2020 qualifying from set plays. But following a sustained spell of pressure, Scotland could not keep the Czechs at bay as Schick nodded in.

Clarke brought on Che Adams for Ryan Christie for the second half and Scotland started brightly, with Jack Hendry seeing his effort cannon agonisingly off the bar. Vaclik then had to be alert and claw Tomas Kalas’ effort to safety when it looked certain he’d score an own goal.

But Schick’s remarkable second on 53 minutes settled the game in some style. Running on to the ball just near the half-way line, Schick sent a stunning, looping strike goalwards and it beat a shocked Marshall to make the game safe. At a distance of 54 yards, the Leverkusen striker’s effort stunned Hampden Park and ensured a place in history as the longest-range strike at a men’s European Championship or World Cup. It made it the joint-longest range effort across the men’s and women’s game, with Carli Lloyd also scoring from 54 yards in United States’ World Cup win over Japan in 2015.

On his wonder strike, Schick told the BBC: “I saw him [off his line], I checked in the first half when this situation would come. I was checking where he was standing.

“It’s always hard to play against us, we have a lot of hardworking players.

“Scotland were a tough opponent. But we were ready for their tactics.”

Vaclik was then at his best to deny Scotland a route back into the game, sticking a leg out to deny Dykes’ effort inside the area, and Czech Republic negotiated the final moments to open with three important points.

Silhavy said Schick’s goal was the kind of effort the player has attempted before in matches and training.

“We know he is a genius and he knows how to finish,” Silhavy said. “The second goal was something out of this world. He likes to try that in training and he tried it in one of our previous games as well.”

Clarke refused to blame his goalkeeper for conceding the goal.

“If [Marshall] had been on his line he would have caught it but sometimes you have to credit the goalscorer,” Clarke told an online news conference after the clash at Hampden Park.

“He produced a marvellous finish and from there it becomes a difficult afternoon. We showed good invention and had chances to get back into the game but the breaks went against us at the wrong time.

“Disappointed but we have to get ready for the next one. We’ll look at what we did right and what we did wrong. We didn’t come here for a learning experience, we came here to be competitive.

“Sometimes a football match doesn’t go your way and today was that day.”

Scotland next face England at Wembley on Friday, while Czech Republic take on Croatia at Hampden Park earlier on the same day.

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MESSI SCORES STUNNER BUT CHILE HOLD ARGENTINA TO DRAW

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi scored a stunning free kick, but Chile hit back to earn a 1-1 draw in the Copa America on Monday.

Messi’s magical left foot gave dominant Argentina a deserved first half lead, but Eduardo Vargas equalized in the second half after Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved veteran midfielder Arturo Vidal’s penalty.

Before the Group B game started in the Nelson Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro, there was a tribute to Argentina legend Diego Maradona, although the ground was empty due to coronavirus restrictions.

The first chance fell to Messi eight minutes in as Leandro Paredes picked out Nicolas Tagliafico on the left, and the fullback nodded the ball down for his captain, who sent a volley wide.

Minutes later, Giovani Lo Celso crossed from the left, but a sliding Lautaro Martinez could only spoon the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Argentina were in total command, and Lo Celso picked out Nicolas Gonzalez to shoot from 20 yards, but goalkeeper Claudio Bravo got down well to his right to tip the ball around the post.

From Messi’s corner, Gonzalez headed over the bar, and moments later, he was released by Lo Celos but shot straight at Bravo.

It would be a frustrating night for Gonzalez.

Argentina got the goal their domination deserved 33 minutes in, and inevitably, it was Messi who scored, curling a free kick from 25 yards out just beyond Bravo’s dive.

They should have had a second soon afterward, but teed up by Gonzalo Montiel 10 yards out, Martinez screwed his shot horribly wide.

Chile started the second half with more intent, and Erick Pulgar played Vargas into the area, but his shot on the stretch was saved by Martinez.

However, Vidal stormed in to try to fire home the rebound and was caught by Tagliafico as he shot.

Referee Wilmar Roldan consulted VAR and then awarded a penalty.

Martinez tipped Vidal’s effort onto the crossbar, but Vargas was quickest to the ball to head home the equalizer.

Argentina were soon back on the attack, but Chile center-back Gary Medel blocked a volley from Gonzalez, who later headed over from a Messi free kick.

Twenty minutes from time, Messi created space in the box, but Bravo was down well to save his low shot.

Gonzalez’s night to forget would get worse 10 minutes from time when he ran onto a perfect chipped pass from Messi but headed over from just seven yards out when it looked easier to score.

It was his last involvement, as he was substituted before Bravo took the goal kick.

Argentina kept pushing, but Messi headed over the bar in injury time as Chile held on for a point.

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MANCHESTER UNITED DEBTS WON’T HAMPER TRANSFER PLANS – JOE GLAZER

Joel Glazer has defended Manchester United debt levels and the dividend payments his family have issued to themselves and says it will not stop the club from competing at the top of the transfer market.

The Glazer family have taken heavy criticism from supporters during their 16-year ownership after paying out more than £1 billion to finance the debt created by their leveraged buy-out in 2005.

The American owners have also taken out more than £100 million in dividend payments, but during a fan forum event held earlier this month Joel Glazer defended their model.

“We think that Manchester United is a very well run club, and we think clubs throughout football could take a look at us, and there’s a lot of good to be seen when it comes to some of these things that are controversial,” Glazer, who was quoted from the minutes from the forum that were released on Monday, said.

“We’re able to spend with the top clubs throughout Europe, whether it’s wages or transfer fees, we’ve been able to keep our ticket prices low, we’ve not increased them in over 10 years.

“We’re able to pay a dividend but it’s a modest proportion of our five to six hundred million pounds of revenue; it’s less than three percent of that.

“We have debt, but a lot of other clubs do have debt as well. We pay a very low interest rate, mostly fixed interest debt. So, if interest rates went up it would not affect us, but we had made progress in reducing our debt over the last several years. The net debt was meaningfully reduced a couple years ago.”

United have gone eight years without a league title and 13 years since lifting the Champions League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer guided the team to a second-place finish in the Premier League last season, but they still fell 12 points short of champions Manchester City.

Sources say that United are closing in on a £77m deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho as they look to bridge the gap with City and Glazer insists the club is in a position to invest in the squad.

“It [debt and dividend payments] has never stood in the way of us pursuing players or transfers on the pitch,” he said. “We may have walked away from transfers at times because the other side wanted an outlandish number. And while it’s easy to pay it that one time, it does have consequences.

“You do it once and the next person expects it, and then the next person expects it. And that’s not good, ultimately, for the club. So, we think that we’re able to accomplish all these things and still have.

“We’re going to keep investing on the pitch, which we did last year, and we plan on doing it meaningfully this year. So, we feel that we’re in a good spot.”

As well as Sancho, Solskjaer is keen to bring in at least two more players to immediately strengthen the first team with centre-backs, central midfielders, strikers and right-backs all being considered.

Glazer admits the club have suffered a financial hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but believes United are in a position to mount a serious challenge for trophies if the summer transfer window goes well.

“The pandemic hit and we have had to use a lot of our cash reserves because we didn’t have any supporters in the stands, we didn’t have the matchday revenue, and that has affected us, like it’s affected all the clubs throughout Europe,” he said.

“The difference is we’ve been able to keep investing. We’re strong.

“Any other club that has won titles recently had years where they didn’t win the league, then they moved up, they were successful and then everybody appreciates the way their structure is set up.

“We think we’re on that path. We feel very good about where we’re at. But at the end of the day, we all share the same goal; to win trophies.

“And we will make sure that everything is being done to put us in the best position to win trophies, we’ll continue to do that. And we think we’ve set up a structure behind the scenes to deliver success.”

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COPA AMERICA: NEYMAR STARS AS BRAZIL OPEN CUP DEFENCE WITH CONVINCING WIN OVER VENEZUELA

Neymar was on target as Brazil opened their Copa America defence with a 3-0 win over Venezuela at Estadio Nacional on Monday.

Hosting the tournament after it had been moved from Colombia and Argentina amid political unrest in the former and a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the latter, Brazil were never troubled by a Venezuela side that had reported 12 positive coronavirus tests amongst their ranks earlier this week.

Marquinhos got them on their way midway through the first half with his third international goal before Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar doubled their advantage from the penalty spot in the 64th minute.

Brazil – who finished with 18 shots to Venezuela’s three – added a third late on when substitute Gabriel Barbosa turned home a Neymar cross from close range.

Brazil started on the front foot and twice went close early on, Joel Graterol keeping out Richarlison and Eder Militao heading wide from a teasing Renan Lodi cross.

They were rewarded for their bright start in the 23rd minute when Marquinhos flicked home from close range after Neymar’s corner had fallen kindly to him.

Richarlison saw an effort ruled out for offside soon after, while Neymar dragged wide from a promising position as Brazil failed to extend their advantage before the interval.

Neymar was unable to steer home a Gabriel Jesus cross at the start of the second period, but he stroked home from the spot shortly after the hour mark after Danilo had been clipped in the area by Yohan Cumana.

Late on Neymar turned provider for Brazil’s third in the 89th minute, rounding Graterol and crossing for Barbosa to chest home from almost on the line.

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COLOMBIA EDGE ECUADOR IN COPA AMERICA OPENER

Colombia opened up their Copa America participation on Sunday with a narrow 1-0 victory over Ecuador in Group A play thanks to what may end up being the goal of the tournament. Los Cafeteros were far from convincing and were outshot by Gustavo Alfaro’s side, but a moment of magic in the first half was enough to secure the three points, though they needed VAR in the end.

A perfectly executed set piece, started and finished by Boca Juniors midfielder Edwin Cardona, gave Reinaldo Reuda’s team all they needed on the night. Here is the set piece, and watch how Cardona combines with his teammates with the ball ultimately falling to him in the heart of the box:

It was initially called offside, but VAR confirmed to ref Nestor Pitana that the goal was valid. It was one that had clearly been practiced countless times on the training ground. Executing it in a match is certainly more challenging, but Colombia made it look easy with the in-sync squad pulling off quite the golazo.

That victory puts Colombia in second place in Group A for the time being and also puts them well on their way to advancing to the quarterfinals. As for Ecuador, they should be fine assuming they can get three points on Sunday when they take on struggling Venezuela.

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EURO 2020: NETHERLANDS EDGE OUT UKRAINE IN FIVE-GOAL THRILLER

The Netherlands made a dramatic return to major tournament football, snatching a late 3-2 victory over Ukraine having squandered a two-goal lead in their Euro 2020 opener.

The side had failed to qualify for the previous European Championships and the 2018 World Cup and began their return to the big stage looking like they were desperate to make up for lost time.

But having gone 2-0 up with less than an hour to go through Georginio Wijnaldum and Wout Weghorst they collapsed, conceding twice in four minutes to Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk.

However, they were rescued by PSV defender Denzel Dumfries who headed home his first international goal at the far post with five minutes remaining, having earlier wasted a great chance with the game goalless.

Frank De Boer’s side registered seven shots in the opening 15 minutes alone with two of their most experienced players, Mephis Depay and Wijnaldum, running the show.

But a combination of ineffective finishing and goalkeeper Georgiy Buschan meant they were frustrated for 52 minutes before the previously impeccable goalkeeper pushed Dumfries’ cross straight out to the former Liverpool midfielder and he calmly passed the ball into the net for his 23rd goal in 76 appearances.

Coincidentally, the new Paris St Germain signing was the last player to score for Holland at a major tournament, 2,528 days ago at the 2014 World Cup.

Weghorst, who had been relatively ineffective, fired home his first international competitive goal seven minutes later but the celebrations in Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena were cut short when West Ham winger Yarmolenko curled home a brilliant effort before Yaremchuk’s powerful header levelled up the Group C encounter.

At that point there was the potential for the hosts to implode completely but the 25-year-old Dumfries picked the perfect time to open his Oranje account and make it a memorable return after a seven-year absence.

Such was their dominance De Boer’s side should have cruised to victory.

Lyon’s former Manchester United forward Depay set the tone with a one-man counter-attack from 15 yards inside his own half with barely two minutes on the clock, forcing the first of a number of saves from Buschan.

With both wing-backs in the 3-5-2 formation pushing on it was no surprise to see the right-sided Dumfries regularly appearing in the final third but there was no excuse for him missing a free header from Depay’s cross five minutes before the interval.

It was, merely, a prelude to what turned into an exciting finish in which Ukraine’s goalkeeper had played his part, making the save of the match as, wrong-footed, he stuck out a left hand to keep out Wijnaldum’s deflected first-half volley.

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EURO 2020: AUSTRIA CLINCH HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY OVER NORTH MACEDONIA

Austria struck twice late on to ensure North Macedonia’s debut at a major tournament ended in a spirited 3-1 defeat in Romania.

Igor Angelovski’s side broke new ground by qualifying for Euro 2020 after a play-off win over Georgia last November.

And, having gone behind to Stefan Lainer’s impressive finish, North Macedonia equalised in the first half when 37-year-old striker Goran Pandev became the European Championship’s second oldest goalscorer.

But, like they did twice in qualifying, they came unstuck against the Austrians, who secured their maiden win at a Euros thanks to efforts from second-half substitutes Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic.

Lainer netted in his country’s 2-1 triumph over North Macedonia last November and needed just 18 minutes to haunt them again courtesy of a fine finish.

The right-back ghosted in at the back post and, having timed his run to perfection, volleyed home Marcel Sabitzer’s drilled angled cross.

Austria almost doubled their advantage soon after, but the unmarked Sasa Kalajdzic stabbed Sabitzer’s cross straight at Stole Dimitrievski.

But, just as Franco Foda’s side looked set to dominate, North Macedonia hit back in the 27th minute through star man Pandev, who had struck the play-off winner against Georgia.

The former Inter Milan player registered another important goal for his country, his 38th, by tapping into an empty net after goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann raced out and failed to gather following a defensive mix-up.

Aleksandar Trajkovski looked fortunate to receive only a yellow card after appearing to elbow Aleksandar Dragovic in an aerial challenge.

Bachmann made amends for his earlier error by diving at the feet of Boban Nikolov to deny the wing-back after Eljif Elmas’ exquisite pass carved the Austria defence open.

Dimitrievski then came to his side’s rescue at the other end, diving full stretch to keep out Gregoritsch’s smart header.

But the striker was not to be denied 12 minutes from time, nipping in ahead of Dimitrievski to prod home David Alaba’s pinpoint cross.

Austria sensed blood and attempted to kill off the game, with Sabitzer having a shot blocked before they struck again at the death.

Former West Ham forward Arnautovic got in behind the North Macedonia defence and went past Dimitrievski before rolling the ball into the net.

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC CLINCHES 19TH GRANDSLAM TITLE WITH COME BACK WIN AT FRENCH OPEN FINAL

Novak Djokovic rewrote the history books once again by fighting back from two sets to love down to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas and win a 19th grand slam title at the French Open.

The world number one is now only a single title behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the all-time list and is the first man in the Open era to win all the slams at least twice.

It appeared Djokovic had passed the big test by handing Rafael Nadal just his third defeat at Roland Garros on Friday but the effort it took to achieve that seemed to weigh heavily in the world number one’s arms and legs.

Tsitsipas saved a set point to win a compelling opener on a tie-break and looked to be cruising towards the title when he comfortably took the second but Djokovic showed once again why he can never be written off, willing himself to a 6-7 (6) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory.

The Serbian barely had the energy to celebrate and, after sharing a moment at the net with his opponent, he crouched down on the court before pointing to the sky while Tsitsipas sat with his head buried in a towel.

Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer have guarded the slams like a fiefdom, repelling one generation after the next. There is no doubt Tsitsipas’ generation are getting closer but, even in their mid and late thirties, the big three still refuse to allow their fingers to be prised off the biggest trophies.

Djokovic had never successfully come back from two sets down in a grand slam final but, having lost in the final four times in Paris, including last year to Nadal, he was determined not to let another chance slip away.

Tsitsipas is not a man lacking in self-belief or ambition, so it was no surprise to see him handle the occasion well.

He faced two break points in the opening game but stood firm to hold and that became very important in the context of what followed.

Djokovic took a heavy tumble in the seventh game as he sprinted to try to reach a drop shot but was untroubled on serve until the ninth game when, out of nowhere, Tsitsipas created a set point.

Djokovic showed what makes him arguably the toughest competitor tennis has ever seen by turning himself into a wall from the baseline in a long point to save it, and then put himself in the driving seat with a break for 6-5.

But, with the sun in his eyes, Djokovic could not serve it out and then found himself 5-2 down in the tie-break.

The change of ends helped him win four points in a row to create a set point but Tsitsipas thumped a forehand into the corner to show that he was not going to give it away and it was Djokovic who faltered on his opponent’s second chance, dragging a forehand wide.

The Serbian has been renowned during his decade of dominance for his powers of recovery but he turned 34 last month and there were soon signs that Friday’s physical and mental epic had taken its toll.

Tsitsipas broke serve again to start the second set and Djokovic, the king of gruelling rallies, began to try to shorten the points, unable to trade with his much younger rival.

Djokovic likened beating Nadal in Paris to climbing Mount Everest, and even the fittest mountaineers would surely not be found up another mountain two days later.

He left the court at the end of the set, knowing if there was to be a renaissance it needed to be quick, and he made the breakthrough to lead 3-1, taking a fifth break point after Tsitsipas had brilliantly saved the first four.

There was no big display of emotion, Djokovic presumably saving all the energy he had for the court, but he found precision in offence that frustrated Tsitsipas.

By the fourth set it was the Greek, who took a medical time-out for treatment to his lower back, looking fatigued and he knew he had to dig in at the start of the decider.

The 22-year-old had done just that in his semi-final against Alexander Zverev but this was Djokovic at the other end and, despite fighting hard, a frustrated Tsitsipas was unable to keep his dream alive.

He raised his level again and saved a match point with a glorious backhand winner but Djokovic put away an overhead on his second chance.