1. Federer, Serena Pull Out of International Premier Tennis League
Roger Federer and Serena Williams have pulled out of the International Premier Tennis League ahead of the tournament's Indian leg next week due to economic "uncertainty", organisers said on Tuesday.
India has been gripped by a cash crunch after the government withdrew high denomination from circulation last month.
We have had challenges this year and we are hoping to get past them. With the current economic climate in India and uncertainty of spending money, I reached out to both Roger (Federer) and Serena (Williams) to explain the situation. They have been very supportive of the IPTL in the first two seasons and we look forward to bringing them in the future.Mahesh Bhupathi, Founder, IPTL
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2. Turan Upstages Messi as Barca Crush Gladbach
Arda Turan grabbed a hat-trick to lead Barcelona to a 4-0 rout of Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday while Lionel Messi fell short of equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League group stage goal record.
Things looked promising for the Argentina maestro when he played a one-two with Turan and fired the ball into the corner of the net in the 16th minute.
However, the second half belonged to Turan who was playing instead of the suspended Neymar.
The Turkish striker doubled Barca's lead in the 50th minute, arriving at the far post to nod in Denis Suarez's deflected cross, and netted again in the 53rd as he produced a crisp finish after a cut-back from the lively Aleix Vidal.
Turan completed his first treble for Barca by turning in Paco Alcacer's cross from close range, squeezing the ball past goalkeeper Yann Sommer's near post in the 67th minute.
Other results:
Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid 1-0
Manchester City drew 1-1 with Celtic
(Source: Reuters)
3. Lucas’ Hat-Trick in Basel Seals Top Spot for Arsenal
Spanish striker Lucas Perez seized his chance to shine with a Champions League treble as Arsenal outclassed Basel 4-1 away to steal Group A top spot from Paris St Germain on Tuesday.
Perez, making only his fifth start since joining from Deportivo La Coruna for around 17 million pounds ($21.55 million) in August, struck twice from close range inside the opening 16 minutes.
He netted again two minutes after the break to become only the sixth Arsenal player to score a hat-tick in the competition.
Alex Iwobi made it 4-0 after 53 minutes and it could have been even better for Arsenal as Alexis Sanchez rattled the crossbar with a fizzing free kick.
The St Jakob-Park crowd finally had something to warm them on a cold night when substitute Seydou Doumbia flicked in a consolation after a skilful turn in the area.
(Source: Reuters)
4. MCA Forces BCCI to Change Ranji Schedule; Bengal All But Out
Under tremendous pressure from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), the BCCI today revoked its original decision to reschedule Bengal's smog-hit 7-10 November Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat, which was cancelled, awarding a point to each team.
It effectively means Bengal, now with 18 points from seven matches, are all but out of the contention as they play their last round group league encounter against Madhya Pradesh from Wednesday at the Airforce ground in Palam and need to win with a bonus (7 points) to harbour any chance to making it to the knock-outs.
(Source: PTI)
5. Djokovic Splits With Coach Becker
Tennis world number two Novak Djokovic has split with coach Boris Becker three years after adding the German grand slam winner to his team.
Serbian Djokovic confirmed their parting of ways on his website on Tuesday.
"After three very successful years, Boris Becker and I have jointly decided to end our cooperation," Djokovic, who lost his number one ranking to Andy Murray last month, said.
The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled, and I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment.Novak Djokovic
Djokovic, 29, has won six of his 12 grand slam titles since hiring Becker in December 2013.
(Source: Reuters)