SINNER BREAKS DJOKOVIC RECORD WITH 32ND STRAIGHT MASTERS WIN IN ROME — BBC Sport
Jannik Sinner has broken Novak Djokovic’s all-time record of successive match wins at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments by recording the 32nd straight victory of his historic streak to reach the Italian Open semi-finals. The Italian world number one overpowered 12th seed Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-4 to continue his bid to join Djokovic as only the second man to win all nine Masters 1000 titles. Sinner, 24, appears in unstoppable form before the French Open — the only major standing between him and a career Grand Slam — begins on 24 May. He has joined Spanish great Rafael Nadal as the only other man to reach semi-finals at each of the first five Masters 1000 events in a season. “I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story,” Sinner told the crowd. He has won 45 of his past 47 matches across all tournaments, has triumphed at Masters level in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Paris this year, and is closing in on a sixth consecutive Masters title — the first player in history to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
ETHIOPIAN MARATHON RUNNER YEBRGUAL MELESE DIES AGED 36 — BBC Sport
Ethiopian long-distance runner Yebrgual Melese has died at the age of 36 after falling ill during a routine training session in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Melese, the winner of marathons in Houston, Prague and Shanghai, had been preparing for a race in Ottawa on 24 May. She was rushed to hospital but died despite the efforts of medical staff. No further details have been made public. “The Ethiopian Athletics Federation expresses its deep sorrow over the sudden passing of this heroic athlete and offers condolences to her family, friends and fans,” the governing body said. Her best result in one of the seven World Marathon Majors came in 2015 when she finished second in the Chicago Marathon.