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Australian Open: Contrasting first-round wins for teenager Alcaraz and Shapovalov

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Spanish teenager and last year’s US Open quarterfinalist Carlos Alcaraz lived up to his status as a first-time Grand Slam seed as the world No. 31 scored a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Chilean qualifier Alejando Tabilo on Day One of the Australian Open here on Monday.

The 18-year-old Alcaraz’s first serves proved too much for the 24-year-old Tabilo, who was making his second Grand Slam main-draw appearance, as the Spaniard put his game on full display after an offseason spent on improving his skills.

“I felt really good,” said Alcaraz after the match. “I didn’t expect that this first match was going to be really good for me. I played a great level the first match of the season. Really good feelings… hope the next matches are going to be the same.”

With Alcaraz at No. 31 and Tabilo at No. 135, it was never going to be an easy job for the latter and the gap in the rankings showed as the Spaniard advanced comfortably after the pair traded early breaks.

Alcaraz went on a six-game winning streak to wrestle away control. The Spaniard built his opening-round game on intense aggression from the baseline, but he also deftly mixed well-placed returns in building the lead.

Alcaraz faced just one break point in the match, while breaking seven times in 16 chances of his own.

“I’m starting to get more comfortable on hard court than on clay courts,” said Alcaraz. “I think the most tournaments of the year are on hard court, so you have to be ready.”

Alcaraz enters the new year on the heels of a breakout year that also saw him reach the US Open quarterfinals, win his first ATP title (Umag) and break into the ATP’s top-40 for the first time. Alcaraz had started the 2021 season inside the top-150.

This season, his goals include reaching the top-15 and playing in the Nitto ATP Finals.

“It’s a really good goal for me, but so difficult as well,” he said.

With the top quarter of the Australian Open draw now missing world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz will take on Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who defeated Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-1. One step further, No. 7 seed from Italy Matteo Berrettini looms as a potential third-round opponent.

Less than a fortnight after helping Canada win the ATP Cup, Denis Shapovalov survived a first-round matchup against Croatia’s Laslo Djere. After being two points away from a fifth set, the Canadian advanced in four, 7-6(3), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3). Djere had an opportunity to serve for both the first and fourth sets, but each time the No. 14 Canadian seed denied him.

“I felt like the fourth set was slipping away from me after that set point,” Shapovalov said in his on-court interview. “But I’m very happy with the outcome.

“He did a great dob to come back from two sets to none,” Shapovalov was quoted as saying by atptour.com. “He changed his tactics, tried to go for it more and was very tricky.”

Next up for the Canadian is South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon, who edged past Holger Rune of Denmark 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Bollywood

Delhi HC adjourns Salman Khan’s plea against release of ‘Kala Hiran’ till July 1

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New Delhi, June 19: The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s plea seeking to restrain the release of the proposed film “Kala Hiran”, without granting any interim relief at this stage.

A vacation Bench of Justice Madhu Jain directed that a complete copy of the plaint and accompanying documents be supplied to the respondent filmmaker and listed the matter for hearing on July 1.

During the hearing, Salman Khan’s counsel, advocate Nizam Pasha, submitted that the film is purportedly based on the actor’s life and has been produced without his consent.

While pressing for interim relief, Pasha also informed the high court that the poster and trailer of the film had already been released, though the release date of the movie is yet to be announced.

Opposing the plea for urgent relief, counsel appearing for the filmmakers submitted that they had not been served the complete set of documents in the case.

“On Wednesday, they served me only a copy of the application, not the plaint,” the counsel argued, adding that the filmmakers were receiving death threats over the project and that an FIR had already been lodged.

After hearing the parties, the Delhi High Court directed Salman Khan to furnish the complete set of documents, including the plaint, to the respondent and fixed the matter for arguments on July 1. Shortly thereafter, the actor’s counsel mentioned the matter again and contended that the filmmakers had already been served, seeking an earlier hearing date.

However, Justice Jain observed that the matter had already been listed in July and declined to advance the hearing.

The dispute reached the Delhi High Court days after Salman Khan’s legal team issued a notice to the makers of “Kala Hiran: The Battle for Legacy”, asking them to halt the release of the film and remove all promotional material, including posters and publicity content.

Directed by Bharat S. Shrinet and produced by Amit Jani, the film is inspired by the blackbuck poaching case involving Salman Khan and also portrays his alleged rivalry with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The makers have described it as a blend of courtroom drama and crime thriller mounted on an international scale.

The controversy surrounding the film has intensified in recent days, with producer Jani alleging that he has been receiving death threats ahead of the movie’s release. On June 18, Jani claimed that a Pakistani terrorist had threatened him with a drone and grenade attack over the film and said that he had informed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajasthan Police, and CRPF officials. Subsequently, Jani alleged that he received a second death threat within 24 hours.

In a complaint lodged with police in Jodhpur, he claimed that an unidentified caller, identifying himself as a Salman Khan fan, threatened to kill him within three days. The producer urged authorities to immediately register a case and arrest the accused.

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AICWA demands high-level investigation into actor Sanchita Ugale’s suicide

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Mumbai, June 15: The sudden demise of actress Sanchita Ugale has left the entire television industry in a state of shock.

All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) President Suresh Shyamlal Gupta has now urged the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, to order a high-level inquiry into the death of Sanchita Ugale.

AICWA has requested an in-depth investigation into every possible angle of the case to ensure justice to the deceased and his family.

An official statement shared by the Association read, “Her untimely departure has left her family shattered and the entire Indian film industry mourning the loss of a young talent whose memories will live on forever.”

“Every life is precious. The truth behind this tragic incident must come out, and the family of Sanchita Ugale deserves nothing less than a fair, impartial, and thorough investigation. AICWA urges the authorities to leave no stone unturned and to ensure that all aspects of this case are examined with complete transparency,” they further shared

AICWA has further urged the Government of Maharashtra and the concerned authorities to establish a dedicated committee to examine the increasing number of deaths and mental health-related crises being reported within the entertainment industry.

Additionally, they have also asked to review the safety, well-being, and support systems available to the artists.

“In recent years, the Indian entertainment industry has witnessed several deaths and alleged suicide cases. In many instances, questions raised by family members, colleagues, and the public have remained unanswered. Therefore, it is essential that investigators examine all available evidence, circumstances, and possible angles in this case with complete transparency,” the statement further read.

According to police reports, Sanchita Ugale died by suicide at her residence in Sai Santoshi Building, in Nalasopara East, Mumbai. The unfortunate incident took place on June 14 between 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm.

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Ajay Devgn’s ‘Dhamaal 4’ gets a release date, movie to hit theatres on July 10, 2026

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Mumbai, June 10: The makers of ‘Dhamaal 4’ have officially announced the theatrical release date of the much-awaited comedy entertainer.

Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn on Wednesday, shared a brand-new poster from the film, revealing that the latest installment of the popular ‘Dhamaal’ franchise will arrive in cinemas on July 10, 2026.

Earlier on Tuesday Ajay had shared another poster that featured Ajay Devgn himself and veteran actor Sanjay Mishra hanging precariously from a rocky cliff as they appear to be on a treasure hunt.

Sharing the poster on, Ajay wrote, “Inn dono ka hai ek hi goal, to get their hands on gold.”

Directed by Indra Kumar, Dhamaal 4 will bring back the franchise’s signature blend of slapstick humour, treasure hunts and larger-than-life comic situations.

The film stars Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi and Sanjay Mishra in key roles.

The ensemble cast also includes Esha Gupta, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Anjali Anand, Upendra Limaye, Vijay Patkar and Ravi Kishan.

For the uninitiated, Dhamaal franchise began with the 2007 hit Dhamaal, followed by Double Dhamaal in 2011 and Total Dhamaal in 2019.

Produced by Ajay Devgn, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ashok Thakeria, Indra Kumar, Anand Pandit and Kumar Mangat Pathak, Dhamaal 4 is presented by T-Series in association with Devgn Films, Maruti International and Panorama Studios.

Earlier, Riteish Deshmukh had also unveiled a quirky new character poster from the upcoming comedy entertainer. The poster showed Riteish hanging precariously from a cliff edge in the middle of a dense jungle while a frightened Anjali Anand is seen struggling to hold on to him. Adding to the chaos, a monkey is seen swinging nearby and a snake is wrapped around his leg.

Sharing the poster, Riteish wrote, “Get ready to join the most unplanned and unstoppable treasure hunt ever”.

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