ROTTERDAM (ANP) - De als eerste geplaatste Alex De Minaur heeft de finale bereikt van het tennistoernooi van Rotterdam. De Australiër klopte bij de laatste vier de Fransman Ugo Humbert, de nummer 36 van de wereld: 6-4 6-3. Het betekent zijn derde finaleplaats op rij in Rotterdam.

De Minaur had vrijdag in de kwartfinale veel moeite met Botic van de Zandschulp, maar won wel in drie sets. De nummer 8 van de wereld verloor vorig jaar in de eindstrijd van Carlos Alcaraz, het jaar daarvoor van Jannik Sinner. Zij zijn er dit jaar niet bij in Ahoy.

De Minaur (26) krijgt zondag een nieuwe kans, tegen Félix Auger-Aliassime of Alexander Boeblik. Zij spelen zaterdagavond tegen elkaar in de andere halve finale.

MILAAN (ANP) - De Nederlandse schaatssters hebben zich op de Olympische Spelen in Milaan geplaatst voor de halve finales op de ploegenachtervolging. Het team met Joy Beune, Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong en Marijke Groenewoud kwam tot 2.55,65 en dat was goed voor de derde tijd. Nederland neemt het in de halve finale op tegen Japan.

Regerend wereldkampioen Nederland was in de eerste rit tegen Kazachstan aanvankelijk langzamer dan de tegenstander. Het trio maakte die achterstand goed, maar er was even contact tussen de schaatsen van Rijpma-de Jong en Beune. Bij Kazachstan kwam Arina Ilyachshenko ten val.

De snelste vier teams op de ploegenachtervolging rijden dinsdag de halve finales. De winnaars van die twee ritten plaatsen zich voor de finale. De andere twee teams rijden om het brons. Titelverdediger Canada was het snelste met 2.55,03 en treft in de halve finale het team van de Verenigde Staten.

sz-da has added a photo to the pool:

From Lake Yogo (余呉湖)

Ilia Malinin entered the Olympic free skate as the runaway favorite. Early mistakes triggered a meltdown that laid bare the brutal math of modern figure skating

What made Ilia Malinin’s Olympic defeat so shocking was not simply his years-long dominance entering Friday night. It was how completely the competition had tilted in his favor before he even stepped on the ice.

For nearly three years, Malinin had been men’s skating’s guiding light: unbeaten since late 2023, winner of back-to-back world titles, the skater who recalibrated the sport’s technical ceiling and then made winning look procedural. He arrived at the Milano Ice Skating Arena leading by more than five points after the short program and carrying the most difficult planned program in the field. Under almost any normal competitive logic, that combination should have been decisive.

HMRC figures show 11% rise in young million-pound earners, with influencers and tech pay cited as key

Their generation is often derided for being work-shy, self-centred and overly sensitive. But when it comes to making money, people under 30 are proving they are something else entirely: successful.

A record 1,000 taxpayers under 30 earned more than £1m last year, an 11% increase on the year before, HMRC records show.

Wall Street Journal says Claude used in operation via Anthropic’s partnership with Palantir Technologies

Claude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a high-profile example of how the US defence department is using artificial intelligence in its operations.

The US raid on Venezuela involved bombing across the capital, Caracas, and the killing of 83 people, according to Venezuela’s defence ministry. Anthropic’s terms of use prohibit the use of Claude for violent ends, for the development of weapons or for conducting surveillance.

Militant group’s infrastructure and weapons storage facilities were hit, as Washington praised Damascus for fresh coalition role

The US military conducted 10 strikes on more than 30 Islamic State targets in Syria between 3 and 12 February as part of a campaign against the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.

US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on Saturday that the US had struck IS infrastructure and weapons storage targets.

• Norwegian-born skier storms to historic slalom gold

• ‘Your difference is your superpower,’ says 25-year-old

As the snow fell in Bormio, and the fog settled in, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made history by becoming the first South American to win a Winter Olympic medal. Then, as the realisation that he had won gold for Brazil in the men’s giant slalom, he collapsed to the floor and allowed the tears to flow.

“I just hope that Brazilians look at this and truly understand that your difference is your superpower,” he said, still sobbing away. “It may show up in your skin or in the way you dress. But I hope this inspires every kid out there who feels a bit different to trust who you are.”

For West Ham’s second string, barring a shock defeat this could barely have been a more uncomfortable afternoon. With the captain Jarrod Bowen among a clutch of regulars given a breather, it was Crysencio Summerville, a late substitute Nuno Espírito Santo would have rather kept fresh, who spared embarrassment at Burton Albion and helped them into the FA Cup fifth round. Four years ago at Kidderminster, in this competition, it was Declan Rice who entered to save their skin and it was a similar story here, Summerville’s extra-time strike preventing penalties.

West Ham squeezed through, Freddie Potts’s red card 11 minutes into extra time for crunching into the Burton substitute Julian Larsson ensuring a nervy finale, in which another sub Kain Adom skittled a stoppage-time shot against the side netting. For Gary Bowyer, Burton’s colourful head coach who was wearing boxing gloves when he greeted his squad in the dressing room, a nod to a theme adopted through this Cup run, they almost landed a knockout blow.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo: