The China Mail - Djokovic beats Alcaraz for Olympic gold as Lyles bids for 100m glory

Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in a repeat of their Wimbledon final this year, with the Serb competing in his fifth Games and winning an enthralling final 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) on the Roland Garros clay.

It means the 37-year-old adds the Olympic title to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs.

"We almost played three hours, the final shot was the only moment when I was sure I could win the match," said Djokovic, who had lost heavily to Alcaraz at Wimbledon last month.

Scottie Scheffler won a compelling men's golf tournament with victory over Britain's Tommy Fleetwood.

The American world number one hit a course record-equalling 62 at Le Golf National to edge out silver medallist Fleetwood on 19-under-par for the tournament, as Japan's Hideki Matsuyama took bronze.

- Sprint showdown -

US sprint star Lyles will draw much of the focus on a packed ninth day of action, with the Stade de France's lilac track the setting for the men's 100m showdown.

The Americans will be smarting after hot favourite Sha'Carri Richardson suffered a surprise defeat to Julien Alfred in the rain-soaked women's 100m final on Saturday.

Alfred's gold was the first medal in Olympic history for the tiny Caribbean nation of St Lucia.

No US athlete -- man or woman -- has won the 100m since Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Games.

Lyles, 27, has long claimed he is the rightful heir to Usain Bolt, the peerless Jamaican whose reign as Olympic sprint king stretched for three Games.

The American, who won the world title last year, has announced he is "ready to transcend the sport".

Lyles will be looking to set down a marker when the semi-finals take place at 1805 GMT. The final takes place at 1950 GMT.

Jamaica's Kishane Thompson looked in ominous form in the heat while Italy's Marcell Jacobs, defending Olympic champion after his stunning win in the Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics, scraped through.

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh goes in the women's high jump final, having set the world record of 2.10 metres in Paris a few weeks ago.

Her war-torn nation celebrated a first Paris Games gold when their women's sabre fencing team triumphed on Saturday.

Two-time world champion Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 200m heats in a blow for Jamaica, so long a sprinting powerhouse.

The withdrawal of Jackson, who had already pulled out of the 100m, follows that of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from the shorter sprint.

- Chinese dominate table tennis -

In other action, Fan Zhendong clinched Olympic gold in the men's singles table tennis, maintaining the Chinese stranglehold on the sport and ending a fairytale run for shock finalist Truls Moregard from Sweden.

Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour conjured up "the performance of her life" to become the first African to win an Olympic gymnastics medal as she triumphed on the uneven bars.

Former Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marin withdrew in tears from her women's singles semi-final after her right knee buckled in distressing scenes during her match against China's He Bingjiao.

In early action on Sunday, Lin Yu-ting, the Taiwanese boxer engulfed in a major gender controversy, guaranteed herself at least bronze after convincingly winning her quarter-final.

Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is also certain to win a medal, were disqualified from last year's world championships after failing gender eligibility tests, but were cleared to box in the French capital.

On the final day of swimming at La Defense Arena, crowd favourite Leon Marchand targets a remarkable fifth gold of these Games in the 4x100m medley relay.

G.Fung--ThChM