Sevilla on Thursday sent Manchester United crashing out of the Europa League after securing a 5-2 win on aggregate in the quarter-final. With the tie balanced at 2-2 after the first leg in Old Trafford, Sevilla won 3-0 at home to set up a semi-final clash against Juventus.
World No 1 Iga Swiatek began her Stuttgart Open defence by beating Zheng Qinwen in straight sets while Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was forced out due to injury.
In Barcelona, Carlos Alcaraz beat fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the quarter-finals while in Munich, Germany’s Alexander Zverev lost in the round of 16.
Here’s a look at the key stories from international sporting events through the day for 21 April, 2023:
Sevilla, Juventus win
Manchester United imploded in Seville in the Europa League on Thursday while Juventus completed a good evening for the club by holding on away to Sporting and advancing to the semi-finals.
In the quarter-final second legs, United succumbed 3-0 at Sevilla to go out 5-2.
Juventus hung on to draw 1-1 with Sporting in Lisbon to advance 2-1 on aggregate while Bayer Leverkusen won 4-1 in Belgium to eliminate Union Saint-Gilloise 5-2.
Jose Mourinho’s Roma beat Feyenoord 4-1 after extra time to advance 4-2.
United, who led by two goals with six minutes left in the first leg before conceding a pair of late own goals, completed the collapse in Spain.
Goalkeeper David de Gea had a disastrous night as lacklustre United were dispatched by the six-time competition winners.
Juventus received potentially good news earlier in the evening when Italy’s highest sporting court revoked a 15-point Serie A points deduction for illicit transfer activity but asked that the case should be re-examined.
In Lisbon, Juventus started fast as Adrian Rabiot spun and scored after Sporting failed to clear a ninth-minute corner.
The French midfielder then fouled Manuel Ugarte in the penalty area and Marcus Edwards converted the 20th-minute penalty.
Juventus will next face Sevilla and coach Massimiliano Allegri said he had thought the writing was on the wall for United.
In Brussels, Union Saint-Gilloise could not claim a second German scalp as Leverkusen won 4-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
After a cagey first hour in Rome, Leonardo Spinazzola levelled the tie for the home team with a deflected shot.
Paixao flicked Feyenoord level on the night and ahead on aggregate. But in the final seconds of regular time, Paulo Dybala scored for Roma to send the tie to extra time.
Stephan El Shaarawy struck from close range to put Roma ahead 11 minutes into extra time and Lorenzo Pellegrini scored from a rebound three minutes into the second period.
In the Europa Conference League, Fiorentina blew a three-goal first-leg advantage over Lech Poznan before scoring twice in the last 12 minutes to lose 3-2 at home but advance 6-4 on aggregate.
Gent took the lead against West Ham at the London Stadium when Hugo Cuypers put them ahead on aggregate after 20 minutes.
But Michail Antonio scored twice, Lucas Paqueta converted a penalty and Declan Rice also scored in a comfortable 4-1 win for West Ham to advance 5-2 on aggregate.
France’s last representative in Europe, Nice went out 3-2 on aggregate after losing 2-1 in extra time at home to Basel. Kasim Adams headed the deciding goal in the 98th minute.
Swiatek makes winning return in Stuttgart
World number one Iga Swiatek reached the quarter-finals of the WTA Stuttgart event with a straight-sets win over Zheng Qinwen on Thursday on her return from injury.
The Pole won 6-1, 6-4 as a dominant first set put her on course for victory in just under 90 minutes at the clay-court tournament.
After Zheng broke to lock the second set at 4-4, the two-time French Open winner broke back immediately and then served out the match.
Swiatek withdrew from the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers with a rib injury, but told reporters on Wednesday: “I’m not injured anymore.”
Coco Gauff’s French Open warm-up stalled as last year’s Roland Garros runner-up fell in the last 16 to Anastasia Potapova.
The Russian impressed with her returning game to dominate the American, winning 6-2, 6-3.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was forced to retire from her last-16 clash with Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil.
The 26-year-old Haddad Maia was ahead 6-1, 3-1 when her seventh-ranked opponent quit with an injury.
Czech former world number one Karolina Pliskova fought past Croatian Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5).
Pliskova, who won the Stuttgart title in 2018, will face Swiatek on Friday for a place in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz grinds past Bautista Agut
World number two Carlos Alcaraz had to sweat as he beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 7-5 to reach the Barcelona Open quarter-finals on Thursday.
Alcaraz pulled out of the recent Monte Carlo Masters with back and hand problems and struggled at times against the veteran Spaniard as he continues to warm up for the French Open in May.
Top seed Alcaraz breezed past Nuno Borges on Tuesday but found it much tougher going in the last 16 amid windy conditions as he continued his Barcelona title defence on the court named after Rafael Nadal.
Earlier, second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas eased past Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-2, to set up a quarter-final clash with Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
De Minaur progressed with a walkover after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov withdrew due to illness.
Jannik Sinner beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 and will face Italian compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, who overcame Briton Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
However, world number three Casper Ruud was knocked out by Argentina’s 32nd-ranked Francisco Cerundolo, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Zverev knocked out in Munich
Alexander Zverev was dumped out in the last 16 of the ATP tournament in Munich, suffering a straight sets defeat to Christopher O’Connell on Thursday.
Competing on home soil, Zverev lost 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 to the Australian, who is ranked 82nd in the world.
Top seed Holger Rune eliminated Yannick Hanfmann of Germany, also in straight sets.
Rune, up to a career-high ranking of seventh after reaching the Monte Carlo final last week, shrugged off the cold weather as he advanced 6-3, 6-4.
World number 10 and second seed Taylor Fritz continued his strong start to the European clay-court season with a debut win in Munich.
The American, who made the Monte-Carlo semi-finals, came back to clinch a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory against Marton Fucsovics.
With text inputs from AFP
Updated through the day
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