The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Glenn James/Getty Images Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis was involved in a physical altercation in his native Latvia that left the 23-year-old bloodied, TMZ Sports reported. TMZ obtained footage from the scene, which shows Porzingis with blood above his right eye (note: may contain language NSFW): According to the report, Porzingis was in Liepaja and visited multiple clubs in the area for some sort of celebration. During the night, a group confronted him and were "supposedly upset with the fact that he'd switched teams down here in the States." Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium later reported the Mavericks are investigating the altercation, adding that the "current understanding is he was jumped at a club, assaulted and hit by objects." Porzingis spent his first three-and-a-half years in the NBA with the New York Knicks. ESPN reported in January he had met with Knicks personnel and "left franchise officials with the impression that he wants to be traded." Shortly thereafter, New York traded Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to the Mavericks for DeAndre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews and a pair of first-round picks. Porzingis didn't appear in a game for the Mavericks, who shut him down in order to focus on his recovery from a torn ACL.<doc-sep>
Dallas Mavericks power forward Kristaps Porzingis was left with a bloody face after brawling with fans in his Latvian hometown, TMZ reported Sunday. According to the website, the 7-foot-3 Porzingis was confronted in Liepaja by "a handful of Russians" who were "supposedly upset with the fact that he'd switched teams." Video circulating on social media appeared to show Porzingis bleeding from a cut above his eye. In the video, Porzingis shoved a woman out of the way before trying to confront a group of people off camera. Before Porzingis could reach his opponents, a crowd of people -- including at least one policeman -- intervened to calm him down, though Porzingis still could be seen gesturing off-camera. "It is our understanding that Kristaps was jumped and assaulted outside of a club in Latvia," Mavericks spokesman Scott Tomlin told Fox News in an email. "We will provide an update when one is available." Porzingis, who missed all of this past NBA season with a knee injury, was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 4th overall pick in the 2015 draft. A fan favorite in New York, Porzingis averaged 22.7 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game before he tore his ACL during a game on Feb. 6, 2018 against the Milwaukee Bucks. On Feb. 1, the Knicks traded Porzingis to Dallas along with Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and first-round picks in 2021 and 2023. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This weekend's incident is the second time Porzingis has made headlines off the court this year. In March, a woman accused the NBA star of raping her in his apartment hours after suffering his knee injury. Porzingis has denied the allegation. The 23-year-old is entering the final season of a rookie contract paying him $18.65 million over four seasons.