Djokovic sets up Alcaraz clash, Sabalenka surges into quarters

Serbia's Novak Djokovic hits a return against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka during their men's singles match on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 19 January 2025
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Djokovic sets up Alcaraz clash, Sabalenka surges into quarters

  • Double defending champion Sabalenka is on a collision course with in-form world No. 3 Coco Gauff in the semifinals in Melbourne if both win in the last eight

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic surged into an Australian Open quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz with a dominant straight-sets victory on Sunday while women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was a ruthless winner.

Double defending champion Sabalenka is on a collision course with in-form world No. 3 Coco Gauff in the semifinals in Melbourne if both win in the last eight.

On the hottest day of the tournament so far with temperatures hitting 34 degrees Celsius, Alcaraz went through when Britain’s Jack Draper retired injured.

The 37-year-old Djokovic then kept up his end of the bargain with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over Czech 24th seed Jiri Lehecka in the prime-time match on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic appears to be growing into the tournament in an ominous sign for his rivals, as he pursues a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and historic 25th Grand Slam title.

He dropped a set in each of his opening two matches but has won the previous two in straight sets.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have played each other seven times with the Serb leading 4-3, including victory in their last clash in the Paris Olympics final.

But they have never played at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic has achieved his greatest success.

“When we are seeing him playing, he seems like he’s young again ... it’s unbelievable. He’s in a really good shape,” said Alcaraz, who has vowed to get a kangaroo tattoo if he wins the Australian Open for the first time.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, who has never gone beyond the quarterfinals in Melbourne, was leading 7-5, 6-1 when Draper pulled the plug.

Draper had come through all three of his previous matches in five sets, and all from 2-1 down, and it appeared to have taken its toll.

“It’s not the way I wanted to win, but obviously I’m happy to play another quarterfinal here in Australia,” said Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old Draper, whose rise has been held back by issues with his body, said his hip injury had been a “ticking time bomb” and he had “multiple areas really in pain.”

American 12th seed Tommy Paul destroyed Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for the loss of just three games as he bids to match or better his semifinal appearance from 2023.

Paul will meet German second seed Alexander Zverev, who survived a mid-match wobble to oust France’s Ugo Humbert.

Zverev, who is zeroing in on a maiden Grand Slam title, won 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Sabalenka blew away Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in a chilling warning to sweep into the quarterfinals.

The Belarusian was out on a roasting center court for only 62 minutes before registering an 18th consecutive win at Melbourne Park.

“I’m super happy to get through this difficult match in straight sets,” said Sabalenka, who faces Russian 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.

Sabalenka struggled with her serve in colder conditions during the first week, but was untouchable as the mercury soared.

“The ball was flying like a rocket,” said Sabalenka.

A dangerous Gauff faces Spain’s 11th seed Paula Badosa after the American fought back to beat Belinda Bencic 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Gauff dropped a set for the first time in 2025 but extended her unbeaten streak to 13 matches going back to last year’s WTA Tour Finals.

“Two out of three sets at this stage of my career is not that physically hard for me,” said the 20-year-old Gauff, who is chasing a first Melbourne title.

“The off-season I just put in so much work physically so I’m not worried at all about recovering emotionally or mentally.”

Badosa declared she “loves” Gauff — but said that will not prevent her looking for “revenge.”

The pair have a 3-3 head-to-head record but Gauff won both their meetings in 2024, with each going to three sets.

The last time was in the semifinals of the WTA China Open in Beijing, where Gauff won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on her way to lifting the title.


Saudi Arabia concludes West Asian Laser-Run Cup with 12 medals

Updated 02 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia concludes West Asian Laser-Run Cup with 12 medals

Kuwait: The Saudi Arabian Modern Pentathlon National Team delivered a strong performance at the West Asian Laser-Run Cup, securing a total of 12 medals.

In all, the team took two golds, four silvers, and six bronzes at the championship, which was hosted by Kuwait with the participation of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Bahrain, Syria, and Lebanon.

The president of the West Asian Modern Pentathlon Federation, Hussein Al-Abdulwahab, awarded the winners and praised the high level of competition at what marks the inaugural edition of the West Asian Laser-Run series.

The Saudi team was represented by 15 male and female athletes across various age categories.

Abdulrahman Al-Enazi claimed gold in the under-19 category. Thamer Masoud won gold in the under-17 category, with teammate Wissam Bakri earning bronze.

In the under-15 girls’ section, Lamar Al-Sharari took silver, and Fatimah Al-Saiari secured bronze.

Bayan Al-Saiari won silver in the under-17 category, and Rimas Al-Zubaidi earned bronze.

Hadeel Al-Qousi, meanwhile, claimed bronze in the women’s open category, while Mohammed Bahetham took bronze in the men’s.

In the team competitions, Saudi Arabia added bronze in the under-15 boys’ team contest, silver in the men’s open team category, and silver in the women’s open team category.

Al-Abdulwahab congratulated all medalists and praised the remarkable efforts of the athletes and teams. He expressed optimism for the future of the sport in the region, stating that this event sets a strong foundation for the continued development of Laser-Run and modern pentathlon in West Asia.


How Kawasaki Frontale banished continental woes to face Al-Ahli in AFC Champions League Elite final

Updated 02 May 2025
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How Kawasaki Frontale banished continental woes to face Al-Ahli in AFC Champions League Elite final

  • Saudi Arabia’s last team standing will welcome rejuvenated Japanese opponents on Saturday night in Jeddah

AUSTRALIA: Football works in mysterious ways at times and that is certainly the case for Kawasaki Frontale and their exploits on the continent.

For five seasons between 2017 and 2021 under the guidance of Toru Oniki they almost completely dominated the J. League, winning four league titles and finishing fourth in the only year they missed out.

When you include their third-place finish in 2016, for a six-year stretch they never finished outside the top four. They were Japan’s premier domestic football club by some distance.

But when it came to Asia, they floundered. Think of the internet meme comparing a dog built like a bodybuilder and a small pup, and that encapsulates the exploits of Kawasaki in Japan as opposed to Asia.

In six continental campaigns from 2017 to 2023, their best finish was a quarterfinal in 2017 when they squandered a 3-1 lead from the first leg to lose 4-1 in the second leg to fellow J. League side Urawa Reds, who subsequently went on to win the title.

It was a loss that exposed a soft underbelly, something that had been a criticism of the team for the decade prior, having come so close but never managing to get over the line for a maiden J. League title.

They finished runners-up in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and third in 2013 and 2016.

That loss in the quarterfinal of 2017 came just months before they clinched their first J. League title, which seemed to flick a switch in their mentality, at least in Japan, anyway.

On the continent they continued to struggle.

In 2018 and 2019 they failed to get out of the group stage, winning just two of 12 games in the process. Another group stage exit followed in 2022, bookended by Round of 16 appearances in 2021 and 2023.

But it fell well short of expectations for a side so dominant in arguably Asia’s best league. And which had overseas and national-team stars like Kaoru Mitoma, Kengo Nakamura, Shogo Taniguchi, Hidemasa Morita, Ao Tanaka, Miki Yamane, and Reo Hatate.

It was a squad stacked with talent, but having lost so many to European football Kawasaki have returned to the pack in recent years, struggling to maintain their excellence, with back-to-back eighth-place finishes.

At the end of last season, Oniki moved to Kashima Antlers (who are currently top of the table in Japan) and was replaced with Shigetoshi Hasebe, a more pragmatic-minded coach from Avispa Fukuoka.

So football being as it is, of course it is this season of change and transition that has Kawasaki on the precipice of achieving what they never could during their dominant reign — being crowned Kings of Asia.

After finishing second in the League Stage of the East Zone, they found their way past Chinese heavyweights Shanghai Shenhua in the Round of 16 but arrived in Jeddah with very little expectation upon them.

They needed extra time to sneak their way past perennial Qatari champions, Al-Sadd. A semifinal clash against Al-Nassr’s bevy of international stars was expected to be their end point, but would still have been considered a success given their current status as a club.

Hasebe and his troops had other ideas, however.

Perhaps able to play without the burden of expectation, which seemed to weigh heavily on the shoulders of Al-Nassr, it was Frontale who were able to take control and look the most at ease.

Tatsuya Ito’s sensational volley opened the scoring, and after Sadio Mane equalized, it was the pressing of Ito that created the opportunity for their second. Yuto Ozeki, part of a new generation of stars beginning to emerge, finished off, for a surprise lead going into half-time.

When the ageless Akihiro Ienaga scored to make it 3-1, very few could believe what they were seeing. With a starting XI having just one foreign player and an attack featuring players of 19 and 20, with another 20-year-old in the heart of defense, this should not have been possible.

“Our two young players stepped up,” Hasebe said after the game of Ozeki and Soma Kanda, who are both so inexperienced that neither even has a Wikipedia page.

“They may still be developing but they’ve gained experience at the under-20 level. Their main job was to contain (Al-Nassr midfielder Marcelo) Brozovic but they also contributed well going forward.

“Discipline and attitude were key tonight. I’ve spoken with the players regularly to instill this mindset and they responded well. Everyone showed great commitment. This is the football we’ve been working towards.”

Also speaking after the game, goalscorer Ito said this was as much a victory for Japanese football as it was for Kawasaki.

“This isn’t just important for our club, it means a lot for the J. League as well. It shows the level of Japanese football. Before the game, the manager told us we came here to change things and make history. I hope we can complete that mission in the next match.”

Having made it this far against the odds, there would be few willing to say they now cannot go all the way and create that history, and in the process become the seventh Japanese club to lift continental silverware.

It is the type of unpredictability that makes football the game we all love. Sometimes it does not make sense, but that is also what makes it so beautiful.


Heavy hitters book places in 2025 PFL World Tournament semis

Updated 02 May 2025
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Heavy hitters book places in 2025 PFL World Tournament semis

  • Heavyweights Rodrigo Nascimento, Oleg Popov, Alexandr Romanov and Valentin Moldavsky advance from first round in Orlando
  • The PFL welterweight and featherweight semifinals begin on Thursday, June 12

FLORIDA: The first round of the 2025 PFL World Tournament concluded on Thursday night at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, with four fighters in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions punching their tickets to June’s semifinals.

In the heavyweight semifinals, Brazil’s Rodrigo Nascimento (12-3) will take on Russia’s Oleg Popov (20-2), while Moldova’s Alexandr Romanov (19-3) is set to face former interim Bellator champion, Valentin Moldavsky (14-4).

In the light heavyweight semifinals, former Bellator champion Phil Davis (25-7, 1 NC) will face Arizona’s Sullivan Cauley (7-1), while former PFL Europe standout Simeon Powell (11-1) will go head-to-head with 2021 PFL light heavyweight champion Antonio Carlos Jr. (17-6, 2 NC).

Thursday’s main event featured a clash between Davis and 2022 PFL light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson (19-4, 1 NC). After a slow start, Davis, an NCAA wrestling champion, came out firing in the second round, overwhelming his Australian opponent with a barrage of strikes that forced the referee to step in. With the emphatic stoppage, Davis secured his spot in the semifinals.

The co-main event featured a showdown between two Russian heavyweights with nearly identical records, former interim Bellator champion Valentin Moldavsky and Sergey Bilostenniy (13-4). It is rare to see heavyweights maintain such a relentless pace, but the former training partners emptied their tanks over three grueling rounds. While Bilostenniy landed more volume, Moldavsky controlled the grappling exchanges and delivered the more impactful strikes, earning a well-deserved decision victory.

Former Bellator light heavyweight No.1 contender Karl Moore (12-4) squared off against 2021 PFL light heavyweight champion Antonio “Shoeface” Carlos Jr. Using his elite jiu-jitsu pedigree, Carlos J. was able to neutralize the power of his Irish opponent for most of the bout. Despite a late flurry from Moore in the final round, Carlos Jr. stayed in control and earned the split decision victory, his eighth win in his past nine fights.

Kicking off the main card was a clash between two European light heavyweights: Karl Albrektsson (14-7) and Simeon Powell. Albrektsson found success early, landing a steady stream of kicks that scored points and wore down the 2023 PFL Europe light heavyweight runner-up. However, momentum shifted in the second round when Powell unleashed a flurry of vicious elbows that staggered the Swede and dropped him to the canvas, prompting the referee to step in. With the win, “Smooth” Powell secured his spot in the semifinals in June.

The 2025 PFL World Tournament continues on Thursday, June 12, with the welterweight and featherweight semifinals.

2025 PFL World Tournament 4: First round main card

Phil Davis (25-7, 1 NC) def. Rob Wilkinson (19-4,1 NC) via KO (strikes) at 00:51 of round two

Valentin Moldavsky (14-4) def. Sergey Bilostenniy (13-4) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Antonio Carlos Jr (17-6, 2 NC) def. Karl Moore (12-4) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Simeon Powell (11-1) def. Karl Albrektsson (14-7) via TKO (strikes) at 2:05 of round two

2025 PFL World Tournament 4: First round early card

Alexandr Romanov (19-3) def. Tim Johnson (18-12) via submission (standing guillotine) at 1:53 of round one

Oleg Popov (20-2) def. Karl Williams (10-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Sullivan Cauley (7-1) def. Alex Polizzi (11-5) via TKO (strikes) at 1:36 of round one

Rodrigo Nascimento (12-3) def. Abraham Bably (5-2) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

2025 PFL World Tournament schedule

2025 PFL World Tournament 5: Semifinals, June 12, Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville

2025 PFL World Tournament 6: Semifinals, June 20, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita

2025 PFL World Tournament 7: Semifinals, June 27, Wintrust Arena, Chicago

2025 PFL World Tournament 8: Finals, Aug. 1, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

2025 PFL World Tournament 9: Finals, Aug. 15, Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

2025 PFL World Tournament 10: Finals, Aug. 21, Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Hollywood, Florida


Brentford have a chance of playing in Europe but manager sounds caution

Updated 02 May 2025
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Brentford have a chance of playing in Europe but manager sounds caution

  • Brentford host Manchester United next and then complete their campaign with away trips to Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a home clash against Fulham sandwiched between

NOTTINGHAM: Brentford’s surprise away win over Nottingham Forest on Thursday kept alive its hopes of a place in European club competition next season but manager Thomas Frank has sounded a cautious note about the team’s chances.
The 2-0 victory left Brentford in 11th place in the Premier League but only two points off eight placed Fulham. There is a chance that as many as 10 English clubs could qualify to play in Europe next season, but Frank warned Brentford’s destiny was not all in their own hands with four fixtures left in their league campaign.
“There is a few things that need to happen; the teams ahead of us need to get less points and we need Manchester City to win the FA Cup,” Frank told reporters after their win at the City Ground with goals from Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa.
“There’s a few things that we cannot control ourselves,” he added.
“In our last 12 games we have been extremely consistent and performed well. There’s another big game on Sunday which we will do our best to win.”
Brentford host Manchester United next and then complete their campaign with away trips to Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a home clash against Fulham sandwiched between.
Asked whether he felt Brentford were ready to compete in Europe, Frank said: “Ask me in three games’ time, then I’ll answer the question.
“We’re growing as a club and the team is growing. We would be more competitive if we didn’t have as many injuries last year.
“We consistently performed at a good level. This season we had one bad game whereas the other season we have had three or four.”
Brentford have never competed in European club competition and Frank told Sky Sports it could prove “tricky” for the club.
“Do you want to be a European club, but what is a European club?” he asked.
“Is that every year? If it is, then it depends on the size of the club, where the budget would need to be fairly linked to it. Money talks.
“The good thing for us is culture, strategy, hard work, clear principles and style of play. All those things we do quite well. It can raise your level and it has raised our level,” Frank said.


China and Japan cruise into Sudirman cup semifinals

Updated 02 May 2025
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China and Japan cruise into Sudirman cup semifinals

  • Japan took three hours to defeat Taiwan 3-0. Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi breezed past Ye Hong Wei and Hu Ling Fang 21-18 21-18 in mixed doubles

XIAMEN: Hosts and defending champions China booked their place in badminton’s Sudirman Cup semifinals with a 3-0 win over Malaysia on Friday, while Japan also advanced after beating Taiwan in the quarter-finals by the same score.
The biennial mixed team championship saw a rematch between world number four mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei from Malaysia and China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. While the Malaysian pair won at the Paris Games, they couldn’t repeat the feat as they went down 21-17 21-17 in the opener.
Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao, facing world number one Shi Yu Qi for the first time, was outclassed 21-6 21-14 in the men’s singles. Compatriot Karupathevan Letshanaa later suffered a 21-8 21-7 loss to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei in the women’s singles.
With the result sealed in just under two hours, the men’s and women’s doubles were not contested. Malaysia, who claimed bronze in the last two editions, have now lost all of their five Sudirman Cup meetings to date against 13-times champions China.
Japan took three hours to defeat Taiwan 3-0. Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi breezed past Ye Hong Wei and Hu Ling Fang 21-18 21-18 in mixed doubles.
World number 16 Koki Watanabe overcame seventh-ranked Chou Tien Chen 21-13 20-22 21-14 in the men’s singles, and world number four Akane Yamaguchi beat Wei Chi Hsu 21-9 17-21 21-18 in the women’s singles to seal Japan’s sixth straight semifinal appearance.