Chelsea edge Real Madrid in Women’s Champions League, Lyon win

LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz swept into the Wimbledon semifinals for a third successive year as the defending champion demolished Cameron Norrie, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka survived a major scare to reach the last four on Tuesday.

Alcaraz needed just 99 minutes to win 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in his most commanding performance in this year’s tournament.

The Spanish second seed dropped four sets in a series of scrappy displays during his run to the last eight.

But Alcaraz was back to his imperious best in the quarter-finals, blasting 39 winners against the overwhelmed British world number 61, setting up a last-four clash with American fifth seed Taylor Fritz.

Alcaraz is on a career-best 23-match winning run since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April — a superb streak which has brought him titles at the French Open, the Rome Masters and Monte Carlo.

The Spaniard, who vanquished Novak Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, has won 34 of his 37 Tour-level matches on grass, while his last defeat at the All England Club came against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round in 2022.

“To be able to play another semifinal here at Wimbledon is super special,” Alcaraz said.

“It’s going to be great. I’m really happy with the way I played against a really difficult player,“

Wimbledon’s controversial line technology system malfunctioned again as Fritz beat Russian 17th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/4) to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal.

Swedish umpire Louise Azemar Engzell had to stop a point in the opening game of the fourth set on Court One when “fault” was incorrectly called after a Fritz forehand landed well inside the baseline.

The call of “fault,” rather than “out,” and positioning of the ball suggested the system was still tracking Fritz’s serve as opposed to a rally and the point had to be replayed.

Tournament organizers were forced to apologize and make a change to the system to avoid further issues after a major error in Sonay Kartal’s fourth-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the women’s draw.

A fully automated system has replaced human line judges at Wimbledon for the first time this year, in line with the Australian Open and the US Open.

Tournament organizers claimed the system had failed to reset because the ball from Fritz’s first serve was still being retrieved when he started lining up his second.

“The player’s service motion began while the BBG (ball boy or girl) was still crossing the net and therefore the system didn’t recognize the start of the point,” an All England Club statement said.

“As such the chair umpire instructed the point be replayed.”

Sabalenka fought back from the brink of a shock exit to reach the semifinals with a gutsy 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win against Germany’s Laura Siegemund.

She twice trailed by a break in the final set on Center Court and was two games away from crashing out before staging a dramatic revival to win in two hours and 54 minutes of unrelenting tension.

The 27-year-old top seed is through to the Wimbledon semifinals for the third time after losing at that stage in 2021 and 2023.

Beaten in the Australian and French Open finals this year after winning the US Open in 2024, Sabalenka remains on course to reach a fourth successive Grand Slam title match.

Sabalenka remains the only one of the top six women’s seeds still standing at the tournament after two weeks of shocks.

“That was a real test. I need some time to cool down and recover after this,” Sabalenka said.

In the semifinals, the Belarusian will face American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Russian world number 50 Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (11/9).

Anisimova took an eight-month break from tennis in 2023 after suffering with depression brought on by the scrutiny and expectations that came from her run to the French Open semifinals aged just 17.

“It’s been an extraordinary year for me. So many highs. It’s been such a ride,” she said.

RIYADH: Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and chairman of the Saudi Boxing Federation, officially announced the fourth edition of the global boxing event The Ring IV, scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 22, at ANB Arena in Riyadh.

Part of Riyadh Season, the event will feature four headline bouts for major world titles.

Leading the fight card is the WBO world welterweight title clash between American star Devin Haney and compatriot Brian Norman Jr. Haney enters the bout with a perfect record of 32 wins (15 by knockout), aiming to become a three-division world champion. This is his second fight at welterweight after defeating Arnold Barboza Jr. in the inaugural The Ring event held at Times Square.

Norman Jr., who also has an undefeated record of 28 wins (22 by knockout), comes into the fight fresh off a dominant KO victory against Japan’s Jin Sasaki, whom he stopped with a powerful left hook in the fifth round.

In the second title bout, David Benavidez, the reigning WBC light heavyweight champion, takes on British contender Anthony Yarde. Benavidez is unbeaten in 30 fights, including 24 knockouts, and will be making his first title defense. Yarde enters the ring with a record of 27 wins (24 by knockout) and three losses, seeking to dethrone the American in what is expected to be an explosive encounter.

In the lightweight division, American Abdullah Mason will face Britain’s Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Mason brings a flawless record of 19 wins, 17 by knockout, while Noakes comes in undefeated as well, with 17 victories, 15 by knockout. With both fighters known for their high knockout ratios and aggressive styles, this bout is considered one of the most anticipated matchups among the new wave of lightweight contenders.

The night will conclude with a super flyweight (super bantamweight) showdown between US champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and Argentina’s undefeated Fernando Martinez. Rodriguez has 21 wins (14 by knockout), while Martinez has 18 wins, including 9 knockouts, with no losses. The fight will be contested for the prestigious The Ring title and is expected to deliver a high-level tactical and fast-paced boxing display.