MELBOURNE: Madison Keys of the United States upset two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final on Saturday night to collect her first Grand Slam title at age 29.
By adding this win over the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka to an elimination of No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals on Thursday — saving a match point along the way — Keys is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat both of the WTA’s top two players at Melbourne Park.
Keys, ranked 14th and seeded 19th, was playing in her second major final after being the runner-up at the 2017 US Open.
She prevented Sabalenka from earning what would have been her third women’s trophy in a row at the Australian Open — something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997-99 — and her fourth major title overall.
Australian Open: Keys upsets 2-time champion Sabalenka in women’s final for 1st Grand Slam title
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Australian Open: Keys upsets 2-time champion Sabalenka in women’s final for 1st Grand Slam title
- Madison Keys is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat both of the WTA’s top two players at Melbourne Park
Dubai Basketball face deciding game in ABA League quarterfinals
- Third game against Cedevita Olimpija will be at Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday
DUBAI, UAE: Dubai Basketball lost to Cedevita Olimpija (94-89) in Game 2 of the ABA League quarterfinals, resulting in a final deciding game, to take place on Tuesday, May 20 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Dubai entered Game 2 in Ljubljana with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series, following a one-point home win. Victory in Slovenia would have secured immediate qualification to the semifinals. However, Dubai Basketball were facing one of the league’s most physical contenders at Stozice Arena.
Cedevita Olimpija wasted no time asserting their home-court advantage, taking the lead early in the first quarter. But as witnessed last week at Coca-Cola Arena, the game quickly turned into a fierce back-and-forth. Dubai’s Danilo Andusic and Italian fan favourite Awudu Abass stepped up under pressure, narrowing the gap with swift offensive responses.
Despite Dubai Basketball fighting back and briefly gaining an advantage in the second quarter, the traveling team were unable to cement a long-lasting lead over the Dragons at their home court. A momentary six-point difference in the second quarter offered a glimpse of victory, but Cedevita’s offense came back strong, closing the advantage and overtaking the visitors.
Aleksej Nikolic of Cedevita delivered a standout performance, finishing as the top scorer of the night with 30 points. Second highest scorer of the night was Dubai Basketball’s Andusic with 23 points.
The decisive clash on Tuesday is more than just a pivotal game in the ABA League — it represents a historic opportunity for Dubai Basketball to cement its place among the best in the league. As the only team representing the Middle East, Dubai has already made a powerful statement in its debut season, with top-tier performances and a winning mentality that has captured international attention.
With every team in the league beaten at least once, a 14-game unbeaten streak, and a record-breaking performance for the most points scored in a single quarter, the team has already made history. Now, they stand on the edge of another milestone, qualification for the semifinals.
Europa League golden ticket offers Man United, Spurs salvation
- A potential £100 million ($133 million) honey pot for reaching Europe’s top competition is on the line at the San Mames stadium between two sides languishing near the bottom of the English top flight
- Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils are 16th and with 18 league defeats are enduring their worst top flight campaign in half a century, since their 1974 relegation
BILBAO: Manchester United and Tottenham will slug it out in the Europa League final on Wednesday in Bilbao, with both sides desperately seeking salvation from dismal Premier League campaigns through silverware and a golden ticket into next season’s Champions League.
A potential £100 million ($133 million) honey pot for reaching Europe’s top competition is on the line at the San Mames stadium between two sides languishing near the bottom of the English top flight.
Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils are 16th and with 18 league defeats are enduring their worst top flight campaign in half a century, since their 1974 relegation.
One place lower lie Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, beaten a club-record 21 times in the league, and on course for their worst season since returning to the top tier in 1978.
With both teams fixated on Europe, their plunge toward the table’s lower echelons has only accelerated in recent weeks.
United are winless in eight league games, their worst such run in Premier League history, falling at Chelsea on Friday in their last outing ahead of the final.
Tottenham also slumped to defeat at Aston Villa for their fifth loss in six league matches.
Spurs are twice winners of this competition, but their victory in 1984 was the club’s last European trophy and they have not won any silverware for 17 years.
They reached a maiden Champions League final in 2019 but came up short in another all-English battle in Spain, losing against Liverpool in a drab contest.
“When you look at the historical backdrop of this club for the past 20-odd years, I feel (this final) could be a turning point,” said Postecoglou last week.
Despite United’s gradual decline since legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, they did win the FA Cup and League Cup in the past two seasons under Amorim’s predecessor Erik ten Hag.
The Portuguese has endured a torrid time since taking charge in November, winning just six of his 26 Premier League games.
But the Europa League has been a different story as United thrashed Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao, either side of a famous fightback from 6-4 down to beat Lyon 7-6 on aggregate in the quarter-finals that sparked memories of the club’s dramatic Champions League final victory in 1999.
Amorim, though, is aware of the scale of the task he faces to turn around the 20-time English champions.
“I’m not concerned about the final, it’s by far the smallest problem in our club,” said the former Sporting Lisbon boss.
“We need to change something that is deeper than this.”
Tottenham were once seen as not much trouble for an all-conquering United.
Former United great Roy Keane revealed once Ferguson’s team talk was limited to a dismissive “lads, it’s Spurs.”
This season the London side have won all three meetings, twice in the Premier League as well as in the League Cup, with Postecoglou unbeaten in five matches at the helm against United.
“If you think about the odds it’s hard for the club to lose four times in a row,” said Amorim.
With players like Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, United have both experience and quality at their disposal.
“They know how to win trophies, Tottenham don’t,” said former United midfielder Paul Scholes, who played alongside Keane.
Despite the team’s diabolical domestic form the Portuguese coach is expected to stay, bolstered by the thrilling unbeaten surge to the Europa League final.
The same cannot be said for Postecoglou. The Australian is almost certain to depart if he fails to deliver on his promise to win a trophy in his second season in charge.
Spurs’ bad luck with injuries this season continues with midfielders James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski all missing for the final, but captain Son Heung-min is back fit.
They survived an Arctic trip in the semifinals at Bodo/Glimt, but Postecoglou may still be frozen out even if his team triumphs.
“(If we win) it’s going to upset a lot of people isn’t it?” said the Australian.
“Who cares if we’re struggling in the league ... I’m looking forward to it and it should be a great game.”
More misery for Messi and Miami with Florida derby defeat
Fort Lauderdale, United States: Lionel Messi’s growing frustration and Inter Miami’s miserable run of form continued with a 3-0 loss at home to Orlando City in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The Florida derby defeat leaves Miami with just one win from their last seven games in all competitions and they slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference with Orlando leapfrogging them.
Messi had just two shots on target in the entire game and even scuffed a free-kick from his favorite spot as his own form slumped with that of his team.
“Now we’ll truly see if we’re a team in difficult times, because when everything’s going well it’s very easy,” Messi told Apple TV following the defeat.
“When difficult times come, that’s when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together,” he added.
Messi also questioned the refereeing but in truth the loss had little to do with officiating and much to do with shambolic defending, a disjointed midfield and punchless attack led by the rapidly fading Luis Suarez.
Orlando grabbed the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal of absurd simplicity — goalkeeper Pedro Gallese launched the ball down the middle of the field and Luis Muriel ran clear and slotted past Oscar Ustari.
The visitors were getting plenty of joy from going direct against a Miami back-line which was all at sea and Argentine Martin Ojeda should have done better when he found himself clear on goal but blasted over the bar.
Miami’s veteran keeper Ustari then made a fine double save to deny Alexander Freeman and an Ojeda follow up shot but then the 38-year-old found himself to blame for Orlando’s second goal.
The ball fell to Marco Pasalic on the edge of the box and his low shot went through the hands and legs of Ustari.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano then threw on attacking players in a bid to retrieve something from the game but it was largely in vain.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time Duncan McGuire broke down the left and his low cross was slotted home by Icelandic forward Dagur Thorhallsson to wrap-up an impressive performance from the visitors.
Miami have conceded 20 goals and scored 11 in their last seven games with their only victory coming against the New York Red Bulls on May 3.
Mascherano said his team had started as planned before the goal changed the tone of the game.
“I’d say for 25 or 30 minutes we had it completely under control playing in the opponent’s half, but this is how it is, clearly. I’m not going to deny what the result is,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we can’t afford the mistakes we make; that’s clear, but it’s pointless for me to come here and tell this story, because it keeps happening. So, clearly, we as a coaching staff are failing in many of these ways, and we have to try to find a way around them so we don’t continue failing and so the team starts getting results,” he added.
Miami’s MLS campaign was going well until their exit to the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Mascherano admitted the team’s morale had been hit.
“Clearly, something has happened where the team has lost a lot of confidence. We have had a drop in level individually and collectively and it’s clear one way or another we have tried with different schemes, different names, and still today we are hurting. We will keep trying to find a way.”
Alcaraz beats Sinner again to win the Italian Open and solidify his status as French Open favorite
- Since last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times
- Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976
ROME: There’s only one player who is consistently beating Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated the top-ranked Sinner again, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to win his first Italian Open on Sunday and add another big clay-court title to his resume.
Since the start of last year, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once and now he’s done it four straight times.
“Just proud about myself, the way that I approached the match mentally. Tactically think I did it pretty well from the first to the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I maintained my level during the whole match.”
Alcaraz’s victory before Sinner’s home fans at the Foro Italico snapped the Italian’s 26-match winning streak, which stretched back to October — when Alcaraz beat him in the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz now leads the career series 7-4.
It was Sinner’s first tournament back after a three-month doping ban.
“I’m just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level,” Alcaraz said. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him coming back from three months without playing. Making the final here is something insane.”
Alcaraz also solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open, which starts next Sunday.
“On clay right now, you’re the best player,” Sinner said.
Added Alcaraz, “Beating Jannik, winning Rome. I think both things mixed together give you a great confidence coming to Paris. I always say that the final is not about playing, the final is about winning, to go for it. I just repeated (that to) myself all the time.”
Alcaraz spoils Sinner’s return
Sinner was playing his first tournament since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
In February, Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised questions, since the three-month suspension allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams, and come back at his home tournament.
Sinner said he and his team went through “three months that were anything but easy, so achieving this result already here is really big” and that “we should be really proud.”
He added: “We’re bringing home a very special trophy, even if I wanted the other one.”
Sinner was attempting to become the first home man to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He was also trying to complete a sweep of the Rome singles titles for Italy after Jasmine Paolini won the women’s trophy on Saturday.
Paolini and partner Sara Errani also defended their women’s doubles title earlier Sunday, making Paolini the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990 to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.
A large number of the 10,500 fans in Campo Centrale were decked out in orange — Sinner’s theme color — and they were chanting Sinner’s name before the match even began, and even after Sinner lost.
“You gave me a lot of energy, lot of courage to be here on court, I tried with everything I had,” Sinner told the crowd. “It was something very, very special. Thank you.”
Sinner also cracked a joke about offering “special thanks” to his brother, Mark, “who instead of being here, decided to go to Imola to watch Formula 1.”
Sinner wasted 2 set points
Sinner wasted two set points on Alcaraz’s serve when he led 6-5 in the first set and then Alcaraz jumped ahead in the tiebreaker with two aces and held on to seal it before cruising in the second set.
On Alcaraz’s third match point, Sinner ran down a drop shot but Alcaraz was waiting for his reply and hit a stretch volley winner into the open court.
Alcaraz then held his hands out wide and flashed a wide smile.
Alcaraz hit 19 winners to Sinner’s seven and only had one more unforced error than his opponent — 31-30. Half of Sinner’s errors came from his backhand, which is usually his most dependable shot.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will move back up to No. 2 in the rankings on Monday after his third final in three clay-court events this season. He won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished runner-up in the Barcelona Open before withdrawing from the Madrid Open because of injury.
Having also won the Madrid Open in 2022 and 2023, Alcaraz became the fifth man to win all three Masters 1000 clay events after Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios.
Syrians chase equestrian glory in sport once dominated by Assads
- For decades, former president Bashar Assad, his relatives and allies enjoyed wide-ranging privileges before his overthrow in December
DAMASCUS: For weeks, Ziad Abu Al-Dahab has been training for gold at an equestrian tournament near Damascus — in a sport once dominated by Syria’s Assad family and their inner circle.
“Results used to be decided in advance, always favoring those close to the government,” the 25-year-old rider said.
“My greatest ambition was to reach third place, but today, I can aim for first and do well with my new horse.”
For decades, former president Bashar Assad, his relatives and allies enjoyed wide-ranging privileges before his overthrow in a lightning Islamist-led offensive in December.
Equestrian sports surged in the 1990s under Assad’s late brother Bassel, who was being groomed to succeed their father Hafez before dying in a car crash in 1994. Bashar took over and became president in 2000.
Bassel used to take part in tournaments at home and abroad and styled himself as Syria’s “first rider.”
His profile helped shine a spotlight on the sport, which came to symbolize elite status under the Assads.
Abu Al-Dahab said those close to the family had European horses, which far outperformed the local ones of other competitors.
“It was impossible to compete with the ruling family,” he said while walking his horse on the sand.
Banned from competing
Outside the Dimas equestrian club near Damascus, a statue of Bassel still stands, his face now hidden by the new Syrian flag.
The family’s grip on the sport passed to the next generation, including Sham, daughter of Bashar’s brother Maher.
Sham used to compete in Syria and at international tournaments, often placing high.
The attention she received in the media stirred controversy, with critics seeing it as propaganda.
That grip on the sport kept some away. Munana Shaker, 26, said her father banned her from competing until the Assads were gone.
“My father forbade me from practicing due to fear (of the ruling family), and he always told me that competition with them was impossible,” she said as she stroked her white mare, Mariana.
“He didn’t want us associating with the Assad family at all. He told me the story of the equestrian who was jailed after beating Bassel Assad, and did not want to put me in danger.”
She was referring to Adnan Qassar, a prominent rider who outperformed Bassel before being imprisoned without trial in 1993, accused of plotting to kill him.
Many believe his sporting success was the real reason for his arrest. Qassar was freed 21 years later under a presidential pardon.
“I have long stayed away from this sport, but it is now time to come back strong. I am from the Shaker family, not the Assad family,” she said.
Dream come true
Shadi Abu Al-Dahab, 48, oversees about 240 horses — including some of the Assads’ former European ones.
“Around 40 horses were set aside for the Assad family. No one else was allowed to get near them,” he said.
But today, he’s seeing new faces and growing interest in the sport.
“We have new skills that we discover daily, and enthusiastic children... We now have a large number of riders aspiring to compete and get titles,” he said.
Fellow trainer Salah Al-Ahmad, 52, was beaming as his son took the mare Topsy for a spin — once ridden by Sham Assad.
“He used to dream of touching her or patting her head,” Ahmad said. “Now in this new era, the mare is with him, and he has won two tournaments.
“It’s a dream come true.”
