JEDDAH: World No. 1 golfer and Olympic gold medalist Nelly Korda and her sister, Jessica, have joined the list of top female golfers for the third Saudi Aramco Team Series tournament in New York.
The tournament, one of the European Tour championships, with prizes amounting to $1 million, will be held on Oct. 14-16 at the Glen Oaks Club course. The female golf professionals competing include five of the top 20 players in the world.
The organizing committee had previously confirmed the participation of American Solheim Cup stars Lizette Salas and Lexi Thompson, in addition to Anna Nordqvist, who plays for the Ladies European Tour and has won three major championships, including the 2021 Women’s British Open.
“The Solheim Cup was the best example of how much the players and fans liked the team system, so when I learned about the Saudi Aramco Teams Series championship I decided to be a part of it, and I’m really excited to have it on my calendar this year,” Saudi Press Agency cited Nelly Korda as saying.
Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, said that the list of names participating in New York will be the strongest yet.
The Aramco Team Series system is a new concept in golf, where the players compete in teams, which is unusual in this individual sport. The prize for each championship in the series is $1 million and teams compete for a prize of $800,000, plus $200,000 for the best singles score over the weekend.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda joins Saudi Aramco Team Series golf championship in New York
https://arab.news/ms9f6
World No. 1 Nelly Korda joins Saudi Aramco Team Series golf championship in New York
- The tournament is one of the European Tour championships, with prizes amounting to $1 million
- It will be held on Oct. 14-16 at the Glen Oaks Club course
PSG’s success lies in team ethic, not individual stars, says manager Luis Enrique
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Paris St. Germain manager Luis Enrique emphasized on Friday that the key to his side’s resurgence is a collective team ethic rather than reliance on individual brilliance, as the French and European champions prepare to face Chelsea in Sunday’s Club World Cup final.
The Parisians, buoyed by their historic Champions League triumph a little over a month ago, are chasing their first Club World Cup title.
Luis Enrique has overseen a significant transformation at PSG, replacing departing stars Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe with a dynamic, youthful squad that embodies his total football philosophy.
Speaking at a press conference at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the Spaniard downplayed suggestions that he is the team’s central figure, instead crediting the players’ shared commitment to a common goal.
“I’m not a star... I like the work I do. I enjoy my career, especially during difficult times,” Luis Enrique said. “When things aren’t going well, I feel better. It’s nice when everything works out because the best thing about winning is making the people who follow us happy. I’ve been much better when I’ve been criticized than when I’ve been praised.”
Luis Enrique, who previously guided Barcelona to Champions League glory, hinted that this campaign could be among the finest of his managerial career but stressed that success would only be defined after Sunday’s final.
“Maybe this could be the best season of my coaching career. But there’s still a final to win. When we’ve won it, we’ll talk about it,” he said.
The Spaniard also highlighted the volatile nature of football, citing Manchester City’s recent struggles as a cautionary tale.
“We’ve seen Manchester City, for example. They won everything last year and then they lose 10 games and they’re crushed. Pep Guardiola is still the best coach in the world and they’re killing him. So I prefer criticism over praise because it makes you feel humble, it’s the crude reality.”
Luis Enrique reiterated his vision for a team-first approach, declaring, “We have to be a team with eleven stars, not just one or two. Not even eleven, maybe thirteen, fifteen stars... The real star should be the entire team. That’s what our club stands for. We’ll lose again soon, for sure. We want stars, but in the service of the team.”
PSG’s clash with Chelsea promises to be an enthralling encounter, with both sides vying to add a coveted international trophy to their respective honors. The Parisians will be aiming to cap off a groundbreaking year by lifting the Club World Cup for the first time in their history.
Jannik Sinner mauls Novak Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final
- The world number one is through to his fourth successive Grand Slam title match
- Djokovic, who was apparently not 100 percent fit, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title
LONDON: Jannik Sinner crushed Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinals to set up the latest instalment of his gripping rivalry with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final.
The world number one is through to his fourth successive Grand Slam title match — and his first at the All England Club — after a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 demolition on Center Court on Friday.
The 23-year-old will be desperate to avenge his painful French Open defeat against world number two Alcaraz after squandering three championship points in last month’s epic Roland Garros final.
Sinner and Alcaraz are the undisputed new kings of men’s tennis, claiming the past six majors between them.
Defeat on a baking Center Court means seven-time champion Djokovic, who was apparently not 100 percent fit, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title.
It is the first time he has failed to reach the Wimbledon final since 2017 and he has come up short in his bid to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles.
“It’s a tournament I always watched when I was young on the television and I would have never imagined that I can play here, you know in the finals, so it was amazing,” said Sinner.
“From my side, I served very well today, I felt great on court, I was moving really well today.
“We saw in the third set that he was a bit injured. He’s been in a very difficult situation but I tried to stay calm, to play the best tennis I can.”
Italy’s Sinner was still wearing a white protective sleeve after injuring his elbow in a nasty fall against Grigor Dimitrov in his fourth-round match.
Djokovic also came into the contest, watched by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, with questions over his fitness after tumbling to the turf late in his quarter-final victory against Flavio Cobolli.
Top seed Sinner broke Djokovic in the third game, unleashing a barrage of relentlessly accurate groundstrokes to wear the sixth seed down.
The Serb, 38, wilted under the onslaught in the ninth game as Sinner converted his third set point.
Sinner did not let up at the start of the second set, breaking for a 2-0 lead to tighten his grip on the match.
Djokovic was struggling to gain a foothold but held for 3-1 to roars from the crowd, desperate to witness a classic battle.
Chants of “Nole” rang around the stadium as fans tried to lift Djokovic but he was powerless to prevent Sinner opening up a 5-2 lead.
He saved a set point on his own serve but that merely delayed the inevitable as Sinner wrapped up the set with only 69 minutes on the clock.
Djokovic received treatment from the trainer between sets on the upper part of his left leg, apparently on the area he hurt in the match against Cobolli.
He broke for the first time in the match as he suddenly found a new gear, but was pegged back to 3-2 and roared in frustration at the changeover.
Struggling physically, Djokovic was broken again as Sinner sealed victory with his fourth match point.
Sinner, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, returned from a doping ban in May, losing the Italian Open final to Alcaraz before his collapse in the Roland Garros showpiece.
Now he has chance for revenge against the man who has won the past two Wimbledon titles and is the current top dog on grass.
“It is a huge honor for me to share the court once again with Carlos,” he said. “We try to push ourselves to the limit, he is for sure one of the players I look up to.
“I love watching him, I think you all guys agree on that, what kind of talent he is but hopefully it’s going to be a good match like the last one.”
Sinner trails 8-4 in their head to head meetings, losing the past five matches.
The Italian can take heart from beating Alcaraz in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2022, his rival’s last defeat at the All England Club.
National UAE jiu-jitsu team to compete at World Games in Chengdu
- Six athletes will take part in the competition, which runs from Aug. 7-17
ABU DHABI: The UAE’s national jiu-jitsu team is getting ready for the 2025 World Games, set to take place in Chengdu, China, from Aug. 7-17.
The team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, hopes to build on its impressive performance at the previous edition, held in the US in 2022.
Six athletes will represent the national across the various weight categories: Mohammed Al-Suwaidi (69 kg), Mehdi Al-Awlaki (77 kg), Saeed Al-Kubaisi (85 kg), Asmaa Al-Hosani (52 kg), Shamsa Al-Ameri (57 kg), and Shamma Al-Kalbani (63 kg).
Mohamed Salem Al-Dhaheri, vice chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “Taking part in a major international event like the World Games reflects the strong presence the UAE has built in jiu-jitsu. This would not have been possible without the continued support of our visionary leadership, who have created the right environment for our athletes to grow and succeed.
“In the coming days, our athletes will begin an intensive training program that includes local and international camps along with focused technical and physical sessions to ensure they are fully prepared.”
Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, competing in the 69 kg division, said representing the UAE on this stage was a proud moment in his career.
“We are going into this event with full focus and determination. We know the responsibility that comes with wearing the national colors and are ready to give our best. With the support we have and the preparation ahead of us, we are confident we can perform well.”
At the 2022 World Games, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team made history by securing five medals. Faisal Al-Ketbi won two golds, in the 85 kg and open weight divisions, while Al-Suwaidi took silver in the 69 kg category and Al-Kalbani took bronze in the 63 kg and open weight categories.
The 2025 games in Chengdu will bring together around 5,000 athletes from 118 countries, competing in 34 different sports between August 7 and 17.
AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez joins Saudi side Al-Hilal
- The 27-year-old French defender joins Al-Hilal on a three-year deal
Paris: Saudi club Al-Hilal on Thursday signed AC Milan’s French full-back Theo Hernandez on a three-year contract.
The 27-year-old leaves the Serie A side in a deal worth 25 million euros ($29.2 million), Italian media report.
Hernandez has played 38 times for France with two goals, and figured in the last World Cup, including the defeat by Argentina on penalties in the 2022 final in Qatar.
Moving to the Saudi Pro League a year before the next World Cup could be considered a risk for his chances of getting called up again by coach Didier Deschamps.
But he can take encouragement that Deschamps selected N’Golo Kante for Euro 2024 whilst he was playing for another Saudi club, Al-Ittihad.
Theo is the younger brother of Paris Saint-Germain and France defender Lucas Hernandez.
Swiss move through to Euro 2025 quarterfinals with late Xhemaili goal
- Switzerland, who needed only a draw to advance based on goal difference, finished second in Group A behind Norway to go through to the knockout round for the first time
- The desolate Finland players collapsed to the pitch in tears at the final whistle, while the Swiss lingered after the game’s end to pose for pictures
GENEVA: Switzerland’s Riola Xhemaili scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a dramatic 1-1 draw with Finland on Thursday that sent the joyous hosts through to the quarterfinals at Euro 2025, and heartbroken Finland home.
Switzerland, who needed only a draw to advance based on goal difference, finished second in Group A behind Norway to go through to the knockout round for the first time, and will face the winners of Group B, which would be world champions Spain as things stand now.
“I think we set ourselves a goal on the pitch, to write history, to go into the knockout stages, which we’ve never done before,” Swiss captain Lia Walti said.
Finland looked to be heading for the knockout round after Natalia Kuikka scored a penalty in the 79th minute, awarded after Viola Calligaris’s foul on Emma Koivisto. Center-back Kuikka calmly slotted home a low shot as Swiss goalkeeper Livia Peng dived the wrong way.
But, roared on by the home crowd, the Swiss kept up the attack in the breathless dying moments and Xhemaili, a second-half substitute, scored in the 92nd minute when Geraldine Reuteler mis-hit her shot on goal and Xhemaili was there to tap it in, blowing the roof off at Stade de Geneve.
“I really have to say that I didn’t think that we’re going home because I really believed in this team, until the last second, and I knew we were going to score,” Xhemaili said.
“I knew that Geraldine Reuteler, she will hit the target, of course, because she’s one of our best players, so I was like, just stay on the right spot in the right moment and wait until the ball is coming and it did.”
The desolate Finland players collapsed to the pitch in tears at the final whistle, while the Swiss lingered after the game’s end to pose for pictures and their famed manager Pia Sundhage wrapped her assistants in huge hugs.
But for most of the nervy night, the game was far from a classic, with desperation showing in both sides with the stakes sky high.
Switzerland started brightly and put Finnish goalkeeper Anna Koivunen to work early with a couple of chances. But momentum shifted midway through the half to quiet the nervous crowd and Peng made a huge save on the goal-line seconds before the break to preserve the draw.
Intensity picked up over the second half and Sundhage threw virtually every attacker on her bench into the game in search of the equalizer, with the Swiss ending the night with 15 shots to Finland’s six.
“I am going to dance tonight,” a smiling Sundhage told SRF.
Kuikka said Switzerland were the better team on the night.
“They came to the game like they wanted to win and it kind of showed,” she said.
