Former champs Medvedev and Rublev set for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships return

Daniil Medvedev (left) beat Andrey Rublev in the final of the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. (Supplied)
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Updated 10 January 2025
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Former champs Medvedev and Rublev set for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships return

  • Lineup for the 2025 edition of the ATP 500 Event includes world No.8 Alex de Minaur, two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas

DUBAI: The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships return on Feb. 16 with the 33rd edition of the ATP 500 tournament featuring some of the biggest names in the sport.

Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 champion, heads to Dubai after a challenging season in which he finished without a title for the first time since 2017. Currently ranked world No.5, the 28-year-old Russian boasts an impressive 20 career titles, including the 2021 US Open. Despite his year ending in defeat at the Nitto ATP Finals, Medvedev will hope to start 2025 on the right foot by reclaiming his crown.

Also playing will be Andrey Rublev, the 2022 champion who is currently the world No.9 after claiming two ATP titles in 2024, picking up trophies at the Madrid Open and Hong Kong Open. With 16 titles to his name, the 27-year-old stands as a strong contender for another successful campaign in Dubai.

“This year’s ATP 500 tournament is shaping up to be another memorable event, and we’re excited to welcome back former champions Medvedev and Rublev,” said Ramesh Cidambi, managing director of Dubai Duty Free and chairman of the tournament’s organizing committee.

“This is the 25th year of the WTA week and the 33rd year for the ATP week. Over that time we have always had a fantastic line-up of players who provide the fans with a stellar fortnight of tennis and this year will be no exception.”

Adding to the men’s roster is Alex De Minaur, currently No.8 in the world. The 25-year-old Australian reached a career-high ranking of No. 6 in July 2024 and has secured nine ATP singles titles.

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, ranked No.11, brings additional firepower. The former world No.3’s career highlights include an ATP Finals victory and multiple Grand Slam final appearances, including the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Completing the confirmed lineup is No.19 Karen Khachanov, a 28-year-old renowned for his performances in high-stakes matches. A former world No.8, Khachanov memorably defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2018 Paris Masters final to claim his biggest crown to date and reached the men’s singles final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Tournament Director Salah Tahlak, who is also deputy managing director of Dubai Duty Free, added: “Fans from across the globe will be treated to another fantastic edition of the ATP 500 tournament. With some of the top players already confirmed and more to be announced in the weeks ahead, we’re excited about the competitive level of this year’s event.”

Meanwhile, a star-studded Women’s Tennis Association lineup will see the world’s top 10 female players descend for the 25th Dubai women’s tournament. Defending champion Jasmine Paolini and the world’s top three players — Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, who won a third consecutive French Open in 2024, and Coco Gauff — lead an impressive pack.

The emirate’s long-standing tennis championships will again run as back-to-back competitions, with the WTA week getting under way on Feb. 16, followed immediately by the ATP event on Feb. 24.


Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special

Updated 8 sec ago
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Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special

  • For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement
  • There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury

JEDDAH: It was honors even in a thrilling Sea Derby on Saturday as Al-Ahli drew 2-2 with Al-Ittihad who twice came back to earn a precious point.
A 95th minute strike from Karim Benzema broke the hearts of home fans and put the leaders five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement and entertainment in a game that could have gone either way.
There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury in the thrilling King’s Cup semifinal win over Al-Shabab on Tuesday but stand-in Mohammed Al-Mahasneh showed his worth early in the first start of the season.
In the eighth minute, he saved from Firas Al-Buraikan’s low shot from inside the area and then got down quickly to deny Ivan Toney from the rebound.
At the other end, Edouard Mendy returned to the number one position and returned to fitness for Al-Ahli, who had not played a competitive game for three weeks. There is no doubt however that his opposite number had more to do in the early exchanges. It could have been worse as Ittihad survived two penalty appeals turned down late in the first half.
The Tigers were, however, starting to look dangerous and just before the break, N’Golo Kante broke into the area, went around the goalkeeper but pulled his shot just wide.
The miss became more painful four minutes after the restart as Al-Ahli took the lead with a simple set piece. Riyad Mahrez swung over a corner kick from the left and Brazilian defender Ibanez climbed high on the edge of the six-yard box to head the Greens into a deserved lead.
It was all looking good for the hosts but then, with 15 minutes remaining, the fans in yellow and black were celebrating. Saleh Al-Shehri dropped deep and his slide rule pass found Moussa Diaby on the right side of the area and the French winger made no mistake with his first time shot.
Then, in the 82nd minute, Al-Ahli were back in front. Kante tried to block a cross but succeeded only in finding Ivan Toney and the England striker shot home from close range.
That strike looked as if it had won a famous victory for the home team but for the second time in four days, Al-Ittihad hit back deep into added time. Abdulelah Al-Amri found Benzema with an exquisite pass to the back post and the former Real Madrid star was never going to miss.
The goal takes the leaders onto 62 points from 26 games, five clear of Al-Hilal. Al-Nassr are third with 54, two and five ahead of Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli respectively.


Qatar’s Hit Show wins the Dubai World Cup at Meydan

Updated 05 April 2025
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Qatar’s Hit Show wins the Dubai World Cup at Meydan

  • Horse owned by Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing ridden to triumph by jockey Florent Geroux

LONDON: American horse Hit Show, owned by the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing, clinched victory in the Dubai World Cup’s main event on Saturday, topping a world-class field at Meydan Racecourse in the $12 million feature race.

Trained by Brad Cox, Hit Show was ridden to triumph by jockey Florent Geroux, completing the race in 2:03:50 minutes and securing the $6.96 million winner’s prize with just over a half-length lead.

American contender Mixto, owned by Calumet Farm and ridden by Frankie Dettori, finished second for trainer Doug O’Neill, earning $2.4 million.

Japan’s Forever Young, owned by Susumu Fujita and trained by Yoshito Yahagi, placed third under jockey Ryusei Sakai, collecting $1.2 million.

Saudi Arabia’s Walk of Stars, representing Athbah Racing, finished in fourth place.


Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby

Updated 05 April 2025
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Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby

  • The incident occurred at the end of the Turkish Cup quarter-finals
  • A mass scuffle had broken out between both sets of players

ISTANBUL: Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for three matches and handed a fine of around 6,000 pounds ($7,734.00) after grabbing the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk in the Istanbul derby, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said on Saturday.
The incident occurred at the end of the Turkish Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, which Mourinho’s side lost 2-1 at home.
A mass scuffle had broken out between both sets of players, with the referee sending three players off, two from Galatasaray, and after the final whistle the 62-year-old Portuguese appeared to pinch Buruk’s nose who then fell dramatically to the ground.
“Mourinho shall be banned from entering the dressing room and the bench for three official matches,” TFF said in a statement.
Mourinho will miss the games against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor and Kayserispor.
Fenerbahce are second in the Super Lig, trailing leaders Galatasaray by six points with a game in hand.


PSG win 13th French title ahead of Aston Villa Champions League clash

Updated 05 April 2025
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PSG win 13th French title ahead of Aston Villa Champions League clash

  • PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again
  • Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favor, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.
PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left.
Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favor, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play.
It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, highlighting the extent to which they have dominated domestically since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.
“Our ambition is to win everything,” said captain Marquinhos, who has now won 10 titles since joining the club in 2013, to broadcaster beIN Sports.
“It is a nice feeling. It is the reward for the work we have put in throughout the season, for our consistency, and the team deserves it,” added the Brazilian center-back, who will be suspended for the first leg against Villa.
PSG’s overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981.
Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.
The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.
However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honor of the Parc des Princes pitch.
The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15.
However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others.
They remain undefeated after 28 matches, with 23 wins and just five draws, and are on course to become the first team to complete a Ligue 1 campaign without losing a game.
The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 matches before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.
That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.
They will not play again in Ligue 1 until a home meeting with Le Havre on April 19, with next week’s trip to Nantes postponed to April 22 in order to allow PSG to recover in between the two legs of their tie against Villa.
Ousmane Dembele, PSG’s top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions this season, was rested at kick-off against Angers, having netted twice in the 4-2 midweek win over second-tier Dunkerque in the semifinals of the French Cup.
Bradley Barcola, the team’s second-top marksman on 18 goals, was also left out of the starting line-up and it was far from a vintage performance by the home side.
They were perhaps fortunate early on when Angers forward Esteban Lepaul ran through on goal before being outmuscled by Willian Pacho, the challenge a fair one in the eyes of the referee.
Doue was on hand to convert from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his 11th goal in all competitions since signing from Rennes at the start of the season.
That proved enough for PSG to win the game and take the title, maintaining Luis Enrique’s record of having won every domestic trophy since he took over prior to last season.
Monaco are in action later away to Brest, while Lyon host Lille in Saturday’s other Ligue 1 game, a key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.


Wijnaldum ensures Eastern derby ends all square

Updated 05 April 2025
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Wijnaldum ensures Eastern derby ends all square

  • Hosts Al-Qadsiah take lead before Ettifaq grab second-half equalizer
  • Newly promoted Al-Qadsiah remain 4th on Saudi Pro League table

RIYADH: The Eastern derby ended 1-1 on Saturday as Al-Qadsiah were held by Ettifaq in what was a blow to their chances of a top-three finish, and a place in next season’s AFC Champions League.
Newly promoted Al-Qadsiah took the lead, had the best of the possession, chances and the game in general, but could not get the all-important second goal to kill the contest off, and Wijnaldum ensured that they paid the price in the second half.
Al-Qadsiah remain fourth on the Saudi Pro League table, two points behind Al-Nassr and five behind second-placed Al-Hilal.

 


Going into the game, the hosts were on a high after booking their first-ever place in the final of the King’s Cup on Wednesday, and all was looking good at the break as they took the lead.
Mohammed Qasem picked up the ball on the left, near the Ettifaq area, and curled a cross into the six-yard box. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tried to get a head on it and did enough to distract goalkeeper Marek Rodak, who could not gather the ball. Instead, it bounced out to Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, who reacted quickly to fire home from close range.
Ettifaq have been in good form, however, since the departure of Steven Gerrard as head coach in late January. Under Saad Al-Shehri, the replacement for the Liverpool legend, the Greens had taken 16 points from their last previous eight games to move up to seventh in the table, though the last match was a defeat against struggling Al-Fayha.
They were always in the game and then, three minutes after the hour, grabbed the equalizer. It came from a similar position on the pitch as Qadsiah’s opener. Vitinho curled a free kick into the area for a number of white shirts to attack the ball and Wijnaldum got there first, heading past goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
It was the 11th league goal of the season for the former Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, an impressive return.
Both teams pushed forward in an attempt to take all three points, but in the end, they had to settle for one each.