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The ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ football championship competition launched in Al-Durayhimi District, organized by the Al-Durayhimi Youth Club.
The statement considered that such tournaments came to consolidate the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood concept
Source: Yemen News Agency
ABU DHABI: Ons Jabeur exited the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council following a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Beatriz Haddad Maia, while Elena Rybakina and Lidmila Samsonova will meet in the semi-finals having both won today.
World Number. 6 Jabeur was heavily backed by a passionate crowd inside Stadium Court, but the Tunisian was unable to replicate the form she produced in Wednesday’s impressive win over Emma Raducanu.
Haddad Maia, also through to the semi-finals of the doubles competition alongside compatriot Luisa Stefani, won the first set 6-3 and while Jabeur produced flashes of quality, she was unable to find the consistency to seriously trouble the Brazilian.
Having saved one match point, the writing was on the wall for Jabeur when Haddad Maia, on her serve, forced another, and second time around she made it count to set up a semi-final clash against Daria Kasatkina.
Samsonova was the first player to book her spot in the last four as she triumphed in the day’s ope
ning contest on Stadium Court, the 25-year-old overcoming World No. 12 Barbora Krejcíková in straight sets.
It marks a second consecutive semi-final at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open for Samsonova, who defeated Qinwen Zheng at the same stage last year before losing in the final to Belinda Bencic.
After eliminating Anhelina Kalinina in the quarter-finals, Samsonova edged two close sets in the UAE sunshine, progressing 7-5, 6-4.
She said, ‘I’m so happy with the way it went because I knew it would be a match at a high level. Barbora is an amazing player and it’s incredible the way I managed today, I’m so happy.
‘My game is coming together because of course it’s important to serve well, but I’m returning well too and together it’s a great mix.”
Also, through to the last four is Kazakhstan’s Rybakina who recorded a straight-sets victory over Cristina Buc?a.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion was forced to come from behind against Danielle Collins in the quarter-finals, but it was a different story today as she took co
ntrol from the outset and quickly won the first set.
Buc?a responded well in the second and, at one point, looked on course to force a third set, but after breaking her opponent’s serve, World No. 5 Rybakina saw the match out to win 6-1, 6-4.
Rybakina and Samsonova go head-to-head today for a place in the final. In the day’s final match, Kasatkina made light work of Cîrstea with a truly dominant display.
The 2022 French Open semi-finalist started well and got better as the match progressed, blowing her opponent away to win 6-2, 6-0. She plays Haddad Maia today with a place in the final up for grabs.
Linda Noskova and Heather Watson are through to the final of the doubles competition following a thrilling quarter-final win over Nicole Melichar and Ellen Perez.
Noskova and Watson advance straight to the final via Walk Over due to the fact their scheduled semi-final opponents, Magda Linette and Bernarda Pera, have withdrawn after Linette sustained an injury to her left thigh.
They will face either Haddad M
aia and Stefani or Sofia Kennin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who play today, in Sunday’s final.
Kennin and Mattek-Sands traded competing on the tennis court for some high-speed track action as they headed to nearby Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, for a karting session. The duo face Haddad Maia and Stefani in the semi-finals of the doubles competition today.
Source: Emirates News Agency
ABU DHABI: The Emirates International Endurance village in Al Wathba will tomorrow (11th February) host the 25th UAE President’s Endurance Cup, one of the most prestigious events in the annual UAE endurance racing calendar.
The 160km, silver jubilee event is being held in partnership with the UAE Equestrian and Racing federation (UAEERF) under the support and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Emirates International Endurance village.
An elite group of male and female riders on back of the strongest horses from various stables across the country, the GCC and Arab countries, in addition to international riders residing in the country will compete in the six-leg race at distance of 40km, 28km, 28km, 24km, 20km and 20km.
Emirati riders have dominated the championship since its inception, exchanging its titles during its 24 years, and they have also dominated all the top positions. 19 riders
exchanged the titles of the championship, and rider Sultan Ahmed Al Balushi won 3 titles, while the riders Sharif Mohammed Abdullah, Saeed Al Muhairi, and Khalifa Al Jahouri each won the title twice.
Al Wathba Stables is the most winning stables in the championship with 8 titles.
The rider Rashid Saeed Al Ketbi holds the title of the previous edition of the championship.
Source: Emirates News Agency
DOHA: Akram Afif scored a hat-trick of penalties as Qatar won their second consecutive AFC Asian Cup title after defeating Jordan 3-1 in the Qatar 2023 final at a packed Lusail Stadium on Saturday.
Though Yazan Al Naimat’s equaliser gave first time finalists Jordan a flicker of hope, Afif’s coolness and Qatar’s overall superiority saw them defending the title they won in emphatic fashion in 2019 comfortably.
Afif’s hat-trick, the first of the tournament, took his tally to eight as he won the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Yili Top Scorer Award.
Ahead of the kick-off, Iraq legend and former captain Younis Mahmoud unveiled the AFC Asian Cup trophy in front of a capacity crowd at the Lusail Stadium, warming the fans up nicely for the final.
Qatar settled the faster with Afif almost catching Jordan napping in the fifth minute when he waltzed through the defence but goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila was quick off his line to thwart the danger.
Afif had another crack at goal two minutes later when Lucas Mendes did well on
the right flank before sending his cross into the six-yard-box but the Al Sadd forward fired a low drive straight into the arms of Abulaila.
Qatar continued to pressure the Jordanian defence with Hasan Al Hydos threading a delightful through ball to Almoez Ali, who was stopped in his tracks by an alert Mahmoud Al Mardi.
Limited to just counter-attacks, Jordan’s Nizar Al Rashdan whipped a long ball for Ali Olwan, with the forward setting up Yazan Al Naimat, who forced goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham to parry his powerful drive from above the box.
Jordan struggled to match Qatar’s intensity and paid the price in the 22nd minute following Abdallah Nasib’s clumsy challenge on Afif, who coolly slotted home the ensuing penalty to take his tournament tally to six which also confirmed him as the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Yili Top Scorer.
Jordan, having had to play second fiddle for the majority of the half, could have equalised just before the break but Mousa Tamari saw his effort from inside the box blocked by Mohamme
d Waad, with the Montpellier forward then failing to find the target from close range, sending Olwan’s cross over the bar.
That, however, was a prelude to what was to come from Jordan in the second half as they took the game to Qatar.
Barsham, who had a quiet game in the opening period, had to be on his toes with Olwan threatening in the 56th minute with an acrobatic effort before the shot stopper denied Ehsan Haddad three minutes later from close range.
Jordan poured bodies forward and came close again in the 61st minute when Al Tamari was denied by the post with Al Rawabdeh hitting the side netting on the rebound, but their persistence was finally rewarded in the 67th minute.
An unmarked Al Naimat showed excellent ball control inside the six-yard-box when he collected Haddad’s cross from the right flank before riffling his effort into the bottom corner.
The increased tempo paid dividends in the 73rd minute when Qatar were awarded a second penalty following Mahmoud Al Mardi’s foul on Ismaeel Mohammad, w
ith Afif again making no mistake from the spot to restore Qatar’s lead.
There was no respite for Jordan as they conceded their third penalty after goalkeeper Abulaila was judged to brought down Boualem Khoukhi after a VAR review, with Afif stepping up once more to convert from the spot to complete his hat-trick in the fifth minute of added time and hand Qatar their second AFC Asian Cup title.
Source: Emirates News Agency
SHARJAH: Sharjah Women’s Sports Club secured the Kumite championship at the conclusion of the karate competitions, part of the ongoing 7th edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST 2024), which is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairperson of Sharjah Women’s Sports.
Sharjah Club’s excellence shone through on the second day of the karate competitions, where they earned the gold medal with distinction.
The silver medal was awarded to the Kuwaiti Al Fatat, while the bronze went to the Nasib Syrian Club and the Saudi Al-Ittihad Club.
The awarding ceremony took place under the presence of Hanan Al Mahmoud, Vice Chairman of AWST 2024, Noura Ali Al Shamsi, Director of AWST as well as several representatives and partners for AWST.
In a remarkable turn of events, Syria’s Nasib Club topped the overall final ranking in the karate competitions, leading with a total of 8 medals: two gold, one silver, and five bronze. Foll
owing closely was the Sharjah Club with four medals: two gold, one silver, and one bronze; and in third place, UAE’s Al Ahli Club, with three medals: two gold and one silver.
Kuwait’s Al Fatat claimed fourth place with a tally of five medals: one gold, two silver, and two bronze, while Iraq’s Peshmerga Club secured fifth place with four medals: one silver and three bronze. The Libyan Al-Ittihad Club came in sixth with one silver medal, followed by the Saudi Al-Ittihad Club in seventh place with three bronze medals.
Yemen’s Balqis Club and the Omani Al-Raisi Club rounded off the rankings in eighth and ninth places, respectively, with the former securing one bronze medal and the latter finishing without any medals.
Source: Emirates News Agency
ABU DHABI: Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina prevailed through three sets against Liudmila Samsonova to book her spot in Sunday’s sold-out final of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, finally breaking her winless streak over her opponent.
With the threat of adverse weather conditions on Sunday, the doubles final at Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday 11 February will now begin at 12pm (midday), with the singles final scheduled as planned for NB 5pm.
World No. 5 Rybakina has defied her winless record against Samsonova with a hard-fought three-set victory 6-0 4-6 6-2.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion, Rybakina, who had lost the previous four encounters against her opponent, now faces an enticing final showdown against Daria Kasatkina, as she aims to secure her second WTA 500 title of the season in Abu Dhabi.
In Saturday’s first semi-final, Daria Kasatkina clinched her spot in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open final after a three-set thriller against Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia.
The match, a gripping battle lasting nearly th
ree hours, concluded with Kasatkina prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (2).
The World No. 14 surged into a one-set lead and held a break advantage in the second set, before facing a resilient comeback from the Brazilian, who pushed her all the way to a third-set tie-break.
Despite the fervent support of the Abu Dhabi crowd, Haddad Maia fell at the final hurdle in a valiant attempt to stage a comeback, having spent an astonishing 13-plus hours on court during the tournament.
Kasatkina now stands on the brink of glory as she prepares to take on the formidable Rybakina in what promises to be an eagerly awaited final, particularly given their previous encounter – a three-set marathon in Montreal last year lasting three hours and 27 minutes.
Kasatkina will be hoping to be on the right side of history this Sunday, with a full capacity crowd expected for the sold-out finals day.
AMERICAN PAIR KENIN and MATTEK-SANDS SECURE DOUBLES FINALS SPOT
American duo Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands secured their spot in the
doubles final following a walkover, and are set to take on Linda Noskova and Heather Watson in the final showdown. The latter advanced directly to the championship match due to a walkover in the semi-finals, with their opponents Magda Linette and Bernarda Pera withdrawing due to injury.
ROAD TO MADO CONCLUDES WITH WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Road to Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, which aims to discover the UAE’s next tennis stars, reached its conclusion with the U14 and U16 winners securing an all-expenses-paid trip to train at the prestigious Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Spain.
The academy boasts an impressive alumni of players, including reigning Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, and U14 Girls winner Isabelle James, U14 Boys winner Mithun Sendilkumar, U16 Girls winner Saida Ismail, U16 Boys winner Timur Gordee, will now have the opportunity to train alongside some of the world’s most exceptional talents.
All players were presented with their trophies on Stadium Court by former tennis player and 2016 Olympic Gol
d Medalist, Mónica Puig.
Elsewhere, Saturday’s proceedings kicked off with a lively performance from the Abu Dhabi Police Parade Band in the Fan Village, setting the stage for an electrifying semi-finals day.
Ahead of this year’s event, courts at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City were resurfaced by Laykold.
Laykold Chill tech courts are being used in Abu Dhabi for the first time at an international tournament to reduce the effect of heat on player performance.
Scott Windus, Manager Laykold Asia said: ‘Heat is a huge factor in the overall performance of tennis players and we are delighted to see our Laykold Chill tech courts, which feature temperature reducing nano-technology, used for the first time at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
‘As a court provider, we have a strong commitment to player welfare and we are continually trying to improve our surfaces in order for players to perform at the highest level.’
Source: Emirates News Agency