Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final/node/2572396/sport
Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in final
Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia celebrates with the trophy after defeating Russia's Daria Kasatkina in their women's singles final match at the Korea Open tennis championships in Seoul on September 22, 2024. (AFP)
No. 3 seed Haddad Maia lost the opening set but turned the tide in the second, before going on to close out the match in a gutsy performance
Updated 45 sec ago
AFP
SEOUL: Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia won the fourth title of her career with a furious fightback to beat Russian top seed Daria Kasatkina 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s Korea Open final.
No. 3 seed Haddad Maia lost the opening set in just 26 minutes but turned the tide in the second, before going on to close out the match in a gutsy performance in Seoul.
It was the world No. 17’s first title since June 2022. “I know that tennis changes everything very fast,” said Haddad Maia.
“I was competing better at the end of the second set and then my tennis appeared. I finished in the way that I wanted and I think I deserved this win.”
Kasatkina, ranked 13, has now lost four of her five finals this year. She said “losing in the final can feel worse than losing in the first round.”
“It’s tough, especially being up in the final, but she definitely raised the level after the first set,” said Kasatkina. “The match was pretty good but then she was better in the third set.”
Neither player had dropped a set on their way to the Seoul decider and both played two matches on Saturday, after heavy rain wiped out the previous day’s play.
Kasatkina won her quarter-final after opponent Emma Raducanu retired injured after the first set.
Kasatkina broke Haddad Maia twice on the way to winning the first set.
She broke her opponent again in the first game of the second set and held serve, before Haddad Maia began to threaten for the first time in the match.
The momentum shifted when the 28-year-old Haddad Maia broke back midway through the second set and then took the lead for the first time.
The Brazilian argued a call with the umpire but kept her cool to take the second set.
“I was just trying to play every point,” she said. “I was improving and I think that was the key, to be calm and just play tennis.”
Haddad Maia went a break up in the third and stayed ahead as Kasatkina began to crumble.
Haddad Maia broke again and closed out the final when Kasatkina hit a return long.
“I feel stronger, I feel that I’m very competitive now,” said Haddad Maia.
“I’m in a good moment, ready for the next week. I feel that I’m doing very good things, working hard.
“Let’s see what the end of the season brings to me,” she added.
The Korea Open was being played as a WTA 500 tournament for the first time.
It was hit by a string of last-minute withdrawals including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
National Day celebrations see start of Kingdom’s most historic football competition
Saudi and international players will be busy with King’s Cup action over the next three days
Updated 41 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: As the Kingdom celebrates its National Day, its footballers, both local and international, will this year turn their attentions to Saudi Arabia’s oldest and most iconic competition, the King’s Cup.
On Sept. 23, 2023, the first Saudi National Day to be celebrated since the influx of foreign superstars to the nation’a top clubs, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and many others marked the occasion by dressing in traditional Saudi attire and posting the results on their socials media accounts.
The display of inclusivity was hailed in Saudi Arabia as a sign that these players, some of the world’s finest arriving from Europe’s top clubs, were embracing their new lives in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and beyond.
This year, Al-Hilal have released a video celebrating the day which includes, among other players, Brazilian stars Neymar and Malcom.
Meanwhile, ahead of their Saudi Classico with champions Al-Hilal on Saturday night, Al-Ittihad’s official account on X posted a image showing the team’s superstars Benzema and N’Golo Kante in national dress and holding up swords.
But on Monday, thoughts will turn to the serious business of the Round of 32 of the King’s Cup, with a full program of fixtures being completed on the following two days.
Perhaps it is appropriate that the day of celebrating Saudi achievements will see nationwide action in the historic competition that allows the country’s less heralded clubs the chance to cause an upset against the elite of the Saudi Pro League.
The pick of the matches on Sept. 23 is perhaps the visit of Ronaldo and Al-Nassr to Al-Hazm, the team that was relegated from the top tier at the end of last season. Al-Nassr will be hoping to go one better than last season when they lost the final to Al-Hilal
Jeddah giants Al-Ahli will welcome Al-Jandal to Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, while Ettifaq will host Al-Adalah club in Dammam. Also taking place are Al-Fayha against Al-Batin and Al-Tai against Khaleej Club.
On Tuesday, the current holders of the King’s Cup and reigning SPL champions Al-Hilal begin their defence of the trophy with a visit to Al-Bukiryah, where an upset will go down as one of the biggest in the history of Saudi football.
Al-Ittihad will hope to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Al-Hilal in th Saudi Classico with an expected win over Al-Ain in Jeddah, while Al-Shababwill travel to fellow SPL club Al-Kholood. Rounding up the days matches will be Al-Jabalan against Al-Fateh
The line-up for the Round of 16 of the competition will be completed on Wednesday four matches: Al-Najma vs. Daman, Abha vs. Al-Taawoun, Al-Safa vs. Al-Riyadh and Jeddah Club vs. Al-Raed.
Each of the fixtures have a clear underdog hoping to cause the shock of the round, and in some cases produce the finest result in their history.
McLaren’s Lando Norris wins Singapore Grand Prix to narrow F1 title race
Norris got away brilliantly from pole and was clear of Verstappen into the first bend
Updated 22 September 2024
AFP
SINGAPORE: Formula One title contender Lando Norris led from pole to chequered flag to win the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, narrowing the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, who was second.
It was the McLaren driver’s third career GP win and his first from pole at his sixth attempt.
Teammate Oscar Piastri was third to extend their lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
It was a remarkably incident-free run around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, the first in its 15-race history not to see a safety car deployed.
At the end of the 62 uninterrupted laps, Norris had reduced Verstappen’s title lead to 52 points with six races and three sprints to go.
Piastri’s third place, coupled with Sergio Perez only managing 10th in the second Red Bull, meant McLaren’s lead in the constructors’ championship was increased to 41 points.
Norris got away brilliantly from pole and was clear of Verstappen into the first bend as Lewis Hamilton, on softer tires, tried to put pressure on the Dutchman.
But the three-time world champion repelled the Englishman and all the cars completed the opening lap safely.
Norris soon opened up a gap of more than a second over Verstappen, importantly keeping the Englishman out of DRS range of his title rival.
Hamilton from third was the only front-runner to start on soft tires, but he paid a penalty for it after he had to pit early on lap 18.
The aim was clearly to go all the way to the end but after just five laps on the new rubber he complained on team radio: “I’m already struggling with this tyre.”
Norris was in a league of his own up front as he stretched his lead over Verstappen to 20 seconds by lap 26.
Despite a few late brushes with the unforgiving Singapore street circuit walls, the Englishman secured a dominant victory.
“It was an amazing race,” said Norris.
“A few too many close calls, I had a couple of close moments in the middle but it was well managed I think.
“I could push, we were flying the whole race. Still tough, I’m a bit out of breath, but a good one.”
Piastri started from fifth but a superior strategy enabled him to overhaul Hamilton and the second Mercedes of George Russell in the late stages.
“It was a good race, a good recovery from qualifying — it wasn’t my best afternoon yesterday,” said Piastri.
“Big thank you to the team as clearly the car was exceptional this weekend, and some great points.”
Verstappen’s only chance looked like a safety car that never came.
“My race was just by myself, do the best I could, manage my own race,” said the three-time world champion.
“On a weekend we knew we were going to struggle, P2 is a good achievement. But now we need to improve, and that’s what we’ll do.”
Hamilton on much older tires than the field was a sitting duck toward the end lost another place on lap 50 to the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc who had begun from ninth on the grid.
Leclerc finished ahead of Hamilton, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in seventh.
Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Perez rounded out the top 10.
Al Clasico: Saudi Arabia’s fiercest football rivalry
Updated 22 September 2024
Ali Khaled
Al-Hilal will always look over their shoulders at Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr, while Al-Ittihad, the Kingdom’s oldest club, have to contend with Jeddah neighbors Al-Ahli.
On Saturday, Al-Hilal team achieved a major victory over its counterpart Al-Ittihad 3-1 in the fourth round of the Saudi League, at Prince Faisal bin Fahd City Stadium.
These two derbies are highlights of the Saudi Arabian football calendar. But even those epic rivalries have to take a back seat to the country’s biggest match: Al-Hilal against Al-Ittihad.
Derbies traditionally take place between rivals from within the same city, with historic animosity shrouding fixtures between Al-Ahly and Zamalek in Cairo, Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow, and Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires.
Hilal's Saudi defender #87 Hassan al-Tambakti heads the ball during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on September 21, 2024. (AFP)
Some of the world’s biggest clashes, however, are between rival city clubs: Juventus versus Inter in Derby d’Italia, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund’s Der Klassiker, and, above all, Real Madrid against Barcelona in El Clasico.
And in Saudi, "Al Classico".
In the blue corner, the champions and the country’s most decorated club, one that sees itself as the best not only of Saudi Arabia, but also Asia. Few will argue. They are the proud holders of 19 Saudi league titles and four AFC Champions Leagues — both records.
In the yellow corner, the contenders. Nine titles and two AFC Champions League fall short of their rivals from the capital. But to Al-Ittihad fans, that is of little consequence. History is theirs. They are the people’s club, with qualities that cannot be measured in gold, such as history, tradition, and passion. Anyone who has been to an Al-Ittihad match, and witnessed their supporters’ displays of color and noise, would be hard pressed to dispute their claim.
Ittihad's fans cheer for their team during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal at Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on September 1, 2023. (AFP)
The two first crossed swords in a 1962 friendly, a match won 2-0 by Al-Ittihad. Two years later, they clashed in their first official match, their first-ever meeting during a King’s Cup. Al-Ittihad won that one, too, 3-0. This early dominance, however, would gradually be diluted over the years.
Today, after 163 official meetings, Al-Hilal have claimed 76 victories, Al-Ittihad 42, while 45 have been drawn.
Some of those matches might have been forgotten. Many more, however, are etched in the minds of Saudi football fans.
In 11 cup finals between the two, Al-Hilal have won six to Al-Ittihad’s five.
In 2010, Al-Ittihad beat Al-Hilal 5-4 on penalties in the King’s Cup final after the match had finished 0-0. It was the last time the two met in a major final.
Still, only rarely is the Classico an irrelevance in the Saudi Premier League, and these days the clash features more big-name players than at any time in its history.
Hilal fans cheer ahead of the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on September 21, 2024. (AFP)
Alongside hometown hero and World Cup champion-beater Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Hilal can call on Aleksander Mitrovic, Malcom, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and, hopefully, Neymar.
Al-Ittihad roster includes Karim Benzema, Fabinho, Moussa Diaby and former Al-Hilal favorite Saleh Al-Shehri.
Matches between the two tend to have major bearing on the outcome of the league title, even when one of the clubs are not directly involved in the title race.
That was the case when the two met in the SPL for the second time last season. Al-Hilal, in the middle of a world record run of consecutive wins that would eventually extend to 34, were in danger of disappearing over the horizon in the race for the championship.
Only Al-Nassr stood a slim chance of catching them. Having drawn 4-4 against bottom Al-Hazem on Feb 29, 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates needed a big favor from Al-Ittihad — then still reigning Saudi Pro League champions — in the Classico following day.
It was not to be as Al-Hilal came from behind to defeat Al-Ittihad 3-1 and take a giant step toward the Saudi Pro League trophy. The journey was completed on May 11 when a record 19th title was secured after a 4-1 win over Al-Hazem.
Ittihad's Saudi defender #04 Abdulelah al-Amri is marked by Hilal's Portuguese midfielder #08 Ruben Neves during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on September 21, 2024. (AFP)
But, once again, it was the Al-Classico matchday that had proven decisive.
On Saturday, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad met in the first Clasico of the 2024-25 season. The victory went to Al-Hilal, 3-1 winners in Riyadh. A long season stretches ahead in which both will be vying for titles and bragging rights.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, the two clubs will resume hostilities in Jeddah.
Almost certainly, the Saudi Classico will once again, one way or the other, have a major impact on the result of the Saudi Pro League title.
Ashwin bags six wickets as India hammer Bangladesh in first Test
India beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in first Test at Chennai
Chasing 515 runs for victory, Bangladesh were bowled out for 234
Updated 22 September 2024
AFP
CHENNAI, India: Ravichandran Ashwin claimed six wickets after a first-innings century with the bat to inspire India to a 280-run thrashing of Bangladesh in the first Test on Sunday.
The tourists, who began day four in an overcast Chennai on 158-4 and chasing 515 for victory, were bowled out for 234 in the first session with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto scoring 82.
Hometown hero Ashwin struck first to end a stubborn overnight stand by getting Shakib Al Hasan caught at short-leg for 25.
The spinner, who took three wickets on day three, then dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz for one to bag his 37th five-wicket haul.
The feat added to his heroics after his 113 guided the hosts to 376 in the first innings.
Shakib put on 48 runs with skipper Najmul after the pair started cautiously.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja removed Litton Das for one after the wicketkeeper-batsman edged the ball to skipper Rohit Sharma at first slip.
Jadeja ended Najmul’s valiant stand and took three wickets for the innings.
Spin twins Ashwin and Jadeja had played a key batting role in the first innings when their 199-run seventh-wicket stand lifted India from a precarious 144-6 to a challenging total on the first day.
India declared their second innings at 287-4 on day three after centuries from Shubman Gill, who hit an unbeaten 119, and returning Rishabh Pant, who made 109, flattened the opposition.
Gill and the left-handed Pant, who is playing his first Test since a serious car crash in December 2022, put on 167 runs for the fourth wicket.
The Test was also Virat Kohli’s first since the birth of his second child made him miss India’s 4-1 victory over England at home earlier this year.
Kohli scored just six and 17.
Bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah handed India an early advantage after they bundled out Bangladesh for 149 in their first innings.
India are looking to extend their lead at the top of the World Test Championship rankings in a fresh Test season of 10 matches.
Bangladesh came to Chennai fresh from a landmark series win in Pakistan but they have still never beaten India in Tests.
The two teams now head to the northern Indian city of Kanpur for the second Test starting on Friday.
Al-Hilal stroll past Al-Ittihad in top of the table Clasico clash
Updated 22 September 2024
John Duerden
Al-Hilal defeated Al-Ittihad 3-1 in the Saudi Clasico on Saturday to make it four wins from four and move three points clear above the visitors at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings.
It was all too easy for the defending champions as they were three goals up by the end of the first half, in what was an ominous performance for the rest of the league. Red-hot striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored goals seven and eight this season before Salem Al-Dawsari put it beyond the Jeddah team with an exquisite strike.
While Al-Hilal had won all of their last seven games against Al-Ittihad in all competitions, such a comfortable victory was not expected, as this was not only the first Saudi Clasico of the season, but also a highly anticipated meeting between a top two in great form. With Ettifaq losing 3-0 to Al-Nassr on Friday, the two teams were the only ones left with maximum points, and something had to give in the capital. Before Saturday, Al-Ittihad had been looking very good, indeed, and had enjoyed plenty of rest. But it was not enough.
Al-Hilal, who went to Qatar midweek to defeat Al-Rayyan in the first game of the AFC Champions League Elite, made the early running, roared on by their fans. In just the third minute they were ahead. Ruben Neves floated over a perfect cross from the right and there was Mitrovic at the far post to send a perfect header into the net. The former Fulham forward has been on fire this season.
It was not the start that Al-Ittihad wanted but it got worse 10 minutes later. Brazilian fullback Renan Lodi went over in the area, the referee pointed to the spot and Mitrovic fired home goal number eight of the season. The task for Al-Ittihad became even harder eight minutes before the break but even the impressive number of away fans in Riyadh must have appreciated the third goal.
Al-Dawsari advanced down the left, entered the area and then flicked the ball over Predrag Rajkovic in beautiful fashion. It was a goal from a player at the top of his game playing for a team that simply does not lose. Al-Hilal have won 19 league titles and do not give up three-goal leads. From that impudent strike, it was just a question as to what the scoreline would be.
At halftime, Laurent Blanc had much to do, but the Frenchman is not the first Ittihad boss to struggle against Al-Hilal. Ittihad’s record against their blue rivals has become a real concern. In 24 clashes since 2016, the Tigers had won just one and lost 18. All players present for Ittihad on Saturday knew that winning would be a huge statement to the rest of the league and, indeed, to themselves and their fans. Now the number is 19 losses.
The second half was not quite as dramatic as the first. Al-Dawsari headed over from a good position but Hilal did not seem to be too concerned about getting a fourth.
It was Al-Ittihad who scored next even if it was too little, too late, as it came four minutes from the end. Moussa Diaby, who recorded four assists last week, broke free down the middle and squared the ball left to Karim Benzema, who side-footed the ball into the net for his fifth goal of the season so far. The Frenchman scored once more deep into injury time but it was ruled out by the referee.
In the end, it was a straightforward victory for the Riyadh giants, though the biggest positive for Al-Ittihad and the rest of the league is that there is still much more — and plenty of excitement — to come.
