Asal downs Eleinen in thriller; ElShorbagy reaches maiden Qatar Class…

Doha, Qatar: World No.1 Mostafa Asal moved into the semi-finals of the 2026 Qatar Classic after overcoming Egyptian compatriot Aly Abou Eleinen in 91-minute thriller at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.

Asal, chasing a maiden Qatar Classic title after finishing runner-up in each of the past two editions, prevailed 11-5, 11-4, 12-14, 12-10 to advance.

The top seed Asal looked to be in control after taking the opening two games, but Abou Eleinen fought back brilliantly to claim the third game 14-12 before pushing Asal to his limits in a tense fourth game. ipl-cricket.in

Asal eventually sealed the victory closing out the game 12-10 to keep his title hopes alive.

Following the tense match which saw several heated moments, Asal called for players and officials to act responsibly.

“Sometimes it can be a proper squash match, and then it turns into a feast of decisions and stuff, acting, milking and all of this kind of thing,” Asal said.

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“Responsibility for all of us as players. We had to take that on board and just sit down together, all of us, the referees, everyone.”

Asal also claimed that some players were deliberately exaggerating situations on court.

“There are players blocking, there are players taking movements, but there are players also, at the same point, milking it,” he said. “From the physical side, they couldn’t cope with the other top players, and they’re using their tactics for acting and lots of stuff.”

Asal now meets English opponent Marwan ElShorbagy for the 13th time in their careers, for a place in what could be his third Qatar Classic final.

Meanwhile, seventh seed ElShorbagy reached his first Qatar Classic semi-final after surviving a five-game battle against France’s Gregoire Marche.

ElShorbagy won the opening two games 11-5, 11-9, but Marche responded by taking the third 11-1 and the fourth 11-3 to force a decider.

The former Egyptian star then regained his composure to close out a 11-5, 11-9, 1-11, 3-11, 11-7 victory after 52 minutes.

“Greg and I always deliver entertaining matches. We did in Windy City earlier this year,” ElShorbagy said.

“It was in the same round. Last time it was his turn, this time it was my turn.”

“He’s an unbelievable player. He played better as he gets older. He uses experience,” he said.

“He’s the same generation as my brother, so I’ve been watching him for maybe 20 years or so,” ElShorbagy said, referring to his sibling Mohamed, a four-time Qatar Classic champion.

“I’m so happy for him to be able to play at this level, so I’m really happy to get into my first semi-finals at the Qatar Classic,” the 33-year-old said.

Meanwhile, there was no women’s action at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex Yesterday.

The women’s draw saw two quarter-finals decided without a ball being struck, with injuries forcing Nouran Gohar and Tinne Gilis to withdraw from their quarter-finals.

As a result, top seed and defending champion Hania El Hammamy advanced to the semi-finals via a walkover, while fourth seed Sivasangari Subramaniam also progressed without stepping on to the court.

El Hammamy was to face former World No.1 Gohar in one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, while Sivasangari was scheduled to meet eighth seed Gilis.

في خطوة تعكس توجه الاتحاد الخليجي لكرة القدم نحو توظيف أحدث الحلول الرقمية في تنظيم البطولات والارتقاء بتجربة المشجعين، يعتمد الاتحاد، بالتعاون مع اللجنة المحلية المنظمة، تقنية SafeTix™ في بطولة كأس الخليج الـ27 «خليجي الديار العربية 27»، التي تستضيفها المملكة العربية السعودية تحت رعاية خادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك سلمان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود، خلال الفترة من 23 سبتمبر حتى 6 أكتوبر 2026.

ويأتي اعتماد التقنية بهدف توفير منظومة تذاكر رقمية متطورة تجمع بين مستويات متقدمة من الأمان وسهولة الاستخدام وسلاسة الدخول إلى الملاعب، في أول نسخة من البطولة تقام في مدينة جدة، بمشاركة ثمانية منتخبات خليجية تتنافس في 15 مباراة على ملعبي مدينة الملك عبدالله الرياضية ومدينة الأمير عبدالله الفيصل الرياضية.

وتُعد SafeTix™ من الحلول الرقمية المتقدمة في مجال التذاكر، إذ توفر للمشجع تجربة متكاملة تبدأ من الحصول على التذكرة وإدارتها، وصولًا إلى استخدامها عند بوابات الملاعب، مع تعزيز الحماية من محاولات التزوير أو الاستخدام غير المصرح به.

وتتيح التقنية للمشجعين استخدام هواتفهم المحمولة للدخول إلى الملاعب عبر تقنية الاتصال قريب المدى (NFC)، من خلال تمرير الهاتف على أجهزة القراءة عند البوابات، إلى جانب إمكانية إضافة التذاكر إلى Apple Wallet وGoogle Wallet، بما يوفر وصولًا سريعًا وسلسًا دون الحاجة إلى التذاكر الورقية.

وتوفر المنظومة كذلك للمشجعين إمكانية الوصول إلى تذاكرهم وإدارتها ونقلها مباشرة عبر هواتفهم المحمولة، فيما يعزز الباركود الديناميكي مستويات الأمان من خلال تجدد رمز الدخول تلقائيًا، بما يسهم في الحد من محاولات التزوير أو إساءة استخدام لقطات الشاشة.

ويأتي اعتماد SafeTix™ امتدادًا لمنظومة التذاكر الرقمية التي أطلقها الاتحاد الخليجي لكرة القدم، بالتعاون مع اللجنة المحلية المنظمة، بما يعزز تجربة الجماهير منذ شراء التذكرة وحتى الدخول إلى الملعب.

ويتيح النظام لكل مشجع حجز ما يصل إلى ست تذاكر للمباراة الواحدة، مع إمكانية اختيار المباريات التي يرغب في حضورها خلال مرحلة المجموعات والأدوار الإقصائية. وتتوفر جميع التذاكر بصورة رقمية، ويمكن تحميلها على الهواتف المحمولة وإضافتها إلى المحافظ الرقمية، بما يتيح استخدامها عند بوابات الملاعب دون الحاجة إلى الاتصال بالإنترنت.

ويمكن للجماهير شراء تذاكر مباريات «خليجي الديار العربية 27» عبر الموقع الإلكتروني الرسمي لبيع التذاكر the-gff.com/tickets، أو من خلال تطبيق GFF Tickets، واختيار المباريات التي يرغبون في حضورها والاستفادة من تجربة رقمية متكاملة وسلسة.

Nagoya: The 20th Asian Games open in Japan on Saturday bringing together a bumper 17,000 athletes and officials, among them Olympic and world champions.

Here’s a guide to Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle.

Where?

The Games mainly take place in the port city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture.

Nagoya has more than two million residents and is the fourth biggest city in Japan by population. It was flattened in World War II.

The Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, which has a capacity of 30,000, will be the main venue including hosting athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies.

Swimming -- one of the most closely watched events -- is 350 kilometres (200 miles) east in the capital Tokyo.

The Games, which take place every four years, finish on October 4.

What?

Athletes will compete in 43 sports across the two weeks.

Aside from athletics and swimming, the other major draws will be badminton, boxing, cricket, football, golf, gymnastics, table tennis, tennis and weightlifting.

In a bid to attract younger viewers there will be eSports, break dancing and BMX biking.

Padel, the fast-growing racquet sport, MMA and teqball make their Asian Games debuts.

Then there are more obscure regional sports including the combat sport kurash, kabbadi and wushu. There is also virtual taekwondo.

How many?

The Asian Games are bigger than the Olympics in numbers, with more than 11,000 athletes and 6,000 officials.

There will be 45 countries and territories competing. At the previous Games in 2023 -- held a year late because of the pandemic -- hosts China comfortably topped the medals table ahead of Japan, South Korea, India and Uzbekistan.

Iran and North Korea were also in the top 10. At the bottom end of the table came Syria and Palestine.

Hold tight

Japan has not built a dedicated athletes’ village in a bid to reduce costs, so some competitors will stay in hotels.

Others will be housed on a cruise liner docked in Nagoya’s port, with temporary wooden cabins also used.

Organisers are confident the ship in particular will make for a memorable experience -- but will be hoping the weather behaves itself or those on board might be in for a choppy time.

September-October is typhoon season in Japan.

The vessel, the Costa Serena, can house about 4,000 people and is the twin ship of the infamous Costa Concordia.

That vessel sank off Tuscany in 2012, killing 32 people.

أعلن الاتحاد الخليجي لكرة القدم عن إبرام شراكة استراتيجية مع شركة الديار العربية للتطوير العقاري، إحدى الشركات الرائدة في قطاع التطوير العقاري بالمملكة العربية السعودية، وذلك بالتزامن مع استضافة المملكة للنسخة السابعة والعشرين من كأس الخليج، المقرر إقامتها في مدينة جدة خلال الفترة من 23 سبتمبر إلى 6 أكتوبر 2026.
وبموجب الاتفاقية، تحمل البطولة رسميًا مسمى «خليجي الديار العربية 27»، في خطوة تعكس المكانة التي تحظى بها كأس الخليج على المستويات الرياضية والجماهيرية والإعلامية، إلى جانب ما تتمتع به من قيمة تسويقية وشعبية واسعة لدى جماهير المنطقة.
وجرى توقيع الاتفاقية في مشروع ديار الحرم بوجهة مسار في مكة المكرمة، بحضور السيد جاسم سلطان الرميحي، الأمين العام للاتحاد الخليجي لكرة القدم، والمهندس معمر العطاوي، رئيس مجلس إدارة شركة الديار العربية للتطوير العقاري، إلى جانب عدد من المسؤولين والمديرين التنفيذيين من الجانبين.
وتمثل الشراكة إطارًا للتعاون بين الاتحاد الخليجي لكرة القدم والديار العربية، بما يسهم في تعزيز حضور البطولة وفعالياتها، ودعم تطور منظومة الشراكات التجارية المرتبطة بها، وتقديم تجربة تواكب مكانة كأس الخليج وإرثها التاريخي.
وأكد السيد جاسم سلطان الرميحي أن الشراكة مع الديار العربية تمثل إضافة مهمة للبطولة، وتعكس ما تحظى به كأس الخليج من ثقة لدى المؤسسات والشركات الرائدة.
وأشاد الرميحي باستضافة المملكة العربية السعودية للبطولة للمرة الخامسة، مؤكدًا أن ما تمتلكه المملكة من بنية تحتية متطورة وخبرات واسعة في استضافة وتنظيم الأحداث الرياضية الكبرى.
من جانبه، أكد المهندس معمر العطاوي، رئيس مجلس إدارة شركة الديار العربية للتطوير العقاري أن رعاية البطولة تنسجم مع قيم الديار العربية، وفي مقدمتها «الروح الشابة» بما تحمله من طموح وحيوية وشغف بالمستقبل، مشيرًا إلى أن كأس الخليج تمثل مناسبة رياضية تجمع شعوب المنطقة وأجيالها حول هوية وروح مشتركة.

Paris, France: Newly-crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev makes a quick return to action this weekend as he bids to help Germany reach the Davis Cup Finals, while American Ben Shelton hopes to put his Flushing Meadows final defeat behind him.

World number two Zverev downed Shelton in four sets on Sunday to continue a dream season after ending his long wait to win a Grand Slam title at the French Open in June.

Leading Germany to a first Davis Cup crown since 1993 would cap off his year in style.

But to reach November's eight-team Finals, the Germans must first get through a second-round qualifying tie against Croatia in Halle on Saturday and Sunday.

The seven qualifiers will be decided this week, joining hosts and three-time defending champions Italy in Bologna in two months' time.

Zverev admitted that his coaching staff were not keen on him being back on court so quickly.

"I really, really would like to play in the Davis Cup. Everyone around me is trying to talk me out of it," he said after lifting the US Open trophy, which he initially did not realise he had won after match point.

Michael Kohlmann's Germany will be strong favourites to get the better of a Croatia team including 37-year-old Marin Cilic and youngster Dino Prizmic.

The Croatians have not reached the Finals since a group-stage exit in 2023, when there were still 16 teams taking part.

"Now the goal is to stand our ground against a strong opponent, together with the team and the fans," Zverev said last month.

"We want to experience a fantastic weekend of tennis together and qualify for the Finals once again."

Germany came up just short in the Finals last year, as Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz suffered only their second defeat in 24 Davis Cup matches together in a deciding doubles rubber against Spain in the semi-finals.

US-Czech showdown

The United States, record 32-time winners of the competition, face a serious test in their bid to end a 19-year wait for a 33rd title when they take on a strong Czech Republic side in Prague on Friday and Saturday.

There will be even more pressure on Shelton to deliver after world number 10 Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul both withdrew from the American team.

Rising star Learner Tien and world number 104 Martin Damm were named as their replacements. Damm shares his name with his Czech-born father, a 2006 US Open men's doubles champion.

French Open semi-finalist Jakub Mensik, 24th-ranked Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Machac and Vit Kopriva make up the home outfit, captained by Tomas Berdych.

It will be a rematch of the second-round qualifying tie from last year, when Mensik beat Frances Tiafoe in a deciding singles rubber to give the Czechs a surprise 3-2 victory in Delray Beach.

USA skipper Bob Bryan, who was in the team the last time they won the trophy in 2007, will need Shelton at his best, despite the new world number four admitting he was "tired before I took the court" for the US Open final.

The winners of the contest between South Korea and India in Seoul will become the first Asian country to reach the quarter-finals since Kazakhstan in 2021.

The Koreans have included Kwon Soon-woo and Chung Hyeon, a former Australian Open semi-finalist now ranked 549th in the world, in their team.

Rafael Jodar, who turns 20 on Thursday, will make his Davis Cup debut for Spain as they continue their tilt at a seventh title against Chile in Santiago.

"It's so exciting to be able to represent Spain for the first time," said the world number 14.

"I was a hitting partner two years ago in Valencia and it was an incredible experience. I can't imagine what it's like as a player."

Britain, featuring surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery, welcome Ecuador to London, while Austria take on Belgium, for whom Alexander Blockx withdrew following his run to the US Open quarters.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Arthur Fils are slated to go head-to-head as Canada face France in Quebec City.