WIMBLEDON, England: Third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from Wimbledon on Monday because of an injured shoulder.
The two-time Australian Open champion was supposed to play Emina Bektas of the United States in the first round on Day 1 at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Sabalenka, a semifinalist at the All England Club each of the last two times she appeared there, was replaced in the draw on Monday by Erika Andreeva, who lost in qualifying last week.
A little more than a week ago, Sabalenka stopped playing during the first set of her quarterfinal at the Berlin Ladies Open, citing pain in her shoulder.
She said she had a muscle injury that she called “very frustrating.”
“The most annoying thing is that I can do anything. I can practice; I can hit my groundstrokes. I’m struggling with serving. That’s really annoying. You don’t feel like you’re injured,” Sabalenka said. “If you give me some weights, I’m going to go lift some weights. But if you tell me to serve, I’m going to go through pain. We did an MRI, we did everything. We did a lot of rehab, a lot of treatments and everything.”
Sabalenka said on Saturday there was a chance she would need to pull out of Wimbledon, “But I still have my hopes. As someone who been fighting through a lot of different pains in the past months, I still have my hopes.”
Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury
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Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury
- A little more than a week ago, Sabalenka stopped playing during the first set of her quarterfinal at the Berlin Ladies Open, citing pain in her shoulder
Egyptian hero Ahmed El-Gendy recalls ‘crazy’ reaction to Olympic gold as he targets greater heights in 2025
- Winner of modern pentathlon at the 2024 Games spoke to Arab News about success in Paris, Mohamed Salah and challenges this year
LONDON: As Egyptian pentathlete Ahmed El-Gendy rounded the last corner in Paris last summer, he pounded his chest and looked to the heavens.
This was it. He had been told as a child that he could be a future Olympic champion and here he was, 15 years later, fulfilling his first coach’s prediction by winning gold in the modern pentathlon at the 2024 Games.
El-Gendy’s gold was just reward for a lifetime of toil, competing against the odds in a sport that — since its Olympic debut in 1912 — had been largely dominated by Europeans.
On the final day of the 2024 Olympics, the 24-year-old became the first Egyptian, Arab and African athlete to be crowned modern pentathlon champion.
“It feels fresh in my mind, like it was yesterday,” El-Gendy told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “Just a couple of days ago, the Olympics posted a video on their Instagram and it showed those last 50 meters again when I crossed the line. It gave me goosebumps.
“When I think back it just felt unreal. For three years, since I got silver in Tokyo, I was dreaming of this gold. These were tough years, with injuries and a lot of struggles, but finally I made it to a gold medal in the Olympics.”
Modern pentathlon is a complex, multi-disciplinary event that requires its competitors to demonstrate an impressive range of sporting skills. It has traditionally involved swimming, fencing, showjumping, running and shooting.
The latter two has been paired in recent years in what has been termed a “laser run,” designed to create an entertaining finale to the event.
It was in the laser run at the 2021 Tokyo Games that El-Gendy first emerged as an elite contender, producing a stirring performance to claim silver. Seemingly an also-ran in 13th place heading into the final race, the then-21-year-old left the field in his wake to finish as Olympic runner-up.
Despite suffering injuries in the intervening years, El-Gendy found himself among the favorites for gold when the Olympics came to Paris last summer. And he duly delivered, setting a new Olympic and world record in in the process.
“These records are a big thing because they put you on another level,” El-Gendy said. “Very few world records were broken in the Paris Olympics so I was very proud of it. It was a great moment for me.
“This time, I was a little more stressed because in Tokyo I wasn’t expected to get the silver medal and I was still young but in Paris, all eyes were on me.
“I tried to deal with it by treating it like it was my first Olympics, trying to feel no pressure. People were talking about me as a potential champion but it was only when I had built up a big enough gap that I felt confident that it was my medal.”
El-Gendy’s gold was only the ninth won by an Egyptian athlete in the history of the Olympics and the first by an Egyptian man since Karam Gaber was crowned Greco-Roman wrestling champion in Athens in 2004.
Unsurprisingly, the reception El-Gendy received when he returned to Cairo from Paris was rapturous.
“It was crazy,” he said of the welcome in the Egyptian capital. “There were friends and family of course, but then just so many other people and media.
“The Egyptian people are very emotional so when they see someone is in a position to win something, they support that person with all their power and all the energy.
“I felt this in Paris. I saw on social media that people were putting their hopes on me, that they were really watching and that they really wanted me to win.
“It made me very happy and I was very proud to get this medal for Egypt.”
Among those offering congratulations was Egypt’s most famous athlete. Not only did Mohamed Salah get in touch with El-Gendy, the Liverpool star led his fellow Pharaohs in a guard of honor for the pentathlete and Egypt’s other Olympians.
“We had conversations, messages,” El-Gendy said, smiling. “He commented on my post on Instagram; he just wrote the number one.
“Then when we returned back to Egypt, there was a training camp for the football team so we went to the stadium and it was amazing because as the captain of the national team, Mo Salah was the first one in this line. He seemed to be very happy and very proud of us.”
El-Gendy is already plotting the defense of his Olympic crown at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles but the Egyptian will face, quite literally, a new set of obstacles.
With the future of modern pentathlon as an Olympic event under threat, its governing body, the UIPM or Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, has taken drastic steps to ensure inclusion for 2028.
One of its long-standing disciplines, showjumping, has been replaced by obstacle racing — think Ninja Warrior — in a bid to make pentathlon more accessible and audience-friendly.
El-Gendy admits opinion among athletes has been divided but that he understands the change is necessary for pentathlon’s preservation.
“Whenever any decisions are taken in sport, people will disagree,” El-Gendy said. “A few years ago people were upset when the laser run became one event, but now we can see it is more interesting for the spectators and the athletes too.
“Some people do not want to accept it and others are supporting it, but it had to be done. We had this threat that modern pentathlon wouldn’t make it to the Los Angeles Games without this change so we had to do it.
“I feel sad in a way because I have been doing this sport for 15 years but it will make pentathlon more accessible to so many countries.
“Now that we don’t need horses, we can see many other countries competing and winning at the Olympics and World Championships, not just those who can afford to have the conditions for showjumping.”
While El-Gendy is welcoming the opportunity to hone a new sporting skill, he recognizes that an existing shoulder injury might make obstacle racing particularly challenging for him.
However, the pentathlete — like many of those who competed at the 2024 Olympics — is dedicating the first half of this year to training for obstacle racing before entering his first event of 2025 in the summer.
For Egypt’s gold medal hero, there is one driving force that will keep him going for the next three-and-a-half years.
“My goal is to train hard and really get into the obstacles, to be very very good at it so that by 2027, 2028, I can be at the top and in Los Angeles to defend my Olympic title,” El-Gendy said.
“When I do something I have to be the best at it, there’s no other option for me. I don’t want to be a silver medalist at Los Angeles 2028, I want to win gold. I will work so hard for it and give it my all to win another gold in LA.”
Djokovic makes slice of history as Zheng stunned in Melbourne
- Novak Djokovic made a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round on Wednesday but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic made a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round on Wednesday but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far.
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all also winners on a rainy day four.
Djokovic needed four sets for the second match in a row before defeating Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2.
It was Djokovic’s 430th singles match at a major to claim sole ownership of most ever played, men or women, in the Open era ahead of Roger Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423).
The Serb is chasing an 11th Australian Open title and historic 25th Grand Slam crown.
“Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I’m just blessed to be making another record,” said Djokovic, 37, now coached by former rival Andy Murray.
Djokovic is drawn to meet Spain’s red-hot Alcaraz in the last eight.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz dropped just five games in an ominous display of strength to sprint into the third round.
The third seed showed no mercy to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 rout in 81 minutes.
“The less time you spend on court in the Grand Slams, especially in the beginning, it is going to be better,” said Alcaraz, who is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Second seed Alexander Zverev of Germany is seeking a first Grand Slam title and has enjoyed two days off since his straight-sets win on Sunday night against Lucas Pouille.
He again plays in the graveyard slot, the last evening match on Rod Laver Arena, this time against Spaniard Pedro Martinez.
Olympic champion Zheng was sent packing 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 by world number 97 Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the women’s draw at age 36.
“I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis. I had nothing to lose so I just told myself to swing free,” said the German.
“It’s tennis. Nothing more,” said China’s Zheng, 22, who was given two time violations and lost her cool as her tilt at a maiden major crown evaporated in only the second round.
On center court Sabalenka dropped her serve three times and faced 11 break points before overcoming Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5, rattling off the last five games in a row.
“She played incredible tennis today and it was a really tough one. I expected this tennis from her, I’m really glad I was able to win this match,” said Sabalenka, who beat Zheng in the 2024 final.
The win kept the Belarusian world number one on course for a rare hat-trick of consecutive Australian Open titles, a feat last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis and only matched by four other women in history.
Former world number one Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 champion in Australia but now unseeded, stormed back to defeat 20th seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
American seventh seed Jessica Pegula, beaten in the US Open final by Sabalenka last year, eased through 6-4, 6-2 against Belgium’s Elize Mertens.
World number three Coco Gauff is unbeaten this year after inspiring her country to victory in the United Cup and breezing past former champion Sofia Kenin in the first round in Melbourne.
She faces Britain’s Jodie Burrage.
Top LIV Golf stars and Asian Tour elite to face-off at International Series India
- Event from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 will feature strongest field to take part in the Indian subcontinent
GURUGRAM, INDIA: Fifteen LIV Golf League stars and nine notable winners from the Asian Tour’s 2024 season will tee up for the International Series India presented by DLF from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 — the strongest field to participate on the Indian subcontinent.
Six of the top 20 from last year’s LIV Golf League will be in the field.
Reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (8) is joined by Crushers GC teammates Paul Casey (11) and Anirban Lahiri (16). Also, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz of Torque GC (13) will line up alongside his skipper Joaquin Niemann (2), and compatriot Abraham Ancer (12) of Fireballs GC.
Other confirmations include Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz, who make it a clean sweep of Torque GC players, while Harold Varner III of 4Aces GC brings his mercurial talent to the iconic Gary Player-designed course at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The International Series 2023 Rankings champion Andy Ogletree, a three-time winner, is also in the field along with RangeGoats GC player Peter Uihlein, a two-time champion on The International Series last season and runner-up in the rankings race behind Niemann.
Also confirmed is Asian Tour Order of Merit winner John Catlin, who impressed as an alternate on the LIV Golf League last season after securing back-to-back tournament victories at International Series Macau presented by Wynn, and the Saudi Open presented by PIF.
Catlin plays alongside fellow Americans Caleb Surratt of Legion XIII and Cameron Tringale of HyFlyers GC.
New LIV Golf signings Luis Masaveu of Fireballs GC and Frederik Kjettrup of Cleeks GC are also competing. The India event provides a perfect tune-up for the promising young Spaniard and talented Dane ahead of their big debuts in the opening fixture of the season, at LIV Golf Riyadh the following week.
The LIV Golf stars are joined by a strong Asian Tour contingent with nine winners from the 2024 season set to get their first taste of action on The International Series this season.
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, the Yeangder TPC and Taiwan Glass Taifong Open champion, is the third two-time 2024 winner in the field alongside Uihlein and Catlin.
Two further champions on The International Series last season, BNI Indonesian Masters winner Richard T Lee and MJ Maguire, who beat Catlin in a play-off for glory at the Black Mountain Championship, are also confirmed for the Gurugram showdown.
Also bringing their winning credentials to the tournament are Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan (SJM Macao Open), England’s Steve Lewton (Mandiri Indonesia Open), James Barry “Jbe” Kruger from South Africa (Mercuries Taiwan Masters), and the Korean duo of Hongtaek Kim (GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship) and Minkyu Kim (Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD).
Rahul Singh, head of The International Series, said: “This strong field, with its blend of superstar names, proven champions and emerging talent, perfectly showcases what The International Series is all about.
“This is a truly unique opportunity for golf fans from the subcontinent to enjoy some incredible golf and celebrate the prominent place that India currently occupies in world golf. “
The International Series India presented by DLF marks the debut of the LIV Golf-backed series on the subcontinent.
It is the first of 10 elevated events on this season’s Asian Tour, featuring stops in Macau, Morocco, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia, with additional locations to be announced soon.
The series provides a global pathway for players to qualify for the LIV Golf League, with the season-ending rankings champion securing a guaranteed spot on the roster for the following season.
Additionally, The International Series Rankings offer players a second opportunity to earn their place in the LIV Golf League through the innovative LIV Golf Promotions event.
Naomi Osaka advances at the Australian Open, returning to the third round
- Fifth-seeded Zheng lost last year’s final to Aryna Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the WTA Finals in a breakout season
- Two-time defending champion Sabalenka won the last five games to overcome Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
MELBOURNE: Naomi Osaka thought for a few moments after losing a lopsided first set Wednesday, and it gave her the perspective she needed to turn things around and reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022.
“I just told myself ... if she beats me 6-1, 6-1, then she’s the greatest player ever,” Osaka recalled after her 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 second-round win at the Australian Open over No. 20 Karolina Muchova. “Yeah, I just tried to tell myself to fight.”
That she did, the four-time major winner matching the power that last year’s US Open semifinalist brought to their contest on Kia Arena and finding ways to beat her.
“The score in the first set was very dramatic, but there was key points that I could have maybe won a game here or there. So I kept trying to tell myself that,” Osaka said. “Yeah, just try not to live in the past.”
Reflecting on the past doesn’t always hurt, though. It was a second-round loss to Muchova at the US Open last year served as motivation.
“She crushed me in the US Open when I had my best outfit ever,” Osaka joked in a post-match interview. “I was so disappointed. I was so mad. This was my little revenge.”
Osaka lost in the first round at Melbourne Park last year to Caroline Garcia in Osaka’s comeback from maternity leave, but she avenged that with a first-round victory over Garcia earlier this week.
The two-time Australian Open champion next faces Belinda Bencic, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist who is playing in her first major since the birth of her daughter, Bella, last year.
Both of last year’s women’s finalists were playing at the same time Wednesday afternoon.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, extended her run to 16 wins at Melbourne Park by winning the last five games to beat No. 54-ranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.
No. 5 Zheng Qinwen, distracted by a time penalty and unable to counteract No. 97-ranked Laura Siegemund’s aggressive approach, lost 7-6 (3), 6-3 on John Cain Arena. Zheng lost the 2024 decider at Melbourne Park to Sabalenka and went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris and finish runner-up at the WTA Finals in a breakout season.
But her first tournament of the year ended much earlier against 36-year-old Siegemund, who attacked from the first point and put Zheng off her game.
Zheng needed a change of shoes early in the second set, got a time warning on her serve from the chair umpire — she said she couldn’t clearly see the clock — and was worried about some minor issues which sidelined her before the Australian Open.
“I feel maybe today is not my day. There’s a lot of details in the important points. I didn’t do the right choice,” Zheng said.
Of a weak serve that bounced before the net, Zheng said the time warning from the umpire “obviously that one really distracted me from the match.”
“This is my fourth year in the tour, and never happen that to me.”
Also advancing were No. 7 Jessica Pegula, who had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Elize Mertens, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the No. 14 seed who beat Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8), and No. 30 Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist.
Siegemund has never been past the third round in Australia, but is taking confidence from her big upset.
“I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis,” Siegemund said. “I had nothing to lose. I just told myself to swing free.” Novak Djokovic, seeking a record 25th Grand Slam title, added yet another record to his list with his 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 win over Jaime Faria on Wednesday afternoon.
It was his 430th Grand Slam singles match, the most in tennis history, breaking a tie with Roger Federer.
“It’s been over 20 years that I’ve been competing in the Grand Slam at the highest level,” he told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. “Whether I win or lose, one thing is for sure: I always leave my heart out on the court.”
Third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, aiming to add the Australian Open title to complete a set of all four major crowns, advanced 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka.
Sam Curran and Sherfane Rutherford shine as Desert Vipers record second-consecutive ILT20 win
- Curran was unbeaten on 42 and Rutherford added 40 off 18 balls as the Vipers reached their target of 120 in 17.4 overs to defeat Gulf Giants
- Bowlers set the tone for the Vipers early, with captain Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Amir dismantling the Giants’ batting order
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers cruised to a six-wicket victory over Gulf Giants in a low-scoring contest at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
It was a second-consecutive win for the Vipers in the DP World International League T20, with an unbeaten 42-run knock from all-rounder Sam Curran anchoring their chase. Sherfane Rutherford added some fireworks with 40 runs off only 18 balls, helping his side reach their target of 120 in 17.4 overs.
The bowlers set the tone for the Vipers early, as captain Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Amir dismantled the Giants’ batting order.
Ferguson claimed three wickets, Amir two, as the Giants were restricted to 119/9 in 20 overs. Skipper James Vince fought valiantly, scoring an unbeaten 76 off 62 balls, but lacked support as the wickets fell at regular intervals.
His side struggled after losing wickets early on. Amir trapped Adam Lyth LBW in the first over, and Lockie Ferguson removed Rehan Khan and Shimron Hetmyer soon after. By the sixth over, the Giants were reeling at just 32/3.
Wanindu Hasaranga then bowled Ollie Robinson for a duck and as Amir and Ferguson continued to dominate, the Giants limped to 50/6.
Vince provided a measure of stability, however, rotating the strike and finding late boundaries. Aayan Afzal Khan briefly offered some support, contributing 15 runs off 18 balls in a 36-run stand.
But Khan’s dismissal by Luke Wood in the 15th over dashed hopes of a competitive total. Nevertheless, Vince reached his half-century off 47 balls and added crucial runs in the final overs to give his side at least a fighting chance.
Chasing 120, the Vipers faced early setbacks when Mark Adair dismissed Fakhar Zaman and Dan Lawrence in the second over. Curran and Alex Hales then managed to steady the ship, adding 49 runs for the third wicket, before Curran let loose in the seventh over, smashing a six and a four off Daniel Worrall. Hales fell for 20 runs off 30 balls and then Azam Khan departed for just seven, leaving the Vipers on 66/4 in 12.2 overs.
But then Curran and Rutherford took control, with the latter hitting two sixes and a four in the 18th over to seal the victory. The former remained unbeaten on 42 from 43 balls, including four fours and a six.
“It is nice to be here for the start of the tournament and it is nice to win on a tricky pitch,” said Curran, who was named player of the match.
“It was almost a bit of a test match out there, trying to trust your defense. I knew they were going to go for their best seam bowlers at the top, so I had to adjust accordingly.”
Reflecting on the defeat, Vince said: “It was a tough gig batting first; there seemed to be a bit more moisture in the wicket than the last game. One-hundred-and-twenty is always going to be tough to defend. We needed a bit of luck going our way on a wicket like that. If we had held onto our chances, it could have been a bit tricky for them.”
