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Aramco Saudi Ladies International
Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Lexi Thompson poised to make an impact at Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Lexi Thompson poised to make an impact at Aramco Saudi Ladies International
Lexi Thompson will be buoyed by her positive performance at last year’s tournament, where she equalled a course record at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. (Supplied)
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Updated 15 February 2024
Arab News
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Lexi Thompson poised to make an impact at Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Lexi Thompson poised to make an impact at Aramco Saudi Ladies International
  • Lexi Thompson: With the wind that we’re expecting, gusts of 25 to 30 miles per hour, you just have to trust your lines off the tees and really commit out there
  • Thompson: Getting to see two camels out on the course? You certainly don’t get to see that every day in a Pro-Am. I’m enjoying the whole experience
Updated 15 February 2024
Arab News
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RIYADH: There’s an air of confidence in Lexi Thompson’s voice as she considers her chances at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF. 

With her second tournament of 2024 set to start in Riyadh on Thursday February 15, a relaxed Thompson was speaking to media – with the American chasing a first win since 2022.

After Alison Lee became the first American woman to win in Saudi Arabia back in 2023 at the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Riyadh, Thompson is hoping to be next in-line to claim a trophy in the country.

“I wasn’t here in October, but I did hear that it’s playing a bit differently, a little bit more length, and then the wind, which I think will play a big factor on the golf course.” 

“It’s a great layout, it definitely involves a lot of thinking, I think going into the greens, a few of the tee shots are definitely on the wider side, but some of them neck up in certain areas. 

“It’s a thinking golf course. But especially with the wind that we’re expecting, gusts of 25 to 30 miles per hour, you just have to trust your lines off the tees and really commit out there.” 

Thompson will be buoyed by her positive performance at last year’s tournament, where she equalled a course record at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, helping on her way to a T3 finish — missing out by just three strokes to Lydia Ko.

But rather than pile the pressure on herself, Thompson has been taking it all in her stride, even when a humpbacked hazard arrived on the golf course.

“Getting to see two camels out on the course? You certainly don’t get to see that every day in a Pro-Am. I’m enjoying the whole experience. I think all the girls are and it’s an amazing field this week and I think it just speaks wonders to the tournament.”

With a strong field set to include previous champions Georgia Hall and Emily Pedersen, as well World No. 8 Charley Hull, it’s certainly going to be a battle for Lexi Thompson out in the desert.

But with a renewed optimism, and the desire to capture some of last year’s magic, there’s hope for Thompson that 2024 can start in the best possible way, and claim the mammoth $5m USD prize fund.

“It’s my number one goal to win the tournament. I’m just going to take one shot at a time, fully commit to each and every shot, and see where it takes me.”

Topics: Aramco Saudi Ladies International Lexi Thompson Alison Lee Lydia Ko

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Ivan Toney completes move to Al-Ahli

Ivan Toney completes move to Al-Ahli
Updated 57 sec ago
Arab News
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Ivan Toney completes move to Al-Ahli

Ivan Toney completes move to Al-Ahli
Updated 57 sec ago
Arab News

RIYADH: Ivan Toney has completed his move to Al-Ahli in a contract that will see him at the Jeddah side until 2028.
The England international signed from Premier League club Brentford, where he made 141 appearances for the club and scored 72 goals.
He played only a handful of minutes for England during Euro 2024 but his contributions were impactful during The Three Lions’ run to the final.
He will join former Premier League players Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Edouard Mendy at the Red Sea club.

Frances Tiafoe tops Ben Shelton in an all-American US Open rematch and now could face Novak Djokovic

Frances Tiafoe tops Ben Shelton in an all-American US Open rematch and now could face Novak Djokovic
Updated 31 August 2024
AP
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Frances Tiafoe tops Ben Shelton in an all-American US Open rematch and now could face Novak Djokovic

Frances Tiafoe tops Ben Shelton in an all-American US Open rematch and now could face Novak Djokovic
Updated 31 August 2024
AP

NEW YORK: Frances Tiafoe solved Ben Shelton’s big serve and played brilliantly at the net to win their all-American rematch at the US Open 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 on Friday and get back to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the fifth consecutive year.
A year ago in New York, Tiafoe was eliminated by Shelton in four sets in the quarterfinals. The year before that, Tiafoe — who loves the tournament’s spotlight and its electricity — defeated Rafael Nadal on the way to the US Open semifinals, the best Grand Slam showing of his career.
After getting past Shelton in a match that lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes, Tiafoe spread his arms wide and looked around at the thousands cheering in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The two pals then met at the net for a hug and a lengthy chat.
“I’ve got to say, Ben’s an incredible player, man. He’s an incredible player. He really is. He goes for all kind of shots. He’s got no care in the world. It’s really annoying. ... He’s really talented. He can come up with great shots. So can I,” Tiafoe told spectators during a postmatch interview. “It’s highlight after highlight. I hope you guys enjoyed the show.”
Up next for Tiafoe could be 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic next. Djokovic, the defending champ at Flushing Meadows, was scheduled to play No. 28 Alexei Popyrin in the third round on Friday night.
A lot of people were figuring Shelton vs. Tiafoe would be at night, but instead it was in the afternoon, and began in front of a sparse crowd because the stands emptied at the conclusion of the previous encounter, 2023 champion Coco Gauff’s victory over Elina Svitolina.
Shelton, a 21-year-old from Georgia, was seeded 13th. Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, is 20th. They’re both part of a group of five Americans in the top 20 of the ATP rankings, making some think the country’s long wait for a men’s champion at a major could end someday soon. Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open trophy was the most recent Slam title for an man from the United States.
The highest-ranked US man at the moment, No. 12 Taylor Fritz, moved on with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Francisco Comesana of Argentina and now will take on three-time Slam finalist Casper Ruud of Norway or Juncheng Shang of China.
Another men’s fourth-round matchup established Friday was No. 6 Andrey Rublev vs. No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov.
Shelton, a left-hander, hadn’t lost serve even once in two wins this week before Friday and did manage to produce 23 aces, reaching 143 mph. But Tiafoe accumulated a whopping 21 break points — the most any opponent ever has against Shelton — and converted five. The last made it 3-1 in the fifth set.
The other key? Tiafoe kept charging forward, and he kept putting away volleys. He won 35 of 48 points when he made it to the net. And, as usual, Tiafoe played to the fans, breaking out his “Salt Bae” celebration after one point.
Tiafoe hasn’t always excelled at five-setters: He was just 6-13 in matches that went the distance before Friday. Shelton was 6-2. But none of that mattered on this occasion. Tiafoe came through, and an even greater challenge could await.

Fifth successive gold for Tunisian shot-putter at Paralympics and US wins first gold

Fifth successive gold for Tunisian shot-putter at Paralympics and US wins first gold
Updated 31 August 2024
AP
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Fifth successive gold for Tunisian shot-putter at Paralympics and US wins first gold

Fifth successive gold for Tunisian shot-putter at Paralympics and US wins first gold
Updated 31 August 2024
AP

PARIS: Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili won her fifth consecutive gold medal in shot put at her fifth Paralympics on Friday while the United States captured its first gold.
Tlili’s throw of 10.40 meters at the Stade de France was good enough to win the F41 class for a third straight Games. Her first two shot put golds, in Beijing and London, were in the F40 class. The difference is in stature.
She is 1.33-meters (4-foot-4) tall and 34 years old, and proud of her latest achievement.
“It’s not easy as a short-stature person that is of my age ... especially if you compete against opponents who are 22, 25 years old,” Tlili said.
“The Algerians, the Tunisians, everyone who lives in Paris, came and got reunited to watch me. (I heard them saying) ‘Raoua, Raoua, gold, gold.’”
Tlili also won discus gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
Pergolini wins first gold for US
Reigning Paralympic champion and world record holder Gia Pergolini defended her women’s 100-meter backstroke S13 title Friday, claiming the first gold medal for the United States.
Competing in her second event in Paris, Pergolini, who is from Atlanta, opened her signature race fast and fought off fatigue over the final 15 meters to finish in a time of 1 minute, 04.93 seconds.
“Usually for my 100 back, I know I go out really fast and my mindset was you’re going to go out really fast anyway so just pace yourself,” she said. “I’ve done this so many times so it’s kind of second nature to me.”
First para-athletics gold goes to Brazil
The first para-athletics gold of the Paralympics was claimed by Brazil’s Julio Cesar Agripino in the men’s 5,000-meter T11 event for runners with a near-total visual impairment.
In a closely contested race, he broke the world record with a time of 14 minutes, 48.85 seconds, edging Japan’s Kenya Karasawa by three seconds, and fellow Brazilian Yeltsin Jacques, the previous world record-holder.
“Today, it’s my day, my title. It means a lot,” Agripino said.
Cyclist wins France’s second gold
France claimed its second gold medal of the Games with cyclist Alexandre Léauté’s triumph in the men’s C2 3,000-meter individual pursuit.
Léauté, who also won gold in Tokyo, won by two seconds from Ewoud Vromant of Belgium, delighting the home crowd at the vélodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
Brazil starts goalball defense with win
Brazil’s men’s goalball team started its title defense with a 13-8 win over the United States in group play.
Goalball is for the vision impaired, and the three-member teams wear blackout glasses. The goals are nine-meters wide. The crowd must be silent so the players can hear the ball with bells inside.
Leomon Moreno led Brazil with six points. A veteran of four Paralympic Games, Moreno praised the high level of goalball in Brazil. “I’m very glad, because I can keep myself playing with these guys,” he said.

Topics: Paris Paralympics

Transfer deadline day: Premier League leads spending in Europe

Transfer deadline day: Premier League leads spending in Europe
Updated 31 August 2024
AP
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Transfer deadline day: Premier League leads spending in Europe

Transfer deadline day: Premier League leads spending in Europe
Updated 31 August 2024
AP

It was deadline day Friday in the summer transfer window for Europe’s five big domestic leagues.
The English Premier League again leads overall spending — about $2.4 billion and counting — and once again Chelsea is first in line with an outlay of $290 million.
Among the big names in European soccer that could be changing jerseys were Ivan Toney (Brentford), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) and Victor Osimhen (Napoli).
But England’s top tier remains the most lucrative, even if its spending is down slightly from a year ago.
More evidence of the Premier League’s draw: Teams in the second-division Championship have spent more than 200 million euros ($221 million) to strengthen their squads. That’s the seventh-highest expenditure among leagues worldwide.
United bolsters midfield, Palace gets Nketiah
United signed Uruguay defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial 50 million euros ($55.7 million). It takes the club’s summer spending on new players to around $240 million. United had earlier signed striker Joshua Zirkzee, center backs Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, and full back Noussair Mazraoui. The 23-year-old Ugarte looks set to be the long-term replacement for Casemiro.
Crystal Palace had a busy Friday spending that Michael Olize money. The club added striker Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal for a fee reported to be $39 million. Nketiah is in search of playing time and grew up in south London. Arsenal might be clearing some space for a late signing. Earlier, Palace signed center back Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg for a reported fee of 21 million euros ($23 million). The move reunites the 24-year-old French player with Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who coached the German club for two seasons.
Napoli lands McTominay, Gilmour
Italy is back over the $1 billion mark again in overall spending — the second highest in Europe.
A pair of Scotland midfielders — Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour — are headed to Napoli. McTominay joined on a fee of $33 million from Man United, where the midfielder had been since he was five. United manager Erik ten Hag lamented the pressure that clubs are under to sell “homegrown” players — because of the good profit margin — amid the league’s financial regulations. Gilmour arrives from Brighton for a fee of about $20 million.
Romelu Lukaku joined Napoli on Thursday, reuniting with manager Antonio Conte, who had coached Belgium’s all-time record scorer at Inter Milan.
Bayern done buying
Bayern Munich signaled early Friday that it was done spending. The Bavarian powerhouse spent about 100 million euros ($110 million) combined for Portugal midfielder João Palhinha and forward Michael Olize as it aims to recapture the German title it lost to Bayer Leverkusen last season.
Leverkusen kept most of its double-winning team together, while last season’s surprise second-place team Stuttgart was ransacked by rivals.
The highest-profile signing by a German club on Friday was Netherlands defender Lutsharel Geertruida moving to Leipzig from Dutch club Feyenoord. Geertruida was a key player for Feyenoord last season under coach Arne Slot, who’s now at Liverpool. He also played two games for the Netherlands at Euro 2024.
The most talked-about transfer on deadline day in Germany was one that didn’t happen. Leverkusen and Germany defender Jonathan Tah was a target for Bayern, and was linked with Barcelona. The defender confirmed on Friday he was staying put.
Reminder: Mbappé was free
The summer’s biggest move came with no transfer cost at all when Kylian Mbappé joined Real Madrid after his contract expired at Paris Saint-Germain. La Liga was on course to be the lowest spender among the big five — it entered the final week at just under $600 million.
Zaha to Lyon
Veteran forward Wilfried Zaha joined French club Lyon from Galatasaray for a modest fee of $3 million. The 31-year-old Zaha spent most of his career at Crystal Palace before playing last season in Turkiye, where he helped Galatasaray win the domestic league title.

Cricket federation aims to attract more Saudi children to the sport

Cricket federation aims to attract more Saudi children to the sport
Updated 30 August 2024
Rashid Hassan
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Cricket federation aims to attract more Saudi children to the sport

Cricket federation aims to attract more Saudi children to the sport
  • We have been working with international schools, and now we are targeting Saudi boys and girls, says coach Kabir Khan
Updated 30 August 2024
Rashid Hassan

RIYADH: The popularity of cricket is growing among fans and players in the Kingdom, and this year the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation launched its Schools Cricket program, the aim of which is to promote the sport to boys and girls across the Kingdom.

As part of the program, the SACF recently ran a summer camp at Al-Rowad International Schools that, according to the federation, saw around 100 children take part.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, SACF head coach Kabir Khan said: “We started our schools program this year. But we have been working closely with all the international embassy schools — like those of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — for the past three years. And now we are targeting Saudi boys and girls.

“We are digging deep into the school system, and more schools are going to be contacted now,” he continued. “Several schools are already aligned, and we are planning go to all the others and engage with as many as we can. We all know, for any sport, if you don’t go deep into schools then you don’t have the junior system, and without a junior team it won’t be a productive and sustainable model. So, to make it more sustainable, and to get more boys and girls to play the game, we have to start from junior cricket and promote cricket at grassroots level.”

Khan said the number of children at the summer camp was “encouraging,” but added that the SACF “has to make an effort as well.”

He said: “It depends a lot on our efforts, so we are focused on how we introduce the game and how we involve them, the new cricketers.” He went on to explain that it was important to stress the fun side of the sport to get children interested, and then “slowly get them to a competitive level.”

One of the biggest challenges the federation has faced is cricket’s image among Saudis.
“There is a general perception that it’s a street game — and a dangerous one as well,” Khan said. “We need to change that perception. Cricket is a sport from England. It’s the national sport in the UK. It’s not a street sport. Basically, it was a game of gentlemen and gradually got famous in different parts of the world. Now, it’s the second biggest sport in the world.”

Cricket is hugely popular across the globe, second only to soccer as the most-watched sport. It has been played in Saudi Arabia for decades, but mainly by expatriate workers from the South Asian countries. Now Khan hopes Saudi children will take it up.

“We are providing proper playgrounds, academies, and a safe environment for all the kids who want to play — whether as a hobby or (with a view to making it) a career. It has got a lot of potential,” he said.

“Saudi schools are going to play a huge role in the future of Saudi Arabian cricket, for both males and females, as part of the vision of our chairman, Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud, and our CEO, Tariq Ziad Sagga. This year, we are just contacting (schools) and creating events. We want all the boys and girls to play for fun and start slowly. Step by step we will make pathways for them so that they go to the national team,” he continued. “In 10 years, we hope there will be enough numbers for the senior male and female national teams to represent Saudi Arabia and make a name for the nation, for them, their families, and for us as well.

“I should say that we don’t want Saudis — whether male or female — in the junior or senior teams just because they are Saudis. We want to train them as hard as we can. And obviously we want people to see that they are talented, that they can perform, and that they are good enough to represent their country,” added Khan. “We don’t just want them to participate; we want them to perform and win as well. That might take a bit of time, but we want to have Saudis reach the highest level. We want them to be as good as anyone in the game.”

Topics: Cricket Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF)

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