Top-ranked Swiatek Wins her 3rd Straight Qatar Open

Iga Swiatek (R) of Poland shakes hands with Elena Rybakina of Kazakistan after winning the Women's singles final of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2024.  EPA/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL
Iga Swiatek (R) of Poland shakes hands with Elena Rybakina of Kazakistan after winning the Women's singles final of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2024. EPA/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL
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Top-ranked Swiatek Wins her 3rd Straight Qatar Open

Iga Swiatek (R) of Poland shakes hands with Elena Rybakina of Kazakistan after winning the Women's singles final of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2024.  EPA/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL
Iga Swiatek (R) of Poland shakes hands with Elena Rybakina of Kazakistan after winning the Women's singles final of the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, 17 February 2024. EPA/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL

No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek won the Qatar Open for a third straight year on Saturday.
Swiatek defeated No. 4 Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8), 6-2 in the final.
Rybakina led 4-1 but cut her leg in her serving motion and needed medical attention. Swiatek rallied to 4-4. Rybakina broke again for 6-5 and a chance to serve out the set but Swiatek broke back.
In the tiebreaker, the defending champion missed three set points as the score reached 8-8. But then Swiatek hit a backhand winner and snatched the set with a backhand passing shot.
Swiatek's 18th career singles title was her first of the year.
Serena Williams was the last woman to win a WTA event three successive times, in 2015 at the Miami Open.



Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
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Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)

The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will sit on the ground during the day and rise again every evening.

Paris Olympics organizers said that from Saturday, the cauldron attached to a balloon will fly more than 60 meters (197 feet) above the Tuileries gardens near the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum from sunset until 2 a.m.

During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron, which is the first in Olympic history to light up without the use of fossil fuels.

Organizers said the electric flame uses 40 LED spotlights “to illuminate the cloud created by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles.”