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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
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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.

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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."