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Asian Cup Confirmed for Jan-Feb Slot in Qatar Next Year

The next edition of the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10 in 2024. (Getty Images)
The next edition of the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10 in 2024. (Getty Images)
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Asian Cup Confirmed for Jan-Feb Slot in Qatar Next Year

The next edition of the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10 in 2024. (Getty Images)
The next edition of the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10 in 2024. (Getty Images)

The next edition of the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar from Jan. 12 to Feb. 10 in 2024, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on Wednesday.

The quadrennial continental championship was awarded to China in 2019 but the world's most populous country relinquished the rights this year as it pursued a zero-COVID policy.

Qatar, which hosted the men's World Cup finals last year, was then named the host after the Gulf state was preferred to bids from South Korea and Indonesia.

The 24-team tournament has been moved from mid-2023 to early 2024 to avoid the heat of the Gulf summer.

Qatar has staged the Asian Cup twice, in 1988 and 2011 and it won the last tournament in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

The AFC said that the tournament will be staged across eight stadiums, six of which were used during the World Cup, where Argentina were winners.

The Asian Cup will coincide with the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which will run from Jan. 13-Feb. 11 in Ivory Coast.

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Jannik Sinner Beats Ben Shelton to Return to the Australian Open Final

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)
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Jannik Sinner Beats Ben Shelton to Return to the Australian Open Final

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the US. (Reuters)

Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame some third-set cramping and beat Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 on Friday to return to the Australian Open final as he seeks a third Grand Slam title.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy, fell behind in the opening set and twice was a point from losing it when Shelton served at 6-5. But Sinner broke there, then dominated the ensuing tiebreaker, and broke again to begin the second set.

“It was a very tough first set, but a very crucial one,” said Sinner, who ran his winning streak to 20 matches dating to late last season.

He said the matchup against the 21st-seeded Shelton, an American appearing in his second major semifinal and first at Melbourne Park, was filled with “a lot of tension.”

“I'm very happy with how I handled the situation today,” Sinner said.

The only trouble he ran into in the last two sets of the 2 1/2-hour contest in Rod Laver Arena was when he clutched at his left hamstring, and then his right thigh, in the third. He was treated by a trainer, who massaged both of Sinner's legs during changeovers.

Sinner is now the youngest man since Jim Courier in 1992-93 to reach consecutive finals at the Australian Open. It was Courier who conducted the post-match interview with Sinner on Friday.

Sinner won his first major title at Melbourne Park a year ago, then grabbed No. 2 at the US Open in September, shortly after being exonerated in a doping case that is still under appeal. There is a hearing scheduled for April.

On Sunday, Sinner will try to add to his trophy haul when he faces No. 2 Alexander Zverev for the championship.

Zverev advanced to his third major final — he is 0-2, with both losses in five sets — when Novak Djokovic quit after one set of their semifinal Friday because of a leg injury.

“Everything can happen. He's an incredible player,” Sinner said about Zverev. “He's looking for his first major. There's going to be, again, a lot of tension.”