Pyramids to Replace Zamalek in Egyptian Super Cup

Zamalek’s starting eleven pose for a group picture during the Lusail Super Cup football match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal at the Lusail Stadium on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha on September 9, 2022. (AFP)
Zamalek’s starting eleven pose for a group picture during the Lusail Super Cup football match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal at the Lusail Stadium on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha on September 9, 2022. (AFP)
TT
20

Pyramids to Replace Zamalek in Egyptian Super Cup

Zamalek’s starting eleven pose for a group picture during the Lusail Super Cup football match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal at the Lusail Stadium on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha on September 9, 2022. (AFP)
Zamalek’s starting eleven pose for a group picture during the Lusail Super Cup football match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal at the Lusail Stadium on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha on September 9, 2022. (AFP)

Pyramids club will play Al-Ahly in the Egyptian Super Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Friday after Egyptian champions Zamalek decided not to take part, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said.

Zamalek are protesting against a number of decisions by EFA, including that their former forward Kahraba is allowed to play for Al-Ahly despite being banned for 12 matches for allegedly chanting insults about Zamalek after the Cairo derby in January.

Kahraba has denied any wrongdoing and his ban was suspended until a local court meets on May 14.

"The EFA Board agreed to Pyramids participation as the runner-up in the League last season," EFA said late on Tuesday.

The Super Cup will be a repeat of last month's Egyptian Cup final in which Al-Ahly beat Pyramids 2-1.

Pyramids are bidding to win their first major title.



Osaka Earns First Grass Win of the Season with Victory over Qualifier Danilovic

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
TT
20

Osaka Earns First Grass Win of the Season with Victory over Qualifier Danilovic

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Russia's Ludmilla Samsonova during the Berlin WTA tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka fired 16 aces past Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic to earn a 7-6(6) 7-6(4) victory at the Bad Homburg Open on Monday for her first win on grass this season less than a week before the start of Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old Japanese player, who had lost in the first round at her last two tournaments -- the French Open and the Berlin Open -- had won her first title in May in almost two years following a maternity break.

Osaka, who had reached the third round of the Australian Open in January before retiring injured, has not had back-to-back wins on any surface since the Italian Open in May. She is currently ranked 56th in the world.

"It's my first grasscourt win of the year," Reuters quoted Osaka as saying. "I am excited about that. I am super excited to play here and be back for my next round."

Asked whether she was on track to improve her form on the surface, she said: "I hope so. I think I have potential but everyone is really good so I cannot take it for granted."

The pair held serve to take the first set into a tiebreak where Osaka snatched it on her second set point.

Osaka was 40-0 up on her opponent's serve at 2-2 in the second set but she could not bag the first break of either player in the match, with Danilovic holding serve with her eighth ace of the match.

Osaka, however, got the mini-break she needed in the tiebreak when she challenged a Danilovic first serve that was then ruled out, with the qualifier then double-faulting.

She held on to that slim advantage to earn a spot in the round of 16 where she will face fifth-seed Emma Navarro.

Russian eighth-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova also eased into the next round with a 6-1 6-2 win over Swiss Belinda Bencic.

Croatia's Donna Vekic made equally light work of sixth seed southpaw Diana Shnaider for a 6-3 6-3 victory.

Clara Tauson of Denmark needed to work harder and battle from a set down before snatching a 6-7(6) 6-3 6-3 against Poland's Magdalena Frech.