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‘Lucky’ De Minaur Saves Three Match Points to Lift Washington Open Title 

(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
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‘Lucky’ De Minaur Saves Three Match Points to Lift Washington Open Title 

(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Alex De Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7 6-1 7-6(3) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event on Sunday.

The Australian number one, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month's US Open.

The two 26-year-olds exchanged breaks early in the opening set before Spain's Davidovich Fokina seized control by breaking again and closed out the set with the help of some crisp forehand winners.

De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, wrapping up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest.

The Spaniard looked on course for his first career title when he broke to grab the lead in the decider, but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, sending a forehand long to hand the break back to seventh seed De Minaur.

Davidovich Fokina's frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur's serve, and the Australian then capitalized on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest.

"I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I'm so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title," De Minaur said at the trophy presentation.

"Alejandro, you're way too good not to have one of these, it's coming for sure," he added, gesturing to the trophy.

"You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you."

Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the US capital last year and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career high world number 19 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

"He deserved the win, he was fighting every ... ball, he was always pushing through my limits," Davidovich Fokina said.

"We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder."

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Sports

Man United Stuns Man City 2-0 in Michael Carrick's 1st Game in Charge

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Man United Stuns Man City 2-0 in Michael Carrick's 1st Game in Charge

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Manchester City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 17, 2026 Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick and Matheus Cunha celebrate after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester United's latest reboot is off to a flying start.

In his first game in charge, Michael Carrick saw his team pull off a stunning 2-0 win against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday to lift the gloom hanging over Old Trafford.

“It’s a great start, there’s no getting away from that,” Carrick said after goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu sealed victory in the 198th Manchester derby.

The job now is to keep the good times going.

“That’s the challenge ultimately, and I think it needs to be a version of normal,” said Carrick, who was appointed head coach this week.

The former United midfielder has only signed a contract until the end of the season and has 17 games to convince the club's hierarchy to give him the job on a permanent basis after Ruben Amorim became the sixth permanent manager or head coach to be dismissed since club great Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

He could not have made a better first impression with a dominant performance against all-conquering City manager Pep Guardiola, who could do nothing but congratulate his opponent after the game.

“The better team won. There’s nothing more to say,” The Associated Press quoted Guardiola as saying. “When a team is better you have to accept it. They had an energy we didn’t have. Congratulations.”

Victory had United fans singing in full voice inside Old Trafford and drowning out their fierce cross-city rivals.

“The supporters were incredible and I said yesterday that this could be a magical place,” Carrick said. “To get that feeling is exactly what we want. Hopefully it’s just the start and something that we need to build on.”

The win could have been even more emphatic, with United twice hitting the frame of the goal, forcing a string of saves from City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and having three goals ruled out for offside.

Not only did victory give United local bragging rights and boost its chances of Champions League qualification, but it also delivered another blow to City's title challenge. Defeat extended City's recent winless run in the league to four games.

United dominated the chances before and after halftime.

Harry Maguire headed against the bar inside three minutes and United saw two goals chalked off by VAR for offside before the break.

In the second half Donnarumma denied Amad Diallo, Casemiro and Mbeumo before the deadlock was finally broken in the 65th minute.

It came from another swift United attack with Bruno Fernandes leading the breakaway after a City free kick came to nothing.

Racing into the City half Fernandes slipped a pass into the run of Mbeumo and the Cameroon forward unleashed a first-time left footed shot low into the far corner.

Old Trafford erupted with chants of “United!”

It was the least Carrick’s team deserved after a performance full of attacking intent.

Dorgu doubled the lead in the 76th, converting from close range after beating Rico Lewis to substitute Matheus Cunha’s cross.

Amad then hit the post as United looked to press the advantage and there was still time for another substitute, Mason Mount, to find the back of the net with his first touch in the 89th, only for it to be deemed offside.

By that point, it mattered little. The day belonged to United and Carrick, who had a beaming smile on his face as he congratulated his players after the final whistle.

Up in the stands, watching on was managerial great Alex Ferguson, whose smile was as broad as anyone's inside Old Trafford.

Sports

Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
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Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

Rocco Commisso, the outspoken owner of Italian soccer club Fiorentina and chairman of New York-based Mediacom Communications, has died. He was 76.

Both Fiorentina and Mediacom announced Commisso’s death early Saturday without providing a cause.

“After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his passing,” Fiorentina said. “His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself.”

After making Mediacom into one of the United States’ biggest cable television companies, Commisso purchased Fiorentina in 2019 and became known for speaking out against Italy’s bureaucracy and inability to build new stadiums.

Commisso was born in Calabria and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12.

He also owned the New York Cosmos, and played soccer at Columbia University, the Ivy League school that he continued to support philanthropically. The university’s soccer stadium is named for him.

According to The Associated Press, the Cosmos called Commisso “a passionate leader who dedicated his life to the game of soccer and to the future of the sport in this country.

“Rocco fought for what is best for American soccer, believing in the growth of the game, the importance of community, and the power of clubs to inspire the next generation,” the New York club said on X.

At Fiorentina, Commisso celebrated reaching the Conference League final in 2023 and 2024.

But the team has struggled this season and is currently in Serie A’s relegation zone.

Commisso is survived by his wife, Catherine, and two children, Giuseppe and Marisa.

Sports

Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
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Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA

Jeddah is set to host the opening round of the third season of the E1 Series, the world's first all electric raceboat championship, on January 23 and 24.

Organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in partnership with the Public Investment Fund and the UIM, the event underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modern sports and environmental sustainability.

The 2026 season features eight international rounds. Following the Jeddah opener, the series will travel to Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Monaco, followed by a second unannounced European round. The championship then heads to Lagos (Nigeria) and Miami (US), before reaching its grand finale in the Bahamas.

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. As Jeddah's shores transform into a global hub for advanced electric marine racing, the event solidifies the Kingdom's status as a leading destination for major international sporting competitions.