Alcaraz Wins Queen’s Club Final for 1st Title on Grass, Reclaims Top Ranking Ahead of Wimbledon

Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)
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Alcaraz Wins Queen’s Club Final for 1st Title on Grass, Reclaims Top Ranking Ahead of Wimbledon

Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 25, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Australia's Alex de Minaur. (Reuters)

Carlos Alcaraz won the Queen’s Club Championships final on Sunday for his first ATP title on grass and reclaimed the top ranking, ensuring he will enter Wimbledon next month as the No. 1 seed.

Despite struggling at times in the first set, Alcaraz beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 for his fifth title of the year and 11th overall.

That saw the 20-year-old Spaniard move above Novak Djokovic in the rankings and confirmed the US Open champion as a serious challenger to the Serbian's crown at Wimbledon. Alcaraz lost in the fourth round to Jannik Sinner last year.

Sunday's final was Alcaraz's first on grass, in only the third tournament of his young career on the surface.

He had to save two break points in the eighth game of the first set, broke in the next game and then served out for the set.

Alcaraz won the only break point of the second set, when de Minaur double-faulted, and sealed the title on his first match point when the Australian sent a return long.



Saudi Arabia, Argentina Discuss Means to Enhance Football Cooperation

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia, Argentina Discuss Means to Enhance Football Cooperation

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) President Yasser Almisehal met on Wednesday with Argentina’s Ambassador Facundo Vila at the federation’s headquarters in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they discussed means of enhancing cooperation between the Saudi and Argentinean football federations.

The meeting aligns with SAFF’s football transformation strategy launched in September 2021, comprising seven pillars that include strengthening international relations.