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Tommy Paul Beats Top-Ranked Carlos Alcaraz in Toronto Quarterfinals

Tommy Paul of the US greets the public after winning the men's quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 11 August 2023. (EPA)
Tommy Paul of the US greets the public after winning the men's quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 11 August 2023. (EPA)
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Tommy Paul Beats Top-Ranked Carlos Alcaraz in Toronto Quarterfinals

Tommy Paul of the US greets the public after winning the men's quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 11 August 2023. (EPA)
Tommy Paul of the US greets the public after winning the men's quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the 2023 National Bank Open tennis tournament in Toronto, Canada, 11 August 2023. (EPA)

American Tommy Paul ended top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz’s winning streak at 14 matches, beating the 20-year-old Spanish star 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday night to reach the National Bank Open semifinals.

Alcaraz had the shot of the match with a between-the-leg winner in the second set, but couldn't keep up with Paul in the third.

“I played a really good match. I really went after my shots,” Paul said. “You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that. So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.”

Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion preparing for his US Open title defense, leads the tour with six victories and 49 match victories against only five losses.

“He’s really tough on every surface,” Alcaraz said. “I mean he’s a mix of everything. It makes him really, really tough.”

The 26-year-old Paul won in Stockholm in 2021 for his lone tour title. He also beat Alcaraz last year in Montreal in the tournament.

“It helps knowing that you can beat your opponent,” Paul said. “You never want to walk on the court and be like, ‘I don’t know if I can beat this guy’. It’s the attitude you’ve got to have no matter who you are playing."

Paul will face the seventh-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 winner over Gael Monfils of France in the late match.

In the afternoon, second-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia dropped out with a 7-6 (7), 7-5 loss to Australia's Alex de Minaur.

“I had to play some of my best tennis today,” de Minaur said. “It has been a great week for me so far. I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive.”

Medvedev, the 2021 champion in Toronto, had seven double-faults — the last on match point.

De Minaur will face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a battle of unseeded players in their first career Masters 1000 semifinal. In March, de Minaur beat Paul in the Acapulco final for his seventh career title.

Davidovich Fokina beat American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-2 in the opening quarterfinal.

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Mahrez Leads Algeria to AFCON Cruise Against Sudan

Algeria's Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
Algeria's Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
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Mahrez Leads Algeria to AFCON Cruise Against Sudan

Algeria's Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
Algeria's Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)

Captain Riyad Mahrez scored in each half as 2019 champions Algeria eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

Mahrez got the opener after just 82 seconds to the delight of the Algerian fans who made up the vast majority of the 16,115 crowd at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

The former Manchester City winger, now with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, got his and his team's second goal just after the hour mark and Ibrahim Maza wrapped up the win late on as Algeria started in the best possible fashion in Group E.

Among the spectators in the Moroccan capital was France legend Zinedine Zidane, whose parents came from Algeria and whose son Luca was starting in goal for the Desert Foxes.

His appearance on big screens in the ground drew huge cheers from Algerian supporters who will have been delighted to see their team produce a convincing performance.

Algeria were eliminated in the first round without a win at each of the last two AFCON tournaments but wasted no time in breaking the deadlock against the group outsiders.

The match was little over a minute old when Mohamed Amoura's ball across the penalty box was met by a back-heel from Hicham Boudaoui to tee up Mahrez. He took a touch before firing in.

Zidane then did well to save at the feet of Sudan's Yaser Awad Boshara but Algeria were by far the better side.

Sudan's chances of getting back into the game were then severely dented when Salaheldin Adil was sent off six minutes before the interval for a second booking for chopping down Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Ramy Bensebaini had a goal disallowed for offside moments later but Mahrez made it 2-0 on 61 minutes as he connected with a lovely outside-of-the-boot assist from Amoura.

Mahrez, appearing at his sixth AFCON, now has eight goals at the tournament. He came off to an ovation from the Algerian fans late on.

Substitute Maza, of Bayer Leverkusen, finished from Baghdad Bounedjah's knockdown with five minutes left to score Algeria's 100th AFCON goal and make it 3-0.

Sudan have now won just once in 17 Cup of Nations matches since lifting the trophy in 1970.

Earlier in the same group, Burkina Faso came from behind to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 thanks to two goals deep in injury time in Casablanca.

Basilio Ndong was sent off just after half-time for Equatorial Guinea but they looked set to win the game when substitute Marvin Anieboh headed in on 85 minutes.

However, Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth added minute before Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba grabbed a dramatic 98th-minute winner.

Sports

Boulevard City Hosts Open Training Sessions for 'Ring V: Night of the Samurai' Stars

The open training sessions are part of the Fight Week program - SPA
The open training sessions are part of the Fight Week program - SPA
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Boulevard City Hosts Open Training Sessions for 'Ring V: Night of the Samurai' Stars

The open training sessions are part of the Fight Week program - SPA
The open training sessions are part of the Fight Week program - SPA

The Global Theater at Boulevard City hosted on Wednesday the open training sessions for the stars of “Ring V: Night of the Samurai,” as part of the second day of Fight Week during Riyadh Season 2025.

The event drew strong public and media attendance, giving boxing fans a close look at the fighters’ preparations ahead of the much-anticipated fight night.

The world’s top boxing talents, led by Japanese world champion Naoya Inoue, alongside Alan Picasso, Junto Nakatani, Kenshiro Teraji, Taiga Imanaga, Rito Tsutsumi, and other fighters, featured on the Night of the Samurai fight card. The interactive atmosphere reflected the global interest surrounding the upcoming event, according to SPA.

The sessions showcased the fighters’ skills, physical strength, and sharp focus, as the stars delivered technical highlights for fans and media alike, marking the final stages of preparation ahead of the official bouts to be hosted in Riyadh as part of one of the biggest boxing nights of Riyadh Season.

The open training sessions are part of the Fight Week program, designed to enhance fan engagement with the participating fighters and offer a closer look at the competitive build-up, reflecting Riyadh Season’s commitment to delivering exceptional sports and entertainment experiences.

The press conference will be held on December 25, 2025, with all fighters in attendance, as final preparations are discussed and statements exchanged ahead of the main fight night.

Sports

Frank Warns Squad to Be ‘Grown-Up’ as Spurs Players Get Christmas Day Off

Tottenham Hotspur's manager Thomas Frank gestures during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC, in London, Britain, 20 December 2025. (EPA)
Tottenham Hotspur's manager Thomas Frank gestures during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC, in London, Britain, 20 December 2025. (EPA)
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Frank Warns Squad to Be ‘Grown-Up’ as Spurs Players Get Christmas Day Off

Tottenham Hotspur's manager Thomas Frank gestures during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC, in London, Britain, 20 December 2025. (EPA)
Tottenham Hotspur's manager Thomas Frank gestures during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC, in London, Britain, 20 December 2025. (EPA)

Thomas Frank will give his Tottenham squad Christmas Day off but only because it fits in with their schedule ahead of Sunday's match away to London rivals Crystal Palace.

Spurs have struggled since Frank replaced the sacked Ange Postecoglou and are 14th in the Premier League table following a run of five defeats in eight matches in all competitions.

The club's form has led to a rising tide of anger among Tottenham fans, many of whom are already losing faith in Frank and the 52-year-old's decision to give his side Christmas Day off may not go down well with supporters.

But Frank, explaining the reason behind his decision, said: "This week we actually handle in the same way I would have done with any other week. If it was not Christmas, it was still done the same.

"So, we have two days leading to the game, day off, two days. So Tuesday and Wednesday, then off on 25th and then two days. Then it's perfectly fit the Christmas family schedule, which is very good.

"I'm a big believer of being a top professional and that's something I believe the players are and should be. Some need to be guided more than others, but also they are grown-up individuals.

"If I need to hold their hand the whole time, we have a bigger problem in my opinion."
Frank will be without captain Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons at Selhurst Park due to suspension in a fresh setback for the Danish coach.

But the former Brentford boss pointed to his spell at Brondby in 2013, where he recovered from a poor start to enjoy success over a three-year period, as an indication of how things could turn around at Spurs.

"I think I see a lot of similarities to my first head coach job," he said. "Of course, completely different scale.

"This is, of course, a massive club. One of the biggest clubs in the world and so much focus on it, so that makes it of course bigger and a different challenge.

"But I see a lot of similarities when I had my first head coach job in Brondby and here where you try to build something over time.

"You inherit something that you need to try to get right with a lot of good people around me and then where this makes it extra challenging is that we play Champions League and Premier League at the same time.

"And we try to improve while we are driving 100 miles an hour, but that's part of it. That's a good challenge."