Saudi National Teams Continue Participation in 19th Asian Games in China

Saudi Arabia is set to face the Indian national team in the upcoming qualifying round next Thursday.
Saudi Arabia is set to face the Indian national team in the upcoming qualifying round next Thursday.
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Saudi National Teams Continue Participation in 19th Asian Games in China

Saudi Arabia is set to face the Indian national team in the upcoming qualifying round next Thursday.
Saudi Arabia is set to face the Indian national team in the upcoming qualifying round next Thursday.

The Saudi national football and tennis teams continue their active participation in the 19th Asian Games, scheduled to continue until October 8th in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
The Saudi under-23 football team secured a place in the second round by finishing as the runner-up in Group II with seven points. This followed their 3-1 victory over the Vietnamese team in a match held at Linpeng Sports Center Stadium in Huzhou, China, on Sunday evening, SPA reported.
Mohammed Al-Yami found the net for the Saudi team in the 43rd minute, followed by Mohammed Maran in the 87th minute, and Zakaria Hawsawi in the 90th minute.
Accordingly, Saudi Arabia is set to face the Indian national team in the upcoming qualifying round next Thursday.
On the tennis front, Saudi player Ammar Al-Haqbani advanced to the men's singles 32nd round of the competition by defeating his Qatari opponent Rashid Nayef with a score of two sets to love in the round of 64.
Also, Ammar is set to compete against China's Zhizhen Zhang, who is Asia's top-ranked tennis player and currently ranked 60th in the world, on Monday morning at 11 o'clock in the round of 32.



Krejcikova Beats Gauff in Saudi Arabia to Earn Last Semifinal Spot at WTA Finals

Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024.  EPA/Marcin Cholewinski
Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024. EPA/Marcin Cholewinski
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Krejcikova Beats Gauff in Saudi Arabia to Earn Last Semifinal Spot at WTA Finals

Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024.  EPA/Marcin Cholewinski
Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Coco Gauff of USA during the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 07 November 2024. EPA/Marcin Cholewinski

Barbora Krejcikova grabbed the last semifinal spot at the WTA Finals with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Coco Gauff on Thursday, a result that eliminated second-ranked Iga Swiatek from the season-ending tournament.

Krejcikova completes a last-four lineup that already included top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen and Gauff, The Associated Press reported.

“Well, I was definitely super excited to be here, to come here, to qualify to play against the best ones,” Krejcikova said. “I don’t really know where everything started to come together. Before the tournament, I had a couple of days where we hit lightly and already during those hits, I felt quite good.

And I think definitely for me, it’s a big thing that it’s the last tournament of the season.”

Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, won the Orange Group and will face Zheng in Friday's semifinals, while Gauff will take on Purple Group winner Sabalenka.

Swiatek earlier routed alternate Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0 in less than an hour, but she needed Krejcikova to lose to third-ranked Gauff in order to advance from the Orange Group. Krejcikova, Gauff and Swiatek all finished at 2-1, and Swiatek was eliminated because she has a worse percentage of sets won.

Kasatkina replaced American Jessica Pegula, who withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday because of a left knee injury.

“I’m professional enough to always give 100% no matter what the stakes are," Swiatek said.