Saudi Arabia Qualifies for 2025 Junior World Handball Championship

The Saudi team's path to the world championship was sealed with a victory over Oman. (SPA)
The Saudi team's path to the world championship was sealed with a victory over Oman. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Arabia Qualifies for 2025 Junior World Handball Championship

The Saudi team's path to the world championship was sealed with a victory over Oman. (SPA)
The Saudi team's path to the world championship was sealed with a victory over Oman. (SPA)

The Saudi junior handball team secured qualification for the 2025 edition of the Men's Junior World Championship in Poland after their victory in the 18th Asian Men's Junior (U21) Handball Championship in Amman, Jordan.

The Saudi team's path to the world championship was sealed with a victory over Oman, defeating them with a score of 37-23 in the final round of Group 2. The championship was exclusively for players born in 2004 and later and runs until July 25.

The Saudi team solidified their place in the global tournament by advancing to the semifinals and securing a second-place finish in Group 2.

They overcame Oman in the third and final round, won over Iran in the previous match, but faced a setback in the first round against Japan.

This feat marks the Saudi junior team's fifth qualification for the World Championship after previous showings in 1979, 1997, 2017, and 2023.



Nadal Reaches First Final Since 2022 French Open

20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa
20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa
TT

Nadal Reaches First Final Since 2022 French Open

20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa
20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa

Rafael Nadal reached his first final since the 2022 French Open by rallying to beat Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Saturday at the clay-court Nordea Open.
After needing four hours to beat the 36th-ranked Mariano Navone in Friday's quarterfinals, Nadal had a slow start against Ajdukovic and was a break down in the second set before turning things around, The Associated Press reported.
“My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against,” Nadal said. “It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal will play Nuno Borges, who beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first tour-level final.
Nadal is playing at the tournament in Sweden for the first time since he won the title as a 19-year-old in 2005 as he prepares for the Olympic tournament on clay at Roland Garros in Paris.
The 38-year-old Nadal skipped Wimbledon as he didn’t want to switch surface to grass and then back to clay and risk injury. He has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 1 1/2 years.