I Don’t Care about Individual Records Anymore, Ronaldo Says

Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
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I Don’t Care about Individual Records Anymore, Ronaldo Says

Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Asian Champions League - Group B – Al-Nassr v Al-Rayyan - Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - September 30, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at Saudi side Al-Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.

The 39-year-old, who has won the Ballon d'Or award five times, scored in Al-Nassr's 2-1 win over Al-Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

It was the club's fourth successive victory in all competitions under new coach Stefano Pioli, who replaced Luis Castro last month.

"It was a strong and difficult match like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances," Ronaldo told a press conference.

"It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me it is better for the team to win.

"I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my teammates to win."

Ronaldo became the top scorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League last May with 35 goals.

The Portugal captain also scored his 901st career goal in a 2-1 win over Scotland in the Nations League last month.

"My goal against Al-Rayyan was different and important because my father would have been happy with it if he was alive, as today (yesterday) is his birthday," the former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United forward added.



Pegula Out of China Open after a 4th-Round Loss to Badosa

Paula Badosa of Spain serves during the women's singles fourth round match against Jessica Pegula of United States in the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
Paula Badosa of Spain serves during the women's singles fourth round match against Jessica Pegula of United States in the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
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Pegula Out of China Open after a 4th-Round Loss to Badosa

Paula Badosa of Spain serves during the women's singles fourth round match against Jessica Pegula of United States in the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, 01 October 2024. (EPA)
Paula Badosa of Spain serves during the women's singles fourth round match against Jessica Pegula of United States in the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, 01 October 2024. (EPA)

Paula Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula at the China Open on Tuesday to reach her eighth career quarterfinal at a WTA 1000-level event.

From 3-1 down in the opening set, former No. 2-ranked Badosa dominated in her first ever win over third-ranked Pegula.

“She’s one the of the players I never want to face -- she’s very solid, hits very flat, changes very well direction,,” said Badosa, who was 0-3 previously against Pegula. “I prepared myself for a battle, but I think today everything worked pretty well.

“Every point was very important for me, especially against Jessica, because she can come back at any moment."

Badosa next faces 35-year-old Chinese player Zhang Shuai, who continued her resurgence with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Magdalena Frech of Poland.

Zhang entered the China Open on a 24-match losing streak and ranked No. 595, but she's yet to drop a set in four matches this week. That includes eliminating US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro in straight sets for her first win over a Top 10 player in two years.

Zhang is now into her first women's tour quarterfinal since Tokyo in 2022, and her first at a WTA 1000 tournament since Cincinnati in the same year.

Later Tuesday, No. 14-ranked Anna Kalinskaya was scheduled to meet Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine, before the marquee women's match of the day between four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and sixth-ranked Coco Gauff.

It will be the first meeting between the two Grand Slam champions in more than two years, with the head-to-head series tied at 2-2.

On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz was playing fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev in the first semifinal, with the Spaniard holding a 5-2 advantage in their head-to-head history.

Defending champion and top-ranked Janner Sinner was set to face No. 96-ranked Bu Yunchaokete, who is playing in his first ATP 500 semifinal.