Saka Says This Is Arsenal’s Year after Back-to-Back Premier League Misses

Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Saka Says This Is Arsenal’s Year after Back-to-Back Premier League Misses

Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Arsenal's English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka applauds the fans following during the UEFA Champions League football match between Arsenal and Paris St Germain (PSG) at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2024. (AFP)

Arsenal can go all the way and end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title this season, winger Bukayo Saka said after his side beat Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsenal finished runners-up in 2022-23 and took the Premier League title race to the final day last season before once again finishing second behind Manchester City.

The north London side are in the mix this season, sitting third in the league standings, and their impressive victory over French heavyweights PSG underlined their title credentials, with Kai Havertz and Saka scoring in the match.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on us, but I do think that this is the year (that we can win the title)," Saka told CBS Sports.

"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer, but this hopefully will be the year."

Saka, who has established himself as a key player at Arsenal and was their top-scorer in the Premier League last season, said the club's near misses had left him hungry for success.

"Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot," the 23-year-old told Amazon Prime.

"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. We showed that tonight (against PSG). I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when big teams are coming to the Emirates."

Arsenal next host 19th-placed Southampton in a league match on Saturday.



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.