Fritz and Dimitrov Finally Advance at Rain-Soaked Shanghai Masters

 Taylor Fritz of the United States waves to spectators after defeating Terence Atmane of France in the men's singles second round match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
Taylor Fritz of the United States waves to spectators after defeating Terence Atmane of France in the men's singles second round match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
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Fritz and Dimitrov Finally Advance at Rain-Soaked Shanghai Masters

 Taylor Fritz of the United States waves to spectators after defeating Terence Atmane of France in the men's singles second round match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)
Taylor Fritz of the United States waves to spectators after defeating Terence Atmane of France in the men's singles second round match in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP)

Two days after starting, seventh-ranked Taylor Fritz and 10th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov finally got to complete their second-round matches at the Shanghai Masters on Monday.

Fritz, the US Open finalist, had led 4-3 in the opening set against Frenchman Terence Atmane when rain suspended play on Saturday at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, and then washed out all matches on the outside courts until Monday.

The 26-year-old American needed two tiebreakers to see off the No. 161-ranked Atmane 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), with only one break of serve for each in the 122-minute match. Fritz will play Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in the third round.

Dimitrov, playing in his 100th Masters event, resumed Monday with a set lead but down a break in the second against Zizou Bergs.

The No.73-ranked Belgian converted his advantage to take the second set before Dimitrov responded by breaking Bergs three times — for the loss of one of his own service games, to clinch the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

The 33-year-old Bulgarian will play Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round.

Also, US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe routed Zhou Yi of China 6-2, 6-4, while Tallon Griekspoor beat the 26th-seeded Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2 and Roman Safiullin had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.

Later Monday, No. 16-ranked Ben Shelton plays Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in a third- round match, with the winner to meet top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the 4th.

Wuhan Open No. 12-ranked Beatriz Haddad-Maia beat Madison Keys of the US 7-6 (7), 6-2 in the opening match of the Wuhan Open.

The Brazilian, winner of the Seoul Open last month for her fourth career title, converted five of her eight break point opportunities — to Keys' three from 12 — as she advanced in 128 minutes at the tournament in China.

One-time US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada rallied to beat 12th-seeded Diana Shnaider 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-3.

Rain in Wuhan meant play on the outside courts was suspended.

The top eight seeds, including second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and China Open champion Coco Gauff, received a first-round bye.



Riyadh Season Sponsors Partnership Between La Liga and Thmanyah

The partnership aims to improve the broadcast quality of the Saudi Pro League. SPA
The partnership aims to improve the broadcast quality of the Saudi Pro League. SPA
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Riyadh Season Sponsors Partnership Between La Liga and Thmanyah

The partnership aims to improve the broadcast quality of the Saudi Pro League. SPA
The partnership aims to improve the broadcast quality of the Saudi Pro League. SPA

Riyadh Season has sponsored the signing of a partnership agreement in London between the Spanish football league -- La Liga -- and Thmanyah, the exclusive broadcaster of Saudi competitions and a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG). The partnership aims to improve the broadcast quality of the Saudi Pro League.

The agreement was signed on Thursday on behalf of Riyadh Season by CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, Eng. Faisal bin Saeed Bafarat, on behalf of La Liga by President Javier Tebas, and on behalf of Thmanyah by its founder and CEO Abdulrahman Abumalih.

Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation Turki Alalshikh stated that Riyadh Season's sponsorship of the partnership reflects its ongoing efforts to establish a strong global presence.

He noted that Riyadh Season’s sponsorship of La Liga last year was a major milestone and that the new step continues the strategy of positioning Riyadh Season as a global brand across various sectors.

For his part, Javier Tebas expressed his enthusiasm about collaborating with Riyadh Season and Thmanyah to elevate the audiovisual production standards of the Saudi Pro League.

“We already enjoy a fruitful partnership and are building on a strong foundation, as the league’s audiovisual production is managed by highly qualified professionals. We will work alongside them to deliver even more exceptional broadcast experiences,” he said.

Tebas stressed that the partnership marks an important step in enhancing the international profile of Saudi football.

The partnership includes training programs aimed at developing the capabilities of local audiovisual production teams, ensuring gradual and sustainable knowledge transfer. It also involves cooperation in formulating a comprehensive strategy to combat digital piracy in the Kingdom, helping to protect entertainment and sports content.

The agreement reflects a strategic direction toward delivering a complete viewing experience that meets audience expectations both locally and internationally, while also boosting content quality and expanding the global reach of the Saudi Pro League.