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Saudi Al Hilal Solidifies League Lead with Crushing Victory Over Al Fateh

With the significant victory, Al Hilal increased their points tally to 40. SPA
With the significant victory, Al Hilal increased their points tally to 40. SPA
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Saudi Al Hilal Solidifies League Lead with Crushing Victory Over Al Fateh

With the significant victory, Al Hilal increased their points tally to 40. SPA
With the significant victory, Al Hilal increased their points tally to 40. SPA

Al Hilal bolstered its position at the top of the Saudi Professional League, known as the Roshn League, with a comprehensive 9-0 win over visitors Al Fateh at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

Al Hilal ended the first half leading 4-0, with goals from Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly in the 20th minute, Brazilian Renan Lodi in the 39th, and his compatriot Marcos Leonardo from a penalty in the 6th minute of stoppage time. Serbian Sergej Milinković-Savić added another in the 9th minute of extra time.

In the second half, Al Hilal scored five more goals. Leonardo completed his hat trick with goals in the 54th and 65th minutes. Substitute Abdullah Alhamdan scored in the 89th minute, Brazilian Malcom Oliveira added one in the 5th minute of stoppage time, and an own goal by Al Fateh's Faisal Al-Abdulwahid in the 9th minute of added time sealed the rout.

With this significant victory, Al Hilal increased their points tally to 40, maintaining their lead at the top of Roshn League table, while Al Fateh remains at the bottom with just 6 points.

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Two-time Defending Champion Sabalenka is Into 4th Round at Australian Open

17 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Russian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson during their women's singles third round match of the Australian Open Tennis tournament at Melbourne Park. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
17 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Russian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson during their women's singles third round match of the Australian Open Tennis tournament at Melbourne Park. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Two-time Defending Champion Sabalenka is Into 4th Round at Australian Open

17 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Russian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson during their women's singles third round match of the Australian Open Tennis tournament at Melbourne Park. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
17 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Russian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson during their women's singles third round match of the Australian Open Tennis tournament at Melbourne Park. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

It wasn't often pretty, but two-time defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka extended a few impressive streaks on Friday while becoming one of the first players to advance to the fourth round of the year's opening Grand Slam tournament.
In a tougher-than-expected match, Sabalenka beat Clara Tauson 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a poor early serving display by both players to open the sixth day of play on Rod Laver Arena, The Associated Press reported. It was Sabalenka's eighth match victory in a row to start the season after winning the Brisbane International 10 days ago, and her 17th win in a row at Melbourne Park.
As well, it's been nearly three years — the 2022 French Open — that the top-ranked Sabalenka has failed to advance past the third round of any Grand Slam tournament in which she played.
Both players lost their first three service games, and it became seven service breaks in a row when Sabalenka lost her fourth service game at love. After Tauson fired an unreturnable backhand cross-court to set up break point, Sabalenka managed a wry smile.
Tauson finally held a service game to lead 5-3 and Sabalenka also won her service game to stay in the first set. But no surprise — the Danish player lost her service while serving for the first set to leave it at 5-5, eventually going to a tiebreaker which Sabalenka won despite leading 4-1, taking the opening set in 63 minutes.
“The conditions are really tough to serve, heavy conditions,” Sabalenka said. “It was really important to get all of those breaks back. It could have gone either way.”
Sabalenka broke Tauson's serve in the third game of the second set and from there the odds were in Sabalenka's favor — when Sabalenka has an early break in a set, she wins it 88% of the time. But she still needed a break after seven deuces in the ninth game to put her in control and served out the match — after saving two break points in the final game.
“That was a great battle, she played unbelievable tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I am super happy I was able to push myself. I told myself, ‘well girl, you are tough.’ So many times I thought I was done.”
In another early match Friday, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2 to also advance to the fourth round. Siegemund beat Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the second round.
Also advancing Friday was 11th-seeded Paula Badosa, who beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and 18th-seeded Donna Vekic, who defeated 12th-seeded Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 7-5..
In the only early men's result Friday, American Tommy Paul beat Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-0 to also advance to the fourth round.