Ronaldo Is Rested and Returning His Attention to an Asian Champions League Title 

Cristiano Ronaldo. (Reuters)
Cristiano Ronaldo. (Reuters)
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Ronaldo Is Rested and Returning His Attention to an Asian Champions League Title 

Cristiano Ronaldo. (Reuters)
Cristiano Ronaldo. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo has rested and now is returning his attention to winning his first major trophy in Saudi Arabia.

Despite breaking the Saudi Pro League’s scoring record last season with 35 goals and leading the standings in this campaign, the 40-year-old Ronaldo is yet to collect any silverware since signing for Al-Nassr in December 2022.

On Saturday, he’ll be leading Al-Nassr against Japan-based Yokohama F.Marinos in the Asian Champions League Elite quarterfinals.

The Riyadh club, still yet to win a continental championship, is expected to progress to the last four, particularly after Ronaldo was rested this week for Al-Nassr's domestic league win over Damac.

Even without the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, coach Stefano Pioli has a star-studded roster at his disposal. It includes Jhon Duran, signed from Aston Villa in January for over $100 million, former Liverpool star Sadio Mane and Spanish international defender Aymeric Laporte.

Al-Nassr also has the advantage of not having to travel far, as all playoff games are taking place in Jeddah along the Red Sea coast.

“We're now fully focused on Asia,” Pioli said Tuesday. “We have been working hard to prepare for it and I'm satisfied with the performance of the players.”

Yokohama was a beaten finalist last season but is struggling in last place in Japan's domestic league after collecting just two points from the last seven games. The club last week fired Steve Holland, a former England national team assistant to Gareth Southgate, after just four months as coach.

“To fill the void,” the club said in a statement, Australian “Patrick Kisnorbo will serve as an interim manager for the time being.”

Nassr’s Riyadh rival Al-Hilal has won a record four Asian titles and plays Friday against Gwangju FC, a South Korean club making its first appearance in the tournament.

Hilal was the best performer in the ACL group stage and, as it is unlikely to catch Al-Ittihad at the top of the Saudi Pro League, is focused on its bid for a fifth continental championship.

“The Asian Champions League is a personal dream for me, as I have not yet achieved it with the team,” Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said. “It is also a dream for the fans and the club president, and we will continue to play to win every match.”

Al-Ahli is the third contender from Saudi, and the two-time finalist is determined to lift the trophy in its home stadium in Jeddah on May 3. First, though, it must win a quarterfinal against Thai powerhouse Buriram United.

The only one of the four ties not to feature a Saudi club takes place on Sunday when two-time champion Al-Sadd of Qatar takes on Kawasaki Frontale, a Japanese club looking for a first title.



Sabalenka Passes Mertens Test to Reach Wimbledon Quarter-finals

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
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Sabalenka Passes Mertens Test to Reach Wimbledon Quarter-finals

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Aryna Sabalenka maintained her stranglehold over Belgian Elise Mertens with a hard-fought 6-4 7-6(4) victory on Sunday to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals as she bids for a maiden title at the grasscourt Grand Slam.

The Belarusian top seed came into the match on Centre Court having beaten Mertens 10 times in 12 meetings - the most for her against any player on the WTA Tour - and the one-sided rivalry looked set to continue after she made a strong start.

That impression would change, however, as Sabalenka dropped her level and wasted a 4-1 lead but the three-times major winner recovered quickly and claimed the opening set with a break on the back of a searing backhand crosscourt winner, Reuters reported.

Sabalenka followed up with a cheeky volley that clipped the net cord in the opening game of the next set but her former doubles partner responded with solid returning in the next to break and surge ahead.

Her momentum did not last long, though, as Sabalenka drew level after six games and the world number one stepped up again at crucial points in a see-saw tiebreak, which she finished with a forehand volley to book a last-eight meeting with Laura Siegemund.