عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

‘Lucky’ De Minaur Saves Three Match Points to Lift Washington Open Title 

(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
TT
TT

‘Lucky’ De Minaur Saves Three Match Points to Lift Washington Open Title 

(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Alex De Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7 6-1 7-6(3) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event on Sunday.

The Australian number one, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month's US Open.

The two 26-year-olds exchanged breaks early in the opening set before Spain's Davidovich Fokina seized control by breaking again and closed out the set with the help of some crisp forehand winners.

De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, wrapping up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest.

The Spaniard looked on course for his first career title when he broke to grab the lead in the decider, but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, sending a forehand long to hand the break back to seventh seed De Minaur.

Davidovich Fokina's frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur's serve, and the Australian then capitalized on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest.

"I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I'm so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title," De Minaur said at the trophy presentation.

"Alejandro, you're way too good not to have one of these, it's coming for sure," he added, gesturing to the trophy.

"You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you."

Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the US capital last year and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career high world number 19 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

"He deserved the win, he was fighting every ... ball, he was always pushing through my limits," Davidovich Fokina said.

"We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder."

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
TT
TT

Fiorentina Owner Rocco Commisso Dies at 76

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gestures to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

Rocco Commisso, the outspoken owner of Italian soccer club Fiorentina and chairman of New York-based Mediacom Communications, has died. He was 76.

Both Fiorentina and Mediacom announced Commisso’s death early Saturday without providing a cause.

“After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his passing,” Fiorentina said. “His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself.”

After making Mediacom into one of the United States’ biggest cable television companies, Commisso purchased Fiorentina in 2019 and became known for speaking out against Italy’s bureaucracy and inability to build new stadiums.

Commisso was born in Calabria and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12.

He also owned the New York Cosmos, and played soccer at Columbia University, the Ivy League school that he continued to support philanthropically. The university’s soccer stadium is named for him.

According to The Associated Press, the Cosmos called Commisso “a passionate leader who dedicated his life to the game of soccer and to the future of the sport in this country.

“Rocco fought for what is best for American soccer, believing in the growth of the game, the importance of community, and the power of clubs to inspire the next generation,” the New York club said on X.

At Fiorentina, Commisso celebrated reaching the Conference League final in 2023 and 2024.

But the team has struggled this season and is currently in Serie A’s relegation zone.

Commisso is survived by his wife, Catherine, and two children, Giuseppe and Marisa.

Sports

Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
TT
TT

Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA

Jeddah is set to host the opening round of the third season of the E1 Series, the world's first all electric raceboat championship, on January 23 and 24.

Organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in partnership with the Public Investment Fund and the UIM, the event underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modern sports and environmental sustainability.

The 2026 season features eight international rounds. Following the Jeddah opener, the series will travel to Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Monaco, followed by a second unannounced European round. The championship then heads to Lagos (Nigeria) and Miami (US), before reaching its grand finale in the Bahamas.

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. As Jeddah's shores transform into a global hub for advanced electric marine racing, the event solidifies the Kingdom's status as a leading destination for major international sporting competitions.

Sports

Djokovic Says 'Addiction' to Tennis Keeps him Going at 38

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
TT
TT

Djokovic Says 'Addiction' to Tennis Keeps him Going at 38

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Novak Djokovic said Saturday he still gets a "drug-like" adrenaline rush from tennis and is not thinking about retiring anytime soon.

The 38-year-old is about to embark on his 21st Australian Open and remains among the top contenders, behind defending champion Jannik Sinner and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

Melbourne Park is his favorite hunting ground, claiming 10 titles.

Despite scaling back his tournament appearances in recent years the Serbian great remains confident he can still compete with the best and is not ready to leave the sport behind.

"I'm still living my dream to be honest," the former world number one said on the eve of the opening Grand Slam of the year.

"It's passion and love for the game. It's the interaction with people. It's the energy that you feel when you walk out on the court.

"That adrenaline rush, it's almost like a drug.

"I think that a lot of the top athletes from different sports can relate to that. I have been at least hearing them speak about that.

"It's so addictive, you know, the feeling of competing."

His long-time rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both hung up their racquets and Djokovic said he constantly got asked about when he would join them.

"I have been asked a lot about obviously when is the end date going to come for me, but I don't want to talk or think about it yet because I'm here, I'm competing," AFP quoted him as saying.

"When that arrives and kind of becomes ripe in my head, I'll share it with you, and then we can all discuss on the farewell tour.

"But right now I'm still number four in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there is no need to draw the attention to that discussion."