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Canada’s Victoria Mboko yesterday sealed her Top 10 debut next week, along with her second WTA 1000 final, with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Jelena Ostapenko at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. In the final today, Mboko, 19, will meet Latvia’s Karolina Muchova who beat Maria Sakkari in the other semi-final. Muchova won 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. This time last year, Mboko was ranked No. 211, and on the way to collecting her fourth ITF title of 2025 at the Manchester W35 in England. She had played just one WTA main draw in her career, and had yet to win a match at that level, a report on www.wtatennis.com added. Just 12 months later, she has two titles on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz under her belt – Montreal and Hong Kong last year – and has already reached two finals this season, having been runner-up to Mirra Andreeva in Adelaide. Next week, she will be ranked either No. 9 (if she wins the title) or No. 10 (if she loses to Muchova in the final) – becoming just the fourth Canadian woman to be ranked inside the Top 10, following Carling Bassett-Seguso, Eugenie Bouchard and Bianca Andreescu. . “It’s kind of crazy,” Mboko said after the match on Friday. “I never expected something to happen so fast for me. I just have been taking it day by day, tournament by tournament. Every tournament I enter, I want to do well. I don’t really hold that much expectation of myself. It’s not like when I enter a tournament I’m going to say I’m going to win it, but you always want to try your best. “I think this came relatively fast, but it’s a nice feeling. It’s nice to see that, to have that milestone, to see that number. So, yeah, I’m pretty happy with that,” she added. As for continuing a rise that currently seems unstoppable, Mboko is keeping a level head – after all, it’s worked so far. “I don’t really set goals for myself,” Mboko said. “Just because I just like to surprise myself along the way. You never know what’s going to happen in tennis. You can have high moments, you can have also low moments. I think just being positive with myself with whatever happens, it’s all a part of the process. “As long as I’m having fun doing what I love, it’s going to pay off at the end of the day and, who knows, maybe good things may come my way in the future,” she said. Source link
The French father and daughter duo of Lionel and Lucie Baud delivered the best performance of their careers to hold a slender lead after a punishing 225.71km special stage at the Jordan Baja yesterday. Young British rider Alex McInnes was the class of the motorcycle field from the start on his KTM and took an advantage of 13min 28.3sec over Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera into the night halt in Aqaba. Demanding navigation and rocky mountainous terrain gave way to faster open sections of desert as the day’s stage meandered its way through stunning Wadi Rum. Baud gradually climbed through the field over the closing kilometres in the solitary diesel-engined X-Raid Mini JCW Rally Plus to lead the Baja by just 1.8 seconds. The delighted Frenchman said: “We make a very good result. My daughter made beautiful navigation. I feel comfortable with the car and I tried to go as fast as possible. It was nice.” His daughter Lucie added: “It’s our first win in the World Championship and in the World Baja Cup. It was amazing, the navigation and the stage was very tough. You have to be very focused, more than the Dakar, for example. Tomorrow, we will open the stage. I like to open because you don’t have many tracks and you have to find the good direction.” Nasser in second spot Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and his French navigator Max Delfino narrowly missed out on the stage win and hold second place. They enjoyed their first ever taste of the southern Jordan region, although the Qatari trailed the likes of Dania Akeel and Saood Variawa through the opening kilometres in the mountains. He took full advantage of the lightweight nature of his two-wheel drive MD Optimus Buggy in the faster open desert later in the stage and led the special before being pegged back by an impressive Baud near the finish. Al-Attiyah said: “It was not easy. It was good to manage. With the rear-wheel drive, it was difficult in the climb but we are happy.” Defending FIA Middle East Baja Cup champion Dania Akeel and her navigator Sébastien Delaunay led through the opening checkpoints and eventually finished in third position in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux Evo. Akeel said: “It was very challenging and technical. The terrain was tricky. I kept my mind more on the conservative side with a lot of caution. I didn’t rely too much on the dangers in the road book. It’s really tricky terrain here. It was very challenging in a good way.” Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Saood Variawa and François Cazalet were fourth in another Hilux. Variawa said: “To be honest, it is my first time in this country and my first time racing here with the terrain. Some places were really tricky and dangerous for me, especially opening the road. We passed all the bikes and there was literally no bike line. I had to get the nerves of opening the road out of the way. We lost some time in the dust and then Nasser caught and passed us and then we passed him 13km from the finish. Good points for the championship but we have to push tomorrow.” Yasir Seaidan was given road-opening duties but the Saudi maintained control of the Challenger category after Hamed Al-Wahaibi’s 10-minute time penalty on Thursday. Seaidan is fifth in his Taurus Evo Max. Seaidan said: “It was very difficult. We opened and the first part was crazy hard navigation in mountains and rocks. It was like Dakar. I thought Jordan Baja would be easy. After 70km, Saood overtook us and the terrain was better and open. After 150km, Nasser also overtook us and the navigation became much easier. We pushed more and we finished without any problems.” Czech privateer Miroslav Zapletal was sixth in a Ford F-150 Evo and Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari teamed up with Stéphane Duplé to hold seventh and second in the Challenger class in his Taurus T3 Max. Today, the second stage through Wadi Rum runs for 195.38km before the ceremonial finish formalities take place on the marina at the Ayla resort in Aqaba in the afternoon. Source link
Ryo Hisatsune of Japan made 158 feet of putts on his way to a 10-under-par 62 to take the first-round lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first signature event of 2026, on Thursday in Pebble Beach, California. Compared to the field, Hisatsune lost strokes both off the tee and on approach. But his short game allowed him to make 10 birdies without a bogey at Pebble Beach Golf Links and finish his round with three birdies in a row. He carries a one-shot lead into Friday over Sam Burns (63, Pebble Beach) and Keegan Bradley (63, Spyglass Hill). The field is playing one round apiece at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course before spending the weekend rounds at Pebble Beach. There is no 36-hole cut at the $20mn signature event. Hisatsune’s early highlights with the flatstick included a 28 1/2-foot birdie putt at No. 3 followed by a 39-foot birdie roll at No. 4. He chipped in from the greenside rough at No. 16 for the first of his closing trio of birdies. “I like these greens. I like a poa (annua) green, like much easier,” Hisatsune said. “Feeling like more comfortable to playing these greens. Yeah, feeling like yeah, that’s why I can feeling more comfortable. Very lucky.” Hisatsune, 23, qualified for the tournament via the Aon Swing 5 rankings, having earned enough FedEx Cup points in the first few weeks of the season to play his way in. Hisatsune tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open and tied for 10th at last week’s WM Phoenix Open. Bradley’s 11-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 seventh hole anchored his bogey- free round, the best of the day at Spyglass. “(At No. 6) I hit a 9-iron to about two, three feet, which is never easy out here, then made that,” Bradley said. “And then hit a 5-wood to about 15 feet, made that for eagle. And then made a long one from the fringe on 8 and off to the races.” Back at Pebble Beach, Burns shot a 7-under 29 on the back nine to surge up the leaderboard. He made 158 feet, 9 inches of putts on his round – beating Hisatsune’s mark by 9 inches. “It was nice, I made a significant amount of putts and feel like I was hitting it pretty nice,” Burns said. “It was a good combination for today.” Tony Finau and Patrick Rodgers shot 8-under 64s at Spyglass Hill and Chris Gotterup opened with the same score at Pebble Beach. Gotterup, who birdied his first six holes of the day, is the surprising early leader of the FedEx Cup race as he already has notched two victories this year, the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Phoenix Open. “I was kind of just coasting along,” Gotterup said. “You don’t really realize it in the moment and then when you look up, you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m 6 under through six, that’s nice.’” Akshay Bhatia, Andrew Novak and Tom Hoge (Pebble Beach) are tied at 7-under 65 along with Canada’s Nick Taylor (Spyglass Hill). Jordan Spieth shot a 66 at Spyglass Hill, featuring a hole-out eagle at the par-4 18th. In his first start in the US this year, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy posted a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill. The defending champion’s roller-coaster card featured one eagle and two double bogeys at the par-3 third and fifth holes. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler got off to a slow start, birdieing the final hole to salvage an even-par 72. He rallied from an opening- round 73 last week in Phoenix to finish in a tie for third, so Scheffler has something recent to draw from. “Around these places you never know what the weather’s going to turn out to be like,” he said. “I’ll need a little bit of help up there from the weather. If we get a few more days like this, it’s going to be pretty tough for me to be able to catch up.” Source link
Prices of flights and hotel bookings to Colombo, Sri Lanka, have soared as thousands of fans flock to the city to watch India play Pakistan on Sunday in cricket's Twenty20 World Cup. The neighbouring countries and cricket rivals are due to meet during the group stage of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after Pakistan reversed a decision to boycott the match earlier in the week.The game at Sri Lanka's largest stadium is sold out with roughly 35,000 tickets sold and ahead of the match most hotels in Colombo have doubled their prices – the cost of a room has climbed as high as $660 a night from a typical price tag of about $100-$150 per night, multiple booking sites showed.After the match was finalised this week, last-minute bookings led to fuller flights from major cities like Chennai and Delhi, according to three Colombo travel agencies.Flights from Chennai, which is about one and a half hours away, have more than tripled to around $623 – $756 while flights from Delhi are up more than 50% to roughly $666.Nalin Jayasundera, President of Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) said hotels were booked out. ‘Most fans are coming on all-inclusive packages that could be $1,500-$2000 or even higher depending on ticket, hotel, and flight prices,’ Jayasundera said.Tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka, famous for its ancient temples, pristine beaches, and lush tea plantations.It is hoped that hosting more sporting events could boost Sri Lanka's economic growth, which is recovering from a severe financial crisis and a recent cyclone, which killed 650 people.Buddhika Hewawasam, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, told Reuters that in the first 10 days of February, roughly 20% of the 100,000 visitors to Sri Lanka were there for the India-Pakistan cricket match.The island nation is hoping to position itself as a neutral venue for matches between political rivals.’This is clearly showing confidence in Sri Lanka as a neutral cricket venue. Whether it's India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, this is a welcome message to all South Asian countries that they can play cricket in Sri Lanka,’ he said.Lahore local Mian Sultan is looking forward to his trip to Sri Lanka to watch the game.’I think it’s going to be a great experience,” said Sultan, who spent $800 on a front-row seat to watch the game alongside a friend, who is flying in from New Zealand. ‘I’m really excited about this match.”Sultan added he thought Pakistan ‘absolutely” could come out on top on Sunday. Source link
Soccer Football – Premier League – Brentford v Arsenal – GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain – February 12, 2026 Arsenal’s Declan Rice looks dejected after the…
Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly produced a thrilling round with his 13-year-old mare Diriyah to win the CSI5* 160cm Grand Prix at the HH The Amir’s Sword Showjumping Championship at Al Shaqab, topping a world-class field in a dramatic jump-off.The blue-riband class, carrying a total prize money of €1.5mn, brought together 44 combinations in a demanding two-round contest, with 13 advancing to the jump-off where victory was decided against the clock.Alsharbatly, last to go in the jump-off, secured the prestigious Amir’s Sword aboard Diriyah after a flawless round in 36.29 seconds. Fellow Saudi rider Khaled Almobty had set the bar high with a clear effort in 37.45 seconds on Diana du Plevau Z, but Alsharbatly’s blemish-free round denied him victory. Belgium’s Pieter Devos completed the podium with Casual DV Z in 39.20 seconds.Germany’s Christian Ahlmann finished fourth on Untouched LB in 39.24 seconds without penalties, while Anastasia Nielsen rounded out the top five aboard Esi Rocky with a clear round in 42.59 seconds.The Grand Prix showcased elite horses and riders, with nine other combinations producing clear rounds over the first two phases. Devos looked set for victory after another flawless effort on a horse he bred himself, but the final two Saudi riders delivered spectacular finishes.Almobty took every risk to surpass Devos’ time before Alsharbatly produced an electrifying round to finish more than a second faster and claim the €450,000 winner’s prize. Almobty earned €300,000, while Devos collected €225,000.Alsharbatly said he was delighted to finally secure the title after coming close in previous editions. “I really wanted to win this – I had been close a few times, so I am pleased to finally do it. Being quickest in the first round relaxed me a bit. In the jump-off I started quickly and that helped,” he said, adding that Qatar feels like a second home because of the warm welcome and strong support from the equestrian community. He also noted that careful planning will be key for the horses with several more weeks of competition remaining at Al Shaqab.Almobty reflected on another strong finish, saying: “I finished second last year too – hopefully I can be first next year.”In dressage action at the Indoor Arena, Qatari rider Jassim al-Kuwari claimed the HH The Amir’s Sword Dressage title aboard Jack Sparrow with a winning score of 74.242 points in the CDI1* Intermediate I Freestyle to Music. Qatari riders completed a podium sweep, with Wejdan Majed al-Malki finishing on Faisao with 73.125 points, while Maryam Ahmad al-Boinin placed third on Blue Horse Touch Of Olympic L with 66.200.Elsewhere, Saudi’s Abdulrahman Alrajhi delivered two flawless rounds aboard Lorenzo ES to secure victory in 44.44 seconds in a closely contested World Cup qualifier. Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano pushed hard with a clear effort on Nikolaj de Music but settled for second just fractions behind in 44.63 seconds, while Devos completed the podium with another double-clear ride on Jarina J in 45.83 seconds.In the CSI3-W 140cm Immediate Jump-Off, home rider Sultan Salem al-Naemi produced a sharp round with Energika des Neyes to claim top honours in 36.41 seconds. France’s Megane Moissonnier followed closely on Chacarija PS after a clear effort in 36.93 seconds, with compatriot Lara Tryba taking third aboard Chageorge after another faultless performance in 37.79 seconds.Egypt’s Seif Eldin Essam Abbas executed a fast and accurate two-phase round with Heathcliff Blue to win in 25.91 seconds in the CSI3-W 135cm class. American Kristen Vanderveen finished second aboard Bull Run’s Lioness after a smooth clear effort in 27.75 seconds, while Ismail Osama El Borai of Egypt secured third with Incredible Z in 28.42 seconds.The CSI1 Faults and Time 125cm class was topped by Egypt’s Seif Yasser Fekry, who produced a composed clear round on Mambria in 57.13 seconds. His compatriot Omar Mohamed Ahmed followed in second aboard Kamelia DS with another faultless effort in 59.06 seconds, while Saudi’s Bader Alfard completed the top three on Murdock after a steady clear round in 59.25 seconds.Saudi’s Khalid al-Hadi delivered the quickest clear jump-off with Hurry UP in 35.25 seconds to take the win in the CSI1 Immediate Jump-Off 115cm. Abdulla Ahmed al-Khulaifi of Qatar finished a close second on Quenta van de Corsendonksehoeve in 35.42 seconds, while Saudi’s Halah Alrasheed secured third aboard Energy after a clear round in 37.58 seconds.In the CSIY-B Special Two-Phase 125cm, Bahrain’s Sultan Abdulaziz Mayoof Alromaihi produced a confident performance with Estoril Un Prince to claim victory in 30.10 seconds. Home rider Sultan Salem al-Naemi followed in second aboard Gannan de La Luce with a clear effort in 31.99 seconds, while Mohammed Yousef Al Jaber finished third on Christa 27 in 32.23 seconds.Bahrain’s Seeman Ebrahim Aljahrami secured the CSIJ-B Special Two-Phase 115cm win with a swift and accurate round on Enjoy de La Proz in 28.75 seconds. Home rider Mohammed Eisa al-Bukhari finished second aboard Lisa Perina F in 29.00 seconds, while Qatar’s Ahmad Ali al-Jaber completed the podium with Riane TB after a clear effort in 29.74 seconds.On the final day today, the programme features the three-star Grand Prix at 150cm qualifying for the World Cup, the one-star Grand Prix at 130cm, additional five-star and one-star competitions, junior and youth classes qualifying for the FEI Group VII Final, two three-star classes between 140cm and 145cm qualifying for the World Cup, and a local class at 100cm. Source link
Rennes’ French forward #09 Esteban Lepaul (C) and Paris Saint-Germain’s Portuguese midfielder #87 Joao Neves fight for the ball during the French L1 football match between…
Doha Bu Thaila and Al Faisal were declared joint winners of the Al Rayyan Breeders Cup on the third day of the HH The Amir Sword Festival at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s Al Rayyan Racecourse turf yesterday.Representing Wathnan Racing and Al Emadi Racing respectively, the two contenders could not be separated in the feature event, the eighth race on the card, as a thrilling finish culminated in a dramatic dead heat. A photo finish confirmed that both horses crossed the line simultaneously, bringing the curtain down on one of the most gripping contests of the day.In the early stages of the contest, Al Faisal briefly took up the running before being eased back into midfield as the tempo settled while Doha Bu Thaila tracked the leaders throughout, always travelling strongly within striking distance. The field remained closely grouped through the middle section as positions tightened approaching the home turn. Entering the home straight, Doha Bu Thaila pressed forward sharply and struck the front, looking the likely winner as she edged clear.However, Al Faisal unleashed a powerful late surge from behind, rapidly closing the gap in the final strides and lunging at the line to join her exactly on the post, producing a dramatic dead heat. Equinoxe, representing Wathnan Racing and trained by Alban de Mieulle as well, stayed on under James Doyle to take second, finishing 1¾ lengths ahead of Rayyan Bu Thaila. The latter, owned by Injaaz Stud and prepared by Jihad El Ahmad, kept on under Christophe Soumillon to secure third.Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, Chairman of Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, awarded the winners.In the penultimate race of the day, Zah’ran Al Shahania was awarded the seventh race on the card, the Al Zubara Cup for Local Purebred Arabians aged four and upwards over 2000m, Class 1, contested by six runners, after the Stewards upheld an objection for interference against Aneed Al Shahania, who had passed the post first. The five-year-old dark bay gelding, carrying the colours of North Racing and trained by Hamad al-Jehani, preserved his unbeaten record with a fourth win from as many starts, closing strongly from off the pace to be promoted to victory by the revised margin under Pierre-Charles Boudot, who completed a treble on the day, while his trainer registered a fourth success on the card.Aneed Al Shahania broke sharply and dictated throughout, setting a controlled tempo and appearing on course for a pillar-to-post success, in a bid to defend his title as last year’s winner, as the field turned for home. Zah’ran Al Shahania, settled fourth in the small field, tracked the leader’s every move and began to close steadily in the straight, reducing the deficit with each stride as the line approached. At the finish, Aneed Al Shahania was first past the post after making all, with Zah’ran Al Shahania closing rapidly in the final strides. However, following an objection and subsequent inquiry, the Stewards reversed the placings, awarding the race to Zah’ran Al Shahania. Aneed Al Shahania, owned by HE Sheikha Reem bint Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani and trained by Rudy Nerbonne, set the pace throughout and, after the amendment, was placed second under Lukas Delozier. Razy, representing Wathnan Racing and prepared by Alban de Mieulle, took third under Soufiane Saadi.Rasasi, in the colours of Al Rahmani Racing and trained by Ahmed al-Mehairbi, won the Purebred Arabian Sprint Cup. The Listed PA contest over 1200m gave the five-year-old grey horse his third win from five career starts and a double on the card to jockey Christophe Soumillon. Positioned close up throughout and travelling sweetly in second, he quickened to lead in the home straight and stretched clear to score comfortably by three lengths. Bakhromjon Gaziev, President of the Uzbekistan Equestrian Federation, presented the Purebred Arabian Sprint Cup.HE Sheikha Yasmeen bint Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani-owned Fatack Al Shahania won the Gulf Cup for the four-year-old+ Purebred Arabians bred in the GCC. Five-year-old grey horse, who confirmed himself a rising local star, recording a third win from six career starts and maintaining his record of never finishing outside the first two. Held up at the rear early, he quickened sharply in the home straight, sweeping past the long-time leading group in the concluding stages of the 1600m race to prevail by a ¼ length under jockey Lukas Delozier.RESULTSThe Amir Sword Festival – Day 3WINNERS: (Horse, Trainer, Jockey)Al Rayyan Breeders Cup1. Local Thoroughbred, 4yo+, 2000mDead HeatAl Faisal, Khalifa Hamed Nasser al-Sawai, Maxime GuyonDoha Bu Thaila, Alban de Mieulle, Soufiane Saadi2. Al Zubara Cup, Local Purebred Arabians, 4yo+, 2000mZah’ran Al Shahania, Hamad al-Jehani, Pierre Charles Boudot3. Purebred Arabian Sprint Cup, Listed, 4yo+, 1200mRasasi, Ahmed al-Mehairbi, Christophe Soumillon4. Gulf Cup, Purebred Arabians bred in GCC, 4yo+, 1600mFatack Al Shahania, Rudy Nerbonne, Lukas Delozier5. Thoroughbred Filly & Mare Oryx Cup, 3yo+, 1750mWarming, Hamad al-Jehani, Christophe Soumillon6. Purebred Arabian Filly & Mare Seada Cup, 4yo+, 1750mGhara, Hamad al-Jehani, Pierre Charles Boudot7. Purebred Arabian 4yo Cup, 1750mKhaddah, Alban de Mieulle, James Doyle8. Thoroughbred Sprint Cup (80-100), 4yo+, 1200mThunder Flow, Hamad al-Jehani, Pierre Charles Boudot Source link
Al Shamal booked their place in the Amir Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Qatar SC at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium yesterday.The breakthrough came early, as Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah fired Al Shamal ahead in the 12th minute. Qatar SC responded swiftly, drawing level in the 21st minute through Brazilian forward Yan Matheus. With the contest finely balanced, Al Shamal regained the advantage in first-half stoppage time when a defensive mishap saw Ali Saoudi turn the ball into his own net in the 45+2 minute, sealing what proved to be the decisive goal. Al Shamal will now await the winner of the clash between Al Sadd SC and Al Markhiya SC, who meet today for a place in the last four.In the second match of the day, Al Arabi defeated Al Shahania 2-0 at the at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium to enter the last eight stage of the tournament. Source link
Rennes’ French forward #09 Esteban Lepaul (C) and Paris Saint-Germain’s Portuguese midfielder #87 Joao Neves fight for the ball during the French L1 football match between…