Sports

BARCELONA: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz continued his exceptional run in the quarter-final of the ongoing Barcelona Open as the young Tennis star outshined top-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final four of the tournament. Alcaraz, who reached his fourth semi-final of the season after an exceptional victory over Tsistipas, will now storm into the top 10 of the ATP Tour …

SAN SEBASTIAN: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s early goal proved enough as Barcelona sealed a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday to tighten their grip on a top-four finish in La Liga. But Barca’s run-in could be hampered after their defence was almost completely wiped out by injuries at Anoeta, with Dani Alves, Ronald Araujo and Gerard Pique all going off with problems while …

SHEFFIELD: The Scottish cueist Stephen Maguire pulled off an exceptional victory as he stunned better-ranked Chinese snooker player Zhao Xintong 13-9 to proceed into the last eight of the ongoing World Snooker Championship, here on Saturday. In the second-round fixture, Maguire, ranked 31st blunted sixth-ranked Xintong by the scores of 13-9 in the Best of 25 to become the second …

MANCHESTER: Manchester City regained their one-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion while Arsenal revived their push for the top four with a 4-2 upset of London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Liverpool had stormed to the top of the table by tearing Manchester United to shreds …

MANCHESTER: Erik ten Hag will leave Ajax to become Manchester United manager next season, the English giants confirmed on Thursday. The 52-year-old, who has signed a three-year contract, faces a huge task to revive the Red Devils fortunes after a fifth consecutive trophyless season. The deal is subject to work visa requirements. The Dutchman, who previously worked with the reserve …

LONDON: Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was on Wednesday named the Leading T20 Cricketer in the World by the Wisden Almanack. The 29-year-old had a prolific run in 2021, becoming the first-ever cricketer in the history of T20 cricket to amass over 2,000 runs in a calendar year. In 45 innings, the right-hander amassed 2,036 runs at a fine average of …

KARACHI: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir has replaced his countryman Naseem Shah in the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the ongoing County Championship 2022. Naseem, who was ruled out of the championship for a month after sustaining a shoulder injury, has been replaced by left-arm pacer Amir. The Gloucestershire signed the experienced left-arm speedster Amir for a three-match stint. The …

MANCHESTER: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Hasan Ali, who is representing Lancashire in the ongoing County Championship 2022, took six wickets in his side’s fixture against Gloucestershire, here on Thursday. After bagging five wickets in his debut county cricket match, Hasan regained his rhythm and form and claimed a six-wicket haul in the first innings against Gloucestershire. The right-handed pacer bowled 17 …

EMILIA ROMAGNA: The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is poised to host its first-ever Sprint weekend in 2022, now in its third year since returning to the calendar in 2020. Before the race rolls into action, here are the schedule, as well as the favourites for pole, and points. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will embark with the first practice, which …

LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hosted their first-ever Iftar event, here on Thursday. The Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground was echoed by the Azan. Following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal at Yorkshire Cricket Club, the ECB has been working hard to develop a healthy culture that is tolerant of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Rafiq was also …