Qatar Sport

Doha: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has congratulated Al Gharafa SC following the club's victory in the 2026 Amir Cup final. Al Gharafa defeated Al Sadd SC 4-1 in the final held on Saturday evening at Khalifa International Stadium. In a post shared on his official X account, HH the Amir extended congratulations to Al Gharafa on winning the trophy and wished Al Sadd better luck.

Qatar Sport

Doha: Qatar, seeking a hat-trick of Asian Cup titles, will face four-time champions Japan, Thailand and Indonesia in Group F after the final draw for the continent’s premier tournament produced an intriguing set of fixtures. Qatar defeated Jordan 3-1 in February 2024 to retain the crown they first won in 2019. The draw ceremony took place at Salwa Palace in Riyadh yesterday. The tournament, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia for the first time, will kick off on January 7, 2027. Saudi Arabia, seeking to lift the coveted trophy for the fourth time, will face 1980 winners Kuwait, Oman and Palestine in Group A. The hosts will kick off the tournament with an enticing encounter against Palestine at the 72,000-seater King Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh. Group B will see Uzbekistan, Bahrain, DPR Korea and Jordan vying for the two automatic spots to the Round of 16. Standing in Islamic Republic of Iran’s way of a fourth title in Group C will be Syria, Kyrgyz Republic and China. Australia - champions in 2015, lead Group D, with Tajikistan, 2007 winners Iraq and Singapore their challengers. Aiming to deny twice-winners Korea Republic progression from Group E will be United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and either Lebanon or Yemen, who will meet in June to decide the final qualifier for the continental showpiece. Four-time winners Japan lead the Group F cast, with defending champions Qatar, Thailand and Indonesia also seeking to advance to the knockout stage. The top two sides from each group and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 16, which will be played between January 22 and 25. The quarter-finals are scheduled for January 28 and 29, with the semi-finals on February 1 and 2. The final will be played on February 5, 2027 at the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, where the champions of the 19th edition will be crowned. Draw Result Group A: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine Group B: Uzbekistan, Bahrain, DPR Korea, Jordan Group C: IR Iran, Syria, Kyrgyz Republic, China PR Group D: Australia, Tajikistan, Iraq, Singapore Group E: Korea Republic, UAE, Vietnam, Lebanon/Yemen Group F: Japan, Qatar, Thailand, Indonesia

Tennis

Rome: Aryna Sabalenka became the second star name dumped out of the Italian Open when she suffered a shock third-round exit on Saturday, as Jannik Sinner bids to continue his record-breaking Masters 1000 winning streak. World number one and pre-tournament favourite for overall victory, Sabalenka followed men's tennis icon Novak Djokovic in going out early from the Rome event following a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Sorana Cirstea. Sabalenka was visibly frustrated with her performance on centre court, muttering to herself with her shoulders slumped during an uncharacteristically sloppy display. The 28-year-old had not been knocked out of a tournament in the round of 32 since the Qatar Open in February last year, and she looked set for a quick and clean victory after racing to the first set. But she failed in her bid for a first tournament victory in the Italian capital, with Cirstea facing Linda Noskova in the next round after beating a woman at the top of the world rankings for the first time in her career. Sabalenka also had to have a time out for what appeared to be a problem with her left hip, casting doubt on her fitness ahead of Roland Garros later this month. Gauff through, Paolini out French Open champion Coco Gauff is still in the hunt after taking over two hours to beat Argentina's Solana Sierra 5-7, 6-0, 6-4. Gauff has struggled on clay this season, with a last-16 exit in the Madrid Open coming after a disappointing run to the quarter-finals in Stuttgart. Jasmine Paolini's defence of her Italian Open title came to an early end after the home favourite was knocked out by Elise Mertens, Local favourite Paolini lost 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to Mertens following an error-strewn performance. The 30-year-old is set to drop out of the top 10 of the women's world rankings after failing to reach the fourth round of a fourth consecutive tournament. Her fate turned on her failure to capitalise on three match points against the serve at 6-5 in the second set, after which she lost the first two points of the tie-break and never recovered. "I didn't make the most of my chances, I needed to keep a clearer head, keep my cool better in those moments," Paolini told reporters. "I'm very disappointed to lose but there were moments in which I felt good on the court and I was competitive and positive." Sinner mania Sinner will take to an expectant centre court later on Saturday as a hot favourite to extend his run of five consecutive Masters 1000 tournament victories. Austria's Sebastian Ofner stands in the way of Sinner winning a 24th straight match, with few expecting anything more than a rapid victory in straight sets. No Italian man has won at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago, and with Carlos Alcaraz out of action, Sinner is expected to go one better than last year when he lost the final to his great rival. Former winner Daniil Medvedev will begin his campaign in the third round after his match, which was scheduled to be the first on centre court, was shelved when his opponent Tomas Machac pulled out of the tournament with an unspecified illness. Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock second-round defeat at the hands of Argentina's Mariano Navone, the Canadian losing to his 44th-ranked opponent in straight sets 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).