'Without Her, I Wouldn't Have Been Able To...': Yamal's Touching Homage To Grandmother At Contract Extension
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Can new coach deliver fourth straight MTN8 title for Orlando Pirates?
Orlando Pirates won a third consecutive MTN8 championship last season. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix What is it that could motivate a team that has won a competition an unprecedented three times in a row to want to win it again? Could the lure of extending the record further drive Orlando Pirates to going all the way in this season's MTN8? The Buccaneers have made the season-opening competition their own ever since Spaniard Jose Riveiro took charge – winning the tournament contested by teams that finished in the top eight from the preceding season every year from 2022 to 2024. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Riveiro has since left Pirates to join continental giants Al Ahly of Egypt and the big question is which coach is going to replace him as the king of the MTN8. The Ghost surely need the trophy to remain their property and will be backing new man Abdeslam Ouaddou to lead their clubs to glory. The short road to what would be a record-extending fourth successive title begins this coming weekend with a tricky home clash against Polokwane City. On paper, Pirates have to be the favourites to progress into the semi-final but the beautiful game is played on grass and few clubs would know better than the black and white clad outfit how tricky things can be on the pitch. This, after all, is a team that slipped on the banana skin that was another team from Limpopo in the form of Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout at the same Orlando Stadium last year. They are sure to tell you that their shock defeat is water under the bridge and that City and Magesi are not the same. In any case, Pirates have mastered the art of winning the MTN8, haven't they? And there's just no way they'd relinquish their reign this year, at least not as early as the first round. They've made some serious new signings to show just how serious they are about returning to the top of the local game – a position Sundowns has held for the past eight seasons. One of those is a former Polokwane City superstar in the form of Oswin Appollis. The Bafana Bafana winger was the Bucs' marquee signing of the transfer window period and is expected to play an influential role as Pirates look to stop Sundowns winning the league title a ninth time. Ouaddou has a very strong squad that should prove too strong for Phuti Mohafe's team although he would do well not to underestimate the Limpopo outfit that gave Sundowns a run for their money at this stage last year. Sundowns, meanwhile, will be out for redemption following a disappointing showing last campaign when they got knocked out by Stellenbosch FC in the semi-final. The Brazilians generally struggle in the MTN8 and it remains to be seen how they will fare this time around. They open their campaign against Richards Bay. Last year's beaten finalists Stellies are probably still hurting from that controversial loss against Pirates in which the Buccaneers forged ahead courtesy of a goal scored after they took a free kick way ahead of where the incident that earned them the set play had occurred. While Stellies coach Steve Barker is unlikely to forgive the match officials for that 'robbery' he is professional enough to know not to dwell in the past and you can bet he would have his teams ready for the visit of AmaZulu on Sunday. Sekhukhune United will host TS Galaxy on Saturday in a clash that can go either way.
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
First WTA 500 win for Fernandez as de Minaur hangs on
First WTA 500 win for Fernandez as de Minaur hangs on Leylah Fernandez holds up her DC Open trophy after cruising to victory against Anna Kalinskaya. Photo: Reuters Canada's Leylah Fernandez produced a dominant performance to defeat Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets and win the WTA Tour's DC Open in Washington. The 22-year-old bagged the first WTA 500 victory of her career and her first title since 2023 to win 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour on Sunday. The win completed a fairytale week for Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist who had beaten top seed Jessica Pegula and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on her way to the fourth title of her career. Fernandez said she had grown in belief throughout her campaign. "In the beginning of the tournament [there] was still a lot of doubt, but as the tournament progressed, I was starting to play better," Fernandez said. "I have gone through so many different challenges this week. I think it has just made me stronger in a way, that if I can get through this week – through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat and humidity – I can get through anything." In the men's final, Australia's Alex De Minaur saved three match points on his way to a battling 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to clinch the ATP Tour DC Open crown. Seventh seed De Minaur looked to be heading for defeat against his 12th-seeded Spanish opponent after trailing 5-2 in the deciding set in Washington. But Davidovich Fokina – chasing the first ATP title of his career after losing in three previous final appearances – failed to capitalise on his hefty lead. The Spaniard appeared to tighten when serving for the match at 5-3 up to allow De Minaur to claw it back to 5-4. But Davidovich Fokina responded to that missed opportunity by then earning three match points on De Minaur's serve in the next game. Yet once again, the Spaniard was unable to take advantage and De Minaur survived to hold serve and level the match at 5-5. The next two games went on serve to set up the tie break and De Minaur was quickly in control, sealing victory on the first of three match points with an ace, to settle a 3hr 2mins slugfest. De Minaur said he had never doubted his ability to turn around the final. "I just kind of knew I could do it," De Minaur said. "I just backed myself to commit no matter what, and if I lost this match, it was going to be on my terms. (AFP)
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
De Minaur saves three match points against Davidovich Fokina to lift Washington Open title
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 U.S. 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. ALSO READ: Fernandez cruises past Kalinskaya to win Washington Open title Davidovich Fokina's frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur's serve, and the Australian then capitalised 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 U.S. 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 in 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.'
