
Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m
'I feel very happy and very proud,' Wirtz told the official Liverpool website
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Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Sabalenka Pulls off ‘Crazy Comeback' to Defeat Rybakina at Berlin Open
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a "crazy comeback," saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker but won six straight points to reach her eighth semifinal of the season. "Elena is a great player and we've had a lot of tough battles," Sabalenka said. "I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky. "I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points, and not so long ago I was thinking that it's been a while since I've made a crazy comeback, and here I am." Sabalenka next faces Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-1. Liudmila Samsonova also went through with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Amanda Anisimova. Samsonova will next meet Wang Xinyu after her opponent, Paula Badosa, was forced to withdraw due to a right hip injury after losing the first set 6-1.


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Mastantuono's Move to Real Madrid Was Premature, Says River Boss Gallardo
Franco Mastantuono's transfer to Real Madrid came too soon, while the 17-year-old was still developing and pivotal to River Plate's future, said coach Marcelo Gallardo ahead of the Argentine team's Club World Cup match against Monterrey. Gallardo acknowledged Mastantuono's departure will leave a void in his squad after the Spanish giants completed a deal worth around $45 million with River for the teenager earlier this month. For the Argentine manager, the midfielder still needed more time to grow at the club, but he acknowledged the early transfer as an understandable part of modern football. "It's natural, we train players for the world. Everything is happening earlier, young players are leaving faster, and I understand that those are the rules of the game," Gallardo told ESPN on Friday. "Our sporting project for the year was with him. We have to readjust, because there are players who, by their nature, are difficult to replace. "We knew that Mastantuono was going to leave at some point, but fans don't enjoy it that way. The market dictates the timing." Gallardo said he's urging Mastantuono to stay focused on the tournament despite the noise around his move. "All I want is for him to play naturally, to try to forget about everything that's going on, which is very difficult," he said. "I don't talk to him about where he's going to live or anything like that. I want him to play, which is what he knows how to do." River began their Club World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, a result Gallardo described as key to easing early nerves. "We are happy to be able to be in a competition like this, a new one," he said. "I'm excited about how it's going, it was essential to start with a win and get over the nerves. "Now we're preparing for the match in Monterrey, which is a different level of difficulty." Following Saturday's game against the Mexican team in Pasadena, River will face Champions League runners-up Inter Milan on Wednesday.


Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Alcaraz extends winning streak, Draper into semifinals at Queen's
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz was relieved to overcome the challenge of Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets to reach the semifinals at Queen's Club and extend his career-best winning streak to 16 matches on Friday. In his first tournament since winning the French Open in remarkable fashion against Jannik Sinner, the world No. 2 had been forced to come through a grueling three-set battle against Jaume Munar in Thursday's second round. But Alcaraz was ruthless with his opportunities against world No. 80 Rinderknech as the Spaniard took his only two break point chances for a 7-5, 6-4 win inside 90 minutes on court. 'I thought I was going to feel much worse, but we are tennis players, we have to do whatever we have to do to feel good,' said Alcaraz after his three-and-a-half-hour battle against Munar. 'I'm glad that today was one hour and 20 minutes, a bit more like grass.' Alcaraz, who won the Wimbledon warm-up event in 2023, will face Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut in Saturday's semifinals after he beat fourth seed Holger Rune 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2. 'I'm feeling great, and I'm just happy to play at such a good level today. It was a big challenge today, but I'm happy with the way I played and felt today,' added Alcaraz. Jack Draper, who ended Alcaraz's defense at Queen's last year, reached the semifinals for the first time and secured a top-four seed at Wimbledon with a tense 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over American Brandon Nakashima. The 23-year-old had twice lost in the last eight at Queen's, but now he is just two wins away from joining Andy Murray as only the second British champion at the tournament in the Open area. Draper will move above Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in the world rankings next week to a career-high of four. That means at Wimbledon, which starts on June 30, Draper will avoid defending champion Alcaraz and world No. 1 Sinner until the semifinals. 'Last year I went there ranked 40th and now I'm fourth. To get to that position is an incredible feeling,' Draper said. 'It is testament to the work me and my team have done and I'm proud of that.' Draper will face Jiri Lehecka in the last four on Saturday after the Czech world No. 30 beat beat British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley 7-5, 6-2.