DUBAI // Camille Serme, the top seed in the women’s section, will keep the French flag flying at the Dubai World Series Finals after the shock early exit of men’s defending champion Gregory Gaultier.
Serme defeated Egyptian world No 2 Raneem El Welily, last year’s runner up, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10 in her final group match on Thursday to book her place in the last four with an all-win record.
Winner of two World Series events this season – the US Open and Tournament of Champions – the world No 3 had started her campaign with a battling 2-1 win over Alison Waters in her opening match before edging a tense thriller against Nouran Gohar on Wednesday, saving four match balls.
Serme had to save two match ball against Welily as well and was delighted to get through.
“I can hardly believe I have made it,” she said. “I saved two match balls again and it was just a lucky shot at the end. I think you can count only on one hand how many times I have beaten her, so I’ll take this one.
“Really it could have gone either way. It was so close. I just tried to fight as much as I could and try to retrieve every ball.”
Serme, however, was disappointed her compatriot and world No 1 Gaultier will not be joining her in the last four of a tournament he has won three times.
Gaultier will be making a group-stage exit for the first time in his career after losing 11-9, 11-4 to Englishman James Willstrop.
He was on a 27-match unbeaten streak coming to Dubai, having won six tournaments in a row, but was stunned in straight games by Egyptian Ali Farag in his opening match on Tuesday night. A second consecutive defeat means he has no chance of progressing to the last four even if he wins his final group match against Mohamed El Shorbagy, who has already qualified for the semis.
“It is a shame because we never really won at the same time the whole season,” a disappointed Serme said. “But yeah, he has been on an amazing run these last six months, so he must be feeling tired now.
“I hope he can perform well in his final match just to finish on a good note, and I will do my best for the French flag tomorrow.”
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RESULTS
Men’s Group A
7-Simon Rosner (GER) bt 5-Nick Matthew (ENG) 13-11, 11-8
1-Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt 4-Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 11-7, 12-10
Men’s Group B
6-James Willstrop (ENG) bt 2-Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 2-0: 11-9, 11-4
3-Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt 8-Ali Farag (EGY) 2-1: 8-11, 11-8, 12-10
Women’s Group A
5-Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt 8-Alison Waters (ENG) 11-7, 14-12
1-Camille Serme (FRA) bt 4-Raneem El Welily (EGY) 11-7, 7-11, 12-10
Women’s Group B
2-Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt 6-Nicol David (MAS) 2-0: 11-6, 11-9
3-Laura Massaro (ENG) bt 7-Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 2-0: 11-6, 14-12
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Joining Serme in the last four from the women’s Group A is Gohar, who bounced back from the disappointment of Wednesday’s loss to the top seed to down Waters 11-7, 14-12.
“It was a really crucial match today, so it was really important for me to be relaxed, stay calm,” Gohar, 19, said. “It’s like a dream for me to make it to the semis of Dubai.
“I am really happy to give myself the chance of playing one more match on this beautiful court.”
Laura Massaro, the women’s defending champion, has also booked her place in the semi-final following a 11-6, 14-12 win over Sarah-Jane Perry.
The Englishwoman had defeated Malaysia’s Nicol David in her opening match.
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RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERick%20Famuyiwa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPedro%20Pascal%20and%20Katee%20Sackhoff%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Results
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m
Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
All Black 39-12 British & Irish Lions
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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