Iga Swiatek's 37-match winning run falls at Wimbledon


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Iga Swiatek crashed out of Wimbledon in straight sets on Saturday, ending the world No 1's 37-match winning streak.

French veteran Alize Cornet, ranked 37, took advantage of an error-strewn performance from her Polish opponent to win 6-4, 6-2 on Court 1 in the shock of the third round.

"I have no words right now," said Cornet afterwards.

"I am a huge fan of Iga, she's so talented and an amazing player and nice ambassador of women's tennis so I'm very flattered I beat her today.

"This kind of match is what I live for, what I'm practicing for, it drives me and I knew I could do it. I had this belief even with her wins, I thought there is a moment you can beat her it's now on grass so I was just believing very hard and I have the best team by my side and the best crowd.

"I guess I like the upsets, it's a really nice feeling right now and I need to process because I still feel like I'm playing I'm not completely realising what I've done.

"It's unreal - I'm playing one of the best seasons of my career I feel great on the court, I'm having so much fun I feel good physically, eight years after my first qualification into the second week I can say I'm still there I'm still so motivated and I still have the fire in me and I hope you guys enjoyed the match."

The top seed was on the back foot right from the start of the match, broken in her first two service games, and could not get back on level terms.

The 20-year-old broke at her first opportunity in the second set but Cornet broke back immediately, repeating the feat twice more as Swiatek's game fell apart.

Coco Gauff on her way to defeat against Amanda Anisimova. AFP
Coco Gauff on her way to defeat against Amanda Anisimova. AFP

Swiatek made a total of 33 unforced errors in an uncharacteristically sloppy display.

She had not lost a match since her defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in February at Dubai, winning her past six tournaments, including the French Open.

In reaching the fourth round, Cornet matches her run at Wimbledon in 2014, when she beat Serena Williams in the third round.

Elsewhere, Coco Gauff's challenge came unstuck in the third round when she was beaten by familiar foe Amanda Anisimova 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 in an all-American showdown.

"It's my first time playing on Centre Court and it's the most special day of my career," said a beaming Anisimova, who celebrated her triumph by collapsing on to her back.

"Before the match I was just trying to prepare myself to soak in this moment whether I win or lose but winning today is just so special and I am very grateful for this experience."

The studios taking part (so far)
  1. Punch
  2. Vogue Fitness 
  3. Sweat
  4. Bodytree Studio
  5. The Hot House
  6. The Room
  7. Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
  8. Cryo
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Three and a half stars

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Updated: July 02, 2022, 5:23 PM