Ons Jabeur kept alive her hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title with a straight-sets victory over Canada's Leylah Fernandez in Round 3 of the French Open on Friday.
The Tunisian had survived a scare in the previous round during her rollercoaster win over Camila Osorio but secured victory against the 31st seed in more straightforward fashion coming out on top 6-4, 7-6.
Jabeur has come within touching distance of major glory in the past, reaching the last two Wimbledon finals and the 2022 US Open title clash, but the 29-year-old has not been able to cross the finish line and make history by becoming the first Arab and African woman to win a Slam.
Fernandez, who lost to Emma Raducanu in the 2021 final at Flushing Meadows, provided a stern test for as the pair exchanged breaks midway through the opening set before Jabeur took control of the contest on serve.
Jabeur found herself trailing 3-1 in the second set but took the next two games to go level, before saving a set point in a five-deuce game and eventually sealed victory with an ice-cool show in the tie break.
“Everybody knows Leylah, she plays very well. She's a very aggressive player,” said Jabeur, who will now face unseeded Dane Clara Tauson. “I knew that I had to finish the match before the third set and I won some points at the right moments. It was a bit tough on serve but I'm very happy to win.”
Defending champion Iga Swiatek celebrated her 23rd birthday by brushing aside unseeded Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier to set up a fourth-round match against Russia's Anastasia Potapova.
Like Jabeur, Switatek had been involved in a testing battle in the previous round after having to come back from 5-2 down in the third set and save a match point on way to beating Naomi Osaka.
World No 3 Coco Gauff reached the fourth round for a fourth successive year following a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska earlier on the showpiece court and stayed on course for a last-four clash with world No 1 Swiatek.
The US Open champion – who reached the Paris final in 2022 – pressured her opponent into committing 38 unforced errors on Court Philippe Chatrier, and converted five of her 11 break points. The American will next face Italy's world No 51 Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
In the men's draw, Italy's Matteo Arnaldi produced a sensational performance to knock out an increasingly frustrated Andrey Rublev in straight-sets on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Eighth seed Rublev, who won the Madrid Open title last month, missed a set point in the opening tie-break before becoming increasingly agitated. He repeatedly threw his racquet to the ground, ranted and raged at himself as the match began to slip away, thumping his racket into his legs and kicking his courtside bench.
The Russian never regained his composure as Arnaldi sealed a 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 win and a fourth-round clash against either Greek ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Zhang Zhizhen of China.
“Completely disappointed with myself the way I behaved, the way I performed,” admitted Rublev, who made 37 unforced errors in an erratic display. “The problem is the head, that today basically I killed myself, and that's it.”
Arnaldi, who also reached the fourth round of last year's US Open, was rock-solid throughout and barely put a foot wrong as he posted one the biggest wins of his career. Rublev became he highest seed to fall so far in Paris.
“The first set was very important for me, because you know I'm not the favourite so going after a set like this down one set to love it's never easy,” Arnaldi said on court. “It's incredible … I played the best tennis in my life I would say.”
There were no such problems for Australian Open champion and Italian second seed Jannik Sinner beat Russia's Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier and will now will take on Sebastian Ofner or home favourite Corentin Moutet.
It maintained Sinner's perfect start at Roland Garros as he secured a third consecutive straight-sets victory meaning he is an impressive 31-2 for the season and stays on course to take over as World No 1.
The 22-year-old can guarantee taking over at the top of the rankings for the first time by reaching the final in Paris and even if he falls short, Sinner will still move into No 1 if Novak Djokovic does not reach the championship match. Reigning champion Djokovic takes on Italian 30th seed Lorenzo Musetti on Saturday.
The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJustine%20Triet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESandra%20Huller%2C%20Swann%20Arlaud%2C%20Milo%20Machado-Graner%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE-based players
Goodlands Riders: Jamshaid Butt, Ali Abid, JD Mahesh, Vibhor Shahi, Faizan Asif, Nadeem Rahim
Rose Hill Warriors: Faraz Sheikh, Ashok Kumar, Thabreez Ali, Janaka Chathuranga, Muzammil Afridi, Ameer Hamza
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
