Archive of posts tagged Riyadh

Reigning Champion Sinner and Alcaraz Lead Six Kings Slam Set for October

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By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Photo credit: Six Kings Slam

Tennis’ major kings return to Riyadh to chase a lucrative crown in October.

Reigning champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz and Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic lead the list of competitors for the 2025 Six Kings Slam.

The exhibition event, set for October 15-18th at the ABN Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, officially announced the six-player lineup today.

Sinner, who beat Alcaraz to collect a tennis-record $6 million champion’s check in Riyadh last fall, headlines the field that also includes American Taylor Fritz, Briton Jack Draper and Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

A year ago, Alcaraz defeated his tennis hero, Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-3 in one semifinal and Sinner stopped Djokovic 6-2, 6-7(0), 6-4 in the top-half semifinal.

In the exhibition event’s final, Sinner beat Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 to capture the most lucrative payday in tennis history.

The LIV confirms its return to Virginia in 2026

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Adelaide

The 2026 LIV schedule continues to take shape. This Wednesday, the Saudi Super League announced that Virginia (USA) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) will once again be among its stops next season. The former will take place from May 8-10, and the latter will once again serve as the opening venue, from February 5-7.

Liv Golf, calendar

The new development is that this time the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club will not be the venue for the LIV Virginia, which will also have a new sponsor in Maaden, the Saudi state mining company. Instead, a property owned by Donald Trump, with whom the organization has maintained good relations since its inception, was chosen not far from there: Trump National in Washington, D.C.

“I'm excited to welcome the LIV. The last time it was here, we broke attendance records, and next year it will be even bigger. I'm looking forward to once again showing the world one of the most iconic courses in existence and welcoming the best golfers in the world,” said Eric Trump, Donald's third son and one of the heads of the family's businesses.

Virginia and Riyadh are the sixth and seventh stops, respectively, confirmed for the LIV's upcoming schedule. The LIV will also travel to Adelaide (February 13-15), South Africa for the first time (March 20-22), Mexico City (April 17-19), the United Kingdom (July 24-26), and Singapore (March 13-15).

The Rules of Golf are a set of standards and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and administered by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the governing body of golf worldwide, except in the United States and Mexico, which are governed by the United States Golf Association. An expert committee composed of members of the R&A and the USGA oversees and refines the rules every four years. The latest revision took effect on January 1, 2016. Amendments to the Rules of Golf are generally divided into two main categories: those that improve understanding and those that reduce penalties in certain cases to ensure balance. The rulebook, entitled "Rules of Golf," is published regularly and also includes rules governing amateur status. In Italy, the Italian Golf Federation is responsible for overseeing competitions by enforcing the rules issued by the R&A, ensuring that these rules are observed by clubs, associations, and their members, and managing the resulting sporting justice, protecting their interests abroad.

Kyrgios Talks Potential New Career

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By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 1, 2025
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport

Nick Kyrgios’ next career could see him pushing buttons.

In an interview at the Esports World Cup 2025, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week, Kyrgios confessed his first sports love was not tennis.

Instead, he favored gaming and basketball.

Australian Open

“My passion was basketball and gaming,” said Kyrgios, sporting a black Call of Duty t-shirt during his interview. “To be thrown into a sport where tennis is very clean cut. You know, I’m very rough around the edges and I didn’t really fit the mold for a tennis player. And I really struggled with that early in my career.”

The devoted Boston Celtics fans said he’s spent hours playing Fortnite and Call of Duty. Kyrgios said his gaming compulsion often came at the expense of tennis training and tournament play on the ATP Tour.

The former Australian Open doubles champion said he’s dream of being a professional gamer.

“I would love to be [an esports] player,” Kyrgios said. “I’ve been criticized in my career for not putting enough time on the court. And I’ve missed tournaments and training because I’ve just been gaming purely because I love it and I don’t care.

“The thing about it is like esports continue to grow. You know, it’s always going to evolve, technology’s going to get better, a new game’s going to come out.” 

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist shared he dropped “F-Bombs” in front of the Royal Box during his four-set loss to Novak Djokovic, but vowed he’s not going to change his style to fit traditional tennis norms.

“And now it seems I’m a bit more embraced. And I’m glad I’m able to put on a show,” Kyrgios said. “You know, when I played in front of the Royal Box at Wimbledon, I was throwing F-Bombs…

“But look, it’s been a struggle to kind of fit in. But you know now I kind of embrace it. I’m not going to change for anyone and it took me all the way here, so it paid off.” 

Recovering from Surgery, Zheng Qinwen Out of US Open

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Olympic gold-medal champion officially withdraws from US Open.arthroscopic surgery

By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, July 21, 2025
Photo credit: Zheng Qinwen Instagram

Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from the US Open.

The Olympic gold-medal champion is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow and will be sidelined as she heals from surgery.

Tennis Express

Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean moves into the US Open main draw with Zheng's departure.

Zheng reached the US Open quarterfinals last September losing to eventual-champion Aryna Sabalenka.

The Chinese power player's Flushing Meadows quarterfinal result was part of a strong surge to end the season that saw Zheng reach three finals in her last five tournaments of 2024 as she lost to Sabalenka in the Wuhan final, defeated Sofia Kenin to win the Tokyo title and reached the final of the WTA Finals in Riyadh bowing to Coco Gauff.

"Over the past months, I’ve been dealing with persistent pain in my right elbow during training and matches. Despite trying various treatments to manage it, the discomfort never fully went away," Zheng wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend. "After consulting with elbow specialists and discussing thoroughly with my team, we decided that arthroscopic surgery was the best option to fully resolve the issue.

"Yesterday, I underwent the procedure successfully, and I’m grateful to have it behind me."

It is uncertain when the former Australian Open finalist can return though Zheng said she envisions "just a short break."

"Now begins the recovery journey. Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll be focusing entirely on rehab—doing everything I can to come back stronger and healthier," Zheng said. "This is just a short break, and I see it as a necessary step toward a better version of myself on court."

The world No. 6 reached the quarterfinals or better in six of her last eight tournaments.

A Rome semifinalist, Zheng reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals and Queen's Club semifinals bowing to Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova before she suffered a first-round loss to Katerina Siniakova at Wimbledon.

WTA Post-RG Rankings: Boisson's Surge, Swiatek out of Top 5

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The biggest climbers in this week's post Roland-Garros rankings. Amanda Anisimova

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday June 10, 2025

The post-Roland-Garros WTA rankings are full of big moves, as the Race to Riyadh takes shape and we get a more accurate picture of who is in the best shape with the second major of the year now in the rearview.

Tennis Express

Scroll down to find out who made the biggest jump, and how the Race shapes up as of Monday’s new rankings.

Swiatek Drops to No.7

By not defending her title in Paris, Iga Swiatek drops a few spots and ends up out of the Top 5 for the first time since for the first time since February 2022. She’s still No.4 in the race so it isn’t all bad news for the five-time major champion.

Boisson’s Giant Leap

After thrilling her home country by reaching the semifinals in Paris in just her second WTA level event, Laurent Boisson enters the Top 100. She rises to No. 65, shattering her previous high of No. 152, after starting Roland-Garros at 361.


Zheng Top 5

Zheng Qinwen leapfrogs two spots to replace Swiatek in the Top 5. The Chinese star is back in the Top 5 for the first time since January, at her career-high.

Mboko Top 100, Anisimova Top 15

18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, who came through qualifying to reach the third round on her Grand Slam main draw debut, cracks the Top 100, jumping from No. 120 to No. 91.

American Amanda Anisimova—who made her Top 20 debut in February after winning the Doha title—powers into the Top 15 this week, rising one spot for a new career high after reaching the second week in Paris.

Other Notable Risers

No. 33 Ashley Kreuger, +2 (Career High)
No. 49 Jaqueline Cristian, +11 (Career High)
No. 50 Sonay Kartal, +6 (Career High)
No. 67 Yulia Starodubtseva +14 (Career High)
No. 78 Emiliana Arango +7 (Career High)
No.92 Leolia JeanJean +8 (Career High)
No.95 Robin Montgomery +20 (Career High)
No.98 Antonia Ruzic + 3 (Career High) No.100 Mananchay Sawangkaew +9 (Career High)