LONDON: Al-Nassr’s surprise King’s Cup defeat at the hands of Al-Batin cost their players a bonus of at least SR25,000 ($6,668).
The Riyadh-based club had been promised by board member Saud bin Mohammed bin Fahad Al-Swailem that they would receive the bonus if they had reached the semifinal of the competition, SR50,000 if they reached the final, and SR100,000 if they won the cup for the seventh time — and the first since 1990.
But Ricardo Gomes’ side were knocked out 1-0 at home by Al-Batin on Wednesday night, ending their dreams of cup glory for another season. The team will struggle to explain the loss since they enjoyed 65 percent possession, forced 11 corners to Al-Batin’s one and had nine shots on target to the visitors’ single effort.
The only goal of the game came after 18 minutes from Al-Batin’s Brazilian striker Jhonnattann. It was the second time they had beaten Al-Nassr in a week after running out 3-0 winners in the Saudi Pro League. The back-to-back defeats will have shocked Al-Nassr, who are fourth in the table while Al-Batin are 11th.
Al-Batin will now have their eye on an unlikely King’s Cup triumph after holders Al-Hilal were knocked out in the last round. In the remaining quarterfinal ties, Al-Ittihad will play Al-Shabab, Al-Feiha will host Al-Ahli, and Al-Quadisiya will meet Al-Faisaly.
Al-Nassr players miss out on big bonus after shock King's Cup defeat
Al-Nassr players miss out on big bonus after shock King's Cup defeat
Siniakova ends Andreeva Indian Wells defense in third round
- Siniakova, a former doubles number one, will face either Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina or American Ashlyn Krueger for a place in the quarter-finals
INDIAN WELLS, United States: Unseeded Katerina Siniakova ended a frustrated Mirra Andreeva’s Indian Wells title defense on Monday, rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the eighth-ranked Russian.
The 18-year-old Andreeva had opened her repeat bid with an imperious 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Solana Sierra.
But she was in trouble early and often against 44th-ranked Siniakova in a rollercoaster contest that featured seven service breaks for each player and 43 break chances between them.
When she sailed a swinging volley long to surrender the second set, Andreeva threw her racquet in disgust.
She regrouped to break Siniakova for a 3-2 lead in the third, but Siniakova won the next four games.
The Czech saved a pair of break points in the final game before sealing the match with a shot that struck the net cord and dribbled over as Andreeva could only watch, disappointment sparking another outburst from the Russian as she departed the court.
Siniakova, a former doubles number one, will face either Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina or American Ashlyn Krueger for a place in the quarter-finals.
In other early matches, fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula shook off a slow start to beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Pegula, coming off her fourth career WTA 1000 title at Dubai last month, fired 11 aces with just one double fault as she rallied for the win.
“I think today I had to kind of snap myself back and kind of lock in to not let that get away from me,” said Pegula, who said she was in danger of letting negativity and frustration get the better of her.
“I didn’t think I was playing bad. It was just letting a couple chances, couple breaks here and there (get away), maybe a couple shots that I could have been more aggressive on.”
Later on Stadium Court, world number two Iga Swiatek took on Greece’s Maria Sakkari — the woman she beat in the Indian Wells finals in 2022 and 2024.
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who lifted the Indian wells Trophy in 2023, played Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final match of the night.
