RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will welcome some of the world’s top tennis players — including Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus — next month for the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Riyadh.
The championship will be the first professional women’s tennis tournament to take place in the Kingdom. It will run Nov. 2 to 9 at King Saudi University in Riyadh.
The top eight singles players and doubles pairs from the WTA will face off in the season-ending event, which will decide the 2024 champions. The tournament is the first of a three-year contract between the WTA and the Saudi Tennis Federation, with the Hologic WTA Tour’s flagship event making Riyadh its home through to 2026.
Saudi Tennis Federation president Arij Mutabagani said: “We’ve seen the passion that our young population has for the game, and our aim to inspire 1 million (people to take up) tennis by 2030 is progressing rapidly, as seen with the recent WTA community engagement programs that were rolled out across the city last week.
“With just 30 days to go until the world’s top female tennis stars compete here in Saudi Arabia for the first time, we’re excited to begin a new chapter for tennis in the Kingdo,” he added.
With WTA World Number 1 Swiatek, and 2024 US Open champion Sabalenka already confirmed for the season finale, the stage is set for a thrilling spectacle. Tickets are on sale via webook.com
The WTA Finals Riyadh is a key element of the STF’s plans to inspire participation in tennis across Saudi and is the latest international sports event to take place in the country. It is also part of the WTA’s aims to grow the game worldwide and inspire a new generation of girls to take to the court.
In recent weeks, WTA Finals tournament director Garbiñe Muguruza and community ambassador Judy Murray made the trip to Riyadh to kick off the WTA Community Engagement clinics supporting the STF’s efforts to inspire a new generation of Saudi tennis stars.
World’s best female tennis players heading to Riyadh next month
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World’s best female tennis players heading to Riyadh next month
- The first professional women’s tennis event to take place in the Kingdom runs Nov. 2 to 9
- ‘We’re excited to begin a new chapter for tennis in the Kingdom,’ said Saudi Tennis Federation president Arij Mutabagani
Samuel Eto’o suspended for 4 games by CAF, federation reaffirms its ‘unwavering support’
- FECAFOOT said it had taken note of the decision from the disciplinary committee of CAF
- CAF did not refer to any specific incidents at the Morocco-Cameroon match
YAOUNDÉ: Cameroonian Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o has been suspended for four games for alleged misbehavior during his team’s loss to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The federation, known as FECAFOOT, said Wednesday that it had taken note of the decision from the disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football to suspend its president along with a $20,000 fine, but that it “lacks any explicit justification.”
“FECAFOOT further notes that the expedited procedure leading to this decision raises serious concerns regarding the fundamental requirements of a fair trial,” the federation said.
CAF said Monday it was investigating match incidents during the quarterfinals between Cameroon and Morocco, and Algeria and Nigeria.
CAF did not refer to any specific incidents at the Morocco-Cameroon match, but the only widely known outlier was the behavior of Eto’o, who was seen gesturing angrily during the game toward Moroccan counterpart Fouzi Lekjaa with CAF president Patrice Motsepe also sitting nearby.
“FECAFOOT reaffirms its unwavering support for its president and its commitment to upholding the principles governing credible disciplinary justice,” the federation said.
