MIAMI: Four-time runner-up Maria Sharapova has advanced to another Key Biscayne final by beating Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-1 at the Sony Open.
With a victory Saturday, the No. 3-seeded Sharapova would plug one of the few holes in her resume. She completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open last year but has never won Key Biscayne.
Sharapova’s opponent in the final will be the winner of the other night’s match between five-time champion Serena Williams and defending champ Agnieszka Radwanska.
On a sunny, mild afternoon yesterday, Sharapova won the first 10 points against the No. 22-seeded Jankovic and hardly let up from there. Sharapova committed only 10 unforced errors from the baseline in 88 points while breaking serve six times.
Third-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer quieted his early nerves and battled back for a three-set victory over Austrian veteran Jurgen Melzer to reach the semifinals.
Ferrer defeated the unseeded Melzer 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 and will face either French 11th seed Gilles Simon or giant-killer Tommy Haas of Germany for a place in the title match.
Haas, 34 years old and seeded 15th, toppled world No. 1 and two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Tuesday to book his quarter-final berth.
Djokovic’s ouster left Ferrer as the highest seed remaining in the top half of the men’s draw.
Perhaps the Spaniard felt the pressure of that status in the first set against Melzer.
He grabbed a quick break for a 2-0 lead, but the Austrian left-hander reeled off the next five games to serve for the set at 5-2.
Ferrer gained another break, and held to extend the set, but Melzer fended off two break points in the 10th game to pocket the set.
“Well, I started good with 2-0 up, but he played very good and he played with great power with his shots,” Ferrer said. “And when he broke me, I played not so good.
“I was a little bit nervous in the first set and part of the second, but I tried to fight every point, to be focused, and I had a good feeling in the end of the second set and of course in the third one.” Ferrer broke Melzer for a 3-1 lead in the second, and although the Austrian immediately broke back Ferrer was able to regain the advantage with a break for 4-2.
By the third set, he was rolling, his cause aided by the 23 forehand errors Melzer scattered through his match.
Ferrer hadn’t made it to the final four at Miami since 2006, when he lost to Roger Federer in the semi-finals.
He was toppled in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters immediately prior to Miami, although until then he’d been enjoying a fine season that included titles at Auckland and Buenos Aires and a runner-up finish Acapulco.
Ferrer has won more matches this season — 24 — than any other player. He’s also due to jump back over compatriot Rafael Nadal for the world No. 4 ranking next week, but Ferrer said he didn’t mind working in relative anonymity.
“I’m very happy with me, with my career of tennis,” he said. “I don’t mind a lot (whether) I am a more important player or not. I like playing tennis and it’s my job.”
Maria Sharapova reaches Miami final for 5th time
Maria Sharapova reaches Miami final for 5th time
Al-Hilal’s woes continue as Blues drop points against Al-Taawoun
- Two penalties saw the game at Wolves Park end 1-1 between Al-Hilal and Al-Taawoun
- Simone Inzaghi’s side drop to third place, one point behind Al-Ahli in first and level with Al-Nassr, who play on Wednesday
DAMMAM: As we head into the final third of the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League campaign, it’s looking more likely that the deciding factor won’t be team finances, star signings or managerial strategies. Ultimately, it will all boil down to the referees.
With the delayed Matchday 10 now fully underway, Al-Hilal made the short trip to Qassim to face one of the season’s early dark horses, Al-Taawoun. Under Péricles Chamusca, who returned for his second stint at the club last summer, they’ve firmly positioned themselves as an upper mid-table side in the league.
After dropping points to 10-man Al-Ittihad last weekend, Al-Hilal returned to their position in the first half of the season: chasing Al-Nassr. While just one point behind their city rivals, Al-Hilal have a more difficult set of games in the upcoming period. Al-Nassr face Al-Najma on Wednesday, a side which have won just once in 22 games this season and sit dead last.
Al-Hilal weren’t helped by the fact that Karim Benzema was unavailable for this game. Out for a several matches, according to L'Équipe, with an adductor injury, Simone Inzaghi decided to use Marcos Leonardo.
Frozen out of team training after expressing his disdain at the club’s decision to not include him in the league squad as a regular player, the Brazilian’s return to the starting XI highlighted just how fragile the current squad rules are. On one day, you can be out of the club. A knock to an important player means you’re back in.
It was a game to forget for Marcos Leonardo, however. Besides seemingly being pulled down in the box by Mailson in first-half stoppage time, he barely threatened his countryman’s goal. The referee decided not to award a penalty.
Had he awarded that penalty, it would have been the third in nine minutes. In the 36th minute, Théo Hernández put his foot out to grab a ball in front of Mohammed Mahzari. The Frenchman was brought down in the process, leading to a VAR review.
Al-Hilal won the penalty, and Rúben Neves coolly converted to open the scoring. The video of the VAR decision quickly made the rounds on social media, with fans especially incensed after decisions that allegedly went in favour of Al-Ahli on Monday. Their opponents on the day, Damac, released an official statement citing their disdain at the refereeing decisions which they felt led to their defeat.
The penalty decisions wouldn’t stop at Hernández’s fall. Four minutes later, a Roger Martinez free-kick looked like it was on its way to goal, only for Sergej Milinković-Savić’s arm to block the ball’s trajectory. Another VAR review followed, with another penalty given. Martinez slotted it home to equalise before half-time.
Usually, Al-Hilal would deal with challenging opposition like Al-Taawoun by upping the tempo after the interval. This occasion was different. Al-Hilal looked out of sorts. They were positionally weak and lacked a decisive touch. They created chances, but this was not the Blues at their strongest.
Al-Taawoun deserve their fair share of praise. Chamusca’s traditional 5-4-1 saw greater freedom in the press, with a slower build-up preferred as opposed to previous outings. When pressed back, though, it quickly formed into a compact shape of at least nine players blocking key central areas.
Whereas in the game against Al-Okhdood — the evening where Benzema netted a debut hat-trick — the visitors were much better at breaking down the opposition block’s compactness. This time, Al-Taawoun would not grant the same level of freedom.
In stoppage time, Al-Hilal missed a golden chance that they may come to regret at the end of the season. Leonardo was released in space down the right and delivered a cross to Salem Al-Dawsari, who seemed set for a clear strik at goal. The ball flew past him as the game ended 1-1, adding further worry to Al-Hilal’s title challenge.
Elsewhere, Al-Ittihad and Al-Hazem played out a 1-1 draw in a game that saw Sérgio Conceição’s side struggle to take control. Muhannad Al-Shanqiti, who started on the bench, came on at half-time and changed the game — for better and for worse.
In the 80th minute, he broke into the opposition half and delivered a cross to Roger Fernandes, who unleashed a shot from outside of the box to score the opener. Four minutes later, he was beaten by Nawaf Al-Habashi on the counter, as he released Abdulaziz Al-Dhuwayhi to finish past Predrag Rajković.
Meanwhile, Ramiro Enrique continued his stellar season for Al-Kholood by scoring a brace against Al-Khaleej to increase his tally to 13 goals for the campaign. His goals were sandwiched between an early Paolo Fernandes strike in the second minute and an 87th-minute equaliser from Saleh Al-Amri to finish 2-2.
Matchday 10 concludes on Wednesday, with Al-Fayha welcoming NEOM and Al-Najma hosting Al-Nassr at 10:00pm.
