Sheikh Joaan meets UAE Olympic Committee Vice President

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Olympic Committee President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday met with UAE Olympic Committee Vice President Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi.

The meeting focused on sports cooperation between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with both sides discussing ways to strengthen collaboration and further develop joint efforts in the sporting field during the coming period.

The two officials also exchanged views on a number of other issues of mutual interest. amunra.qpon

Benfica are awaiting reports on Mohamed Hamad’s trial before deciding whether to sign the 18-year-old Zamalek midfielder.

Zamalek youngster Mohamed Hamad returned to Cairo on Thursday, September 10, after completing his assessment with the Portuguese club. He has since joined Egypt’s under-20 training camp and resumed training.

Benfica will review reports on his performances during the trial before making a final decision on a potential move.

The midfielder travelled to Portugal on September 3 for a week with Benfica after receiving Zamalek’s permission. He had recently extended his contract with the Egyptian club until 2029.

Zamalek previously explained that they approved the trip following Benfica’s insistence on assessing the player.

In a statement, the club said they would “support opportunities for their academy players to develop abroad.” They also rejected suggestions that allowing Hamad to attend the trial amounted to “giving up their young talent.”

Zamalek described the visit as “a chance to experience a different football environment,” adding that a successful trial would “benefit both the player and the club.”

Hamad has earned praise from Zamalek’s head of football, Hazem Emam, who compared his playing style to Abdallah El-Said’s.

Speaking on the Zamalkawy programme, Emam said the youngster could play in central midfield or on the wing, and highlighted Hamad’s technical ability, goalscoring, and strength in the air.

Hamad featured in Zamalek’s opening Egyptian Premier League match this season, replacing Ahmed Sherif in the 79th minute of a goalless draw with Ittihad Alexandria.

He has also represented Egypt at youth level, including appearances at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.

The post Benfica Await Trial Reports Before Mohamed Hamad Decision appeared first on KingFut.

New York, USA: Alexander Zverev held off Ben Shelton to win the US Open on Sunday, capturing the second Grand Slam of his career just months after winning the French Open.

The top-seeded German ruthlessly snuffed out a late surge by Shelton to triumph 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2, crushing the eighth seed's hopes of becoming the first US man in 23 years to win a Grand Slam title.

Zverev expunged the bitter memory of his 2020 US Open defeat, when he was two points from victory before falling to Dominic Thiem in five sets.

It would be six years -- with two major finals disappointments -- before he would break through this season.

"I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before," Zverev said at the trophy presentation.

The 23-year-old Shelton was one month shy of his first birthday when Andy Roddick hoisted the 2003 US Open trophy in the last major triumph for a US man.

Hopes were high that Shelton could end the drought after his epic five-set quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and a come-from-behind win over compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.

But Zverev's all-court excellence proved too much for Shelton, despite the support of a star-studded Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd trying to will the American to victory.

Alexander Zverev of Germany with the trophy after defeating Ben Shelton of the United States in their Men's Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Julian Finney/Getty Images/AFP)

With their backing, Shelton surged in the third set, eliminating the errors that Zverev had ruthlessly exploited.

Serving to extend the set, Zverev fell behind 0-40. Shelton fired long on his first set point but on the second Zverev's forehand volley went wide. Shelton had his first break of the match and they were headed to a fourth set.

Zverev, however, responded immediately and decisively, breaking Shelton in the first game of the fourth set and rolling home.

He lifted his arms in triumph after Shelton fired a serve return long on match point and finally received his own huge cheer from the crowd -- but not before some prompting.

Zverev said he didn't initially realize he'd won because he had lost track of the score.

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"I knew I broke him twice, but I thought it was 5-1 instead of 6-2, which helped me in a way, because I didn't really get nervous serving out the match," Zverev said.

"In that moment I was in the zone a lot. I didn't hear noise at all. Then also, of course, when the crowd is loud, it's impossible to hear the umpire, so I didn't hear that she said, 'Game, set, match.'"

Zverev had followed up his French Open victory with a runner-up finish at Wimbledon.

But his New York prospects had looked bleak as he labored through two five-setters to start the tournament.

Now the 29-year-old ranked second in the world has a chance to challenge for the number one ranking with Italian Jannik Sinner currently sidelined by a knee injury.USA's Ben Shelton reacts after losing the men's singles final tennis match to Germany's Alexander Zverev on day fifteen of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 13, 2026. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

With this win, Zverev said he might consider himself the best player in the world "right, right now."

"If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead."

Very few chances

Shelton had entered to a massive ovation but from the start the sharpness that carried him past Alcaraz and Tiafoe was lacking.

Zverev, with utter calm and a superb serve, quickly asserted his authority with a break in the first game, Shelton double faulting on break point.

Eight games later the American double faulted on set point.

Shelton rallied from 0-30 down to force the second-set tiebreaker, but was helpless as Zverev roared to a 5-0 lead and took a two-sets-to-none lead with a service winner.

Shelton gave it all he had in the third, hitting the deck as he chased one blistering Zverev forehand. Although he capitalized on uncharacteristic errors from the German to extend the match there was no stopping Zverev in the final set.

"I made too many errors when I had the ball there on my strings," Shelton said. "I wasn't amazing attacking on my forehand today. I wasn't great in transition.

"It's not easy," he added. "Playing a guy like him there's very few chances."