• Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after victory against Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles semi-final match at the Australian Open. AFP
    Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after victory against Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles semi-final match at the Australian Open. AFP
  • Jannik Sinner hits a return on his way to victory against Novak Djokovic. AFP
    Jannik Sinner hits a return on his way to victory against Novak Djokovic. AFP
  • Jannik Sinner in action against Novak Djokovic. EPA
    Jannik Sinner in action against Novak Djokovic. EPA
  • Serbia's Novak Djokovic struggles to return in his defeat by Jannik Sinner. AFP
    Serbia's Novak Djokovic struggles to return in his defeat by Jannik Sinner. AFP
  • Novak Djokovic during his defeat by Jannik Sinner in Melbourne. AFP
    Novak Djokovic during his defeat by Jannik Sinner in Melbourne. AFP
  • The two players embrace at the end of the match. Reuters
    The two players embrace at the end of the match. Reuters
  • Italy's Jannik Sinner conducts his on-court interview after victory over Novak Djokovic. AFP
    Italy's Jannik Sinner conducts his on-court interview after victory over Novak Djokovic. AFP
  • Novak Djokovic toils during his defeat in the Australian Open semi-final. EPA
    Novak Djokovic toils during his defeat in the Australian Open semi-final. EPA
  • Serbia's Novak Djokovic during his post-match press conference. Reuters
    Serbia's Novak Djokovic during his post-match press conference. Reuters
  • Serbia's Novak Djokovic acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the court. AFP
    Serbia's Novak Djokovic acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the court. AFP

Superb Jannik Sinner ends Novak Djokovic's Australian Open dominance


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  • Arabic

Jannik Sinner claimed a huge statement win to announce himself as a Grand Slam force and become the first player in six years to beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

Sinner had emerged as the most likely threat to Djokovic ahead of the tournament after beating him twice in as many weeks at the end of last season at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup.

But the one-sided nature of this result took everyone by surprise. The 22-year-old Italian absolutely hammered the Serb, who won a paltry total of three games as he fell two sets behind.

Djokovic rallied to save a match point in the third-set tie-break to give himself a sliver of hope but there was no dramatic comeback, with Sinner regrouping impressively and going on to clinch a dominant 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 victory after three hours and 22 minutes.

"I started off really well. He missed in the first two sets. I felt like he was not feeling that great on court so I just tried to keep pushing," said Sinner.

"Then in the third set I had match point and I missed the forehand but this is tennis. I just tried to be ready for the next set, which I started off really well."

Sinner, 22, said he felt he had learned from defeat to Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon semi-finals – the furthest he had previously gone at a Grand Slam – and had been looking forward to the match.

"I think we play really similar, you have to return as many balls as possible, he's such an incredible server," he said. "So I was just trying to push him around a little bit – I'm not going to tell you the tactics."

Djokovic, who had not lost in Australia since a fourth-round defeat by Hyeon Chung amid elbow problems in 2018, had been seeking a record-extending 11th title at Melbourne Park and a 25th career major to put him clear of Margaret Court.

"He outplayed me completely today," said Djokovic, who racked up 54 unforced errors and failed to create a single break point. "I was shocked with my level in a bad way. Not much that I was doing right. This is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I have played, that I can remember.

"At the same time, credit to him for doing everything better than me in every aspect of the game."

Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's final after the Russian fought back from the brink to beat Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Having suffered heartbreak at Melbourne Park in back-to-back final defeats by Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal in 2021 and 2022, former US Open champion Medvedev will hope to get third time lucky.

"Very impressive," third seed Medvedev said of Sinner. "I need to recover well and be 100 per cent on Sunday.

"We have a saying 'third time lucky'. Let's see, I can say from experience that it's not always like this but hopefully here it'll work. It would mean a lot. This court is not my best court in terms of my performance and my self-esteem."

Hotel Data Cloud profile

Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:

Juventus 1 Ajax 2

Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate

Fighting with My Family

Director: Stephen Merchant 

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell        

Four stars

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Profile

Company name: Jaib

Started: January 2018

Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour

Based: Jordan

Sector: FinTech

Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018

Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)

Banton 53 no

Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)

Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7

Qalandars win by six wickets

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs%20
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)

Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199

Updated: January 26, 2024, 1:53 PM