Jannik Sinner collected his seventh title of a highly successful year with victory over Novak Djokovic in the final of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday.
Sinner, who is already certain to finish the season as world No 1, was simply too strong for Djokovic throughout, making it four wins in his last five matches against the Serbian legend with a 7-6, 6-3 triumph in China.
The result denied Djokovic his 100th career title, although this week has been another reminder that the 37-year-old remains a serious contender at the top of the game.
There was precious little to choose between the players in the opening set, with Sinner scrambling back from 0-30 at 4-5 then making the stronger start to the tie-breaker.
A missed backhand volley from Djokovic ultimately proved costly, and Sinner's pressure told in the fourth game of the second set, when the Italian fired a forehand winner to claim what was the only break of the match.
Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz were among those watching as the Italian, who did not face a break point all match, clinched victory with an ace.
“It was a very tough match, obviously,” said Sinner. “Playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have and I’m obviously very, very happy how I handled the situation.
“He was serving great the first set, I really couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a very good breaker in the first set, which gave me the confidence to start off well in the second set and obviously very happy with the performance throughout this whole tournament. It’s obviously a very special one.”
Djokovic had been hoping to win a fifth title in Shanghai, and he said: “It’s been a pleasure to be here in Shanghai once again. I’ve had lots of success on Chinese soil in my career and I haven’t played in China for five years so I missed it and I’m really glad that I came this year.
“I think I played some really good tennis. Obviously congratulations to Jannik, he was just too good today, too strong, too fast. Well done for having an incredible year, you deserve this.”
Addressing Federer, Djokovic added: “It’s nice to see Roger. I’m not used to seeing you in the stands, I wish you were on the court playing with us.
“It’s probably the first time that I’m playing in front of you so I had an added pressure today but it’s great, thanks for being here, and Carlos as well.”
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka became the first player to win the Wuhan Open three times by defeating local hero Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the final.
The top seed, who also triumphed at the event in 2018 and 2019, kept her undefeated record in Wuhan intact, improving to a perfect 17-0.
In a rematch of the 2024 Australian Open final, Sabalenka was put to the test by a determined Zheng before she captured an Open Era record fifth title on Chinese soil.
With two Grand Slam titles and a WTA 1000 success in Cincinnati under her belt already in 2024, Sabalenka picked up her fourth trophy of the season, from seven finals reached.
The 26-year-old strengthened her chances of ending the year as the world No 1 ahead of Iga Swiatek, a battle likely to come down to the wire at the WTA Finals in Riyadh next month.
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
