DOHA // Kim Clijsters followed her defence of the US Open title with a display of great resilience to recapture the WTA Championships title in Qatar yesterday after an interval of seven years.
Clijsters, 27, did that with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki, the world No 1, despite not having competed at all during the seven weeks since her US Open success because of a foot operation.
The Belgian also had to recover from the disappointment of seeing the 20-year-old Dane come back from a set and 1-4 down to take the match to an enthralling decider.
"I am very relieved it is over," said Clijsters after her two-hour 20-minute victory, "because it seemed it would never end."
"It was a very tough battle, and I think it was a fine advert for women's tennis. I'm glad I won but I don't know how many more years I will play, and I think Caroline has a great future ahead of her."
It was a disappointment for Wozniacki because she had wanted to answer those detractors who questioned her status as the world's No 1 because she has not yet won a Grand Slam title.
"It was still a fantastic week for me," said Wozniacki, who made sure of the year-end top spot with her second win of the week here. "I would love to come back here, and I would love to try for this title again."
After winning the first set, Clijsters went ahead again early in the second and took what looked like a commanding lead. But with defeat looming Wozniacki appeared to relax, hitting more freely, breaking back for 3-4 and remarkably breaking again to level the match. She also broke back in the final set, levelling at 2-2 after an early setback. But it was her last real surge.
Wozniacki unaccountably stopped a rally and called for a Hawkeye replay, only to get her call wrong. When she also delivered a double fault two points later, it helped Clijsters make the break for 4-2 which decided the match.
Clijsters agreed that winning this title as a mother is arguably a greater achievement than winning a grand slam, which is only a two -week effort. But she also made it clear that "I don't look at myself as a tennis-playing mum". Instead, she said: "It's my life again now and it's what I deal with."
* Agence-France Presse
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
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Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
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Match info
Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')
Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')
Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
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Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
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Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
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It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
