Agence France-Presse
ATP Estoril
Dutch underdog Robin Haase produced a superb comeback to knock out top seed Feliciano Lopez in the second round of the ATP Estoril Open on Wednesday 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
French fifth seed Richard Gasquet, playing his first event in six weeks after returning from a back injury, continued his comeback with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of compatriot Kenny De Schepper.
The 28-year-old Gasquet had been enjoying a successful season prior to his injury, winning his 11th career title in Montpellier and reaching the last eight in both Doha and Dubai.
The two-time Estoril finalist (2007, 2012) will next face Spain’s Nicolas Almagro, who caused an upset as he beat Argentine fourth seed Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, serving seven aces and breaking three times in the 89-minute win.
“I’m very happy with how I played this match,” said Gasquet.
“It’s always satisfying to win in straight sets.
“I’m still feeling good about my injury, it’s not bothering me, I felt I played better and served better than in the first round. I’m quite satisfied.
“Almagro will be a test for me, he’s one of the best on clay, very physical and playing well. We’ll just have to see how I can handle him.”
Haase will take on Australian seventh seed Nick Kyrgios, who beat Serb Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-3 in the first night session ever staged in the history of the tournament.
Lopez, an unorthodox Spanish serve-and-volleyer ranked 12 in the world, was motoring to what was looking like a routine straight-sets winning start when the wheels came off his game.
Haase saved two match points in the 12th game of the second set as he mounted his fightback.
He was broken twice while serving for victory in the second set, with the 101st-ranked Haase taking the set into a tiebreaker and levelling at a set each on the first of four set points.
Lopez’s previous superiority disappeared, and he was unable to regain the initiative and has now lost to the Dutchman in all three of their ATP meetings on clay.
Lopez was broken in the first game of the third set and was never able to close the gap on his inspired opponent, who moved into his first quarter-final since last July in Gstaad.
Haase needed just over two hours to ensure victory, with Lopez saving six of ten break points he faced.
“Tennis can be very sad sometimes,” said Lopez. “There will be days when you do all the right things and you lose anyway.
“Serving twice for the match, it’s not normal to lose like this. I should have closed it out, especially since I had a couple of match points.
“I played great for two sets, I was aggressive and charging the net. Unfortunately, that was not enough today.
“The match was close and I just couldn’t find a way to win in the end.”
Another Spanish seed joined Lopez on the sidelines, with No 3 Tommy Robredo withdrawing on the eve of his match on Thursday due to a left foot injury.
He was replaced in the draw by David Vega Hernandez, a lucky loser from qualifying rounds.
ATP Istanbul
World No 2 Roger Federer on Wednesday eased past fellow 33-year old, the Finn Jarkko Nieminen, with a dominant display to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Istanbul Open.
Federer, showing flashes of brilliance mixed with occasional errors, closed out in just over an hour to win the second round match 6-2, 7-5.
The 17-time grand slam winner was making his first appearance in Turkey at the Istanbul Open, the first ever ATP world tour event in the country.
Federer, who is seeded to meet world No 11 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the final, is hoping to use the clay court event to fine tune his bid for a second French Open title next month.
He is looking for confidence on the slower clay, after a long hard court season, having lost in the third round on clay to Gael Monfils at the Monte Carlo Masters this month.
Federer raced through the first set in just 20 minutes, pulling out his full armoury of drop shots, cross court forehands and backhand winners against a clearly hesitant Nieminen, the world 71.
A stunning drop shot from Federer that fell dead inside the service court broke Nieminen’s serve in the fifth game and left the crowd gasping.
The crowd, who had braved heavy evening traffic to catch Federer play at the 8,000 capacity Garanti Koza arena on the outskirts of Istanbul, began to get behind the Finn to prolong the game.
Nieminen showed greater confidence in the second set, holding his serve with ease and an over-relaxed Federer spraying the ball wide regularly.
The Federer forehand was responsible for a string of unforced errors, allowing Nieminen to hold serve without trouble.
But Federer, serving and volleying on occasion and delivering nine aces in the match, found his top gear at the close of the set.
Piling pressure on the Nieminen second serve and using his trademark drive volley to great effect, Federer finally broke Nieminen to lead 6-5.
He then served out to love, finishing with a stunning backhand cross court that left Nieminen with arms and legs akimbo.
In Friday’s quarter-finals, Federer will face Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain who overcame Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets.
Dimitrov meanwhile is due to start his campaign against Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Fourth seed Santiago Giraldo of Colombia went through to the quarters with a tough 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win against 17-year-old Andrey Rublev of Russia.
WTA Marrakesh
Top-seeded Garbine Muguruza was upset on Wednesday in the WTA Marrakesh second round by France’s Kristina Mladenovic.
Rising Spanish 21-year-old star Muguruza, the world No 20, was dimissed in straight sets but both were only settled by tiebreaks. Mladenovic advanced 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6).
World No 59 Mladenovic will face Lara Arruabarrena in the quarter-finals after she defeated eighth-seeded Monica Puig 7-5, 6-2.
Among the seeds to survive into the quarters on Wednesday were No 2 Timea Bacsinszky, No 3 Flavia Pennetta, No 4 Elina Svitolina and No 7 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Sixth-seeded Roberta Vinci was knocked out by Karin Knapp.
The quarter-finals on Thursday will pit Pennetta and Timea Babos; Svitolina and Knapp; and Bacsinszky and Schmiedlova.
WTA Prague
On Wednesday local Czech favourite Lucia Safarova was unceremoniously dimissed in her opening match at the WTA Prague tournament, but subsequently avenged by a compatriot.
World No 13 Safarova was beaten by Tereza Smitkova 3-6, 6-2, 4-6 before the second-round match, played later in the daw, saw Lucie Hradecka advance to the quarter-finals with a drag-down, knock-out third-set tie-break against Smitkova 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (13/11).
Hradecka plays Klara Koukalova in the quarters.
Meanwhile another local hopeful, world No 22 Czech Barbora Strycova, made it to the quarter-finals to face off with Katerina Siniakova.
The other last eight matches will be contested between top-seed Karolina Pliskova and Denisa Allertova, and Danka Kovinic and Yanina Wickmayer.
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The five pillars of Islam
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
More on animal trafficking
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's