Russian Alexandra Shubladze continued her adventure in the Hong Kong Tennis Championship, after qualifying for the semi-finals of the competition, which was held on hard courts.
Shubladze, ranked 136th in the world, caused a major surprise, by defeating Romanian Sorana Cristea, the first seed in the tournament, with a score of 6/2, 6/3, on Friday, in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Shubladze (21 years old), who qualified for the main rounds of the tournament after winning two qualifying matches, started the match with tremendous strength. She decided the first four games in her favor, before ending the first set in the eighth game.
After failing to take advantage of any of the five break-point opportunities she had in the first set, Cristea wasted another opportunity to break her opponent’s serve in the second game of the second set, which made her pay a heavy price. Shubladze broke her serve in the next game, leading 3/1.
Cristea collapsed immediately after she was able to break her opponent's serve for the first time in the match. Despite falling behind by a set and a break of serve, the 36-year-old veteran Romanian regained her relative balance and won the next two games to tie the second set at 3/3.
But Chrystia suffered great disappointment by losing her serve twice in a row, which gave Shubladze victory in the next three games, so the Russian player continued her surprise and continued her dreamy career in the Hong Kong Championship.
After achieving the first victory in her career against one of the top 20 players in the world, Shubladze reached the semi-finals in her first participation in the main rounds in one of the competitions classified in the 250 points category.
In her quest to reach the final, Shubladze set up a match in the tournament's golden square against American player Claire Liu, who defeated Turkish Zeynep Sonmez with a score of 6/1, 6/4.
Paris Saint-Germain rested its Moroccan right-back, Achraf Hakimi, against Troyes on Saturday in the French Football League, before joining the Moroccan national team camp on Monday, according to what the Parisian club announced on Friday.
Saint-Germain, the champion of France and the European League, said in a statement: “In agreement with the coach and the sports administration, Achraf Hakimi will benefit from a rest period until the start of the international break.”
In early October, after the last camp for the national team, Ousmane Dembélé and Portuguese Nuno Mendes also received a “rest period” granted by Spanish coach Luis Enrique and the club management, in a step that Saint-Germain used to resort to to avoid physical problems.
Since then, the two players have suffered two muscle injuries in the thigh, and they will in turn miss Saturday’s confrontation with Troyes at Parc des Princes, along with Brazilian Marquinhos (thigh) and Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (knee).
Morocco will play Niger twice, on November 13 and 17, in the third and fourth rounds of the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Alberto Nuñez Viejo, the Spanish right-wing candidate for the position of Prime Minister, stated that Spain, which is participating in organizing the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco, must withdraw if it does not host the final match of the football tournament.
The leader of the Popular Party (right), which is leading in opinion polls ahead of the November 29 elections, stressed during his appearance Thursday evening on the television program “El Chiringuito” that the World Cup final should be held “where it is fair, where it is appropriate, and where it is indisputable: in Spain.”
In response to a question about whether, if he assumed the position of prime minister, he would call for the withdrawal of Spain’s candidacy to organize the World Cup if Morocco won to host the final match, Fejo was decisive in his answer: “Yes.” The answer is yes.”
Vijo wrote on the “X” platform, on Friday, attaching a link to the interview: “Restoring our country’s pride also means not allowing anyone to trample on us... The first world power in football cannot be insulted.”
Spain and Morocco are competing to host the final match, with Madrid betting on Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, while Morocco is counting on Moulay Hassan Stadium, which can accommodate about 115,000 spectators in Benslimane, near Casablanca, and which will become the largest stadium in the world.
Fawzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and an influential figure in this field, confirmed last September that this match of global interest would be held in his country “whether some people like it or not.”
For its part, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) confirmed at the time that no decision had been taken in this regard yet.
These statements come in the wake of the storming of tens of thousands of migrants, in late July, into the occupied city of Ceuta, located in northern Morocco, coming from Morocco, causing a migration crisis that has not yet been completely resolved.
Vijo accused Morocco of being behind this "invasion", and pledged to take a "firm" approach towards the Kingdom of Morocco if he assumed the presidency of the government.
According to opinion polls, the Popular Party is expected to win the early legislative elections ahead of the Socialists, the party of current Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, but it may need the support of the far right to form the government.
