Dubai Mallathon is back for 2026, and it’s expanded

Dubai Mallathon was a huge success last year, and it’s back for 2026 for a longer period The Dubai Mallathon, Dubai’s famous sports initiative that saw the cities’ largest malls transformed into fitness hubs with indoor running tracks it’s soon. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy […] betsport24.es

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Paris: Aryna Sabalenka's bid for a first French Open title was left in tatters as she fell apart in a bizarre defeat by Russian 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The world number one led by a set and a double-break before exiting the tournament in a blaze of unforced errors, collapsing to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss in blustery conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier.

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"I feel like when I saw her (Sabalenka) being emotional, I was, like, 'Yes, like, you are in the right direction, you've got to stay, just focus on yourself, don't focus too much on her, what she's talking to her team or whatever she's doing'," said Shnaider after beating a top-10 player for only the second time in her career.

Shnaider will face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals on Thursday, with Marta Kostyuk or Mirra Andreeva awaiting the winner in Sunday's final.

"She's a very tricky player, so I'm not surprised that she's good. Sometimes, it just takes time," said the 22-year-old Shnaider of Chwalinska, who she beat at a lower-tier event in Istanbul four years ago.

Sabalenka was the only Grand Slam champion left in either the men's or women's singles draws at Roland Garros, but belied that status by making a whopping 57 unforced errors.

"You know those rooms where you just go in and you smash everything?," smiled Sabalenka when asked how she would get over the defeat.

"Probably I will spend a whole day tomorrow over there destroying stuff. Maybe it will help, maybe not."

Shnaider was playing in her first major quarter-final, but now finds herself a strong favourite to reach the final heading into her last-four tie against world number 114 and fellow left-hander Chwalinska.

"Definitely a special tournament for me here," added the Russian.

"It's going be a lefty battle so I'm looking forward (to the semi-final)."

Sabalenka's scarcely believable defeat was reminiscent of the way she threw away a strong position in last year's final against Coco Gauff.

"I knew the final, last year, I watched it. I knew that it was also super windy," said Shnaider.

"So of course I had that thought in the back of my mind that she was struggling with Coco last year. I was, like, 'Yeah, I've got to use this opportunity, I need to just adjust and do my best'."

Belarusian Sabalenka was playing in a 14th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final but failed to become the first woman to make seven straight major semis since Serena Williams.

The top seed raced into a 5-1 lead and eventually sealed the opener on her third set point after initially failing to serve it out.

The second set followed a similar pattern at first, as Sabalenka moved 4-1 in front with a double-break before throwing away her next service game.

Sabalenka became increasingly frustrated as she gifted Shnaider three break points to level at 4-4.

After some animated remonstrating with her box, she recomposed herself enough to hold.

But the 28-year-old's game continued to come apart, as a string of dreadful unforced errors allowed Shnaider to break again and tie up the set at 5-5, with Sabalenka left to gesticulate wildly towards her coaching staff.

Shnaider could not believe her luck as Sabalenka dumped successive forehands into the bottom of the net to finish off the set and send the match into a decider.

The Russian grew in confidence and moved 2-0 up in the third as Sabalenka sprayed eight unforced errors around Chatrier in the space of two games.

Shnaider cruised to victory from there, fittingly securing a semi-final berth when Sabalenka knocked a routine backhand into the net on the third match point.

A stunned world number one was left to trudge off court after winning just 14 points in the deciding set.

Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain: Forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams should be fit for Spain's World Cup opener, coach Luis de la Fuente said on Wednesday.

Yamal and Williams both missed the end of the club season due to hamstring injuries but De la Fuente included them in his World Cup squad anyway, telling reporters last month he expected both to be fit for the global showpiece.

European champions Spain begin their Group H campaign on June 15 against Cape Verde in Atlanta.

"We are perfectly coordinated with the clubs, we are giving them continuation in a programme that was established some time ago and the truth is that the players are improving every day," De la Fuente said ahead of Thursday's friendly against Iraq.

He said the injured players were "progressing as expected" but that they would not be involved against Iraq in A Coruna.

Asked specifically about teenage star Yamal, De la Fuente added: "If everything continues as it has been so far, he could be ready on June 15, but that doesn't guarantee that he will play."

Spain will be one of the favourites at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

But De la Fuente insisted the tournament would be "historic because it is the World Cup in which the most teams have a realistic prospect of winning".

After facing Cape Verde, Spain will play Saudi Arabia on June 21 in Atlanta before finishing their group stage campaign against Uruguay in Guadalajara on June 27.

Sydney: New Zealand footballer Tim Payne's online fan club soared past four million on Tuesday, more than the All Blacks, after an influencer picked him out as the "least known" player at the World Cup.

Argentine social media giant Valen Scarsini, known as "El Scarso", last week called for his fans to boost unheralded Payne's following, kicking off an online explosion of interest.

But New Zealand's coach said the unexpected fame -- Payne had just 4,000 Instagram followers a week ago -- won't go to the head of the Wellington Phoenix right-back.

"At the moment I do feel like he's dealing with it really well, probably better than maybe some others would have," Darren Bazeley told stuff.co.nz.

Payne, 32, who described the attention as "pretty crazy", could now be set to meet Scarsini.

The Argentine said he would travel to Florida to watch New Zealand's warm-up match against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.

"Guys tomorrow is the day," Scarsini posted.

"Let's go watch Tim's game v Haiti and then we're going to meet him! Thanks to all who made it possible."

Payne's new celebrity status means he now has a million more followers than the rugby-obsessed country's All Blacks.

It has been the talk of the New Zealand squad's World Cup training camp in Florida.

"The players talk about it. I can hear the banter they're having with Tim, and I think it's amazing," said Bazeley.

"Putting Tim up on a pedestal like that was really cool and probably not something that he, or anyone, expected," he added.

"I don't know where it ends or where it leads to -- or what that world really involves. I try to stay off that, as most coaches do."

Another million or so would see Payne have as many followers as the population of New Zealand, which is around 5.3 million.

New Zealand are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup, which begins in Mexico, the United States and Canada next week.

Tongue-in-cheek online comments have been comparing Payne to the greatest players from three-time World Cup champions Argentina.

"Messi, Maradona, Tim," said one of more than 66,000 comments on Payne's latest post, many of them in Spanish, which also received 2.1 million likes.