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Kuwait, Pakistan, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Lebanon won their respective group matches in the men’s section while Thailand, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and UAE did likewise in the women’s section to keep their hopes alive for qualifying for the next stage of the FIP Asia Padel Cup organised by the International Padel Federation (FIP) together with the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) and Padel Asia at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Saturday.In the men’s section, Kuwait and Bahrain match was a keenly contested one with Kuwait winning it 2-1 to open their campaign on an emphatic note.Bahrain which had won the first match against Indonesia have lost one and won one, while Indonesia the third team in the group have lost the only match they have played so far.On Sunday, Kuwait take on Indonesia which will decide which of the team will make it to the last eight stage by virtue of being the group leader.In Group B, Pakistan got the better of China 2-1 and will face Thailand in their second match, which will also decide the group qualifier. Earlier on Friday China had defeated Thailand in the same group. In Group C, Jordan defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 to start their campaign on a winning note and will face South Korea, who had earlier lost to Saudi Arabia.Jordan has one win from one match, while Saudi Arabia has lost one and won another, while South Korea has lost the lone match they have played so far. The group leader will be decided on Sunday.In Group D, the Lebanon and Kazakhstan clash will decide the group leader, both the teams have won two of their matches in the group while Japan and Philippines have lost both their matches. The four group winners will join the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Australia, and Iran in the Final 8, scheduled from October 20 to 24. In the women’s section in Group A, Thailand were given a tight fight by the hosts Qatar but managed to overcome the spirited challenge 2-1.In the three-team group, Thailand and Lebanon have both won their first-round matches of the group and the group leader will be decided on Sunday when Thailand and Lebanon meet in the crucial tie which will decide which of the two teams qualifies for the quarter-final stage of the championship.In Group B, Indonesia registered their second successive win to remain on top of the group with an all-win record. On Saturday they defeated Bahrain 3-0 while on Friday they had defeated Kuwait 3-0.On Sunday, Kuwait take on Bahrain in the Group B.In the Group C matches, Saudi Arabia defeated Pakistan 3-0 while UAE edged past China 2-1. For Saudi Arabia this was their second successive win having won against China on Friday. UAE also won their second match of the group and the group leader will be decided after the match between Saudi Arabi and UAE.The two clash on Sunday, while China meet Pakistan in the other match of the group.The four group qualifiers from the three groups will be joined by Japan, Australia, the Philippines and Iran have already qualified for the last-eight stage by virtue of their FIP Rankings.Seventeen teams Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, UAE, Qatar, Australia, and Iran competing in the men’s section in the week-long championship, while fourteen teams Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, UAE, Qatar, Japan, Australia, Philippines, and Iran compete in the women’s section.ResultsMen's sectionGroup A: Kuwait bt Bahrain 2-1Group B: Pakistan bt China 2-1Group C: Jordan bt Saudi Arabia 2-1Group D: Kazakhstan bt Japan 2-1Group D: Lebanon bt Philippines 3-0Women's sectionGroup A: Thailand bt Qatar 2-1Group B: Indonesia bt Bahrain 3-0Group C: UAE bt China 2-1Group C: Saudi Arabia bt Pakistan 3-0Order of play (Sunday 19th October)Men’s matchesGroup A: Indonesia vs KuwaitGroup B: Thailand vs PakistanGroup C: Jordan vs South KoreaGroup D: Lebanon vs KazakhstanGroup D: Japan vs Philippines Women’s matchesGroup A: Lebanon vs ThailandGroup B: Kuwait vs BahrainGroup C: Saudi Arabia vs UAE Group C: China vs PakistanAll matches start at 3.00pmVenue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex

Carlos Alcaraz won his eighth title of a sensational season in Tokyo and then pulled out of the Shanghai Masters because of “physical issues” and took aim at tennis’ packed schedule.The Spanish world number one hurt his ankle in his opening match at the Japan Open but shrugged off the issue to beat American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final. But immediately after downing the world number five, the six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz took aim at the tennis calendar.“The schedule is really tight. They have to do something with the schedule,” the recently crowned US Open champion told reporters in the Japanese capital, echoing the sentiments this week of fellow major champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.Alcaraz subsequently wrote on Instagram that he will not play at the prestigious Shanghai Masters starting this week. “Unfortunately I’ve been struggling with some physical issues and, after discussing with my team, we believe the best decision is to rest and recover,” the 22-year-old wrote.Alcaraz injured his ankle last week in Tokyo as he ran for a shot, crumpling to the ground and sitting on the court for about five minutes. He returned to play with heavy strapping on his ankle and has admitted that the injury had been on his mind throughout the tournament. It did not appear to bother him against Fritz, as he gave another breathtaking display to lift the trophy in his first appearance in Japan.He clinched victory with a cleverly disguised drop shot before strolling to the net to give Fritz a warm embrace. The win gave Alcaraz a measure of revenge after losing to Fritz for the first time at the Laver Cup in San Francisco two weeks ago.The number of matches in the men’s and women’s tennis calendar has been a major talking point in recent years, with players such as Novak Djokovic cutting back the tournaments they compete in as they near the end of their careers. Gauff called for shorter seasons and said it was “impossible” to play more than she already does, after Swiatek also hit out at the number of tournaments. They were speaking at the China Open, where five players retired injured from matches on Monday.“With more and more events being two weeks it just doesn’t really make sense to strain your body,” the American Gauff said after emerging unscathed to reach the quarter-finals. “I would like to see in my lifetime on tour that a solution be made to make the season shorter,” the 21-year-old world number three added.Gauff, the defending China Open champion and two-time major winner, weighed in after top seed Swiatek said on Monday she may skip mandatory tournaments to protect her health. Starting last year, the Women’s Tennis Association made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events – which includes Beijing – and six 500-level tournaments.“I guess on a business standpoint, it can kind of make sense, but on a player health standpoint, I don’t really agree with it,” Gauff said. “I’ve basically played as much tennis as I possibly can.”Poland’s world number two Swiatek called the WTA’s mandatory requirements “pretty crazy”. In Tokyo, Alcaraz said he too would look at skipping mandatory tournaments on the men’s ATP Tour.“We as tennis players, we are not allowed to have a choice if we have to play or not,” he said following his convincing two-set win over Fritz. “To be honest, I have to consider in the future if I have to skip some mandatory tournaments just to maintain my physical condition in a good shape.”Daniil Medvedev retired injured from his China Open semi-final Tuesday.

Khalil bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar, Arab and Asian Table Tennis Federations and First Vice-President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), has officially filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, to contest the ITTF presidential elections.Al-Mohannadi described the case as one of “fraud and violation of democratic legitimacy”, echoing media reports that labelled the election outcome the “steal of the century”.The elections, held in Doha in May, ended with al-Mohannadi leading 98–87 in votes cast by national federation representatives present in the hall. However, Swedish candidate Petra Sorling gained an unexpected 17-4 advantage through remote electronic voting, tipping the final result. Al-Mohannadi rejected the validity of the 21 electronic ballots, noting that the number had originally been set at 16. The sudden increase, he said, shocked the General Assembly.In a statement released by the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) Tuesday, al-Mohannadi emphasised that the 2022 General Assembly in Doha — where 185 federations voted in person — reflected the true will of the membership. He stressed that administrative decisions or internal ITTF procedures should not override the democratic mandate, calling any such move “a violation of the essence of the electoral process and its credibility before the international sports community.”Responding to ITTF President Sorling’s recent remarks that “the file has been closed” and “the elections have been decided”, al-Mohannadi called the statements “misleading and inaccurate”. He pointed out that the ITTF’s internal arbitration decision is not final and remains under review by CAS.Al-Mohannadi underlined that the legal process will remain open until the ITTF General Assembly in London in 2026, where federations will again have the chance to vote. He pledged to pursue all available legal avenues “to defend transparency and protect the rights of member federations”, stressing that the dispute is not personal but “a legal and moral duty toward the global table tennis family”.He also warned against attempts to mislead federations into believing the case is settled, calling such claims a “deliberate distortion of legal reality”. He reaffirmed that the QTTA, alongside allied federations, will continue efforts until CAS delivers its final ruling.“Table tennis is bigger than any administrative or political dispute,” al-Mohannadi concluded, adding that safeguarding democratic legitimacy within the ITTF is “a collective responsibility to protect the future of the sport and its global reputation”.

Aya Mohamed etched her name in history by becoming the first Qatari woman to win the women’s singles title at the Arab Teams Table Tennis Championship in Casablanca, Morocco, Sunday. The 31-year-old defeated Jordan’s Tima Abu Yemen 3-2 in a thrilling final at the Mohammed V Indoor Complex, clinching Qatar’s 20th medal and fourth gold of the tournament.Mohamed also secured silver in doubles with Maryam Ali and another silver in the team event alongside Ali and Serena Sheikh.A pioneer for Qatari table tennis, Mohamed competed at the London 2012 Olympics and earlier this year, alongside Mohamed Abdulwahab, broke into the ITTF world’s top 100 in mixed doubles for the first time in Qatar’s history.Following her victory, Mohamed expressed pride in her achievement: “I am honored to be the first Qatari to win this title. This moment will stay in my memory forever. The final was tough, but with focus and determination, I was able to deliver this gold medal for Qatar.”Head of the Qatari delegation, Khalid Ali Al Kuwari, hailed Mohamed as a “champion of gold,” calling the triumph a reward for years of dedication and sacrifice, and credited Federation President Khalil bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi for his unwavering support.