Sports

Tunisian tennis star, Ons Jabeur wins first WTA title of 2023 at Charleston Open

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2023

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur on the verge of history (Photo Credit: BBC Sports)

Tunisian female tennis star, Ons Jabeur won her first WTA title of 2023 after she triumphed over Swiss Belinda Bencic, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in the final of the Credit One Charleston Open held on Sunday in South Carolina, USA.

The 28-year-old world number five ranked player’s win over Bencic meant she enjoyed the best campaign of her career in 2022 since she reached the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, after she was sidelined due to knee injury she sustained in this year’s Australian Open.

The Tunisian’s return to the courts after the injury was marked by early exits at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, and she came into Charleston without consecutive wins since early January.

But at the WTA 500 event, she stormed to the final without dropping a set throughout the entire tournament.

On her way to the final, Jabuer defeated Lesia Tsurenko, Caroline Dolehide, Anna Kalinskaya and Daria Kasatkina to set up a mouth-watering clash with Bencic.

In the final, Jabuer did not find it easy as she had to fight back to break her opponent in the opening game of the first set.

Down 5-4 in the opener, Jabeur broke back at the last opportunity to keep the set alive and after falling 6-4 behind in the tie-break, she rattled off the next four points in a row to steal it.

In the second set, the Tunisian had to take her chances as she only had three break-point chances compared to Bencic’s five, but was able to convert all three, while the Swiss could only grab two.

The final was a rematch from last year’s Charleston Open title match, where Bencic defeated Jabeur in three sets, and her first title since the German Open in June, where she again had to overcome Bencic in the final.

Jabuer has so far won four singles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as eleven singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit.

She was the runner-up at both Wimbledon and US Open in 2022, becoming the first African player to reach a Grand Slam final.

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Sports

Coach of Mamelodi Sundowns female team suspended over sexual harassment allegations

Published

2 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns women’s team, Jerry Tshabalala, has been suspended indefinitely amid allegations of sexual harassment of players.

A statement by the management of the top South African team said the 44-year-old Tshabalala, who has been in charge of Sundowns’s women’s team for over a decade, has been accused of a number of allegations, including making inappropriate sexual comments to his players, as well as entering the dressing room and refusing to leave while players are completely naked.

In a statement released on Saturday, Sundowns said they had appointed a law firm to investigate the allegations against the coach with specific instructions to unravel allegations of improper conduct by the Tshabalala.

The club said it views the allegations in a very serious light and has relieved the coach of his appointment pending when the investigations are concluded.

“Sundowns has, in the interim, put Coach Jerry Tshabalala on special leave pending the outcome of the investigation,” the club statement said.

“This is not done to pre-empt the outcome of the investigation, but to ensure that the investigation can proceed expeditiously and protect the rights of all parties.

“In the event that the investigation establishes facts that warrant action, the Board will immediately take such steps as are appropriate.

“Mamelodi Sundowns will in due course make announcements on the findings of the investigation and the action to be taken,” the statement concluded.

The Sundowns female team have been a dominant force in women’s football in South Africa and on the continent since Tshabalala took over in 2012, winning seven domestic league titles, as well as two CAF Women’s Champions League crowns.

Sports

FIFA Ranking: Nigeria ends 2024 as fifth best team in Africa

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Nigeria’s men’s football national team, the Super Eagles, ended the year 2024 as the fifth best team in Africa in the latest FIFA world ranking for the month of December.

According to the rankings published by the world football governing body, Nigeria remains unchanged from its previous position, despite having a challenging international break.

The FIFA rankings also reveal that Nigeria suffered a significant decline this year, dropping eight places to end 2024 ranked 44th globally.

The decline follows disappointing performances during the final AFCON qualifiers for 2025, where the Super Eagles struggled against the Benin Republic and Rwanda, resulting in a lack of wins.

However, some of the Super Eagles bitter rivals like South Africa’s Bafana Bafana experienced a resurgence, climbing three positions to finish the year ranked 57th in the world, showing a marked improvement in their recent form and successful matches during the qualifiers.

It was a woeful year for West African rivals Ghana who ended the year in 77th position, which highlights the challenges the Black Stars have encountered in the outgoing year in its bid to maintain its positions among Africa’s elite teams.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan national football team, the Atlas Lion, retained its 14th position in the in the world while still maintaining its number one spot in Africa, holding the first position for the third year in a row.

In the world ranking, Morocco is followed by Senegal on 17th position, Egypt, 33rd, Algeria 37th, Nigeria, 44th, Côte d’Ivoire, 46th, Cameroon, 49th, Mali, 51st, and Tunisia in the 52nd position.

Top 10 African teams in 2024

1. Morocco – (14th)

2. Senegal – (17th)

3. Egypt – (33rd)

4. Algeria – (37th)

5. Nigeria – (44th)

6. Côte d’Ivoire – (46th)

7. Cameroon – (49th)

8. Mali – (51st )

9. Tunisia – (52nd)

10. South Africa – (57th)