UNSCRIPTED: DOHA 2026 | WANDA DIAMOND LEAGUE

 

MAZZRATY HIGHLIGHTS | DOHA WANDA DIAMOND LEAGUE

 

RUMESH THARANGA PATHIRAGE MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK WINS AT DOHA WANDA DIAMOND LEAGUE 2926

 

CARLOS ALCARAZ VS. ARTHUR FILS | DOHA 2026 |FINAL

 

DOHA 2026 | FINAL

 

DOHA 2026 | SEMI-FINALS

 

CARLOS ALCARAZ VS. ANDREY RUBLEV | DOHA 2026

 

JAKUB MENSIK STUNS JANNIK SINNER IN DOHA | FOHA 2026 HIGHLIGHTS

 

DOHA 2026 | DAY 2

 

OSTAPENKO VS. DOHA SEMIFINAL

 

MACAO TABLE TENNIS STAR ZHU YULING SAYS HER COMEBACK WAS 'DRIVEN BY LOVE AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS'

• Zhu Yuling speaks to Macao News on her comeback to table tennis after years away, her recent WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 win, and returning to world No. 5

• Yuling shares advice for young players in Macao and hopes to help athletes pursue professional pathways

Macao’s Zhu Yuling poses with her winner’s trophy after the women’s singles final match against Japan’s Sato Hitomi at the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 – Photo by Nikku/Xinhua

For several years, Zhu Yuling was absent from the international table tennis circuit – a quiet pause that followed one of the most decorated stretches of her career as a former world No. 1. The break came in the early 2020s, when health issues led her to step away from competition and temporarily put her playing career on hold.

During that time, Zhu returned to school to continue her studies and later transitioned into life as a professional teacher, gaining perspective beyond the demands of elite sport. Her return came in 2024, when she re-entered international competition representing Macao, starting again without a world ranking and gradually rebuilding her place among the sport’s elite.

That stunning resurgence has been underscored by a rapid rise back into the top tier, with Zhu climbing to world No. 5 and adding titles along the way. Most recently, she won the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 crown, a victory that highlighted both her form and resilience at this stage of her career.

After flying back from Doha, Zhu Yuling took time out of her schedule for an interview with Macao News, reflecting on her journey into table tennis, her years away from the sport, and what continues to drive her today.

How did you first discover table tennis, and what drew you to the sport as a child?

When I was in primary school, I was quite weak and often fell ill, so my parents wanted me to take up a sport to improve my health. My school had a table tennis interest class, and I was instantly drawn to the sound of the ball being struck.

Zhu Yuling hits a return against Sato Hitomi at the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 – Photo by Nikku/Xinhu

At what point did table tennis stop being just a hobby and become something more serious?

After entering the national first team, table tennis shifted from being a hobby to becoming a responsibility and a mission.

Looking back, what helped you deal with the challenges you faced during your development as a player?

There were many difficulties, but I always treated each one as temporary. I would tell myself to think about how I might view today’s challenges ten years from now.

You stepped away from international table tennis for several years before returning. What was that period like, and what ultimately motivated your comeback?

During my time away from competition, I returned to school to continue my studies and later transitioned into a teaching role. Returning to the court wasn’t something I planned in advance. It came unexpectedly, driven by my love for the sport and the feeling that there were still things left unfinished.

How did it feel to win the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 title?

It’s not the most significant title I’ve won in terms of weight, but it was the most surprising and meaningful gift for me in 2026.

The final in Doha was an intense battle. What stayed with you most from that match?

At a point when both my physical strength and mental energy were nearly exhausted, I managed to overcome myself. That experience is extremely valuable to me at this stage of my career.

Zhu Yuling (right) hugs Germany’s Han Ying after the women’s singles semifinal match at the WTT Champions Doha 2026 in Doha – Photo by Nikku/Xinhua

You are now ranked world No. 5. How do you personally view rankings?

World rankings are just a form of statistics. I don’t pay too much attention to them.

What does it mean to represent Macao on the international stage?

Macao table tennis is relatively unknown internationally. I hope to let more people see and understand the broader possibilities of table tennis in Macao.

What advice would you give to young players in Macao who hope to follow a similar path?

You must dare to create dreams for yourself. If you believe in them, they can come true. I believe they will meet a better version of themselves along the path toward their dreams.

- Erico Dias

FIFA COMMITTEE MEETING | DOHA | QATAR

President of Young Africans(Yanga) Sports Club, Chairman of the African Clubs Association (ACA) and Member of the FIFA Club Competitions Committee, Eng. Hersi Said, in a group photo with the President of the World Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino, President of TFF Wallace Karia, and Deputy Chairman of ACA Jessica Motaung, at the first meeting of the FIFA Committee taking place today in Doha, Qatar.

FIFA CLUB MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

Doha, Qatar:  Young Africans (Yanga) Club President, Chairman of the Clubs Association (ACA) and member of the FIFA Club Competitions Committee, Eng. Hersi Said, arriving together with Young Africans Vice President Arafat Haji at the conference organized by the world football governing body (FIFA) for two days in the city of Doha, Qatar.0

President Hersi  has been selected to be among the experts who will avail his expertise on the topic of the Club Transformation System.

- Young Africans 

ANDREY RUBLEV VS. JACK DRAPER FOR YHE DOHA TITLE

 

CLARA TAUSON VS. MIRRA ANDREEV | DOHA FINAL | HIGHLIGHTS

 

COCO GAUFF VS. KOSTYUK | WTA HIGHLIGHTS | DOHA 2025

 

SABALENKA VS.ALEXANDROVA | DOHA | ROUND 2 HIGHLIGHTS

 

DOHA HIGHLIGHTS | WTA TOUR

 

AN INCH AND A MILE AWAY: INDIA'S FIFA WORLD CUP DREAM ENDS WITH ONLY THEMSELVES TO BLAME

India's Lallianzuala Chhangte wheels away in celebration after scoring the opener in the India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup qualifying match. Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images

 One inch, around about.

We can't be sure, but that's what it looked like. Youssef Aymen crept around the back post off a Qatar freekick and headed down powerfully at Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The India keeper patted it down, gloves open, and saw it roll back across the byline, just outside his post. That was it he thought, and the Indian defence with him. Which is when Hashmi Al Hussain stuck out his leg, dragged the ball back and laid it off for Aymen to tap it in from a yard out.

Cue uproar.

All the talk after India's defeat at Doha against a very under-strength Qatar team will be about this goal, the equaliser. India had earlier outplayed the hosts in the first half and taken the lead in the 37th thanks to an opportunistic piece of finishing from Lallianzuala Chhangte, and had held that lead till Al Hussain and Aymen pulled this off in the 73rd.

It hurt especially because of how good India had been until then. After a slow start, India had been sharp for large swathes of the first half. In this first match of the post-Sunil Chhetri era, Igor Stimac's men leaned on the collective and took the game to Qatar's young 'uns. Rahim Ali's selfless running and hold up play allowed Brandon Fernandes and Chhangte and Manvir Singh to get into the game, the forwards a whirlwind of constant motion.

Jeakson Singh dominated midfield while behind him Anwar Ali pinged passes around accurately. Jay Gupta bombed forward with aplomb. There were glimpses of real understanding between the players too: one-touch passing allowed them to swiftly cut through Qatar's midfield on many an occasion. Sure, there were a couple of last-ditch goal line clearances by the excellent Mehtab Singh, but moving forward India seemed a force.

In the second half, though, India seemed content to sit on the 1-0 lead and looked to be doing so comfortably till the equaliser. The moment it was given, India deflated. Having decided to go all-defensive they were ill prepared to do much about a change in scoreline. The way the match went after that, it was almost inevitable that the enterprising young Ahmed Al-Rawi would score one more for Qatar (in the 85th minute). And that's how it ended, India losing 1-2, knocked out of FIFA World Cup Qualifying by an inch that went unseen.

But was it all down to that one inch?

First, the incident itself. We have the luxury of multiple angles and slow motion to make the call. On the field, the referee was unsighted by the mass of players in front of him and his assistant was on the other flank. Once they had given the goal, neither could have been able to give enough credible reason to overturn it as it was essentially a 'he said, they said' situation.

And what is to say that the incessant pressure that Qatar had been building till then wouldn't tell by the end of the 90? Even if you take the unfairness of the decision into account, was it really *that moment* that cost India qualification?

Take a look back at the campaign, and it's plain that India had done very little to qualify on merit in what had been a relatively easy group of four. Across 540 + minutes in six matches, India scored three goals. They won just one game. While losses to Qatar were understandable, the other results weren't as easy to digest. They drew a winnable match against Kuwait and took just one point from the six that clashes with much lower ranked Afghanistan offered. The plan had never been to go into Doha needing a win - after all, you couldn't have predicted that the likes of Almoez Ali and Akram Afif would have been rested.

The Indian team - players, coaching staff, everyone associated with it - will be angered with the decision making of the referee on Tuesday night. And it's perfectly understandable that they would be... but once the red mist settles down, once the cold reality of Wednesday morning hits, it's time to introspect. Over this campaign neither the coaching nor the playing has been good enough to merit a place at the big boy table, one that was so eminently within reach. And it's time to shelve the excuses: Longer camps may or may not be available, Indians may or may not play as centre forwards for their clubs, and friendlies may or may not be arrange-able. But it's all part of the gig. Accepting responsibility for that isn't a shortcoming, it's arguably the start of the fix.

One inch may have made the difference on Tuesday, but over six months the gap to the top was much, much larger.

India's hope to qualify for a third straight Asian Cup remains alive, with many rounds to go in that yet, but the dream of playing the South Koreas and Australias of the world in the second round of World Cup qualifying will need to be shelved for another four years. And they only have themselves to blame.

- Anirudh Menon

ATP ROUNDUP: KAREN KHACHANOV ADVANCES IN DOHA

Karen Khachanov. Reuters 

 Second-seeded Karen Khachanov recorded a 6-4, 7-5 win over Fabian Marozsan on Wednesday in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

Khachanov, of Russia, fired six aces and benefited from three double faults by his opponent to dispatch the Italian in 88 minutes.

Top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia cruised past France's Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4.

The third seed, Ugo Humbert of France, also sailed through to the quarterfinal round with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Pavel Kotov of Russia.

Fourth-seeded Alexander Bublik had a tougher time in his match against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. The Kazakhstan native overcame six double faults and rebounded from a first-set misstep in his 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

Also Wednesday, Alexei Popyrin of Australia notched a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8), 6-1 victory over Frenchman Hugo Grenier, and Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Christopher O'Connell of Australia.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray of Great Britain fell in a tough three-set match to Czech 18-year-old Jakub Mensik, who ousted No. 5 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in the first round. Mensik needed three hours, 26 minutes to beat Murray 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).

France's Gael Monfils eked out a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2) victory over China's Zhang Zhizhen.