Horse Racing

Doha, Qatar: Lady De Faust delivered an emphatic performance to land the Athbah Cup with a win Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden over 1400m feature race at Al Uqda Racecourse yesterday. Making her 9th career start and 2nd appearance in Qatar, the 5YO bay mare built on her 4th place finish in the 4YO PA Oaks in December, asserting her authority with ease. Under a hands-and-heels ride in the home straight, she powered clear to score by 5 lengths, completing a double on the evening for owner Khalifa bin Sheail Al Kuwari, trainer Julian Smart and jockey Pierre Charles Boudot. Pierre Charles Boudot guides Lady De Faust to Athbah Cup victory. PICS: Juhaim/QREC Head of Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s Racing Operations Section Rashid Saed Adiba presented the trophies to the winners. Earlier in the seven-race meeting, Ghafan powered clear to win a Local Thoroughbred Handicap over 1200m by 3¼ lengths, producing a strong finish under Jefferson Smith for owner-trainer Ibrahim Khaled Elahmed, with Barq Al Atam and Al Nasr Al Washeek completing the frame. Khalil Du Croate returned to winning form in a Purebred Arabian Handicap over 2200m, edging out Jalaad Al Shahania by a quarter length, with Farhan finishing third. The gelding was ridden by Boudot for trainer Smart. In Local Thoroughbred Handicap over 2100m, Al Gamamah claimed title winning by a head under Tomas Lukasek for owner-trainer Ibrahim Saeed Ibrahim Al Malki. RB Hot Mess produced a decisive late surge over 2200m in a Purebred Arabian Handicap, scoring by three lengths for owner Yosuf Ahmad Telfat, trainer Bader Al Balushi and jockey Alberto Sanna, with Dahman Al Shahania and Namar completing the placings. Al Shalfa SK shed her maiden tag in a Local Thoroughbred Handicap over 1200m, taking the lead in the home straight to win by a length for owner Lekhreib Stud, trainer Abdulla Dhabit Aldosari, and jockey Salman Fahad Al-Hajri. Meanwhile, Bin La Hoor finally broke his maiden in a Local Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate over 2200m, scoring by a length on his tenth career start. Ridden by Szczepan Mazur for trainer Mohammed Hassan Al Matwi, he produced a strong late surge to claim victory, with Agshar and Al Qaws completing a tight finish. 35th Al Uqda Race Meeting - Athbah Cup WINNERS: (Horse, Trainer, Jockey) Athbah Cup, Purebred Arabian Premium Maidens Lady De Faust, Julian Smart, Pierre Charles Boudot Local Thoroughbred Handicap (55-80) Ghafan, Ibrahim Khaled Elahmed, Jefferson Smith Purebred Arabian Handicap (75-95) Khalil Du Croate, Julian Smart, Pierre Charles Boudot Local Thoroughbred Handicap (45-65) Al Gamamah, Ibrahim Saeed Ibrahim Al Malki, Tomas Lukasek Purebred Arabian Handicap (45-65) RB Hot Mess, Bader Al Balushi, Alberto Sanna Local Thoroughbred Handicap (0-45) Al Shalfa SK, Abdulla Dhabit Aldosari, Salman Fahad Al-Hajri Local Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate Bin La Hoor, Mohammed Hassan Al Matwi, Szczepan Mazur

Football

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Stars League club Al Sailiya escaped a tense showdown, triumphing 5-4 on penalties against Muaither to secure a spot in the Round of 16 of the 54th Amir Cup. The preliminary-round clash at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium ended 1-1 after regulation time, sending the contest to a dramatic shootout. Algeria’s Mohamed Benyettou put Al Sailiya ahead in the 71st minute, while Al Muaither’s Morales struck a dramatic equaliser in the sixth minute of added time to force the contest into a penalty shootout. Al Sailiya were reduced to ten men in the 75th minute after Osama Al Tairi was shown a red card. Al Waab also advanced to the Round of 16 after securing a 2-0 victory over Lusail in another preliminary-round game. The match was evenly contested, with Lusail, leaders of the Second Division, coming close to scoring early when a powerful effort struck the post. Al Waab eventually broke the deadlock in the 40th minute through Osinio Cesar, who created space for himself before netting with a low left-footed shot. The lead was doubled in the second half when Baha Faisal converted from the penalty spot, sealing qualification for Al Waab. At Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Kharaitiyat defeated Al Bidaa 2-1 to secure their place in the last 16. It marked the second consecutive season in which Al Kharaitiyat have eliminated their rivals at the same preliminary stage of the Amir Cup. Al Kharaitiyat went into the break with a two-goal advantage, with Yanis Fathallah opening the scoring two minutes before half-time, followed by Jordan Yuri’s strike in stoppage time of the first half. Al Bidaa pulled one back in the 63rd minute when Cristian Bello converted a penalty, but Al Kharaitiyat held firm to see out the victory. Al Markhiya completed the list of qualifiers after overcoming Mesaimeer 2-1 at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium. Al Markhiya made a flying start, opening the scoring in the fifth minute through Hamza Al-Sanhaji before Lucas Firmo doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 25th minute. Mesaimeer reduced the deficit in the 32nd minute through Mohammed Al Junaidi, but Al Markhiya maintained their lead for the remainder of the match to advance to the next round of the tournament.

Table Tennis

Doha, Qatar: World No.22 Ying Han stunned top seed Wang Manyu in a dramatic quarter-final clash to advance in the WTT Champions women’s draw at the Lusail Sports Hall, while top favourite Lin Shidong of China survived a scare to reach the men’s semis yesterday. China’s Manyu, the current world no.2, fell to her German counterpart 3-4 in the marathon see-saw clash, which took a little over an hour to complete. Han, ranked 22nd in the world, struck first with an 11-6 win, firing an early warning of a potential upset. Manyu responded strongly to take the second game 11-4, but Han regained the lead by winning the third 11-7, only for Manyu to level again with a tight 12-10 fourth game. Han surged ahead in the fifth, winning 11-4, but Manyu forced a decider by taking the sixth 11-8. In the deciding game, Han held her nerve to win the game 11-6 to close out the gripping contest to secure a famous win. “Of course, I am extremely pleased with my performance because I have never beaten her before; the best I ever did was win one game against her. My goal today was to win two games, and when I won the third game, I started to get a little bit of belief. And then I just wanted to give it my all for every point,” Han said after the win. Han will now take on No.6 seed Zhu Yuling in today’s semi-final. Macau’s Yuling prevailed in another thriller later at the Lusail Sports Hall, outplaying Chinese fourth seed Wang Yidi 4-2 (11-5, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8) in a 55-minute affair. Japan's Miwa Harimoto bowed out of the women’s singles quarter-final after a tight 3-4 loss to China’s Chen Xingtong . Chen will take on China’s Kuai Man, who defeated Japan’s Miyu Nagasaki 4-1 later. Meanwhile, on the men’s side, top seed Lin Shidong of China avoided an upset when he edged past compatriot and sixth seed Liang Jingkun 4-2 in a blockbuster quarter-final. Following a high-intense clash, Shidong took control in the closing stages to seal the victory with a scoreline of 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9 to book a semi-final meeting with South Korea’s Jang Woojin, who shocked world No.5 Truls Moregard. Woojin, the World No.18, surprised the Swede with his dominant play, taking the opening two games 11-5 and 11-7. Moregard responded by claiming the third 11-9, but Woojin closed out the contest with convincing wins of 11-3 and 12-10 to seal a memorable victory. Japan’s Tomakazy Harimoto also reached the semis when he defeated Feliz Lebrun of France 4-2. Harimoto will meet compatriot Sora Matsushima or Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei next. The finals of the WTT Champions, part of the 31st edition of the Qatar International Table Tennis Championship, will take place today. As part of the combined Championships line-up, the WTT Champions event will be followed by the WTT Contender Junior event from January 19 to 22, and the WTT Star Contender Junior from January 23 to 25. The month-long series concludes with the WTT Feeder Doha 2026 Tournament from January 27 to 31.