Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen defeated Australian qualifier Elena Michik in the second round of the ATP Open tournament on Wednesday, advancing to the WTA quarterfinals. This marked her first appearance in a WTA quarterfinal since the Royal Club Championship in 2025, which took place thirteen months ago.
In the first encounter between the two athletes, Zheng demonstrated a strong start, achieving an early forehand winner and managing to break her opponent's serve to secure a quick 1-0 lead. She maintained her advantage throughout the entire first set, concluding it with a score of 6-4 thanks to another forehand winner.
Maintaining momentum, the world number 135 continued to dominate the second set, increasing her lead to 2-0 after executing a sharp backhand passing shot. Zheng completely controlled the remainder of the match, finishing the second set with a score of 6-1 with a powerful return, which secured her spot in the final eight.
On the first day of the 2026 Asian Chess Championship, held in Shenzhen, China, among young girls and boys aged 8 to 18, the Uzbekistan national team secured several prize places.
Matches in a rapid format took place on the first day of the continental championship. Among the young chess players who showed outstanding results, Rukia Alimova won third place out of 32 participants, scoring 5 points.
Furthermore, team member Nurmuhammad Ne'matillakhonov received a bronze medal, scoring 7 points among boys under 10 years old.
Today, July 17, matches in the blitz format of the continental championship begin, and the first rounds of games will take place throughout the day. It is worth noting that the 28th Asian Championship will last until July 25, and 21 talented chess player is defending the honor of Uzbekistan in this tournament.
Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić has been appointed to officiate the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup between Argentina and Spain. The match will take place at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19, and will be the first time an official representative from Slovenia will lead such a major football match.
The 46-year-old Vinčić stated that this appointment was a complete surprise for him, calling it an 'incredible honor.' After receiving information about the decision from the FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina, Vinčić initially felt disbelief. He shared his feelings, saying: 'First of all, shock. Then happiness. I was trembling. To receive an invitation to the FIFA World Cup final is an incredible honor.'
He noted that officiating at the World Cup final has been a dream for referees since the beginning of their careers, adding that he and his team are very proud. Vinčić becomes the 23rd referee in history to officiate a FIFA World Cup final and the first Slovenian to receive this honor. He emphasized his pride in representing his country, Slovenia, at the world's largest sporting event, noting that his team is also proud and will do its best.
During the current tournament, Vinčić has already overseen matches involving Brazil versus Morocco, Jordan versus Algeria, and Mexico's Round of 32 game against Ecuador. He also expressed gratitude to assistant referees Tomaz Klančič and Andraž Kovačič, stating that officiating is built on teamwork, and reaching the World Cup final would have been impossible without them.
Vinčić possesses significant experience, including his second participation in the FIFA World Cup after officiating two matches at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Furthermore, he has refereed several important European matches, such as the UEFA Europa League final in 2022 between 'Eintracht Frankfurt' and 'Rangers,' and the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between 'Borussia Dortmund' and 'Real Madrid.' His experience also includes officiating at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, including the semi-final between France and Spain, as well as matches at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Jordanian Adham Mahadmeh will also participate in the final, taking the position of fourth referee, and his compatriot Mohammed Al-Kalaf will serve as a reserve assistant referee.
USA national team coach Tim Rim shared his impressions of the situation after the team's defeat to Belgium in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He described the atmosphere in the locker room as a state of shock.
According to Rim, the team was trying to understand what happened on the field, as this match differed drastically from previous encounters. He noted that everyone was in a state of shock in the locker room, trying to figure out why and how the game went so poorly.
It is worth recalling that the USA national team lost to Belgium with a score of 1:4 in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, thereby ending its participation in the World Cup.
