26/02/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 26, 2026

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Medvedev suggests ranking system rethink

DANIIL MEDVEDEV beat Shang Juncheng yes terday to reach the last 16 of the Dubai Open but implored tour organisers to limit ranking points to only the most prestigious events to reduce player workload. A week after beating the Chinese world No. 262 in Doha, Medvedev again faced Shang and won 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match in the 500 level event in the UAE. After the victory, Medvedev said he would like to see more mandatory events in the calendar, but for ranking points only to be attributed to Masters-level events and Grand Slams in order to

Medvedev will next meet a fellow former Grand Slam champion when he faces 40-year-old Stanislas Wawrinka in the round of 16. Elsewhere in Dubai, second seed Alexander Bublik beat lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6 4. Former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated in straight sets by Ugo Humbert, while Jiri Lehecka won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 against Luca Nardi. Rising star Jakub Mensik downed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) to progress to the round of 16. – AFP

sometimes to the detriment of their bodies. “What happens is last year, Holger (Rune) got injured in Stockholm (250 event), everybody was like, ‘Yeah, but you don’t have to play it’. If he wants to be in Turin (for the ATP Finals), he has to, even if it’s not a mandatory tournament,” Medvedev said. “Last year, I played in seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad in the begin ning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 points here, be higher seeded next year. “If there would be no points there, at least it is an easier decision. But it’s not going to happen.”

convince players to enter less tournaments. “I would think the players would agree, from what I’m hearing, to making … even more man datory tournaments,” the 11th-ranked Russian told reporters. “I would say make four Grand Slams, I don’t know, 11 Masters, and that’s it. The other tourna ments (500- and 250-level events), maybe make them without points or something.” The 2021 US Open winner said that the chase for points to climb the rankings and reach the ATP Finals – reserved for the top eight in the world – causes players to increase their workload,

Sorloth scores hattrick Norwegian forward helps Atletico past Brugge, Leverkusen through to Champions League last 16 A LEXANDER SORLOTH’S hattrick fired Atletico Madrid into the Champions League last 16 The Rojiblancos twice lost the lead in Belgium last week against Ivan Leko’s side and it happened again a few minutes before halftime. Ordonez nodded home from on the goal-line after Brandon Mechele flicked on a corner into his path. Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen are through to the last 16 of the Champions League after a scoreless home draw with Olympiacos yester day, winning their playoff round tie 2-0 on aggregate.

with an emphatic 4-1 win over Club Brugge yesterday, progressing 7-4 on aggregate from the playoff round. Brugge could not keep the Norwegian target man at bay as he settled an entertaining tie with a display of lethal finishing at the Metropolitano stadium. After Joel Ordonez had cancelled out Sorloth’s opener, Johnny Cardoso smashed Atletico in front and Sorloth added two more goals late on to seal his team’s victory. “We did well to keep pushing on in attack, my teammates gave good passes to me and I just had to score,” Sorloth told Movistar . “I’m feeling very good at this moment of the season and finishing well in front of goal is a fantastic feeling for a striker.” Diego Simeone’s Atletico, who have never won the competition, took a few minutes to get going in the early exchanges and David Hancko blocked Hugo Vetlesen’s effort well as the visitors attempted to capitalise. However, the Spaniards took the lead when goalkeeper Jan Oblak went route one from the back, find ing Sorloth in a good position. Julian Alvarez headed wide as Atletico, ascendant, looked for a second.

Leverkusen were below their best but did just enough to qualify after last week’s comfortable first leg win in Greece. It was the first time Leverkusen made it through a two-legged Champions League knockout tie since they reached the final in 2002, when they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid. The 2024 German double win ners will face either Premier League leaders Arsenal or German champi ons Bayern Munich, who elimi nated Leverkusen at the last 16 stage last season. “The game didn’t go at all like we’d imagined. Too sluggish – really the only positive is that we kept a clean sheet and we’re through to the next round,” a frustrated Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich told Amazon Prime . “We needed more speed, more bite, both against the ball and with it – thankfully the opponent didn’t punish us.” Echoing his captain, Leverkusen midfielder Jonas Hofmann said coach Kasper Hjulmand “will probably go home and drink a beer out of frustration to wash down that performance. There’s nobody here who can be satisfied with that”. – AFP

Atletico went ahead shortly after the restart, with American mid fielder Cardoso hammering home from the edge of the box after the ball was cleared into his path. Atletico nervously held the lead until Sorloth gave them some breathing room with his second of the night. The forward then rounded off an excellent night by volleying home Matteo Ruggeri’s cross with three minutes to go. Sorloth, who netted twice against Espanyol on Sunday in La Liga, has 10 goals in 2026 to date, even though he is often rotated in and out of Simeone’s team. Atletico will face a Premier League side in the last 16, either English champions Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur. “I’m not thinking about Liverpool or Tottenham, I’m enjoy ing today’s game and being in the last 16 for another season is very important,” Simeone told Movistar . “I felt that (Sorloth) was in good form, he’s different to some of the other players we have … He was good in the last 15 minutes of the first leg (as a substitute), good last weekend against Espanyol and good once again today.”

Atletico Madrid’s Johnny Cardoso (left) celebrates scoring their second goal during the Champions League knockout phase, 2nd round match against Club Brugge at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Marquez targets eighth MotoGP title as season opens in Thailand

DEFENDING champion Marc Marquez launches his bid for a record-equalling eighth MotoGP world title as the season opens this week in Thailand. The Spaniard capped a remarkable comeback from injury last year, winning his first championship since 2019 after a gruelling struggle that almost forced him to hang up his helmet. The 33-year-old Ducati rider was in imperious form all season, winning 25 races including sprints and clinching the title with five events to spare. Marquez missed the last four races of the season after injuring his collarbone at the Indonesia grand prix with the title already in the bag. Now he is ready to go again, with his sights firmly set on equalling Italian legend Giacomo Agostini’s record eight premier class world titles. “We must fight for the title one more time,” Marquez told reporters in pre-season testing in Malaysia.

he will be confident of turning his youthful promise into a first grand prix win this season. The grid welcomes a new face in Toprak Razgatlioglu, a three-time Superbike world cham pion who is set to become the first rider from Turkey to compete in MotoGP. Known for his gravity-defying “stoppie” celebra tion, where he rides balancing only on his bike’s front wheel, the flamboyant 29-year-old brings spectacular skill to the competition. Brazil’s Diogo Moreira, last season’s Moto2 world champion, is another new addition after joining Pro Honda LCR. Moreira will get the chance to race in his home country as MotoGP returns to Brazil for the first time since 1992. This year’s competition will be the last before radical new bike regulations are introduced for the 2027 season. – AFP

Bagnaia had a season to forget, finishing fifth overall. The Italian will be desperate to rediscover the form that led him to the world title in 2022 and 2023, and he said in Malaysia that he was feeling good on his bike. “Being able to ride in the way I want and the way I prefer is much better, also for the technicians who need to understand more our feelings,” said Bagnaia, Marquez’s Ducati teammate. “So with this kind of feeling, we can work more, we can understand the items.” Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi impressed last season, winning three grands prix overall including the final two of the campaign. The Italian has made a strong start to 2026 and was fastest at the second pre-season test in Thailand last week, setting a new lap record in Buriram. Pedro Acosta of KTM also did well last year and

“We have the pressure. I mean, if you’re in the Ducati Lenovo team then you must fight for the championship, and that is what we will try to do.” Marquez spent the winter rehabbing from his latest injury and he admitted that he was not quite back to full fitness in Malaysia. He still put in an impressive performance, although it was his brother Alex Marquez who clocked the fastest times in Sepang. Alex Marquez finished last season as runner-up and he could well challenge his brother for the title again in a field packed with talent. No fewer than five current or former world champions will line up on the grid. As well as Marc Marquez, the list includes Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo and Joan Mir. Martin won the title in 2024 but his campaign last year was wrecked by injuries, which have con tinue to trouble him into the new year.