World No. 1 Elena Rybakina will bring the 2026 U.S. Open trophy to Astana and Almaty, where she will hold masterclasses for young athletes. However, the three-time Grand Slam champion will not represent Kazakhstan at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China. According to the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation,…
Rick Macci, a renowned American tennis coach who has worked with Venus and Serena Williams, named three qualities that he believes have helped Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina win Grand Slam titles and rise to world No. 1. According to Macci, Rybakina’s first major strength is her groundstrokes. Her relatively simple grips…
The draw for the Kazakhstan-Thailand Davis Cup tie, scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19, took place in Astana. The National Tennis Center Beeline Arena will host the event on hard court. The Kazakhstan-Thailand tie on the road to World Group I will open on Friday with a match between Alexander…
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the U.S. praised Elena Rybakina’s performance this season after Rybakina won the 2026 U.S. Open title. She said that Rybakina fully deserved to become world No. 1. Pegula suggested that the uncertainty over Rybakina’s participation in the tournament could have helped her psychologically. «She’s…
Undefeated Kyrgyz fighter Akbar Abdullaev earned a UFC contract after winning his bout on Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old knocked out Brazilian Ednilson Santos just 19 seconds into the first round. The lightweight bout took place during Week 6 of the tenth season of the Contender…
Kazakhstan’s national team is guaranteed to remain in at least League C after the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. UEFA has changed the promotion and relegation system because the tournament will be reduced from four leagues to three starting with the 2028-29 season. For Kazakhstan, the key change is the abolition…
Astana will host the 2028 UEFA Super Cup. The UEFA Executive Committee has chosen Astana Arena as the venue. The committee made the decision today, Sept. 15, during its meeting in Thessaloniki. Kazakhstan will host the UEFA Super Cup for the first time. The 2027 match is set to take…
Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player Alexander Bublik fell one position in the latest ATP rankings and now stands 17th. Separately, the national team’s coaching staff decided not to include him in the Davis Cup roster for the tie against Thailand. Bublik’s performance at the 2026 U.S. Open cannot be described as…
Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina has officially risen to No. 1 in the updated WTA rankings, becoming the 30th world No. 1 in the Open Era. Twenty-nine players had previously reached the top of the rankings in the Open Era, which began in 1968, when professionals and amateurs were allowed…
World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, who will officially become World No. 1 on Monday, defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the 2026 U.S. Open final. The 2026 U.S. Open women’s singles tournament has come to an end. This final echoed the 2026 Australian Open final, with…
World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, who will officially become No. 1 on Monday, defeated American Coco Gauff (No. 4) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the 2026 U.S. Open semifinal. The head-to-head score between 27-year-old Rybakina and 22-year-old Gauff was 1-1 before this semifinal, with both matches played on hard courts in…
Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina has commented on reaching No. 1 in the WTA rankings after defeating Qinwen Zheng in the 2026 U.S. Open quarterfinal. She admitted to experiencing intense pressure during the match but said she doesn’t want to attach much importance to her new status for now. Rybakina…
Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 2) has commented on the possibility of becoming the WTA world No. 1 for the first time in her career. After advancing to the 2026 U.S. Open quarterfinals, one more victory will be enough for Rybakina to move past Aryna Sabalenka and become…
Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina defeated Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the 2026 U.S. Open quarterfinals. She needs just one more win in New York to become the WTA world No. 1. Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik, who was playing doubles with China’s Shang Juncheng, withdrew from the tournament.…
The dramatic dispute over the medal standings at the 6th World Nomad Games ended with Kazakhstan being recognized as the overall winner. The organizing committee in Kyrgyzstan recounted the medals and acknowledged the Kazakh team as the tournament’s champion. Askat Alagozov, press secretary to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, made an…
Shavkat Rakhmonov, a well-known UFC fighter from Kazakhstan, considers himself the most serious opponent for UFC welterweight (77 kg) champion Islam Makhachev from Dagestan, Russia. In an interview with ALF Global, he said that he is «Islam’s most serious opponent,» admitting that Makhachev is the most serious opponent for him,…
World No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she does not pay much attention to the scenarios in the race for the top spot in the WTA rankings. The Belarusian could lose the No. 1 ranking to Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina (World No. 2) at the end of the 2026 U.S.…
Australian tennis player (ATP World No. 918) Nick Kyrgios tested positive for cocaine after playing at the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships in late June and had been provisionally suspended since Aug. 4. He is now eligible to return to competition after accepting a one-month suspension, the BBC reported. The 2022…
The 2026-27 UEFA Conference League draw took place in Monaco. Kairat Almaty was drawn in Pot 4 and will face Atalanta of Italy, Panathinaikos of Greece, Twente of the Netherlands, Universitatea Craiova of Romania, Mjällby of Sweden and Riga of Latvia. Panathinaikos, Universitatea Craiova and Mjällby will travel to Kazakhstan,…
Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the mixed doubles event at the 2026 U.S. Open after an injury ended her bid to become world No. 1. In the latest WTA rankings, released today, Rybakina remained No. 2, behind Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Had Rybakina reached the Cincinnati final, she…
The 2026 U.S. Open organizing committee has announced a record prize pool for the year’s final Grand Slam. The total prize pool for the New York major stands at $108 million, 20% higher than the previous record of $90 million set at the 2025 U.S. Open. The men’s and women’s…
Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 2) beat American Coco Gauff (World No. 4) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Canadian Open. Rybakina had faced Gauff only once before — also in Toronto, in 2022. In their second-round meeting, Rybakina lost to the then-18-year-old American 4-6,…
Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 2) commented on the possibility of closing the gap on World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA rankings. After advancing to the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, Rybakina still has a chance to cut Sabalenka’s lead to just four…
Baktybai Alpamysov, the father of Kazakh UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov, has died at the age of 65. According to Vesti.kz, he died on Aug. 2. A source close to the athlete’s team confirmed the information to the outlet. The news initially emerged after a social media post announced a memorial…
