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AMMAN — Jordan plays Bahrain at 2:30pm Amman time on Thursday in their third Group E match at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the 18th edition of the tournament currently under way in Doha, Qatar.

Currently 87th in FIFA rankings, Jordan has nearly qualified to Round 2 and a draw would be enough against 86th ranked Bahrain to secure qualification after they beat 130th ranked Malaysia 4-0 and held world’s 23rd ranked Korea 2-2 to lead the group on goal difference. Thursday’s results will determine who the group’s top two will face in the next round, and  for Jordan its next opponents could be either Japan, Saudi or Qatar.

The top two teams from each group will move to the next round in addition to four best third placed teams. In other Group E matches, Korea beat Bahrain 3-1, while Bahrain  beat Malaysia 1-0.

The results have boosted team and fans’ morale after a series of defeats in earlier friendlies during preparation for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers. Under incoming Moroccan coach Hussein Amouta who took over the job in summer, the coach’s agenda and lineup came under scrutiny and results raised concerns, after the squad played 9 matches and only scored one win. 

Jordan led Korea 2-1 in extra time and were about to score a historic first time win but the match ended with an own goal, that nevertheless gave Jordan a positive result heading into their third group match. Noureddine Rawabdeh will miss the Bahrain match while others who were on the injury list might be among the coach’s choices, as he aims for an advanced placement in upcoming regional and international competitions while striving to revamp the team and create a competitive lineup for the future.

Amouta acknowledged there were defensive mistakes adding “We are working on addressing the gaps but the players are fully focused and able to overcome existing challenges.”

The Moroccan is hopeful for an advanced spot in the Asian Cup, as well as qualifying to the 2026 World Cup, with Asia allotted 8 slots in the next edition in additional to a zonal qualifier after expanding the number to include 48 nations.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic said he felt “trapped” in the heat during his battling quarter-final win against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday, which left him on track for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian World No.1 struggled with the conditions early in the contest but came through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The top seed used towels and ice packs in a desperate bid to cool himself down on a hot summer’s day in Melbourne, admitting it was “not an enjoyable match for me at all”.

“I tried everything I possibly can in the very short amount of time in the changeovers,” Djokovic said after the clash at Rod Laver Arena, which stretched to three hours and 45 minutes.

“But, you know, I think we both felt the effect of the heat. When you’re playing on a hard court, the heat is absorbed in the surface. So down there for us players, we feel probably even more heat than you would feel in the stands.”

He added: “The high level of tennis and intensity exerts a lot of effort, and you feel, you know, you’re spending a lot of energy and you don’t have much time to recover... you feel you’re trapped in this heat, inside and outside.”

The win was Djokovic’s 33rd consecutive victory in Melbourne, a startling run stretching back to 2018. He did not compete at the event in 2022 due to his coronavirus vaccination status.

The 36-year-old came into the match boasting a perfect 8-0 record against the American 12th seed.

And it was business as usual as the Serb — more used to playing night matches in Melbourne — edged a gruelling first set that lasted 84 minutes.

Fritz, 26, had two set points on the Djokovic serve in the 12th game, but the champion snuffed them out and dominated the subsequent tie-break to take control.

The top seed left the court afer the first set and when he returned he suffered the first break of the match.

Fritz, who survived eight break points in the opening set, fought off seven more break points during the second set to pull level.

Djokovic finally broke at his 16th attempt to wrest control of the third set and broke again to leave himself one set away from victory.

The Serb broke for the third time in the match in the sixth game of the fourth set when Fritz tamely dumped a forehand into the net.

A lucky net cord helped the American break back to stay alive but he doubled faulted in the following game to hand the initiative back to Djokovic and this time he made no mistake.

“The way I played in the third and fourth is something that I’m really pleased with,” said Djokovic.

Victory leaves him just two wins from standing alone as the only player in history — male or female — to have collected 25 Grand Slam singles titles.

Djokovic, who has never failed to win the Australian Open once he has reached the semi-finals, is level with Margaret Court on 24 majors.

But he is already out on his own in men’s tennis — two clear of the injured Rafael Nadal and four ahead of the retired Roger Federer.

MELBOURNE — Two-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev said on Monday he is good enough to take the next step and go all the way to the title at the Australian Open this year.

The Russian overcame stubborn resistance from Portugal’s Nuno Borges to book a place in the quarter-finals 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-1 and will meet Polish ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz next.

World No.3 Medvedev, whose only Grand Slam title was at the 2021 US Open, was a Melbourne finalist in 2021 and 2022, losing to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

But he said he had improved since then and was capable of making it count this time.

“I know what I’m worth. I know how good I can play,” he said.

“I proved it at the US Open, especially for myself, playing some tough opponents, in my opinion, like gamestyle-wise. I managed to beat them.

“I’m ready. Hopefully I can show it on the tennis court. We can talk forever who is ready, who is favourite. You need to win.”

The 28-year-old must first get past Hurkacz, who has one of the biggest and best serves in the game, using it to great effect against French wildcard Arthur Cazaux.

They have met five times before, with the Polish ninth seed winning the last two, both in 2022.

“He serves well. It’s tough to return his serve. By number of aces, he was number one, maybe actually the best serve last year,” Medvedev said.

“That’s going to be the key. I need to stay strong on my serve, don’t give him the break, either try to break him or go to the tie-break and try to win the tie-break.

“Going to prepare well mentally tomorrow.”

Before this year’s Australian Open, Borges had never won back-to-back Tour-level matches outside of Davis Cup and his lack of pedigree was ultimately exposed.

The key difference was the unforced error count, with Borges making 66 to Medvedev’s 34.

But it was nevertheless a sterling effort by the 26-year-old, who was the first Portuguese player ever through to the second week in Melbourne.

Medvedev’s baseline power was a standout factor in the first set, with the only break coming in the sixth game as the Russian dominated long rallies.

Borges bravely held his own until 3-3 in the second set before crumbling under the Russian’s unrelenting groundstrokes, conceding the break.

But the World No.3 then lost focus and his fourth double fault of the match at 30-40 in the next game put the set back on level terms.

It went to a tie-break, with Medvedev surviving another double fault to prevail.

The Russian manoeuvred to the cusp of victory at 5-2 in the third set, but Borges refused to go quietly, winning the next five games to keep the match alive.

It was a wake-up call for Medvedev, who raced through the fourth set in 24 minutes as Borges flagged.

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev overcame a fierce challenge from Britain’s Cameron Norrie to make the Australian Open quarter-finals after a gruelling five-set battle on Monday.

The German sixth seed won 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (10/3) in a match lasting more than four hours and will face second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight.

“At the end of the day it’s a Grand Slam and everyone is playing at their best here,” said Zverev. “Cam has definitely been playing amazing tennis and I’m just happy to get through.”

Both men were rock-solid on serve in the first set until Zverev won a compelling 16-shot rally to earn two break points in the 11th game, making the vital breakthrough when Norrie netted.

The German, who had won all four of their previous Tour-level matches, broke first in the second set to ramp up the pressure on his 19th-seeded opponent but Norrie then went on a four-game winning spree to level the match.

A single break was enough to give Zverev the third set and the roles were reversed in the fourth set as Norrie hit back.

The feel-good factor rapidly evaporated for the British number one, who dumped a forehand into the net to lose his serve in the opening game of the deciding set.

But he was back on level terms within minutes, breaking for the fourth time in the match.

A wild forehand from Norrie in the seventh game handed Zverev two more break points but he failed to capitalise.

The deciding set almost inevitably went to a tie-break, which turned into a one-sided affair. Zverev raced into an 8-2 lead and he closed it out.

The German has a career-high ranking of number two but has never won a Grand Slam.

He was runner-up at the 2020 US Open and has reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and the French Open.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic was at his dominant best in a straight-sets demolition job to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday, with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in equally ruthless touch.

The Serbian superstar recaptured his top form to surge into the last 16 after dropping sets in his opening two matches while ill, and he stepped up another level against Adrian Mannarino.

The French 20th seed, who at 35 is just a year younger than Djokovic, has been enjoying a late career resurgence.

But he was taught a lesson by the World No.1, who won the first 13 games in powering through to the last eight of a Grand Slam for the 58th time, equalling Roger Federer’s men’s record.

“I played great, from the first to the last point,” said the defending champion, who is red-hot favourite to collect an 11th Melbourne title and a record 25th Grand Slam crown.

“It’s going in a positive direction, health-wise, tennis-wise so I’m really pleased with where I am at the moment.”

He will face 12th-seed Taylor Fritz next after the American beat last year’s runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

“The times I have played him I haven’t brought my best level and you need to if you are going to complete with someone like Djokovic,” said Fritz of the Serb.

Djokovic almost always plays the night session on Rod Laver Arena, but was bumped to the afternoon this time.

That’s because home hope Alex de Minaur was in action, but he was unable to get past Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev who won a draining 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-0 epic.

It thurst him into a clash with in-form fourth seed Jannik Sinner, who blasted past last year’s semifinalist Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 and is yet to drop a set.

Defending women’s champion Sabalenka has also been in imperious form and was in complete charge against unseeded Amanda Anisimova on Margaret Court Arena, sweeping past the American 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth seed Coco Gauff, attempting to become the first woman to back up a US Open title with a Grand Slam win in Australia since Naomi Osaka in 2020-2021, has been almost as impressive.

She swatted aside Poland’s unseeded Magdalena Frech 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, with the 85-year-tennis legend watching from the stands.

“It was an honour to play in front of you, so thank you for coming to my match,” said 19-year-old Gauff, who had never progressed beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park in four previous attempts.

“First Aussie quarter-final. Super happy to be in this position and be here.... It’s cool to get over that hump.”

She will now meet Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who beat Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1.

With seven of the women’s top 10 seeds knocked out in the first week, including world number one Iga Swiatek, both Gauff and Sabalenka have a glorious chance to win their second major title.

They are on the same side of the draw and will not meet in the final, with a potential last-four clash looming instead.

Sabalenka has conceded just 11 games in four matches and is favoured to win another title to go with her breakthrough Grand Slam crown last year.

Should she go all the way, the 25-year-old will be the first woman to retain the title since compatriot Victoria Azarenka completed the feat in 2013.

“I’m getting stronger because I enjoy the atmosphere and I really want to stay here as long as I can, till the very last day,” she said.

Her next opponent will be ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova after she ended the dream run of Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who beat sixth seed Ons Jabeur on her way to the fourth round.

Andreeva pushed the Czech player to three sets, but ultimately could not find the killer blow.

DOHA — Jurgen Klinsmann praised his players’ response after South Korea avoided a major Asian Cup upset by the skin of their teeth in a 2-2 draw with Jordan on Saturday.

One day after Iraq beat tournament favourites Japan, the Koreans needed an injury-time own goal to salvage a point in Doha after Jordan had roared back from an early Son Heung-min penalty.

Klinsmann said the Group E encounter had been “very good to experience” as he targets South Korea’s first Asian Cup triumph in 64 years.

“We expected a difficult game and we got a difficult game,” said the German World Cup winner, with qualification for the last 16 still well within grasp not yet secured.

“After the leading goal we took the tempo out of the game, which was not very good, and we lost a lot of one-on-one battles.

“Those are the games that you learn a lot from.”

Son fired South Korea in front from the spot in the ninth minute but a Park Yong-woo own goal and a Yazan Al Naimat strike put Jordan ahead at half-time.

South Korea did not look like scoring for much of the second half but grabbed an equaliser when Yazan Al Arab deflected Hwang In-beom’s shot into his own net in the first minute of injury time at the end of the game.

A win for either team would have sent them through to the knockout rounds with a game to spare.

Klinsmann’s side beat Bahrain 3-1 in its opening match and face Malaysia in their final group game on Thursday.

“It’s important to see that when things don’t work out how the players react,” said Klinsmann.

“That was what I was really pleased with.”

Skipper Son dismissed the idea that the pressure of trying to win the Asian title after so long had got to him and his team-mates.

“There’s always pressure when you play for Spurs or the national team because everybody’s watching you,” the Tottenham attacker told beIN Sports.

“I always deal well with the pressure, I love the pressure.”

‘Beautiful goal’ 

Jordan, which beat Malaysia 4-0 and faces Bahrain next, is still also in a strong position to reach the last 16.

But coach Hussein Ammouta was disappointed not to claim a famous win.

“It’s normal to make mistakes at the start and end of the match because you’re talking about an excellent attacking team,” he said.

“What was important was that we played on a par with them. We spared no effort to try and preserve the result.”

Klinsmann was forced into one change from the opening game, bringing in goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo for Kim Seung-gyu.

Kim suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session and has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament.

Son tucked away his penalty after a VAR check ruled he had been fouled in the area and celebrated by holding up a goalkeeper’s shirt with Kim’s name on it.

Jordan began to threaten and equalised in the 37th minute when Park bundled the ball into his own net under pressure from Arab at the back post.

Naimat then lashed Jordan into a shock lead in the sixth minute of first-half injury time, drilling a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Naimat was disappointed it did not turn out to be the winner.

“Any player in our team or on our bench can score a beautiful goal,” he said.

“Beautiful or not beautiful, it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to win the game.”

AMMAN — Jordan faces Korea at 2:30pm Amman time on Saturday in their second Group E match at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the 18th edition of the tournament currently under way in Doha, Qatar.

It will be a serious and tough challenge for the Kingdom’s squad, as they face world’s 23rd ranked Korea with the top two teams from each group moving to the next round in addition to four best third placed teams.

Jordan’s Tamer Ta’mari and Mahmoud Mardi scored twice each while another goal was ruled offside in Jordan’s 4-0 opening win over Malaysia 4-0. Mardi suffered a slight injury but the team confirmed he will likely be ready for Saturday’s match.

However, the win over 130th ranked team is no indication of the competitive edge of 87th ranked Jordan whose coach is seeking for advancement placement in upcoming regional and international competitions while striving to revamp the team and create a competitive lineup for the future. 

Korea beat 86th ranked Bahrain 3-1 in the other Group E match as Jordan now leads the group on goal difference and plays their match against Bahrain on January 25.

Jordan has never defeated Korea in past five encounters, with two matches ending in draws and Korea winning the other three, with a scoring advantage of 5-2 to Korea.