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ROME — Novak Djokovic reached the last 16 of the Italian Open on Sunday after winning a battle with Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, while blistering Iga Swiatek thrashed Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-0.

Six-time Rome champion Djokovic initially looked in improved form compared to his sluggish tournament opener against Tomas Etcheverry but again had a fight on his hands against the former World No. 3.

“I think I’m getting close to the desired level. You can always play better but today I had a really good quality opponent and I think I delivered,” Djokovic told reporters.

No longer wearing the elbow brace he had in Friday’s second round match, Djokovic looked to have shaken off the injury which forced him to miss last week’s Madrid Masters.

The 22-time Grand Slam title winner lost his serve in the first game of the match, but broke back immediately and in game four broke again to tip the first set in his favour.

Djokovic served out to take the lead and in game three of the second set broke former World No. 3 Dimitrov, who handed the initiative to the Serb with a weak backhand into the net.

However, Dimitrov levelled the set at 4-4 with a break of his own, angering Djokovic who was convinced that the shot which won the game was long, and drew huge roars from the Foro Italico crowd when he claimed the set.

However, Djokovic has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of his 16 appearances in Rome and a powerful third set display ensured his passage into the fourth round.

“I was very happy to find the right rhythm in the first game of first set... That was super important to make a break early and hold things under control,” said Djokovic who will face Britain’s Cameron Norrie for a place in the quarterfinals

Losing finalist in Madrid last weekend, Swiatek looked again in imperious form as she breezed into the last 16 of the women’s draw.

The 21-year-old is trying for her third straight Rome title and made light work of Tsurenko after a slightly bumpy start.

Swiatek lost the first two games but then rattled off 12 in a row in a powerful demonstration of why she is World No. 1 and favourite to defend her Roland Garros title.

“I’m just trying to be consistent and trying to play my game. I treat every match as a final, I try to have the right mindset,” said Swiatek on court.

Swiatek now faces Donna Vekic, who saw off Ljudmila Samsonova 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, after extending her winning streak in the Italian capital to 13 matches.

Her bid for a Rome hat-trick will be helped by six of the world’s top 10 women players being eliminated early.

Fifth-ranked Coco Gauff of the United States was defeated by Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. It was Bouzkova’s third career Top 5 win but first on clay.

Also heading for the exit was World No. 8 Maria Sakkari who was beaten 7-5, 6-3 by Marketa Vondrousova. 

Gauff and Sakkari join World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, third-ranked Jessica Pegula, World No. 4 Caroline Garcia and seventh ranked Ons Jabeur in being dumped out of the tournament.

Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka withdrew with a right leg injury handing Madison Keys of the United States a free pass into the last 16.

Medvedev’s Rome joy

Daniil Medvedev won his first ever match in Rome, 6-4, 6-2 against Emil Ruusuvuori, the former US Open champion winning a second round match which was postponed to Sunday due to the torrential rain which hit the Italian capital on Saturday.

In much balmier conditions the World No. 3 was dominant on a clay court surface he is famous for not liking.

“Every time I come to a tournament I know I can play well, so I’m happy to finally get the win here in Rome,” said Medvedev.

Fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on home hope Lorenzo Sonego in the third round after finishing off Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-3.

World No. 7 Holger Rune eased past Italian veteran Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 to make the last 16 but eighth-ranked Jannik Sinner kept home hopes alive by seeing off Russia’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2.

PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain closed in on a record 11th French league title with a 5-0 home win over Ajaccio on Saturday as Lionel Messi received a mixed reception on his return from suspension.

Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring on 22 minutes at the Parc des Princes and Achraf Hakimi added a second goal before Kylian Mbappe struck twice shortly after half-time.

Mohamed Youssouf compounded a miserable night for the Corsicans with an own goal for PSG’s fifth, while Hakimi and Ajaccio midfielder Thomas Mangani were sent off after a late bust-up.

PSG need four points from their final three games — against Auxerre, Strasbourg and Clermont — to secure the Ligue 1 title after restoring their six-point lead over second-placed Lens.

“The players were very determined to put in a proper display. They want to be champions and they realise that Lens aren’t giving up and a misstep could raise the pressure,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier.

Messi’s name elicited a combination of whistles and applause when it was read out before kick-off after he was banned by the club for last weekend’s match over an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

The Argentine again drew jeers with his early touches in what was likely his penultimate appearance in Paris ahead of a reported move to Saudi Arabia for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“So there are whistles but very quickly a large part of the stadium made sure to drown them out to support Leo,” said Galtier.

“He stayed focused with the desire to liven up the game and create chances. He’s used to it because he’s been in difficult situations in his career.” 

Three defeats in their past four home games for PSG had allowed Lens to stay in an unlikely title race, but Ajaccio offered little resistance as their relegation to Ligue 2 was confirmed.

Danilo’s threaded pass was flicked into the path of Ruiz and the Spain midfielder took a couple of smart touches before finishing clinically for his second goal in as many games.

Hakimi then swept in the rebound after Mbappe’s effort was parried by Francois-Joseph Sollacaro, with the goal allowed to stand despite the France striker using his arm to control in the build-up.

Mbappe hit the 25-goal mark for the fourth time early in the second half, slotting beyond Sollacaro after a scramble in the box to take over again as the league’s top scorer this term.

He then produced a brilliant first-time volley to lash in PSG’s fourth minutes later after a long ball forward from Sergio Ramos glanced off the head of a backtracking defender.

An unfortunate Youssouf diverted a shot from Marquinhos into his own net on 73 minutes and both teams finished with 10 players after a challenge on Messi triggered a needless scuffle.

Hakimi, who was sent off against Lorient two weeks ago, received his second red card in as many outings after getting into an altercation with Mangani that also led to his dismissal.

Senegalese forward Habib Diallo scored inside the opening minute of a Ligue 1 game for the third time this year as he got both goals in Strasbourg’s 2-0 win over Nice.

Diallo took his goals tally to 20 for the season and secured a fourth victory in five matches for Strasbourg which lifted them six points clear of the relegation zone.

Over two-thirds of his goals have come since January, when Strasbourg were second from bottom having won just once in 18 games.

His first against Nice came after 40 seconds as he controlled Ibrahima Sissoko’s floated ball over the defence and steered past Kasper Schmeichel.

Diallo added a second from the penalty spot on the hour after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was brought down in the area by Jordan Lotomba.

He is the first Strasbourg player to reach 20 goals in a top-flight season since 1977-78.

ROME — Novak Djokovic fought his way into the third round of the Italian Open on Friday, beating Tomas Etcheverry 7-5 (7/6), 6-2 in a surprisingly tight encounter.

A six-time winner in Rome, the World No. 1 was made to work by the 61st-ranked Argentine, prevailing in one hour, 51 minutes to set up a third round clash with Grigor Dimitrov who beat Stan Wawrinka.

Djokovic, a 22-time Grand Slam title winner, has not been knocked out of an ATP Tour event at the first attempt since the Monte Carlo Masters last year.

Still nursing an injury to his right elbow he had to battle his way past Etcheverry, winning the first set via a tie-break before finally ensuring passage into the next round.

“I’ve said before that this surface requires more time for me than maybe for other players to get myself to a good level, move well and hit the ball well. Rome has always been a tournament that I need for Roland Garros,” said Djokovic who was plagued by 21 unforced errors in the opener.

Djokovic appeared unwell at 5-5 in the first set and took a tablet in the changeover.

“You act like you’re 100 per cent,” Djokovic said.

“Most of the times I guess you’re not, but you want to show your opponent that you’re out there trying to fight for every ball. I guess that’s what happened, it’s kind of cat-and-mouse always on clay.”

Djokovic, 35, has made 12 finals in Rome and said on Thursday that he was feeling good ahead of the tournament despite missing last week’s Madrid Masters.

Wearing an elbow brace he made a slow start, dropping his serve in the first game and struggling to deal with the Argentine’s powerful shots.

The first set hinged on a scrappy game six, in which Djokovic broke to level the scores following a battle at deuce.

From there, the set went with the serve until Djokovic won the final four points in the tie-break to take the lead.

Djokovic then kicked up a level, breaking serve in the first and seventh games of the second set to give the match a more straightforward look than Etcheverry’s performance deserved. 

World No. 7 Holger Rune marked his Rome debut with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Arthur Fils of France.

“He made it tough. He’s young, younger than me. It feels kind of crazy because I think this is the second time in my life I’m playing someone that’s younger,” said 20-year-old Rune.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek started her bid to win a third straight Italian Open WTA title by demolishing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-0.

Losing finalist in Madrid last weekend, Swiatek looked in great form in the tournament she won last year before going on to blitz the French Open even though she is shaking off a rib injury suffered at Indian Wells.

“I still may feel some discomfort, but it is really, really low. Even when I withdrew from Miami, the pain was low. It was just the risk of getting it worse that stopped me,” Swiatek told reporters.

The Pole’s path to another Rome title opened up on Thursday when World No. 2 and third-ranked Jessica Pegula were knocked out.

Swiatek faces Lesia Tsurenko in the last 32 after extending her winning streak in the Italian capital to 12 matches.

Last year’s losing finalist, fourth seed Ons Jabeur fell 6-1, 6-4 to Paula Badosa.

The 28-year-old Jabeur has had calf problems in recent weeks, an injury which caused her to retire in the semifinals at Stuttgart and not defend her Madrid title.

Badosa will face World No. 27 Marta Kostyuk in the third round.

Earlier, Jannik Sinner cruised into the men’s last 32 with a straight-sets win over Thanasi Kokkinakis, 6-1, 6-4.

World No. 8 Sinner took one hour, 18 minutes to deal with the Australian qualifier and will play Russian Alexander Shevchenko, who beat Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-4.

Rome has not seen an Italian tournament winner since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

MILAN — Inter Milan have one foot in the Champions League final after an impressive 2-0 win over AC Milan in Wednesday’s pulsating last-four derby.

Inter have the upper hand ahead of Tuesday’s second leg of the biggest Milan derby of a generation thanks to strikes in the first 11 minutes from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Inter could have won by a wider margin as Hakan Calhanoglu smashed a shot off the post and Dzeko wasted a great chance early in the second half, but they are still heavy favourites to reach the final of Europe’s top club competition for the first time since they last won it 13 years ago.

“Sometimes I don’t score goals and that’s all anyone talks about, but I also give something else,” Dzeko told Prime Video after his third goal since January.

“Today I worked for the team and that was what was needed in such a big match.”

Reaching the final would be extra sweet for Inter as it would avenge semi- and quarterfinal eliminations at the hands of Milan in 2003 and 2005.

The winners of the tie will face holders Real Madrid or Manchester City in the June 10 showpiece in Istanbul. The first leg of that semifinal finished 1-1 in Spain on Tuesday.

Milan, who also struck the woodwork through Sandro Tonali, have their work cut out if they want to have a chance at being crowned European champions for the eighth time and will hope Rafael Leao is available for next week’s decisive clash.

The absence of star man Leao left Milan without their key attacking threat and allowed Inter to play more on the front foot knowing their opponents didn’t have the Portugal winger’s pace in their armoury.

“We conceded two quick goals, and against Inter that’s difficult to come back from,” Milan defender Fikayo Tomori told Prime Video.

“We’re disappointed, we could have done better, especially at the beginning, but we need to believe if we’re going to reach the final.”

One team in it

A colourful San Siro was nearly full an hour before kick-off, with both sets of fans exchanging chants and insults before the huge displays traditional to the fixture were unfurled as the teams came out.

But once the match was underway there was really only one team on the pitch, with nominal away side Inter looking the more settled and dynamic off the back of five straight wins and the recent hot form of their attack.

It didn’t take long for the away side to open the scoring and it was a fabulous Dzeko goal which did it in the eighth minute. 

The Bosnia striker held off Davide Calabria and met Calhanoglu’s inswinging corner with a perfect volley which left Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan with no chance.

With their tails up and their fans falling over each other with joy in the Curva Nord, Inter went for Milan and three minutes later Mkhitaryan doubled their lead.

Federico Dimarco was set scampering down the left flank and his low cut-back was first left by Lautaro Martinez and then collected by Armenian midfielder Mkhitaryan, who smashed in his fifth goal of the season.

Milan escaped being three goals down after just a quarter of an hour when Calhanoglu nearly silenced the boos of his former supporters with a long-range drive which crashed out off the post.

And Martinez then won a penalty which was rightly overturned by referee Jesus Gil Manzano following a look at the pitch-side monitor.

Dzeko should have all but sealed the tie when one-on-one with Maignan in the 53rd minute and not long after, while Milan’s fans unleashed a volley of flares and explosives, Tonali held his head in despair after striking the bottom of the post.

However, that was the last major chance of the game for Milan as Inter comfortably held off their rivals for the final half an hour and then bathed in the applause of their supporters who are dreaming of a trip to Turkey. 

RIYADH — Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season under a blockbuster deal, a source close to the negotiations in the kingdom told AFP on Tuesday.

The deal would mean Messi potentially joins his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi league as the Gulf state lavishes its oil wealth on sport.

There was no confirmation from Messi’s current club Paris Saint-Germain, who noted simply that he was under contract until June 30 when contacted by AFP.

The source said Messi will sign a “huge” deal with an as-yet-unnamed Saudi club just months after the 35-year-old lifted the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar in December.

“Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season,” said the source, who is not authorised to speak to media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The contract is exceptional. It’s huge. We are just finalising some small details,” added the source.

A separate PSG source said the Qatar-owned French club had not offered Messi a new deal.

“If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have been done earlier,” that source said.

Despite several reports linking Messi with Al Hilal, one of the top Saudi teams, club sources told AFP they had not been in direct contact with PSG.

Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge insisted Tuesday his son has not decided where he will play next season.

“There is absolutely nothing agreed with any club for next year,” Messi’s father wrote on Instagram.

“The decision will not be made before Lionel finishes the league with PSG.”

Just five years after allowing its first non-Muslim tourists visit and letting women drive, Saudi Arabia is attempting to open up its conservative society and diversify its oil-reliant economy.

The world’s biggest oil exporter has thrown hundreds of millions at sports deals including Ronaldo’s signing, Formula One in Jeddah and the LIV Golf tour.

Messi was suspended by Qatari-owned PSG last week for an unauthorised mid-season trip to Saudi, where he is a tourism ambassador.

He has also been heavily linked to a return to his former club, Barcelona. A spokesman for the Spanish La Liga leaders said, “We don’t know anything about that,” when asked about a potential Saudi deal.

Messi’s long-time sparring partner Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in a massive deal in January.

Ronaldo’s agreement to June 2025 is said to total more than 400 million euros ($439 million), making him the world’s highest paid athlete according to Forbes.

Both deals — along with others including LIV Golf and the 2021 purchase of Newcastle United football club — are being bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), one of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds, the source said.

In any transfer involving such enormous financial stakes, last-minute changes are not unusual.

However, the source in Saudi Arabia said the negotiations with Messi had gone smoothly.

“The negotiations didn’t take as much time as the ones with Ronaldo. As we now know the recipe to contract world-class players,” the source said.

“It’s Saudi Arabia that brought him, not a specific club. The money comes from one place — PIF.”

Ronaldo, 38, has not been a guarantee of success at Al Nassr, who have slipped off the top of the Saudi Pro League and missed out on silverware in the Saudi cup competitions.

But Messi is also intended to raise the profile of Saudi Arabia as it tries to bring in tourists and investment, the source said.

“He is a player at the end of his career and he is not here only for football. He is here to secure international attraction for the kingdom,” said the source who is following the Messi negotiations.

“The plan is not only Messi and Ronaldo, the plan is to bring glorious players like these two and also upcoming youth players who have a promising future.”

Messi has had two lacklustre seasons in Paris after a glorious era at Barcelona where he won four Champions League and 10 La Liga titles, and is still worshipped by the fans there.

The record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, joining a mouth-watering attack featuring Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, scored just 11 goals in his first season as he helped PSG to a routine Ligue 1 title.

But PSG have got no closer to a coveted maiden Champions League victory, bowing out twice in the last 16 with the illustrious Argentine in their line-up.

Saudi Arabia has held talks with Egypt and Greece about a joint World Cup bid, according to officials. In coming years it will hold the men’s Asian Cup football tournament, the Asian Games and even the Asian Winter Games on artificial snow.

MILAN — Milan is gearing up for its biggest local derby in a generation as two of Europe’s grand old clubs face off on Wednesday in a blockbuster Champions League semifinal.

Two clashes full of colour, noise and drama await in one of the continent’s football capitals, AC Milan and Inter Milan battling at the San Siro for the chance to take the Italian city’s European trophy tally to 22.

Milan and Inter are no longer true giants like the other semifinal’s contenders Real Madrid and Manchester City but Wednesday’s match will be unbeatable for atmosphere and played in one of football’s most evocative arenas.

“The atmosphere at the stadium is incredible... Everyone here is a fan, men and women alike. The pressure is there all the time,” said AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu in an interview with AFP.

“When you first arrive here you don’t feel all that involved, but after a while you begin to feel that passion. You can feel that it’s a match which can change your season.

“You kind of go back to being a kid scoring a goal in the playground. You put all that in the Champions League and I can’t imagine what these matches will be like.”

Both team’s seasons hinge of the result of the all-Italian tie, with qualification for next year’s competition far from certain thanks to disappointing league campaigns which left last season’s main Serie A title challengers miles behind newly-crowned champions Napoli.

Inter, though, come into the match in blistering form and with a previously misfiring attack suddenly banging in the goals left and right.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have won five on the bounce, scoring 14 times in that run. Of those goals 10 have been scored by the forwards, with Romelu Lukaku in particular suddenly finding some form towards the end of what has been a largely dismal return on loan from Chelsea.

Since the start of April Lukaku has scored five times and set up four more in all competitions, and his well-taken goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Roma was the latest sign the Belgium striker might be getting back to his best.

Electricity

Lukaku wants to stay at Inter but there is little chance that his loan will be extended beyond the end of a season which could end with them crowned European champions or not even in the competition 

“The most important thing is Inter. All I can focus on is helping the team,” said Lukaku.

Strike partner Lautaro Martinez has netted six times in as many appearances and set up three after breaking a worrying eight-match scoring drought and even Edin Dzeko is back in the goals after not scoring since January.

Milan, meanwhile, are sweating on the fitness of Rafael Leao, who in recent weeks has shown just how important he is to Stefano Pioli’s attack but picked up a thigh injury in the weekend’s win over Lazio.

Of the eight matches this season which Leao has either missed through injury or not started, Milan have won only one.

The Portugal winger has started every single one of Milan’s 10 continental matches and was crucial to their getting past newly-crowned Italian champions Napoli in the last eight.

Leao played the crucial pass for both Milan’s goals in the tie and his burst downfield for Olivier Giroud’s decisive tap-in in Naples exemplified the difference he brings to the team when he’s in the mood.

Without him Milan’s chances against an in-form Inter will diminish as the left flank, with Theo Hernandez, is such an important part of the way the team attack.

“We need to enjoy everything that will surround us up until the minute before kick-off, then we need to unload everything we have,” said Pioli at the weekend.

“Inter are in great form right now, and they’re a great team. I don’t think we’re favourites but it doesn’t matter, we’re in good shape.

“We’re in a Champions League semifinal, for almost all of us it’s the first time. We need to feel the electricity, the excitement of the occasion.”

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — World champion Max Verstappen powered from ninth on the grid to beat teammate Sergio Perez and extend Red Bull’s all-conquering start to the season with victory at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

The win — Red Bull’s fifth from five races this season — extends Verstappen’s lead at the top of the standings to 14 points and follows his triumph in the inaugural Miami race last year.

The 1-2 for Red Bull is their fourth in five races so far this year as the team utterly dominate the sport leaving their rivals to battle for the third podium position.

Aston Martin’s Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso took third for his fourth podium in five races this season as he continues to enjoy his late career revival.

Verstappen had to work hard for his third victory of the campaign after his disappointing performance in Saturday’s qualifying left him in the middle of the grid.

But the speed of the Red Bull car, combined with smart decisions on tyres, meant that the Dutchman was able to quickly get himself in contention and then produce a late surge to beat his teammate Perez, who remains second in the standings.

Perez, starting on pole, made the perfect start, racing clear of his rivals but Verstappen, on hard tyres, quickly moved through the field and took just 15 laps to reach second place behind his teammate.

‘Very satisfying’

Perez pitted on lap 20 allowing Verstappen to take the lead but the Dutchman had to give that up when he went into the pits on lap 46, changing to the medium compound tyres and coming out 1.2 seconds behind.

It took just two laps for Verstappen, who won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix a year ago, to take advantage of his fresher tyres with better grip as, after a brief joust, he overtook the Mexican, on 25-lap-old tyres, to take the lead.

Verstappen’s 38th win for Red Bull equals the team record set by Sebastian Vettel and is the first time a driver has won from exactly ninth on the grid since Niki Lauda at the French Grand Prix in 1984.

“I took the cars off one by one and then I could stay out really long on the hard tyres and that’s where we I think made the difference,” said Verstappen.

“For sure winning a race from P9 is always very satisfying,” he said.

It was a disappointing day for Perez, who after his victory in Baku last week, had a great chance to win from pole but was left frustrated with the tyre choice.

“I think the medium initially was really poor. It wasn’t expected and that really compromised our pace,” said Perez.

“Then, in all honesty, I think Max had tremendous pace on that hard tyre and I have got to analyse what happened today because we simply didn’t have the pace,” he added.

Mercedes had some consolation at the end of a difficult week with George Russell taking fourth place ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had described the car as a “nasty piece of work” after qualifying but Russell was delighted with his fourth.

“I am feeling pumped to be honest because it has been a while since we had a good race like that where we made overtakes stick,” he said.

“I would have liked to have been three positions higher but we know the position we are as a team right now and P4 was the maximum today,” he added.

Charles Leclerc, who crashed late in qualifying and started seventh on the grid, finished in seventh place on another disappointing day for Ferrari.

“There’s really a lot of work to do,” said Leclerc, “We have a car that has a good feeling under ideal conditions, but as soon as you get away a bit it gets complicated. We need a more consistent car especially in the race.” 

“It’s a very difficult situation because you can fight in qualifying, but then in the race you have to accept that you are passed.”

The Alpine pair of French drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocan finished eighth and ninth with Dane Kevin Magnussen finishing tenth.

It was a tough debut in his homeland for American rookie Logan Sargeant of Williams who had to pit early after losing his front wing and ended last.

AMMAN — Twenty-five crews and competitors from seven nations grace the entry list for the Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on 18-20 May, according to the Jordan Rally Media Service. Multiple regional champion Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah heads the field in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.

He faces competition from Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi in a Škoda Fabia R5, 16 crews competing in a variety of Mitsubishis and Subarus in the MERC2 category and seven local teams running at the rear of the field. 

Attiyah again teams up with Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel, as the Qatari chases a record-breaking 16th win in the Hashemite Kingdom and his partner aims for personal win number eight.  Rawahi and local co-driver Ata Al Hmoud will offer the closest realistic challenge on an event where 15-time Rally of Lebanon winner Roger Feghali heads the impressive line-up of MERC2 contenders in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. Main competition for the Lebanese is likely to come from regular MERC2 series front-runner and multiple champion Meshari Al Thefiri.

A strong Jordanian line-up consists of entries from Shaker Jweihan, Issa Abu Jamous, Ameer Nassif, Shadi Shaban, Sheikh Bader Al Fayez, Fadi Darshan, Sami Fleifel, Ihab Al Shorafa and the talented young Mustafa Al Atari. Also registered in the MERC2 section are Palestine’s Hamada Odeh, Lebanese series regular Ahmad Khaled, Kuwait’s Yousef and Salem Al Dhafeeri and Oman’s Zakariya Al Aamri. The Jordanian septet of Feisal Al-Ghammaz, Nancy Al Majali, Ibrahim Al Ali, Asem Aref, Hashem Kalbouneh, Ghaith Qubti and Ziad Miqdad will run in a National Rally behind the FIA field. Jordan Motorsport has again laid on 12 special stages and 205.22km competitive kilometres in a total route of 588.88km. Support for this year’s event comes from Zain Jordan, Hala and Bliss FM.