Sports
Mourinho lauds ‘incredible’ Güler as Turkish star fights for gametime
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hailed his Turkish playmaker Arda Güler Monday ahead of the team’s visit to face Elche in La Liga Tuesday.
The Turkish midfielder came on as a substitute in Madrid’s 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano Saturday and helped steady the team when they were wobbling under pressure.
Güler is not assured of a starting place at Madrid, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all part of Mourinho’s regular side.
The 21-year-old is competing with record signing Yan Diomande and Brahim Diaz among others for minutes, ahead of the central midfield duo.
“There are people more qualified than me to talk about his development, people who have been here since he arrived, about how he’s transformed physically,” Mourinho told reporters.
“But for me, his quality of play is incredible – his vision, his decisionmaking, his playmaking, the stability he brings to the team, his creativity … For me, he’s a player with fantastic potential who already has some very impressive stats,” he said.
Güler has shown he has a strong link with Mbappe on the pitch, regularly combining well with the French forward, including for Madrid’s fourth goal against Rayo.
Mourinho, however, said he would not go completely overboard with praise for Güler, who arrived from Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe in 2023.
“Maybe I don’t want to go so far as to say ‘top, top, top’ three times, but I can definitely say ‘top, top,'” joked the Portuguese coach.
One player still looking for his best form at Madrid is Vinicius.
The Brazilian winger has scored one goal this season and Mourinho reiterated his view that Vinicius is still not at his best.
“The best version of him is scoring goals. Obviously, assisting is important, working for the team is very important. Commitment, solidarity, and teamwork are very important,” said Mourinho.
“But there’s another Vinicius, the Vinicius who arrived in Lisbon last season (in the Champions League) and in close matches, in the knockout rounds, gets one chance, scores a goal and that’s it.
“He’s lacking that top-level performance lately, but I am happy with him.”
Second-placed Madrid trail La Liga leaders Barcelona, who boast a 100% record, by three points.
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat American Ben Shelton in four sets Sunday to win the U.S. Open, erasing the sting of a missed chance six years ago.
The German squandered a two-set lead in the 2020 title match against Austrian Dominic Thiem but now armed with a champion’s mentality following his breakthrough triumph at Roland Garros in June, he broke American hearts with a devastating display against Shelton.
“I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before,” Zverev said during the presentation ceremony.
The home fans were desperate to see Shelton end a 23-year American men’s Grand Slam drought but the eighth seed never found his top form in his first major final.
“I know that today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win so I’m very sorry,” said Zverev. “Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair and we as players we appreciate it.”
Zverev was so focused on the job at hand, he did not even realize he had won the title when Shelton smacked a service return long.
As the umpire announced “Game, set and match Zverev,” the German headed back to the baseline, ready to receive Shelton’s serve.
It took him a few seconds to register why the cheering fans were giving him a standing ovation – as he belatedly cracked a smile and ran to the net to embrace Shelton.
He was beaming again as he was handed a Grand Slam record $5.5 million winner’s prize.
Zverev gets hot start
In a battle between two of tennis’ most explosive players, it was Zverev who had all the early firepower, as Shelton’s inexperience showed with a double fault on break point in the opening game.
Shelton produced one of the points of the match in the sixth game, scrambling to reach a drop shot and prevailing in a tense exchange at the net.
Encouraged by his team, the American mixed in serve-and-volley tactics in an attempt to shift the momentum, but the move proved ineffective and he handed Zverev the set with a double fault.
The partisan crowd tried to get under Zverev’s skin in the second set, cheering wildly after he produced a double fault in the ninth game. But the German refused to get distracted, surging to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak as the fans desperately chanted “Let’s go, Ben!”
Zverev looked like he would roll to the finish line in the third set as he saved a break point in the sixth game with a lethal backhand winner.
Shelton’s frustration boiled over two games later when he slipped and crashed to the court, prompting the American to let out an expletive.
But Shelton dug in his heels, subduing his opponent with a series of powerful ground strokes from the baseline to break serve and force a fourth set.
Shelton’s resilience only delayed the inevitable as Zverev came through a 25-shot rally to secure an early break in the deciding set. He never let go of that advantage as he finally got the chance to hoist the U.S. Open trophy on his 11th appearance at the hard court major.
“My successes are a gift, the failures are a gift, and being here playing in front of you guys is a gift,” said Shelton, the first Black American man in 54 years to contest the New York final after Arthur Ashe.
His girlfriend, Olympic champion footballer Trinity Rodman, made it to his player’s box after racing 200 miles from her Washington Spirit game, which largely overlapped with the start of his match.
‘Jannik still ahead’
The victory will no doubt help Zverev move beyond a series of Grand Slam disappointments. The German’s career has also been overshadowed by allegations of domestic violence, which he has repeatedly denied.
His two majors this season have made a dent in the duopoly of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who won all eight Grand Slam titles across 2024 and 2025.
Alcaraz, who won this year’s Australian Open, exited the U.S. Open in a quarterfinal defeat by Shelton after a long injury layoff while Sinner pulled out injured before the tournament began after winning Wimbledon.
Asked if he considered himself the world’s top player now, Zverev said, “With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now this moment, probably yes.
“Both of them healthy and both of them at the top of their game, maybe not.
“If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It’s as simple as that.”
Turkish Champions Galatasaray edged Kocaelispor 1-0 Sunday to maintain a slim lead in the Süper Lig after five matches.
Captain Abdülkerim Bardakcı scored the only goal of the match in the 71st minute after the hosts had twice hit the woodwork and seen an early goal ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
The Istanbul giants thought they had taken the lead in the 12th minute after Lucas Torreira’s long-range effort was parried by Kocaelispor goalkeeper Serhat Öztaşdelen.
Rafael Leao collected the rebound and sent a looping effort against the crossbar before Deniz Gül headed the loose ball into the net.
However, the goal was disallowed following a VAR review for a foul by Deniz against Öztaşdelen.
Deniz went close again in the 31st minute when his left-footed effort from a difficult angle struck the right post.
Kocaelispor responded seven minutes later on a fast break, with Dan Agyei hitting the left post from the left side of the penalty area.
Galatasaray piled on the pressure toward the end of the first half, but Öztaşdelen denied Leao and then produced another save to keep out Bardakcı’s close-range header as the teams went into half time goalless.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 71st minute when Bardakcı scored with a powerful low left-footed strike from long range.
The Lions nearly doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Roland Sallai’s direct free kick was tipped onto the crossbar by Öztaşdelen, who then helped clear the danger.
Kocaelispor could not find an equalizer in the closing stages as Galatasaray held on for their fourth victory in five league matches.
The result moved Galatasaray to 13 points and kept them top of the Süper Lig standings, while Kocaelispor remain on nine points.
In Sunday’s other matches a traveling Kasımpaşa beat Gençlerbirliği 2-1, while newcomers Amed Sportif handed Başakşehir a 5-0 drubbing.
Fenerbahçe said Friday head coach Ismail Kartal would remain in charge of the team, reversing uncertainty a day after he announced his resignation following a draw with Roma in the Champions League opener.
Media reports earlier Friday claimed Fenerbahçe had accepted Kartal’s resignation and that assistant coach Dirk Kuyt would temporarily manage the team.
Fenerbahçe had initially refused to accept the 65-year-old’s resignation, but he nevertheless failed to attend training Friday.
In a statement later Friday, the Istanbul club said Kartal would lead training Saturday as part of preparations for their upcoming Süper Lig game against Gaziantep FK.
“Head Coach Ismail Kartal remains in charge,” Fenerbahçe said. “Our team will continue preparations for the Gaziantep FK match with a training session under the management of our coach Ismail Kartal.”
Kartal had announced his resignation after the 1-1 draw in Istanbul that ended 18 years of Fenerbahçe’s absence from the Champions League. He did not explain why he was quitting just three months after taking up the position and refused to take questions.
“First of all, I congratulate my players for carrying out the tasks I assigned for tonight’s match to the letter. We played football worthy of the Champions League,” Kartal said at a post-match news conference. “We could have won the match; we had clear chances. The match ended in a draw, and I am proud of my players.”
Kartal continued: “Tonight, I am resigning from my position – never to return. I extend my heartfelt thanks to my players.”
In a separate news conference soon after, club chair Aziz Yıldırım said Fenerbahçe fans had hurled a water bottle at Kartal, describing the incident as a reason for the coach’s decision. Kartal was also upset by a series of social media posts, Yıldırım said.
Yıldırım insisted that Kartal’s resignation was not accepted and that he would remain at the helm.
“You saw the state Ismail was in. Can a person endure that much distress?” Yıldırım said. “They threw a water bottle at Ismail Kartal’s head. We saw it. That is why he is upset.”
“Ismail Kartal remains in his post,” he added. “I said (to Kartal): ‘You will continue,’ and that was that.”
The Istanbul club, meanwhile, said on social media that the person who had thrown a bottle at Kartal had been identified and banned from the stadium.
Kartal, who spent a decade at Fenerbahçe as a player, coached the club in 2014-15, then on an interim basis in 2021-22 before returning for a full campaign in 2023-24.
He was assistant manager at Fenerbahçe the last two times the club won the Süper Lig and returned for a fourth managerial spell in June.
Fenerbahçe have finished second in the Turkish top flight in the last five seasons and reached the league phase of the Champions League this season for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.
The fifth and final leg of the 2026 Archery World Cup is set to get underway in Mexico this weekend. The tournament, hosted by the city of Saltillo on Sept. 12-13, will feature four Turkish archers.
Turkish athletes have won 14 medals across the first four legs of the 2026 Archery World Cup. They claimed five medals in Puebla, including three silver and two bronze; six in Shanghai, including two gold, three silver and one bronze; one gold in Antalya; and two medals in Madrid, including one gold and one silver.
The Turkish archers competing in the final stage will be Mete Gazoz and Ulaş Berkim Tümer in the men’s recurve, Elif Berra Gökkır in the women’s recurve and Hazal Burun in the women’s compound.
Türkiye has emerged as a major force in international archery in recent years, led by Gazoz, who won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in archery at the Tokyo 2020 Games. He followed that breakthrough by winning the men’s individual recurve title at the 2023 World Archery Championships, becoming the first Turkish archer to win a world championship title in the discipline.
Turkish archery also made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the men’s recurve team won a bronze medal, marking the country’s first Olympic medal in an archery team event. Gazoz, Ulaş Berkim Tümer and Abdullah Yıldırmış secured the historic podium finish.
Gazoz has helped raise the profile of the sport in Türkiye since his Olympic triumph, becoming one of the country’s best-known athletes. His success has also been part of a broader rise for Turkish archery, with the national team regularly challenging for medals on the international circuit.
The Munzur Mountains in the Ovacık district of eastern Türkiye’s Tunceli province are offering rock climbers challenging and exhilarating new routes to explore.
Stretching about 130 kilometers (81 miles) from west to east between Erzincan and Tunceli, the Munzur range is home to nearly 50 peaks.
Offering different landscapes in every season, the mountains have significant potential for outdoor sports, with their valleys, highland meadows, waterfalls, glacial lakes and canyons.
Mountaineers visiting the region are carrying out daylong expeditions to identify new routes and explore opportunities for rock climbing.
After driving as close as possible to the foothills of the Munzur Mountains, climbers continue on foot toward their destinations. After several hours of hiking, they reach the climbing areas, where they examine the rock face to assess the difficulty of the route and prepare their helmets, climbing ropes, safety systems, specialized footwear and other equipment.
Once they reach the rock face, climbers begin their ascent while teammates secure them from below. They use natural protrusions and handholds in the rock to climb dozens of meters above the ground.
On steeper sections, climbers sometimes stop to rest, taking in the natural scenery surrounding the mountain peaks.
The climbs offer a different thrill at every step, while the mountaineers also have the chance to encounter wild goats roaming the high peaks.
Bülent Ak, Tunceli provincial representative of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the Munzur Mountains are an extension of the Taurus Mountains and are largely composed of limestone.
Ak said the range’s most prominent and highest peaks include Akbaba in Erzincan province and Gediktepe in Tunceli.
“The Munzur Mountains have suitable holds, steps and routes of varying difficulty for rock climbing. This potential should be developed,” he said.
Ak said climbers can reach Goman Plateau in the Gediktepe Valley after about a 1 1/2-hour hike, where they climb the area’s steep rock faces.
Describing the expedition as challenging, Ak said: “We completed a six-pitch, Grade 7 rock climb. The route was quite long and pushed us hard. Because of that, we had to descend at night. If mountain huts can be built in the Munzur Mountains, the area could be transformed into a climbing destination. We also aim to establish low-grade bolted routes in Çemişgezek for climbers who are just starting out in rock climbing.”
Şahin Akdağ said he has been involved in rock climbing for about seven years and has climbed in many parts of Türkiye.
Noting that Tunceli’s mountains are well suited to rock climbing, Akdağ said they had completed a six-pitch alpine route with relatively demanding grades.
“It was an enjoyable climb, and I invite the entire alpine climbing community to come and see the Munzur Mountains. There are many new lines, long walls and traditional routes here,” he said.
Akdağ said the climbs provided moments of intense excitement.
“Rock climbing is an addiction, and that happiness is impossible to describe,” he said. “When you reach the summit, it feels as if you are inside an endless expanse. When we reach the top and see the surrounding peaks, they become tempting as well. That is why I will return to the Tunceli region.”
Clutching a bow and arrow and riding helmet in a remote gorge in northern Kyrgyzstan, London-based executive coach Becca Sweetman is a long way from home.
“About eight years ago a friend asked if I wanted to have a go at horseback archery and I just got hooked on this amazing sport,” she said.
“So, I’ve been competing for the last eight years for the Great Britain team.”
Sweetman is one of many Western athletes to make the trek out to Central Asia for the Nomad Games, a biannual tournament of traditional nomad sports, mostly originating from Central Asia. Aside from horse archery, they include various styles of wrestling, falconry, and traditional board games.
Since the inaugural edition in 2014, the Nomad Games have gone from strength to strength.
This year they returned home to Kyrgyzstan, the mountainous Central Asian country of seven million where they were first held, and where traditional sports retain a strong popular following. More than 3,000 athletes from more than 100 countries took part, organizers said.
An opening ceremony in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, was attended by leaders including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi, in town for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Sam Pollard, a London-based consultant, came to Kyrgyzstan as part of the British tug of war team. He said he’d become interested in the Nomad Games after seeing videos of Kok Boru, a nomadic sport similar to polo, but which is played with a sheep carcass in place of a ball.
“That looks awesome,” he told himself. The timing of the games aligned perfectly with when he wanted to visit Central Asia, plus he and his friends “had a bit of background in tug of war,” he said.
Although many athletes have come from countries without a history of nomadism, others come from countries like Mongolia and the Central Asian republics, where nomadic sports retain a major following.
“These games have the nomadic spirit,” said Mumina Daminova, a horseback archer from Uzbekistan, who competed in flowing white traditional robes.
“It’s like Olympic games but for ethnosport,” she said.
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