The Russian, who is seeded 30 at Melbourne Park, bundled Denmark’s world number three out of the tournament 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to claim her biggest scalp since returning from a drugs ban in 2017.

Sharapova’s win sets up a last 16 clash with in-form Australian hope Ash Barty for the 31-year-old, who won the tile at Melbourne Park in 2008 and has reached the final a further three times.

“I knew I was going to get a really tough match as she’s the defending champion of this event and it’s no secret she loves this arena,” she said after shocking Wozniacki.

“I haven’t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players and these are the ones I train for, so it’s really rewarding to win.”

There were dramatic momentum shifts in the battle between the two former world number ones, but the decisive period came when Sharapova stormed back from 4-1 down to go on a five-game winning streak and take the first set.

After Wozniacki came back she then broke the Dane late in the third set, screaming “come on” after gaining the advantage.

Sharapova won her last Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2014 and has struggled to rejoin the game’s elite since completing a 15-month ban for failing a drugs test.

A run of three defeats in their last six Premier League games has left the fifth-placed Gunners six points adrift of their London rivals in the battle for a top-four finish.

However, it is Chelsea and not Arsenal who are reinforcing in the January transfer window to ensure they are not forced to cope with the consolation prize of the Europa League for a second consecutive season.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri seems set to finally get the striker he wanted in Gonzalo Higuain on a loan deal from Juventus having worked with the Argentine international during a prolific 38-goal season at Napoli in 2015/16.

Arsenal’s problems are at the other end of the field. No side in the top half of the table have conceded more than the 32 goals Unai Emery’s men have in 22 Premier League games.

However, Emery has revealed that Arsenal do not have the funds to make signings this month unless they are on loan.

Arsenal ranked sixth in Deloitte’s latest Football Money League ahead of the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Liverpool with a near 500-million-euro ($570 million) income.

However, while Premier League leaders Liverpool spent big on marquee signings Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk to transform their defensive record, Arsenal are paying a heavy price for a series of costly contracts and an imbalanced squad.

The club’s highest earner Mesut Ozil penned a new three-and-a-half contract worth a reported £350,000 ($450,000) a week last January as Arsenal feared losing one of their prized assets for free.

Just days earlier to get some return for Alexis Sanchez, who also wound his contract down into its final months, Arsenal agreed an exchange deal to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Manchester United on a deal worth a reported £200,000 a week until 2021.

However, neither player can count on the confidence of Emery. The two creative midfielders have started together just four times in the league this season and Ozil was dropped from the squad entirely for last weekend’s defeat at West Ham.

– Budget defensive buys exposed –

The deadline-day signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last January has proved far more successful. The Gabon international is tied with Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane as the Premier League’s top scorer with 14 goals this season.

But the £56 million paid for Aubameyang broke a club-record transfer fee set by the signing of another striker Alexandre Lacazette just six months earlier.

Emery has also struggled to get both into his starting line-up with Lacazette growing increasingly frustrated at playing second fiddle.

With so much spent on strengthening the forward areas, a limited budget when looking for a new goalkeeper in Bernd Leno and ageing defenders Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichtsteiner in the summer has been exposed.

To make matters worse, head of recruitment Seven Mislintat, the man hired to get Arsenal better value in the transfer market just 14 months ago due to a sterling reputation earned at Dortmund, is reportedly set to leave the club after recently seeing his influence diminished.

The one obvious way to ease the economic strain is a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence, making victory this weekend imperative.

“We have time to achieve that this season,” insisted Emery this week, but the Spaniard believes he will be afforded time given the restraints put upon him.

“We knew there were going to be difficulties in this process. The most important thing is to be aware that the difficulties will come, and at that moment still be able to make progress.

“That is the idea. The idea is to get Arsenal back to where the club deserves to be, but it needs time.”

All applicants must register online at http://www.onefc.com/ows/register, deadline by 1 February. All applicants must also pass the initial screening, after which they will receive email confirmation with further details about the tryout.

The screening and tryout process will consist of pad sessions, grappling demonstrations, conditioning exams, and an interview process, among others. Once selected, athletes will compete in professional bouts with a chance at earning a USD $100,000++ contract with ONE Championship

Episodes of Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series are available on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/OneFCMMA

Rich Franklin, Vice President of ONE Championship and CEO of ONE Warrior Series, stated: “I believe traveling to Australia will allow us to diversify the roster for ONE Warrior Series, and it is time for these athletes to make their impact in the organization. This will be our first, and long overdue trip to Australia, and we will get into some exciting activities for the upcoming episodes.”

Jonathan Fong, Director and Co-Host of ONE Warrior Series, stated: “After a year of traveling and searching all over Asia, we finally expanded our reach beyond to Australia and New Zealand. This region has already produced some elite level talent in ONE Championship including Martin Nguyen, Ev Ting, Reece McLaren, and Adrian Pang, among others. I’m also expecting the stakes for our activities in this region to be upped significantly, so viewers can look forward to that this season.”

Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series is a travel series talent search which runs in 30-minute episodes. The show aims to discover new martial arts talent, providing promising young athletes with the platform to unleash their martial arts greatness. Franklin, who serves as the show’s host, travels with co-host Jonathan Fong, searching for talent, experiencing local cultures and testing their boundaries.

Australia episodes will air in Season 3 of Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series which is currently filming.

Interim coach Sirisak Yodyadthai is relieved that Thailand will take on China instead of South Korea but isn’t underestimating the task that faces Thailand’s in the Asian Cup last-16 tie on Sunday.

South Korea’s 2-0 win over China in their group C finale means it is the Dragons who will play Group A runners-up Thailand, who earlier booked their knockout-stage place by forcing a 1-1 tie with hosts United Arab Emirates.

Sirisak and his entourage, including game analyst Julio Cesar Moreno Yanez of Chile, were in the stands for the China-South Korea in Abu Dhabi to gather information about Thailand’s potential rivals for the round of 16.

“It’s a good thing that we don’t have to play South Korea as they are so strong in all areas and have a variety of tactics,” said Sirisak, whose side has yet to lose since he succeeded Milovan Rajvac 11 days ago, having beaten Bahrain and drawn 1-1 with the UAE.

“But it won’t be easy against China. We must be well prepared going into the match on Sunday,” added Sirisak, who has been widely praised by the media and fans since taking up the job.

Thailand’s head-to-head stats against China aren’t promising – they have suffered 17 defeats in 25 games – but Sirisak says he deep inside he believes the War Elephants still have a chance return the favour, based on the team’s impressive performances in the last two games.

“The strength of the Chinese team is the physical toughness of their players. I also notice that they like to use long ball. So we will have to figure out a game plan to tackle with them,” Sirisak said.

“It will be another entertaining game while the result will depend on which side has a better game on the pitch.”

One glimmer of hope is that Thailand have never lost to China in the Asian Cup, winning 1-0 in 1990 and drawing 0-0 in 1992.

“We want continuing support from Thai fans, which will give us strength when we play China. We promise we will keep working hard to achieve the best result,” Sirisak added.

Sunday’s game will kick off at 8pm (Thailand time) and will be shown live on Channel 7 and Fox Sports HD.

‘Proud’ Son sparks Koreans

It was a typically effervescent Son Heung-min who inspired South Korea to the win over China that clinched top spot in their group for the Asian Cup favourites.

Hwang Ui-jo and Kim Min-jae were on target as South Korea, boosted by the arrival of their talisman, ran China ragged in Abu Dhabi.

Son won the penalty converted by Hwang and fizzed in the assist for Kim to help South Korea finish top of Group C with a perfect nine points as they look to end 59 years of Asian Cup hurt.

South Korea, who famously reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002, have failed to win Asian football’s most coveted prize since winning back-to-back titles in 1956 and 1960.

But the addition of the mercurial Son has clearly energised the 2015 runners-up, who suddenly look a very different proposition.

“Of course I’m a bit tired. I didn’t expect to play for so long,” Korean captain Son said after completing 87 minutes, despite a punishing run of 13 games for Tottenham since the start of December and having played against Manchester united just three days earlier.

“But it’s an honour to wear this red shirt and play for the national team. My first game of the tournament, clean sheet, 2-0 – it’s a happy afternoon!”

Son went down clutching his ankle after a meaty challenge from China’s tattooed defender Zhang Linpeng late on.

But the 26-year-old appeared to suffer no lasting damage and was given a rousing reception when he trotted off three minutes from time.

Second favourites Iran also advanced as group winners despite being held to a goalless draw by bitter rivals Iraq, while Kyrgyzstan squeaked through on their tournament debut.

When the 29-year-old arrives for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego from January 24 to 27, it will mark the first PGA Tour start in 2019 for Thailand’s first golfer to hold a qualifying card.

“I’m very excited as I’ll be playing in the tournament through my PGA Tour status,” said Kiradech.

“I’m not in the field through my world ranking … I earned my card last year and I’m looking forward to my first year on it. It feels like a new world to me.”

The burly Thai enjoyed a stellar campaign last season, when top-five finishes at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play helped him earn his tour place card through the non-member category.

He also finished T13 at the Memorial Tournament, T15 at the U.S. Open and T30 at The Players Championship.

Kiradech couldn’t have planned his 2019 start any better.

As an aspiring amateur golfer, he finished T3, T12 and T8 in the Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines in the 15-17 age-group from 2005 to 2007 respectively.

He also won the 13-14 age-group twice in 2003-2004 at Rancho San Diego Golf Club.

“It’ll be good to play in Torrey Pines again. It’s like the place where I started my amateur golf career. To go back and play there will be fun. If I can finish well at the Farmers Insurance Open, that would be a good start and help build my momentum and confidence going into the new year,” said Kiradech.

“I’ve got good memories as a kid playing in the San Diego area. I competed against guys like Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day and now I’m going back there to play against the same players. I didn’t imagine this happening when I was growing up.”

Kiradech and his wife, Tunyatorn, have found a home in Orlando, which is a short drive from fellow Thai LPGA Tour stars Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn.

He will practise at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, which many players are based at, including his close friend Byeonghun An of Korea, Ian Poulter of England and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.

“We are five minutes away from the sisters. I think it’s never easy to leave home [Thailand], you’ve got to deal with the different culture, different kind of food and being near them will be better for my game and family.

“My wife will help cook Thai food for sure and we’ll hang out with the sisters when we’re all in Orlando,” said Kiradech, who holds four European Tour wins and was the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion.

A T4 finish at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and T33 at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, which formed part of the early 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season last October, has given Kiradech a head-start in the FedExCup points race where he currently sits in 58th position.

“It was nice to have a good start and there won’t be so much pressure as I’ve got some FedExCup points already. I hope to keep my card for a second season, which should then make things a bit easier. There are a lot of great players on the PGA Tour and I need to be consistent, scramble better and make more birdies to compete against the world-class players,” said the world No 37.

“The biggest goal is to win on tour this year – win for myself, for my family and my country. It won’t be easy but I have worked hard over the last few years and I’ve given myself some chances. I’m not far off from winning,” added the Thai, who has also placed top priority to fight his way into the International Team to face the United States in the Presidents Cup at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia in December.

Together with the Japanese pair of Yuta Ikeda and Yoshinori, Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena also had a round to remember when he returned with a 67 to trial Hung by one shot at the US$1 million event.

England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, who is making his debut at the SMBC Singapore Open, was pleased to have completed his round before tropical storms halted play at the season-opening event of the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

The Englishman signed for a 68 which was matched by Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung.

Play was first suspended at 2.08pm (local time). It resumed at 5.30pm before being suspended again due to fading light at 7.10pm.  78 players will resume their first round at 7.30am on Friday morning with the second round scheduled to start at 9.40am.

Having welcomed his baby daughter last November, Hung marked his best 18-hole score at the Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course which he attributed to his growing maturity.

Hung’s newfound status has also revived his flagging fortunes as his performance marked a big turnaround for the 26-year-old.

Playing in his first event since missing the cut in three consecutive events towards the end of 2018, Hung’s best result at the Singapore showpiece was a tied-60th finish last year.

Tabeuna continued to enjoy another good showing at the SMBC Singapore Open having finished tied-fourth and tied-eighth in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

The Filipino admitted he has not hit top form yet but will be ready as the week progresses.

Like last year where he finished tied-fourth, Jazz showed why he has established himself as one of the leading contenders for the SMBC Singapore Open again with another assured performance.

Major winner Sergio Garcia of Spain together with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa returned with matching 69s to remain three shots back of Hung.

Did you know?

• Hung’s best result at the Singapore Open was in 2018 when he finished tied-60th finish. It was the first time he made the cut in three starts in Singapore.
• Hung had only one top-10 finish last year when he finished third at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship.
• He missed the cut in his last three events in 2018.
• Miguel Tabuena missed out on a place at The Open by two shots when he finished tied-eighth at the SMBC Singapore Open last year.
• The Filipino is a two-time Asian Tour winner. He won his National Open in 2015 and added another victory last year when he lifted the Queen’s Cup hosted by Jaidee Foundation.
• Jazz finished tied-fourth at the SMBC Singapore Open last year to earn himself a dream ticket to The Open.
• The Thai first played his way into the history books of the Asian Tour in 2010 when he became the youngest ever player to make the halfway cut at the 2010 Asian Tour International in Bangkok at the age of 14 years and 71 days.

Players’ Quotes

Hung Chien-yao (Tpe) First round 66 (-5)

This is a very beautiful course and I have been here a lot of times. I know how challenging it is and I have not shot such a good score here before. I just thought my mental game was good today.  I felt really relaxed out there and I wasn’t thinking much. I can’t tell you which holes were good and which holes were not. I can just say I am very lucky today. A lot of shots I didn’t hit good but still managed to get in good positions. I got married last year and welcomed my baby daughter recently. I guess my mind set has changed quite a bit from last year, with the responsibilities I have now. I couldn’t quite get used to it last year but coming to the first event of the season this week, I told myself to just come here and enjoy myself. Enjoy every tournament that I get in and then go back and spend time with my family. That was my mind set coming here. I am really happy to become a father at the age of 26. It has not been easy for me and my wife. It wasn’t easy looking after a baby as we always have to wake up in the middle of the night.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – First round 67 (-4)

My game’s still pretty rusty. I took a long break from the game, longer than usual. I just had a longer off-season last year. I had some family visits in the United States over Christmas and I wanted to spend more time with them. But I am happy with the way I played today. It’s going to be tough out there. You have to make a lot of birdies and hit the fairways and try to attack the pins. I had some good finishes here. I came in tied-fourth in 2016 and last year, I was tied-eighth. Hopefully I can do better than that. I am on the right track. There are still a lot of golf to be played. I am striking the ball well and I am happy with it. Two three putts today costed me. That was on the third and ninth holes. That were the only two bogeys I made today. I didn’t touch the clubs since the last day of Indonesian Masters till January 6. It’s still a little bit rusty. I am going to the range and hit a few balls. I am going to try and get my drives more accurate. If I can do that, I should be able to do well this week.

Jazz Janewattananond (Tha) – First round 68 (-3)

I had a shaky start today, playing with two superstars Ryo Ishikawa and Sergio Garcia. They are the two players whom I look up to and I’ve watched them play in the Majors since young. They are two of my idols really. I got used to it after a few holes. I got back the momentum and it kind of free me up a bit and I managed to play better on the back nine. It was a good experience playing with them. I get to see how they play at the highest level. I can see where I need to improve, what I can do better in and see what my strengths and weaknesses are. It’s just inspiring playing with them. Three-under is not a bad round, I think. I just want to keep my game solid, hit the fairways and greens out there. I hope to sink a few more putts tomorrow but everything has been on point.

Nicholas Fung (Mas) – First round 69 (-3)

It’s a very important week so it’s definitely good to start well. This year is my last year of winner’s exemption so I really need to do well to keep my card for next year. It’s important for me so I hope to play well in the first few events. I had a good finish to the 2018 season, shooting a 62 on the final day of the Indonesian Masters. It’s definitely good to carry that good form to Singapore. I have been playing well as of late. I try to stick to my usual practice routine and kept my momentum going. I am pretty confident with my swing now. I just hope to make some putts out there. I have played here a couple of times. You need to hit the fairways to score out there. This is not a very long course. If you hit a bad drive, you might not get a good second shot because the greens are big and quick here. The key is definitely to find as many greens and fairways as possible out there.

Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng) – First round 68 (-3)

The storm seems to have come early today and it’s pouring down right now so I’m not envious of anyone who’s still out there. It was a bit up and down. I felt like I drove it pretty well and gave myself some chances on the fairway to get close, but didn’t really take them. I putted pretty solid, and my short game was alright as well, so it was a good solid day all around. The new rules are very interesting. We actually had to stop ourselves today on 17 – we weren’t even sure if you could still go back to the tee. That’s sort of a traditional rule that everyone knows, but we just played it safe instead and just went in front of the tee box. Dropping from knee height is different, I think it makes you look a little bit silly personally but it is what it is.

Sergio Garcia (Esp) – First round 69 (-2)

They actually helped quite a bit with this heat, and they kind of prevent mosquitos from biting. They actually felt quite good, so I was happy to wear them. Well it does help a little bit. I’ve had a little bit of a sinus infection these last couple of days, and a bit of an upset stomach this morning. But I think I played nicely, and the highest I can shoot. Obviously there were a couple of shots here and there where I was a little bit rusty, like this one on the last (hole) for example, the second shot. But other than that I felt like I played well. I gave myself a lot of chances and hit some good putts. I didn’t really make a lot, but the greens are tricky. They’re very fast, and you have to be very aware of your speed, and unfortunately I lacked a little bit of speed in a couple of parts here and there. Just chill and get some food in my belly. Relax a little bit. Obviously days here in Singapore are long and hard with the heat and humidity, so it’s important to rest and take a nice cold shower, and just get ready for tomorrow.

Leading scores after round 1 of the SMBC Singapore Open being played at the par 71, 7403 Yards Sentosa GC course (am – denotes amateur):

66 – Hung Chien-yao (TPE).

67 – Yuta Ikeda (JPN), Miguel Tabuena (PHI), Yoshinori Fujimoto (JPN).

68 – Daisuke Kataoka (JPN), Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Gunn Charoenkul (THA), Nicholas Fung (MAS), Ervin Chang (am, MAS), Richard T. Lee (CAN), Masahiro Kawamura (JPN), Travis Smyth (AUS).

69 – Koh Deng Shan (SIN), Hosung Choi (KOR), Ryo Ishikawa (JPN), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Kazuki Higa (JPN), Prom Meesawat (THA), Seungsu Han (USA), Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA), Yosuke Tsukada (JPN), Seunghyuk Kim (KOR).

70 – Prayad Marksaeng (THA), Jobim Carlos (PHI), Tomoyo Ikemura (JPN), Thanyakon Khrongpha (THA), Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND), Berry Henson (USA), Toshinori Muto (JPN), Terry Pilkadaris (AUS), Wonjoon Lee (AUS), Jake Higginbottom (AUS), Seonghyeon Kim (KOR).

The world No 6 took just 26 minutes to go through 21-12 21-10 and earn her 22nd tilt at the top seed.

Ratchanok leads their head-to-head record 12-10 – their latest encounter, at last year’s Asian Games, went to the Thai 21-18 21-18.

On the downside, the Thai men’s No 1 Kantaphon Wancharoen was sent packing in round two, losing to fourth-seeded Son Wan Ho of South Korea 11-21 21-12 21-12.

In another titanic battle, Canadian Milos Raonic ousted 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka in four tightly-contested sets that all went to tie breaks.

US Open champion and fourth seed Osaka swept past Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 6-4 with the roof closed on Margaret Court Arena after rain interrupted the opening major of the year.

The 21-year-old’s breakthrough at Flushing Meadow over Serena Williams made her a new standard bearer for tennis in her homeland, Asia and the next generation of women, and she is working hard on living up to the hype.

“I thought I served alright, this was my first time playing her and I’m just happy to win to be honest,” Osaka said after setting up a clash with Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.

In contrast, Asia’s top-ranked men’s player Nishikori needed an energy-sapping 3hr 48min to get past big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 5-7, 5-7, 7-6 (10/7) in humid conditions.

“It was a tough match which could have gone both ways. He almost had it for sure,” said the eighth seed, a three-time quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park, after falling to his knees in relief.

On Rod Laver Arena, 16th seed Raonic emerged the victor against Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion who is on the comeback trail from injury.

The Swiss, unseeded for the first time since his debut in 2006, fell to the Canadian 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5).

Raonic, who got to the Australian Open semi-finals in 2016 before losing to Andy Murray, will next face France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert who beat last year’s semi-finalist Hyung Cheon of South Korea in four sets.

Despite being seeded six and seven respectively, neither Elina Svitolina or Karolina Pliskova has progressed further than the last eight at the Australian Open.

But self-assured Svitolina is bubbling with confidence after dismantling Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4, 6-1, while Pliskova woke up after losing the first set to race past Madison Brengle 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.

– Serena v Eugenie –

They were all in action ahead of 23-time major winner Williams who plays Eugenie Bouchard later, while six-time champion Novak Djokovic turns back the clock in a night match with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Rod Laver Arena.

World number one Simona Halep, who narrowly survived a first-round scare, is also back on court against American Sofia Kenin, who won the warm-up Hobart International and is on a six-match win streak.

Other women through included Italy’s Camila Giorgi, who plays Pliskova next, and China’s impressive 21st seed Wang Qiang. Belgium’s 12th seed Elise Mertens lined up a third-round showdown with American Madison Keys, seeded 17.

Men staying in the hunt included 11th seed Borna Coric of Croatia and 23rd seed Pablo Carreno-Busta of Spain.

Bookies have installed Osaka as second favourite to lift the title after Williams, who in her first tour match since losing the US Open final delivered an ominous warning in a 49-minute opening round thrashing of Tatjana Maria.

Next in the firing line is Canadian Bouchard.

Williams, who is bidding to match Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam crowns on her first return to Melbourne Park since winning in 2017, cited her consistency and few unforced errors as key takeaways from her first round outing.

Despite 2014 Wimbledon finalist Bouchard slipping down the rankings to 79, she said she was not taking her lightly.

“She does everything well, and I really like that she doesn’t quit,” she said.

Djokovic, gunning for a record seventh title, has a fairytale meeting with Frenchman Tsonga in a rematch of their 2008 final that the Serb won.

“He also struggled with injuries lately. It’s good to see him playing well. It’s good to see him back,” the Serb said.

Following a successful 2-year period which saw Kiradech become the first ever South East Asian to secure a PGA Tour card, as well as clinch his 4th European Tour title and rise to a career-high 29th in the world, Fenix XCell have made the move to secure the Thai as a brand ambassador for a further 12 months, with an option to extend. The announcement was made at the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship in Thailand – the first event of Kiradech’s 2019 golf season.

As Aphibarnrat has gained popularity amongst golf fans around the world for his aggressive style, fun-loving personality and fearless approach, Fenix XCell has also enjoyed an increase in brand exposure and has now become one of the leading golf apparel brands in Thailand and South East Asia. Since partnering together at the start of the 2017 season, Fenix XCell have since released two seasons of the Kiradech Collection; a range of vibrant, high-performance apparel designed by Kiradech himself and targeted to his fans and aspiring professionals in Thailand and abroad. In addition, Kiradech has been showcasing the company’s newest collections, with popular shirts such as Matte and Stirling being among his favourite.

On extending the deal of Thailand’s number 1 golfer, Fenix XCell Managing Director Michael Moir said that retaining Kiradech’s services boded well for the future of the company.

“Kiradech has been a fantastic brand ambassador for us over the past two years and continues to excite golf fans around the world with his unique style and personality. Securing his PGA Tour card is a great achievement, although those who know Arm are not surprised, as this has always been his goal. We are very excited to continue on this journey with him and watch him fulfil his potential which in my opinion is limitless. We will soon be releasing a third season of the Kiradech Collection, and with his input and feedback we have been able to make continuous improvements along the way. We are thrilled that Kiradech has decided to keep working with us, and we look forward to continuing the partnership for hopefully many years to come.

Aphibarnrat was equally enthusiastic about the renewal with Fenix XCell and was appreciative of the company’s efforts over the past 24 months: “When I joined forces with Fenix XCell at the start of 2017 I was unsure what to expect as they were still an emerging company, but I have really enjoyed the last two years wearing the shirts and it has been very exciting to have been able to choose my own designs and fabrics. The quality has become very good, especially my collection which has a stretchy fabric that I really feel comfortable wearing. Michael and his staff have been great and I am delighted to be continuing on as a Fenix XCell brand ambassador. It is important for me also to support a company that started in Bangkok, and I now look forward to seeing it continue to grow on a global stage.”

Kiradech Aphibarnrat will return to the PGA Tour on the 24th of January at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He is already exempt into the 2019 Masters Tournament, shortly before which Fenix XCell will be releasing their new Spring/Summer 2019 Collection on April 1st.

Nasser al-Khater, talking to journalists in Doha, said at the moment the country was continuing to prepare for a 32-team tournament in three years’ time.

“No decision will be made without the agreement of Qatar, this is an important point,” he said. “It will be a joint decision.”

He added: “We are waiting for the results of the feasibility study, and once they are ready, (FIFA) will share them with us… to see if it is possible”.

FIFA is carrying out the study into increasing the number of teams by 16 in 2022 and will announce a final decision in March.

Last month FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in Doha that a “majority” of football federations supported the increase.

Any decision to extend the tournament would though be faced by huge logistical and political problems.

The Qatar World Cup, the first in the Middle East, will take place over 28 days in November and December 2022, not the usual 32.

Officials have said previously that is not possible for Qatar to change the number of days, so one option would be to host tournament games across the region with neighbouring states.

But that is complicated by Qatar being at the centre of the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in years.

Since June 2017, it has been politically and economically isolated in a rancorous diplomatic dispute with former allies, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

A 48-team World Cup is set to become the norm from 2026, when the World Cup will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada.