China Open tennis tournament concludes in Beijing

The 2024 China Open tennis tournament concluded in Beijing on Sunday, with Coco Gauff from the U.S. claiming the title with a lopsided 6-1, 6-3 victory over Czech player Karolina Muchova in the final.

The tournament, which ran from September 23 to October 6 at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, saw attendance of 380 players from 48 countries and regions, who performed a total of 469 matches, exceeding the previous edition of China Open. "As of October 5, around 140,000 Chinese tennis fans and more than 13,000 foreigners have come to Beijing to watch the games. This year's total box office revenue has exceeded 80 million yuan (about 1.14 million U.S. dollars), up 60 percent year on year to a record high for China Open ticket sales," said Chen Jie, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports at a press conference on Sunday.

Chinese athletes shined at this year's tournament. Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen made it to the women's singles semifinal, tying the best record of Chinese female players at the China Open jointly held by Li Na and Wang Qiang.

Meanwhile, 35-year-old veteran Zhang Shuai reached women's singles quarterfinals following a four-match winning streak.

Buyunchaokete, a rising star in Chinese men's tennis, made history at the tournament, upsetting top players to reach the semifinals.

Iraqi citizens held a peaceful demonstration at Liberation Square in the capital Baghdad Saturday afternoon to protest against the five-week-long joint attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel.

They demanded that the U.S. and Israel immediately cease military strikes against Iran and opposed the United States' long-term military presence in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28, security force bases in many parts of Iraq including those of the Popular Mobilization Forces, have been frequently targeted by airstrikes.

The Popular Mobilization Forces have issued multiple statements identifying the U.S. and Israel as the perpetrators of these attacks.