Imran Khan’s family and PTI officials say three of the jailed former PM’s sisters have been detained in Lahore ahead of a September 27 march on Islamabad demanding his release. Authorities have confirmed Aleema Khan was ordered to be held for 30 days.
Published On 21 Sep 202621 Sep 2026
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Defending singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka have sailed into the last 16 of the US Open as tennis icons Serena and Venus Williams suffered an agonising defeat on their long-awaited return to Grand Slam doubles.
Alcaraz, coming off a four-month injury absence, beat China’s Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Friday to book his place in the fourth round, while Sabalenka was similarly dominant in a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Kamilla Rakhimova.
Alcaraz will face 20th-seeded American Tommy Paul for a place in the quarterfinals after Paul beat 15th-seeded Alexander Bublik 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-3.
“The way he plays is unbelievable, the rhythm he has on every shot – forehand, backhand,” Alcaraz said of Wu. “His balls skid a lot on the court and, for me, it’s really difficult to control sometimes.
“But I think I stayed there. I played aggressive. I played smart in the toughest moments.”
Wu recovered an early break in each of the first two sets, but Alcaraz pocketed both with breaks in the final games, and after saving a pair of break points in the first game of the third, the Spaniard rolled home.
“I think my level is really good,” he said. “I’ve got into the rhythm of the competition. I’m getting there.”
World number one Sabalenka did not face a break point in her dismissal of Rakhimova, firing 29 winners with 10 aces.
The numbers did not tell the whole tale of a match that saw 92nd-ranked Rakhimova challenge Sabalenka in a second-set slugfest.
Sabalenka was also unimpressed by the pervasive smell of marijuana – an increasingly common issue at the US Open – wafting down from the stands during her match.
“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best,” said Sabalenka, who at one point complained to the umpire about the issue.
Sabalenka, who must repeat as champion to have a chance of remaining number one, next faces Taylor Townsend, the 96th-ranked American who beat 15th-seeded Russian Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3.
With Alcaraz and Sabalenka among the early starters, all eyes on the evening session were on the Williams sisters, partnering in a Grand Slam doubles event for the first time since 2022.
The duo returned to the US Open stage comes after 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena came out of a four-year retirement to play at Wimbledon.
But the most famous sister act in tennis – who won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together along with three Olympic gold medals – were beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7) by 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan and Australia’s Maya Joint in a marathon three-hour battle.
The Williams duo had shown flashes of their brilliant best after recovering from losing the first set to level the match after taking the second set on a tie-break.
Momentum and a raucous New York crowd appeared to be carrying them towards victory after they sprinted into a 5-0 lead in the third-set tie-break. But Chan and Joint fought back superbly to erase the deficit before clinching victory.
In other singles action on Friday, third-seeded American Jessica Pegula, one of the players with a chance to knock Sabalenka off her No 1 perch, mounted a desperate fightback to beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a battle of former finalists.
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2 and American Emma Navarro upset seventh-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 7-5.
Back in the men’s draw, American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe was a comfortable 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victor over Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot, seeded 22.
Tiafoe’s win earned him a last 16 showdown with Russian seventh seed Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev was a similarly unfussy winner over French 26th seed Arthur Rinderknech, easing to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win in just under two hours.
Unseeded former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas – whose ranking has plummeted to 53 – meanwhile toppled 18th seed Jiri Lehecka, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 to reach the US Open fourth round for the first time.
Tsitsipas will face American eighth seed Ben Shelton in the last 16. Shelton defeated Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in the late match.
HOLLY Hagan has voiced some fears after her sister’s drug death as she warned Reading and Leeds festival-goers to “please be careful.”
The Geordie Shore star’s sibling tragically passed away last October just before her 20th birthday.
Taking to Instagram, Holly shared: “I haven’t stopped thinking about the fact that someone might not make it back from the festivals.
“When I see people’s videos walking into the camp grounds so happy for the weekend’s of their lives.
“I just think I hope to God you all make it home.
“On average 5 people a year die during UK festivals and the vast majority of those deaths are MDMA related.
“Nobody thinks it’ll happen to them until it does.
“I know my sister’s death won’t be the last of this nature and it’s such a gut wrenching thought that other families will have to go through what we have.
“Please be careful. Look after your friends and don’t show off. It’s not worth the risk.”
Holly previously revealed that her world stopped spinning when she woke up one day to a whole load of missed calls and discovered Darci had collapsed on a night out and been rushed to hospital.
At just 19, she’d taken an accidental drug overdose and suffered two cardiac arrests.
Two days later, Darci died of organ failure with her family all around her.
In an emotional statement, Holly wrote: “It is with immeasurable grief and sadness that our baby girl, my baby sister Darci Rose passed away peacefully holding my hand surrounded by family and her best friends.
“She was never in any pain. The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through.
“We are traumatised in every sense of the word.”
It came after The Sun revealed that Holly’s famous friends were doing everything they could to help after Darcy’s passing.
Earlier this year, Holly revealed that she talks to Darci through a medium, and that she’ll tell son about her sister’s tragic drug death.
