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RIYADH: The head of esports product at the Saudi Esports Federation, Abdullah Al-Nasser, has praised the “incredible talent” that emerged in the recent Saudi eLeague Fighting Season 3.

The championship, which took place in August at the SEF Arena in Riyadh Boulevard City, brought together top local and international Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 players, highlighting the Kingdom’s ever-growing gaming scene.

The double-elimination format produced memorable moments, such as in the Street Fighter 6 tournament playoffs when Turkiabc of The Vicious Esports battled to a hard-fought 3-2 victory over vWsym of Twisted Minds, securing third place on the podium.

The Grand Final delivered a dramatic comeback as Latif of Twisted Minds, coming from a remarkable run through the losers’ bracket, faced off against Kusanagi of Team Falcons. In a high-intensity showdown, Latif prevailed 3-1 to claim the championship title and the SAR10,000 ($2,667) prize.

The final standings showed the depth of talent within ��������’s esports ecosystem, with Latif of Twisted Minds taking first place, Kusanagi of Team Falcons finishing second, and Turkiabc of The Vicious Esports securing third.

Al-Nasser said: “The Saudi eLeague Fighting continues to showcase the incredible talent emerging from across the Kingdom, as Season 3 set a new standard for competitive play. The league is a testament to the depth of talent and dedication of Saudi esports athletes, where they can compete at the highest level, refine their skills and inspire the next generation of esports athletes in ��������. We can’t wait to build on this momentum in Season 4 and deliver even more thrilling competition and standout performances.”

In TEKKEN 8, the top players competed in a high-stakes double-elimination championship, with ATIF of Team Falcons a standout performer. He secured victory in the Winners Final against M-D-LUFFY-19 with a 3-1 score and went on to claim the Grand Final against fellow Team Falcons player Aqeel9, winning 3-2.

ATIF’s triumph adds to an impressive year, which includes a commanding victory at the Riyadh Clash 2 tournament, securing his spot at the Esports World Cup where he finished in the top 12.

As Season 4 approaches, the Saudi eLeague Fighting is set to expand its reach, welcoming more international players and building on its role as a premier platform for the fighting game community.

RIGA, Latvia: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and his younger brother Kostas blocked four shots as Greece beat Lithuania 87-76 to reach the EuroBasket semifinals on Tuesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks star’s clutch free throws in the final minute helped Greece seal the victory to set up a last-four matchup with Turkiye.

Antetokounmpo sank two free throws to give Greece a 10-point lead with 19 seconds left after Lithuania had cut Greece’s 16-point fourth-quarter advantage in half. He had made two other free throws with 47 seconds on the clock.

Kostas Antetokounmpo’s four blocked shots all came in the first half. The 27-year-old center plays for Olympiakos. Vasileios Toliopoulos scored 17 points for Greece.

Greece are a two-time EuroBasket champions, having won the tournament in 1987 and 2005.

Jonas Valanciunas led Lithuania with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Sengun stars as Turkiye beat Poland

Alperen Sengun’s triple-double helped unbeaten Turkiye to a 91-77 win over Poland. The Houston Rockets forward had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in an entertaining performance.

With his mother in the crowd, Sengun made a one-handed pass the length of the court to Sehmus Hazer, who dunked and gave Sengun a thumbs up late in the second quarter.

Sengun found Hazer again with a spinning no-look pass in the lane in the third quarter and then treated himself to a one-handed reverse dunk with the game in hand.

Turkiye pulled away to lead 46-32 at halftime after Poland’s physicality on defense and their bench presented early problems.

Poland moved within eight points with three minutes left, but Hazer sank a 3-pointer to keep Turkiye in control.

Mateusz Ponitka and Jordan Loyd both scored 19 points to lead Poland.

Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchups

Finland face Georgia, while World Cup winner Germany play Slovenia on Wednesday.

It is a first EuroBasket quarterfinal for Georgia, who knocked out Olympic silver medalist France in the round of 16 and beat defending champion Spain in the group stage.

Finland knocked out Nikola Jokic’s Serbia and boasts Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. The Finns also have highly-rated 18-year-old forward Miikka Muurinen.

Germany and Slovenia have won the title once: Germany as host in 1993 and the Slovenians in 2017.

Coming off a 42-point game against Italy in the round of 16, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is looking for fifth game of the tournament with at least 30 points scored.

Doncic and Sengun have one triple-double each and they could yet face off for the gold medal in Sunday’s final.