Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai, Premier League, US Open: The big Gulf News weekend sports preview

Dubai: After a welcome summer break, the sporting season is well and truly back, with a packed weekend promising plenty of drama, big moments and must-watch action across the globe.

Whatever you’re following, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know in our weekend preview.

We’ll start with what’s happening right here in Dubai, with the DP World Women’s T20 Asia Cup taking centre stage in the UAE. The competition brings together some of Asia’s best women’s cricket teams for two and a half weeks of action, with Hong Kong and Thailand kicking things off on Friday night.

The UAE then begin their campaign against Sri Lanka this weekend, before India take centre stage on Sunday evening when they face Thailand. All matches will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Over in England, Pakistan continue their tour with the second Test at Lord’s already under way. England eased to a comfortable victory in the opening Test, but Pakistan have responded strongly with the ball in this one, putting themselves in a much better position and giving themselves a genuine chance of levelling the series.

The Premier League returns for Matchweek 2, with Manchester City travelling to Crystal Palace on Friday night to get the weekend underway.

There are some tasty fixtures to follow, too, as champions Arsenal head to Aston Villa, while Tottenham face Newcastle in another intriguing clash. With plenty of big names and early-season storylines already emerging, it promises to be another fascinating weekend in the Premier League.

The final Grand Slam of the tennis season gets underway in New York on Sunday, with the US Open singles competitions beginning across the men’s and women’s draws.

The draw has already thrown up plenty of intriguing match-ups, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic landing in the same half of the men’s draw, while top seed Alexander Zverev starts against Lorenzo Sonego. On the women’s side, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka begins against Camila Osorio, while Coco Gauff faces Zeynep Sonmez.

One of the biggest talking points will be Alcaraz’s return to singles action. The Spaniard has not played a competitive singles match since April after suffering a wrist injury and will begin his title defence against Roman Safiullin.

The Tour Championship is taking centre stage in Atlanta this weekend, with the PGA Tour’s top 30 players battling it out at East Lake for the FedEx Cup. Australia’s Min Woo Lee currently leads the way after opening with a five-under 65, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood put himself firmly in contention with a four-under 66.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy endured a mixed start to his bid for a record-extending fourth FedEx Cup, bogeying two of his first four holes before fighting back on the back nine to card a 68. With plenty of golf still to play, McIlroy remains firmly in the hunt as he looks to finish the season on top once again.

Closer to home, the ADNOC Pro League returns this weekend with the first Dubai Derby of the new season as Al Wasl host Shabab Al Ahli at Zabeel Stadium on Friday night. Both sides have made perfect starts to the campaign, winning their opening two matches, so there is plenty at stake in one of Dubai football’s biggest fixtures.