(Back L-R) Mayor of Nagoya Ichiro Hirosawa, former Japanese hammer throw athlete Koji Murofushi, President of the Japan Olympic Committee Seiko Hashimoto, Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia Tsunekazu Takeda, Governor of Aichi Prefecture Hideaki Omura, Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike and Japanese sprinter Yoshihide Kiryu pose during the torch lighting ceremony for the 2026 Asian Games, outside the National Stadium in Tokyo on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP)

The Asian Games begin in Japan next month, featuring teenage prodigies, more athletes than the Olympics and a cruise ship that will house competitors in the middle of typhoon season.

About 15,000 competitors and officials are expected at the event, which takes place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19 to October 4.

Among those in action will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class talents in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

READ: Alex Eala keen on Asia Games stint

Organizers hope the athletes will have a “unique experience” staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.

A flame-lighting ceremony was held in Tokyo on Tuesday, with a similar event planned for 1994 Asian Games host Hiroshima on Thursday, before the flames come together on Saturday in Nagoya to begin the torch relay.

Kazuhiro Yagi, vice-secretary general of the Aichi-Nagoya Games organising committee, told AFP that “it feels like the Games are right around the corner”.

“The final stages of preparation are now upon us,” he said.

“We will continue working as one right until the last moment and we hope that people from all over Asia, not just Japan, will enjoy the event.”

Organizers have opted for temporary athlete accommodation to cut costs, hiring the Italian cruise ship Costa Serena for the event.

READ: Asian Games years could be moved in shake-up

Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on the ship, which features 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars.

Officials are confident that the plan will not be disrupted by Japan’s typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.

Teen stars

A further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in wooden shipping container-style huts in Nagoya’s Garden Pier area while the rest will stay in hotels.

That includes in Tokyo, where swimming, diving and equestrian events will take place.

“For the athletes the accommodation is a place to relax and socialise with their fellow competitors,” said Yagi.

“To ensure that all athletes can enjoy a comfortable stay and deliver their best performance, preparations for accommodation are entering their final stage.”

Eala will be among the most prominent athletes competing in Nagoya, and the 21-year-old will be looking to continue her rapid rise in women’s tennis.

READ: Asian Games: Japan seeks to ramp up buzz with a year to go

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates while playing Alycia Parks of the United States during day four of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 05, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

The world number 20 became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA title when she triumphed at the Washington Open earlier this month.

She is hot property in her home country, sparking a rush of interest in tennis and inspiring youngsters to take up the sport.

Sooryavanshi will also turn heads after announcing himself as a major new talent in world cricket.

The gifted teenager became the youngest cricketer to represent India last month when he debuted in a Twenty20 match against England.

‘Palpable excitement’

Sooryavanshi will be hoping to win gold at Japan’s newly built cricket ground, where defending champions India could face archrivals Pakistan in the men’s final.

Swimmer Yu has also made a name for herself with her astonishing progress in the pool, setting a new women’s 200m individual medley Asian record last year.

Yu, who turns 14 in October, will be part of a Chinese team that will again look to top the medals table after dominating on home soil at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

China won a record 201 golds, almost four times as many as second-place Japan.

As always at the Asian Games, traditional sports like athletics, swimming and football sit side by side with more local disciplines such as kabaddi, sepak takraw and wushu.

New events at the 20th edition of the Games include mixed martial arts, padel, teqball and virtual taekwondo.

Esports returns after a hugely successful debut in Hangzhou, with Nagoya organizers saying they hope to inspire elderly people to keep their minds sharp by picking up a controller.

With the Asian Games returning to Japan for the first time since 1994, the organising committee’s Yagi said the atmosphere was “gradually becoming palpable”.

“We hope to move you and excite you, and to showcase the wonder of sport,” he said.

Serena Williams, left, first bumps Venus Williams, right, both of the United States, during a women’s doubles match against Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine, and Peyton Stearns, also of the United States, at the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

MASON, Ohio — Serena and Venus Williams played their first doubles match together since the 2022 US Open and lost a thriller, 2-6, 6-1 (10-8) to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns on Monday night at the Cincinnati Open.

The sisters nearly recovered from a 6-0 deficit in the match tiebreaker before a double-fault by Venus Williams ended their first doubles appearance in a non-Grand Slam event since the Italian Open in 2016.

“I thought it was fun,” Serena said. “I thought it was special. We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match and just, you know (were) starting to feel it. I didn’t come out here to win this tournament. Winning is obviously great. But in this position just, you know, having fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again.”

READ: Serena Williams pulls out of Wimbledon doubles with knee injury

Matching Kits on Top 💙

Marta Kostyuk & Peyton Stearns take the first set against the Williams Sisters.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/svaRC6hXdj

— wta (@WTA) August 18, 2026

Serena had been off the tour since 2022 before returning this summer at age 44. The sisters planned to play together at Wimbledon but had to withdraw after Serena injured her knee while losing her singles match. They entered Cincinnati as a wild card.

“Eventually we would find our way to each other,” the 46-year-old Venus said about the decision to play doubles again. “It’s our first time playing together in forever. It was great for us to get out there and do it.”

Kostyuk and Stearns, both 24, are playing in their first tournament together. Kostyuk is from Ukraine. Stearns grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, where the tournament is played every year.

“I kind of expected it but it stung a little bit that this is my hometown,” Stearns said about the pro-Williams sisters crowd. “I won’t hold it against anyone. The crowd was going for them but we used it to our advantage and flipped the script.”

READ: Alex Eala, Venus Williams ousted in Canadian Open doubles

Peyton Stearns, of the United States, left, first bumps Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine, right, during a women’s doubles match against Serena Williams and Venus Williams, also of the United States, at the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Mason, Ohio. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

After dropping the first set, the Williams sisters rolled in the second to force a match tiebreak.

Kostyuk and Stearns went ahead 6-0, but consecutive double-faults by Kostyuk helped the Williamses get within 8-7. It was 9-8 after Serena powerfully put away an overhead before Venus double-faulted.

“The crowd got the show,” Kostyuk said. “They probably couldn’t ask for anything better. At the end a tiebreak is a lottery. You never know which way it’s going to go.”

Venus and Serena have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and 22 total. Serena won one with Alexandra Stevenson in 2002 at Leipzig. All of Venus’ doubles titles have been with her sister. They also have won three Olympic gold medals together.

Serena has won 23 singles Grand Slam titles. Venus has won seven.

With the State of Play trailer, we now have more information about Phantom Blade Zero. This involves stuff about the world, the plot, why Donnie Yen is here, and, of course, the combat. The game has been described as “dark Wuxia action game”, which involves a lot of martial arts set in a world of darkness. Then again, the protagonist goes by the name Soul so that is to be expected.

So here’s the things that stood out to us about the game after watching the State of Play.

Phantom Blade Zero: What players need to know

1) Donnie Yen of Ip Man fame is a consultant

The combat in the game will implement traits of Mó Yuan, courtesy of the creative consultant Donnie Yen. He will also provide motion capture for the combat allowing the game to feel more realistic. As such, the gameplay will feel like the player is taking part in a kung fu movie where they get to control the action.

Also read: 5 new things you need to know about Marvel’s Wolverine

2) There are a lot of weapons

As per the developers, there are 30 main weapons for players to use in Phantom Blade Zero. However, that’s not all as there are 25 secondary weapons called Phantom Edges as well. All of these can be upgraded over time and used alongside different accessories. Additionally, if you choose to change up your build, you will be able to reforge and get those materials back.

Also read: PlayStation’s no-disc move cites “consumer trends”, asks you to trust them while showing you probably can’t

3) There are multiple difficulty options to pick from

For players looking to just experience the story of Phantom Blade Zero without bashing their heads against a wall, they should pick Wayfarer Mode. However, for players wanting a bit more of a challenge, the developers have provided. There’s Hellwalker, which thanks to its spike in difficulty, is akin to hell. Even beyond that, there’s Sixty-Six Days which is the highest difficulty in the game

As to why the hardest difficulty is named as such, well that has to do with the plot of Phantom Blade Zero.

Also read: How to complete Phantom Blade Zero pre-order video quest (and claim a reward)

4) The protagonist has only sixty-six days to live

From what we have learned about the plot, it revolves around a legendary fighter called Soul. He is framed for murdering his clan’s leader, leading to him being ostracized and killed by his blood brother from childhood. A witch brings him back to life…but only for sixty-six days. So he’s on borrowed time as he tries to sort everything out and find why he was betrayed in the first place.

Also read: Best late-game strategies for Sandustry

5) The enemies come in all sorts of strange forms

The State of Play showcased multiple amazing enemies for Soul to fight against in Phantom Blade Zero. We have skeletal horseman, giant baby mask wearing enemies, circular saw headed enemies, and many more. Some of these are fallen warriors who have given in to the darkness, while others are more garden variety monsters that you will have to take down.