Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller

Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, kisses the trophy after winning the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, , Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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Updated 08 September 2024
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Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller

Sabalenka downs Pegula to win US Open thriller
  • World number two Sabalenka triumphed 7-5, 7-5 to add the New York title to her back-to-back Australian Open victories

NEW YORK: Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open and her third Grand Slam crown with a thrilling victory over a gallant Jessica Pegula in a rollercoaster final on Saturday.
World number two Sabalenka triumphed 7-5, 7-5 to add the New York title to her back-to-back Australian Open victories.
Pegula went down fighting, however, recovering from 0-3 and break point down to lead 5-3 in the second set before Sabalenka came through.
The 26-year-old from Belarus clubbed 40 winners to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to capture both hardcourt majors in the same season.
“I’m speechless. So many times I was close to the US Open title and finally I got it,” said Sabalenka, the runner-up last year and semifinalist in 2022 and 2023.
“Never give up on your dream. Work hard. I’m super proud of myself.”
Pegula had arrived in New York with a title in Toronto and runner-up spot to Sabalenka in Cincinnati.
She had won 15 out of 16 matches on the North American summer hard court swing.
“I wish she would have at least let me get one set. We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and she’s one of the best in the world,” said the American.
“She’s super powerful and isn’t going to give you anything. She can take the racquet out of your hand.
“I’m just glad I was able to stay in there and keep taking opportunities.”
Sabalenka lost the 2023 US Open final to Pegula’s compatriot Coco Gauff and she struggled to settle in during the early stages on Saturday as a flurry of errors handed the home favorite a break for 2-1.
But the powerful Sabalenka levelled immediately and broke again for 4-2.
A capacity crowd of 23,000 included sporting royalty such as Olympic 100m gold medallist Noah Lyles, NBA star Steph Curry and former Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton watched on.
Most were behind Pegula but the 30-year-old was defenseless against the remorseless hitting of the world number two, whose screams echoed beneath the closed roof of the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Pegula, who had knocked out world number one Iga Swiatek and then battled from a set and break down to see off Karolina Muchova in the semifinal, clung on.
From 2-5 down, she hit back for 5-5, breaking Sabalenka as the Australian Open champion served for the set.
In a marathon 12th game, however, Pegula saved four set points but not the fifth.
Sabalenka had unleashed 25 winners and committed 23 unforced errors to Pegula’s nine and 11, illustrating a dramatic contrast of styles in the 60-minute opener.
For the second match in succession, Pegula was soon a set and break down again, a double fault allowing Sabalenka to move ahead 3-0.
Incredibly, the 30-year-old stormed back to lead 5-3 before Sabalenka broke in the 10th game as her opponent attempted to level the final.
Sabalenka held her nerve to claim victory when Pegula went long with a weary drive.


Tennis world number one Iga Swiatek splits with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski

Tennis world number one Iga Swiatek splits with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski
Updated 59 min 35 sec ago
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Tennis world number one Iga Swiatek splits with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski

Tennis world number one Iga Swiatek splits with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski
  • The 23-year-old won the French Open and US Open during her first season with Tomasz Wiktorowski
  • The world number one has won five Grand Slam titles including four French Open trophies

WARSAW: World number one Iga Swiatek on Friday confirmed she has split with her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and as a result would not compete in next week’s WTA tournament in Wuhan, China.
“After three years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part ways,” Swiatek wrote on Instagram.
“After an important change in my sports team, I decided to withdraw from the tournament in Wuhan,” she later said in a post on the X account of the Chinese tournament.
“I’m really sorry for fans in China and those who wait to see me play, but I hope you understand that I need some time.”
After her US Open quarter-final defeat in September, Swiatek also withdrew from the prestigious Beijing 1000 WTA tournament in which she was the defending champion citing “personal matters.”
“I want to start with a big thank you and appreciating our work together,” Swiatek said of fellow Pole Wiktorowski.
“His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I’ve never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.”
Swiatek said she has held “first talks” with possible new coaches, adding: “I’m ready to take the next step of my career. I will let you know when I make a decision.”
The 23-year-old won the French Open and US Open during her first season with Wiktorowski, and has held the world number one ranking since November 2023.
She has won five Grand Slam titles including four French Open trophies.


Top seed Sabalenka stunned by Muchova in Beijing last eight

Top seed Sabalenka stunned by Muchova in Beijing last eight
Updated 04 October 2024
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Top seed Sabalenka stunned by Muchova in Beijing last eight

Top seed Sabalenka stunned by Muchova in Beijing last eight
  • World number two Aryna Sabalenka was on a streak of 15 victories in a row
  • She won titles in Cincinnati and then the US Open for the first time

BEIJING: The 49th-ranked Karolina Muchova stunned top seed Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to reach the China Open semifinals on Friday.
The Czech player won 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-4 and faces China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen or 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva for a place in the final.
Last year’s US Open champion Coco Gauff plays Spain’s former world number two Paula Badosa in the other semifinal in Beijing.
World number two Sabalenka was on a streak of 15 victories in a row, claiming titles in Cincinnati and then the US Open for the first time.
The Belarusian previously had trouble though with Muchova, who this time last year was inside the top 10 before injury struck.
US Open semifinalist Muchova had won the last two meetings between them with both going to a deciding set.
This encounter proved to be just as tight as Sabalenka’s hopes of usurping Iga Swiatek at the top of the rankings took an unexpected hit, having been a break up at 4-2 in the deciding set and seemingly on course for the last four.
“The conditions here are so tough, it can go one way or the other. There was a couple of great returns from her, she got the momentum and started playing more aggressively,” said Sabalenka, who will play at the Wuhan Open next week.
“It was a really high-level match and she played some unbelievable tennis.”
Three-time major champion Sabalenka faced three break points at the start but she held firm, then had a sniff herself on her opponent’s serve at 2-1, but Muchova similarly refused to buckle.
The hard-hitting Sabalenka had set point on Muchova’s serve at 5-4 but surrendered the opportunity when she rattled her forehand wide on the Czech’s second serve.
Muchova double-faulted to give Sabalenka another chance to wrap up the first set but again she failed to take it.
The Czech had two set points in the tiebreak and grabbed the second at the end of a thrilling rally to go a set up.
It was the first set 26-year-old Sabalenka had dropped since the third round in New York.
Sabalenka started the second set brightly to break for 2-1 and broke once more on the way to sealing the set with comparative ease.
Neither could hold serve in the deciding set before Muchova, who at one point had appeared to be wilting in the face of her opponent’s superior power, found another gear to clinch the match in two hours, 46 minutes.
This time last year 28-year-old Muchova was ranked ninth in the world having reached the French Open final and semifinals at Flushing Meadows.
But her 2023 season ended after the US Open because of wrist surgery and she did not play for nearly 10 months until returning this summer.
Sabalenka felt she should have been more aggressive in the match, but said: “I was really close to winning today, but things didn’t go my way and I can only be proud of myself,” she said.


Jamal Musiala to miss Bayern Munich and Germany games with hip injury

Jamal Musiala to miss Bayern Munich and Germany games with hip injury
Updated 04 October 2024
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Jamal Musiala to miss Bayern Munich and Germany games with hip injury

Jamal Musiala to miss Bayern Munich and Germany games with hip injury
  • Bayern said Friday that Musiala would be “out for the time being”
  • Musiala had been included in Germany’s squad on Thursday but the team confirmed he would miss upcoming Nations League games

MUNICH: Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala is set to miss upcoming games for his club and the German national team with a hip injury.
Bayern said Friday that Musiala would be “out for the time being.” Musiala had been included in Germany’s squad on Thursday but the team confirmed he would miss upcoming Nations League games this month against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands.
Stuttgart winger Jamie Leweling could make his debut for Germany after he was called up to replace Musiala.
Musiala played the entire second half of Bayern’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday, the first loss of new coach Vincent Kompany’s time in charge. Bayern leads the Bundesliga ahead of playing Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.


EU’s top court says some FIFA rules on international transfers are contrary to the bloc’s law

EU’s top court says some FIFA rules on international transfers are contrary to the bloc’s law
Updated 04 October 2024
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EU’s top court says some FIFA rules on international transfers are contrary to the bloc’s law

EU’s top court says some FIFA rules on international transfers are contrary to the bloc’s law
  • The court’s ruling came after former France international Lassana Diarra legally challenged FIFA rules following a dispute with a club

LUXEMBOURG: The European Union’s top court said Friday that some FIFA rules on player transfers can conflict with European Union legislation relating to competition and freedom of movement.
The court’s ruling came after former France international Lassana Diarra legally challenged FIFA rules following a dispute with a club dating back to a decade ago.
Diarra had signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013. The deal was terminated a year later after Diarra was unhappy with alleged pay cuts.
Lokomotiv Moscow applied to the FIFA dispute resolution chamber for compensation and the player submitted a counterclaim seeking compensation for unpaid wages. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the Russian club terminated the contract with Diarra “with just cause” and the player was ordered to pay 10.5 million euros ($11.2 million).
Diarra claimed his search for a new club was hampered by FIFA rules stipulating that any new side would be jointly responsible with him for paying compensation to Lokomotiv.
“The rules in question are such as to impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club,” the court said in a statement.
The former Real Madrid player also argued that a potential deal with Belgian club Charleroi fell through because of the FIFA rules, and sued FIFA and the Belgian federation at a Belgian court for damages and loss of earnings of six million euros ($7 million). With the lawsuit still going through Belgian courts, the case was referred to the European Court of Justice for a ruling.
The Diarra case, which is supported by the global players’ union FIFPro, went through FIFA judicial bodies before the 2016 election of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has made it a priority to modernize transfer market rules.


Pakistan, Bangladesh win Women’s T20 World Cup openers in Sharjah

Pakistan, Bangladesh win Women’s T20 World Cup openers in Sharjah
Updated 04 October 2024
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Pakistan, Bangladesh win Women’s T20 World Cup openers in Sharjah

Pakistan, Bangladesh win Women’s T20 World Cup openers in Sharjah
  • Pakistan, who have never made it out of the group stages in eight previous attempts, defeated Sri Lanka by 31 runs
  • Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty described ending her team’s long wait for a World Cup win as ‘very emotional’

SHARJAH: Bangladesh ended a 10-year wait to win a Women’s T20 World Cup match on Thursday as Pakistan warmed up for a mouthwatering clash with India by defeating Asian champions Sri Lanka.
On the opening day of the 2024 tournament, Bangladesh secured a 16-run win over Scotland after posting what appeared to be a flimsy 119-7 in their 20 overs.
Their bowling attack, however, tied the Scots down and restricted them to 103-7.
Later, Pakistan, who have never made it out of the group stages in eight previous attempts, beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs.
Pakistan made 116 in their 20 overs before restricting Sri Lanka to 85-9.
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty described ending her team’s long wait for a World Cup win as “very emotional” and suggested it would create “momentum” for the women’s game at home.
“I would say that a win after 10 years, we all are very emotional because we have been waiting for this victory for a long time,” said Joty who was playing in her 100th T20I.
“No matter how good the cricket we play, if it doesn’t translate into victory, it means nothing. And I would say for women’s cricket, after a long time, I feel like we have done something.
“We have always said about Bangladesh that we have to create momentum and then we will move forward with that momentum.
“Now it seems like we are going to dream of doing something bigger. Similarly, the fans and family who support us in Bangladesh are dreaming that we can do something better than that.”
The momentum for women’s cricket in Bangladesh would have had a far bigger boost had they been staging the event as planned.
Instead, weeks of widespread political unrest in Bangladesh, which eventually led to the installation of an interim government, saw the tournament switched to the United Arab Emirates, with Bangladesh remaining as nominal hosts.
“Initially it was very heartbreaking because we always bear in mind that we are going to play in front of our home crowd,” said Joty.
“But still, the people who came here today, it was brilliant.”
After winning the toss and batting first, Sobhana Mostary top-scored with 36 for Bangladesh.
Their bowlers then strangled newcomers Scotland in spite of Sarah Bryce’s 49 not out from 52 balls.
Ritu Moni was named player of the match for her spell of 2-15 from four overs.
Pakistan staged a determined fightback to beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs with left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal claiming three wickets.
Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail and player of the match Fatima Sana all took two each for Pakistan against Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka.
Pakistan needed a crucial lower-order knock from their captain Sana to post a competitive total, having slumped to 84-8 after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
“We won the toss and we wanted a lot of runs but we didn’t get. We still achieved the target in the game,” said Sana.
For Sri Lanka, Nilakshika Silva top-scored with 22 after Pakistan had lost opening bowler Diana Baig to a calf strain after just one ball.
On Friday, India take on New Zealand while South Africa face West Indies with both games taking place in Dubai.
India and Pakistan will face off on Sunday.