31/03/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | MAR 31, 2025

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Sabalenka claims Miami crown World No. 1 beats American Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to clinch 8th WTA 1000 title T OP-RANKED Aryna Sabalenka overwhelmed American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to win the Miami Open yesterday, relying on her usual playbook and powerful forehand to win an eighth WTA 1000 title. previously never advanced beyond the quarterfinals. would react to a break of serve or moments of frustration with anger and sometimes loud displays of her annoyance with herself but there was no sign of such loss of cool against Pegula.

AT 81 years old, and having spent a life in and around motorsport, Helmut Marko’s reputation is set in stone. An expert in his field, an important ally to Max Verstappen and a straight talker who shoots from the hip. The Red Bull advisor is one of the most divisive figures in the paddock. One driver who knows all about the intimate details of working with Marko is seven-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian was snapped up to drive for RSM Marko in 1997 – an F3000 team in F1’s feeder series. And while the owner is now well-known for his bluntness, Montoya claims that it was even more extreme at that point in time. Blunt? You have no idea,” the 49-year-old told Express Sport . “He’s mellow now.” Marko’s tough love approach came to the fore at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this month, when Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar crashed out on the slippy surface during the formation lap and returned to the paddock in tears. Marko, who oversees the Red Bull young driver programme which Hadjar came through, described the scenes as “embarrassing”. Montoya believes that his former boss could do with adjusting to a new generation of drivers, and that Red Bull should consider employing a supervisor to keep an eye on him. “The hard thing with Helmut is that he doesn’t understand the younger generation,” the former Williams and McLaren driver explained. “They’re not as cut-throat. The younger guys need a different approach. “Like what happened with Hadjar crying, and I’m a little bit like Helmut, thinking, ‘why are you crying?’. But at the same time, I have my kid who’s been raised this way so I kind of understand where the younger drivers are coming from too and what it means. “I think Helmut does a really good job with the programme and they need somebody to supervise him a little bit now to filter him.” – Express Newspapers ‘Red Bull urged to keep eye on Marko’

The rivals traded breaks three times in the first set before Sabalenka clinched the critical break with inspired play in the final game, sending a 144kph winner down the line before forcing Pegula into a forehand error on set point. The American was at her best when she forced the 26-year-old Belarusian to sprint back and forth on the baseline in the

“I struggled a lot in the past with a lot of different things, I went through really tough challenges, and I was struggling with my serve so much,” said the 26-year-old. “I couldn’t serve for a while, so I had to play without the serve, and I think that was the moment when I realised that I actually have other weapons in my game, so I can actually win the match even if my serve is not working,” she said.

Sabalenka, who was runner-up in Indian Wells earlier this month and at January’s Australian Open, refused to accept the consolation trophy this time as she closed it out with a superb backhand shot down the line and thrust her hands in the air. Fourth seed Pegula had been hungry for revenge since losing to Sabalenka in her maiden Grand Slam final in New York last year but the 31-year-old could not match the Belarusian’s raw power as she lost momentum after a promising start. “Thank you everyone for supporting me every day – I enjoyed playing in front of you every day,” Sabalenka told the crowd, after years of struggling at the tournament where she had

opening game of the second set and broke with a backhand winner. But Sabalenka quickly subdued Pegula with her power, levelling it in the second game. Sabalenka converted yet another break to clinch the match and underline her claim to be the world’s greatest competitor. In the past, Sabalenka

But there was also a conscious decision to cut out the antics when the game was in difficult moments. “One day, I just decided, OK, whatever happens on the

court, I’m n o t g o n n a show my emotions. “ I d o n ’ t wanna be that kid

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Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the Butch Buchholz Trophy. – AFPPIC

Lee charges into lead at Houston AUSTRALIA’S Min Woo Lee shot a 7 under 63 to take the lead after three rounds of the Houston Open yesterday at Memorial Park. Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti, whose 65 put him in second place at 13-under. Australia’s Ryan Fox also posted 65 and shares third place with Ryan Gerard (68) and Scheffler at 12-under.

earlier. “I couldn’t get the ball to go in the hole,” he said. Sweden’s Jesper Svensson moved into contention with a third-round 63, marking his career-low round. He’s at 11-under in a sixth-place tie with Gary Woodland, Keith Mitchell and Trey Mullinax. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy went from barely making the cut to briefly moving into the top 10 after yesterday’s 65. His chip-in for eagle on No. 8 (which was his second-to-last hole of the round) was a big boost, but he’s at 9 under and tied for 14th place. – Field Level Media happens.” England’s Charley Hull remained two shots off the field, firing a 68 despite a pair of bogeys, including one on the troublesome 14th hole. Like Vu, she also rebounded and was able to birdie two of her last three holes. Sitting at 16-under 200, she finished with six birdies on the day. Ayaka Furue of Japan (67 on Saturday) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark (69) are tied for third, three shots off the lead at 15-under 201. – Field Level Media

Lee is at 193, a 54-hole tournament record, eclipsing Curtis Strange in 1998 and Tony Finau in 2022. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who fired a 1-under 69, dropped into a three-way tied for third in his quest for his first victory of the season. “I’m just going to go out and try to have a good round,” Scheffler said. “Not overthink things, try to get off to a good start. I made some mistakes early in the round, a few shots I’d like to have back. Hopefully, be a little bit sharper.” Lee holds a four-stroke lead on

“I just feel really good about it,” Lee said. “It was great fun and very solid overall.” Lee, a younger brother of the LPGA’s Minjee Lee, has never won on the PGA Tour. Scheffler, playing in his home event, led by one shot after matching his course record with Friday’s 62. He didn’t have a bogey through the first two rounds, but posted a pair on Nos. 4 and 13 yesterday. The putts weren’t rolling in at the rate of a day

Vu up 2 shots at Ford Championship LILIA VU overcame a double bogey and two other bogeys to shoot a 4 under 68 yesterday and maintain a two shot lead heading into the final round of the Ford Championship in Chandler, Arizona. as she seeks her sixth win on the LPGA Tour. “I think I didn’t think too much about that double bogey,” said Vu, who notched eight birdies in the third round and set a new 54-hole scoring record at the event with her three-day total of 198.

On a windy day at Whirlwind Golf Club’s Cattail Course, Vu – who had played a pair of bogey-free rounds – bogeyed the par-3 6th hole and par-4 9th hole, then endured a double bogey on the par-4 14th hole. To her credit, however, she recovered to birdie the next three holes

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“Obviously I was upset with it, but I know where my game is at, and that’s not going to really knock me down. “My caddie actually said on the hole after, all I have to do is get you on the green, and whatever happens

Send in your CV with your photo via email to: thesun.hr2@gmail.com ( Closing Date: March 31, 2025 )