12/05/2025

MONDAY | MAY 12, 2025

28

SPORTS

Triumphant return Sinner wins at Italian Open in first match since doping ban W

as airspace was closed, while overseas stars began to head home on Saturday. Teams on Sunday were reported to be contacting their overseas players and coaching staff about returning, with website ESPNcricinfo saying the IPL could restart around May 15 if given the go-ahead by the government. Virat hints at retirement INDIA superstar Virat Kohli reportedly wants to retire from Test cricket ahead of their tour of England. Indian media is reporting that the 36-year-old has told the Board of Control for Cricket in India that he no longer wishes to play the longest format of the game. It comes after Rohit Sharma, who succeeded Virat as captain, announced his Test retirement. India are due to head to England for a five match series beginning on June 20. Virat made his Test debut back in 2011 and has played 123 matches in the format, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of nearly 47. He stands fourth in India’s all-time list of Test run scorers, with his innings including 30 centuries and a highest total of 254 not out against South Africa in 2019. He retired from the international T20 format after India’s World Cup victory last year.

SHORTS

IPL chiefs in talks about restart

INDIA cricket board officials were reported to be meeting overnight to discuss a quick resumption of the IPL, following India and Pakistan agreeing a ceasefire in their deadly border conflict. Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan called a halt to hostilities on Saturday and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia told website cricbuzz they were “closely monitoring the evolving situation.” Saikia added they will “take a call on IPL resumption after consulting all stakeholders of IPL and the concerned government authorities.” Rajeev Shukla, vice-president of the BCCI, told Indian media that officials would meet on Sunday to decide the future course of action. The Indian Premier League was on Friday suspended for a week, a day after a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capital was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200km from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier. A special train was arranged for players to return to Delhi on Friday

ORLD NO. 1 Jannik Sinner made a solid return from his three-month doping ban by beating Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4 before an adoring

home crowd at the Italian Open. It was Sinner’s first match in more than 100 days, since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. “Amazing feeling. I have waited quite long for this moment,” Sinner said. “I am very happy to be back.” There weren’t too many signs of rust and it didn’t take long for Sinner to start crushing his groundstrokes on or near the lines. When the Italian broke for 3-1 in the first set, the crowd inside Campo Centrale sang “Ole, ole, ole, Sin-ner, Sin-ner.” Many fans in the soldout crowd of 10,500 were dressed in orange, Sinner’s theme color. And there were plenty of signs that said “Bentornato Jannik” or “Welcome back Jannik”. The victory extended Sinner’s winning streak to 22 matches, dating to October. “It went very well at times,” he said. “Could be better, yes, but in any case it doesn’t matter about the result today. It has been a remarkable day for me.” In February, Sinner agreed to the three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) that raised some questions, since it conveniently allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams and come back at his home tournament. Many fellow professionals feel Sinner was treated too lightly. But the crowd at the Foro Italico was fully behind Sinner, who has remained Italy’s most popular athlete despite his suspension. When Sinner unleashed a backhand approach winner up the line early in the first set – the game in which he eventually broke Navone’s serve – one Sinner fan yelled, “Destroy him.” Sinner’s only real lapse came late in the second set when he failed to consolidate a break and dropped his serve. But he broke again in the next game and then served the match out. Sinner hit twice as many winners as Navone, 21-10; but had more unforced errors, 24-19. “It’s very difficult to have the right feedback when you don’t have any matches,” Sinner said. “But exactly that’s what I need. Now I think the best practice is the match itself.” Sinner admitted that he had been battling nerves and doubts about his readiness ahead of his return. “I have doubts. I had doubts before going on court today. I have doubts now what’s going to happen in the next match,” said Sinner. “But we have to live with doubts because it means that you really care, that you want to improve, that you want to show yourself, that you want to do something special.” Sinner will next face 93rd-ranked Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong, who beat 25th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-0, 6-2. The last Italian man to win the Rome title was Adriano Panatta in 1976. – The Independent/Agencies

WE ARE HIRING!

Malaysian Paper

1) EXECUTIVE / SENIOR - HR & Admin 2) ASST MANAGER / MANAGER - HR & Admin

Job Description • Maintain HR records, including employee files, salaries and benefits information. • Handle employee attendance records, payroll and claims. • Handle employee relations and resolve any workplace conflicts or issues. • Provide HR support and guidance to managers and employees. • Ensure compliance with all employment laws and regulations. • Stay updated on changes in work legislation and industry standards. • Handle employee training and development programmes. • Manage employee benefits programmes and ensure compliance with regulations. • Stay updated on current industry trends and best practices in HR management. • For Senior/Assistant Manager with supervisor skills. • Handle staff training and recruitment matters. • Experience in payroll system would be advantageous. • Handle General Admin and other HR duties. Requirements • Diploma/Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management or related field. • Executive: 1+ years of experience in HR & Admin or related field. • Senior: 3+ years of experience in HR & Admin or related field. • Asst Manager: 5+ years of experience in HR & Admin or related field. • Fresh graduates are encouraged to apply for Assistant Executive post. • Basic HR knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office. • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Job Description • Perform routine and preventive maintenance on factory & office building systems, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems. • Conduct regular inspections of the factory & office building to identify and address maintenance issues. • Respond promptly to maintenance requests and ensure timely resolution. • Maintain accurate records of maintenance activities, including work orders, inspections and repairs. • Ensure all maintenance activities comply with relevant health, safety and environmental regulations. • Coordinate with external contractors and vendors for specialised maintenance and repair works. • Monitor and optimise energy usage to improve efficiency and reduce costs. • Assist in preparation and management of maintenance budget. • Assist in any ad – hoc operations and admin tasks assigned by Management from time to time. Requirements • Diploma/Degree in Building or Facilities Management, Safety & Health or related field. • Additional certificate: Electrical Chargeman, preferably A4 or minimum A1 would be an added advantage. • Minimum of one year of experience in Building Maintenance or Safety & Health. • Adequate technical knowledge of building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing etc). 3) EXECUTIVE - Safety & Building Maintenance

Jannik Sinner in action during his round of 64 match against Mariano Navone. – REUTERSPIC

Collins ends Swiatek’s Rome title defence

HOLDER Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Italian Open to American Danielle Collins after a 6-1, 7-5 third-round loss yesterday in a major upset that will cost the Pole the world No. 2 ranking as the defence of her French Open title looms. Swiatek held a commanding 7-1 head-to-head record against Collins before the contest and yet another early defeat does not bode well for the 23-year-old, who has not won a tournament since her fourth triumph at Roland Garros last year. “I played against Iga so many times… When you play that many close matches and get this close and also play some of your best tennis and lose, I think you learn a lot,” Collins said. “I feel like I applied that today, to the match.”

Swiatek has lost nine matches this year – as many as in all of 2024 - while she has not reached a claycourt final ahead of her bid to retain the French Open title later this month. “It hasn’t been easy,” she told reporters. “For sure, I’m doing something wrong. So I need to just regroup and change some stuff. I had some advice from the team, I’ll just try to do this. “I think I just wasn’t there, present, to fight and to compete (against Collins). I focused on mistakes. It’s my mistake and I’m not doing things right. So the focus is on the wrong things from my side and I’ll try to change that. “I’m not able to play my game. I’ll just try to change my mindset a little bit.” – Reuters

Five-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek went 5-0 down in the opening set before getting on the board to avoid a bagel. Collins was lethal from the baseline, mixing it up with forehand and backhand service return winners as she picked apart Swiatek’s serve in an opening set that was one-way traffic. The second was level at 4-4 as Swiatek showed flashes of brilliance, but 31-year-old 2022 Australian Open runner-up Collins showed no mercy, sealing victory in one hour and 44 minutes when a return went wide. Collins fired 32 winners and converted six of eight break points while Swiatek, who had won the tournament three times in the last four years, made 22 unforced errors.

• Excellent problem – solving and troubleshooting skills. • Ability to work independently and as part of a team. • Strong communication and interpersonal skills. • Able to work flexi hours. • Able to handle urgent and last – minute job request.

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