07/06/2025

SATURDAY | JUNE 7, 2025

28

SPORTS

Queen’s dealt major blow, top tennis stars withdraw

World No. 5 thankful after rare defeat IGA SWIATEK’S 26-match winning streak at the French Open ground to a screeching halt as her title defence ended on Thursday but the Pole said she was happy to have enjoyed a glorious run at the claycourt Grand Slam. Swiatek’s bid for a fifth Roland Garros title went up in smoke after world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka prevailed Court Philippe Chatrier. The defeat was a blow for Swiatek, who was hoping to claim her first title in a patchy year for the usually dominant 24-year-old following a short doping ban in 2024, but she said she was glad to have Roland Garros to come back to year after year. “I love playing here, so for sure I’m happy I was fortunate enough to play so many great tournaments here. Even this one, I played better than weeks before,” Swiatek told reporters. “So I’m just happy that I have this place to come back to every year and just try to push myself.” Swiatek showed plenty of determination in her previous two rounds to see off 13th seed Elina Svitolina and 12th seed Elena Rybakina, and she said she was satisfied with the quality she showed during the tournament. “Now it’s probably not the best time to look at the wider perspective,” Swiatek said. “So probably it wasn’t a bad tournament, but obviously not the result I wanted.” – Reuters

JESSICA PEGULA and Naomi Osaka have both pulled out of Queen’s just days before the event gets underway in London. It will come as a major blow to organisers, most notably tournament director Laura Robson, as the Queen’s Club welcomes back a women’s WTA 500 event for the first time in over 50 years. The tournament kicks off today and finishes on June 22, but fans will have been left disappointed by the withdrawal of two of the top female stars. A statement from the tournament read: “Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka withdraw from HSBC Championships. We hope to see both Naomi and Jessica back on court soon and at The Queen’s Club in 2026.” Their withdrawals follow their campaigns at the French Open, which both ended in disappointing fashion at Roland Garros. Meanwhile, Queen’s starts up the grass court swing this year as players get vital preparation in ahead of Wimbledon, which begins on June 30.

Osaka was one of six Grand Slam champions on the women’s side who was scheduled to hit the grass at Queen’s, earning a wildcard alongside British favourite Emma Raducanu. Fellow Grand Slam champions Madison Keys, Barbora Krejcikova, Elena Rybakina all earned their spot in the event via direct entry. Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova entered via special ranking as she continues her comeback following maternity leave. It is a star-studded event in London, with plenty of other big names in the draw - despite the withdrawals of both Osaka and Pegula. Former British tennis star Robson, now serving as tournament director, is hoping the event will have a wide-reaching impact. She told BBC Sport in February: “The chance to have a women’s event in London, new faces coming in, new audiences, new commercial opportunities, hopefully it gets a huge reach and grows the women’s game even more and we begin that history that the men’s event has.” – Express Newspapers

Swiatek. – REUTERSPIC

Sabalenka downs Swiatek World No. 1 progresses in three sets, Pole’s reign in Paris ends W ORLD NO. 1 Aryna Sabalenka battled past four times champion Iga Swiatek to reach her first French the tournament without a title win this season, had reached the semis dropping just one set in five matches. But she looked completely out of sorts on Thursday. now, I’m glad I found my serve (again in the third set).” Gauff had a much easier task against Boisson, the first player in the Open Era since 1968 to reach the last four of the French Open.

Aryna Sabalenka plays a backhand return to Iga Swiatek during their women’s singles semifinal match. – AFPPIC

Open final with a 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-0 win on Thursday that ended the Pole’s reign in Paris and snapped her 26-game winning streak at the tournament. The Belarusian will face 2022 finalist Coco Gauff in tomorrow night’s (9pm Malaysian time) showcase match after the American crushed French hopes with a straight-sets victory over wild card Lois Boisson. Sabalenka’s power proved too much for defending champion Swiatek, who was looking to become the first female player in the Open era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris. Swiatek had won the previous three editions along with her maiden crown in 2020. “Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I’m just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere,” Sabalenka said. “She’s the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match, it was a tricky match but I managed.” Sabalenka, playing her second French Open semifinal and seeking her first title in Paris, powered into a 3-0 lead, twice breaking the Pole. She kept attacking her opponent’s serve with Swiatek winning just 35% of her points on her second serve. Swiatek, who late last year accepted a one-month doping ban and came into

With seven unforced errors in the first three games the Pole was playing catch up from the start. She struggled with her serve and had racked up two double faults by the fifth game. Swiatek gradually, however, found her range and precision, countering Sabalenka’s raw power with superb ball placement and levelled when her opponent double-faulted on break point. While the Pole found a way to grab the second set, Sabalenka was not to be denied, breaking the 24-year-old world number five at the start of the third to take control. “I think the pace from her was super fast,” Swiatek said. “Especially at the beginning of the match, she played just kind of as hard as possible and pretty risky. So it was just hard to get into any rally.” “In the third set I feel like we kind of came back to what happened in the first, and she for sure used her chances and I didn’t really keep up what I was doing in the second set.” Sabalenka gave her opponent no chance with her thunderous groundstrokes, powering through the decider as Swiatek ran out of steam. “It could not be more perfect than that,” Sabalenka said of her third-set performance. “I’m super proud right

The wild card, ranked 361st in the world at the start, had taken the tournament by storm, beating two seeded players on her French Open debut, including world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, but her scintillating run came to an abrupt halt against Gauff. The 21-year-old second seed, who can become the first American since Serena Williams in 2015 to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, was a cut above her opponent on the day. “This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that it (the crowd) was to be 99% for her so I was trying to block it out,” said Gauff. For 22-year-old Boisson, who had played only two matches on the main tour in her career prior to the tournament, Gauff proved too big a hurdle. “I don’t know how to say, but she played on the right and on the left and on the right,” Boisson said. “I just feel

like I was running everywhere on the court today, so it was really tough.” “She was really solid, and I couldn’t play my game today because she was just too good.” – Reuters

Red Bull plan to replace Max, special request made to FIA

RED BULL have reportedly decided on their plan to replace Max Verstappen in the event the reigning world champion is handed a suspension. Verstappen was punished for his involvement in an incident with Mercedes’ George Russell at Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen, who was already furious with his garage following a late decision to change him onto a set of hard tyres, had been asked by team principal Christian Horner to give up a spot to Russell following an earlier incident. But as Russell was accelerating to overtake the four-time Drivers’ Championship winner,

replacement is able to step in, with De Telegraaf reporting Red Bull have applied to the FIA for an exception regarding a superlicence for teenage sensation Arvid Lindblad. The 17-year-old has been impressing on the Formula Two circuit and would be nominated the replacement for Verstappen in the event of a possible suspension. Superlicences are required in order for

Verstappen himself sped up and rammed into the Brit’s car. To the dismay of some, including Sky Sports pundit Nico Rosberg, it didn’t result in a black flag for the Red Bull driver. However, Verstappen was given three penalty points, meaning he’s now just one away from a one race suspension. Should that scenario play out, it appears Red Bull have already taken steps to ensure his

drivers to compete in Formula One, with a minimum age of 18 often required to obtain one. That rule can be waived if there is a 17 year-old who has “demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity” behind the wheel in another FIA-approved championship. The tweak came last year as Kimi Antonelli, aged 17 at the time, was being tipped to compete in a practice session for Mercedes. – Express Newspapers