23/08/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | AUG 23, 2025

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Tough lessons helping Sabalenka

SHORTS Coco hopes new coach brings instant success AFTER a triumphant French Open but inconsistent performances on grass and hard courts, Coco Gauff arrives at the US Open hoping to rediscover her 2023 title-winning form, now under new guidance after splitting with her coach days before the event. With Matthew Daly no longer in the picture, the 21-year-old will lean heavily on longtime mentor Jean-Christophe Faurel in New York, and is looking to address the issues with her serve with the addition of biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan. “No one calls my season bad because I won Roland Garros, and for people, winning a Grand Slam more or less defines whether you’ve had a successful season or not,” Gauff told reporters. Gauff is widely seen as a future world No. 1 and bold moves like reshaping her coaching team on the eve of a major could be exactly what propels her there. “It’s very surprising that a top player would do that right before a major,” analyst Patrick McEnroe noted ahead of the tournament. “But one of the things you’ve got to love with Coco Gauff is she IGA SWIATEK arrives at the US Open with her sights set on a seventh Grand Slam title and a potential return to world No. 1e to cap what she calls a remarkable year of redemption following “the worst experience of my life”. The 24-year-old Polish world No. 2 has endured a rollercoaster 2025 campaign that began under the shadow of a doping ban but was transformed by her stunning Wimbledon breakthrough. Swiatek’s comeback story began at Wimbledon in July, where she delivered one of the most dominant Grand Slam final performances in recent memory. She demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to claim her maiden grasscourt major with an impressive “double bagel”, the first in a major title clash since 1988. Swiatek maintained that momentum by claiming her first Cincinnati Open title on Monday, defeating Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6 4 without dropping a set throughout the tournament. “I’m happy with the work we’ve been doing and the process. “I’m a good player. I can play on any surface,” she said after securing her 11th WTA 1000 title, second only to Serena Williams’ 23. Having won the US Open in 2022, Swiatek returns to New York with her confidence restored and her powerful groundstrokes primed for another assault on American hard courts. wants to get better.” Swiatek targets seventh Slam

WORLD NO. 1 Aryna Sabalenka believes she is ready to hit her peak as she prepares to launch the defence of her US Open crown after a tumultuous season of near-misses. The 27-year-old from Belarus arrives at Flushing Meadows sitting on top of the global rankings despite a year in which she has failed to add to her tally of three Grand Slam singles titles. Agonising defeats in the finals of the Australian and French Opens, followed by a semifinal exit at Wimbledon, have left Sabalenka even more determined to retain her crown in New York, a tournament she regards as her favourite Grand Slam. Sabalenka took a lengthy break after her Wimbledon disappointment, opting to skip the WTA Montreal tournament in order to recharge.

“I really hope those tough lessons are going to help me in this one,” said Sabalenka, who was criticised for remarks after her French Open defeat in which she suggested her own mistakes – rather than Gauff’s performance – was to blame. She subsequently apologised for her comments and has patched up her relationship with Gauff, who also defeated Sabalenka in the final of the 2023 US Open. “After that, I had to sit back and reflect on everything and apologise and make sure that people understand my point – I was over emotional,” Sabalenka said of the Gauff controversy. “I was completely wrong… it was a tough lesson, but it helped me a lot in so many different ways.” – AFP

Although her return at the Cincinnati Open ended in a straight sets defeat to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, a relaxed Sabalenka says she is in a positive mood heading to New York. “I’ve had a pretty good season so far in the Slams. Lost those two finals but I learned really tough lessons,” Sabalenka said. “I lost in semis at Wimbledon but the consistency is there. I’m just missing a little, little part. (The US Open) has always been my favorite slam. I’m defending champion, and I love being in this position.” Both of Sabalenka’s Grand Slam final defeats this season went to three sets. A gruelling 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 loss to Madison Keys in Melbourne was followed by a 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4 reverse to Coco Gauff at Roland Garros.

Clash of titans Blockbuster Sinner, Alcaraz rivalry ready to light up US Open J ANNIK SINNER and Carlos Alcaraz will be aiming to write another chap ter of their blockbuster rivalry when the US Open men’s singles gets

2.50am local time. “Every time we play against each other, I think our level is really high,” Alcaraz has said of his rivalry with Sinner. “I don’t see any player playing against each other having the level that we are playing when we face each other.” Australian legend Rod Laver meanwhile says simply that Sinner and Alcaraz are a godsend to tennis. “Their growing rivalry is a gift to our sport, and it’s matched by the genuine respect they show for each other,” Laver wrote on social media after Sinner’s Wimbledon win. “Win or lose, they compete with joy, class, and sportsmanship. “That’s what makes champions.” Alcaraz and Sinner’s battle for supremacy this season will carry an extra edge at the US Open, with the world No. 1 ranking also at stake. Sinner and Alcaraz met in Monday’s Cincinnati Open final, although fans were denied another classic after an ailing Sinner retired in the first set while trailing 5-0. Alcaraz’s win in Cincinnati means that he has closed to within 2,000 points of Sinner in the ATP rankings. To ensure he remains world number one, Sinner will likely need to win in New York while Alcaraz can reclaim top spot if he advances one round further than Sinner. Sinner, though, is unlikely to surrender his ranking position without a fight. Prior to his retirement in Monday’s Cincinnati final, Sinner had racked up an impressive 26 consecutive wins on hard courts. Assuming the Italian’s fitness holds up, few would bet against the world No. 1 launching the start of a new lengthy winning run in New York over the coming fortnight. – AFP the condition gets. I reach the final stages, I reached the semis of every Slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz. “These guys are fit, young, sharp. “I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that.” But unlike Sinner and Alcaraz, who toiled through the heat and humidity in Cincinnati before the Italian retired from their clash in the final on Monday with illness, Djokovic took time off to recharge. Only time will tell whether the gamble pays off at a tournament Djokovic also won in 2011, 2015 and 2018. – AFP

under way in New York tomorrow. As the era of men’s tennis’s “Big Three” recedes into the rearview mirror, Sinner and Alcaraz have accelerated onto centre-stage to fill the void created by the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and the decline of Novak Djokovic. In their five meetings in Grand Slams so far, Sinner and Alcaraz have produced encounters that have been every bit as memorable as anything Federer, Nadal and Djokovic served up. This season, Alcaraz drew first blood with a spellbinding 4-6, 6-7 (4-7),

6-4, 7-6 (7 3), 7-6 (10 2) victory over Sinner to claim the French Open

title in June.

Sinner then hit back to claim the Wimbledon final last month, defeating Alcaraz in four sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. “I keep looking up to

Carlos because even today I felt like he was doing a couple of things better than I did,” Sinner said after his

Wimbledon win. “That’s something we will work on because he’s going to come for us again.” The two men also have history in New York, meeting in an epic, 5hr 15min 2022 quarterfinal showdown finally won by eventual champion Alcaraz at around

Jannik Sinner. – REUTERSPIC

Rested but rusty Djokovic plots Flushing Meadows ambush NOVAK DJOKOVIC hopes a selective approach to his scheduling will give him the best chance to win the US Open in his unrelenting pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam. record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 US Open.

Sinner (four) and Carlos Alcaraz (three) have combined to sweep every ensuing Grand Slam, leaving Djokovic on the outside looking in and with time working against him in his bid for history. A hamstring tear forced him to retire against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open before a hip and thigh issue hampered him in London. “It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest,” said Djokovic. “The longer the tournament goes the worse

The 38-year-old Djokovic has not played since a comprehensive semifinal defeat by Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon last month, skipping the two main US Open warm-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati. He briefly returned to court on Tuesday for the revamped mixed doubles in New York but lasted just 43 minutes as he and partner Olga Danilovic crashed out in the first round. Djokovic has reached the final just once at the last seven majors since equalling Margaret Court’s