20/02/2026

SPORTS FRIDAY | FEB 20, 2026

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Alcaraz, Sinner cruise into quarterfinals

CARLOS ALCARAZ maintained his 100% start to the year by battling past Frenchman Valentin Royer in Doha yesterday, while his great rival Jannik Sinner also secured a quarter final place. The world No. 1, who became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this month, notched his ninth straight win of 2025 with a 6-2, 7-5 success despite trailing 5-2 in the second set.

India’s troubles deepened when Tilak Varma (31) departed courtesy of a stun ning diving catch in the deep by 41-year old Roelof van der Merwe, while Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal for 34 left the defending champions wobbling at 110-4. Yet Dube entered the fray and unleashed a barrage of boundaries with four fours and six sixes in his match-defin ing knock, supported by Hardik Pandya’s quickfire 30 in the death overs to propel India to their imposing total. – Reuters face seventh seed Elina Svitolina for a spot in the last four after the Ukrainian beat Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6 1, 6-3. Anisimova, the second seed, played her first match of the tourna ment after getting a bye through the first round and a walkover in the sec ond as she beat Janice Tjen in straight sets to book a last eight spot. There she will meet defending champion Andreeva, who defeated Jaqueline Cristian 7-5, 6-3. – AFP No chance 2026 car will turn Max off F1, says Red Bull boss RED BULL team boss Laurent Mekies rejected a suggestion on yesterday that four-times world champion Max Verstappen could lose interest in Formula One because of the sport’s new engine era. Verstappen has been outspoken about the new crop of cars, saying last week that his Red Bull was not much fun to drive and more like “Formula E on ster oids”. A Dutch reporter told Mekies at a press conference during pre-season test ing in Bahrain that the driver had said he had not wanted to drive the 2026 car on the simulator last year because he dis liked the feeling so much. “Have you any concerns of him losing interest in this kind of Formula One?,” he was asked. “Short answer is no,” Mekies replied. “Zero concern about that. “And yes, I do recall our conversation last year when he was switching from a car model to another car model. And yes the difference was so big that at some stage I think rightly he decided to focus on the ‘25 (car). “The reality is that the challenge of these regulations is massive, but that’s also what we love to try to break through these challenges. Try to find solutions that we felt were not on the table. And that’s what we will do with Max.” Verstappen, appearing in a separate press conference with other drivers, said he was just being honest. The 28-year-old, who lost out to McLaren’s Lando Norris last year, also doubled down on concerns about the electrical element, now 50-50 with the internal combustion engine, playing too big a part. “I don’t want us to be close to (all electric) Formula E. I want us to actually stay away from that and be Formula One,” he said. “Don’t increase the battery, actually get rid of that and focus on a nice engine and have Formula E as Formula E, because that’s what they are about.” – Reuters

top seed Rybakina was forced to call it a day in her last-16 match due to gastrointestinal issues at the start of the third set against Croatian lucky loser Antonia Ruzic. The Kazakh joins other high-pro file players, including the world’s top two Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek as well as Victoria Mboko and Barbora Krejcikova, in retiring or withdrawing from the WTA 1000 event. The 23-year-old world No. 67 will

The world No. 2 has now won his last 50 matches against players ranked outside the top 50, a run dat ing back to a loss to Dusan Lajovic in Cincinnati in 2023. Meanwhile in Dubai, Elena Rybakina was the latest player to join the exodus at the Dubai Open as she retired from her match, while Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva both won to set up a quar terfinal meeting. Australian Open champion and

The 22-year-old will play Russian seventh seed Karen Khachanov for a semifinal berth overnight. Alcaraz has won all five of his previous meet ings with Khachanov, losing only one set in the process. Italian Sinner, playing his first tournament since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals last month, eased to a 6-3, 7-5 win over Australian Alexei Popyrin. He will play Jakub Mensik in the quarters.

Bullish Hamilton

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton (left) and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen attend a press conference during the second Formula One pre

season testing at the Bahrain

International Circuit yesterday. – AFPPIC

Notices

322

DALAM MAHKAMAH TINGGI MALAYA DI PULAU PINANG DALAM NEGERI PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA DALAM KEBANKRAPAN NO. PA – 29NCC –488– 07/2024

Per: ANTHONY EYU WEI DI (NO. K/P: 910702-01-6529)

…Penghutang Penghakiman

Ex-Parte: RHB BANK BERHAD (No. Syarikat: 196501000373 (6171-M)

Briton aims for a far stronger second season with Ferrari L EWIS HAMILTON said he has “rebuilt” himself since his chastening first season with Ferrari and is in “the best place car, I think we’ve started off quite well so far. And it’s an exciting time with this new generation of car as well, because it’s all brand new.”

…Pemiutang Penghakiman NOTIS

executive Stefano Domenicali was in charge, while they have waited a year longer for success in the drivers’ championship. Kimi Raikkonen remains their most recent king of F1 thanks to his 2007 victory – the season in which Hamilton made his F1 debut for McLaren. Despite an uninspiring start in red, Hamilton insists he still has faith in Ferrari to deliver the title-winning car he craves. The Brit added: “My belief in the team is still absolutely the same. I understand the faith in this team and what they’re capable of and that’s why I joined the team. “I knew it wasn’t going to be an overnight thing where we’d have suc cess immediately. That’s why I signed a longer deal because I knew more often than not it’s a process. “I feel like we’ve also learned a huge amount from last year as a team and there have been changes that we’ve made. I think we’re working better together than ever before so I’m excited for that moving forward.” – Express Newspapers on the situation.” India had a nightmare start in the first over when Abhishek Sharma – the world’s No. 1 ranked batter – fell for a third consecutive duck in the tourna ment after he was bowled by spinner Aryan Dutt. Fellow opener Ishan Kishan (18) also fell victim to Dutt in bizarre fashion when he attempted to play the pull shot but failed to connect as the ball came off his arm and rolled into the stumps to dis lodge a bail.

(Dalam perkara Petisyen Pemiutang bertarikh 19 Mei 2025)

Kepada:-

ANTHONY EYU WEI DI 1B-6-3, The Loft Jalan Muzium Perang 11960 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang. ANTHONY EYU WEI DI Block 2-08-13 Maisson Residence Jalan PJU 1A/3 Ara Damansara 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa satu Petisyen Pemiutang telah dikeluarkan terhadap kamu dalam Mahkamah ini oleh RHB Bank Berhad (No. Syarikat. 196501000373 (6171-M) yang beralamat di Level 8, No.75, Jalan Tun HS Lee, 50000 Kuala Lumpur dan Mahkamah telah memerintahkan supaya Petisyen Pemiutang yang diserahkan kepada Mahkamah ini diserahkan kepada kamu secara penyampaian ganti dengan menampalkan sesalinan Petisyen Pemiutang tersebut dengan sesalinan meterai Perintah Penyampaian Ganti pada Papan Notis Mahkamah Tinggi di Pulau Pinang dan dipremis terakhir Penghutang Penghakiman di alamat 1B-6-3, The Loft, Jalan Muzium Perang, 11960 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang dan/atau Block 2-08-13 Maisson Residence, Jalan PJU 1A/3, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor juga dengan mengiklankan Notis ini sekali dalam satu suratkhabar harian tempatan berbahasa Inggeris iaitu “The Sun” dan bahawa penampalan dan pengiklanan tersebut adalah merupakan penyampaian yang cukup dan memadai akan Petisyen Pemiutang tersebut kepada Penghutang Penghakiman tujuh (7) hari selepas tarikh akhir penampalan atau pengiklanan tersebut dilaksanakan. DAN SELANJUTNYA AMBIL PERHATIAN bahawa Petisyen Pemiutang tersebut akan didengar di Mahkamah ini pada 10/03/2026 jam 9:00 pagi yang mana pada hari tersebut kamu ANTHONY EYU WEI DI (NO. K/P: 910702-01 6529) dikehendaki hadir, dan jika kamu tidak hadir, Mahkamah akan membuat satu Perintah Kebankrapan terhadap kamu atas ketidakhadiran kamu. Petisyen Pemiutang tersebut itu boleh diperiksa oleh kamu atas permohonan kepada Mahkamah. Bertarikh pada 15 Januari 2026 …………………………… Notis ini difailkan bagi pihak Pemiutang Penghakiman oleh Tetuan Toh Theam Hock & Co., Peguambela & Peguamcara yang beralamat di No. 155, Tingkat 1, Medan Kikik Satu, Taman Inderawasih, 13600 Prai. (Ruj: TTH/RHB/53/2025/OSY/NA)

Ferrari have been encouraged by their pre-season performance so far and could benefit from a launch advantage off the line, amid sugges tions they have built a smaller turbo charger which requires less revving. And on Wednesday their car debuted a brand new rear end which earned admiring glances up and down the pit lane, most notably from McLaren boss Andrea Stella who stud ied it intently. Hamilton is just glad to have been able to share his own ideas in the design process. He said: “Last year we were locked into a car that ultimately I inherited. “This is a car that I’ve been able to be a part of developing on the simula tor for the last 10 months and so a bit of my DNA is within it. I’m more con nected to this one for sure.” Ferrari are desperate to get back to winning ways in the world champion ship. Their last constructors’ title was won in 2008, when current F1 chief

I’ve been in a long, long time”. His dream Ferrari debut turned out to be one long nightmare as he failed to record a single Grand Prix podium for the first time in his entire Formula 1 career. The seven-time champ was thrilled to see the back of a car he “inherited” and says he is much more confident now in the 2026 Ferrari that he has helped to shape. Before driving it again in the final block of pre-season testing in Bahrain, which began on Wednesday, Hamilton said he has rediscovered his enthusiasm again. He said: “I’ve left everything, all of last year, behind me. I really felt that I spent a lot of time rebuilding over this winter, refocusing, really getting my body and my mind to a much better place. In general, just making sure that I’m able to arrive feeling better. “I would say I generally feel per sonally in the best place that I’ve been in a long, long time. And then with the

India maintain perfect T20 World Cup record INDIA beat the Netherlands by 17 runs in their final Twenty20 World Cup Group A match yesterday in Ahmedabad as the co-hosts and defending champions maintained their perfect record heading into the Super Eight stage. Varun Chakravarthy picked up three wickets for just 14 runs while Dube also took two wickets to win the player of the match award.

“I try to hit boundaries. I enjoy hitting sixes, but the situation demands (if) the bowler is good, I have to be prepared. I have to prepare myself to hit boundaries as well,” Dube said on his career-high knock. “The captain and coach told me that I have to keep the strike rate high when I come in the middle overs, but it depends

After winning the toss and opting to bat, India posted 193-6 on a slow pitch on the back of Shivam Dube’s 66 off 31 balls in the middle order while Logan van Beek finished with figures of 3-56. In response, the already-eliminated Dutch side managed only 176-7 after