20/05/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAY 20, 2026

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Irrepressible Sinner Italian world No. 1 primed for career Grand Slam at Roland Garros J ANNIK SINNER will head into the French Open as the most overwhelming favourite to win the men’s title since Rafael Nadal’s hey-day and with the career Grand Slam firmly in his sights. better form after romping to the Italian Open crown on Sunday. Shanghai last September. Djokovic is still the most likely man to deny Sinner, despite having struggled for form and fitness since losing to Alcaraz in the Melbourne final.

Scott’s streak started at the 2001 Open Championship and includes his 2013 Masters triumph. Other exemptions confirmed on Monday included 2015 US Open cham pion Jordan Spieth, who ended 2025 ranked 80th in the world but has climbed to 47th. Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, whose world ranking has risen to 21st in the world with his success on the DP World Tour since departing the breakaway LIV Golf Circuit, is set to make his 12th straight US Open start. PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai of England received a five-year exemption into the US Open with his first major triumph on Sunday. Defending champion Gauff will certainly not cede her title lightly and the world No. 4 enters the fray on the back of a strong run in Rome, which ultimately ended in defeat at the final hurdle to the in-form Elina Svitolina. – AFP ARYNA SABALENKA looked unbeat able when the clay-court season got underway last month, but now as the world No. 1 arrives in Paris for her lat est tilt at winning Roland Garros, her dominance of the women’s game has started to show cracks. The four-time Grand Slam cham pion still holds more than 1,000 rank ing points on her closest challengers but foremost on her mind over the next fortnight will be going one bet ter than her runner-up finish last year in the French capital, when she lost in three sets to Coco Gauff. If her aims ahead of the tourna ment, which starts on Sunday, mirror that of her men’s counterpart, Jannik Sinner who is also hunting a first title on the red dirt in Paris, Sabalenka’s stranglehold over her competitors is suddenly a lot less dominant than the Italian’s. When Sabalenka swept to the Sunshine Double at the WTA 1000 hardcourt events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, she had then won three of the four tournaments she had played in this season – the only blight on that record being a three set defeat to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final. A quarterfinal exit at the hands of 30th seed Hailey Baptiste put paid to the Belarusian’s ambitions in Spain, before she followed that up by crash ing out of the Italian Open against a resurgent Sorana Cirstea in the third round. With the 28-year-old top seed now looking uncertain on the clay, the draw again appears to be wide open. Rybakina, who beat Sabalenka in last season’s WTA Finals decider and then in Melbourne in January, will be one of the main contenders despite having never progressed beyond the last eight at Roland Garros. Iga Swiatek has of late shown glimpses of the form that took her to world No. 1 and four Roland Garros titles in the early 2020s. Since her last triumph in Paris two years ago, the 24-year-old has strug gled to find consistency but will be hoping her new collaboration with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig can help her rediscover her best tennis on the surface she had for so long dominated. Sabalenka no longer untouchable

winning an ATP tournament in Munich 13 months ago. Home hopes will be high for a deep run from Arthur Fils who has enjoyed an excellent return from injury this season. Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar will be seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time after an impressive clay-court campaign, while Brazilian fans will turn out in numbers to support their rising star Joao Fonseca. However, everything points to Sinner standing with the trophy on Court Philippe Chatrier on June 7, which would leave an Olympic gold medal as the only big achievement missing from his still young career. – AFP

That final victory over Casper Ruud made the 24-year-old only the second player to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments after Novak Djokovic, who is arguably his biggest rival for the French Open, which starts on Sunday. Sinner has won six consecutive Masters titles and is on a record breaking 34-match winning streak at the level just below the Slams. It would be a surprise if he cannot translate that form to the red dirt in Paris. Sinner has only lost twice in 10 tournaments since retiring injured against Tallon Griekspoor in

The Serb, who will turn 39 shortly before the tournament, has beaten Sinner five times in 11 meetings. Alexander Zverev will be the sec ond seed in Alcaraz’s absence and will have high hopes of finally ending his wait for a maiden Grand Slam title but there is little to suggest the German can start delivering when it matters. The world No. 3 has lost in three finals and nine semifinals since last

The Italian will not even have to face Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him in a dramatic Roland Garros final last year, after his great rival was ruled out through injury. Sinner could become the ninth man to complete the set of all four major titles, following in the footsteps of Alcaraz who achieved the feat at the Australian Open earlier this sea son. The world No. 1 could not be in

Hyderabad qualify for IPL playoffs along with Gujarat

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Eshan Malinga (left) celebrates with captain Pat Cummins during the IPL match against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. – REUTERSPIC

SKIPPER Pat Cummins’ 3-28 and an attacking 70 by Ishan Kishan helped Sunrisers Hyderabad book their playoff spot in the IPL with a nervy five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Monday. The result at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium ensured a playoff berth for Gujarat Titans as well. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru were the first team to qualify for the playoffs. Five teams now jostle for one remaining playoff place in the T20 tournament that will conclude with the final on May 31 in Ahmedabad. Australia’s Cummins struck key blows with his pace bowling to restrict the opposition to 180-7 in Chennai’s last home game. Hyderabad slipped to 56-2 in their chase before the left-handed Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, who made 47, put on 75 runs to guide the team home with six balls to spare. “Really satisfying,”said Cummins.“It was a bit differ ent to how we’d normally play. It was a pretty tough wicket there to bat.“I thought the way the guys, Klassy and Ishan, chased down, it was really gutsy, so very happy.” Chennai’s Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad denied Klaasen his fifty and Hyderabad lost another key wicket of Nitish Kumar Reddy before Kishan, a wicketkeeper-batter, struck decisive shots. He departed after his 47-ball knock laced with seven fours and three sixes, but the job was done and Ravichandran Smaran hit the winning four. Five-time champions Chennai’s fate hangs by a thread. “We lost a couple of games at home, but I think, compared to last year, we were still very much better this year,” said Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. “And definitely coming here next year will be a much more stronger unit.” – AFP

SHORTS

Scott’s century mark AUSTRALIAN Adam Scott is officially set for his 100th consecutive major golf at June’s US Open as officials confirmed 35 exemptions into the field on Monday. That included 24 via top-60 spots in the world rankings as of Monday, a group that included 49th-ranked Scott. Scott played his 100th career major and 99th in a row at the PGA Championship last week and is now poised to join icon Jack Nicklaus as the only players to compete in 100 or more consecutive majors – Nicklaus playing in 146 in a row from the 1962 Masters through the 1998 US Open.

first innings, looked good for another big score but fell to Hasan Ali at deep third-man. Mushfiqur reached his century off 178 balls with a boundary off Mohammad Abbas – the shot that moved him clear of Mominul into the history books. It was also his eighth Test century since 2022. Taijul Islam provided valuable lower order support, adding 77 runs with Mushfiqur before off-spinner Sajid Khan dismissed him for 22. Mushfiqur was the last man out as he became Sajid’s third wicket in the innings. Pakistan pace bowling coach Umar Gul, however, said his team will fight on.

Pakistan openers Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal survived the last two overs of the day without scoring before bad light ended play. The visitors will need a record chase to level the two-match series after Bangladesh won the opener. West Indies currently hold the record for the 418 they scored to beat Australia in Antigua in 2003, while Pakistan have never successfully chased more than 377. Starting the day on 110-3 with a lead of 156 runs, Bangladesh lost skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto for 15 but Mushfiqur and Litton put the Pakistan bowlers to the test. Litton, who scored a century in the

Hosts tighten grip VETERAN BATTER Mushfiqur Rahim hit a glittering century as Bangladesh set Pakistan an imposing target of 427 to win the second Test after another com manding day for the hosts on Monday. Bangladesh posted 390 all out in their second innings on day three with Mushfiqur, who made 137, and Litton Das, who hit 69, putting together 123 runs for the fifth wicket. The 39-year-old Mushfiqur rolled back the years as he scored his 14th Test century, surpassing Mominul Haque’s record of 13 for Bangladesh.