04/06/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | JUNE 4, 2026

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High noon

AJ excited for future ahead of return to the ring ANTHONY JOSHUA insists it is time to get back to work as he prepares for the first assignment of a two-fight deal which is set to conclude against Tyson Fury at the end of the year.

what is point one, point two, point three. It gives purpose and focus. I know what my year looks like. “Give me the opportunity to fight Prenga, give me the opportunity to fight Fury, give me the opportunity to fight for the championship. “It ain’t about looking past any one, it’s just knowing your purpose and knowing your steps forward and moving up the ladder. “I’ve got a clear goal, I know what this year is about, I know how tough this year is going to be. I’ve been training hard, that’s my life.” – The Independent

It will be Joshua’s only warm-up before colliding with long-term British rival Fury in October or November, and the 36-year-old is ready to shake off the ring rust hav ing not fought a meaningful oppo nent since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Joshua said: “What does boxing give me? It gives me an opportunity to work. “I’m a contractor, this is a contract, this is my job so I’ve got an opportu nity to work. “You have to put a road map in front of a fighter and show them

T OP-RANKED Nelly Korda chases a lifelong dream and Thailand’s second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul seeks her first major title when the 81st US Women’s Open begins today at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. The 27-year-old American won her third career major title in April at the Chevron Championship and also won February’s LPGA Tournament of Champions and May’s LPGA Riviera Maya Open. Korda has never captured a US Women’s Open but hopes to change that this week in a 156-player show down with a US$12 million (RM48m) purse. “Two weeks off before, really made sure to get a lot of grind time in. I feel pretty good,” Korda said. “This is the best week almost of the year. You’re playing against the best players in the world at an amazing venue in pristine condition. Just really excited to get this week going.” Korda shared second to Sweden’s Maja Stark in last year’s US Women’s Open, her best finish in 11 appear ances and in a winless 2025 campaign. “I was just hungry for more,” said Korda. “Last year was just a weird year of not necessarily playing my best, but also when I did, missing by a centime ter here and there. “There’s no better rush of emotions than being in the hunt. There’s no bet ter place to be than in the hunt on a back nine on Sunday at a major cham

pionship, especially at the Women’s Open. It would have been a lifelong dream, but there’s more chances.” The first one comes this week with Stark fighting her nerves by consider ing the odds for a repeat triumph. “I feel a little bit more pressure than I usually do,” she said. “Then I just think what are the odds of winning it again? That takes the pressure away.” Korda became the first US woman to qualify for this year’s Solheim Cup team on Tuesday. “Getting to represent my country is always such a huge honor,” said Korda. “I’m just really excited to tee it up.” Jeeno is packing her patience and awaiting her moment to attack at a lay out known for deep rough and light ning-fast greens. “If you keep really patient and wait, then take those opportunities, it’s a good advantage for being in the US Open,” Jeeno said. “We don’t have to do anything different because when you change your routine, that’s when you change your mindset. We just want to make things the same.” Jeeno says seeing Korda’s tough practice efforts is inspiring. “She’s No. 1 in the world, definitely she’s going to work hard,” Jeeno added. – AFP No. 1 Korda, No. 2 Jeeno chase US Women’s Open title

Joshua takes on little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga on July 25 in his first appearance since surviving a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele. The fight was originally scheduled to take place in Riyadh, but at their head-to-head press conference on Tuesday it was revealed it has been moved to Jeddah.

Rosberg casts doubt on Hamilton’s title hopes

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Nico Rosberg during their time as teammates at Mercedes. – AFPPIC

Ű BY PHILIP DUNCAN

Jobs

Hamilton endured a poor first sea son with Ferrari. At one stage he described himself as“useless”and even called on the Italian giants to replace him with another driver. And Rosberg continued: “Even though the best (in Formula One) are earning US$50 million (RM200m) a year, the struggles are still real. “Lewis Hamilton, earning tons of money at Ferrari, if you ask him about last year and how horrible was it on a scale of 1 to 10, he would give you a 10. “Coming to a new team, the whole of Italy slowly but surely turning against him because he is not deliver ing, his younger teammate beating him… that is a horrible situation to be in. And that would not have been much fun so you are on the edge.” – The Independent issue at all on track.” Monegasque driver Leclerc, who won his home race in 2024, also shared his optimism given the focus on battery recharge. “I think Monaco is actually going to be one of those races where these cars might be very good,“ Leclerc said. “We now have lighter cars, which I think is a good thing, we can defi nitely feel that and, for a track like Monaco, this has its benefits. “I think the electric side is going to be a lot less big in Monaco just because we’ll be recharging quite a bit with all the corners that there are. So, I’m quite excited for Monaco, it should be a good track for these cars.” Ferrari driver Leclerc is currently third in the drivers’ standings, 13 points behind Russell. Lewis Hamilton, a three-time winner in Monaco, is a further three points back in fourth. – The Independent

And Ferrari are expected to go well at the principality this weekend with the unique track expected to suit their machinery. Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the world championship in 2016 after three fractious seasons together at Mercedes, was asked on the High Performance podcast if he would like to see the British driver win an eighth title. “Yes, of course, and he would deserve it,” said Rosberg. “It would be great to see him keep progressing as he has into this year. And I think he will win a race at least this year. “But to get the championship, the car is not good enough, and his level is not quite there yet, but hopefully he can still improve throughout the sea son.” However, given the lighter and smaller cars in 2026 and the focus on energy management, F1 champion ship leader Antonelli believes it will instead be an “interesting” 78-lap race on Sunday afternoon. “We may see some overtaking because cars are smaller,” Antonelli, who has a 43-point lead over George Russell in second, said. “Of course, you will still have to commit massively to make the move stick, but I think it’s not going to be impossible. “I also think it’s going to be more fun to drive the car around the track. It’s going to be interesting with the smaller cars, with the battery. “Obviously there were talks with the FIA with closing speeds. I think Monaco is not going to be an issue (for that) because it’s super easy for the battery because you don’t have long straights, so we won’t face that

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LEWIS HAMILTON is currently not at the level required with Ferrari to win a record eighth world championship, Nico Rosberg has claimed – despite hailing his former rival’s “incredible” longevity in Formula One. Hamilton, 41, heads into Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix among the favour ites to land his first victory for Ferrari, a fortnight after taking his best result with the Italian team – as runner-up to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in Canada. It marked Hamilton’s second podium from the opening five rounds – having failed to land a single top three finish in his first season at Ferrari – to leave him fourth in the standings, just three points adrift of teammate Charles Leclerc. KIMI ANTONELLI and Charles Leclerc are optimistic that this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix can produce an intriguing race despite its tradition ally processional nature. The famous race around the streets of Monte-Carlo has faced criti cism for several years now. Due to its tight and twisty nature, Sunday races are often dull affairs with overtaking at a premium. This makes qualifying on Saturday one of the most important and thrill ing of the year, but nonetheless, recent attempts to improve the Sunday spectacle have fallen flat. Last year’s two-stop regulation has been dropped this year, after teams played the system by forcing one driver to hold the pack up while the other driver pitted and came out ahead on the racetrack. Ű BY KIERAN JACKSON

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Overtaking possibility at Monaco GP

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