08/06/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | JUNE 8, 2026

25

Maja hoping for better things

SHORTS Shubman, Rahul power India against Afghanistan

A star is born “I feel like I gained a lot of confidence, because I’ve never really played against the high-ranked players before. It was the very first time that I faced them. WORLD NO. 114 Maja Chwalinska says she hopes her run from qualifying all the way to the French Open final can be “inspiring” for other players outside the top 100. Chwalinska became the first qualifier to reach the final at Roland Garros since the Open era began, but came up short in her bid for a historic Grand Slam crown as she lost to eighth seed Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 in the title-decider on Saturday. After years on the lower-tier circuit, 24-year-old Chwalinska’s charge to the final, in what was just her third main draw appear ance at a major, has captivated the tennis world and catapulted the previously unheralded Pole into the spotlight. But Chwalinska, who will break into the top 100 for the first time when she rockets to No. 21 in today’s updated rankings, said it was a only a fine margin between the players at the top of the game and those further down the pecking order. “I know many, many great players that are ranked outside top 100. You know, it’s such a thin line now,” Chwalinska told reporters. “I wish them all the best. I hope that my story these last days was inspiring for them. “Yeah, I’ll see them in the, let’s say, top 50 now.” Despite surpassing all expectations with her remarkable run in which she earned the first wins of her career against top 50 ranked players, including Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, Anna Kalinskaya and Diana Shnaider, Chwalinska said she could play even better. “Honestly, I didn’t feel like I’m playing my best ten nis, which is kind of weird,” she said.

“I will keep on working hard, as I am now, I will give my all to continue and to be a better player.” Chwalinska next has her sights set on Wimbledon, which prior to Roland Garros was the only Grand Slam in which she had recorded a main-draw win. With her jump in the rankings com ing too late for the Wimbledon entry list, she admitted that she does not “expect” a wildcard to the tourna ment but will “give my all” if she has to go through quali fying once again. Before turning her attention to the grass though, she revealed that she plans on taking some well earned rest. “I’m not going to play any

CENTURIES by skipper Shubman Gill and KL Rahul led India to a commanding 368-3 on the first day of the one-off cricket Test against Afghanistan yesterday. Rahul made 100 off 165 balls and put on a second wicket part nership of 139 with Sai Sudharsan, who scored 81, after India elected to bat first in New Chandigarh. Sudharsan and Rahul departed before Shubman fin ished the day on 103 in an unbeaten stand of 121 with wick etkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was on 50 not out. Shubman reached his 11th Test ton with a single off Mohammad Saleem and raised his bat to acknowledge the applause of a sparse crowd at India’s newest Test venue. Rahul, who top-scored for his IPL team Delhi Capitals in the recent T20 tournament with 593 runs in 14 matches, registered his 12th Test hundred. But the right-hander was out the next ball when he attempted an expansive drive off pace bowler Ziaur Rahman only to be caught at short extra cover. “I’m really happy that I could get some time in the middle and make that switch from T20 to Test cricket,“ said Rahul. “That was the most pleasing thing.” Shubman kept up the pace after Rahul’s dismissal, hitting Saleem for two straight bounda ries and ended the day with 11 fours and a six. Rain frustrates England PERSISTENT RAIN sweeping over London restricted play on the third day of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s yesterday to just 9.4 overs with the visitors struggling at 55 for five in their second innings in search of a winning target of 254. The rain fell steadily through out the afternoon and after sev eral inspections the umpires finally called play off at 5.30pm (12.30am Malaysian time) in the 150th Test to be staged at the home of world cricket. In what little play was possible, Rachin Ravindra, who had already endured a miserable match after dropping two catches he should have taken and departing for a first-ball duck in the sensational opening over from paceman Ollie Robinson, opened his account with a handsome off-drive for four. But he added only four more when another unplayable deliv ery from Robinson shot past his bat and knocked out the off stump. Ravindra was followed into the pavilion eight balls later by Daryl Mitchell lbw for a duck in Robinson’s next over when he played around the ball and was hit on the front pad. Robinson, 32, recalled to the Test side after a two-year absence due to concerns over his fitness and conditioning, set the match alight when he took three wick ets in four balls in his opening over on Thursday to put England in command of the first match in the three-Test series.

thing before grass – before Wimbledon, that’s for sure,” she said. “I definitely need some time to recharge. Even before Roland Garros, I said that I needed vacation after the tournament. “So now it’s (been) three weeks that I’m kind of, like, not waiting, because I wanted to be here, but I just knew in my head that I’m going for vacation after the French Open.” – AFP

Andreeva becomes youngest French Open champion since 1992

M IRRA ANDREEVA announced herself as the latest member of women’s tennis’s elite yesterday when she beat surprise finalist Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest French Open champion in more than three decades. The 19-year-old Russian, long regarded as one of the sport’s bright est prospects, delivered on her prom ise on the biggest stage of all, claiming a maiden Grand Slam title and joining the select group of active major cham pions led by players such as Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. In doing so, Andreeva became the youngest women’s singles champion at Roland Garros since Monica Seles won her third consecutive title in Paris in 1992, a milestone that underlined the Russian’s precocious talent and the scale of her achievement. “I’ll be honest, I’ve done a lot of visualisations before. Not just this tournament, but I’ve had dreams, I’ve had a lot of thoughts on how it’s going to happen, if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, where,” Andreeva told reporters. “I would say the feeling in real life is so much better, obviously, than in your dreams… looking at this trophy and realising that this is actually true, and I can call myself a Grand Slam champion.” While Chwalinska’s remarkable run from qualifying captured the

imagination and triggered praise from the greats of the game over the past fortnight, the final belonged to a player who increasingly looks equipped to shape the sport’s future. As the 24-year-old Pole struggled to reproduce the tactical brilliance that had car ried her through nine successive victories, Andreeva grew stronger with every game, imposing her power, absorbing the pressure and leaving little doubt that a new force has arrived at the top of the women’s game. “These feelings are extra special. Now I’m already thinking of how I’m going to prepare for the grass season,” she said. “This thing is a bit addictive, and I really want to do my best to experi ence all of this for the second time. “It just feels amazing looking at this trophy and realising that this is actually true and I can call myself a Grand Slam cham pion.” Andreeva is the first

Mirra Andreeva poses with the trophy after defeating Maja Chwalinska (not pictured) to win the French Open women’s singles title in Paris on Saturday. – AFPPIC

Russian woman to win a major title since Maria Sharapova secured her fifth and final Grand Slam triumph at the 2014 French Open. “I remember her

to show good tennis, some good level.” The triumph earned Andreeva US$3.22 million (RM12.9m) in prize money, while Chwalinska collected US$1.61 million (RM6.45m), roughly double her career earnings before arriving in Paris. – AFP/Reuters

of former world

No. 1 Sharapova. “I knew that she was also

here in Paris. And I was hoping, I don’t know if she was watching the final, but I was hoping that she was. “I was thinking to myself that if she’s watching, it would be really nice

winning here. Obviously, you know, she played amazing on clay,” she said

Poston, Gerard share lead at storm-hit Memorial

AMERICANS JT POSTON and Ryan Gerard shared the lead when play was suspended yesterday due to course conditions after thunderstorms struck in the third round of the PGA Memorial tournament. Poston and Gerard were both on 9-under for the tournament on the sixth green when the horn sounded to signal thunderstorms in the area. After about an hour and 40 minutes play was halted for the day at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. The third round of the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event will resume overnight with the final round starting in late morning in groups of three off the first and 10th tees. Sam Burns was third on 8-under with fellow American Eric Cole fourth on 6-under with England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Americans Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley sharing fifth on 4-under.

the sixth green, Poston looking at a par putt from just inside six feet and Gerard facing a 14-foot par putt when they was taken off the course. Reigning US Open champion JJ Spaun, gearing up for his US Open title defense at Shinnecock in two weeks, was eighth on 3-under through 12 holes when play was stopped. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, trying to become the first player to three-peat at a PGA event since Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic from 2009-2011, was on 1-under through 14 holes in a share of 12th. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, was also in the one-under pack. He had fin ished 16 holes. – AFP

Poston, who turned 33 today, seeks his fourth PGA title, his first since the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. Gerard won his only PGA title at last July’s Barracuda Championship. Poston sank a 14-foot birdie putt at the second hole but missed the green and made bogey at the par-three fourth. Gerard birdied the second but needed two shots to escape a greenside bunker and made a bogey the third. He answered at the par-five fifth with a blast from the rough to inside three feet for a tap-in birdie to match Poston for the lead. Thunderstorms delayed play for an hour and 40 minutes earlier and returned with the co-leaders on