20/08/2026

THURSDAY | AUG 20, 2026

28

SPORTS

Sabalenka serves up a storm World No. 1 slams Wang to advance at Cincinnati A RYNA SABALENKA unleashed her big game with devastating effect yester day, hammering China’s Wang Xinyu 6-1, 6-3 to reach the fourth

BRANDON NAKASHIMA continued his breakthrough summer by saving three match points to stun fourth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-1 and reach the Cincinnati Open fourth round yesterday. The American appeared on the brink of defeat at 4-5 in the second set when he faced three match points, but produced a fearless response to force another tiebreak and level the contest. “Down match points, I was just try ing to tell myself to keep fighting for every point,” Nakashima said. “If he’s able to close it out there, then too good. I just kept fighting and managed to get it to a third set. I’m super happy with the level in the third.” Nakashima then raced through the decider, breaking twice to complete the two-hour, 51-minute victory and claim his first win in four meetings with Medvedev. The result also marked his fifth career victory over a top-10 oppo nent. “Throughout these matches, there’s always ups and downs, times where I’m not feeling as good, but I just try to stick through every moment and keep fighting,” the 25-year-old added. Nakashima arrived in Ohio after reaching his first Masters 1000 final in Montreal last week and the Washington semifinals earlier this month. He has now won 10 of his last 12 matches on hard courts and risen to a career-high No. 22 in the rankings. He will face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the fourth round after the unseeded player ended a five-match losing streak against 13th seed Andrey Rublev with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Taylor Fritz also advanced, extend ing his winning streak on American soil to seven matches with a 6-3, 6-4 vic tory over rising Spaniard Daniel Merida. The Washington champion has now reached the Cincinnati last 16 for the fourth time in five years and will face Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell. The tournament continues over night with world No. 1 Alexander Zverev facing Tommy Paul, while Frances Tiafoe takes on second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. Lorenzo Musetti faces qualifier Jaime Faria and Nakashima returns against Borges. With the US Open beginning on Aug 30, Cincinnati is shaping up as an important final test on hard courts, and Nakashima is rapidly emerging as one of the players to watch. – Reuters/Agencies Red-hot Nakashima stuns Medvedev FORMER Formula One driver Johnny Herbert has accused Max Verstappen’s supporters of being among the most abusive fans in the sport, claiming he received death threats after questioning the Red Bull star. Herbert, who raced in F1 for 12 sea sons and won three grands prix, said the backlash intensified during his time as an FIA steward and television pundit. Asked which group of supporters had given him the most abuse during his career, Herbert did not hesitate. “That’s easy! The Dutch fans who

SPORTS Sinner, Alcaraz face US Open fitness race JANNIK SINNER and Carlos Alcaraz are facing a race against time to be fit for the US Open, with the two most recent champions yet to confirm whether they will compete at Flushing Meadows later this month. World No. 1 Sinner has not played since successfully defending his Wimbledon title last month and with drew from the Cincinnati Open because of a knee injury. The five-time Grand Slam champion has been undergoing shockwave ther apy on the problem and has been moni tored at the JMedical Centre in Turin. According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport , Sinner is due to undergo final tests before deciding whether to travel to New York. The 25-year-old has returned to the practice court and is reportedly “moder ately satisfied” with his level, but will only head to the United States if he receives the all-clear from his medical team. Sinner’s fitness will be closely watched after his recent experience at the French Open, where he suffered a shock second-round defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo despite leading by two sets and 5-1 in the third. He recovered to win Wimbledon, but his decision to skip Cincinnati means he will arrive at the US Open without a competitive match since his triumph at the All England Club. Alcaraz is also facing uncertainty after missing the French Open, Wimbledon and Cincinnati because of a wrist injury suffered at the Barcelona Open in April. The world No. 2 has stepped up his training in recent weeks and hit with Holger Rune in Murcia over the week end as he continues to work towards a return. Alcaraz had hoped Cincinnati would provide an opportunity to regain match sharpness before the US Open, but his withdrawal means he could now return directly into best-of-five-set Grand Slam tennis. A final decision on whether to travel to New York is expected this week. Should Alcaraz decide against com peting, his next scheduled opportunity to return would be the Laver Cup in London from Sept 25 to 27. The Spaniard, who won last year’s US Open, has been sidelined for four months, while Sinner claimed the title in 2023 and 2024. During Alcaraz’s absence, Sinner has repeatedly stressed his desire to see his biggest rival back on court. “Tennis needs Carlos,” Sinner has said. With the US Open starting on Aug 30, however, the immediate question is whether both stars will be fit enough to answer that call. – Express Newspapers an impact at Assen and Zandvoort.” Verstappen is enduring a difficult 2026 season, with Red Bull struggling to match Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari following major regulatory changes. The four-time world champion is currently sixth in the drivers’ standings with 109 points and has yet to win a race this season. Herbert left his FIA stewarding role and Sky Sports punditry in 2025 after stepping down from both positions amid conflict-of-interest concerns. – Express Newspapers

Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after defeating Wang Xinyu (not pictured) to reach the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open in Mason, Ohio yesterday. – AFPPIC

round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. The world No. 1 took only 20 minutes to blow through the first set against her 36th ranked opponent and began the second set with a break of serve. Sabalenka kept up the pressure in the second set with Wang double-faulting on the top seed’s first match point after 54 min utes. The victory marked the 45th in a row for Sabalenka at the Masters 1000 level. “I cannot complain. She’s a tough oppo nent,” Sabalenka said. “To win in straight sets like this in under an hour is insane. “I’m super happy to be through. I really trusted myself and went for my shots. I wasn’t over-thinking. I was able to stay focused and be in every point.” Sabalenka next plays Czach Sara Bejlek, a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Fourth seed Coco Gauff needed to bat tle following a sizzling first set in a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over fellow American Ann Li. The 2023 champion had it all her own way in the opening set against her 29th ranked foe, winning in 30 minutes. The pair exchanged early breaks in the second on the way to a tie-breaker, in which Gauff seized a 4-1 lead and won on her third match point. “She played better in the second set and I missed a couple of break opportu nities,” Gauff said. “I tried to forget about those. “It was hard to control the ball for both of us and it was my first time playing a day match on this center court so I had to adjust to that.” Mirra Andreeva’s French Open reigning champion status counted for little as the fifth seed struggled to close out a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) vic tory over Janice Tjen. The Indonesian challenger ranked 37 was bowled over in the first set but made Andreeva work to finally advance. “In the first I was in command and she had unforced errors here and there, but in the second after a couple of games I started getting nervous, she made fewer mistakes - it turned into a match of men tality and physicality,” Andreeva said. Eighth seed Elina Svitolina was forced to withdraw before her match against Wang Xiyu with an ankle injury. “I’ve been advised by the doc

tors to take a little bit of time to rest and recover completely,” the Ukrainian said in a statement. – AFP

Herbert blasts Verstappen fans after ‘death’ threats

country. Verstappen, however, has played down his influence and said he does not want to take credit for the rise in popu larity. “I don’t want to say it’s all because of me. I’ve done my part,” he told Formula 1 Magazine . “Above all, I think it’s great to see that motorsports is truly alive in the Netherlands. “I don’t personally need to take credit for that. Fortunately, there are also Dutch drivers who are generally doing well in various classes and making quite

“You’re Dutch, and you support Max, and you’re saying we’re biased, but you want us to support Max. “Of course we are going to support a British driver but it’s objective. “We are wowed by the Flying Dutchman too. If England were playing Holland in football, of course I’m going to support England.” Herbert’s comments come amid the enormous growth of Verstappen’s fan base in the Netherlands, with the Red Bull driver having helped fuel a surge in interest in Formula One in his home

took issue with me questioning Max Verstappen,” he said. “Actually, they weren’t just Dutch. They were from other countries as well. ‘Death to Herbert.’ They were the worst. They accuse me of being biased. They still do to Martin Brundle.” Herbert, 62, also rejected accusa tions that he favours seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton simply because they are both British. “They say, ‘You’re biased to Lewis.’ Well, we are British, and Lewis is a Brit,” he said.