15/09/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | SEPT 15, 2026

28

grid that didn’t get the chance to do the pit stop. That’s just unfortunate. “There’s been plenty of times where I’ve gained from it in the past and times where I’ve lost from it, and it’s racing, but never when fighting for a win. “It’s not the team’s fault, it’s not my fault. Simple as that. We were just unlucky,” he added. – Reuters know, just trying to do the best job I can whenever I go on track,” said the youngster. “Of course, yes, I have a big lead, but you never know what can happen. So I just need to be ready for anything and keep maxi mising every opportunity I get, and then we’ll see where we end up at the end of the year.” Four-time champion Max Verstappen, second yesterday for Red Bull, and McLaren’s reigning champion Lando Norris both shared Hamilton’s view on who would be cham pion. “I’m definitely not having a comeback,” said Verstappen, who almost snatched the title last year from way back, of his situation 147 points behind the Italian. Norris, 106 points behind Antonelli in fourth overall, agreed: “He’s leading by 80 points because he’s doing an incredible job,” said the Briton. “I think it’s cool to see someone so young doing such an incredible job and more than likely go on and win the championship.” – Reuters KIMI ANTONELLI and Mercedes are sure to win this year’s Formula One titles, Ferrari’s seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton conceded yesterday. “There’ll be no stopping him and Mercedes this year,” Hamilton said after retirement from the Spanish Grand Prix left him still third overall but now 101 points behind the 20-year-old Italian who has won eight of 14 rounds so far and who replaced him at Mercedes after the 2024 season. “They’ve done a phenomenal job and they deserve it.” Mercedes are 145 points clear of sec ond-placed Ferrari, with reigning cham pions McLaren a further 52 behind. Antonelli’s closest rival is his team mate George Russell, who is now 81 points adrift. Hamilton retired with a brake problem after starting in fourth place and rising to third on the opening lap. “I’ve got no brakes, guys,” he No stopping Antonelli, says Hamilton secutive races and last weekend became the first Italian since 1966 to win his home grand prix at Monza. He is already the youngest driver to lead the championship, and the first Italian since 1953, and would be the youngest champion. “It’s great, but, you know, we’ve just got to keep pushing, keep delivering the results and, you told the team by radio before retiring on lap seven in last place. It was his first points blank of the season. Antonelli has now led 13 con

Sabalenka sends new message to Rybakina ARYNA SABALENKA has congratulated Elena Rybakina on her US Open triumph again, after suffering a bruising 6-4 5-7 6-2 defeat in Saturday’s final. when they got too close while she was sitting courtside with her team, waiting for the trophy ceremony.

you for the love, energy and unmatched atmos phere… playing here is always so special. I’ll see you next year, hungry for more.” Rybakina also had some kind words for Sabalenka after claiming her first US Open crown. “I just want to say, Aryna, you’re a big champion,” she said during her victory speech. “It’s so difficult to play against you! You push [me] to such a limit. I was diving on the court and just trying to get all the possible balls, and yeah, just congrats to you for all the achieve ments, congrats to your team, you guys do an amazing job, really.” – Express Newspapers

But the four-time Grand Slam champion has now had some time to digest that loss, and sent a sweet message to Rybakina, commending her performance. “Not the ending I dreamed of… today hurts, but tomorrow we start again,” she wrote on Instagram , less than 24 hours after the final. “Congratulations @lenarybakina on an amazing tournament and performance last night. Just incredible tennis. New York, thank

Sabalenka came in as the top seed and two time defending champion, but Rybakina wrecked her hopes of pulling off a three-peat in Flushing Meadows, and looked clinical as she lifted a third Major trophy. Sabalenka was understandably upset after suffering her first defeat here since 2023. She broke her racket immediately after the match, and then told a camera operator to “f*** off”

Lost in the moment Zverev fails to realise he had won US Open in bizarre moment A LEXANDER ZVEREV failed to realise he had just won the US Open after becoming a two time grand slam champion in claim the opening break before serving out a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 victory for his sixth consecutive win against the world No 9. Ű BY JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Alexander Zverev celebrates with the

trophy after winning the men’s singles final of the US Open by defeating Ben Shelton (not pictured) at Flushing Meadows yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Zverev won his first grand slam title in June at the French Open and also reached the Wimbledon final in July in what is by far the best season of his career. He is now just the fourth man in the Open era to win his first two grand slam titles in the same year and aiming for the year-end world No 1 is now a realistic tar get. This has been Zverev’s year at the grand slams after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominated the men’s game and swept the biggest titles in 2024 and 2025. He has taken advantage of spells of injury from both Alcaraz and Sinner and has not had to beat either player in 2026 to become a two-time grand slam winner. “I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all

New York. The German would have perhaps expected a muted reaction to his winning moment as he was facing the home hope Ben Shelton in the final. But the 29-year-old lost track of the score because when Shelton put his return long on Championship point, Zverev barely responded. Instead, the top seed thought there was another game to come because he had already hit the balls to the other end of the court in preparing to receive. It wasn’t until Zverev looked up to the scoreboard and the upper deck of the Arthur Ashe Stadium for him to realise he was the champion. But there was no falling onto his back as, in one of the strangests grand slam title victories of all time, Zverev belatedly burst into a wide smile. “I thought it was 5-1!” he later told Sky Sports . “I knew I had broke twice, he had only held once so like it’s 5-1. “I thought, OK, I’m gonna have a relaxed service game here and then I’m gonna get tight on the next one. “It’s actually funny. Tennis teachers always tell you just play each point, to for get about the score. From that moment I forgot about the score, it helped me.” Zverev will pocked US$5.5 million (RM23m) in prize money by winning the US Open title while victory will also exor cise some of the demons from his previ ous US Open final appearance in 2020. Six years ago, Zverev served for the Championship against Dominic Thiem, but lost from two sets up in a brutal col lapse. Perhaps not realising the score helped Zverev as he produced a masterclass in the fourth set to repel Shelton’s come back after the young American finally arrived in the final. The 23-year-old Shelton overcame a very nervy start and threatened a come back when he broke his opponent for the first time late in the third set and force the fourth. But Zverev immediately pounced to

the years that happened before,” Zverev said at the trophy presen tation. Shelton gave it all he had in the third, but there was no stop ping Zverev in the final set. “I made too many errors when I had the ball there on my strings,” Shelton said. “I wasn’t amaz ing attacking on my

f o r e - h a n d today. I wa s n ’ t great in transition. “It’s

not

easy,” added. “Playing a guy like him there’s very few chances.” – he

The

Independent/AFP

Norris goes from Madring pole high to ‘insanely unlucky’

LANDO NORRIS went from the high of celebrating one of the best pole posi tions of his Formula One career to feel ing “insanely unlucky” as the champion rued a win that got away through no fault of his own yesterday. The McLaren driver looked set for his third victory of the season after starting at the front of the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix debut of Madrid’s

overall and 106 points behind leader Antonelli, whose win was his eighth of the campaign. Asked if he felt it was “the one that got away”, Norris qualified that. “It depends how you define ‘got away’. It’s not like we did anything that made us lose it. We were just insanely unlucky today,” he said. “I was the only one on the whole

precious time advantage but he was unable to do so because he had already gone past the pit lane entrance seconds earlier. When he pitted a lap later, the lead was gone for good. “Congrats to Kimi and Max. They drove a good race today, so just luck not on our side,” said Norris. Third place left the Briton still fourth

new track and carving out a lead of more than six seconds before a virtual safety car scuppered his chances. With overtaking as good as impos sible, he had to settle for third behind Mercedes’ winner Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. “There was nothing I could do,” Norris said of a situation where rivals behind him were able to pit and gain a