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Russian outsider Diana Shnaider battled from a set and a double break down to shock world number one Aryna Sabalenka 3-6 7-5 6-0 in blustery conditions and charge into the French Open semi-finals on a windswept Wednesday. In a tournament that has witnessed several shocks including the exits of defending champion Coco Gauff and four-times winner Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka’s defeat sent another jolt through the wide-open women’s draw. Shnaider reached her maiden Grand Slam semi-final after an inspired battle in which she won the last 10 games having been two points away from defeat, and she takes on Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in the last four. “Obviously, the first time playing Aryna, I was super nervous. The first set, I was trying to adjust to her game, trying to figure out how to play,” Shnaider said. “I feel like I was trying to focus point by point, not thinking about the score. She’s the world number one, so I just tried to do my best. I just had to fight for every point. “It’s definitely a super special win. I feel in the third set I finally found my rhythm and how to play and where to be a bit more. The third set was the one I should be aiming for from the beginning. Super happy to finish on a good note.” The conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier proved a massive challenge for both players as they affected precise shot-making, but Sabalenka found her groove to open up a 5-1 advantage before she dropped serve when the wind began to really swirl. “I don’t know why would they keep the roof open when it’s crazy windy,” Sabalenka told reporters. “But how can I complain, if for almost the whole match everything was working okay for me, but then it just slipped away. I feel like it was getting crazy maybe just because mentally I wasn’t really okay.” FRUSTRATED BELARUSIAN The frustrated Belarusian let out a scream after netting a backhand to give Shnaider another breakpoint, but she composed herself again to wrap up the first set in 49 minutes and punch the air to loud applause from the crowd. Russian 25th seed Shnaider dropped her level in the second set to fall behind again before mounting a spectacular comeback to erase a double break and level at 5-5 and drag four-times major champion Sabalenka into a decider.The powerful left-hander’s forehand caused all kinds of issues early in the final set for Sabalenka, and the 22-year-old broke for a 2-0 lead with a crosscourt winner before holding firm to seal the win. Last year’s runner-up Sabalenka cut a dejected figure after a defeat that ended her streak of six straight Grand Slam semi-finals and she did not mince her words. “No thoughts, no emotions. I just want to quit tennis right now, but we’ll see in A few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally,” Sabalenka said. “I feel I had very decent opportunities in the second set. I screwed up, and then she stepped in and she played great. I feel mentally I couldn’t really recover after second set. I think that was the biggest mistake from me. “I don’t know when the last time was (that) I lost 10 games in a row. I guess mentally I got into very deep, dark hole over there and I just couldn’t get back on track.” Related Story Source link
Charles Leclerc has agreed a multi-year extension with his “second family” Ferrari days out from his home Monaco Grand Prix, the Formula One team announced on Wednesday. The 28-year-old has been with Ferrari since 2019, winning eight Grand Prix – his last victory was in 2024 – with his highest finish in the world championship being runner-up to Max Verstappen in 2022. “Scuderia Ferrari HP announces the renewal of its agreement with Charles Leclerc, who will continue to wear the team’s colours for the coming seasons of the Formula 1 World Championship,” read a Ferrari statement on their website. Leclerc, who sits in third position in this year’s title race, just three points ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, said that he was ecstatic to continue his dream drive with Ferrari. “It’s the team I’ve loved and dreamt of being part of since I was a child, and after all these years it has become a second family,” he said. “Together we’ve shared incredible moments and some tougher ones, but I believe in this team more than ever, and I’m deeply grateful that we will keep pushing side by side toward our shared goal of bringing the World Championship back to Maranello. “Being a Ferrari driver is a dream, but it’s also a responsibility I never take for granted.” Ferrari lauded their “second-most capped Formula 1 driver and (who) also ranks second for pole positions, behind only Michael Schumacher.” “This renewal feels like something very natural for us,” said team principal Fred Vasseur. “Over these seasons we have seen him grow, to become not only one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1, but also a person who is completely at one with the team and everything Ferrari represents. “We appreciate his talent, we love his determination and the way he approaches every day with the people in the Scuderia, both on and off the track.” Related Story Source link
Twelve players are poised to make their FIFA World Cup debut with Qatar as the national team intensifies preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.Qatar, drawn in Group B, will begin its campaign against Switzerland on June 13 in San Francisco, before facing Canada in Vancouver on June 18. The Asian champions will conclude their group-stage fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on June 24.Head coach Julen Lopetegui has placed his trust in a new generation of talent, naming 12 players who were not part of Qatar’s historic maiden World Cup appearance at Qatar 2022.The newcomers include goalkeepers Salah Zakaria and Mohammed Abunada, alongside Ahmed Al Janahi, Ahmed Fathi, Edmilson Junior, Al Hashmi Al Hussein, Ayoub Al Alawi, Tahseen Mohammed, Sultan Al Brake, Issa Laye, Mohammed Manai and Youssef Abdurisag.Their inclusion highlights Qatar’s strategy of blending experienced international players with emerging talent as the team aims to deliver a more competitive performance on football’s biggest stage.Many of these players played influential roles in Qatar’s successful qualification campaign, which culminated in securing a World Cup berth through the Asian playoff stage.Several members of the new generation also contributed to Qatar’s triumph at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, helping the nation retain its continental crown after winning back-to-back Asian titles in 2019 and 2023.Having gained valuable experience through domestic and continental competitions, the players are expected to provide added depth, energy and versatility to the squad as Qatar seeks to make a stronger impact at the 2026 tournament.The team is currently holding its final training camp in the United States, following a friendly match against Republic of Ireland on May 28.Qatar will complete its preparations with one final warm-up match against El Salvador in Los Angeles on June 6 before turning its full focus to the World Cup challenge ahead. Related Story Source link
Australia’s players celebrate after the dismissal of Pakistan’s Maaz Sadaqat (not seen) during the second one-day international (ODI) in Lahore on June 2, 2026. Australia won…
Julen Lopetegui is set for his first FIFA World Cup as a head coach, with the tournament in North America offering a long-awaited opportunity on the…
English cricket legend Andrew Flintoff England cricket legend Andrew Flintoff was named Tuesday as head coach of the Sydney Thunder, the Big Bash League team said, hailing it as their “most significant off-field acquisition in club history”.The 48-year-old has signed a two-year deal for what will be his first overseas coaching role, following weeks of speculation.Former England captain Flintoff starred for his country across all three formats and was last year linked with taking over from Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach.The charismatic former all-rounder has cut his teeth in coaching with the second-string England Lions, as well as the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.In 2022 the popular Flintoff was left with severe facial and rib injuries after a car crash while filming for the hit BBC television programme Top Gear.The Big Bash League is Australia’s premier Twenty20 competition. ‘CAN’T WAIT TO GET STARTED'”I can’t wait to get over there and get started,” he said in a statement released by the team.”I’m looking at this with a lot of optimism. You look at the franchise, you look at the players, you look at the support, and I think there’s something really big to build on.”The Thunder squad is led by former Australia opener David Warner and also includes Sam Konstas, the 20-year-old once seen as Warner’s successor at Test level.They finished bottom of the table last time out, and Flintoff replaces Trevor Bayliss, who departed the role in February after six seasons at the helm.”I want our players to connect with the people that come and see us. I want them to enjoy playing cricket,” said Flintoff, who had a stint in the BBL as a player over a decade ago.”However, all that is underpinned by hard work… I want them to play with passion and leave everything out there on the field.”I’m excited to come over, get involved and coach this team. I’m here to do the best job I possibly can for the team and everybody that comes out and supports us,” he said. Related Story Source link
Albania’s Kristian Prenga (right) and Britain’s Anthony Joshua (left) pose with promoter Eddie Hearn at a press conference in London ahead of their fight in Saudi…
Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry ended his sneaker free agency on Monday, announcing a 10-year deal with Chinese company Li-Ning after leaving Under Armour last November.Curry, 38, revealed the deal on social media and called it “the partnership of a lifetime” that will include global expansion of his Curry Brand, basketball products, a golf line, leisure clothing and the ability to sign other athletes to his brand.”This is bigger than a show deal, bigger than a signature series,” Curry said in a video, saying Li-Ning will deliver “sneakers that I believe in that will continue to deliver at the highest level.”Other Li-Ning athletes with their shoes include Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler, Curry’s Golden State Warriors teammate.Curry had been a partner with Under Armour for 13 years before the split and had worn various brands through the NBA season. Related Story Source link
Alexander Zverev breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, where Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva will meet for a place in the women’s final. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing to a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favourite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of me, that is my goal, that is my aim,” said Zverev, who has only dropped one set en route to the last four. It is the fifth time in six years he has made it to this stage in Paris. “I’m happy to be in the semi-finals, for now,” he added. Zverev will play the winner of the night-time encounter between Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca and Czech youngster Jakub Mensik. For Jodar, the grind of back-to-back five-setters appeared to take its toll as he struggled to cope after blowing a 5-2 lead in the opening set. The 19-year-old Jodar was featuring at just his second major. He was ranked 707th in the world this time last year, losing in the first and second rounds of second-tier Challenger events in the United States during the 2025 French Open. Both Fonseca and Mensik will be playing in their first Grand Slam quarter-final later on Tuesday. Fonseca, 19, backed up his third-round win over Novak Djokovic by beating two-time Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud. He is the first Brazilian man to reach the French Open last eight since three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten. ‘Flashbacks’ Earlier, the in-form Kostyuk held her nerve to withstand a comeback from compatriot Elina Svitolina in the first all-Ukrainian women’s quarter-final at a Grand Slam in the Open era, winning 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. The 23-year-old Kostyuk extended her unbeaten run on clay this season to 17 matches to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final. “I’m very happy I found a way. It was very difficult in the first two sets,” said Kostyuk, who again dedicated her victory to the people of Ukraine. The country was hit by hundreds of Russian drones and dozens of missiles early Tuesday, killing at least 18 people. “We had another difficult night in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv where so many people died, so I want to give this match to Ukraine,” said Kostyuk. Svitolina, 31, fell at the quarter-final stage at Roland Garros for the sixth time. It is the only major where she has not reached the last four. Kostyuk has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine during the ongoing war with Russia. Her next opponent is Russian teenager Andreeva, who she beat in the Madrid Open final last month. “I usually never care who is on the other side of the net. I’m there to play tennis and do my job, and that’s it,” said Kostyuk. Andreeva breezed into her second French Open semi-final earlier in the day with a 6-0, 6-3 rout of Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, who plans to retire at the end of the season. The eighth seed needed less than an hour to dispatch the 36-year-old Cirstea, appearing in the last eight in Paris for the first time since 2009. Andreeva beat Cirstea en route to the title in Linz earlier this year, but made short work of her opponent under the roof on Philippe Chatrier as rain and strong winds arrived in Paris after last week’s heatwave.”I’m super happy that I’m going to be playing in semis again,” said Andreeva. “I felt like it was one of my best matches so far this tournament.”Andreeva atoned for the disappointment of her quarter-final loss to French outsider Lois Boisson 12 months ago. “I was just trying to have flashbacks only about the weather and only about the court with closed roof, not about how I played. I’m happy that I could turn it around,” she said. Related Story Source link
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti is in no hurry to rush star forward Neymar back from his calf injury, the Italian said on Tuesday as his team touched down in the United States ahead of the World Cup. Ancelotti has previously said Neymar would be fit for the Selecao’s “first or second” group stage match at the global extravaganza in the US, Canada and Mexico. Last week, Brazil’s team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar revealed Neymar, 34, had suffered a calf injury and would be out for up to three weeks. Five-time winners Brazil begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13. “He’s progressing well, he’s doing well, we’re in no rush,” Ancelotti said after Brazil arrived in Newark. Neymar’s inclusion in Ancelotti’s 26-man squad was something of a surprise given he had not played for his country for almost three years and has been injury-plagued in recent seasons. He is Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances for the Selecao. This will be his fourth World Cup. Brazil arrive at the World Cup much less feared than in most previous editions.The team finished fifth in South American qualifying and have lost to France, Japan and Bolivia in the last year. But Ancelotti insisted his team will be a force to be reckoned with in North America. “We want to compete with opponents, try to do our best, work hard – everyone knows what Brazil’s expectations are,” he said. “Everyone knows that there are no favourites, there are some strong teams and I think Brazil can compete with anyone.”Brazil may not carry the kind of aura of past teams, but veteran midfielder Casemiro said people back home will be expecting nothing less than a sixth world crown. “There are big expectations, it will be tough, but we are very excited, we want to win,” he said. Brazil are in Group C and will play Haiti and Scotland after Morocco. Related Story Source link