German qualifier Tatjana Maria wins Queen's Club final at age 37
LONDON (AP) — German qualifier Tatjana Maria proclaimed herself 'Queen of Queen's' after winning the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at the Queen's Club for the biggest title of her career on Sunday.
The 37-year-old mother of two claimed her first WTA 500 title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over eighth-seeded Amanda Anisimova in the grass-court final in London.
The 86th-ranked Maria won in front of her daughters Charlotte and Cecilia, and her husband and coach Charles-Edouard Maria.
'It means a lot to me," Maria said. 'I'm a good example that even in my age you still can win big trophies. I'm super proud of myself."
On the way to her fourth WTA title, she eliminated four top 20 players, including Karolina Muchova, Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys, to become the oldest singles champion on the WTA Tour since 2020, when Serena Williams won the Auckland Classic at age 38.
Maria previously won WTA titles on grass at Mallorca in 2018, and triumphed twice on clay in Bogota in 2022 and 2023.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
German cartel office: DFL must update its 50+1 regulations
The logo of the German football league (DFL) can be seen at the entrance to the DFL headquarters in Hesse. German football authorities must make sure that all clubs are treated in the same way regarding the 50+1 rule which prevents takeovers by investors, the German Federal Cartel Office said on Monday. Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa German football authorities must make sure that all clubs are treated in the same way regarding the 50+1 rule which prevents takeovers by investors, the German Federal Cartel Office said on Monday. The cartel authority said it would close the case if the German Football League (DFL) modifies its rules accordingly. Advertisement The preliminary assessment reiterated that 50+1 does not violate antitrust laws in principle, but that the DFL must gradually end its exemption status for some clubs. This currently applies for Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig. Leverkusen and Wolfsburg are owned by chemical company Bayer and car makers Volkswagen, respectively. Leipzig are backed by drinks makers Red Bull and have only 23 voting members. Under the 50+1 rule, which only applies in Germany, club members must have a majority of 50% of the vote, plus one. Exceptions are possible if a a club has been backed by more than 20 years by an investor. The cartel office said that recent rulings by the European Court of Justice mean that the DFL must change its rules in this area. Advertisement "The investigations have shown that the DFL does not take sufficient care in its licensing practice to ensure that all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs consistently offer their fans the opportunity to be admitted as full new members with voting rights," the statement said. "The 50+1 rule can only fulfil its objective of shaping the clubs, which can exempt it from antitrust law, if the accessibility of the clubs is strictly enforced. "The DFL will have to ensure this in the future if it wants the 50+1 rule to be applied with legal certainty," the cartel office said. The cartel office said it was not investigating against the DFL but upon a request by it from several years ago for a ruling.
San Francisco Chronicle
32 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
US Open champion JJ Spaun turned a freefall into a title at rain-soaked Oakmont
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Nobody backs their way into a U.S. Open title. J.J. Spaun wasn't about to be the first to say he did. On a day built for umbrellas, panchos and industrial-sized squeegees, Spaun reversed his own freefall, took advantage of several others' and hit two shots that turned him into a major champion while finally, mercifully, creating a moment to remember at the rain-soaked brute called Oakmont. 'I just tried to dig deep,' said the 34-year-old Californian who can now call himself a major champion. 'I've been doing it my whole life.' The shots that will go down in history are the drive he hit on the reachable par-4 17th and the 65-foot putt he sank with the sun going down and the rain falling on 18. The first set up a birdie that put him in the lead by himself for good. The second was for emphasis — he only needed a two-putt, after all — that ensured this U.S. Open would finish with one — and only one — player under par. The 65 footer, the longest of any putt made all tournament, closed out a back nine 32 and left Spaun at 1-under 279 for the tournament. His 72 was the highest closing-round score for a U.S. Open winner in 15 years. But that wasn't Sunday's takeaway. Rather, it was the 401.5 feet worth of putts the champion made over four days. And the fact that Spaun joined none other than Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Jon Rahm as the fifth U.S. Open winner to finish birdie-birdie. 'I just felt like you keep putting yourself in these positions, like eventually you're going to tick one off,' said Spaun, whose loss in a playoff to Rory McIlroy three months ago at The Players Championship was his third top-three finish of 2025. But at the U.S. Open? In that kind of weather? None of it seemed possible when the rain started coming down during the tail end of a front-nine 40 that took Spaun from one shot back at the start of the day to four behind and fading fast. Coaches told him, 'Dude, just chill,' and Spaun did A 1-hour, 37-minute rain delay ensued. It was a break that changed everything. 'They were just like, 'Dude, just chill,'' Spaun said of the pep talk he got from his coaches. They suggested that, if earlier in the week, he'd been told he could be four shots back with nine holes to play, he would have jumped at the chance. 'They just said, 'Just let it come to you, be calm. Stop trying so hard,'' Spaun said. Staying calm resulted in making a downhill 40 footer on the par-5 12th for birdie, then a 22-foot birdie on 14 to take the lead by himself for the first time, at even par. Everywhere else, meltdowns in the rain. Third-round leader Sam Burns thinned a shot out of a divot and over the 11th green en route to the first of two back-nine double bogeys. He shot 40 on the back and finished tied for seventh. Adam Scott, the only major champion in the top 10 after Saturday's play, shot 41 in the rain on the back nine and dropped to 12th. 'I didn't adapt to those conditions well enough,' Scott said. Tyrell Hatton, who shot 72, briefly threatened and was part of a brief five-way deadlock for the lead before making bogey on the last two holes to finish tied for fourth. Robert MacIntyre turned out to be Spaun's most persistent challenger. The left-hander from Scotland faded his drive just short of the green on the way to birdie on 17 to get to 1 over and set the target for Spaun, who was playing three groups behind. MacIntyre was waiting in the locker room when Spaun hit his approach on 18 to 65 feet. Everyone knew it was no sure two-putt. Hardly anyone expected Spaun to get down in one. 'To watch him hole the putt on 12 down the hill there was unreal,' said Viktor Hovland, who played in the twosome with Spaun. 'And then he makes another one on 14 that was straight down the hill. And then the one on 18, it's just absolutely filthy there.' A sick kid and 'chaos' ends with a trophy When they close the book on Spaun's victory at this rainy U.S. Open, maybe the most telling story will be about the way his Father's Day began. As much as the front-nine 40, it had to do with the 3 a.m. trip to the drug store for his daughter, Violet, who Spaun said was 'vomiting all over.' 'It was kind of a rough start to the morning,' he said. 'I'm not blaming that on my start, but it kind of fit the mold of what was going on, the chaos.' Then, through all the rain, and through all those bad lies and bad breaks, Spaun brought some order to it all with a drive and a putt that landed him with the silver trophy and gold medal that go to U.S. Open winners. 'We all sacrifice so much to be here, and to see it come to fruition, that's why we do it,' said Spaun's coach, Adam Schriber. 'It's for these moments.'
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Maria climbs 43 places in WTA rankings after Queen's win
Tatjana Maria became the first female champion at Queen's since Olga Morozova in 1973 (Ben STANSALL) Tatjana Maria jumped 43 places to 43rd in the WTA rankings published on Monday, the day after completing her fairytale run to the title at Queen's. The 37-year-old mother of two, who had to come through two rounds of qualifying before reaching the main draw at Queen's, became the oldest winner of a WTA 500 event when she beat American Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday's final. Advertisement Maria, who was the first female Queen's champion since Olga Morozova 52 years ago, climbed one place short of her career high-ranking of 42, which she attained last year. The top three remained unchanged with Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Zheng Qinwen climbed one place to fourth, her highest ranking after reaching the semi-finals at Queen's. Jasmine Paolini dropped one place to fifth while Iga Swiatek who has yet to set foot on grass after an unsuccessful season on clay, slipped one place to eighth. WTA rankings: 1. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 11,553 pts, 2. Coco Gauff (USA) 8.083, 3. Jessica Pegula (USA) 6,483, 4. Zheng Qinwen (CHN) 4,853 (+1), 5. Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 4,805 (-1), 6. Madison Keys (USA) 4,669 (+2), 7. Mirra Andreeva (RUS) 4,636 (-1), 8. Iga Swiatek (POL) 4,618 (-1), 9. Emma Navarro (USA) 3,697 (+1), 10. Paula Badosa (ESP) 3,684 (-1), 11. Elena Rybakina (KAZ) 3,456, 12. Diana Shnaider (RUS) 3,216, 13. Amanda Anisimova (USA) 3,119 (+2), 14. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 3,035 (-1), 15. Karolina Muchova (CZE) 2,929 (-1), 16. Daria Kasatkina (AUS) 2,801, 17. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 2,725, 18. Ekaterina Alexandrova 2,378 (+1), 19. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 2,200 (+1), 20. Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) 2,141 (-2) Selected: 43. Tatjana Maria (GER) 1,259 ig/bsp
