Emotional Ulissi revels in pink jersey after ending Italy's Giro drought
Italy had not seen one of their own wear the pink jersey in the Giro d'Italia in four years until Saturday when XDS Astana's Diego Ulissi took the Maglia Rosa and he will proudly wear it when he rides through his home region of Tuscany on Sunday.
Ulissi came third in stage eight but his performance was enough to take the pink jersey from Slovenian Primoz Roglic as the Italian built up a slender 12-second lead over his teammate Lorenzo Fortunato, with Roglic a further five seconds back.
Ulissi screamed in delight when he was told the pink jersey was his as he became the first Italian since Alessandro De Marchi in 2021 to wear the jersey, ending a long wait for home fans that lasted 86 stages.
"I don't easily let myself be taken by emotions but when I was presented with the Maglia Rosa and saw XDS Astana stamped on it, I became emotional, I have to admit," Ulissi told reporters.
"I'm 35, soon 36 (in July). I've had nice satisfactions in my cycling career with eight stage wins at the Giro, I've built a nice family with three daughters.
"So when I first saw this jersey, I thought of all my family members, especially those who took me to races when I was a kid."
The stage victory, however, went to Australian Luke Plapp, who rode solo with 45 km for his first Grand Tour stage win.
Ulissi finished 38 seconds behind, losing a battle with Wilco Kelderman of Visma-Lease a Bike for second.
"Luke Plapp was superior. I'm happy with how I went on such a lumpy terrain. When I heard that I had to ride flat out till the finish, I understood that I had a chance to take the Maglia Rosa," Ulissi added.
"The choice of not communicating to me the exact gaps was the best thing to do in order to not disturb me. I have a long experience in cycling but I never had the Maglia Rosa before."
Stage nine is a 181 km ride from Gubbio to Siena in the Tuscany region in central Italy.
"Tomorrow, I'll try to give everything to defend it but it's a complicated stage that requires some luck as well," Ulissi said.
"It'll be special to arrive in Tuscany with the Maglia Rosa." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Defending champion Sinner storms into Cincinnati semi-finals
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Aug 14, 2025; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner (ITA) returns a shot against Felix Auger Aliassime (CAN) during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Defending champion Jannik Sinner swept past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0 6-2 on Thursday to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals, with the world number one extending his hardcourt winning streak to 25 matches. Sinner delivered a dominant performance, capitalising on his opponent's 29 unforced errors to claim his first win in three meetings against the Canadian in just 71 minutes. "Today I felt great on court. I think you saw that but every day is going to be different," Sinner said. "Tomorrow is a day off, which is good for me. We will try and put some reps in and then see what I can do in the semis." The Italian became only the fifth man this century to record 25 consecutive victories on the surface alongside Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. He will face either Danish seventh seed Holger Rune or French qualifier Terence Atmane. In the women's draw, second seed Coco Gauff secured her place in the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-4 win over Italy's Lucia Bronzetti. "For the most part I played aggressive. Maybe got a bit passive in some of those games. But it's tough. The balls are super light and they fly," Gauff said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 100 people being investigated for vape offences, say MOH and HSA Singapore Bukit Merah fire: Residents relocated as town council carries out restoration works Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What are the fire safety rules for PMDs? Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at wrong airport in South Korea Asia India and China work to improve ties amid Trump's unpredictability Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength "She wasn't giving me much pace. I was trying to play with control but also aggressive. I think I did well. I missed a couple balls. But I learned from it and was able to close it out." The two-time Grand Slam champion will next face another Italian, seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who swept past Barbora Krejcikova 6-1 6-2 in a rematch of the 2024 Wimbledon final. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Jannik Sinner swamps Felix Auger-Aliassime in Cincinnati power display
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox CINCINNATI - Jannik Sinner 'felt great on the court' as he annihilated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 on Aug 14 to reach the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open semi-finals with his 25th straight hardcourt match victory. The world number one powered through a rapid-fire opening set and overcame a wobble as he started the second set by dropping serve. The defending champion prevailed in a brief 71 minutes as he claimed an eighth victory in a row at this event and his 30th this season. 'I felt great on the court today, you could see that,' said the Italian, who turns 24 on Aug 16. 'But every day can be different. Let's see what I can do in the semis.' Sinner, playing his first tournament since his Wimbledon triumph, will face either French qualifier Terence Atmane or Danish seventh seed Holger Rune for a place in the final. Auger-Aliassime meekly lost the opening set after less than 30 minutes, delivering three double-faults in the final game. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Over 100 people being investigated for vape offences, say MOH and HSA Singapore Bukit Merah fire: Residents relocated as town council carries out restoration works Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF Singapore askST: What are the fire safety rules for PMDs? Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at wrong airport in South Korea Asia India and China work to improve ties amid Trump's unpredictability Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength After dropping his serve early in the second Sinner broke back to level at 2-all, eventually advancing as Auger-Aliassime coughed up his eighth double fault on match point. 'I served well today, that was the key for me,' Sinner said. 'I had a small drop in the second set and I'm happy that I broke back. He moves and serves well, he's difficult to play.' In women's action, French Open champion Coco Gauff beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. The second-seeded American's game showed minor rust after a bye in the previous round. 'I could have maybe made some more first serves in that second set, but overall, I had a lot of aces and unreturnables,' said Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati champion who went on to win the US Open title that year. 'I'm happy considering where (my serve) was last week. I'm always trying to get better, but also just trying to take the little wins along the way.' 'I'm just trying to be happy with where I'm at now, but still doing the things I need to do to improve.' Gauff, who was broken once in each set herself, finally secured a spot in the last eight with a concluding break of the 61st-ranked Italian's serve as Bronzetti hit long after 79 minutes on court. Gauf next takes on seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who crushed 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2. Krejcikova had treatment on her left foot in the second set and her movement was clearly hampered. Paolini, the 2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist, won seven straight games on the way to a 4-0 second-set lead and rallied from 0-30 down in the final game to advance. 'She's a great player and can do anything she wants with the ball,' Paolini said. 'But I don't think she was at 100 per cent today. 'I'm glad I stayed in the match mentally to the last point.' Gauff will play Paolini - whom she beat here two years ago on the way to the title - in her third 1000-level quarter-final of the season after Madrid and Rome. AFP
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Italian Berrettini withdraws from US Open
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 12, 2025 Italy's Matteo Berrettini in action during his round of 32 match against Norway's Casper Ruud REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo Former world number six Matteo Berrettini has withdrawn from the U.S. Open, tournament organisers said on Thursday. The Italian, currently ranked 59th, has not competed since a first-round lost at Wimbledon in June after he had recovered from an abdominal injury. Berretini skipped the Swiss Open in Gstaad, and the Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati ahead of the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, where he reached the semi-finals in 2019. American Brandon Holt will take his place in the main draw of the U.S. Open, where singles action begins on August 24. REUTERS
