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Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Sabalenka calls for marquee women's matches to start later at French Open
PARIS - World number one Aryna Sabalenka and Paris Olympics champion Zheng Qinwen began their French Open quarter-final in front of a small crowd on Tuesday, prompting calls for such high-profile matches to be moved to later slots to showcase them better. A sumptuous lunch often takes priority for fans in Court Philippe Chatrier's corporate seats and the Parisian cultural practice leaves many seats unoccupied in the showcourt when matches begin at 11 a.m. local time. Sabalenka overcame her Chinese opponent 7-6(3) 6-3 in just under two hours to leave her with the rest of the day off but the Belarusian said organisers could do better despite fans trickling in later to improve the atmosphere. "I didn't really look in the crowd, but it felt like it was a lot of people. Yeah, it was a big match and it probably would make more sense to put us a bit later just so more people could watch it," Sabalenka told reporters. "At the same time, I'm happy to finish earlier and then I have a half-day off, and I can just enjoy the city and do all the things that I have to do." Reuters has contacted organisers for comment. The French Open's scheduling decisions have come under a harsh spotlight again this year with no women's match featured in the evening sessions which begin at 8.15 p.m. local time and are exclusively broadcast by Amazon Prime in France. French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said last week that women's matches, played over a maximum of three sets as opposed to the five on the men's side, could finish "really fast" and having an extra match in that slot was unfeasible. "We deserve the equal treatment," Sabalenka said. "There were a lot of great battles, a lot of great matches, which would be cool to see as a night session (match), just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles and to show ourselves to more people. "I definitely agree that we deserve to be put in a bigger stage, like better timing and more people watching." Sabalenka will continue her bid for a maiden French Open title against four-times champion Iga Swiatek. "I love tough challenges," she added. "These are the matches where you actually improve as a player, and where you get much stronger. I'm always excited to face someone strong and someone who can challenge me. "I will go out there and fight, and I'm ready to leave everything I have to get the win." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
French Open: Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul put 2 US men in quarterfinals for 1st time since 1996
Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick analyze the women's side of the 2025 French Open, highlighting why they like Coco Gauff over a few of the betting favorites. PARIS (AP) — Before Frances Tiafoe played a point at this French Open, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about its surface — or his chances in the tournament. 'Last tournament on clay, which I get really excited about,' Tiafoe said on the eve of the Grand Slam event at Roland-Garros. 'And then we get on the real stuff, the grass and the summer hard courts — where tennis actually matters.' Might have a different point of view now. The 15th-seeded Tiafoe made his way into the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Daniel Altmaier of Germany on Sunday night, joining 12th-seeded Tommy Paul to put a pair of American men in the round of eight. It's the first time the country placed more than one man in the quarterfinals in Paris since 1996, when Jim Courier and Pete Sampras did it together. Zero men from the United States had made it this far in any year since Andre Agassi in 2003. The key for Tiafoe? 'Playing hard-court tennis on a clay court,' he said. And Tiafoe — who celebrated his win by twice shouting a phrase that can't be quoted fully here but included the words 'let's' and 'go' — has done it without dropping a set. Quite a turnaround for a guy whose big-strike tennis long suffered on the slow red clay. He began his French Open career with a 0-6 record before getting his first win in 2022 and one more last year. 'On clay, .I get a little more passive than on other surfaces, because the court doesn't help me play as fast as I would like,' said Tiafoe, twice a semifinalist on the hard courts of the U.S. Open, where speedy shots are rewarded and the loud crowds and bright lights tend to bring out his best. 'Patience is a thing I struggle with.' Look at him now, though. And listen to something else he said when he met with reporters a little more than a week ago, with a dash of his usual sense of humor: 'Overall, I'm a big believer it can all change in a week. When I'm backed up against it, it seems like I start to produce my best tennis, because I have to if I want to continue living the life I want to live.' Tiafoe, a 27-year-old from Maryland, added: 'If I'm ready to go, I'm not just going to get to the third round — I can go for a run. I genuinely feel I can beat anybody on any specific day.' He wants more, too, naturally. 'Quarterfinals is not end-all, be-all,' Tiafoe said. Next up is a matchup on Tuesday against No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who defeated No. 10 Holger Rune of Denmark 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Last year, Musetti won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics held at Roland-Garros and reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. Four American women play in the fourth round Monday: No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, and No. 7 Madison Keys against Hailey Baptiste in an all-U.S. encounter. Paul, a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 2023, was never really troubled Sunday during his 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win against 25th-seeded Alexei Popyrin of Australia in less than two hours. Paul is a 28-year-old who grew up in North Carolina and now goes up against No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, the defending champion who got past No. 13 Ben Shelton of the U.S. 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. 'Obviously,' Paul said about Alcaraz, 'the guy can play amazing tennis here.'
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Khyaty Chaudhary, Shambhavi Kshirsagar, Ojasvi Thakur form Indian air rifle shooting's terrific trio for the future
On Sunday, as 17-year-old Khyaty Chaudhary and Naraen Pranav were tied 14-14 against Chinese Huang Yuting and Huang Liwanlin at the Suhl Shooting Junior World Cup, two 16-year-olds were cheering the loudest from the stands. The Indians were up against a formidable Chinese pairing – Paris Olympics mixed team champion and individual silver medallist Yuting, alongwith junior world champion Liwanlin in the 10m air rifle mixed team gold medal match at the ISSF event in Germany. Even though the Indian pair lost, this World Cup's individual champion Shambhavi Kshirsagar and silver medallist Ojasvi Thakur, who had edged out Yuting in the final on Saturday, rushed to hug Chaudhary. 'Pehle se hi discuss kia tha ki Chinese ko haraana hai hum teeno ne (all three of us had discussed prior that we have to beat the Chinese). When I won the gold yesterday and Ojasvi won the silver, Khyaty took a lot of confidence and it reflected in her shooting today. It was tough luck that the pair lost due to 0.5 difference in the last series par Chinese pasina toh bahaye honge (Chinese would have sweated a lot),' says Shambhavi, who would pair up with Himanshu to win the bronze medal in the mixed team event minutes earlier with a 17-9 win over the American pair of Griffin Lake and Elijah Spencer. If reading archived newspaper articles about Beijing Olympics champion Abhinav Bindra at her school in Kolhapur made Shambhavi take interest in rifle shooting, it was as an option of leisure activity in her school in Mohali that made Thakur take up the sport in 2019. For Chaudhary, it was her father's interest in shooting that led the Bijnor resident into rifle shooting in 2017. For the last one week in Germany, the trio have been discussing everything from their exams to listening to Marathi songs of Shambhavi's choice at the team hotel. 'Each one of us acts as the other's strengths in the time away from shooting and also on the range prior to the match. Once on the lane, we are also fierce competitors not giving an inch to each other,' Chaudhary says. Shambhavi and Ojasvi won the gold and silver with scores of 253.0 and 251.8 respectively in the women's final on Saturday in a final which saw Yuting, another Chinese 15-year-old Li Shijia, Paris Olympian Manon Herbulot and Carlotta Salafia among top contenders. Shambhavi, who shot 633.1 to be placed second after Thakur's score of 633.2 in the qualification, would shoot 16 scores of 10.5 and above including ten shots of 10.7 and above out of the 24 shots till the gold medal was decided. Thakur would score 12 shots of 10.5 and above out of her 24 shots till the last elimination series and the duo would be discussing what Thakur will paint after the final and what Shambhavi would make her listen out of her choice of Marathi songs. 'Post the final, we also analyse our scores and also suggest to each other where the shot varied or what one could have done in some scenarios or different range conditions. Prior to the final or qualification too, we help each other in our preparations too if coaches are busy or we need some advice regarding some technical things,' says Thakur. Shambhavi, whose father Shravan Kshirsagar is deputy collector (revenue) in Solapur, is quick to add, 'Ab meri dost and competitor hai on the lane toh Marathi songs toh sunane hi padenge. (Since these two are my close friends and competitors on the lane, hence they will have to listen to Marathi songs).' Laughs. For the last year or two, the trio also have been training away from home. While Thakur and Chauhan have been spending time training under 2002 CWG champion and Olympian Suma Shirur at Lakshya Shooting Club in Mumbai, Shambhavi has been training under coach Dikshant Jadhav at SAI Centre in Delhi. Sunday's mixed team bronze was Shambhavi's third international medal with her first international medal coming last year in the form of the bronze medal in the Grenada Junior World Cup. 'When Shambhavi came to train under me, we had to work on her shooting posture. When she had started shooting in 2017, her weight was less and hence there were some things which we had to iron out. Before Saturday's final, I told her 'Asel ti Olympic winner. Tu tuzhya process var focus kar (She (Yuting) might be an Olympic champion but you focus on your process,' says national coach Jadhav. Another national coach Veerpal Nijjhar sees the two Indians topping the qualification as also a motivating factor early in their career. 'Often one has the qualification pressure of making it to the final. With scores of 633.2 and 633.1, both Shambhavi and Ojasvi showed they just focused on their process and were not scared of the Chinese in the final too,' say Nijjhar. Back in Mumbai. Shirur too was following proceedings. With four of the top five Indian rifle shooters in junior women's team being her trainees, Shirur is reminded of her time with compatriots Anjali Bhagwat, Deepali Deshpande and Anuja Jung who would train together at MRA and spend time off the range together. 'All of them, be it Ojasvi or Khyati or Shambhavi, have started very early unlike us. But then shooting can become a lonely sport sometimes. And to see these kids share things as well being highly competitive on the range, which we also did, is special. Each one of us me, Anjali, Deepali or Anuja would get motivated too on seeing the other win medals. Ojasvi, Khyati, along with Isha and Mayuri train together through the year and such camaraderie helps one in the long run,' says Shirur. Meanwhile India topped the medal tally with three gold, four silver and four bronze. 20-year-old Tejaswani won the gold in women's 25m pistol final to hand India its fourth gold medal in this Junior World Cup. China finished with three gold and one bronze while Authorised Neutral Athlete contingent finished third with two gold, one silver and one bronze. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
At Asian Athletics Championships, India's second best javelin thrower to challenge Arshad Nadeem in Neeraj Chopra's absence
Sachin Yadav insists he doesn't care much about who he is competing against. But when he steps on the runway, it'll be hard not to notice the burly Arshad Nadeem. In his debut international tournament, India's second-best javelin thrower will be up against arguably the best in the world. And in Neeraj Chopra's absence, the 25-year-old Yadav will lead India's chances in javelin. This will be among the many storylines that will unfold this week at the Asian Athletics Championships, which get underway in Gumi, South Korea, on Tuesday. On his part, Yadav sounded relaxed ahead of the big showdown. 'I am thinking about the event but my focus is to do what I have been doing in the training. I am not under any pressure for now,' he told The Indian Express. 'I don't focus much on the field and who I am competing against. I will give my best and the result will be dependent on how my efforts are while throwing the javelin.' The 6'5' tall thrower, whose personal best is 84.39m, might not yet be in the same league as Nadeem, who threw 92.97m to win the Paris Olympics gold medal last year. But the Asian Championships will be a good marker for Yadav, who has the World Championship qualification as his key target this week. 'My main aim is to breach the 85.50m qualification mark for the World Championships. A secured berth at the World Championships will give me more confidence.' Yadav will be up against the throwers from another South Asian country, Sri Lanka. The island nation will be represented by Sumedha Ranasinghe and Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage. Both have recently crossed the 85m mark in recent months, with Ranasinghe throwing 85.78m while Pathirage's personal best is 85.41m. Yash Vir Singh will be the other Indian in the javelin throw competition ready to make his mark. With a personal best of 82.13m and season best of 80.85m, Yash will need a solid throw to fight for a spot on the podium. Middle Distance boom India is fielding a solid team in the middle-distance events, with Avinash Sable, Parul Chaudhary and Gulveer Singh leading the medal expectations. All three have been dominant in Asia. Sable clinched the gold medal in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2023 Asian Games by some distance while Gulveer has been on a record-breaking spree since the start of 2025. Sable, who has hit top form yet having managed a season-best of just 8:22.59, will once again be the favourite to win gold as his closest competitor, Ryuji Miura of Japan, won't be participating in the event. He'll have to be watchful of another Japanese runner, though — Ryoma Aoki. Similarly, in the women's 3,000m steeplechase, Parul will be India's best bet and will face competition from Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Brunei and Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan. All three runners ran at the Doha Diamond League with Winfred clocking 9:05.26, Norah clocking 9:11.78, and Parul clocking 9:13.39, also bettering her national record. The same athletes are likely to feature on the podium in Gumi. Gulveer has been the best Indian runner across disciplines since the start of the year, breaking 5,000m and 10,000m national records. He currently leads the chart in the continent in both disciplines. In February this year, Gulveer broke the 5000m national record clocking 12:59.77. Similarly, in the 10,000m, he clocked 27:00.22 to set the mark. In both events, his nearest competitors are far from his mark with Mebuki Suzuki of Japan clocking 27:28.82 in 10,000m and Kayuza Shijori clocking 13:13.59 in 5000m. A sprint to the podium? While India isn't sending anyone in the 100m sprint, Animesh Kujur will be up against the best in the continent in the 200m event. He is placed at third in the top list of Asia with a timing of 20.40s which is also the national record. The focus, however, will be on the men's 4x100m relay team. The quarter, comprising 100m national record holder Gurindervir Singh, Amlan Borgohain, Kujur and Manikanta Hoblidhar, broke the national record last month after clocking 38.69s. India last won a medal in the 4x100m relay in 1979 when Adille Sumariwalla, Ramaswamy Gnanasekaran, O.L. Thomas, and Thamizharasan clocked 40.41 to win the bronze medal. 'The boys have trained together and they know what is expected of them. I am expecting a good performance from them and if they run like they ran to break the national record, a medal is a possibility,' James Hillier, sprint coach at Reliance Foundation, chimed in about chances in the 4x100m relay. Other Indians who will be facing tough competition in their respective disciplines are Jyothi Yarraji (110m hurdles), Tejaswin Shankar (Decathlon), Ancy Sojan, Shaili Singh (Long Jump), and Praveen Chitravel (Triple Jump). India is sending a 59-member contingent that will aim to finish in the top two of the medals tally after finishing third at the 2023 edition in Bangkok with six gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze medals behind Japan and China. Schedule for finals (All timings in IST) 27th May 4:30 AM – 20km Race Walk Men Final – Servin Sebastian, Amit 11:10 AM – Javelin Throw Women Final – Annu Rani 12:50 PM – 10,000m men Final – Gulveer Singh, Sawan Barwal Decathlon (5 events)- Tejaswin Shankar Live on STN Sports YouTube channel
CBC
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Linkletter narrowly close to winning his 1st-ever marathon, placing 2nd in Ottawa
The Ottawa Marathon nearly went according to plan for Rory Linkletter. The Calgary-born runner, who wanted his first-ever victory in the distance to occur on home soil, finished second on Sunday morning in two hours eight minutes 31 seconds. Linkletter charged late in the 42.2-kilometre event and could see the back of leader Albert Korir over the final metres before reaching the finish nine seconds behind the Kenyan, who broke the tape in 2:08:22 and also won the 2019 Ottawa race. Korir, who missed the Boston Marathon a month ago with an ankle injury, was third (2:08:00) in the New York City Marathon last November, while Linkletter was nearly four minutes behind him in 15th. The 28-year-old Linkletter went 2:07:02 for sixth in Boston, a 59-second personal best and fastest time by a Canadian at the event. He also ran 2:08:01 on Feb. 18, 2024 to automatically qualify for the Paris Olympics. Linkletter was 47th in his Summer Games debut last summer, a race that fuelled his determination to become the best marathoner he can be by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Linkletter will try to lower the Canadian record in the fall rather than compete at the Sept. 13-21 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., holds that title after running a North American record 2:05:36 in the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. Linkletter's next race will be a half marathon at the Aug. 17 Edmonton Marathon, where he's "excited" to perform in front of family. Comeau top Canadian in women's marathon Tristan Woodfine of Cobden, Ont. near Ottawa, was seventh on Sunday in 2:13:21 while fellow Canadians Blair Morgan (2:19:36) and Arnaud Francioni (2:23:07) were ninth and 10th. Mercy Chelangat of Kenya won the women's marathon in 2:23:33, with Anne Marie Comeau of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., grabbing top Canadian honours with a fourth-place finish (2:33:10). Meanwhile, a day after winning his first Ottawa 10K in Canadian record time, Quebec City's Charles Philibert-Thiboutot said it was "one of the best racing experiences of my career." The 34-year-old broke away from Levins in the ninth kilometre and finished in a personal-best 28 minutes six seconds on a chilly Saturday night to lower Ben Flanagan's national mark from last year by three seconds. "It felt amazing to have things fall in place — good weather, fast pace, fitness — and give an effort that produced a win and record," Philibert-Thiboutot told CBC Sports. [It] was a true reflection of the work put in [since] March." The two-time Olympian, who's in his final season of competitive racing, was coming off a sixth-place finish (28:51) in the Vancouver Sun Run on April 27. Levins was second (28:23) in that race following a fast start. "I was expecting the same type of strategy," Philibert-Thiboutot said of Levins, the Canadian record holder in the men's half marathon and marathon. "However, this time my fitness was much better. "Things turned around for me in Flagstaff [Ariz.] during training camp the last few weeks and I was confident I could challenge him for most of the race. He is to be credited for my record as he [pushed] the pace for 8K before I took over." Larkin upends defending women's 10K champ Elmore Philibert-Thiboutot will return to the track June 7 and run the 5,000 metres at the FAST5000 World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event. From there, he will enter 1,500m races in hopes of qualifying in the distance for the world championships. New dad Flanagan of Kitchener, Ont., had planned to defend his Ottawa 10K title but was forced to withdraw due to a hip/quad flare up. In the women's race, Gracelyn Larkin, who was running only her second road 10K, posted a come-from-behind victory over early leader and 2024 champion Malindi Elmore. Larkin, 24, stopped the clock in 32:43 while the 45-year-old Elmore reached the finish in 33:01. The Kelowna, B.C., resident was hoping to run faster than last year's 32:50 winning time as a "benchmark performance" as she prepares to enter a 10th marathon build for her world championship debut. "On the one hand I'm really pleased that there is some up-and-coming talent that's 20 years younger than me," Elmore, who held a 12-second lead on Larkin midway through the race, told Race Results Weekly. "Because, you know, we need a new generation ready to shine. But, it's always a little disappointing because I wanted to win today." Hamilton's Erin Mawhinney was third in 33:09, while Lanni Marchant of London, Ont. and Toronto's Rachel Hannah were fifth (33:28) and sixth (33:38). Natasha Wodak, who won in 2023, withdrew on Wednesday with lower-body soreness, stating in an Instagram post she had "maybe" one good workout the past month. "I couldn't get through my workout on Wednesday," said the Canadian record holder in the women's marathon. "My glute is still not great. My quad is lighting up. My hamstring doesn't feel good.
