News
Sinner, Sabalenka Chasing Rare Repeats As US Open Begins
Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are chasing rare repeat US Open triumphs as the final Grand Slam of the season gets underway in New York on Sunday.
Women’s world number one, Sabalenka, opens the defence of her 2024 crown on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre’s Arthur Ashe Stadium showcourt against unseeded Swiss player Rebeka Masarova in one of the highlights of the opening day of the singles, which is being held on a Sunday for the first time in history.
Italy’s world number one, Sinner, meanwhile, begins his bid for back-to-back titles on Monday, when he takes on unseeded Czech Vit Kopriva.
Both Sabalenka and Sinner are attempting to become the first players to successfully defend their titles for more than a decade.
No woman has repeated at the US Open since Serena Williams won the last of a hat-trick of titles in 2014, following wins in 2013 and 2012.
On the men’s side, it has been 17 long years since a successful title defence, with Roger Federer’s 2008 victory capping a remarkable run of five straight championships.
Sabalenka believes difficulty in repeating is part of the challenge of the Flushing Meadows fortnight, where everything is noisier, flashier, and simply bigger than other Grand Slams.
“I think it’s a lot of pressure, definitely.
“Just because this place is so big, and it feels bigger than the other slams in some ways,” the Belarusian said.
“Maybe every time defending champions come, they put so much pressure on themselves. But I feel like I’m experienced enough to just focus on myself and try to replicate that result.”
Asked for her thoughts on the fact that the last 11 US Open titles have been split by 10 players, Sabalenka quipped, “My thought is to change it.”
‘Very Difficult’
Sinner echoed Sabalenka’s comments, attributing the difficulty of repeating in New York to a combination of factors — season-ending fatigue, scheduling of games, and size.
“We are heading towards the end of the season, so some players are tired,” Sinner said.
“It’s also the last big trophy of the year. Things can change… I don’t know what’s gonna happen this time. But of course it’s a very, very difficult tournament to play,” he added.
Sinner and Sabalenka are the top seeds in a field that will be rewarded with a record $90 million purse, making the US Open the richest tournament in the world.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive $5 million.
The biggest threat to Sinner’s hopes of defending his title is likely to come from Spain’s second seed, Carlos Alcaraz.

The 22-year-old, winner of the US Open in 2022, has already faced Sinner twice in Grand Slam finals this season, winning a five-set classic in the French Open in June before losing to the Italian in the Wimbledon final last month.
“Every time we face each other on court, we raise the level to the top,” Alcaraz said on Saturday as he prepared to face unseeded American Reilly Opelka in the first round on Monday.
The men’s draw will also see former world number one Novak Djokovic take another tilt at winning a record 25th Grand Slam.
Djokovic, 38, has not played since reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon last month, where he was comprehensively beaten by Sinner.

Back in the women’s draw, Sabalenka will be wary of the threat posed by second seed Iga Swiatek, who warmed up for New York with victory at the Cincinnati Open, which in turn followed a breakthrough win at Wimbledon.
Swiatek opens her campaign on Monday against Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.

Monday’s first round games could also see a possible US Open farewell for Venus Williams.
The 45-year-old tennis icon was given a wild card into the main draw after recently returning to tennis from a 16-month absence.

“Super thrilling to be back. It does not get old; it just gets more exciting,” Williams said on Saturday ahead of what will be a record-extending 25th US Open appearance.
AFP
International News
Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement
Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.
Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.
“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.
News
Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup
FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.
Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.
Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.
The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.
The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.
Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.
The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.
According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.
For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.
The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.
The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.
The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.
News
It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.
Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.
According to Falana, the practice is illegal.
He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.
Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.
Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”
Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”
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