Sports
Dreams do come true as Gauff crowned America’s tennis queen
Published
12 months agoon
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AFP
American tennis crowned a new queen and US Open champion on Saturday as Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in the Flushing Meadows final to claim her first Grand Slam and ascend the throne left vacant by Serena Williams.
The first teenager to play in a US Open final since Serena in 2001 there was symmetry to the moment as Gauff rallied to beat the second seeded Belarusian 2-6 6-3 6-2 and end a six-year barren stretch for American tennis fans, who were finally able to celebrate a homegrown champion.
“I am so happy I could make this country proud,” said Gauff as chants of “USA, USA” rang out behind her.
American women have been on the rise in recent years moving into the top 10 and winning tournaments but since Serena Williams played her last match on Arthur Ashe in 2022 the US has been without a standard bearer – until now.
Gauff, who as a young girl said she had dreamt of becoming the next Serena Williams, is now just that the undisputed face of US tennis with many predicting she will become the world’s top ranked player one day with a trophy case packed with Grand Slam titles.
“Congratulations to US Open champion, @CocoGauff! We couldn’t be prouder of you on and off the court – and we know the best is yet to come,” posted former US President Barack Obama on social media platform X.
Still just 19-years-old Gauff has matured under an unforgiving sporting spotlight as player and a person.
The finished product was on display on Saturday as Gauff defused Sabalenka’s power with speed and tenacity running down ball-after-ball and then acknowledged her success with grace.
“That little girl, like she had the dream, but I don’t know if she fully believed it,” said Gauff. “As a kid, you have so many dreams.
“As you get older sometimes it can fiddle away. I would tell her don’t lose that dream.”
As impressive as Gauff is on the court she is no less so away from tennis.
Immediately after her win Gauff’s first reaction after lifting herself off the court and wiping away tears of joy was to search the stands for her parents, who used to bring her to New York as a young girl to watch her idols on the same court.
The charismatic teen also possesses a sharp social awareness and delightful sense of humour all of which are going to make her very rich as sponsors rush to her door.
When climate activists interrupted her semi-final causing a nearly hour delay Gauff later showed no animosity saying later she believed that climate change was real.
The US Open this year celebrated Billie Jean King and the 50th anniversary of the fight for equal pay, Gauff playfully acknowledging the struggle when accepting the trophy.
“Thank you Billie Jean for fighting for this,” said Gauff waving a $3 million winner’s cheque.
Gauff has long been tipped for greatness.
A top junior she was presented the key to her city of Delray Beach at just 14 and burst onto the world scene a year later beating another of her idols Venus Williams at Wimbledon.
Progress as a professional has been steady but not always at a pace some demanded.
Last year she made her Grand Slam breakthrough reaching the final of the French Open, but losing. Then at this year’s Wimbledon hit a low with a first round loss that left her feeling like the dream had ended for her.
“It’s been difficult it’s been a long journey to this point,” said Gauff. “I wasn’t a fully developed player, and I still think I have a lot of development to go at that moment.
“I think people were putting a lot of pressure on me to win.
“Now I just realise that I just need to go out there and try my best.”
Renewed focus and the return home for the hard court season brought a change of form and motivation.
Since the Wimbledon loss Gauff has won 18 of 19 matches include US Open, Cincinnati Open and Washington.
“Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” sixth seed Gauff told a packed Arthur Ashe stadium that backed her from the moment she appeared out of the tunnel. “A month ago, I won a 500 (level) title and people said I would stop at that.
“Two weeks ago I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get.
“So three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy right now.
“I tried my best to carry this with grace and I have been doing my best and honestly to those who thought they were putting water on my fire you were really adding gas to it and now I am burning so bright.”
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Event
Top Women Chess Players Take Centre Stage in 2024 Global Chess League Draft
Published
3 weeks agoon
August 15, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, is all set for the second season as 30 of the world’s best chess players were handpicked by six franchises during the Player Draft held on Sunday in New Delhi.
Following the huge success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, the second season is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London. All six teams – Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and the debutants American Gambits– engaged in a thrilling bidding process to assemble strong squads for the second season of the league.
With 1000 points allocated to use during the bidding process, each franchise filled their quota of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the Icons announced last month.
The stellar line-up of Icon players include Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and debutants Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights).
The proceedings began with Richard Rapport getting drafted into Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their quota of Superstar Men after retaining the services of Praggnanandhaa R. American Gambits then completed their Superstar Men slots by picking Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo were drafted to Ganges Grandmasters, while PBG Alaskan Knights acquired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Triveni Continental Kings picked up Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov.
Arjun Erigaisi, who recently broke into top five in World Rankings, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling and I am happy to turn up for the Ganges Grandmasters. They have picked versatile players and I look forward to a fantastic event in London.”
The Superstar Women dominated the Player Draft as franchises used significant amount of points from their purse to acquire their services. Apart from retaining Yan Zhongyi, PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Alina Kashlinskaya. Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova were drafted by Ganges Grandmasters, while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina were acquired by Triveni Continental Kings. American Gambits filled in their quota of Superstar Women with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli were retained by Mumba Masters.
Four-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan said, “Firstly, I am happy to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. The opening season in Dubai created a lot of buzz in the chess world and this time, I am happy to be part of the Alpine SG in this edition.”
PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Nihal Sarin, while Mumba Masters used their remaining purse to acquire Raunak Sadhwani. Daniel Dardha went to Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin to Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov to defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Jonas Buhl Bjerre to American Gambits.
Expressing excitement on joining PBG Alaskan Knights, star prodigy Nihal Sarin, said, “For someone my age, coming up the ranks in this sport, I am super thrilled to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. I am looking forward to learn from the stalwarts playing in this season and I am happy to be part of PBG Alaskan Knights this season.”
Upon the successful completion of the player draft for this second season, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We had an action-packed day at the players draft. All six franchises have put together strong and equal teams, and with the second season taking place in London, it is poised to be bigger and more exciting. Best wishes to all the players and franchises, we are eagerly anticipating a cracking extravaganza in October.
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbeck, Arjun named among Superstar Men for Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Season 2
Published
1 month agoon
August 2, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced its star-studded list of men players for the second season, scheduled to be held from 3rd to 12th October at Friends House in London.
Joining the ranks of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Viswanathan Anand in the second season are returning Superstars, including World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi, World No. 6 Nodirbek Abdusattorov, World No. 8 Praggnanandhaa R, and World No. 10 Wei Yi. Praggnanandhaa R, who stole the limelight in the prodigy round of the first season and was awarded Player of the Tournament for his exceptional performance, will compete in the Superstar men’s category.
Making the competition even more compelling, Vidit Gujrathi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Richárd Rapport, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Teimour Radjabov, Alexander Grischuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Vladislav Artemiev will also be a part of the 12-member list of Superstar men players for the second season.
Sameer Pathak, CEO of the Global Chess League, said, “We are delighted to announce the list of Superstar men players for the upcoming season. These elite players are poised to deliver thrilling and unforgettable games for their teams in the league’s innovative format that incentivizes risk-taking. We are confident that these players will deliver a remarkable chess spectacle in London.”
The first-of-its-kind franchise-based league features a total of six teams consisting of six players – one Icon player, two Superstar male players, two Superstar female players, and one prodigy in each team. In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Top Women Stars Wenjun, Koneru, Vaishali to Shine in Global Chess League Season 2
Published
1 month agoon
July 31, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced the list of women Superstars who will be competing in the second season scheduled from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London.
In the second season, the reigning FIDE World Champion, Ju Wenjun, will be making her debut. She will be joined by World No. 1, Hou Yifan, who is returning to the premier annual chess event, alongside Indian chess Superstars Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. The line-up also includes some of the biggest names in women’s chess, such as Kateryna Lagno, Gunina Valentina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi, and Nurgyul Salimova.
In addition, the upcoming season of the Global Chess League will feature Vaishali Rambabu, the latest Indian woman to achieve Grandmaster rank, alongside her brother Praggnanandhaa. This makes them the first brother-sister duo to participate in the league. The roster of women Superstars also includes Alina Kashlinskaya, the 2019 European Women’s Individual Chess Champion, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, former World Blitz Champion.
World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun, said, “I followed the first season of the Global Chess League and it was very exciting to watch the unique format. The tremendous response from fans and the chess fraternity made it even more special. I am eagerly looking forward to the second season in London, where I can once again immerse myself in this wonderful experience.”
Making her debut in the second season, Grandmaster Vaishali R, added, “The world of chess has long sought a worldwide sports event that places male and female players on the same pedestal. The Global Chess League is bridging this gap and truly bringing chess as a visual spectacle to television screens across the world. I am delighted to be a part of the league this year and am looking forward to competing in front of fans in London.”
Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “The roster of women Superstars in the Global Chess League is truly exciting. These champion players will deliver intense and inspiring games for their teams. Our unique format, which brings together men, women, and prodigy players on the same teams, is a game-changer in professional sports. We are confident that the fans will be captivated by the intense matches in the second season.”
Adding to the excitement, the unique joint team format of the league will be aired on major OTT and broadcast platforms worldwide, heightening the anticipation among fans.