CELEBRITY
‘KEEP FIGHTING!’ SERENA WILLIAMS YELLS HERSELF TO OPEN WIN
Her breathing loud enough to hear in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium, her third-set deficit a point from growing to 3-1 against someone who beat her less than two weeks earlier, Serena Williams scrambled to extend a 13-stroke exchange until her opponent netted a forehand.
“Keep fighting!” Williams exhorted herself.
Locked in a tough fourth-round match Monday, and without the benefit of a pro-American audience, Williams provided her own encouragement along the way to coming back and beating 15th-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3, reaching the quarterfinals in a 12th consecutive appearance at Flushing Meadows.
“I feel like I’m pretty vocal with or without a crowd. … I’m super passionate. This is my job. This is what I wake up to do. This is what I train to do, 365 days of the year,” said Williams, who moved a step closer to a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.
“Yeah, I’m always going to bring that fire and that passion,” she continued, “and that ‘Serena’ to the court.”
When the match ended, after Williams collected six of the last seven games, she turned and yelled toward her husband, who stood at his front-row seat and yelled right back.
How tight was this contest? Sakkari produced more aces than Williams, 13-12, and more total winners, 35-30.
Williams was two points from victory at 6-all in the second-set tiebreaker, but faltered there, sending a backhand return long to give Sakkari her fifth set point, then pushing a forehand out.
But as is so often the case, when the outcome was hanging in the balance in the third set, which Sakkari led 2-0 but couldn’t quite get to 3-1, Williams was better down the stretch, when it mattered the most.
“I have to be deadly honest: I wasn’t brave enough in the third set. I kind of like, not choked, but didn’t (convert) my chances,” Sakkari said. “And if you don’t get your chances with a good Serena against you, it’s done.”
This was a rematch from Aug. 25, when Williams faded after building a lead and lost in three sets to Sakkari at the Western & Southern Open, a hard-court tournament usually held in Ohio but moved to the U.S. Open site as part of a two-tournament “controlled environment” without spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Of course I thought about (the loss), but ever so little, because it’s a completely different match, completely different scenario, completely different moment,” Williams said.
In the earlier one, Williams’ legs were cramping by the end, and she blamed herself for that situation, memorably declaring: “I put myself in a bad situation. It’s like dating a guy that you know sucks.”
Asked about that line Monday, Williams joked: “Thank God, I got rid of that guy. Never want to see him again. He was the worst.”
That setback made the American 3-2 since tennis returned from its COVID-19 hiatus, all three-setters. And since? She is 4-0 at the U.S. Open.
Williams, who turns 39 in less than three weeks, will face unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova for a semifinal berth.
Playing in her first tournament in more than three years after taking time off to have a child, the 32-year-old Pironkova advanced with a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Alize Cornet.
No. 16 seed Elise Mertens knocked off second-seeded Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament for the second year in a row and deny the American a chance for back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
Kenin won the Australian Open and was trying to become the first with two straight Grand Slam titles since Naomi Osaka won the 2018 U.S. Open and the 2019 Australian Open.
Mertens will face Victoria Azarenka, who beat No. 20 Karolina Muchova 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 for her ninth straight win. Azarenka won the Western & Southern Open that was played in New York as an in-the-bubble warm-up for the U.S. Open.
In men’s action, where Novak Djokovic’s default on Sunday left zero past Grand Slam champions in the bracket, No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem moved into the quarterfinals by claiming a close first set and then running away with a 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 win against No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Thiem, a three-time major runner-up, now meets first-time Slam quarterfinalist Alex de Minaur, a 21-year-old Australian who eliminated Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-2.
With the 30-year-old Pospisil gone, this will be the first U.S. Open since 2010 without at least one male quarterfinalist who is beyond his 20s.
Williams first won the title in New York all the way back in 1999 as a teenager and now has six trophies from here. In her most recent 11 trips to Flushing Meadows, Williams has four championships, three runner-up finishes and three semifinal losses.
She lost in the final in both 2018 and 2019, part of a stretch in which she has been to the title match at four of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments, falling just short of getting that elusive 24th, which would tie her with Margaret Court for the most in tennis history.
Unlike Court’s, all of Williams’ major championships have come in the professional era.
“I always compete,” Williams said when asked what about her work in this tournament has pleased her the most so far, “but competing and having a good attitude, I think, is what I’m most satisfied about.”
-AP
A court in Argentina has heard fresh testimony in the ongoing trial over the death of football legend Diego Maradona, with a psychologist telling judges that the late icon suffered from bipolar disorder, narcissistic traits and required strict abstinence from alcohol.
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by extreme mood swings ranging from periods of intense emotional “highs” (mania) to deep “lows” (depression).
Carlos Díaz, 34, one of seven medical professionals charged in connection with Maradona’s death, appeared before the court in Buenos Aires on Thursday, where he faces a charge of manslaughter with reckless intent for allegedly prescribing inappropriate medication.
According to Argentine media reports, Díaz told the court that Maradona’s mental health condition was complex and deeply intertwined with substance dependency.
“There was bipolar disorder and narcissism,” Díaz was quoted as saying. “He could bring a country to its knees, but one glass of alcohol could bring him to his knees.”
Díaz said he first met the former Argentina captain on October 26, 2020 — less than a month before his death — and was alarmed by Maradona’s condition. He recalled seeing the football great drinking wine at the time, an image he said reminded him of his late father, who struggled with alcoholism.
The psychologist told the court that he believed Maradona was willing to change his lifestyle and that his treatment approach was centred on complete abstinence from alcohol. He added that toxicology findings indicated the football legend had gone 23 days without drug use before his death.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, Maradona enjoyed a glittering career with clubs such as Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli, and famously captained Argentina to victory at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, following surgery for a subdural hematoma. His death shocked the football world and prompted widespread mourning across Argentina and beyond.
The trial is seeking to determine whether members of his medical and care team bear criminal responsibility for his death, with prosecutors alleging negligence in his treatment and supervision during his final days.
Also testifying on Thursday was neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, another of the defendants. He told the court that Maradona’s home-based care was appropriate under the circumstances and was never intended to function as an intensive-care unit.
The case continues to draw intense public interest in Argentina, where Maradona remains a revered national figure, even as questions persist over the circumstances surrounding his final days.
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Every week, hundreds of people line up to fill a plastic container with food in an unlikely place: the humble home where Argentine soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona was born.
The house in Villa Fiorito, a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, no longer belongs to the family of Maradona, who died in 2020 after a heart attack. Still, for the last month, its current owner has lent its dirt yard to a group of volunteers who light a grill and cook for neighbours.
Last Thursday, Maria Torres stirred a stew in two large pots while several others peeled potatoes and chopped pieces of chicken. A mural painted on the house’s facade depicts the soccer player next to the words, “The house of god.”
A man cooks stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
Poverty has been trending downward in Argentina, with official statistics released on Tuesday showing it dropping to 28.2% of the country’s population in the second half of 2025 from 52.9% in the first half of 2024, when President Javier Milei sharply devalued the peso and inflation spiked.
While there has been a “very important drop” in poverty, Argentina needs to see more GDP growth in labour-intensive sectors, such as mining, as opposed to capital-intensive sectors, such as agriculture, said Eduardo Donza, a sociologist at the Catholic University of Argentina.
Volunteers chop chicken before cooking a stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
The drop in the poverty rate has followed a substantial drop in monthly inflation, from double digits when Milei took office to 2.9% in February.
A man cooks stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
However, Milei’s austerity measures have sharply diminished the public sector workforce, and many say they have lost purchasing power as the government has cut transportation and energy subsidies.
Volunteers chop chicken before cooking a stew for residents of the working-class neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito at a soup kitchen set up in the house where late soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona spent his early childhood, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 26, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Miguel Lo Bianco
Leonardo Fabian Alvarez, a pastor who runs the makeshift soup kitchen, said he has seen the demand for food in Villa Fiorito and other neighbourhoods grow as small factories have closed. Deregulation and a stronger peso have led to cheaper imports under Milei.
“People obviously lost their jobs,” he said, adding that “they come to the line, pick up food, take what we give them.”
Argentina declared the home of Maradona a National Historic Site in 2021.
-Reuters
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The legacy of Brazilian football legend Pelé has taken a new turn after Neymar Santos Sr, father of Brazil star Neymar Jr, confirmed the acquisition of the commercial rights to Pelé’s name and image through his agency, NR Sports.
Speaking at the Pelé Museum in Santos, Brazil, Neymar Sr said the deal marks a new chapter for one of the most iconic brands in global sport.
“We are proud. I think it’s a very strong brand. We want to strengthen its identity and adapt it to the current era,” he said, describing the project as deeply emotional and nationally significant.
Although financial details were not officially disclosed, Brazilian media estimate the acquisition at around $18 million. The rights had previously belonged to US-based company Sport 10, which many in Brazil accused of underdeveloping a national treasure.
A ‘Repatriation’ of Pelé’s Legacy
NR Sports described the agreement as a “repatriation” of Pelé’s brand—bringing back to Brazil “one of the greatest symbols in the history of world sport.”
Pelé’s daughter, Flavia, attended the announcement and welcomed the move, saying the family had tried—and failed—to reacquire the rights after Pelé’s death in 2022.
“There are no words to describe the emotion of bringing back a brand that embodies soul, humanity, and love. It’s priceless,” she told AFP.
The unveiling was accompanied by an emotional tribute at the Pelé Museum, which erected a massive green screen with Pelé’s iconic logo. A video shared on Pelé’s and NR Sports’ official accounts celebrated the “universal language” of Brazilian football, showing some of the King’s most memorable goals from his World Cup triumphs in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Neymar Jr: ‘Pelé Was Born to Change Everything’
Neymar Jr, who recently returned to Pelé’s former club Santos and has surpassed the King as Brazil’s all-time top scorer, featured in a promotional video congratulating his father’s company.
“Some are born to play, others are born to change the game. Pelé was born to change everything,” the 33-year-old forward said. “Pelé never stopped being one of us, and now he is officially part of Brazil, again and forever.”
A New Era for an Underused Global Brand
For years, Pelé’s image rights were more prominently exploited abroad than at home—a situation that drew criticism from the family and Brazilian football circles. The new deal is expected to revitalise the Pelé brand through modern marketing, partnerships, and heritage initiatives anchored in Brazil.
“This is the beginning of a motivating project for us. We are very moved,” Neymar Sr added.
Pelé, who died in December 2022 at age 82, remains an enduring symbol in Santos, São Paulo state, where he played from 1956 to 1974 and where thousands still visit his mausoleum.
With the rights now back in Brazilian hands, NR Sports says the goal is clear: preserve, expand, and enrich the legacy of the King of Football for generations to come.
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