Halep suffers panic attack during French Open match
Paris, May 27: Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep said she had a panic attack while leading her second-round match that she eventually lost at the French Open. The 2018 Roland Garros winner said she “lost it” and couldn’t regain focus while playing 19-year-old Qinwen Zheng, who won 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 at Court Simonne-Mathieu. “I had a break in the second set, but then something happened. I just lost it,” the 30-year-old Romanian said in her post-match press conference. “It was just a panic attack. It happened. I didn’t know how to handle it because I don’t have it often.” (AP)
Flying museum to honour Maradona ahead of WC
Buenos Aires, May 27: A flying museum in honor of football great Diego Maradona is set to take to the skies. The “Tango D10S” plane was introduced Wednesday night before it flies around Argentina for fans of Maradona to visit on the ground. The plane’s exterior is adorned with images of Maradona – who died in 2020 of a heart attack at the age of 60 after having brain surgery – including one where he wears the Argentina jersey and kisses the World Cup trophy he lifted in 1986. The plane will also visit Barcelona and Naples, where Maradona led Napoli to its only two Italian league titles in 1987 and 1990. Qatar, which hosts the World Cup later this year, will be the aircraft’s final stop in the tour. (AP)
Eduardo Berizzo appointed Chile national team coach
Santiago (Chile), May 27: Chile hired Eduardo Berizzo as national team coach as it seeks to recover from another disappointing performance in South American qualifying for the World Cup finals tournament. The Chilean football association said the 52-year-old Berizzo’s contract will be until the end of the team’s 2026 World Cup qualifying. Its president Pablo Milad said in a video that Berizzo was picked because he has knowledge of the country’s soccer along with extensive international experience. Uruguayan Martin Lasarte was fired in April after Chile failed to qualify for the World Cup. (AP)
Striker Álvarez scores 6 for River Plate ahead of City move
Buenos Aires, May 27: Striker Julián Álvarez is making a dramatic exit from Argentina’s River Plate before joining English Premier League champion Manchester City. He became the first River Plate player to score six goals in an official match as River Plate routed Peruvian team Alianza Lima 8-1 Wednesday night in their final Group F game in this year’s Copa Libertadores. The Argentine’s goals came in the 15th, 18th, 41st, 54th, 57th and 83rd minutes. River Plate advanced to the knockout stage but knows it won’t have the 22-year-old for all of the South American tournament. Álvarez agreed a 5-1/2 year deal with City in January. He is set to join City after the Copa Libertadores’ round-of-16 games. (AP)
Hamilton keeps nose stud on at Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco, May 27: Lewis Hamilton kept his nose stud in at the Monaco Grand Prix after motorsport’s governing body extended the exemption on drivers wearing jewelry until the end of June. Hamilton had been given a temporary exemption of two races to remove his stud, a process he said required surgical intervention. That covered only the Miami GP and last weekend’s Spanish GP, meaning he could have been forced to miss the race in Monaco if rules had been strictly applied. The FIA’s exemption also covers Azerbaijan on June 12 and Canada on June 19. (AP)