German qualifier Maria wins Queen’s Club final at 37
LONDON, June 16: German qualifier Tatjana Maria proclaimed herself “Queen of Queen’s” after winning the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at the Queen’s Club for the biggest title of her career.The 37-year-old mother of two claimed her first WTA 500 title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over eighth-seeded Amanda Anisimova in the grass-court final in London.The 86th-ranked Maria won in front of her daughters Charlotte and Cecilia, and her husband and coach Charles-Edouard Maria.“It means a lot to me,” Maria said. “I’m a good example that even in my age you still can win big trophies. I’m super proud of myself.” On the way to her fourth WTA title, she eliminated four top 20 players, including Karolina Muchova, Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys, to become the oldest singles champion on the WTA Tour since 2020, when Serena Williams won the Auckland Classic at age 38.Maria previously won WTA titles on grass at Mallorca in 2018, and triumphed twice on clay in Bogota in 2022 and 2023.Maria, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, will jump to No. 43 in the world rankings on Monday. (PTI)
Chennai Open back on WTA calendar after three years
CHENNAI, June 16: India will host the Chennai Open, a WTA 250 tournament, after three years, the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) announced on Monday with the main draw action set to unfold from October 27.The tournament had featured on the WTA calendar back in 2022 when the Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova had emerged singles champion.“Finally, our efforts to get a major international sporting /tennis event to Chennai have borne fruit, thanks to the strong support of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu),” TNTA President Vijay Amritraj said.“The event will be broadcast on a major sports channel. I look forward to enthusiastic participation of the sporting public of Chennai in making the event a grand success,” he added. (PTI)
Deepesh, Pushpak drafted into U-19 squad as replacements
NEW DELHI, June 16: D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak have been drafted into the India men’s U19 squad for the upcoming tour of England as replacements for injured Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, the BCCI said on Monday.The tour is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 23.“The Junior Cricket Committee has named D. Deepesh and Naman Pushpak as replacements for Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, respectively, for the upcoming India U19 tour of England,” the BCCI said in a statement.Both Deepesh and Naman were part of the standby players’ list for the tour.Aditya sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, while Khilan suffered a stress reaction in his right leg during the ongoing high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.The team will be led by Ayush Mhatre, who shone for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.The tour comprises a 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough University, followed by a five-match Youth One-Day series.Two multi-day matches against England U19 will be played at Beckenham and Chelmsford respectively.Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu has been appointed as the team’s vice-captain.The squad also features 14-year-old explosive batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who amassed 252 runs, including a blistering 35-ball hundred, for Rajasthan Royals. (PTI)