Triumphant debut for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, p. a12

London. Nine days after playing in the Roland Garros final, Carlos Alcaraz (champion) and Jannik Sinner made their debuts with victories at Queen's and Halle, respectively. The Murcian defeated Australian Adam Walton 6-4, 7-6, while the Italian defeated local Yannick Hanfmann 7-5, 6-3.

After spending a few days resting in Ibiza, Alcaraz showed a quick and precise adaptation to the British turf of the ATP 500.

The player, coached by Juan Carlos Mosquito Ferrero, learned while at Queen's that his compatriot Alejandro Davidovich wouldn't be his first opponent: the Malaga native suffered a stomach ache the night before, and Walton took his place. Since there was no previous history between the Australian and the Spaniard, the latter had to inquire about his opponent's characteristics.

World number two Alcaraz won in one hour and 42 minutes after saving both break points generated by Walton. The Spaniard is looking to become the first player to win ATP titles on three different surfaces this season, having already won on hard courts (Rotterdam) and clay (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Roland Garros).

In the next round he will face Australian Jordan Thompson (37) or Spaniard Jaume Munar (59).

Australian Alex de Miñaur (12) and American Ben Shelton (10) suffered unexpected eliminations in the first round.

"I spent several sleepless nights after the Roland Garros final ," Sinner admitted at the ATP 500 in Halle, Germany, where he is defending his title.

The 23-year-old player made his debut on German grass with a victory and, in the next round, will face the unpredictable and talented Kazakh Alexander Bublik (45).

I'm satisfied with my performance. First matches on grass are never easy. We'll see what happens in the next round , said Sinner, who in an hour and a half hit 10 aces , didn't commit double faults, served 71 percent of his first serves, and won 84 percent of his first serve points.

In the next round, the world number one will face Bublik, an awkward opponent, but one he defeated in the Roland Garros quarterfinals.

"It's a match with a completely uncertain prognosis. He's a tremendous player with immense talent. We all know grass is his favorite surface. He beat me in this very tournament before. I remember he was champion here a couple of seasons ago ," Sinner recalled.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, p. a31

Canada's national team confirmed its status as a serious contender to win the Gold Cup alongside the United States and Mexico. The team coached by former soccer player Mauro Biello made a statement by defeating Honduras 6-0 in its debut in the tournament, which was played yesterday at BC Place Stadium.

Niko Sigur opened the scoring in the 27th minute, capitalizing on a poor defensive clearance and beating goalkeeper Edrick Menjívar with a powerful, low shot. Before the half ended, the Maple Leafs increased their lead with a left-footed shot into the top corner by Tani Oluwaseyi (45+2).

In the second half, the story of the match remained unchanged, with the Canadian side creating numerous dangerous plays thanks to the speed of their attacking players, despite the absence of their star player, Bayern Munich player Alphonso Davies, for this match.

Villarreal's Tajon Buchanan took advantage of his team's dominance to increase the lead with a brace (48th and 65th). In the final minutes, Canadian attacks continued, and in the 75th minute, Promise David finished alone in front of the opponent's goal in the six-yard box, and in the 90th, Nathan Saliba sealed the victory.

With this result, Canada moved into first place in Group B, where El Salvador drew 0-0 with Curaçao yesterday at PayPal Park in San José. In this match, Mexican Katia Itzel García became the first woman to referee a Gold Cup match.

The Caribbean team will face Canada in its next match on Saturday, while Honduras will play La Selecta that same day in the second round of the tournament.