Sonay Kartal's dreams of becoming a WTA 1000 champion were ended on Sunday evening following defeat in the Wuhan Open final.
Despite being ranked 170th on the Tour, Kartal marched into the Chinese WTA 1000 final, defeating Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina, Jasmine Paolini and Jelena Ostapenko en route.
Maja Chwalinska, from Poland, defeated Kartal in the final, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Following Sunday's contest, Kartal posted a short message on social media.
"Leaving China with my head held high," Kartal, who has risen 121 places in the WTA rankings to world number 49, said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

#chinese

Elina Svitolina has announced the end of her five-year marriage to fellow tennis star Gaël Monfils, attributing the decision to the emotional and mental impact of Russia's war in her native Ukraine.
Svitolina, 32, said in a statement posted on both players' Instagram profiles on Monday that she had endured sleepless nights, doubts and a feeling of losing herself, even with Monfils' support, before coming to the conclusion that she could not rediscover herself within their marriage.
"Gaël saw all of it," she wrote. "He never let go of my hand. We fought through this together for a long time, with everything we had. But some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you.
"With time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage."
Svitolina's announcement comes a year after she ended her 2025 season early, saying she was not in the right emotional state to compete following Ukraine's Billie Jean King Cup semifinal defeat by Italy. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Svitolina has spoken repeatedly about fearing for family and friends at home while competing overseas.

#herself

Unpredictable French star Gaël Monfils sprung a surprise with his next career move after playing his final match at a grand slam.
Monfils, a two-time major semi-finalist and former world number 11, lost in straight sets to Learner Tien on Thursday night, two days after his 40th birthday.
One of the sport's great entertainers will hang up his racket at the end of the year, but he is not moving into commentating like Tim Henman, coaching like Goran Ivanisevic or even hitting the golf course like Andy Murray.
Instead, Monfils, the husband of women's world number nine Elina Svitolina, is taking an office job in finance.
"I have a new chapter coming next year. I will work in finance," he said. "I already signed to work in wealth management in a Swiss company. So my next chapter (is) working in an office and working in finance.

#finance #number #work

NEW YORK (AP) — Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli advanced to the U.S. Open mixed doubles final Wednesday night by rallying to end the run of spouses Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
Bencic and Cobolli won 4-5 (7), 4-1 (10-5) and waited to return to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court later against the winner of the second semifinal. Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik faced Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in that one.
The winning team receives $1 million.
Bencic and Cobolli knocked Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
Then they dropped a set for the first time in the tournament, but began to dominate midway through the second set, winning the final 11 points to force a match tiebreaker.

#cobolli

A Bloomberg report on August 18 revealed that BP plc (NYSE:BP) has become the latest foreign company to enter the Venezuelan oil trade, with the tanker Monte Lema loading 400,000 barrels of heavy fuel oil for the British energy giant. The oil is being supplied by the state-owned PDVSA. The strategic move places BP among a select group of companies, including trading giants Trafigura and Vitol, with direct access to Venezuelan oil.
The development comes a few days after it was announced that the London-based company would partner with two other firms to develop the second phase of the Loran gasfield, in one of the first large-scale foreign investments in the South American country since the ouster of Nicolás Maduro earlier this year. That said, while the consortium has secured the official exploration and production license, the project remains in the pre-FID phase.
The developments come after President Trump called for global oil companies to invest in Venezuela and help restore and modernize its dilapidated oil infrastructure. The South American nation is sitting on the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, accounting for roughly 17% of the global total. However, the oil-rich country's government nationalized major heavy oil projects in 2007, forcing foreign operators into minority stakes or outright seizing their **** ets.
As a relatively early mover, BP plc (NYSE:BP) stands to gain a lot from a gradual revival of Venezuelan oil output. The company appears to be positioning itself across multiple areas of Venezuela's energy value chain – from exploration to production, to trading and international marketing. It means that the energy giant could benefit from the country in many ways as it reconnects with global energy markets.
Moreover, BP's entry into the Venezuelan oil trade could give it an opportunity to capture trading margins in addition to upstream earnings. This could be particularly beneficial for the company as it could potentially leverage its already existing refining, marketing, shipping, and trading infrastructure in the region. Although Trafigura and Vitol have an early foothold in Venezuela's oil trading business, BP's large integrated energy business gives it a significant competitive edge.

#energy #company #vitol

Former world number one Iga Swiatek cruised into the Toronto Masters semi-finals on Monday, taking just 64 minutes to sweep past Russian Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1.
Poland's Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, reached just her second WTA semi-final this year after Rome and seeks her first final since winning the Korea Open almost a year ago in Seoul.
"From the beginning I went for it. I felt like I could dominate," Swiatek said. "I was quite happy with the way I played."
The 25-year-old world number eight from Warsaw will on Wednesday face Ukraine's ninth-ranked Elina Svitolina, who rallied past 19th-ranked Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Svitolina won eight consecutive games in the second and third sets to dispatch her Russian rival in 93 minutes.

#swiatek #World #number

Britain's Katie Boulter and new husband Alex De Minaur, the Australian world number seven, are among the latest batch of entries for the US Open mixed doubles.
Fellow married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, ahead of what is expected to be his final Grand Slam event, were also announced by the US Tennis **** ociation on Monday, along with Venus Williams playing alongside Alexander Bublik.
Jack Draper was among the players already announced, alongside American Jessica Pegula, as well as fellow Briton Henry Patten with Katerina Siniakova, plus Novak Djokovic and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The tournament takes place on August 25 and 26 before the main tournament begins on August 30.
Of the 29 announced pairings, the six with the best combined singles rankings and eight wildcards will be joined in the 16-strong field by two teams from a qualifying tournament on August 24.

#katie

NEW YORK (AP) — An additional 13 teams, one featuring Venus Williams and some comprised of married couples, have entered the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship.
The new duos announced Monday by the U.S. Tennis ***** ociation raised the total to 29 teams for the 16 spots in the main draw, which will be held on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
Williams is partnering with Alexander Bublik for the tournament that was overhauled last year, with a $1 million prize to the winning team, in an effort to get top singles players to compete. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic headlined the initial list of 16 teams who entered.
Elina Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils, who is expected to play his final Grand Slam event at the U.S. Open, and newlyweds Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur also were among the new entries.
The other new teams: Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, Anna Kalinskaya and Lorenzo Musetti, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, Maria Sakkari and Karen Khachanov, Tatjana Maria and Valentin Vacherot, Reese Brantmeier and Michael Zheng, Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo, Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara, Demi Schuurs and Julian Cash, and Caty McNally and Robert Cash.

#teams #grand #maria #singles

Alexandra Eala stunned former world number one Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the women's final of the WTA and ATP Washington Open, where she will face third-ranked Jessica Pegula.
The 21-year-old Philippines left-hander delivered an impressive victory over the four-time Grand Slam winner from ******* an to reach her second career WTA final, having dropped the first last year at Eastbourne.
"I'm super proud of my performance," Eala said. "I played really well and I had a great mentality and I stayed locked in until the end."
Eala, set to jump to a career-best 24th in the world rankings, had previously ousted second seed Elina Svitolina for her sixth top-10 victory of the year after dethroning 2025 Washington champion Leylah Fernandez.
It was the first meeting of the Asian stars, Eala facing one of the idols of her youth.

#year #World

Defending champion Alex de Minaur and second-seeded Ben Shelton were bounced out of the Washington Open on Friday as upsets marked the quarter-finals of the combined ATP and WTA event.
Top-seeded Aussie de Minaur was left to rue his missed chances in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 loss to 33rd-ranked American Brandon Nakashima.
Chile's 30th-ranked Alejandro Tabilo recovered an early break in the third set to beat US home favorite Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Women's top seed Jessica Pegula and third-seeded Naomi Osaka made it safely into the semi-finals, but second-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina was sent packing by rising Philippines star Alexandra Eala.
Nakashima, chasing his first ATP 500-level **** le, avenged a loss to de Minaur in last year's Washington quarter-finals and followed up a win over the Aussie at Queen's Club in London this year.

#minaur #nakashima

Commodity traders are having the rug pulled out from under one of their biggest paydays yet as refiners start bypassing oil and traders and buying Venezuelan crude directly, according to Reuters. Refiners and major oil-producing firms are rapidly gaining market share in Venezuelan crude by locking in direct supply contracts with state-run Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), bypassing the global middlemen and commodity trading houses such as Trafigura and Vitol that previously dominated the ***** e.
Six months after traders reopened Venezuela's oil market, Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) and India's Reliance Industries have already signed direct supply agreements, with Valero (NYSE:VLO) and Thailand's Tipco expected to follow.
Previously, Vitol and Trafigura enjoyed first-mover advantage, managing to become dominant in Venezuelan crude marketing because of their exclusive U.S. government licenses, pre-existing logistical infrastructure and historical ties to PDVSA. Following major political shifts in Venezuela in January, the U.S. administration brokered a deal to manage and sell the country's oil. The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued special, long-term licenses specifically to Vitol and Trafigura until June 2027, effectively giving the traders a temporary monopoly. The pair collectively moved more than 100 million barrels of crude over a six-month period while other global firms remained legally locked out.
Their unmatched logistics also gave them a clear upper hand. After all, global trading houses have the fleet capacity and global reach to quickly deploy tankers and reroute large volumes of crude. They could absorb massive storage and shipping costs in a difficult market, using floating storage facilities in places like Malaysia to break up bulk shipments. When the ongoing war in Iran disrupted Middle Eastern supply chains, Vitol and Trafigura quickly diverted heavy Venezuelan grades like Merey 16 to major Asian refining hubs in India, South Korea, and Malaysia at narrower discounts.
Related: Equinor CEO: Europe May Miss Winter Gas Storage Goal

#venezuelan #crude #storage

Marta Kostyuk is on the cusp of being a Wimbledon finalist. Linda Noskova stands in her path, but the 24-year-old Ukranian tennis star is enjoying a career year.
She defeated Mirra Andreeva to win the Madrid Open, her first WTA 1000 **** le, earlier this spring. Kostyuk defeated Iga Swiatek and her Ukrainian counterpart Elina Svitolina at the French Open.
Kostyuk was known for her emotional ups and downs in matches, but she has learned to keep her emotions in check. Her tennis was always great, but fixing the emotional part of her game has made the difference.
MORE: When is Carlos Alcaraz returning to ATP Tour
She has a female coach. That is an anomally on the WTA Tour. Women supporting each other at the highest level of competitive sports is always admirable.

Wimbledon is well underway and the upsets are starting to come thick and fast, with French Open champion and women's fifth seed Mirra Andreeva the latest top seed to fall.
The 19-year-old Andreeva, who lifted her first grand slam ******* le just last month in Paris, lost to former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who found the form of her 2024 ******* le run to win 4-6 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court.
On the men's side, fourth seed and ******* le contender Ben Shelton lost in a match tiebreak against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen on Tuesday in the biggest upset of the tournament so far, while former semi-finalist Elina Svitolina has also made a premature exit.
Reigning champion and third seed Iga Swiatek survived an almighty scare in her first-round match against Taylor Townsend, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka now faces a tough third-round against Jelena Ostapenko.
Reigning men's champion and top seed Jannik Sinner survived a scare of his own in the first round as he needed five sets to see off Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic, while seventh seed Novak Djokovic remains a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian.

Wimbledon is well underway and the upsets are starting to come thick and fast, with French Open champion and women’s fifth seed Mirra Andreeva the latest top seed to fall.
The 19-year-old Andreeva, who lifted her first grand slam **** le just last month in Paris, lost to former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who found the form of her 2024 **** le run to win 4-6 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court.
On the men’s side, fourth seed and **** le contender Ben Shelton lost in a match tiebreak against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen on Tuesday in the biggest upset of the tournament so far, while former semi-finalist Elina Svitolina has also made a premature exit.
Reigning champion and third seed Iga Swiatek survived an almighty scare in her first-round match against Taylor Townsend, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka now faces a tough third-round against Jelena Ostapenko.
Reigning men’s champion and top seed Jannik Sinner survived a scare of his own in the first round as he needed five sets to see off Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, while seventh seed Novak Djokovic remains a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian.

Wimbledon is well underway and the upsets are starting to come thick and fast, with French Open champion and women’s fifth seed Mirra Andreeva the latest top seed to fall.
The 19-year-old Andreeva, who lifted her first grand slam ****** le just last month in Paris, lost to former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who found the form of her 2024 ****** le run to win 4-6 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court.
On the men’s side, fourth seed and ****** le contender Ben Shelton lost in a match tiebreak against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen on Tuesday in the biggest upset of the tournament so far, while former semi-finalist Elina Svitolina has also made a premature exit.
Reigning champion and third seed Iga Swiatek survived an almighty scare in her first-round match against Taylor Townsend, while top seed Aryna Sabalenka now faces a tough third-round against Jelena Ostapenko.
Reigning men’s champion and top seed Jannik Sinner survived a scare of his own in the first round as he needed five sets to see off Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, while seventh seed Novak Djokovic remains a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian.

(By Oil & Gas 360) – This week reminded markets that energy disruptions are rarely confined to the oil patch. Concerns over stalled U.S.–Iran negotiations, shrinking inventories, strained shipping routes, and growing LNG demand all pointed to the same reality: the world’s energy system remains vulnerable to supply shocks. While oil flows continue moving through Hormuz, the margin for error appears increasingly thin.
Oil closed up more than 4% after reports that indirect U.S.–Iran talks had halted, reviving concerns about prolonged disruptions and potential blockades affecting key shipping routes. Prices later steadied as Iran reviewed a U.S. proposal aimed at ending the conflict, highlighting the market’s sensitivity to every diplomatic signal.
Why it matters:
The market continues to swing between escalation and diplomacy. Every setback in negotiations reinforces the risk premium embedded in oil prices.
The IEA warned that commercial oil inventories could reach critically low levels ahead of peak summer demand if current stock draws continue. At the same time, Vitol’s Bahrain chief warned that Western policymakers remain dangerously complacent about the scale of the supply challenge.
Why it matters:
Markets can absorb disruptions when inventories are abundant. They become much more fragile when stockpiles are already being depleted.

(By Oil & Gas 360) – The oil market has spent the past several weeks trading optimism. Prices have retreated from their crisis highs as investors bet that diplomacy, ceasefire extensions, and negotiations between Washington and Tehran will eventually restore flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Yet a growing number of traders, ****** ysts, and industry executives are warning that markets may be focusing too heavily on headlines while underestimating the physical realities developing underneath.
That concern was reinforced this week when Tom Baker, managing director for Bahrain at global commodities trader Vitol, warned that oil markets may be underpricing the risks ****** ociated with the ongoing Iran conflict. According to Baker, the real challenge may not be crude production itself, but the growing shortage of refined products and the inability of the physical system to recover quickly enough if disruptions continue.
His warning comes as evidence continues to mount that the global energy system is becoming increasingly strained. Iran’s effective restrictions on Hormuz traffic, infrastructure damage across the region, and interruptions to refining and export facilities have already removed substantial volumes from the market.
Vitol estimates that roughly 14 million barrels per day of Middle Eastern supply have been impacted, creating what some market participants describe as the largest supply disruption in modern oil market history.

LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - The oil market is underpricing some risks from the Iran war, global commodity trading house Vitol's ‌managing director for Bahrain, Tom Baker, said on Tuesday.
Iran's ‌effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy infrastructure including oilfields and refineries, have taken about 14 million barrels of Middle East supply offline, causing the largest oil supply crisis in history.
"Crude can come back online, but from a product perspective, it might be very ‌hard for the system ⁠to catch up for the rest of the year," Baker said at the S&P Global Energy Middle ⁠East Petroleum and Gas Conference in London.
"The turning point could be when someone really needs those physical molecules and the physical molecules just aren't there to buy."
The Middle East conflict and effective closure of the ‌Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices as high as $126 a barrel, though they have since receded and stood at about $95 on Tuesday.

Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) is one of the
8 Best Natural Resources Stocks to Buy Now.
On May 25, 2026, Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) and partners Petroci and Vitol approved the final investment decision for the Baleine Phase 3 project. Eni called the approval a “significant milestone”. The full-field Phase 3 development is expected to increase oil production from 60,000 to 150,000 barrels per day and gas output from 80 to 200 million cubic feet per day. CEO Claudio Descalzi said Baleine reflects Eni’s exploration and production model, including fast-track phased development and a focus on sustainability.
Last month, BNP Paribas upgraded Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) to Outperform from Neutral with a $64.30 price target. BNP Paribas said Eni has delivered on its strategic objectives over the past two years and has high cash flow exposure to higher oil prices.
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