Alexander Zverev wins the US Open title, Robert Moreno is appointed coach of South Korea, and the death of goalkeeper Ludek Mikloško

German Alexander Zverev sat in the middle of the almost empty Arthur Ashe Stadium next to his brother Misha, enjoying a rare moment of calm after one of the most important victories in his career. In front of them was the US Open Tennis Championship (Flushing Meadows) Cup, which he won after defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final match on Sunday evening, to win his second title in the tournament. The four Grand Slam tournaments, after winning the French Open this year.

“I can enjoy this title much more than I did in (Paris),” Zverev said after the match. I was very nervous there, but now I feel very happy. "I am very happy."

Zverev, born in Hamburg, became the second German player to win the US Open title after his compatriot Boris Becker. However, his celebration of the title was not without a funny situation, as in the fourth set it seemed as if he did not realize that he had already won the match. After he scored the last point, he acted as if the match had not ended and prepared to play the next half, before looking at the scoreboard and realizing that he had achieved victory.

He said with a smile: “I thought the score was 5-1, not 6-2. I think I simply forgot the score.”

Aside from this funny situation, the coronation moment carried much deeper meanings for Zverev, after he used his speech after the match to recall some of the milestones of his career and send a touching tribute to his mother, Irina.

Addressing his team, which is led by his father, Zverev said: “We have not won a Grand Slam title for 30 years, and now we have won two titles in 3 months.”

He added: “I think God saw how hard we worked, how much we suffered, and how much pain we put in for it.”

It was not easy for Zverev to forget his previous experience in New York, when he was only two games away from winning his first major title 6 years ago, but he lost to Austrian Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets to no response.

In his confrontation with Shelton, the German player showed a greater degree of maturity and toughness, and maintained his calm in the decisive moments despite the enthusiastic atmosphere created by the American fans in the largest tennis stadiums in the world.

The crowd went from enthusiastic encouragement for Shelton to warm applause for Zverev when he spoke about his mother, whom he described as “the most important woman” in his life.

The German player recalled memories of being diagnosed with diabetes when he was four years old, saying that his mother showed great strength during that period. She left the doctor's office saying: “My son will achieve everything he sets his mind to.” “If he wants to be a tennis player, he will become a tennis player.”

After achieving his second Grand Slam title, Zverev faces another major goal, which is to reach the top of the world rankings. The gap separating him from Italian Jannik Sinner has shrunk from more than 5,000 points to less than 2,000 points, in light of Sinner's absence from the US Open due to injury.

Zverev said: “I will remain focused during the remainder of the year, and I will do everything in my power to achieve results that give me a chance to become number one in the world.”

Boris Becker, who currently works as a television analyst, believes that it is “a matter of time” for his compatriot to reach the top of the world rankings.

Becker said: “I have always said that he can easily win five Grand Slam titles if he can adjust his mentality and playing style. This young man knows how to play tennis, and the question relates to how he mentally deals with pressure situations, and he succeeded this year in dealing with them.”

Zverev thus crowned an exceptional season in the Grand Slam tournaments, after he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, then won the Roland Garros title, and reached the Wimbledon final before losing to Sinner.

At the level of German players, only Becker, who has six titles, surpasses him in the number of Grand Slam titles.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Zverev on the X platform, describing his victory in New York as a “deserved victory.”

The interim Spanish coach of the South Korean national football team, Robert Moreno, said on Monday that he wanted to make the country's football fans "happy" after a disastrous World Cup and a series of controversial issues that damaged the national team's image.

Moreno, the former coach of the Spanish national team, will lead South Korea in friendly matches in the coming months, after he was forced earlier this year to deny reports that he used the “GPT chat” program to prepare for matches.

The South Korean Federation said that Moreno may continue in his position during the Asian Cup scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia next January and February, “subject to evaluation.”

Moreno summoned captain Heung-Min Son to his squad for the next four friendly matches at home, stressing his desire to bring a smile back to the faces of South Korean fans.

The 48-year-old coach, who is the first Spaniard to coach South Korea, said: “We will try to do our job honestly, and with the aim of making all Korean football fans happy.”

He added: “Playing good matches, and trying to help the players.”

Moreno will lead the national team against Ecuador and Uruguay this September, then Venezuela and Uzbekistan next October.

The South Korean national team has been without a coach since Myeong-bo Hong resigned, following its surprise exit from the group stage at the North American World Cup in June.

Hong's resignation did not calm public anger over the disappointing campaign; Rather, it increased the existing questions about the manner in which he was appointed.

Last month, police raided the headquarters of the South Korean Football Association as part of an investigation into Hong's appointment in 2024.

The federation also apologized against accusations of providing sexual entertainment services to foreign rulers.

Moreno chose striker Son, who currently plays for Los Angeles FC in the American League, among his first list, along with Kang-In Lee, the Spanish Atletico Madrid player, and Min-Jae Kim, the German Bayern Munich defender.

Hong's decision to leave Son on the bench during the first half of the decisive match against South Africa in the World Cup, caused confusion and anger among many fans.

Moreno said: “We are all aware of Son’s multiple roles. For me, he can play in 3 positions.”

Moreno also touched on the accusations that he used artificial intelligence during his supervision of the Russian club Sochi.

Moreno left the First Division team in September 2025, after a series of bad results, while reports said that he relied heavily on artificial intelligence “Chat GPT” in his work, even in selecting potential players to sign.

Moreno described these reports as “completely incorrect information that has spread widely.”

“Obviously I use technology,” he said.

He added: “Anyone who spends 10 minutes checking it out will realize that everything has been taken out of context and put together in a way intended to cause harm.”

The former goalkeeper for the Czechoslovakia and Czech national teams, Ludek Mikloško, died at the age of 64 after a busy career with West Ham in England.

Miklushko's family and the Czech club Banik Ostrava announced his death on Monday.

Miklushko spent 8 years with Banik Ostrava before moving to England. He also assumed the position of sporting director of the club despite suffering from cancer during the last five years.

Miklushko joined West Ham in February 1990, becoming the first Czech player to leave a mark in English football after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, which ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia. He played 373 matches with West Ham, and was chosen as the club's best player after his first season, after contributing to the team's rise to the English Premier League.

Miklushko was very popular among West Ham fans, who used to sing a song with his few words in English in the stands, saying: “My name is Ludek Miklushko... I come from near Moscow... and I guard West Ham’s goal.”

West Ham said in a statement: “Rest in peace, Ludek. “Our beloved and inspiring goalkeeper, and a gentle giant of a man.”

West Ham announced that it would commemorate Miklushko before the match against Fulham on Tuesday in the third round of the League Cup, as well as before facing Queens Park Rangers in the second division on October 9.

Miklushko moved to Queens Park Rangers in 1998 before retiring in 2001, then returned to London to coach West Ham's goalkeepers until 2010.

Miklushko played 42 international matches with the Czechoslovak and Czech national teams.

During his last visit to England in December 2024 to attend West Ham’s match against Liverpool at the London Stadium, Miklushko revealed that he had cancer and announced his decision to stop receiving treatment.

He said at the time: “I decided not to undergo chemotherapy; Because I want to live a normal life. I have great people around me, I have my job and football, which is my life and everything I've ever known. “I want to keep doing this as long as possible.”