MIRRA ANDREEVA WINS FRENCH OPEN AT 19, BECOMES YOUNGEST WOMEN’S CHAMPION SINCE MONICA SELES . (PHOTO).

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 Mirra Andreeva wins French Open at 19, becomes youngest women’s champion since Monica Seles   Russian tennis star Mirra Andreeva completed a breakout run at the French Open on Saturday, defeating Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 to capture her first Grand Slam title at age 19. Andreeva, who was already regarded as a prodigy after emerging on the WTA Tour as a teenager, became the youngest women’s singles champion since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she won her third straight French Open in 1992. Ranked eighth in the world, she controlled the final in Paris, taking command after dropping just a few early games. The match shifted decisively when Andreeva won nine consecutive games to seize control, eventually closing out the victory with a backhand winner on match point before falling to her knees in celebration on the clay. She finished with 25 winners compared to Chwalinska’s 10 and committed fewer unforced errors in a match played under windy conditions at Cour...

SAHEL ALLIANCE SAYS SPLIT FROM ECOWAS 'IRREVERSIBLE'. (PHOTO).


 Sahel Alliance says split from Ecowas 'irreversible'


The military governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger said Friday their decision to quit West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which they have condemned as subservient to ex-colonial ruler France, was "irreversible", AFP reported.


The statement from the trio of countries in the volatile Sahel region came just as the regional group, the Economic Community of West African States, prepared for a summit on Sunday where leaders had hoped to find a solution to keep them from leaving.


The three breakaways have not announced plans to attend. They held a separate ministerial-level meeting Friday in Niger's capital, Niamey.


"The ministers reiterate the irreversible decision to withdraw from ECOWAS and are committed to pursuing a process of reflection on the means of exiting in the best interests of their peoples," they said in a joint statement.


Breaking with France


The three countries have launched a regional bloc of their own, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), after breaking with France and pivoting toward Russia.


Their departure from ECOWAS could have a major impact on the free movement of people and goods in the region, which currently shares a common currency, the CFA franc.


The breakaways, which have all gone through military coups and insurgencies by militant groups in recent years, announced in January they were quitting ECOWAS.


Under the bloc's rules, their departure takes effect a year after the announcement, in January 2025.


Their disaccord with ECOWAS came after it threatened a military intervention over a July 2023 coup in Niger - the region's sixth in three years - and imposed heavy sanctions on the country, drawing the ire of the new military rulers.

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