Felix Auger-Aliassime proved no match for Novak Djokovic, who looks well set to claim his first title of 2022.
It has been a frustrating season to date for the Serbian, who reached a final in Belgrade last month before being beaten by rising star Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid earlier in May.
Yet with Rafael Nadal out of the picture, Djokovic is the clear favourite heading into the Internazionali d'Italia semi-finals, after he beat Auger-Aliassime 7-5 7-6 (7-1) on Friday.
The win not only tees up a semi-final against Casper Ruud, who saw off Nadal's conqueror Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (9-7) 7-5, but also ensures Djokovic will spend a 370th week at the top of the ATP rankings, after he slipped below Daniil Medvedev in the live standings.
Djokovic will add 360 points to his total for reaching the last four, and he now has a milestone 1,000th Tour-level win in his sights when he takes on Ruud for a place in the final. The 34-year-old has won a record 37 Masters 1000 titles so far in his career, including five in Rome.
"I thought it was high-level tennis," Djokovic said. "[Auger-Aliassime] did ask me to raise the level and I had to play consistently well.
"I thought I could have finished the job earlier, but credit to him for fighting back.
"I know Felix well. He's been around the top of the men's game for quite a few years. He's got a lethal serve, honestly. He's hitting his spots in the box incredibly well with the serve, and it was not easy for me at all to return.
"He's also returning well, he's moving well. He's a very complete player."
The other semi-final will see second seed Alexander Zverev, who beat Cristian Garin 7-5 6-2, take on Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Greek Tsitsipas overcame Jannik Sinner 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, becoming the first player to reach 30 wins on the ATP Tour in 2022.
"We have similar game styles but he is one of the most difficult players to play against on the Tour," Tsitsipas said, previewing his clash with Zverev.
"I have a lot of respect for him. He has achieved a lot so far and I try and look up to him with the things he has achieved."
Phil Mickelson will not defend his PGA Championship title after withdrawing from the competition, which takes place next week.
Mickelson has not played since February after he decided to take a break from professional golf following the backlash to his controversial comments over the Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League – now officially called the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The 51-year-old, who became the oldest major winner in history when he triumphed the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island last year, said Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights", but added he was willing to commit to the league as it was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates".
Mickelson apologised for his comments, but his hiatus from the sport saw him miss the Masters for the first time in 28 years.
The six-time major winner was expected to feature at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, after he was included in the final field, yet tournament organisers confirmed on Friday that Mickelson had opted out.
"We have just been informed that Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the PGA Championship," a statement on the PGA Championship's official Twitter channel read.
"Phil is the defending champion and currently eligible to be a PGA Life Member and we would have welcomed him to participate. We wish Phil and Amy the very best and look forward to his return to golf."
Mickelson, along with several other golfers, has requested a release from the PGA Tour to compete in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which is due to start next month, though it was not confirmed that he would definitely play in the first event in London.
The PGA has, however, declined those release requests.
Bahamian Olympic Champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo was handed a rare defeat to begin the 2022 Diamond League season after finishing behind both the Dominica Republic’s Marileidy Paulino and Jamaica’s Stephenie-Ann Mcpherson in the women’s 400m.
At the Doha meeting, it was the Olympic silver medalist Paulino who dominated proceedings. Running from an inside lane, the Dominican tracked Miller-Uibo well before coming off the curve with a lead. The typically strong-finishing Miller-Uibo not only failed to make up ground on Paulino but was overtaken near the line by McPherson who nabbed second spot.
Paulino took the top spot with a time of 51.20, followed by McPherson, second in 51.69, and Miller-Uibo third in 51.84. Barbados’ Sada Williams was next, and she finished ahead of another Jamaican, Candice McLeod.
In the meantime, the women’s 200m was won by the United States’ Gabrielle Thomas who took top spot after outbattling Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson down the stretch to stop the clock at 21.98, ahead of Jackson’s 22.07. Great Britain’s Dina Asher was third in 22.37.
In other events, Grenadian Anderson Peters dominated the men’s javelin to take top spot with a throw of 93.07, while Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts captured the women’s long jump.
Wydad reached the CAF Champions League final for the fifth time in their history after they drew 1-1 with Petro de Luanda to seal a 4-2 aggregate win.
The build-up to Friday's second leg between two-time champions Wydad and Petro, who were bidding to reach their first final in the competition, was skewed somewhat by Al Ahly's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the decision to host the showpiece match in Casablanca.
Ten-time continental champions Al Ahly, who hold a 4-0 advantage over Entente Setif in the other semi-final, claimed it was unfair that Wydad, winners in 1992 and 2017, could have home advantage in the final on May 30, and unless CAS overrules CAF's decision, then that will be the case.
Defender Amine Farhane scored in the 28th minute to cancel out Gleison's superb opener for Petro.
The visitors had plenty of chances to get another and make things nervy for Wydad, but Mindinho and Erico Castro squandered their best opportunities in first and second-half stoppage time respectively.
To compound Petro's frustration, substitute Yano – who had two attempts after coming on – saw red in the final minute for foul language.
Iga Swiatek's superb form continued as she overcame another grand slam champion in the form of Bianca Andreescu to reach the last four of the Internazionali d'Italia.
Swiatek, who will be aiming to regain the French Open title she won in 2020 when she heads to Roland Garros later this month, has won 26 matches on the bounce after a 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 triumph over Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion.
The 20-year-old Pole has now won all nine of her matches since she became world number one following Ash Barty's retirement in March.
That makes her part of an exclusive club, with only Justine Henin (in 2004) and Victoria Azarenka (in 2012) having achieved that feat in the 21st century.
Swiatek's winning streak also matches Azarenka's 2012 sequence as the fifth-longest this century. Henin and the two Williams sisters are the only players to have won more consecutive matches since the start of 2000.
"Being in that kind of group is like a dream come true for me," said Swiatek, who has won 38 of her past 39 sets since her fourth-round match at the Indian Wells Open.
"I wouldn't think of that when I was younger. I'm pretty happy that I could do that because consistency was the thing I really wanted to work on last year. This year I feel like it clicked."
The only player to have beaten Swiatek in a tour-level quarter-final to date is Maria Sakkari, at Roland Garros last year, but the Greek saw victory slip from her grasp against Ons Jabeur.
Sakkari led 6-1 5-2 against the Tunisian, yet Jabeur rallied remarkably to claim a first career win against a top-five opponent on clay, prevailing 1-6 7-5 6-1.
After winning the Madrid Open last week, Jabeur has now won 10 straight matches, while she has claimed 16 victories on clay in 2022, leading the way on the WTA Tour.
While Jabeur will face world number 23 Daria Kasatkina, whose opponent Jil Teichmann retired when 6-4 3-2 down, Swiatek will go up against third seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Amanda Anisimova had not lost to Sabalenka in four previous meetings over the past three years, but her luck ran out as she went down 4-6 6-3 6-2.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma agreed with the team’s decision to leave him out of the squad ahead of Thursday's encounter against Chennai Super Kings.
Much-like compatriot and fellow power-hitter Chris Gayle was last year, Pollard was left out of the line-up on his 35th birthday. Instead, the team opted to go with South Africa big-hitter Tristan Stubbs on debut.
Despite it being a special day for the West Indian, few could have disagreed with the decision considering the player’s recent form. In 11 IPL matches so far, the big West Indian has scored just 144 runs at an average of 14.40 and with a strike rate of 107.46. The ball-striking tally is the player’s lowest since he made his debut in the IPL in 2010.
In explaining the decision, Sharma insisted the team, which is currently bottom of the IPL, has begun to contemplate its future.
"Keeping an eye on the future, Pollard is out and Stubbs is in. He (Pollard) was the one who came up to us and he was ready for it,” Rohit told Star Sport.
“We want to try out a few players, got to see what they have to offer.”
Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone produced their best displays of the Indian Premier League season to lead the Punjab Kings to a dominant win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The England duo each hit half-centuries as the Kings hit 209-9, before Kagiso Rabada (3-21), Rishi Dhawan (2-36), and Rahul Chahar (2-37) wrecked RCB's top-order.
Glenn Maxwell's 35 marked the best individual performance of Bangalore's chase, as they finished 54 runs short of the Kings' tally.
With 14 points, RCB's place in the play-offs now looks vulnerable ahead of their final clash with table-topping Gujarat Titans, while the Kings kept their own hopes of a top-four finish alive with two games left to play.
Having been put in to bat by Faf du Plessis, Punjab quickly set about building a tough target, reaching 60 before their first loss when Shikhar Dhawan went for 21.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa followed, but that simply allowed Livingstone to step up and produce a terrific display alongside Bairstow, who struck 66 from 29 balls before falling to Shahbaz Ahmed in the 10th over.
Livingstone plundered a rapid 70 to ensure the Kings recovered, and RCB's hopes were severely dented when Virat Kohli, Du Plessis and Mahipal Lomror were sent packing within the opening five overs.
Maxwell's 12th-over dismissal all but sealed victory for Punjab, with Rabada adding the wickets of Shahbaz Ahmed and Harshal Patel.
Dhawan's blushes spared as Bairstow and Livingstone turn on the style
Although the Kings' best-performing batsmen Dhawan fell short of his season average of 40, a combined 136 from Bairstow and Livingstone propelled Punjab to victory.
Rabada on a roll
Fast-bowler Rabada led the Kings' attack admirably to end the contest with three wickets, taking his tally for the season to 21, some seven clear of his closest team-mate in Rahul.
Philippe Coutinho will go up "another level" after agreeing a permanent transfer from Barcelona to Aston Villa, manager Steven Gerrard has said.
Villa announced on Thursday that Coutinho will complete a £17million (€20m) move at the end of the season, having impressed in his half-season loan spell at the Premier League club.
The Brazil international has created the most chances among Villa players (24) since scoring and assisting on his debut against Manchester United on January 15.
Coutinho has also crafted the most 'big chances' – from which Opta would expect a player to score – in that period (five) to go along with his four goals and three assists.
Villa boss Gerrard expressed his delight at securing Coutinho's signature and suggested the 29-year-old will develop in the knowledge he has the full backing of Villa Park.
Asked why he thought Coutinho made the swap from Barcelona to Birmingham, Gerrard joked with reporters: "Probably my banter and my company to be honest!"
He added: "I was aware a little bit before it was announced, and I think it's fantastic for everyone connected with the club.
"You've seen the reaction from the supporters, it's very positive, they've seen him over the last five or six months play ever so well.
"He's still got loads left in him, in our opinion. To have him here full time and settled, I think he'll come again and go up another level because of that feeling of knowing where he's going to be playing for the next four years.
"I think he is a player that needs to feel wanted, he needs to feel support. Everyone at Villa is playing their part… the owners especially have made him feel really special.
"He feels really happy here, and it's fantastic that he wants to be part of this journey.
"I think you can't underestimate football happiness. In any walk of life, in any job, you've got to get out of bed with a purpose and with a drive and energy to enjoy your role. In football terms, that is to feel support from your team-mates, from your staff, but also from your supporters.
"If you get out of bed every morning and you're playing for an ambitious club where there's a journey and everyone is pushing to move it forward and improve it, and you're a big part of that and you're made to feel welcome and people want to build around you, that's very important in Phil's situation."
Lev Grinberg, a 14-year-old Ukrainian amateur golfer, became the second-youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event after shooting a brilliant 69 at the Soudal Open.
The teenager carded 70 in his opening round on Thursday on his first appearance at a European Tour event and followed that up with another superb display on Friday to make the cut tied for 29th position in Belgium on three under par.
Guan Tian-lang, at the 2013 Masters, is the only player to have made the cut at a European Tour event at a younger age (14 years and 169 days).
After his fine showing on Thursday, Grinberg had said: "I enjoyed myself out there. I played pretty good."
In 2021, Grinberg advanced to the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open, and he would have become the youngest player to feature in a men's major championship.
However, his second round was suspended due to weather and Grinberg subsequently withdrew to compete at a junior tournament in Florida.
Lev Grinberg, a 14-year-old Ukrainian amateur golfer, became the second-youngest player to make the cut at a European Tour event after shooting a brilliant 69 at the Soudal Open.
The teenager carded 70 in his opening round on Thursday on his first appearance at a European Tour event and followed that up with another superb display on Friday to make the cut tied for 29th position in Belgium on three under par.
Guan Tian-lang, at the 2013 Masters, is the only player to have made the cut at a European Tour event at a younger age (14 years and 169 days).
After his fine showing on Thursday, Grinberg had said: "I enjoyed myself out there. I played pretty good."
In 2021, Grinberg advanced to the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open, and he would have become the youngest player to feature in a men's major championship.
However, his second round was suspended due to weather and Grinberg subsequently withdrew to compete at a junior tournament in Florida.
Jurgen Klopp labelled the Nations League as "one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football" amid arguments with UEFA over Champions League final ticket allocations.
Liverpool manager Klopp took aim at UEFA after it was announced fewer than 20,000 tickets apiece will be allocated to Reds and Real Madrid fans for the final in Paris on May 28.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin responded by stating that the system works as he explained tickets were split between the market, fans and sponsorship partners.
Ceferin also said he had shared a conversation with a manager from Madrid or Liverpool to discuss the matters, which was clear to be Klopp after he voiced his discontent.
Klopp again expressed his disappointment on Friday, speaking before the FA Cup final with Chelsea on Saturday, as he hit out at the Nations League and detailed his exchanges with Ceferin.
The German accepted Ceferin's explanation on the Champions League but implored UEFA to take more revenue from the competition as long as it meant his players did not have to play in the Nations League.
"We didn't speak, he texted me. I obviously said that there should be more tickets for supporters and then I think the same explanation [he gave me] he gave publicly," Klopp told reporters.
"What is it? 93 per cent of the Champions League money goes to the clubs and UEFA only get a few euros and I replied and said 'okay, this is one of those situations where you should have more information before you give answers' but I cannot constantly be prepared for these kinds of things, but I still have an opinion.
"So it's fine, I will try to clarify that here that obviously I didn't know enough about it. But I said as well in this conversation, I have said now that he spoke to me, that the reason I am not in such a good mood when I speak about UEFA is because of the Nations League.
"I still think it is one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football because now we finish a season where [some] players have played more than 70 games, easily – club games 63 or 64, plus internationals – and then go direct to 75, which is pretty mad.
"We continue with Nations League games because we have to play them [when] there is no tournament, who cares we play four, five or six games with the national teams.
"So that is the reason because I would prefer UEFA take more money from the Champions League final and kick out the Nations League again. That would be my preferred solution and more tickets for the people anyway.
"That is my personal opinion. I read about it but maybe I don't have all the information, but it is still my opinion."
Cesc Fabregas has confirmed he will leave Monaco when his contract expires at the end of the season, but the midfielder has no intentions to retire just yet.
Former Arsenal and Barcelona star Fabregas has been hampered by injuries during the 2021-22 season, in which Monaco are three points behind second-placed Marseille with two games to play.
The Spain international signed on a free transfer in January 2019, and racked up over 800 Ligue 1 minutes a season in his first three campaigns at Monaco.
However, he has appeared just twice in the league this term for his measly 36 minutes and Fabregas has revealed this season will be his last with Monaco.
"It's sure that it's over between Monaco and me," Fabregas told French outlet So Foot. "My contract expires next June, and I'm looking for a fresh start. My head needs a fresh start elsewhere.
"It's the worst year not only in my career, but also in my life, because when I'm not happy in football, I'm not happy in my life. I suffered a lot this year, and it was hard mentally. You just have to stay strong.
"But sometimes things happen for a reason. I'm grateful that it happened at 35 rather than 25 when I was at the height of my career.
"So if you look at it that way – 19 years, almost 900 games, winning almost everything – it could have been worse."
Aged 35, World Cup winner and two-time European Championship victor Fabregas may be expected to move into a coaching role to utilise his experience, but he insists his preference is to continue playing.
"To be honest, I've already had two or three phone calls in the past two weeks from some of my former coaches to find out what I wanted to do, to see if I wanted to join them this summer as a coach," he added.
"But this year has been so bad that I can't finish on that. Not after building this career. I want to keep playing.
"I'm grateful for the career I've had, but I don't feel like it's over. I just want to enjoy my football and continue to be competitive at some level."
As for the identity of Fabregas' next club, he has no preference as long as he can rediscover his enjoyment of football.
"I'm open to anything, I just want to have fun," he said when asked about potential clubs, leagues or countries. "After this year, I just want to play and enjoy my football.
"The place doesn't really matter, it's more my head that counts. When I'm fit I feel really good, when I'm training with my team-mates I don't feel any different when it comes to passion for the game.
"It's just about finding the right project and doing it. I will look for a new project and see where the future takes me."
Liverpool may have lost ground in the Premier League title race to Manchester City, but they could claim a second trophy of the campaign when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
A Wembley Stadium meeting between the Blues and the Reds is, of course, nothing new, with Thomas Tuchel paying the penalty – literally – for his ill-fated introduction of Kepa Arrizabalaga in February's EFL Cup final loss.
Revenge will certainly be on Chelsea's minds after substitute Kepa missed the decisive spot-kick in the shoot-out at the end of that goalless draw, and they will be desperate to avoid becoming the first team to lose both domestic English cup finals in the same season since Middlesbrough in 1996-97.
For Liverpool, meanwhile, their pursuit of the quadruple, and with it, footballing immortality, hinges on their ability to see off the Blues.
Who will be crowned the latest winners of football's oldest national competition? Stats Perform takes a look at the key Opta numbers ahead of these two rivals' fourth meeting of the season.
Wembley regulars hunting cup success
Chelsea and Liverpool have met in the final of the FA Cup on just one previous occasion, with Ramires and Didier Drogba firing the London club – then managed by Roberto Di Matteo – to victory just over a decade ago on May 5, 2012.
Both sides have significant pedigree in the competition, with Chelsea making their 16th final appearance and Liverpool featuring in their 15th – only Arsenal (21) and Manchester United (20) have made more such appearances than the duo.
However, neither side have had it all their own way when making it this far, with Chelsea losing each of the last two finals.
The Blues are the first team to qualify for three consecutive finals since Arsenal between 2000-01 and 2002-03, but another defeat would make them the first team since Newcastle United in 1998-99 to lose on their last three final appearances (1973-74, 1997-98, and 1998-99).
Liverpool, however, have lifted the trophy on just 50 per cent of their previous final appearances (7/14). Only two teams have a worse success rate having reached 10 or more finals (Everton, 5/13, and Newcastle, 6/13).
Fourth time lucky as deadlocked rivals meet again?
Having both made their names coaching Bundesliga sides Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel and Klopp are no strangers to one another, and have become accustomed to head-to-head meetings this season.
Chelsea and Liverpool have already met three times this campaign, twice in the Premier League and once in the EFL Cup final, with each of those games ending level.
Having clung on with 10-men to earn a 1-1 draw at Anfield in August, Chelsea fought back from two goals down in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in January before enduring penalty heartache at Wembley the following month.
The last fixture between two English top-fight teams to see more draws in the same campaign was Arsenal v Chelsea in 2017-18 (four).
Fans of a penalty shoot-out, then, could be in for more entertainment on Saturday.
The Mane for the big occasion
The electrifying form of January arrival Luis Diaz means Klopp's Reds have never had such attacking depth available, but could one of his longest-serving attackers make the difference here?
Since arriving at Anfield in 2016, Sadio Mane has scored six times against Chelsea, with no other player scoring more often against the Blues in that time.
Mane made an important contribution to Liverpool's 3-2 semi-final win over Manchester City, becoming the first player to score a Wembley brace for the club since Steve McManaman in the 1995 League Cup final against Bolton Wanderers.
Should Mane again find the net against one of his favourite opponents, he would become the first Liverpool player to score in consecutive Wembley appearances (when used as a neutral venue) since Phillipe Coutinho in April 2015 and February 2016.
Can Werner haunt his former suitors?
Chelsea forward Timo Werner made headlines on Friday after claiming to have chosen Stamford Bridge over Anfield when he left RB Leipzig in 2020.
And the Germany international will hope to continue his excellent FA Cup campaign if he is chosen to lead the line at Wembley.
No player has made more goal contributions in the competition than Werner this season, with the 26-year-old recording two goals and three assists in the Blues' cup run.
While that tally is more than any Liverpool player has managed in the competition this term, it's also the most any Chelsea player has registered in a single FA Cup campaign since Pedro (six) and Willian (seven) both impressed in 2016-17.
However, Chelsea ended that season by falling to a 2-1 final defeat to Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, so Werner will be hoping any contribution he can make will prove more decisive.
New England Test head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes must challenge each other to transform the country's red-ball fortunes, says Nasser Hussain.
McCullum has been tasked with fixing the failings in the five-day game of England, who will be captained by Stokes after Joe Root resigned in April following a run of one win in 17 Tests.
Former opener and now England men's managing director Rob Key has entrusted McCullum with the Test side despite all the 40-year-old's coaching experience coming within white-ball franchise cricket.
McCullum has coached Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders and their Caribbean Premier League affiliate Trinbago Knight Riders, but has playing experience in Test cricket with New Zealand.
Indeed, McCullum captained New Zealand's red-ball side through a transformative period and played in 101 Tests for his country.
Former England captain Hussain believes he and Stokes can take England in a different direction.
"It's a bold, brave, exciting decision," Hussain told Sky Sports.
"It's a little bit left field, I think most people expected maybe a Brendon McCullum type to come into the white-ball team and work with his mate Eoin Morgan and possibly somebody with more experience in red-ball cricket like a Gary Kirsten come in for the Test match format.
"But Rob Key sees it differently, I think both Stokes and McCullum are cut from the same cloth and Key has that sort of idea that he wants a positive captain and positive coach taking the team in a new direction and McCullum definitely fits that bill.
"That captain-coach relationship - they do have to sing off the same hymn sheet, they have to both constantly be working together.
"They also have to challenge each other, I'll be perfectly honest.
"It's not a case of Stokes and McCullum always agreeing with each other. It's also how you describe positive cricket really, it's not reckless cricket.
"I nearly picked Rob Key up on this the other day, he talked about brand of cricket, he wants England to play a positive brand of cricket.
"I think England fans and myself want to see England play a winning brand of cricket, however that's done, go out and start winning Test matches. If it is positive and exciting, double bonus. But winning is the most important thing.
"It's hugely exciting, to have Stokes as your captain, McCullum as your coach, it will be a very exciting few months and years ahead."
McCullum and Stokes' first task sees the pair host the country of their birth, New Zealand, in a three-Test series that starts on June 2.
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