Elena Rybakina has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for a third straight year, with her progress to the last eight accelerated after opponent Anna Kalinskaya was forced to retire with an injury in the second set.
Fourth seed Rybakina was in complete control of the fourth-round match on Centre Court, leading 6-3 3-0 before Kalinskaya had to call time on the contest after 53 minutes of play, halting what had been her best career run at the tournament.
"Definitely not the way I wanted to finish the match," said Rybakina after her win.
"Anna is a great player. I know she was suffering with a couple of injuries and, if it is the wrist, it is of course very difficult to continue playing. I just wish her a speedy recovery."
Rybakina had also won the last contest between the two players – in Rome last year – due to a retirement from Kalinskaya.
With a strong grass-court record and as one of only two players seeded in the top 10 left in the women's singles tournament, Rybakina is seen as the favourite and player to beat in the second week. She will face either Elina Svitolina next.
Data Debrief: Rybakina in elite company
With a remarkable 18-2 match record at Wimbledon, Rybakina is now one of just three players in the Open Era to hold a win percentage of 90% or higher in the women’s singles.
The other two players are, like Rybakina, former Wimbledon champions: Ann Jones (12-1) and Steffi Graf (74-7).
While Rybakina thrives on grass, she has also impressed on other surfaces and she has now reached the quarter-final or better in 11 of her 12 tournaments played this season.
Aside from Rybakina, Iga Swiatek is the only other player over the past three seasons to hold a match win percentage of over 70% on all three surfaces at WTA level.
Spain's tactical flexibility under Luis de la Fuente has been the key to their emergence as the outstanding team at Euro 2024, believes Rodri.
Some felt Spain could struggle after being drawn with Italy, Croatia and Albania in Group B, but they won all three group games and have continued to impress since then.
They thrashed Georgia 4-1 in the last 16 before overcoming hosts Germany 2-1 in extra time in the quarter-finals, teeing up Tuesday's semi-final meeting with France.
The Opta supercomputer makes France (30%) and Spain (30%) favourites to lift the trophy on Sunday, ahead of England (23%) and the Netherlands (16%) on the other side of the draw.
Many believe Spain have played the best football at the tournament, and they lead all teams in Germany for expected goals (10.3 xG), shots (76) and shots on target (36).
However, La Roja only rank third for their average possession share (57%), behind Portugal (66%) and Germany (62%), with England joining those two teams in completing more passes than De la Fuente's men.
Rodri believes being prepared to sacrifice the country's traditional 'Tika-Taka' ideals against better opponents has been a key factor in their success this year.
"You have to know what you're facing, what you can and can't do. That's what we have done best so far, we've played different teams and understood," he told The Guardian.
"We've played a lot of teams that are good collectively: Italy, Croatia, Germany, teams that like to have the ball like we do, where we have had to understand and interpret, to accept that there are moments we won't have it.
"In fact, we had less possession than some opponents. There were moments when we had to suffer, resist, be together.
"It's important to see those moments, to understand them. Knocking out the hosts, Germany, is one of the hardest things there could be. In the end, we did it."
The Manchester City star believes being prepared to suffer without the ball will also be key against pre-tournament favourites France, saying: "We have to approach this with the same mentality: play like a big team with the ball and a small team without it.
"They're very strong physically, hard to overcome, great individuals. They play the way they want to play."
Spain suffered a surprise defeat to Scotland early in their qualification campaign, but Rodri always had faith former under-21 boss De la Fuente would get things right.
"I always had a lot of confidence in this group. I knew the coach and I was convinced that with work and effort we would get it right," he said.
"He understood that the team needed time to assimilate the ideas, two or three key concepts. Spain and City are similar philosophies but you adapt to the coach.
"Here we try to be a bit more vertical, without so much possession, but with enough possession to do damage to the opponents."
James Anderson has accepted England's decision to move on from him ahead of his final Test appearance, despite believing he is bowling as well as he ever has.
Anderson will play his 188th and final Test this week as England take on West Indies at Lord's, after Brendon McCullum's set-up opted to evolve their bowling attack.
The 41-year-old is the leading wicket-taker among pacemen in Test history, with 700 dismissals in 187 red-ball matches, and has been a fixture in the England attack since his 2003 debut.
Though he says it was not his decision to end his international career, he understands why England are moving on.
"I haven't really got a choice! It's been a pretty strange couple of months but I feel pretty happy with where things are," Anderson said on Monday.
"I can completely understand the way the management and the team want to go. I have made peace with that and we will see what the future holds."
Anderson took seven wickets for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship last week, and he feels he is still capable of contributing despite his age.
"Coming off a seven-for last week I still feel I am bowling as well as I ever have but I knew it had to end at some point," he added.
"Whether it's now, a year or two years... the fact that it is now is just something I have to deal with and accept.
"I don't have any regrets. I have played hundreds of games for England, in both white ball and red ball. I have played longer than a lot of people get the opportunity to do.
"I have played with a lot of people more talented than me who didn't get the chance to play due to injury or whatever, so I feel blessed to take the amount of wickets I have."
Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea's supporters to "trust the idea" and promised to instil an enterprising, aggressive style of play at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca led Leicester City to the Championship title last season before making the move to West London after Mauricio Pochettino's surprise departure.
Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-placed Premier League finish in his only campaign at the helm, also overseeing their penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in February's EFL Cup final.
Despite an upturn in the second half of 2023-24, Pochettino failed to win over Chelsea's fanbase after the Todd Boehly regime sanctioned an outlay of around £390million (€464m) before the season began.
Maresca's Leicester were known for their progressive brand of football, ranking second in the Championship for possession share (62.3%) and successful passes (25,248) last term while leading the way for expected goals (85.8 xG).
On Monday, Maresca conducted his first interview with the Blues' website and pledged to bring the entertainment to Stamford Bridge.
"We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club," he said.
"When you have your own fans behind the team pushing, it's like playing with 12 players and this is what we have to create here.
"Trust the process, trust the idea, be behind the team. For sure we are going to enjoy the journey.
"Like at every club, for every manager, it will not be easy because nothing is easy. But for sure we are going to enjoy our journey."
Chelsea begin their 2024-25 Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City on August 18, before travelling to Wolves and hosting Crystal Palace before the season's first international break.
Stephen Curry believes the dynasty built by the Golden State Warriors throughout his career will be the last of its kind in the NBA.
Curry has won four NBA championships with the Warriors since being drafted seventh overall in 2009, leading them to glory in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
Golden State missed the playoffs for just the third time in the last 12 seasons in 2023-24, finishing 46-36 then losing a Play-In tie against the Sacramento Kings.
Between 2014 and 2022, the Warriors made the NBA Finals on six occasions, having failed to do so in 39 years after winning the 1974-75 championship.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have, alongside Curry, formed the spine of the Warriors' lineup throughout that period, but the former left for the Dallas Mavericks last week after 13 years in San Francisco.
Speaking to ESPN's Malika Andrews, Curry said: "Obviously defining a dynasty can take a lot of different looks.
"People thought this was over in 2019, but 2022 was an amazing championship because we defied the odds. That's 11 years, almost 12 years, of championship relevancy built around a certain core."
Asked whether the Warriors' achievements during that period will be replicated, Curry said: "I don't think it will, just because it's very hard to keep things together in this league. There's a lot more player movement.
"Me, Klay and Draymond, we complemented each other so well for so long. We all brought something different to the table, so we'll see.
"Records are meant to be broken. Dynasties come in all different shapes and sizes, so we'll see."
While Thompson has made the decision to leave the Bay Area, Curry – who has two years remaining on his own contract – wants to stick around for the rest of his career, as long as the team can be competitive.
"Being in one place for my whole career, I know it's really hard to do that," he said. "I want to be greedy and say we can be relevant and be in the mix and give ourselves a realistic chance to win while I'm still growing these grey hairs and doing high school visits in the Bay for my daughter.
"It's crazy. It's just the nature of where I'm at. But yes, all that is to say I love the Bay and the Bay is home and I never want that to change."
Bronny James "doesn't give a f***" what people think of him, his father LeBron has warned.
LeBron and his eldest son will team up for the Los Angeles Lakers next season, after Bronny was selected as the No.55 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
But LeBron, the NBA's all-time leading points scorer, has warned the media not to expect Bronny to struggle under pressure or fail to cope with any criticism.
"I don't know if people really understand Bronny," James told ESPN.
"He doesn't care. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me, and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. He doesn't give a f***.
"He does not care about nobody. He doesn't even listen to that stuff. He's like the coolest.
"He's the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. This bro does not care. Everything that's being said about him, he really does not care."
LeBron, though, believes his son, who is 19, has shown a fantastic mentality and attitude to make his own way in basketball.
"Just imagine if you were a kid, you were born into a situation where your dad was super famous, super wealthy and you the kid still had the drive to want to be able to accomplish things for yourself," James added.
"I personally don't know if I would've been able to do that if the roles were reversed.
"When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice. I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city.
"Bronny has all the choices in the world. If Bronny wants to stop right now or never played basketball or just wanted to be a gamer or wanted to be a chef or wanted to do whatever, he could have done that.
"People don't understand how hard that is and the commitment for him to be coming out of heart surgery less than a year ago, for him to be able to be in the NBA, the kid, he's special."
Standout fitness athlete Kristen McGregor faced unexpected challenges leading up to the Mr. Big Evolution Olympia Qualifier held in Lisbon, Portugal, on Sunday, July 7, 2024. Competing in the Open Figure Category, she aimed to defend her title from the previous year but ultimately secured a top-five finish out of 24 competitors.
This year’s preparation was a stark contrast to her usual routine. McGregor, who typically trained in Jamaica, found herself in the unfamiliar territory of the United Kingdom. “This competition prep was done in the UK, where this was my first time visiting,” McGregor said. “There was limited access to my resources. I believe now that this may have contributed to my performance or conditioning for the show, meaning my recovery was not the same where I would have gotten my continuous massages and muscle recovery sessions. This was not my usual climate, and my atmosphere was way much different. Nevertheless, I made the best out of my situation.”
Despite these obstacles, McGregor maintained her focus and determination. She entered the competition without specific expectations about her competitors, aiming instead to give her best performance. “The intensity was not much different from last year, to be honest. I had no expectations of who would be there, so I didn’t find nor did I see anyone as most dangerous to my objective. My objective was to retain my title.”
Finishing in the top five left McGregor with mixed emotions. “To be honest, it just means that I finished fifth in the competition. This placement wasn’t expected, but at the end of the day, I would always say the sport is very subjective. You do the best you can do in preparing for it, and yet you go without expectation. At the end, you are left without disappointment knowing that you have done your best and it’s the physique that is displayed.”
Despite not reclaiming her title, McGregor remains grateful for the opportunity to compete. “It doesn’t justify me putting in the work that I have done. However, I am always grateful for the experience to be on stage.”
The Bahamas' quest for a historic first Olympic basketball berth came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday, as they fell to Spain 86-78 in the 2024 FIBA Qualifying Finals in Valencia, Spain.
Deandre Ayton, the Portland Trail Blazers' centre, delivered a commendable performance with 17 points on 8-14 shooting, 14 rebounds, and two assists in 36 minutes of play. Ayton's efforts throughout the FIBA Qualifying Tournament in Valencia were notable, as he averaged 19.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 64.2 per cent from the field.
Buddy Hield, recently acquired by the Golden State Warriors, led The Bahamas in scoring during the final with 19 points, while new Philadelphia 76ers signee Eric Gordon contributed 15 points.
For Spain, former Blazer Rudy Fernandez, 39, added nine points, two rebounds, and two assists. Guard Lorenzo Brown was the top scorer for Spain, registering 18 points, including 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Entering the final as underdogs, The Bahamas put up a valiant fight but struggled to recover from a crucial 25-17 second quarter in favour of Spain, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.
Spain's significant free-throw advantage also played a pivotal role, as they shot 23-25 from the charity stripe compared to The Bahamas' 10-13. Additionally, Spain's superior ball handling was evident, winning the turnover battle 15-11.
Despite the loss, The Bahamas showed fight. Ayton's standout performances, coupled with solid contributions from Hield and Gordon, underscore a promising future for Bahamian basketball on the international stage.
The team’s valiant effort in Valencia marks a significant step forward, and while they fell just short of an Olympic berth, the experience gained and the competitive spirit displayed bode well for future international competitions.
Emma Raducanu says her Wimbledon run has "fuelled the fire" as she looks to return to her best form.
Raducanu, who stormed to a shock US Open win in 2021, has endured a difficult few years.
Yet she looked strong in her opening three rounds at Wimbledon, dumping out Maria Sakkari en route to a tie with qualifier Lulu Sun on Sunday.
However, with the odds in her favour, Raducanu failed to deliver as Sun prevailed 6-2 5-7 6-2 to claim a surprise victory.
With Aryna Sabalenka having withdrawn and both Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek also crashing out over the weekend, a path to glory might have opened up for Raducanu.
Instead, she is aiming to use an encouraging run at the All England Club as motivation for the rest of the season.
"I feel good about things going forwards. I feel optimistic," said Raducanu.
"As bitter as it is to take, I think [this defeat] happened for a reason.
"You don't want things to happen too easily and too quickly. I had that before. I don't necessarily want just a massive spike.
"Six months ago when I was starting out after surgery, I would have signed for the fourth round at Wimbledon.
"Of course I'm disappointed. Of course, I want more. It fuels the fire and makes me more hungry."
Raducanu has received some criticism, though, for withdrawing from the mixed doubles event on the eve of her match with Sun.
That withdrawal marked the end of Andy Murray's farewell Wimbledon appearance.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points to send Greece into the Paris Olympics.
Antetokounmpo has not previously featured at a Games, but is now set to debut after Greece qualified for the 12-team basketball tournament.
They beat Croatia 80-69 on Sunday, and will now face Australia, Canada and Spain in the group stage in Paris.
And two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo believes Greece should be gunning for gold.
"The best athletes in the world compete in the Olympic Games," Antetokounmpo said.
"We have nothing to lose. I really believe we have an incredible team and we can accomplish something special."
Spain and Brazil also booked their places at the Games on Sunday, beating the Bahamas and Latvia respectively.
Canada must produce the performance of their lives to have any chance of upsetting holders Argentina to reach the Copa America final, acknowledges Jesse Marsch.
Marsch's team will face the World Cup winners for a final berth at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, having overcome Venezuela in a penalty shoot-out in the last eight.
They are just the fourth CONCACAF team to reach the Copa semi-finals and the third to do so on their debut, after Mexico (1993 runners-up), Honduras (third in 2001) and the United States (third in 1995).
They face the sternest of tests next up, however, having already lost to Lionel Messi and the rest of Argentina's stars in their opening group-stage game.
Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez were on target in that match as Lionel Scaloni's team triumphed 2-0 in Atlanta, rifling off 19 shots worth 3.02 expected goals (xG) to Canada's 10 (1.16 xG).
While Canada have won plenty of admirers on their run to the last four, Marsch knows they need to step up further on Tuesday.
"Argentina will have to be the best match we've ever played and it still might not be enough," he said. "But whatever. We're going to go for it."
Captain Alphonso Davies echoed those sentiments but pointed out Canada had given Argentina a scare in their earlier game, saying: "It's going to take everything. We played them in the group stage and we played well but didn't get the win we wanted."
Argentina boss Scaloni hit out at the quality of the pitch after that earlier meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Messi says the surfaces have had an impact throughout the tournament.
"The pitch always has an influence. It's a reality that the pitches aren't good," he told reporters, as quoted by The Athletic.
"I think the best one was the one in Miami, which was good from what you saw from the outside at least. It's natural and that's already different. Of course, it has an influence."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Argentina – Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister assisted Lisandro Martinez's opener versus Ecuador in the last eight, then held his nerve from the spot as the world champions triumphed in a shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.
The Liverpool midfielder has two assists at this year's tournament. Since such data began in 2011, only Lionel Messi (in 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2021) has ever provided three or more assists for Argentina at a single edition of the Copa America.
Mac Allister has completed 122 of his 135 passes at this tournament, with 70 of those being played in the opposition half. With Canada likely to sit deep, it could fall on him to keep things ticking over and provide service for Messi and his fellow attackers.
Canada – Maxime Crepeau
Crepeau was forced into six saves in Canada's Copa America opener versus Argentina, and he could be busy again here.
However, he has been in excellent form throughout this tournament, conceding three goals from 4.95 expected goals on target (xGoT) faced, with only Claudio Bravo (3.66 goals prevented) and Rafael Romo (2.36) overperforming their underlying goalkeeping statistics by a greater margin.
Only Sergio Rochet and Emiliano Martinez (three each) have bettered his two clean sheets at this tournament. He will have his work cut out to keep another, though.
MATCH PREDICTION: ARGENTINA WIN
Argentina have now reached the semi-finals at seven of their last eight major tournaments, with the 2018 World Cup being the only exception.
They have won their last 10 matches against CONCACAF opponents in official competitions, not conceding a goal in any of their last six such games.
Additionally, the defending champions have reached the last four at five of the last seven editions of the Copa America, and only two of them – Colombia in 2004 and Chile in 2019 – failed to make the final. The omens, then, are not good for Canada.
It will be the fifth time Argentina have faced the same opponents twice at a single edition of the Copa America since the current format was introduced in 1993. Two of the previous four instances included a semi-final meeting (Colombia in 1993 and Paraguay in 2015), with the other two including the final (Mexico in 1993 and Chile in 2016).
La Albiceleste did, however, only win one of those four editions, lifting the trophy in 1993, then waiting 28 years to reclaim their place as South America's finest in 2021.
They are assigned an 84% chance of reaching the final by the Opta supercomputer, with Canada out to cause one of the greatest upsets in the history of the competition.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Argentina – 76.7%
Canada – 9.8%
Draw – 13.6%
Rafael Devers hit home runs in the seventh and ninth innings, Kutter Crawford needed just 68 pitches to get through seven innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-0 on Sunday.
New York managed just four hits and were handed a 15th loss in their last 20 games.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have fought their way back into contention in a competitive AL East by winning 16 of their last 22 games.
Devers, whose seventh-inning solo shot off Luis Gil broke a scoreless tie, has hit seven home runs in his last 11 games and is batting .405 over that stretch.
Boston’s other run came on an eighth-inning homer by Ceddanne Rafaela.
Crawford was efficient in collecting his third win in his last four starts, throwing 54 of his 68 pitches for strikes.
New York’s offence wasted a quality start from Gil, who allowed four hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine.
Three of the Yankees’ four hits came from batters in the seventh, eighth and ninth spots in the order.
Braves bash 4 HRs to back Lopez
Reynaldo Lopez pitched six scoreless innings, and the Atlanta Braves hit four home runs en route to a 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Playing for his fourth team in two seasons, Lopez improved to 7-2 and lowered his ERA to 1.71.
The Braves jumped on Phillies starting pitcher Michael Mercado early, with Jarred Kelenic, Matt Olson and Adam Duvall each homering in the second inning to build a 5-0 lead.
Eli White added an insurance run by hitting a solo shot in the sixth inning.
The Phillies had five hits – including Alec Bohm’s 30th double of the season – and three walks but were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Atlanta took two of three in the series but still trail Philadelphia by eight games in the NL East.
Guardians top Giants to continue home dominance
Bo Naylor launched a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the sixth inning to take the lead, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 to continue their dominant play at Progressive Field.
The win gave the Guardians a league-leading 30-11 home record, and Cleveland are yet to lose a series at home this season.
Naylor’s clutch home run came with two outs and after falling behind in the count, 0-2. After working the count, Naylor sent a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall for his first career pinch-hit home run.
Naylor’s older brother Josh, who was named to his first All-Star team on Sunday, had an RBI single in the fourth.
Josh Naylor will be joined at the All-Star Game by teammates Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, David Fry and Emmanuel Clase. Cleveland’s five selections were the most of any American League team.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes reached another milestone in his meteoric rise Sunday, when MLB announced the rookie sensation was selected as an All-Star less than two months after his big-league debut.
Skenes, 22, has used his 100-mph fastball to dazzle fans and frustrate hitters, just 10 starts into his MLB career.
The 2023 top overall draft pick is 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA and has 78 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings pitched.
The Philadelphia Phillies had a league-high and franchise-record seven players selected to the All-Star Game, which will be played on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Texas.
The Phillies will send pitchers Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm to the Midsummer Classic. Position players Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were voted by fans as starters, although Harper remains on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had six players selected, including injured shortstop Mookie Betts, who got the nod for the eighth straight season. Freddy Freeman was named an All-Star for the sixth year in a row (eight total selections), while Shohei Ohtani will make his fourth consecutive appearance.
The Cleveland Guardians had five players named to the All-Star roster, the most in the American League. Jose Ramirez and MLB batting leader Steven Kwan were voted in by the fans and will be joined by Emmanuel Clase, David Fry and Josh Naylor.
This year’s game will feature 32 players who are first-time All-Stars. San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar got the nod for the first time during his 11th MLB season.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez and Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve were each selected for the ninth time, the most of any player on this year’s rosters.
Emma Raducanu has no regrets over her decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon, a call that ended Andy Murray's career at SW19.
The 2021 US Open champion was due to play alongside Murray on Saturday, in what would have been the Scot's final entry at a tournament where he has won two singles titles, ahead of his expected retirement later this year.
Murray was unable to play singles after undergoing back surgery but did appear alongside brother Jamie in the men's doubles on Thursday, losing in straight sets to John Peers and Rinky Hijikata.
Raducanu cited soreness in her wrist as she withdrew from the mixed doubles to prioritise her singles campaign, which ended with Sunday's last-16 defeat to Lulu Sun.
She is certain she made the right choice, saying after her elimination: "It was a very difficult decision. Of course, I didn't want to take his last match away from him.
"But I think a lot of players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritising their body. I still stand by making the right call.
"I don't think I would have done it any other way. I think in this sport especially, as an individual, you have to make your own calls and prioritise yourself."
Raducanu's withdrawal caused controversy on social media as Murray's mother Judy described the news as "astonishing" on X, later insisting the post was sarcastic and suggesting the tournament's scheduling had forced Raducanu's hand.
Asked about that initial post, Raducanu claimed she had not seen it before adding: "I'm sure she didn't mean it."
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