Inspiral returns to Deauville in search of back-to-back Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois victories on Sunday.

John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old bounced back from Falmouth Stakes disappointment to add the French Group One to her CV last season and is on a similar recovery mission this time around having got bogged down in testing conditions when faced with the almighty task of toppling Paddington in the Sussex Stakes.

Despite only an 11-day turnaround from Goodwood, connections have been encouraged by reports of drying ground on the Normandy coast and are happy to give the Cheveley Park Stud-owned filly the go-ahead for the defence of her title.

“Goodwood was a sort of disappointment having been the target, but with the ground conditions she just didn’t relish that at all,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud.

“Frankie (Dettori) made his move to come to the rail and his injection of pick-up was short lived in those conditions.

“Conditions in France look to have dried up. There is a chance of a few showers, but John and Thady Gosden were happy with her after her race at Goodwood and Mrs Thompson is happy to let her go back to France for another chance at the Jacques le Marois.

“Her finest hour after Royal Ascot came there last year.”

Inspiral has often been seen at her best when kept fresh, but there appears to be few concerns about the quick return to action, with the unseasonably wet summer highlighting the importance of taking opportunities both when they arise and when conditions appear most suitable.

“I think John and Thady were happy with the fact Frankie was kind to her once her chance was gone at Goodwood,” added Richardson.

“Of course there is always a slight concern (about the quick turnaround), but we know she’s talented, she’s only had two races this year and they tell me she’s in a good place.

“There should be plenty of pace and we will let the filly do the talking. It will be nice to see her back out again and we just don’t know how the autumn is going to unfold.

“Going forward you have races like the Matron Stakes and others to consider, but you just don’t know what conditions are going to be. She was kept in training to race on and that’s where we are at this point.”

Inspiral began her season by finishing a neck second to Triple Time in the Queen Anne Stakes and the Royal Ascot champion is reported to be in good order by Kevin Ryan ahead of the rematch on French soil.

He said: “Triple Time has had a nice bit of time between Ascot and now.

“We’ve had a lovely clear run with him. He’s working nicely and we’re delighted with him going into the race.”

Triple Time is joined in the line-up by stablemate Hi Royal who placed in both the 2000 Guineas and Irish equivalent earlier in the season and now returns to a mile with cheekpieces added having disappointed over seven furlongs in the Prix Jean Prat.

“The race didn’t pan out for him the last day,” added Ryan.

“He missed the break and when cutting back to seven furlongs he couldn’t afford to do that.

“He’s back up to a mile and I’m very happy with him going into the race.”

Hi Royal is owned by Jaber Abdullah and Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager for the owner, is also hoping the Kodiac colt can bounce back to his best.

He said: “To have a realistic good chance Hi Royal will have to find his form from the Irish Guineas when he was just over two and a half lengths behind Paddington.

“You just have to forgive him his last run and they are always allowed to throw the odd bad one in.

“If you totally forget that then he is a proper Group One horse and you keep your fingers crossed he will have a chance.”

The final UK-trained raider is Light Infantry who will attempt to go one better than when a neck second to Inspiral 12 months ago.

He was last seen finishing a keeping-on third in the Queen Anne and trainer David Simcock is full of admiration for his consistent Group One performer.

“He’s never done a lot wrong and circumstances haven’t seemed to work out each time,” explained the Trillium Place handler.

“But he’s a model of consistency and has run at the top level a lot of the time and we’ve always been pleased with him.

“It looks a warm event and probably a tougher race than last year if anything. He’s got a bit to find but he goes there in good order and we’ll be hopeful.”

There is a strong challenge from the home team headed by Christopher Head’s Big Rock who found just star middle-distance colt Ace Impact too good in the Prix du Jockey Club, while a few lengths further back in third at Chantilly was Marhaba Ya Sanafi.

Like Hi Royal, Marhaba Ya Sanafi is owned by Jaber Abdullah and now returns to the distance he scooped Classic honours earlier in the campaign when landing the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

Robinson added: “He’s got form over a mile, but I think the French Derby is his better form. He’s obviously got a bit to find with Big Rock on that run. These races you have to be in them to win them, but it is going to be very tough.

“Big Rock I think has a great chance and if Inspiral comes back to her best she must have a great chance as well. Triple Time also looked impressive at Ascot and if he finds that form to the table he will be in with a shout as well.

“This race brings out all the top horses, but our two are there and will have some kind of shout if at the top of their game. I think they will both run good races and won’t be far away, but they are going to have to find a little bit better and improve a bit to win.”

Last year’s Grand Prix de Paris winner Onesto races over a mile for the first time in over a year as he makes a belated seasonal reappearance, with his trainer Fabrice Chappet also represented by impressive Prix Jean Prat scorer Good Guess.

Andre Fabre’s Life In Motion brings Group One course and distance form to the table having been narrowly denied in the Prix Rothschild, while Jean-Claude Rouget’s Erevann and Mario Baratti’s German 2000 Guineas winner Angers add extra spice to a red-hot contest.

Rico Lewis says winning the treble once “isn’t good enough” as Manchester City look to repeat the feat and eye an unprecedented quadruple.

Pep Guardiola’s perennial Premier League champions added the FA Cup in June before beating Inter Milan to win the club’s first ever Champions League crown.

City joined Manchester United’s 1999 side as the only English teams in history to complete the treble, but there appears little chance of them stopping there.

Erling Haaland’s brace saw them open up their league campaign with a 3-0 win at promoted Burnley on Friday, after which teenage star Lewis outlined his ambitions.

“The objective is to win the treble again, to win the quadruple,” the homegrown 18-year-old talent said.

“You know, winning it once isn’t good enough, so we have to keep on going and try and win it again.”

You would not back against City winning the European crown on top of claiming the three main domestic trophies given their quality, cohesion and strength.

However, Guardiola’s men have already missed out on one piece of silverware this season having lost the Community Shield to Arsenal on penalties.

This week, though, offers another chance at a trophy as City seek to win the UEFA Super Cup for the first time against Sevilla in Athens.

“Obviously it’s a new competition for us,” Lewis said. “We’ve never won it, the club’s never won it, so, again, it’s another trophy that we want to go and win.

“It’s another competition and an important thing we need to go and take on.”

City make the trip buoyed by a solid start to the Premier League season, with Rodri adding to Haaland’s double on a night that also saw Lewis struck by an object.

Burnley quickly confirmed the individual responsible for the first-half incident had been identified, removed from the ground by police and now faces a banning order.

“Obviously when you’re in the game you can’t really focus on that,” Lewis said. “But it was just something I had to deal with at the time.

“It’s just an incident that’s unfortunate it’s happened to me but, you know, it happens to a lot of players, which is not a good thing.

“But there’s nothing really much you can do about it. You’ve just got to ignore it and then it’ll get sorted at the end of the game.”

Another issue City’s players could not let distract them was the injury to skipper Kevin De Bruyne.

The 32-year-old has only recently returned from a hamstring issue and Guardiola says he faces weeks on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of the issue.

“Well, you know, injuries happen to everyone,” Lewis said. “Every team suffers with injuries and it’s something that you’ve just got to deal with.

“There’s enough quality in the squad where if someone gets injured someone can slot in and just carry on playing in the same way that the last person did.

“Obviously there’s going to be certain positions where we’ll be more hurt than others just because of squad depth, but it’s something that happens to everyone and everyone has to deal with it.”

While City return to action on Wednesday, the Clarets have an extended wait until they play again.

Next weekend’s trip to Luton was postponed due to ongoing stadium works at Kenilworth Road, meaning Vincent Kompany’s side are next in action at home to Aston Villa on August 27.

That fortnight will give promoted Burnley an invaluable opportunity to work with their new-look squad after showing signs of promise against City.

Summer signing Luca Koleosho, 18, said after making his debut: “I think we had our moments in the game but obviously we were playing against the best team in the world right now.

“So, I just think that every game we’re going to get better and just improve.

“The mentality is just to win, there’s 37 games (to go), it’s a long season but just take it one at a time and just go out there and try and win.”

Frankie Dettori is set to partner Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International at York later this month.

John and Thady Gosden’s colt was a brilliant winner of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot but will require a new rider for his next test, with Jim Crowley – retained jockey for owners Shadwell – sidelined by the suspension he incurred for his winning ride aboard Hukum in the King George.

Having enjoyed a Saturday morning spin on the five-year-old, Dettori has been booked to take over on the Knavesmire on August 23.

“John put Frankie on him this morning and said ‘I think Frankie’s the man’, so he will ride him at York,” said Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.

“He had a sit on him this morning and seemed very happy with the horse. We’ll try and keep him in one piece and then they’ll both be reunited at York.”

Dettori does not regularly don the famous blue and white silks of the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, but Gold is delighted to have him on board.

He added: “He obviously won on Sakhee back in the day and more recently I remember him winning the Greenham at Newbury on Muhaarar (in 2015).

“He’s ridden plenty for us over the years and it will be very nice to hopefully give him a decent ride in his final year.”

Mostahdaf is the clear second-favourite for the the Juddmonte International with several bookmakers behind the the brilliant Paddington.

With last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown also in contention, a mouthwatering renewal is in store.

“It’s a fantastic race, as it should be. Let’s hope they all there in one piece,” said Gold.

England captain Harry Kane has left the door open for a return to Tottenham after completing his £100million move to Bayern Munich.

Kane travelled to Germany on Friday for a medical and the Bundesliga giants confirmed on Saturday morning he had signed a deal until June 2027 and will wear the number nine shirt.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said the club had “reluctantly” agreed to the move after Kane, who was in the last 12 months of his contract, made it clear he wanted a fresh challenge.

Kane said in a message to Tottenham fans posted on his social media accounts: “It’s not a goodbye because you never know how things pan out in the future, but it’s a thank you and I’ll see you soon.”

The 30-year-old told his new club’s website that he hoped to play some part in Bayern’s DFB Super Cup match with RB Leipzig on Saturday night as he looks to win the first trophy of his career.

“I’m very happy to be a part of FC Bayern now,” Kane said.

“Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I’ve always said that I want to compete and prove myself at the highest level during my career. This club is defined by its winning mentality – it feels very good to be here.

“I feel like it was the right step in my career to really push myself and test myself on the highest level so that’s why I’m here and I look forward to that challenge.”

Shortly before the deal was officially confirmed, Kane posted a message on social media in which he thanked the fans and said he had not wanted to start the season with his future unresolved.

“From the moment I’ve been playing I’ve been one of your own and I’ve given everything that I possibly could to make you proud and give you as many special moments and memories to hopefully last forever,” Kane said.

“This is a message to all you fans around the world, every single Tottenham fan that’s supported me and been with me throughout my journey.

“Me and my family will cherish it forever, we’ll never forget all the moments we’ve had together so thank you.

“I felt like it was the time to leave. I didn’t want to go into the season with a lot of unresolved future talk.

“I think it’s important for the new manager and the players to concentrate on trying to get Tottenham back to around the top of the table and fighting for trophies so I wish Ange (Postecoglou) and all the boys all the very best of luck.

“I’ll be watching from a fan point of view now and really hope the team can be successful.”

Postecoglou had revealed on Friday that Kane’s move was “imminent” after a breakthrough in negotiations between the clubs was reached on Wednesday night.

It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club for Bayern, who will pay an initial £100m with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to an overall fee of £120m, the PA news agency understands.

Kane leaves Tottenham having scored 280 goals to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, but without a trophy.

“I think it’s important for the new manager and the players to concentrate on trying to get Tottenham back to around the top of the table and fighting for trophies so I wish Ange (Postecoglou) and all the boys all the very best of luck,” Kane said.

“I’ll be watching from a fan point of view now and really hope the team can be successful.”

Bayern had seen their previous bids for Kane turned down, but refused to give up their pursuit of the 30-year-old, who remains 47 goals shy of equalling Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260.

Levy told the club’s website: “We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term.

“Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer.

“We have seen a product of our academy system become one of the best players to ever pull on a Spurs shirt and become one of world football’s elite strikers. It has been a truly remarkable journey.”

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists it will take a collective effort to replace the goals of Harry Kane, but has backed the “fantastic” Richarlison to fit in well into his attacking system.

Spurs start a new chapter when they make the trip to Brentford on Sunday with Postecoglou in charge for the first time and the Premier League opener will mark the beginning of the post-Kane era.

Kane has joined Bayern Munich in a deal that could rise to £120million with add-ons, which means Tottenham are now without their record goalscorer and a forward who scored 30 of their 70 Premier League goals last season.

Richarlison only scored once for Spurs in the top flight following a £60million move from Everton, but Postecoglou is a big fan of Brazil’s number nine and will count on him alongside the likes of Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison to fill the void of talisman Kane.

“Oh, I don’t think there is a like-for-like replacement for Harry mate but yeah in terms of (trying to buy) a striker, again we’ve been planning for this, fair to say, for a while,” Postecoglou said.

“A lot of our business up to now is with that in mind. This doesn’t change things dramatically, from my perspective anyway, in terms of what we’re trying to build.”

On Richarlison, Postecoglou added: “He’s fit. There’s no issues with him. He picked up a slight knock in training and he got through the Barca game really well.

“Richy is a fantastic player and I said before he’s got some really strong attributes that fit in well with the way my team is set up. He’s a hard worker for the team and apart from doing the stuff he needs to in front of goal, there are other aspects of his game.

“He’s represented his country at a World Cup, which is not an insignificant thing and sometimes when things like this happen, opportunity exists and it’s up to somebody to step through that door. That’s Richy or anyone else.

“That’s all you can ask for in football, just to have that opportunity.

“I wouldn’t be expecting one player, and it’s not the way we’ll be set up, to cover the absence of Harry. It’s about the collective and how we can become a really strong offensive force with the players we have.

“We have some really fantastic attacking players and Richy is one of them.”

While Kane scored close to 43 per cent of Spurs’ goals in the Premier League last season, they also had a poor defensive record under Antonio Conte and caretakers Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason, shipping 63 times in 38 fixtures.

Tottenham will hope reinforcements to defence this summer can bring about improvement in that area and Postecoglou has a decision to make over centre-back Micky van de Ven.

The Dutchman joined from Wolfsburg this week and could be handed his debut at Brentford, with Guglielmo Vicario and England international Maddison nailed on to start while Destiny Udogie, who returned to the club this summer after a loan with Udinese, could receive his professional bow for Spurs.

“There is still three or so weeks to go in the transfer window, so I think there will still be movement but not because Harry has gone, that’s always been in the plan,” Postecoglou revealed.

“From my perspective we’re preparing for Brentford and there won’t be any incomings between now and Sunday.

“Micky’s settled in well. He’s had a pre-season with Wolfsburg but he hasn’t played 90 minutes yet so match-conditioning wise he’s probably not at the level, but he’s definitely available for the weekend.”

Bayern Munich have announced the signing of Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane for an initial £100million.

The fee could eventually rise to £120m including add-ons, which would be a record for a British player.

Here, the PA news agency compares the transfer with previous big-money signings.

Most expensive British players

Based on initial transfer fees, Kane is tied at the top of the list of most expensive British players of all-time.

He joins England team-mates and fellow £100m men Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, with Rice having moved from West Ham to Arsenal in July and Grealish leaving Aston Villa for Manchester City in 2021.

Jude Bellingham is fourth, with Real Madrid paying Borussia Dortmund an initial £88.5m for his services in June.

Then comes another ex-Tottenham player in Gareth Bale, who Spurs sold to Madrid for £85.1m back in 2013.

Kane’s move knocks Harry Maguire out of the top five, although his £80m switch from Leicester to Manchester United in 2019 remains a record for a British defender.

Most expensive over-30s

Kane has become the most expensive player from any country aged over 30.

He surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Real Madrid to Juventus for £99.2m in 2018 at the age of 33.

The size of the fee is testament to Kane’s form, following a season in which he became the all-time record scorer for both Tottenham and England, with nobody else apart from Ronaldo having come close to commanding a nine-figure bid in their 30s.

Ronaldo’s former Real and Manchester United team-mate Casemiro was 30 when he swapped the Bernabeu for Old Trafford for £60m last summer, while Barcelona paid £54.8m for 30-year-old Miralem Pjanic in 2020 and £38.3m for 33-year-old Robert Lewandowski in 2022.

Highest fees received by British clubs

Tottenham have become the fourth British club to receive a nine-figure sum for an individual player.

Liverpool’s sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in January 2018 remains the most expensive in Premier League history, with the Reds having received an initial fee of £105m and a further £37m in add-ons.

Like Spurs, West Ham and Aston Villa received an initial £100m for Rice and Grealish respectively.

Chelsea’s sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid – thought to be worth an initial £88.3 million in 2019 – completes the top five.

Entering Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, the last time Astros first baseman Jon Singleton homered in a major league game, the Houston franchise had not yet won a World Series and was mired in a nine-year playoff drought.

Singleton ended an eight-year span between MLB home runs with two majestic shots in the Astros' 11-3 win over the Angels.

Three days after his contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land, Singleton put Houston up 3-1 in the second inning with a three-run homer - his first in the majors since he hit one for the Astros in a 6-3 win over the Angels on July 29, 2015.

That gap of eight year and 13 days between homers was the longest stretch by an MLB position player since Rafael Belliard went 10 years and 144 days between the only two homers of his career - for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987 and for the Atlanta Braves in 1997.

The 31-year-old Singleton, who appeared in 114 games for the Astros in 2014 and 2015 but was then out of organized baseball from 2017 until 2021, then hit a two-run blast in his second at-bat with one out in the third inning.

Justin Verlander allowed three runs and six hits while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win in his second start for the Astros since being acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline. It was his 500th start, making Verlander the 50th player in MLB history to reach that milestone.

The Astros, who have won two World Series titles since 2017 and are trying to reach the playoffs for the seventh year in a row, remained 2 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West.

Mariners rout AL-best Orioles to extend season-high winning streak to eight games

The Seattle Mariners continued their winning ways this month with a 9-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to extend their season-high winning streak to eight games.

The Mariners jumped out to a fast start with Cal Raleigh hitting a two-run home run in the first inning and Seattle blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning, highlighted by Julio Rodriguez's three-run blast.

Rodriguez also hit a run-scoring double for the Mariners, who are a major league-best 16-4 since July 20 and have moved within one-half game of the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL's final wild-card spot.

Luis Castillo stymied Baltimore's bats, yielding just an Anthony Santander solo homer and one other hit while striking out eight over six innings. Seattle starting pitchers are 5-0 with a 1.20 ERA in the team's last five games.

The AL East-leading Orioles have lost three of four and their lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays has been trimmed to two games.

Franco's walkoff home run helps Rays escape from debacle

Wander Franco helped save the Tampa Bay Rays from a massive collapse, hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the AL wild-card leaders to a 9-8 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

Franco's first career walkoff homer secured the Rays' 70th win of the season - a mark the club didn't reach last season until August 28 - and helped the team avoid an embarrassing outcome.

Tampa Bay led 8-4 before giving up one run in the top of the eighth and three more in the ninth, with all three scoring on wild pitches. And that came after closer Pete Fairbanks loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter.

Isaac Paredes gave the Rays a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning on a two-run home run to tie him with Jose Siri for the team lead with 23 home runs.

Fronco's game-ending homer was his 17th of the season, and sixth in his last 12 games. He's slashing .426/.491/.851 in those contests.

Tiger Woods won the 13th major of his career at the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma on this day in 2007.

The world number one successfully defended his title after a final-round 69 proved enough to hold off his rivals and maintain his amazing record of having won every major in which he has led heading into the final round.

Woods began the day with a three-shot advantage over Stephen Ames but he soon disappeared from contention as Ernie Els and Woody Austin emerged as the main challengers.

The lead was up to five from Els after eight holes but a bogey at nine and a birdie for the South African at 10 cut that back to three.

However, Els bogeyed the 12th but the gap was back to three when the South African birdied the long 13th.

And when he then holed a six-footer at the next par three he was within two of Woods, with Austin moving alongside him after three birdies in a row from the turn.

Woods then bogeyed the 14th after his short putt lipped out and his advantage was just one from Austin after Els bogeyed the 16th.

Typically, however, the world number one clawed that shot back at the next with a 14-foot birdie putt.

Els finished with two pars for a final-round 66 to finish five under and when Austin failed to hole a birdie putt from long distance on the 18th he closed with a 67 to be second on six under.

That left Woods to get down in four from the middle of the 18th fairway and he found the centre of the green and two putted for his fourth US PGA victory.

Woods has since gone on to win two more majors, the 2008 US Open and his remarkable comeback victory, aged 43, at the Masters in 2019.

Mary Earps insists there are “so many more levels” for England to reach ahead of their quarter-final meeting with Colombia on Saturday.

After finishing goalless in normal time, the Lionesses progressed to the final eight with a penalty shoot-out win against Nigeria with Chloe Kelly smashing home the decisive spot-kick.

It was a tricky test for Sarina Wiegman’s side, who were reduced to 10 when Lauren James was sent off for a stamp on Michelle Alozie, but Earps believes “the best is yet to come”.

“I think it’s an exciting time to be an England player for sure, but we have to earn that right every day,” the goalkeeper said.

“And I think that we’re constantly looking to improve and drive performance and drive our standards and I think that that’s the best thing about it.

“We’re not sitting here – of course we’re happy that we’re here and grateful that we’re here, but we’re not satisfied, we’re not done, and there’s still more levels we want to go to.

“I really believe the best is yet to come. I think there’s so much talent in the group, and so many more levels we can go, I really do believe that.”

Aside from their 6-1 rout of China, the Lionesses’ tournament has seen them edge some tight games, including two 1-0 victories in the group games.

Excluding the two spot-kicks that went past her in the 4-2 shoot-out victory against Nigeria, Earps has conceded only one goal in England’s four games.

“I think the most important thing to note about that is the fact that we’ve been winning games,” Earps added.

“We’re in a results business, and we’ve earned the right to be in the position we’re in today. But obviously I experience training every day, I know the players personally, and I’ve had the privilege of working with them for some time.

“I can see it just day to day. I just can see the talent in the team. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we’ve been bad by any means, but I think you have (only) seen glimpses of what we’re capable of.

“We as a team know the standard we want to get to. Our efforts have been 110 per cent and we’ve driven out and we’ve grinded out those results.”

World number one Iga Swiatek has advanced to the semi-finals in Montreal for the first time, where she will face American Jessica Pegula.

Swiatek, who has been the top-ranked woman for 72 weeks, defeated American Danielle Collins in three sets 6-3 4-6 6-2.

Collins fought back in the second set but the Polish star took advantage of the second serve throughout the match, breaking Collins twice in the last set to seal the victory.

After the match, Swiatek said she is “really proud” to go through to the semi-finals.

“I really wanted to play powerful and I’m pretty happy that I managed to even increase the power in the third set,” she said.

“For sure, I was looking for that. Today I felt like I really needed to go even higher in terms of the intensity.”

She will face Pegula, who defeated doubles partner and American Coco Gauff to end her six-match win streak in three sets 6-2 5-7 7-5.

The marathon match lasted more than two hours with Pegula holding serve to take her through to the semis.

Pegula said after the match that she wanted to stay “as tough as possible” and “keep the pressure on early”.

“It’s always tough to play your doubles partner, you know exactly what you’re trying to do. It just came down to the wire and who was going to compete better.”

World number one Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the National Bank Open after losing to American Tommy Paul for the second straight year in Toronto.

Alcaraz, who was on a 14-match winning streak, managed to fight his way back into the contest after dropping the first set 6-3, going on to win the second set 6-4.

But Paul fought hard and dominated the net, winning 21 of a possible 23 points there, taking out the last set 6-3 to send him to the semi-finals.

“I played a really good match today,” Paul told the ATP website post-match.

“You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that.

“So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.”

In another upset, Alex De Minaur beat world number three Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.

A tough contest saw the Australian emerge victorious after two hours and two minutes with a 7-6 (7) 7-5 win.

De Minaur came back from 2-5 down in the first set to claim the opener in a tie-break and then came from a break down twice in the second to seal the match.

“I had to play some of my best tennis today, it has been a great week for me so far,” he said after the match.

“I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive.”

Victory ensured De Minaur reached a first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final, where he will now face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final four on Saturday.

Davidovich Fokina reached the semi-finals after beating Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-2.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the National Bank Open after losing to American Tommy Paul for the second straight year in Toronto.

The Wimbledon champion, who was on a 14-match winning streak, managed to fight his way back into the contest after dropping the first set 6-3, going on to win the second set 6-4.

But Paul fought hard and dominated the net, winning 21 of a possible 23 points there, and won the last set 6-3 to send him to the semi-finals.

“I played a really good match today,” Paul told the ATP website post-match.

“You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that.

“So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.”

In another upset, Alex De Minaur beat world number three Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.

A tough contest saw the Australian emerge victorious after two hours and two minutes with a 7-6 (7) 7-5 win.

De Minaur came back from 2-5 down in the first set to claim the opener in a tie-break and then came from a break down twice in the second to seal the match.

“I had to play some of my best tennis today, it has been a great week for me so far,” he said after the match.

“I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive.”

Victory ensured De Minaur reached a first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final, where he will now face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final four on Saturday.

Davidovich Fokina reached the semi-finals after beating Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-2.

Anthony Joshua will try to ignore speculation and comparisons with Deontay Wilder when he steps into the ring to face Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

Helenius was only drafted in at the 11th hour when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assocation (VADA), but it has added further intrigue with Wilder’s shadow looming over the Briton.

The talk surrounding Joshua, like for many of his recent fights, is about what next and talks between his camp and Wilder’s team continue over a proposed clash at the end of this year or at the start of 2024.

An eagerly-anticipated future bout between two former world heavyweight champions will only happen if Joshua shuts out the noise to do the business against Helenius, who suffered a first-round knock-out to Wilder in October.

“I have to ignore it. It is one step at a time,” Joshua insisted when asked about ex-WBC belt holder Wilder.

“When I fought Jason Gavern, I knocked him out, Wilder took longer. When I fought Eric Molina, I knocked him out in three and Wilder took nine rounds.

“There will always be comparisons. This is my own fight with Helenius, no-one else’s. I can’t fail.”

Joshua repeated the same sentiments before a laboured display on his way to a unanimous points victory against Jermaine Franklin in April, which got the Finchley boxer back on the comeback trail, but his preparation for this 29th contest of his career has been far from ideal.

Last weekend, Joshua trained knowing it could all be for nothing after he discovered on Saturday morning that Whyte had been pulled from the show but Friday’s fiery weigh-in exchange with Helenius showed he is locked in.

Joshua tipped the scales at 17st and 12lbs, while Helenius was a pound lighter, before the duo exchanged words – with the British heavyweight inviting his veteran opponent to fight there and then instead of 24 hours later if he wished.

Joshua admitted: “There was one session where I was like, ‘what are we training for?’ We trained on Saturday and maybe then I felt what am I training for, but we just had to flip the coin.

“I could spend more time complaining about it, due to this late replacement whoever it might be, but I couldn’t put my energy into complaining. I had to change the script.”

Joshua, who reached the pinnacle of the sport with a victory over Wladimir Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley in 2017, still believes he can become world champion again but Helenius, who should be on a family holiday in Lapland after he beat Mika Mielonen inside a 15th-century castle in Finland last weekend, has other ideas.

Helenius added: “I can’t compare him to Wilder. I have also been sparring before with David Haye, I have been sparring the Klitschkos, both of them, I have been sparring Tyson Fury, Wilder.

“I have even been sparring Joshua when he was going against Klitschko so I have been a long time in this game.

“He is a tough guy. I think we went eight-round sessions. It was pretty close. Hard-hitter, good technicals, a little bit robotic but his last fight, he made a good fight against Jermaine.

“I haven’t been in the ring for a while with him but now is the best time to win.

“Nobody will remember a coward.”