Rhiannon Roberts wants Wales to embrace “the show” as part of the United States’ Women’s World Cup send-off in California.

Wales have made a 5,000-mile trip to take on the reigning World Cup holders and four-time champions in what will be a colourful occasion at San Jose’s PayPal Park.

“We’re looking forward to the show and the way that they’re going to deliver everything,” Wales defender Roberts said ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the world’s number one ranked side.

“But we’re also looking forward to testing ourselves against the best in the world.

“If you play better teams you’re going to get better yourselves and, because we’re in the top league of the Nations League, we’ll be playing the best there as well. Sunday is a good place to start.”

Wales have made great strides over recent years and narrowly missed out on making a first major tournament appearance at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Gemma Grainger’s side have regrouped after losing a World Cup play-off final to Switzerland to a last-minute goal and return to competitive action in September, with Denmark, Iceland and Germany for Nations League company.

Roberts said: “We don’t see ourselves as the underdogs anymore. We’ve known for years that we can compete against the big nations.

“Yes, it’s taken a little bit of time, but we’ve always had that belief we can do well against big nations. This is another learning curve for us before our Nations League matches.”

Tottenham midfielder Angharad James will lead Wales in the absence of Chelsea’s Sophie Ingle, who is suspended after being sent off in the April draw with Portugal.

But Wales expect to have Jess Fishlock, their most capped player, available even though the 36-year-old midfielder is set to play for her American club OL Reign in Florida just 45 hours before the California clash.

“She’ll probably run off the plane to play,” said Roberts.

“That’s something Jess would do. She’d rock up and say she’s good to play.”

Roberts’ five-year spell at Liverpool came to an end this summer and the 32-year-old will play for Spanish club Real Betis next season.

She said: “I was ready to leave Liverpool and I did have offers to stay in the UK.

“But I fancied a new challenge and my husband was managing in Gibraltar.

“So that’s why I was looking at clubs in Spain, especially the southern side of Spain. He’s come home now so that’s fun!

“Betis is a massive club and Seville is a beautiful city. It’s a different culture and a different language, one I’m really looking forward to learning.”

Middlesbrough have announced the signing of goalkeeper Seny Dieng from Championship rivals QPR.

Boro have paid an undisclosed fee for the 28-year-old Senegal international, who has arrived at the Riverside on a four-year deal.

Dieng has become Boro boss Michael Carrick’s sixth summer signing, after Morgan Rogers, Sam Silvera, Tom Glover, Rav van den Berg and Alex Gilbert.

The surging Philadelphia Phillies tied a franchise record for consecutive road wins with a dramatic ninth-inning rally that resulted in a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday.

Philadelphia trailed 3-1 before scoring three times in the top of the ninth, with Cristian Pache putting the Phillies ahead with a two-run pinch-hit homer off A.J. Puk with two out.

Craig Kimbrel followed with a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal Philadelphia's 13th straight win away from home, tying a club mark set from April 17-June 2, 1976.

The victory, the Phillies' fourth in a row overall, moved the defending National League champions within 1 1/2 games of the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL's top two wild card spots.

J.T. Realmuto started the comeback with a leadoff single off Puk in the ninth and later scored on Alec Bohm's one-out double. Two batters later, Pache sent Puk's pitch over the center-field wall with the Phillies down to their final out for a 4-3 lead.

The Phillies trailed 3-0 before Realmuto's solo homer in the sixth, the only run allowed in 6 2/3 innings by Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.

Garrett Cooper went 2 for 4 with a solo home run for Miami.

Braves edge Rays in battle of MLB's best

Sean Murphy's two-run homer backed six-plus strong innings from Charlie Morton as the Atlanta Braves earned a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game series between teams with the top two records in the major leagues.

Murphy's shot off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow in the fourth inning erased a 1-0 deficit, and Morton and three Atlanta relievers made the lead stand up as the Braves continued their month-long hot streak.

Atlanta is now 19-2 since last losing consecutive games from June 11-12 and owns MLB's best record at 59-28.

Morton, who pitched for the Rays from 2019-20, held his former team to one run on four hits while striking out six over 6 1/3 sharp innings to win his fourth straight start.

Glasnow exited with two out in the sixth inning due to cramping in his hands and legs, and was saddled with the loss despite allowing one earned run and two hits while fanning eight.

Wander Franco accounted for Tampa Bay's lone run with a solo homer in the first inning, while Yandy Diaz collected three of the Rays' six hits.

Ex-Yankee Taillon beats former team to spoil Rodon's season debut

Jameson Taillon overshadowed Carlos Rodon in the latter's delayed New York Yankees debut as the Chicago Cubs earned their first-ever victory in Yankee Stadium with a 3-0 win.

Taillon, who spent the previous two seasons with the Yankees before signing with the Cubs over the winter, held his former team to just one hit and two walks in a dominant eight-inning performance that helped end the Cubs' run of futility in the Bronx.

Including the 1932 and 1938 World Series, Chicago entered Friday's series opener 0-12 all-time at the current and former Yankee Stadium.

Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract with New York during the offseason, allowed two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since September. The 2021 and 2022 All-Star missed this season's first three months due to a strained left forearm and then a back injury.

Cody Bellinger put the Cubs up 1-0 with a solo homer off Rodon in the third inning, and Nico Hoerner extended the lead with an RBI single in the fifth. Both finished with two hits in Chicago's third win in four games.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire remained in the hunt for her first major title as Pebble Beach bared its teeth on the second day of the US Women’s Open.

Maguire is tied for fifth on one-under-par, one of just six players under par at the halfway stage as American Bailey Tardy opened a two-stroke lead.

Out early, Tardy took advantage of the conditions before the wind got up as she included four birdies and an eagle in her 68 that leaves here on seven-under par – two clear of fellow American Allisen Corpuz and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea.

Tardy said: “It was not as windy on my front nine as the back nine. Definitely took advantage of that.

“Then just was able to hold on, I guess, through the wind.”

Maguire had a slow start with four dropped shots in her opening five holes, but finished strongly with two birdies to keep herself in the mix going into day three.

She said: “I had a lot of really good up-and-downs to sort of keep me in it, but didn’t really play my best golf today. Didn’t hit enough greens, and that kind of made things a little bit difficult.”

England’s Charley Hull birdied her last three holes to move into the top 12 on one-over-par to lie alongside Irish amateur Aine Donegan and rookie sensation Rose Zhang, who won on her professional debut after a stellar college career.

Among those missing the cut were world number one Jin Young Ko and major champions Jennifer Kupcho, England’s Georgia Hall, Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu.

Owen Farrell was left to reflect on the “weird” feeling of a drawn Test series after his late penalty for the British and Irish Lions denied world champions New Zealand victory at Eden Park on this day in 2017.

England star Farrell, who won the second Test in Wellington with a 77th-minute penalty, left it 60 seconds later this time as the Lions claimed a 15-15 draw.

It meant the series finished 1-1 and left the 1971 Lions still as the only squad to have won a Test series on New Zealand soil.

“It’s a bit weird, really,” said Farrell, who booted four penalties, while wing Elliot Daly landed a long-range effort as the Lions fought back after conceding first-half tries to Ngani Laumape and Jordie Barrett.

“I suppose it is a brilliant achievement. At the same time, it is never nice to be on the end of a draw.

“It was another tough and proper Test match. It has been a brilliant series – this is a fantastic team we were playing against.

“Ours was put together not so long ago, and it shows the quality of players that have been picked to have such little preparation and be able to not just compete, but properly be up there and feel like we could have done better.”

Farrell played down his match-levelling exploits in Auckland, but once again the Saracens marksman’s goal-kicking withstood fierce pressure as he recovered from a hesitant overall performance, especially during the opening 40 minutes.

And the Lions returned home after surpassing most expectations of what they might have achieved on New Zealand territory, even if Test series glory eluded them.

Farrell added: “It has been an unbelievable tour. I think everybody has thoroughly enjoyed it.

“We always thought we would be competitive – I don’t know what everybody else thought. We came here to win, and we always said that.”

Victor Wembanyama's first game as a San Antonio Spur drew quite a crowd, even if his performance didn't quite live up to the hype.

The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick shot just 2 of 13 from the floor in Friday's NBA Las Vegas Summer League debut, a 76-68 Spurs' win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Wembanyama managed only nine points in 27 minutes in front of a sellout crowd of around 17,500 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center, though he showed glimpses of the immense potential that has made the 19-year-old Frenchman the NBA's most touted prospect since LeBron James in 2003. The 7-foot-3 phenom blocked five shots while grabbing eight rebounds and adding three assists. 

Brandon Miller, taken one spot behind Wembanyama at No. 2, also had a tough shooting night as the former University of Alabama star went 5-of-15 from the field while tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte.

The No. 3 and 4 overall picks also made their Summer League debuts Friday, though both had their evenings cut short by injuries.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson left his team's game against Houston in the third quarter after hurting his right shoulder, while Rockets guard Amen Thompson injured his left ankle in the final minute of Houston's 100-99 victory.

Henderson had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes before departing, while Thompson racked up 16 points, five assists, four blocks and three steals.

Henderson left the Blazers' locker room without a brace or sling on his arm following the contest, though his availability for Portland's next game is as yet unknown.

The Trail Blazers will next face Wembanyama's Spurs on Sunday in the most anticipated matchup of that day's schedule.

England will be eyeing early Australia wickets as thoughts drift to what might be a manageable chase for the hosts in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.

While there may be weather-related interruptions with storms forecast on Saturday, there are still three days in which to force a result after Australia went to stumps on 116 for four and a lead of 142.

Ben Stokes had earlier been England’s hero again, dragging them from 87 for five to 237 all out with a belligerent 80 containing five sixes, while Mark Wood chipped in with an astonishing eight-ball 24.

Moeen Ali then took the key wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in a tidy spell, with Australia unable to get away even though Stokes and Ollie Robinson were unable to bowl for England.

Captain Marvels

Despite his body appearing to be in rebellion against him – adding to his left knee trouble is hip discomfort for which he took a couple of pain-killing tablets – England captain Stokes conjured another defiant innings to get his side within touching distance of Australia’s first innings. His opposite number Pat Cummins also led from the front with six for 91. While he possesses an outstanding record in England with 47 wickets in nine Tests at an average of 22.02, this was his first five-for on UK soil.

Six of the best

Stokes pumped Australia’s rookie off-spinner Todd Murphy over the boundary rope five times to extend his lead over Kevin Pietersen for most Ashes sixes.

Wood fires

Having burst on to the scene with his breakneck pace on day one – averaging a searing 90.5mph across 11.4 overs which yielded a maiden five-wicket haul in England – Mark Wood showed no sign of slowing down after trading leather for willow. Wood’s template for backing away and swinging brought boundaries from his first three balls and three sixes in his first six balls. His luck finally ran out when another mighty heave across the line took the top-edge to mid-on. Still, Wood’s quickfire 24 roused England.

Broad problems for Warner

It was groundhog day again for David Warner, who has been well and truly muzzled in Leeds by his nemesis. It was bowled Stuart Broad, caught Zak Crawley, for a second time in two days after the Australia opener was squared up as he edged into the cordon. He will not look back fondly on this Test after scores of four and one, lasting just five balls in each innings.

Moeen at the double

Has any Test career fluctuated as much as Moeen Ali’s? Recalled after his finger drama at Edgbaston, Moeen seemed to lack a bit of snap in his action early on but then snared Labuschagne and Smith for his 199th and 200th Test wickets – albeit after some loose shots from the Australia pair. While Moeen, who held up an end as he conceded just 34 off his 17 overs in a row, often comes in for criticism, only Derek Underwood (297) and Graeme Swann (255) have more Test wickets among English spinners.

Bairstow blunders continue

Since controversially superseding Ben Foakes and donning the wicketkeeping gloves at the start of the summer, Jonny Bairstow’s doubters can only have grown after a subpar showing behind the stumps. His catching success rate in this series hovers at just over 50 per cent (nine pouched and eight dropped) and while it is true at least a couple of his put downs would have required outstanding reflexes, he has shelled more routine efforts. His reprieve of Labuschagne down the leg-side edged towards the latter. It was his third drop of the match but did not too prove too costly after Labuschagne was out next ball while Bairstow might have redeemed himself slightly in some English eyes with an inoffensive send-off of Smith, who seemed to take exception to being told ‘See ya, Smudge’.

Katie Boulter will fly the British flag on her own on day six at Wimbledon as she plays Elena Rybakina.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz opens Centre Court for the second successive day as he takes on Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

Elsewhere, last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur will face former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and second seed Aryna Sabalenka will be in action.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Saturday’s action.

It was just two years ago that Matteo Berrettini made the final at Wimbledon, but injuries have seen him slide down the rankings.

As a result he was not seeded for this tournament and it meant the prospect of a tricky draw.

And having beaten 15th seed Alex De Minaur in the second round, he now squares off with 19th seed Alexander Zverev.

The German, too, is feeling his way back from a serious injury and in days gone by this match-up would not have been out of place in the latter part of the second week.

With Berrettini serving brilliantly against De Minaur and Zverev not traditionally an outstanding performer at SW19, the Italian could send another seed packing.

Two entertainers will meet on Centre Court as Ons Jabeur takes on Bianca Andreescu in a third-round clash.

Jabeur, last year’s beaten finalist, regularly practises with her Canadian opponent and recently taught her how to play the tweener.

Andreescu is a former US Open champion, but will be playing her third match in three days as she has had to play catch-up with the weather, while Jabeur is well rested after a trouble-free first three matches.

There will be slices, drop shots and possibly tweeners galore as both women eye a place in the second week.

After a chastening afternoon for the British men on Friday, when Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Liam Broady all lost within 90 minutes of each other, Katie Boulter is flying the flag for home players in the singles.

She has one of the toughest tests possible as she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court.

The third seed has not exactly been too convincing in her opening two rounds and Boulter will try and feed off a partisan home crowd as she looks to reach the fourth round for the first time.

Centre Court
Carlos Alcaraz v Nicolas Jarry
Ons Jabeur v Bianca Andreescu
Katie Boulter v Elena Rybakina

Court One
Daniil Medvedev v Martin Fucsovics
Aryna Sabalenka v Anna Blinkova
Alexander Zverev v Matteo Berrettini

Hot and humid with the chance of thundery showers.

Andy Murray has "done it all" and should be acclaimed in the same vein as greats Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, according to Mark Philippoussis.

Friday marked the 10-year anniversary of Murray capturing the first of his two Wimbledon titles, with the Scot beating Djokovic in straight sets to win the 2013 final.

Murray's return of three major titles fails to compare to those of the 'Big Three', with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam singles triumphs respectively.

However, Murray can also count two Olympic gold medals – won in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro – among his achievements. 

While Nadal won gold in the singles tournament at the 2008 Games, the now-retired Federer only captured gold in the doubles event, alongside Stan Wawrinka in 2008.

Djokovic, meanwhile, took singles bronze in Beijing but is yet to win gold, and Philippoussis feels Murray's record across various tournaments means he should be considered among the greats.

Asked about Murray's accomplishments, two-time grand slam finalist Philippoussis told Stats Perform: "If you look at the numbers, as far as what he's won, he's actually one of the only guys to win everything. 

"He's won [a] grand slam, he's won the Davis Cup, he's won an Olympic gold. 

"He's done it all, and when you talk about the greats like Djokovic, Federer and Rafa, they haven't all won every single thing. 

"I think Roger has won the Davis Cup and he's won gold, but I think he won it in doubles, not singles, if I'm not mistaken. 

"He [Murray] is one of the only ones who have done that, and to win your home slam as a Brit at Wimbledon – the biggest one – the pressure must have been incredible, then to have done it at home with the Olympic gold as well."

Murray was unable to mark the anniversary of his maiden Wimbledon triumph with a win, as he slipped to a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 defeat to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a delayed second-round contest on Centre Court.

Mauricio Pochettino would not be drawn on whether he would push for Chelsea to reunite him with England captain Harry Kane as he was formally unveiled as manager at Stamford Bridge.

The pair enjoyed success during their days together at Tottenham, reaching the Champions League final in 2019, and the Argentinian was pressed on whether he would look to Kane to try and revive his new side’s ailing attack.

Chelsea scored only 38 league goals last season, their worst return in almost a hundred years, as they finished a dismal 12th in the Premier League.

They have already added RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal, and the manager said the club are still looking to do more business to improve their front line.

But he stopped short of saying he would ask the club to bid for Kane, who scored 30 times in the league last season and, with Spurs not qualifying for Europe, has been the subject of interest from Bayern Munich.

“You are talking about one of the greatest strikers in the world,” said Pochettino. “I think it’s too unfair to talk (about a player at another club). The most important thing is that fans are not stupid. They are so clever. They know my relationship with him was always amazing.

“I saw him when he was young and grow up and achieve all that he was achieving. We have a great relationship.

“At the moment, we are thinking (in the transfer market) in a different way. We are not thinking that. We’re working hard to try to provide the squad with good quality.

“We are working on that and still we have time to work. For sure we are going to add players that can score and we are going to find the best way to play.”

The club have begun a significant overhaul of their squad since the transfer window re-opened, with players leaving to slim down the squad and trim the wage bill.

Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante have led an exodus of nine first-team players to depart so far, but the club remain in the market for recruits as they look to address last season’s crisis of form in front of goal.

“Football is really dynamic,” said Pochettino. “What we have today maybe tomorrow disappears. We need to be ready if we need more or not or maybe we go through the pre-season and we realise we need to improve in different positions or add more players that can score.

“It’s really dynamic and we’re going to assess every single day the situation.”

The manager added that Chelsea’s owners will need to check in with him before paying visits to the Stamford Bridge dressing room as he was formally unveiled as the club’s new manager.

Co-controlling owner Todd Boehly frequently entered the dressing room under successive head coaches last season, telling the players after a defeat to Brighton in April that their season had been “embarrassing.”

Pochettino began work at Cobham on Monday just over a month after he was confirmed as permanent successor to Graham Potter, who Boehly sacked just seven months after appointing him.

The Argentinian is tasked with resurrecting the club after they suffered their worst season in 29 years last campaign, finishing 12th and failing to mount a credible challenge for silverware despite the owner’s Clearlake Capital consortium forking out over £600million on transfers.

Pochettino said he felt it was his responsibility to create the kind of culture where people clearly understand their place and function in the wider collective.

“We need to understand that they own the football club,” he said when asked whether the hierarchy would be welcome on his watch to address the players post-match.

“We need to respect that. The thing is to talk about how we need to behave because that is an important thing.

“The culture of football in England is a lot to understand. My responsibility also is to help and to add our knowledge and capacity to create this culture where everyone knows how to behave in different situations.

“For me, more than welcome if the owner comes to the dressing room, to the training ground. But always they need to communicate with myself, I need to know, and to prepare the people to receive.

“In here (the dressing room) it’s really special in England. Maybe in another country it’s different, but here it’s this way.

“The manager has some influence in all football clubs, for the fans, for the players, for the staff and the media. Altogether we need to create this. We are there to guide all the people that are involved in this football club, to try to create the best atmosphere and try to work and perform in the best way.

“I am more than happy if they are close to us. But they are the owners. The players, the fans, the media – the coach is who decides how things are going to work in the dressing room, on the pitch, on the training ground.  Also with the sporting directors, we create the line to follow.”

Former captain John Terry tweeted on Friday that he has re-joined the club working with the academy.

The 42-year-old won five Premier League titles with Chelsea as well as the 2012 Champions League.

Novak Djokovic beat Stan Wawrinka and the Wimbledon curfew to book his place in the fourth round.

The match did not begin until 8.40pm, an hour later than Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas got under way on Thursday, but Djokovic finished a 6-3 6-1 7-6 (5) victory with 14 minutes to spare.

It certainly did Wawrinka no favours that Djokovic was against the clock as he clicked straight into top gear and pushed the pace at every opportunity.

It was a 31st consecutive victory for Djokovic at the All England Club, equalling Pete Sampras’ best, and the seven-time champion said: “He was two points away from extending this match to another day. Coming to the court we knew it was going to be really tight.

“I know I can always play better, I always have a couple of gears that I can go higher. Hopefully as the tournament progresses I can play better and better.”

This was a 27th meeting between the pair and, although Djokovic led 20-6, at grand slams they were tied at 4-4, with two of Wawrinka’s three titles coming after victories over the Serbian in finals.

Both were some years ago now, though, and it has been a long road back to the top 100 for 38-year-old Wawrinka after knee and foot surgeries.

Wimbledon has been by some distance his weakest slam and he cheerfully wrote off his chances completely ahead of a first grass-court meeting with Djokovic.

That proved to be realistic rather than pessimistic as Djokovic pounded precision groundstrokes into the corners, time and again drawing errors from his opponent after thumping exchanges.

Wawrinka’s statistics did not make pretty reading but it would be harsh to criticise the veteran too much, aside from a very low first-serve percentage, given the barrage of quality coming from the other end.

He served much better in the third set and fought exceptionally hard to force a tie-break.

Djokovic had won his last 11 tie-breaks at grand slams, famously not making an unforced error in six at the French Open. That record was in danger here when Wawrinka went 5-3 up but he was unable to send the contest to a second day as Djokovic booked a date with Hubert Hurkacz.

British participation in the men’s singles came to an end on day five at Wimbledon with painful defeats for Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady.

The trio exited the tournament within a 90-minute window on a Friday evening that also saw victories for French Open champions Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek on Centre Court.

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, two of the favourites for the respective singles titles at the All England Club, were the other notable winners on a bumper day of the Championships where temperatures hit 29C.

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British hopes were high heading into day five, with Murray two sets to one up against Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie set to face the unseeded Chris Eubanks and Liam Broady on a high ahead of facing 26th Denis Shapovalov.

Amid plenty of twists and turns, that hope turned to despair when each home favourite exited Wimbledon between 5.59pm and 7.29pm.

Norrie suffered the first knockout blow, going down to the canvas and never getting back up in four sets to Eubanks before Murray endured five-set heartbreak 18 minutes later.

Broady wrapped up the hour-and-a-half of pain as he missed the chance to serve for a two set to one lead before eventually losing in four.

It means Katie Boulter, who teamed up with boyfriend Alex De Minaur to good success in the mixed doubles on day five, remains the latest British singles’ player in the tournament.

And she faces the small task of trying to take out the defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court on Saturday.

Andy Murray’s heartbreaking loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas capped a day of misery for British players at Wimbledon.

The raucous delight of Thursday night’s Centre Court crowd, who had seen Murray go two sets to one up when the 11pm curfew came into play, ebbed away on Friday afternoon as Tsitsipas fought back to win 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4.

It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he offered no guarantees that he would be back at the All England Club in a competitive capacity in a very downbeat press conference.

The 36-year-old is not yet ready to hang up his racket but it was clear how much this one hurt, and he said: “Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.

“It’s similar to, I guess, last year. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, decided to keep on going.

“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over. Hopefully (I’ll) find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”

Murray’s exit swiftly followed that of British number one Cameron Norrie, who was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3) by unseeded American Chris Eubanks.

It was a third disappointing slam defeat of the year for Norrie, who had hoped to match or even surpass last year’s brilliant run to the semi-finals.

He gave credit to his big-hitting opponent, for whom this was a breakthrough moment, saying: “I think credit to Chris on that one. He played unbelievable.

“Served well. Came out, was hitting the ball huge. Didn’t miss at all. I got outplayed. I couldn’t really get into the match how I wanted. Wasn’t feeling the ball that well today.

“I fought as hard as I could. I came up against someone who was really confident. He played great. So he definitely deserved to win the match.

“I wanted to play well at the slams. It’s not quite working out for me right now. I’m preparing as well as I can, leaving no stone unturned with my team, my preparation and everything. More than anything, I’m disappointed.”

Liam Broady was the only British man to make the third round but his singles campaign ended 90 minutes after Norrie’s with a 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5 loss to Denis Shapovalov.

He took no comfort from going the furthest, saying: “It kind of makes it worse that we’ve all lost on the same day. Obviously I’d have preferred for us all to have won. Probably would have felt a bit better if we’d staggered what days we lost on, whereas now it’s a bit of a Debbie Downer, isn’t it?”

The 29-year-old can reflect on a very positive week overall, though, after knocking out fourth seed Casper Ruud in the second round, and he is targeting a top-100 breakthrough for the first time in his career.

“The hard court season now is an amazing opportunity for me,” he said. “Even if I could win one of the Challengers or have a deep run at one of the ATPs, I could be top 100 before the US (Open). That’s the goal.”

The trio of defeats mean Katie Boulter, who takes on defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday, is the only British player left in singles.