Alexander Zverev became just the third active player to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals on Friday at the Paris Masters after his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

Zverev, who is chasing his seventh Masters 1000 title and second of the season, needed an hour and 41 minutes to secure a 7-5 6-4 triumph over his Greek opponent. 

The pair exchanged blows early on, but it would be Zverev who claimed the decisive point, breaking Tsitsipas' serve in the 11th game.

Zverev then saved an immediate break point in the following game, but was able to close out the opener to gain the early advantage in the French capital. 

A break of serve came much sooner for Zverev in the second set, winning the third game to put himself in the driving seat for the remainder of the contest. 

He ended the encounter in style, serving three consecutive love games to seal his progression to the final four, where he will face either Holger Rune or Alex de Minaur. 

Data Debrief: Alexander the Great

Zverev has now reached his 20th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, equalling Andy Roddick for the seventh-most since the format’s introduction in 1990.

He is just the eighth player in history to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals. Zverev joins Novak Djokovic (78), Rafael Nadal (76), Roger Federer (66), Andy Murray (33), Andre Agassi (32), Pete Sampras (31) and Roddick (20) to hit that total. 

Zverev also became the first player born in the 1990s to earn 100 Top 20 wins (100-101). Daniil Medvedev, born in 1996, is second, holding a 99-73 record.

Max Verstappen has dismissed critics of his tussles with Formula One title rival Lando Norris ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was on the receiving end of two separate 10-second penalties following a pair of incidents with Norris during last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. 

He was given one penalty for pushing Norris off at Turn 4, and another for leaving the track and gaining an advantage as he reclaimed track position over his rival.

The moment came after the title contenders had been involved in another battle in Austin a week prior, which saw Norris handed a 10-second time penalty. 

Verstappen's racing tactics have come under the spotlight following two incidents in the last two races, but he labelled those critics as "annoying" and "biased".

"I don't listen to those individuals. I just do my thing," Verstappen told Sky Sports. "I'm a three-time world champion. I think I know what I'm doing.

"People that are objective and close to me. And not just there to stir.

"Some people are just being very annoying, and I know who these people are. I don't really pay a lot of attention to them anyway.

"And I think I've got to this stage of my career with the right people supporting me and making my own decisions. So, I think I know what I'm doing."

Verstappen leads the drivers' championship by 47 points over McLaren's Norris, though the upcoming sprint this weekend offers the Briton an opportunity to close the gap.

But Verstappen could be on the end of another penalty in one of the final four races of the season, after reports of Red Bull giving him a new engine surfaced. 

Those reports came after the three-time world champion was plagued by issues in Mexico, as he was forced to switch to another engine in his existing pool.

"I haven't heard anything yet," Verstappen said. "It's not [been] discussed. But I know that I will have to take one at some point, so we'll see."

With the overtaking opportunities on offer in Brazil, this weekend could be the best opportunity for Verstappen to get back on track.

He has now gone nine races without a pole position and 10 without a win, his worst streak since the penultimate round in 2020 when he went 17 qualifying rounds without a pole and 11 consecutive races without a victory. 

Quizzed on whether this circuit, where he won in 2023, could be the ideal chance for him to return to winning form, Verstappen said: "Honestly, it's something that is always unknown.

"You think that one particular track is the best place to take an engine or whatever penalty, but it's never guaranteed. It's a possibility."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Max Verstappen – Red Bull

While much of the conversation off the track has been on Verstappen's aggressive driving, he will be hoping to do his talking on the circuit this time around.

The Dutchman emerged victorious at Interlagos last year. However, the same driver has not won the Brazilian Grand Prix twice in a row since Nico Rosberg did so for Mercedes in 2014 and 2015.

Verstappen also has the fourth-most points at the circuit (136), behind only Fernando Alonso (139), Sebastian Vettel (154) and Lewis Hamilton (185).

Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes

This weekend could be an emotional one for Hamilton, who returns to a track where he made history in 2008.

Saturday marks 14 years since Hamilton became world champion for the first time in his career, finishing fifth in Sao Paulo after passing Timo Glock on the final lap to snatch the victory away from Ferrari's Felipe Massa. 

On the anniversary of his first title success, the Briton will also get behind the wheel of Ayrton Senna's title-winning McLaren between races, marking 30 years since the Brazilian's death. 

The winner in Brazil has started from pole position in eight of the last 10 races, though Hamilton's triumph in 2021, in which he started 10th, and Vettel's second place start in 2017 are the only exceptions.

Only Michael Schumacher, Carlos Reutemann (both four) and Alain Prost (six) have more wins in Brazil than Hamilton (three, level with Vettel), and he will be looking to cap a memorable weekend with his third victory of the season. 

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 362
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 315
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 291
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 251
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 240

Constructors

1. McLaren – 566
2. Ferrari – 537
3. Red Bull – 512
4. Mercedes – 366
5. Aston Martin – 86

Juventus must improve all aspects of their performances if they are to challenge in Serie A this season, so says Thiago Motta.

Despite remaining unbeaten in the league, just two wins in their last eight games has left Juve in sixth place with 18 points, seven behind leaders Napoli.

On Saturday, Motta's side visit Udinese, who are seventh on 16 points, having suffered four losses in their last six matches.

Juve finished third last term, 23 points behind runaway champions Inter, and the season before they were seventh.

And asked about the growing gap between Juve and their title rivals, Motta said: "No club has won the Scudetto in November. We think about Udinese and we want to improve in all aspects, we must all do more, including myself.

"We have to do much better to stay high up in the standings, we are still at the beginning and it's clear that we have to do much better given the results.

"But if a team deserved more it was ours, I am not the only one saying this, you can see it in the data."

The data does not exactly support Motta's claims, however, given Juve have actually outperformed their expected goals, scoring 17 times from 15.2 xG, which is the seventh-highest total in Serie A.

Juve have been excellent defensively, conceding seven goals from 7.6 xG against, which is the lowest total in the league.

However, the Bianconeri have conceded six goals in their last two league matches, after a 2-2 stalemate with Parma and a thrilling 4-4 draw at Inter, but Motta said the issue lies not in defence alone but his side's overall coordination and decision-making.

"We must improve collectively, be united and help each other more. We must be aggressive and leave less space between the lines," he added.

"We must make the best decisions as a team. We can’t let the opponents feel comfortable on the pitch."

Juve have drawn 16 of their 30 league games in 2024 (W10 L4), a record in the top five European Leagues; only once have the Bianconeri recorded more draws in a single calendar year in their Serie A history (17 in 1956).

Rene Meulensteen sees similarities between Ruben Amorim and Erik ten Hag, so does not want to get carried away about the incoming Manchester United head coach.

United confirmed on Friday, four days after they sacked Ten Hag, that Amorim would be coming in as their new boss.

The 39-year-old, who has won the Portuguese title twice in the space of three years, will join United officially from November 11, after serving a notice period with Sporting CP.

United have agreed to pay Sporting around £9.2million (€11m) in compensation, with Amorin signing a contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until June 2027.

However, former United coach Meulensteen is able to draw plenty of comparisons between Amorim and his predecessor, and that is giving him cause for concern.

He told Stats Perform: "I have a little bit of a careful approach.

"I see a lot of similarities when United got excited about Ten Hag. Ajax played a good style of football, nice to watch, did really well, won the league, did really well in Europe.

"You see the same thing with Amorim. A young manager, not that much experience. He obviously has got a clear idea how he wants to play and he's been able to make Sporting a successful team, winning two league titles, and he does well in Europe. 

"But Portugal and the Dutch league are very similar. In [the Netherlands] you've got Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, in Portugal you've got Sporting, Benfica and Porto. That is about it and against the rest of those teams, you can just turn up and win the game.

"You can have the best ideas and what you want and tactically and all this, but the other number one [thing] is walking into a different competition, which is the Premier League, which is the hardest league in the world.

"He walks into a team that is not his. He walks into a team without pre-season, right? So every game straight away is playing for something, whether it's the league, the cup or in Europe. So he has to hit the ground running.

"He has a very specific way of playing. So he needs to look at the current squad that's in there and say, which players will I be able to use to play that way? But then again the Premier League is not Portugal, and the only way to establish himself is to win games and play well."

Amorim will be United's youngest boss since 33-year-old Wilf McGuinness took charge of them on Boxing Day 1970 against Derby County.

Since March 2020, when Amorim took charge, Sporting have the highest win percentage of any team across Europe’s top 10 leagues (77% - 120 wins out of 156 games).

He was of interest to Liverpool and West Ham earlier this year, but Meulensteen still warned against expecting too much, too soon.

"United will probably think they need somebody with, first of all, a strong personality," he continued.

"I think that is important. From what I hear and read about him, he has a strong personality, but that personality will only be tested in difficult times. But that is where you have to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

"But I think it's the same reasons why United went for Ten Hag, because the stats are all weighing up. The stats are good. Plus, obviously, they've spoken to him.

"I'm a little bit more sceptical and careful. because at the end of the day, the proof will be in the pudding. 

"Now he comes into a team that's not his. And that takes time. That it's not like something that you can switch on straight away.

"Every manager needs to be given 18 months before he gets to a place where he feels it's his team.

"Sometimes, depending on the players that are there, the support that you get, it can go a bit quicker, but we have to wait and see."

United are 14th in the Premier League after nine games, and face Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will be in charge for their next three matches, with Amorim's first game at the helm coming against Ipswich Town after the international break.

Ravindra Jadeja took a five-for but New Zealand hit back with some late wickets of their own against India on Friday.

India looked in complete control at 78-1 in the penultimate over of the first day of the third Test in Mumbai, having bowled New Zealand out for 235.

Jadeja, who bowled 22 unchanged overs, was in sensational form with the ball, taking 5-65.

Able support arrived from the excellent Washington Sundar, who finished with figures of 4-81. His haul included the wicket of Daryl Mitchell (82), who was the only New Zealand batter to really make a dent.

Rohit Sharma's dismissal for 18 in the seventh over did not derail a positive start to India's chase, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (30) and Shubman Gill (31 not out) looking steady at the crease.

However, Jaiswal was bowled by Ajaz Patel (2-33) in the 18th over, with Mohammed Siraj pinned lbw from the very next ball.

Patel was unable to complete his hat-trick, but Virat Kohli was run out for four in the next over as New Zealand rallied, and the tourists now have plenty of momentum heading into day two.

Data Debrief: Three of a kind

India have won their last three Tests at Wankhede Stadium, including a 372-run win over New Zealand in their last match at the venue (3 December 2021), after not registering a win in three matches prior to that span (D1 L2).

And they looked well placed to push on and continue that run as they looked to avoid slipping to a third defeat of the series.

They last lost three successive Tests on home soil back in the 1970s, when they faced England, but their late capitulation has left them vulnerable to matching that.

Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim as the club's new head coach.

Amorim has signed a deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2026-27 season, after the Red Devils agreed to pay the reported £8.3million release clause from his contract at Sporting CP.

He guided Sporting to two Primeira Liga titles during his time in charge and succeeds Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman was sacked following a defeat at West Ham on Sunday, which left United 14th in the Premier League.

The 39-year-old becomes the second Portuguese to manage the club after Jose Mourinho, who was in charge between May 2016 and December 2018.

Amorim has a notice period to serve at Sporting, meaning he will not take charge of United until November 11.

His first match in charge will therefore come after the international break, against Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will oversee United's next three games, against Chelsea, PAOK and Leicester City.

Since he was appointed in early 2020, Amorim has taken charge of 156 Primeira Liga games at Sporting, the most of any coach in the club's history (according to Opta's records).

Meanwhile, his 120 victories in the league give him a 76.92% win ratio, which is the best of any Sporting coach on record.

In 2021, Amorim guided Sporting to their first league title in 19 years, and he won the Primeira Liga again in 2023-24.

On Thursday, Amorim promised he would comment further on the matter after Sporting's match against Estrela da Amadora on Friday.

England fast bowler Jofra Archer says that his body is in good shape, as he suggested the next target is a return to Test cricket.

Archer is part of England's white-ball squad touring the West Indies.

This is his first tour since he recovered from a stress fracture in his elbow, which kept him out of the 2023 Ashes series.

Although England were beaten by eight wickets on the DLS method in the first ODI against West Indies on Thursday, the series is about more than just winning for Archer.

"My body is in good stead. It’s only been one year of bowling properly as well," he told TNT Sports.

"Before you can play in an ODI, you have to be bowling [10 overs] in training to make sure your body can withstand the load.

"To be honest, I’ve not been doing anything more than [that]."

The 29-year-old returned to international cricket following his injury at the 2024 T20 World Cup and has since played in the home ODI series against Australia.

He needs just four wickets to reach 50 in ODIs, which would make him the 30th England player to hit that milestone in the format.

But he has not featured in a Test since facing India in Ahmedabad in 2021. The sight of him on England duty will likely raise questions about his potential future involvement in the longer format.

"The next phase is maybe for me to start thinking about Test cricket and doing some more loads, but for now, I’m quite happy, and the management are quite happy with everything that I’m doing," he said.

Ja Morant said he is playing with freedom after his superb performance against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Morant recorded his 12th career triple-double as he finished with 26 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in the Memphis Grizzlies' 122-99 victory over the Bucks.

The point guard even threw an alley-oop while he was sat on the court at one point in Thursday's game.

The Grizzlies moved to 3-3 for the season, while Morant is averaging 20.4 points per game.

"I play free," said Morant. "With me, you are going to deal with turnovers. I'm always trying to make the right play.

"I'm planning on taking control of the game every time. If the opposing team's point guard does, my teammates will tell you that I'll be frustrated.

"It's another game for me, the win was most important.

"That was my goal, talking with some of the teammates, and I said the goal was to get a win, and I'm going to get us one."

Speaking about Morant's ludicrous alley-oop pass, teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. said: "I thought that was crazy. I don't even know why he tried that."

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins added: "He's been building up for this, and this has been kind of part of our plan that's been rolling out."

Erik ten Hag seemed doomed at Manchester United and the period after winning the FA Cup became, as expected, a stay of execution.

United sacked the Dutchman on Monday, placing his compatriot - and club great - Ruud van Nistelrooy in temporary charge.

They have moved swiftly to try and appoint a permanent successor, though, with Ruben Amorim of Sporting CP the target.

Amorim has promised to provide clarity over his future after Sporting's league game on Friday, but it does seem certain that Van Nistelrooy – who oversaw a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday – will be in charge for the visit of in-form Chelsea on Sunday.

United's two Premier League matches at Old Trafford against other Big Six sides this season did not go well for Ten Hag, with the Red Devils beaten 3-0 by both Liverpool and Tottenham.

But will it be different now he has gone?

What's expected?

United are unbeaten in their last 11 home league games against Chelsea (W5 D6) and are looking to win three in a row against the Blues at Old Trafford for the first time since January 1957.

But United have picked up just 11 points after nine Premier League matches this season (W3 D2 L4), which is their second-fewest ever total at this stage – only in 2019-20 did they have fewer points at this point (10). 

They have only lost four of their opening nine Premier League games on two occasions, with both coming in the last two seasons under Ten Hag.

These sides last met in April, with Chelsea coming from behind to win a thriller 4-3 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues last won consecutive league meetings with the Red Devils in March 2011 (a run of three).

United vs Chelsea is the most drawn fixture in Premier League history, with 26 of the previous 64 meetings between the sides finishing level and the Opta supercomputer is forecasting a close encounter this time.

In 37.8% of the model's simulations, United came out on top. Chelsea were the winners in 37.3%, with the probability of a draw coming in at 24.9%.

A new era

Ten Hag lost 32% of his Premier League games in charge of United (27/85), the joint-highest percentage along with David Moyes (11/34).

Seven of his 27 defeats, meanwhile, came via stoppage-time winners, the highest percentage (26%) of any manager to lose 20+ games in Premier League history.

While Amorim looks likely to come in soon, this is a chance for Van Nistelrooy to get a much-needed feel-good factor back at Old Trafford. United are down in 14th, so they could do with a win.

Their five-goal haul in midweek was a timely boost, given that finishing chances has been such a big issue.

Only Southampton and Crystal Palace (six each) have scored fewer Premier League goals this season than United (eight).

United have underperformed their expected goals by 6.8 (xG of 14.8), the worst differential of any side in 2024-25. Since 2022-23, only Everton (-26) have underperformed their xG by more than United (-17-9 – 123 goals from an xG of 140.9).

All the young Blues

Scoring goals has not been an issue for Chelsea under Enzo Maresca.

The Blues have scored 19 goals in the league this term, which is a tally bettered only by league leaders Manchester City. Chelsea have also accumulated the third-highest xG in the league (17.3), behind Tottenham (17.7) and City (18.5).

But in their last away game in the league, Chelsea struggled to click into gear in attack and lost 2-1 to Liverpool.

Arne Slot's team are a step above United in terms of quality, but Maresca will want his side to take the game to their opponents at Old Trafford.

Maresca has gone with youth this season, so a fearless approach that has mostly been present in the league is perhaps no surprise.

Chelsea have named the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League this season (23 years, 206 days). In their 2-1 win over Newcastle, they became just the second team in Premier League history to not name a single outfield player aged 25+ in their starting XI for a match, after Aston Villa who did so in two games in 2013.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Man Utd - Bruno Fernandes

Against Leicester, Fernandes recorded his 150th and 151st goal involvements for Manchester United, becoming the seventh player overall to do so in Europe’s big five leagues in all competitions since his debut and first midfielder to do so.

Chelsea - Cole Palmer

Palmer has been directly involved in 33 Premier League goals for Chelsea in 2024 (21 goals, 12 assists). Only two players have had more goals and assists in a year for the Blues: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 2001 (25 goals, 11 assists) and Didier Drogba in 2010 (22 goals, 13 assists).

He scored in both of Chelsea’s Premier League games against United last season, including a hat-trick in a 4-3 win at Stamford Bridge. The only Chelsea players to score in three consecutive Premier League games against them are Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (2000-2001) and Juan Mata (2012-2013).

Diego Simeone was in good spirits following Atletico Madrid's first-round victory in the Copa del Rey, despite them having taken 81 minutes to find the net against sixth-tier opposition.

Julian Alvarez opened the scoring with a penalty against UE Vic, before a late second wrapped up a 2-0 victory against stubborn opposition.

Alvarez became the second LaLiga player to have scored in three different competitions this season, after Kylian Mbappe.

But Simeone was more concerned with giving praise to the opposition team rather than finding faults with his own after the match, having named a strong side.

"For us it was not a surprise, we had seen some of the opponent’s games," he said, as quoted in AS.

"I loved how they played with passion, commitment, with intensity every ball and the search to respond to our tactics.

"I'm happy for the opponent because they demanded of us, they made us generate situations that, for the moment we are going through, the goal was going to cost as much as it did.

"In the first [half] we had chances and we couldn’t score, then the penalty came and Julian's goal that secured the win."

Atleti finished with 2.65 expected goals (xG), with 13 of their 16 shots coming from inside the box.

While Simeone was pleased to progress to the next round, he will undoubtedly be expecting an improvement when Atletico host Las Palmas in LaLiga on Sunday.

Victor Wembanyama was not satisfied after his 5x5 line helped the San Antonio Spurs to victory over the Utah Jazz.

Wembanyama posted 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks in Thursday's 106-88 win.

In the process, he became just the third player with multiple 5x5 games in the NBA, after Hakeem Olajuwon (six) and Andrei Kirilenko (three).

But Wembanyama said it just shows what he can do when he is at his best.

He said: "It tells me that I need to get my standards up.

"It tells me that I'm able to help my team in all of those areas and that this should be a consistent thing.

"As I've said before, I thought this was a game that we must have. So I was glad that I was able to help my team in every area."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said: "We want him to be able to do everything.

"We want him to be able to isolate and shoot the ball. We want him to do the whole deal.

"We just can't do it all at once. It depends on the situation and what is going on."