Elena Rybakina suffered a stunning quarter-final exit from the French Open on Wednesday, an error-strewn performance being punished by Italy's Jasmine Paolini.
World number four Rybakina had been tipped to challenge Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka for the Roland Garros crown, but she only had herself to blame as her opponent reached her first career grand slam semi-final with a 6-2 4-6 6-4 victory.
The Kazakhstani did not look right from the get-go, committing a huge 16 unforced errors to Paolini's one in the opening set, during which the Italian only lost one point on her own serve.
It was more of the same at the start of the second set as a double fault allowed Paolini to clinch an early break with a ferocious cross-court backhand.
Rybakina did steady the ship by breaking straight back, and she seemed to be in the ascendency when she kicked on to take the second set with two further breaks.
However, errors crept back into her game in a decider that began with four straight breaks of serve. Paolini grew in confidence again, breaking again then getting through a nervy final service game, a long forehand from Rybakina on match point summing up her performance.
Data Debrief: Late bloomer Paolini savours greatest win
Paolini's victory made her just the fifth player this century to make her first grand slam quarter-final at Roland Garros while aged 28 or older, after Elena Likhovtseva (2005), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2021) and fellow Italians Francesca Schiavone (2010) and Martina Trevisan (2022).
She will face either Mirra Andreeva or Sabalenka in the last four. With Jannik Sinner also flying the flag, this year's French Open will be the first in the Open Era to feature Italian semi-finalists in both the men's and women's draws.
Bologna have confirmed the appointment of Vincenzo Italiano as the club's new head coach, with the former Fiorentina boss succeeding Thiago Motta.
Italiano has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Rossoblu, who will play in the Champions League next season following a fifth-place finish in Serie A.
The 46-year-old departed Fiorentina at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, after guiding La Viola to successive Europa League Conference finals during his three-year spell.
However, the Florence club suffered heartbreak on both occasions; losing to a last-minute winner from West Ham's Jarrod Bowen in 2023, while Ayoub El Kaabi struck in extra-time to clinch a dramatic victory for Olympiacos the following year.
Italiano also led Fiorentina to the 2022-23 Coppa Italia showpiece, where they were beaten by Inter.
A promotion winner with Trapani and Spezia earlier in his managerial career, he takes charge at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara and succeeds Motta, who is expected to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus.
Paulo Fonseca has left Lille to be replaced by Bruno Genesio, ahead of his expected appointment as Milan head coach.
Fonseca joined Lille in 2022, having previously enjoyed spells with Porto, Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma.
He led them to a fifth-place Ligue 1 finish in 2022-23 then improved on that achievement by taking them into the top four last term, ensuring Champions League qualification.
However, he had been expected to leave the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and return to Serie A, with Milan reportedly hoping to appoint him as Stefano Pioli's successor.
That move appears closer after Lille announced the departure of their Portuguese coach on Wednesday, immediately naming former Lyon and Rennes boss Bruno Genesio as his replacement.
In a statement, Lille president Olivier Letang said: "It is a great pleasure to make the arrival of Bruno Genesio official.
"He has achieved positive results with all the teams he has coached. His vision, his working methodology and his management are totally in line with what we want.
"Bruno will allow us to continue the work we have started over the past two seasons, whether in terms of the game we have put in place, the ambition and our desire to always perform, the development of young talents, or more generally the evolution of LOSC."
Genesio was named Ligue 1 Manager of the Year in 2021-22, when his Rennes side finished fourth in Ligue 1 and scored 82 goals in 38 games.
Matheus Cunha insists he is "very happy" at Wolves amid speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.
The 25-year-old, who is contracted at Molineux until 2027, is reportedly the subject of a £60 million bid by the Red Devils.
Cunha arrived from Atletico Madrid following an initial loan deal in January 2023 and, despite injury struggles, chipped in with 12 goals and seven assists for Wolves during the 2023-24 season.
The Brazilian, who was left out of the Selecao's Copa America squad, endeared himself to the Molineux faithful with a hat-trick against Chelsea, while he also netted in the FA Cup win against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Cunha has returned to his native Brazil for a post-season holiday, and was questioned about his future while attending a Botafogo match, but asserted his contentment with life at Wolves.
"We see this rush [Man United speculation]. But I'm very happy at Wolves," he told local media.
"My focus is on resting and making the most of it with my family. I'm very happy at Wolves. The focus now is to have better seasons and help the club. [Hopefully] I will continue on this path."
Manchester United are negotiating a new deal with Jonny Evans to extend his stay with the Red Devils, who have released their retained list to the Premier League.
Evans, who won three Premier League titles during his 11-year stint at United between 2004 and 2015, returned for a second spell at the start of the 2023-24 season, signing a one-year deal at Old Trafford.
The Northern Ireland defender initially trained with the club during pre-season, before putting pen to paper on a short-term deal in September and going on to make 30 appearances across all competitions.
And United confirmed they are in discussions with the 36-year-old over fresh terms to keep him at Old Trafford for the 2024-25 campaign.
The Red Devils are also in negotiations with Tom Heaton over a new deal, and have offered a contract extension to young striker Omari Forson.
The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut in February's 4-3 win over Wolves and played a further six times, but is reportedly seeking a move away from the club.
Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane will leave United when their contracts expire on June 30 after 317 and 95 appearances respectively, while academy graduate Brandon Williams will also depart.
David Warner will leave "a really big set of shoes to fill" when he retires from international cricket after the T20 World Cup, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting says.
The 37-year-old will complete his stage-by-stage international retirement at the conclusion of the tournament, where Australia begin their campaign against Oman on Thursday.
The reigning Cricket World Cup winners and World Test champions, who will also play England, Scotland and Namibia in Group B, are aiming to complete the sweep of global international honours in the United States and West Indies.
Warner would be one of four players to have appeared in all three finals, along with Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Travis Head.
A steady and injury-hit Indian Premier League season with the Delhi Capitals - led by three-time World Cup winner Ponting - led to question marks over his selection for this competition.
But, to Ponting, Warner's inclusion was never in doubt, and he is backing Jake Fraser-McGurk - the winner of the IPL's 2024 Electric Striker of the Season award and a travelling reserve - to fill the void when he brings the curtain down on his international career.
"He's the sort of character you want to have around your team, especially in big tournaments like World Cups," Ponting told ESPNcricinfo.
"He's just one of those natural winners. Everything he does, he wants to win. You can see that with his attitude in the field and the way he goes about his cricket.
"There's more than just the runs that we'll be missing when Warner finally is gone. But hopefully, the depth of Australian cricket is good enough to find someone to come in and fill that void."
"It's going to be a really big set of shoes to fill, there's no doubt about that. They have got a lot of depth there.
"I'd be very surprised if he [Fraser-McGurk] doesn't go straight into the T20 team when David's finally done. I was lucky enough to coach him at the Delhi Capitals this year as well. He's got extreme talent."
The Premier League's financial regulations are threatening to harm the quality of the league, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has warned.
It was revealed on Tuesday were taking unprecedented legal action against the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, regarding commercial and sponsorship deals with companies owned or associated with the club's owners.
Initially introduced in December 2021 in the wake of Newcastle United's sale to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the rules are designed to prevent clubs from inflating commercial deals with companies linked to their owners.
City reportedly said in a 165-page legal document they felt the rules are "unlawful" and they were victims of "discrimination", and would seek damages for revenue lost by preventions made by those rules.
Chairman Al Mubarak, speaking in an interview published on Wednesday, thinks the standard of play in the league will suffer as a consequence of the regulations.
"I think the Premier League got to where it is today by being the most competitive league. So, I hope there is a bit more sensibility in regulating," he said.
"Always, a balanced approach is good for all the leagues, be it in England or the rest of Europe. I think you won't see the same level as we've seen in the last years, because of the levels of regulations that have come into place over the last 12 months.
"There's also been a lot of restrictions now put in place on swaps and loans, so even that is now much more restricted.
"I think the level of manoeuvrability that was in place before that allowed teams to do what they were able to do in the past, I think, is much more restricted this year and that's going to be reflected, I believe, this summer.
The dispute will be settled during a two-week private arbitration hearing beginning on Monday.
The result of this legal battle could affect the outcome of City's hearing into their 115 charges of allegedly breaching rules related to financial fair play, which is due to take place in November.
Many of these relate to the club allegedly not providing accurate information about the revenue to the Premier League, who deducted points from Everton and Nottingham Forest last season for not complying with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Al Mubarak does not think it is fair that the charges of "constantly referenced" when talking about City's success in recent years.
"Of course, it's frustrating - having it being talked about the way it's being talked about," he added. "I can feel for our fanbase, and everyone associated with the club, to have these charges constantly referenced.
"I think we as a club have to respect that there is a process that we have to go through, and we're going through it.
"It's taking longer than what anyone hoped for, but it is what it is, and I've always repeated, let's be judged by the facts, and not by claims and counterclaims."
Leon "Rocky" Edwards is leaving no stone unturned as he prepares for his upcoming UFC welterweight title defence against Belal Muhammad. The reigning champion has enlisted the help of a sleep specialist to adjust his body clock to the unusual start time of his fight, set for approximately 5am UK time.
The highly anticipated bout will headline UFC 304 at Manchester’s new Co-op Live Arena on July 27. Despite being held in England, the event’s schedule has been adjusted to cater to American audiences, with the first prelim starting at 11pm UK time and the main card kicking off at 3am. This late-night timeline is a significant departure from the typical 11pm main event start time that British MMA fans are accustomed to.
In an interview with talkSPORT Drive’s Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent, Edwards shared his initial reaction to the unconventional fight schedule. "At the start, I was bit like 'Oh, why is it that time?'" Edwards admitted. However, he quickly adapted by seeking professional help. "I've brought in a specialist in sleep and they've given me a plan of how it will work."
The sleep specialist's plan involves gradually shifting Edwards' daily routine to align with the fight's late start time. "I thought I'd have to train at 5am in the morning every day straight away but they said basically 'Six weeks out we'll start switching your body clock and training'," Edwards explained.
The process includes adjusting his training sessions incrementally. "So my evening session will now become my first session, so at 5pm I'll do my first session and then I'll train again at midnight. And then each week I'll move both sessions forward an hour to adjust to the time so I'll sleep later and train later," he elaborated.
This strategic approach aims to ensure that Edwards will be at peak performance when he steps into the octagon in the early hours of the morning.
The fight holds additional significance given the history between Edwards and Muhammad. Their last encounter in March 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187 in Las Vegas ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke from Edwards that rendered Muhammad unable to continue. This rematch offers both fighters a chance to settle the score and for Edwards, an opportunity to solidify his reign as the welterweight champion.
As the fight approaches, all eyes will be on Edwards to see if his meticulous preparation, including his innovative approach to adjusting his sleep schedule, will give him the edge he needs to defend his title successfully against a formidable opponent in Belal Muhammad.
Antonio Conte is back in management after being named the new head coach at Napoli.
The former Juventus and Italy boss replaces the outgoing Francesco Calzona, signing a three-year deal at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Conte returns to the dugout 15 months after leaving Premier League side Tottenham by mutual consent, and will hope to oversee an improvement on a disappointing 2023-24 season for Napoli.
Scudetto winners the previous year, the Partenopei were unable to launch a genuine title defence, finishing 10th in a campaign where they had three different coaches, firing Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri before Calzona came in.
Conte won three successive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2014 with Juventus, while guiding Inter to the Scudetto three years ago. The former midfielder also led Chelsea to Premier League glory in 2017.
Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said: "I am very proud that the new coach of Napoli is Antonio Conte.
"Antonio is a top coach, a leader, with whom I am sure that the necessary refoundation will start after the conclusion of the cycle that led us to win the Scudetto last year after many seasons at the top of Italian football.
"Today marks the beginning of a new important chapter in the history of Napoli."
Conte, meanwhile, told the club's website: "Napoli is a place of global importance. I'm happy and excited to sit on the Azzurri bench.
"I can certainly promise one thing: I will do my best for the growth of the team and the club. My commitment, together with that of my staff, will be total."
Christian McCaffrey has reset the running back market in the NFL.
McCaffrey agreed to a two-year, $38million extension with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, making him the league's highest-paid running back.
The new deal keeps McCaffrey, who turns 28 on Friday, under contract for the next four years after he signed a four-year, $64million extension in 2020 following his third season with the Carolina Panthers.
The 49ers acquired McCaffrey from the Panthers via a trade during the 2022 season, and he won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in his first full season in San Francisco in 2023 after leading the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns.
He added another 564 receiving yards and seven TD receptions to help the 49ers secure the top seed in the NFC.
In 27 games with the 49ers, he has 2,205 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 1,028 receiving yards and 11 receiving TDs.
Since his 2017 rookie season, he leads all players with 10,505 scrimmage yards, while his 81 scrimmage touchdowns trail only Derrick Henry's 88.
Known for his bruising running style, McCaffrey also leads all players with 72 runs of at least 10 yards over the last two seasons.
McCaffrey attended the first day of San Francisco's mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday after skipping voluntary work-outs over the last two weeks.
Tottenham have confirmed Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga are following Eric Dier and Ivan Perisic through the exit door as free agents.
Dier and Perisic had already agreed moves ahead of 2024-25, with Dier making his loan stay at Bayern Munich permanent and Perisic returning to boyhood club Hajduk Split.
Both players have now left the club following the expiration of their contracts, as have Sessegnon and Tanganga.
Sessegnon was considered one of the hottest properties in the English game when he joined from Fulham in a £25million deal in 2019, but he made just 57 appearances in five injury-affected years in north London, scoring three goals.
Sessegnon has been linked with several Premier League clubs, having seen his 2023-24 campaign ended by hamstring surgery in February.
Academy graduate Tanganga made 50 appearances for Spurs after breaking through under Jose Mourinho in 2019-20, and he spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Millwall.
Kyrie Irving is the "most gifted player the NBA has ever seen" and holds the key to the Dallas Mavericks' chances of victory in the NBA Finals, according to former team-mate LeBron James.
James and Irving played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, making the NBA Finals in each of those seasons and triumphing in 2015-16.
Irving then enjoyed stints with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets before joining Dallas last February.
He has been in great form during the offseason, averaging 22.8 points and 5.2 assists as well as shooting 48.5 per cent from the field to help put Dallas in contention for their second NBA championship.
Speaking on an episode of his 'Mind the Game' podcast, James said of Irving: "I'm so happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth.
"I'm so f****** mad at the same time that I'm not his running mate any more.
"I would call Kyrie 'the wizard' all the time. There was nothing on a basketball floor that Kyrie couldn't do."
James highlighted Irving's performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, when he scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the standout moment of this postseason.
While Boston may be favourites for the NBA Finals, which tip off on Thursday at TD Garden, James says Irving's ability gives Dallas a chance.
"That was like, 'oh s***, Dallas may be able to not only win the Western Conference finals, they might be able to win the whole thing'," James said of Irving's Game 1 display.
"Because of that wild card. He's the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen."
Rookie Luis Gil pitched six scoreless innings to win his seventh straight start and Aaron Judge continued his torrid pace with a two-run double to lead the New York Yankees to their sixth straight win, 5-1 over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Gil gave up just one hit with three walks and six strikeouts to improve to 7-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last seven starts. He is the first pitcher in Yankees history to throw at least six innings and allow no more than one run in seven consecutive starts.
Gleyber Torres hit a solo home run and Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run shot for the Yankees (43-19), who have won 17 of 21 to tie Philadelphia for the majors’ best record.
Judge went 2 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. He is 41 for 100 (.410) with 15 home runs, 31 RBIs and 32 runs in his last 29 games.
New York is 105-42 against Minnesota since 2002 – the best record for any team against an opponent in its own league during that span.
The Twins’ lone run came on Royce Lewis’ home run in his return from a 58-game injury absence. That snapped a 32-inning scoreless drought for the Twins against Yankees pitching.
Fried stifles Red Sox as Braves win
Max Fried had a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings and Ozzie Albies snapped a tie with a three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Boston Red Sox, 8-3.
Fried allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk while pitching at least seven innings for the sixth time in his past eight starts.
His previous best of 11 strikeouts came most recently on Sept. 30, 2019, against the White Sox.
Orlando Arcia also homered to help the Braves improve to 3-0 this season against the Red Sox.
Albies’ homer off Kutter Crawford snapped a 3-all tie and came after Austin Riley walked and Marcell Ozuna reached on an infield single.
Phillies walk-off Brewers in 10th
Nick Castellanos lined an RBI double in the 10th inning after Alec Bohm tied it with a solo homer in the eighth as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in a matchup of division leaders.
After Bryson Stott was intentionally walked to open the bottom of the 10th, Castellanos doubled to right off Joel Payamps to score Whit Merrifield with the winning run for Philadelphia’s 43rd win, tied for the major league lead.
The Phillies have won five of six and lead the NL Central by seven games over Atlanta.
Bohm lifted Philadelphia into a 1-1 tie when he led off the eighth against Elvis Peguero with his sixth home run.
Milwaukee’s lone run came in the third when Bryce Perkins doubled, moved up on a flyout and scored on Andruw Monasterio’s groundout.
Rookie Luis Gil pitched six scoreless innings to win his seventh straight start and Aaron Judge continued his great pace with a two-run double to lead the New York Yankees to their sixth straight win, 5-1 over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Gil gave up just one hit with three walks and six strikeouts to improve to 7-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last seven starts. He is the first pitcher in Yankees history to throw at least six innings and allow no more than one run in seven consecutive starts.
Gleyber Torres hit a solo home run and Giancarlo Stanton added a two-run shot for the Yankees (43-19), who have won 17 of 21 to tie Philadelphia for the majors’ best record.
Judge went 2 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. He is 41 for 100 (.410) with 15 home runs, 31 RBIs and 32 runs in his last 29 games.
New York are 105-42 against Minnesota since 2002 – the best record for any team against an opponent in their own league during that span.
The Twins’ lone run came on Royce Lewis’ homer on his return from a 58-game injury absence. That snapped a 32-inning scoreless drought for the Twins against Yankees pitching.
Fried stifles Red Sox as Braves win
Max Fried had a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings and Ozzie Albies snapped a tie with a three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-3.
Fried allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk while pitching at least seven innings for the sixth time in his past eight starts.
His previous best of 11 strikeouts came most recently on September 30, 2019, against the White Sox.
Orlando Arcia also homered to help the Braves improve to 3-0 this season against the Red Sox.
Albies’ homer off Kutter Crawford snapped a 3-all tie and came after Austin Riley walked and Marcell Ozuna reached on an infield single.
Phillies walk-off Brewers in 10th
Nick Castellanos lined an RBI double in the 10th inning after Alec Bohm tied it with a solo homer in the eighth as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in a matchup of division leaders.
After Bryson Stott was intentionally walked to open the bottom of the 10th, Castellanos doubled to right off Joel Payamps to score Whit Merrifield with the winning run for Philadelphia’s 43rd win, tied for the major league lead.
The Phillies have won five of six and lead the NL Central by seven games over Atlanta.
Bohm lifted Philadelphia into a 1-1 tie when he led off the eighth against Elvis Peguero with his sixth home run.
Milwaukee’s lone run came in the third when Bryce Perkins doubled, moved up on a flyout and scored on Andruw Monasterio’s groundout.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
