Sabri Lamouchi feels his mission to keep Cardiff in the Championship is almost complete following their dramatic late win at fellow strugglers Rotherham.

Cedric Kipre struck with just two minutes left to seal a 2-1 win that all-but guarantee the Welsh side’s survival and keeps Rotherham firmly in trouble.

The Bluebirds are now six points above the drop zone with two games remaining, while United remain just three points above 22nd-placed Reading.

The initial meeting between the two teams last month was abandoned with Cardiff 1-0 up before the pitch became unplayable due to heavy rain.

Lamouchi was angry at that decision but delighted to see his side inch closer to safety in the replayed game.

The Frenchman, who took charge in January, said: “It is not mathematically done but we are so close. The players deserved the win. I saw my players with the right mentality. We created the chances.

“It is an absolutely massive result. My mission was to stay in the Championship. It is not done but I am happy with the result and confident for the next two.

“My only desire is to win the next game at home for our magic fans. This season, for them and for us, has been very frustrating.

“I have big respect for the fans (for travelling to the game again) and big thanks to them.”

Jordan Hugill almost gave the home crowd the perfect start but his header from Wes Harding’s cross bounced back off the woodwork.

Cardiff then took an 11th-minute lead when Kion Etete sneaked in behind Harding to power in Perry Ng’s cross.

The Millers drew level in the 37th minute with Harding’s cross finding its way through to Chiedozie Ogbene who tucked beyond Jak Alnwick.

Cardiff’s deficiencies from the penalty spot emerged again as Sory Kaba missed for the second game in succession. Conor Coventry was deemed to have brought down Jaden Philogene but was reprieved when Kaba’s effort cannoned back off the bar.

The visitors looked the more likely to nick all three points in the second half and took the big chance that fell their way when Kipre kept his composure to lash beyond Viktor Johansson late on.

Rotherham manager Matt Taylor said: “It’s a tough blow right at the end. Their frontline caused us constant problems. A set-piece moment has cost us. It was a really gutting moment.

“Their threat was obvious and we tried to address that at half-time. We got away with the penalty miss.

“We looked a bit nervy every time the ball got in and around our backline in the first half. I was so pleased that we got back into the game.

“I don’t think the tension affected us too much. I think the opposition pushed us into some scary moments and their physicality told.”

Aryna Sabalenka is through to the round of 32 at the Madrid Open after beating Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-3 on Thursday.

It was an ominous start for Cirstea, being broken to love in the opening game, but she stuck with second seed Sabalenka and broke back, before ultimately being pipped to the first set by the impressive Belarusian.

The key was on break points, with Sabalenka claiming all five that she won against the Cirstea serve, while saving six of eight on her own as she ultimately eased to victory.

Sabalenka now has 26 wins on clay in the WTA since 2021, with only Ons Jabeur (37), Iga Swiatek (34), Paula Badosa (31) and Coco Gauff (28) having more during this time.

Gauff also advanced after a routine 6-4 6-1 win over Irene Burillo Escorihuela, making the sixth seed in Madrid the first player to win 35 WTA-1000 main draw matches as a teenager since 2009.

Ninth seed Maria Sakkari defeated Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-4 and fifth seed Caroline Garcia also had few problems against Yulia Putintseva, winning 6-3 6-4.

However, it was not a good day for 10th seed Petra Kvitova, who was beaten 7-6 (11-9) 6-1 by Jule Niemeier, while 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia also lost, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 to Mirra Andreeva and 20th seed Donna Vekic was eliminated in straight-sets by Rebeka Masarova.

Jelena Ostapenko took just 61 minutes to get past Linda Fruhvirtova 6-0 6-3, and will face 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova next, who did not take much longer to see off Maryna Zanevska 6-2 6-3.

There were also wins for Elise Mertens, Badosa, Camila Osorio, Shelby Rogers, Mayar Sherif, Magda Linette and Irina-Camelia Begu.

Fiorentina sealed their place in the Coppa Italia final after a 0-0 draw against Cremonese on Thursday at Stadio Artemio Franchi, securing a 2-0 aggregate win.

A frantic start to the game did not lead to any goals, with few clear-cut chances for either team despite the pace of the play in the first half.

It took until the 73rd minute for Cremonese to have anything that could be called a chance, with Charles Pickel seeing a close-range header closed down by Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano.

Nicolas Gonzalez curled a shot wide at the other end moments later, but on the whole, it was a match devoid of any serious opportunities.

The hosts hit the target just once from 13 attempts, while Cremonese could only muster two shots at all as Vincenzo Italiano's men comfortably kept them at bay.

Fiorentina will be hoping to rediscover the form that recently saw them win 10 games in a row, having not claimed victory in four, but have almost a month to prepare for Inter, when they will look to lift their seventh Coppa Italia.

La Viola will face the Nerazzurri in the final on May 24 after Simone Inzaghi's men dumped out Juventus in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

Lamar Jackson will remain with the Baltimore Ravens after all.

After months of negotiating and public posturing, the Ravens and Jackson agreed to a five-year contract extension on Thursday.

The Ravens' official Twitter account confirmed the news by posting a video of the 2019 NFL MVP celebrating the next five years in Baltimore.

Jackson's new deal makes him the highest-paid player in the league with a total contract value of $260million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, reportedly including $185m in guarantees.

Announced just hours before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, the contract ends a months-long negotiation process that at times was portrayed as tense and adversarial.

While the details of the contract have not been publicly confirmed, both sides reportedly used Jalen Hurts' new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as a starting point.

After leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, Hurts received a five-year extension worth up to $255m, with $179m in guaranteed money.

Jackson had reportedly been seeking a fully guaranteed contract – a demand that had, until this week, caused an impasse in negotiations.

On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, allowing other teams an opportunity to sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Three weeks later, Jackson announced on Twitter he had requested a trade earlier this offseason.

Jackson is 45-16 as a starter in the regular season and was voted the 2019 MVP after leading the league with 36 touchdown passes and rushing for a quarterback-record 1,206 yards.

In 70 career games, Jackson has completed 63.7 per cent of his passes for 12,209 yards, 101 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. He has added 4,437 rushing yards and 24 scores on the ground.

Bernardo Silva has described Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland as “beasts” after the destructive duo ran riot in Manchester City’s vital win over Arsenal.

De Bruyne scored twice from Haaland assists and then made another for John Stones before the Norwegian got on the scoresheet in a 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory put the treble-chasing champions in firm control of the Premier League title race as they moved within two points of the leaders with two games in hand.

Haaland has now scored a stunning 33 goals in the competition this season – one short of the record – and laid on seven assists while De Bruyne’s figures are seven and 16 respectively.

City midfielder Silva said: “We knew that they could come doing man-to-man and we tried to stretch them as much as possible because, if they do man-to-man against us, they have to deal with Kevin and Erling up front. It’s never going to be easy in that spot.

“It was perfect for Kevin. They gave space for Kevin and to Erling to run. When you give them this kind of space, they are so difficult to defend.

“Two beasts running, their movements – Kevin with the passes, Erling with the scoring – this was the opposite.

“They did it perfectly, they created lots of chances. We could have scored even more.”

City now have a superb chance to emulate Manchester United’s 1999 achievement of winning all three of the remaining trophies on offer.

As well as being in command of their title destiny they are through to the FA Cup final, where they will face United, and they take on Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League next month.

Manager Pep Guardiola has been reluctant to publicly discuss the prospect of winning the treble.

Silva insists the subject is not off-limits but the focus is very much on taking one game at a time.

The Portuguese said: “No, he hasn’t banned anything! We’re big men and we talk about whatever we want.

“But these players know that the best way to achieve good things is to think just about the next one. If we don’t beat Fulham on Sunday we put ourselves in a difficult position to win the Premier League.

“If we don’t win the Premier League we arrive in the final of the FA Cup and in the semi-finals of the Champions League not in a good momentum.

“We want to try and stay in this good momentum to try and go as far as possible. The team is doing very well at the moment and we’re going to try and keep it that way.”

Tottenham put their humiliation at Newcastle behind them to fight back from two down to earn a spirited 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United.

An entertaining clash between the top-four rivals appeared set to go the way of Erik Ten Hag’s men after first-half efforts by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford put fourth-placed United in cruise control.

Ryan Mason had endured a nightmare start to his second spell in caretaker charge but his half-time message did the trick with Pedro Porro reducing the deficit early into the second period before Son Heung-min levelled with 11 minutes left to earn a share of the spoils.

It had been a week of contrasting fortunes for the two sides with United able to secure another trip to Wembley on Sunday after their penalty shoot-out win over Brighton in the FA Cup and Tottenham left to regroup after another shambolic few days.

Last weekend’s 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle saw Cristian Stellini leave his interim role and Mason, Spurs’ third manager of the season, wasted no time in reverting back to their favoured 3-4-3 system.

While Tottenham were without their captain Hugo Lloris due to a hip injury, Bruno Fernandes was able to shake off his ankle issue to lead United out.

Given their diabolical start at St James’ Park, the hosts’ were eager to begin strongly but it took only seven minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock.

Man United were able to play through the lines with ease and Rashford passed into Sancho, who cut inside and curled into the bottom corner for his sixth goal of the season.

It was another poor goal for Tottenham to concede with Porro and Cristian Romero, two of their most culpable players on Sunday, again allowing an opposition player too much space inside the area.

The Spurs supporters stuck with the team but Ten Hag’s side scented blood and Rashford sent a free kick wide before Sancho should have made it 2-0.

Again Sancho was found on the left but Ivan Perisic got back on the line to clear his deflected effort and prevent the atmosphere turning toxic.

It failed to stop the first chants calling for chairman Levy to leave the club moments later and Forster’s unconvincing save from Fernandes’ long-range hit did little to ease the growing unrest.

Tottenham did respond by fashioning their first real opening when Richarlison got played in behind and saw his centre for Porro cut out.

From the resulting corner Perisic tested David De Gea with a flicked on header but further Levy out chants soon followed.

Rashford wasted two chances in the closing moments of the first half to double United’s lead with Forster equal to both efforts before Spurs threatened again.

Yet a matter of seconds after De Gea had parried away Perisic’s powerful shot, the visitors made it 2-0 with a slick counter-attack.

Fernandes produced a superb crossfield pass to Rashford and the England marksman raced past Eric Dier into the area before he rifled beyond Forster for his 29th goal of an outstanding campaign.

Boos followed at half-time but Tottenham came out with renewed belief after the break and they reduced the deficit in the 56th minute.

Perisic’s dangerous cross caused problems in the United area and while Luke Shaw blocked Harry Kane’s effort, Porro was on hand to smash home first-time from 16 yards.

The visitors should have instantly restored their two-goal advantage when Fernandes waltzed past Clement Lenglet but chipped onto the crossbar and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s follow-up header was well saved by Forster.

It kept alive Tottenham’s hopes of preventing a third straight defeat and they squandered two great chances to level soon after.

First Son fired wide after superb forward play by Kane, who beat Shaw and picked out the South Korea at the back post.

Not long after Son’s opportunity and substitute Dejan Kulusevski sent an effort past the post as Spurs built momentum.

The best chance of the lot occurred when Perisic picked out the unmarked Dier but the centre-back headed wide from six yards out.

It brought Mason to his knees but Tottenham’s next attack produced the equaliser with Romero able to find Kane, who turned and squared for Son to slot home and restore some pride for the hosts.

Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min rescued a much-needed point for Tottenham but their Champions League hopes hang by a thread following a 2-2 draw with Manchester United.

Ryan Mason was instilled as interim boss following Cristian Stellini's exit in the wake of Sunday's crushing 6-1 defeat at Newcastle United, though matters did not start well, with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford putting Erik ten Hag's side in control.

Yet Porro's terrific goal injected life into Spurs before Son completed the comeback late on.

A draw might stop the rot for Spurs, though their Champions League hopes are fading fast, with United still six points clear in fourth with two games in hand.

Spurs effectively picked up where they left off on Tyneside, cracking after seven minutes when Sancho cut back into the box and powered a low strike past Fraser Forster.

Desperate defence from Ivan Perisic on the goal-line denied the winger a second after an effort ricocheted off Forster and towards a gaping net.

United would not be denied their second however, with Rashford superbly bringing down a sweeping long ball from Bruno Fernandes before tucking home.

Clement Lenglet hit the bar as Spurs came out of the blocks after the restart, and they had their equaliser when Porro prodded a wonderful finish beyond David De Gea.

Fernandes missed a golden chance two minutes later, smashing a one-on-one opportunity against the crossbar.

His misfire was punished in with 11 minutes remaining – Son on hand to tap in at the left post following Harry Kane's lovely assist.

Cardiff virtually secured their Championship status with a 2-1 win at fellow strugglers Rotherham.

Cedric Kipre struck the decisive goal two minutes from time to ensure the Welsh side leapfrogged The Millers and move six points clear of the bottom relegation spot with just two games left to play.

It looked as though the visitors’ penalty woes were continuing to cost them when Sory Kaba missed for a second successive match and upped their tally of missed spot kicks to five for the season.

But Kipre bailed out the striker late on with a goal which keeps Rotherham in trouble and only three points above 22nd placed Reading.

The initial meeting between the two sided was abandoned minutes into the second half due to a waterlogged pitch with Cardiff leading 1-0.

Rotherham almost got off to the perfect start when Wes Harding’s lofted ball was won fiercely by Jordan Hugill only for it to rebound back off the woodwork and away to safety.

Cardiff threatened when skipper Joe Ralls played in Mahlon Romeo in plenty of space and his shot had to be pushed out by Viktor Johansson.

They converted their next chance after 11 minutes with Kion Etete slipping in behind Harding and heading in Perry Ng’s cross clinically.

Bluebirds’ goalkeeper Jak Alnick was forced into his first save by a long-range effort from Conor Coventry.

Kaba then had a great chance to double the visitors’ advantage after capitalising on a Cameron Humphreys’ misjudgement but his powerful effort was kept out by Johansson.

Rotherham levelled after 37 minutes and it was again Harding providing the perfect cross which Chiedozie Ogbene managed to power in at the back post.

Cardiff were handed a huge chance to go back in front in added on time after Coventry fouled Jaden Philogene but Kaba saw his penalty crash against the crossbar.

A tense second half ensued but it was Cardiff who looked the more likely to create a big chance.

When one materialised it was to the away side’s dangerman Philogene who was slipped in down the left, he cut back inside menacingly, but his shot was deflected out of play.

The game was settled after 88 minutes when Kipre kept his composure in the box to lash home the winner following a goalmouth scramble.

The only real panic the visitors endured during added on time was when substitute Domingos Quina took aim from distance but his shot was easily gathered by Alnwick.

Bournemouth took a significant step towards Premier League survival with a precious 1-0 win which pushed south-coast rivals Southampton closer to relegation.

Marcus Tavernier claimed the Cherries’ second-half winner at a soggy St Mary’s to move the Cherries seven points clear of the drop zone and pile further pressure on the division’s bottom club.

Beleaguered Saints thought they had snatched a dramatic 89th-minute equaliser but Che Adams’ effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

The hosts lacked attacking thrust and urgency for much of a miserable evening as they slipped to a club-record 11th home league defeat of the season following a largely-feeble display.

Ruben Selles’ side, who lost captain James Ward-Prowse to illness at half-time, go into their final five games of a dismal campaign six points from safety and with lingering hopes of survival fading fast.

A painful defeat to their near neighbours stretched Saints’ alarming winless run to eight games to eradicate any positivity generated by Friday’s thrilling 3-3 draw at leaders Arsenal.

Southampton forward Adam Armstrong struck a post early on but, aside from Adams’ disallowed finish, the troubled hosts offered little after falling behind to the 50th-minute goal from Tavernier, who later limped off injured.

Bournemouth made the 30-mile journey east seeking a third-successive away win to increase their cushion on the drop zone and with the prospect of being the region’s top club next term.

Cherries fans wasted little time in taunting their struggling rivals as chants of ‘Oh when the Saints go Championship’ frequently rang around the stadium.

The precariously-placed home team did their best to quell the constant crowing in the early exchanges.

Theo Walcott tested Neto with a low effort early on before Armstrong was kept out by a combination of Bournemouth’s Brazilian goalkeeper and the left post.

Bournemouth’s boisterous away end then thought their side had edged ahead when Cherries left-back Matias Vina thumped home on the rebound in the 18th minute.

But jubilant celebrations in the stands were swiftly cut short due to Dominic Solanke being offside before his initial effort was repelled by recalled Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Southampton’s 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium on October 19 was the club’s final victory under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Saints began the evening having picked up just 13 points from a possible 63 under three different managers in the sixth months since.

They were almost given a helping hand in their quest to enhance that paltry tally when Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi inadvertently diverted the ball on to the top of his own crossbar following a cross from Kyle Walker-Peters.

Yet the hosts were short of incisiveness in a forgettable first half which ended without major incident and with some jeers from frustrated home supporters.

The pessimistic mood on the terraces was not helped by influential leader Ward-Prowse, who had reportedly been feeling unwell before the game, failing to reappear for the second period.

That bitter pill was quickly compounded by Bournemouth taking the lead with their first attempt on target.

Solanke, who lashed the ball narrowly over in the first half, claimed the assist, releasing Tavernier to cut in from the right and direct a low, deflected effort into the bottom-left corner beyond McCarthy.

Saints defender Jan Bednarek then escaped handball appeals when he blocked Ryan Christie’s cross as the visitors pushed for a second amid upbeat cries of “the Reds are staying up” from their vocal following.

Saints boss Selles threw on Adams for his first appearance in more than a month – due to injury – with 61 minutes played.

That change looked to have paid dividends when the Scotland international swivelled to fire home via the underside of the crossbar a minute from time.

But the effort was subsequently chalked off following intervention from Stockley Park, leaving Bournemouth to celebrate a big victory which exacerbates Southampton’s perilous position

Newcastle are cantering towards a return to the Champions League after a 4-1 win at Goodison Park made a demoralised Everton’s task of escaping relegation all the more difficult.

Callum Wilson’s seventh and eighth goals in six matches against the Toffees either side of Joelinton’s fourth in his last five helped lift Eddie Howe’s side eight points clear of fifth place, while leaving their hosts two points from safety after one win in their last 10.

Even when Dwight McNeil pulled one back with 10 minutes to go Jacob Murphy immediately responded as Everton’s defensive nightmares down their right side continued for a second game.

Monday’s trip to Leicester, immediately above Everton in 18th, now becomes a must-win game as with Manchester City one of their two remaining home fixtures, Sean Dyche’s side cannot rely on the power of Goodison to get them over the line to extend a 69-year stay in the top flight.

But Newcastle, having experienced their own period in the doldrums of the Championship, have no such worries as an appearance in Europe’s elite competition proper for the first time since 2003 edges ever closer having scored 10 goals in their last two matches.

The visitors showed they have the mettle for a fight as, after Sunday’s 6-1 procession against a hapless Tottenham, they outlasted the intensity and physicality Everton brought.

Having lost the early midfield battle they took control once Wilson, starting ahead of Alexander Isak, put them ahead in the 28th minute with his fifth goal in his last six games.

Dyche altered his team’s preparations, Everton arriving on a bus instead of their own cars, in order to allow fans to reinstate the blue pyrotechnic-heavy coach greeting which accompanied last season’s late escape from relegation.

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s return from suspension and Amadou Onana’s availability after injury allowed Dyche to select his first-choice midfield for the first time in four matches and the pre-kick-off fireworks behind the Gwladys Street and Bullens Road stands set the tone for the hosts.

Two Alex Iwobi crosses drifted agonisingly just over the heads of Calvert-Lewin and Doucoure either side of an Idrissa Gana Gueye free-kick which cleared the crossbar by a few inches.

Calvert-Lewin, however, remained isolated up front and Dyche could be seen waving midfielders forward in support with the striker himself beckoning players closer as another Jordan Pickford kick sailed towards him.

Doucoure’s energy was a vital cog in the link between midfield and attack and when he slid in Calvert-Lewin the forward chopped back onto his left foot only for Fabian Schar to block.

Newcastle managed to dampen Everton’s fire without managing to create a genuine chance of their own until they took the lead in the 28th minute.

Joelinton, whose personal experience had been torrid up to that point, broke down the left and cut inside Ben Godfrey – woefully exposed as a stand-in right-back due to the unavailability of Seamus Coleman (injured) and Mason Holgate (suspended) – to shoot at Pickford, whose save bounced kindly off James Tarkowski to Wilson.

The confidence of the league’s lowest scorers was momentarily affected as passes started to go astray but they recovered their purpose late on in the half with Michael Keane guiding Iwobi’s near-post corner wide before the pivotal moment went against them.

McNeil played through Calvert-Lewin and his dink over Nick Pope showed no sign of the rustiness expected of a player in only his second match back after almost three months out.

However, the Goodison roar was instantly quashed by the offside flag and not even VAR could overturn the marginal decision to save them.

Tarkowski blocked Joe Willock’s goalbound shot seconds after the interval but the response was for Calvert-Lewin to force a save out of Pope after Iwobi had escaped the clutches – literally – of Matt Targett on the counter-attack.

Willock’s volley was acrobatically tipped around the post by Pickford as Newcastle continued to carry the greater threat and the killer blows against the toiling hosts in a four-minute spell were delivered by the unmarked Joelinton’s close-range header and Wilson brilliantly curling a shot into the top corner.

The trickle of fans heading for the exits missed McNeil’s 80th-minute goal but Magpies substitute Murphy scoring his side’s fourth immediately saw the stands empty more rapidly and a VAR offside ruling denied Schar Newcastle’s fifth.

Emma Hayes felt her team deserved more after a 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the Nou Camp was not enough to send them through to the Champions League final.

With Barca leading 1-0 from the first leg, Caroline Graham Hansen’s second goal of the tie proved enough despite Guro Reiten quickly equalising on the night and Chelsea pushing for more.

Hayes said on chelseafc.com: “I can’t ask any more of our players. I said to them at the end that they should all be proud to be Chelsea, because the better team lost tonight.

“Coming into the tie, with 72,000 fans here, we knew it wouldn’t be easy but, by not conceding early, we gave ourselves a chance to build. We grew into the game, we got more aggressive and we created some good chances.

“It wasn’t quite enough and I’m stood here now just absolutely gutted to be totally honest.”

Barcelona will take on either Arsenal or Wolfsburg in their third-straight Champions League final having won their only title with a 4-0 success against Chelsea in 2021.

Hayes’ side showed they have grown in stature since then and the aim will be to keep improving as they bid to turn domestic supremacy into a continental title.

“I want more in terms of the result but I can’t ask for more in terms of effort and heart,” said Hayes. “The girls gave everything and executed everything we asked for in terms of a game plan.

“There’s plenty of learnings we can take, especially from the first leg, but there’s also so many things to take heart from.

“It’s really gutting and we have to deal with the disappointment, learn from it and grow.”

Chelsea’s focus now returns to domestic matters and their bid to hold off Manchester United and win the league and cup double for a third-straight season.

Simona Halep has hit out at the delay in her doping case.

The former world number one and Wimbledon champion has been provisionally suspended since last October after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the US Open.

In her first interview since the news broke, Halep, one of the most high-profile players to fall foul of anti-doping rules, said the hearing that she hopes will clear her name has twice been pushed back and is now scheduled for the end of next month.

She told tennismajors.com: “The next step is a hearing at the end of May, the 28th, but it is very fragile because the ITF (International Tennis Federation) said that they might cancel it as well.

“If they do that, it will be almost eight months since I’ve been provisionally suspended for the first time and I believe that it’s not fair to spend eight months without even being judged by the tribunal.

“Emotionally, the whole period has not been easy and I just felt the need to speak out loud to my fans, to my supporters, and actually to the whole public.

“I’m sure they really want to know what’s going on and why it’s taking so long. I wanted to remain silent until the case was solved but it’s too heavy.

“It’s been seven months since I’ve been originally suspended even though I’ve had all the evidence since December. I’m not asking for special treatment. I just ask to be judged. How much longer is this going to take?”

Halep claims that analysis by experts has pinpointed a contaminated supplement as the cause of the positive test.

“After a lot of work, they found out that there was a contamination, a supplement contamination and that’s why the quantity was so, so low in my body,” said the Romanian.

Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year, has not played a match since losing in the opening round of the US Open last August.

Andy Murray insists he still believes he can win another Wimbledon title despite his losing run continuing with defeat by Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori in the opening round of the Madrid Open.

The frustrated Scot’s 6-2 7-6 (7) loss to a player ranked 164 made it four consecutive defeats, equalling the worst run of his professional career.

Murray was so disillusioned by his performance against Alex De Minaur in Monte Carlo two weeks ago that he indicated he might sit out the rest of the clay season.

He decided against that but this was another demoralising result, with the only positive being how Murray found a way into the match in the second set.

He told reporters in the Spanish capital: “It wasn’t great. I started to play a bit better towards the end but the start was slow. He played very well at the beginning, and he’s serving huge. Some of the errors are hard to explain.”

Murray lost the first four games and went an early break down in the second set against 27-year-old qualifier Vavassori, who is at his highest career ranking.

The Italian was certainly playing well but Murray was making too many unforced errors and was unable to make any headway on his opponent’s serve.

He changed that in the eighth game, breaking Vavassori for the first time, and he took advantage of nerves from his opponent to save four match points in the tie-break only to twice net straightforward volleys.

The one he missed from on top of the net at 6-6 defied belief, and Murray said: “Obviously everyone misses bad shots throughout their career, but I don’t have too many like that.”

It is the first time since 2019, when his hip problems were at their worst, that Murray has lost four matches in a row and, having reached the third round in the Spanish capital last year, the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion is set to drop back out of the top 60.

Given one of the main objectives for the 35-year-old playing on clay was to improve his ranking in a bid to be seeded for Wimbledon, things are clearly not going the way he would have hoped.

Murray is still intending to play at the French Open, adding: “Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go.

“But I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles and that sort of stuff and, I know that sitting here today that probably doesn’t sound realistic, but I do believe that that’s a possibility.”

Murray’s defeat followed Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal and another loss for Kyle Edmund.

Edmund is trying to tread the difficult road back to the top of the game after a long spell out with knee problems but has not won a tour-level match this year.

The former British number one’s latest loss was a 6-4 6-1 defeat by former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who is at last showing more encouraging signs nearly two years after suffering a wrist injury.

British number one Cameron Norrie was handed a first-round bye and will start his campaign against Yosuke Watanuki after the Japanese qualifier beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-3.