It is 100 years since Bolton beat West Ham in the 1923 FA Cup final to establish Wembley Stadium at the core of English sport.
Officially a crowd of 126,047 packed into the new venue, then known as the Empire Stadium, although estimates suggest up to 300,000 attended a game later dubbed the “White Horse final”, and it has since witnessed some of the biggest moments in the nation’s sporting history.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the most memorable matches to be staged at both the original stadium and the one which replaced it in 2007.
The Matthews Final
Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews was 38 as he sought an FA Cup winners’ medal at the third, and perhaps last, attempt in May 1953.
His hopes looked forlorn when Bolton’s Eric Bell put his side 3-1 ahead 10 minutes into the second half, but inspired by Matthews, the Tangerines fought back with Stan Mortensen completing a hat-trick before Billy Perry scored a stoppage-time winner.
The Magical Magyars
Matthews was on the receiving end six months later when Olympic champions Hungary arrived in North London and taught England a lesson.
A team which included Matthews, Mortensen, Billy Wright and Alf Ramsey were taken apart on home soil with Nandor Hidegkuti plundering a hat-trick and captain Ferenc Puskas scoring twice in a 6-3 victory labelled the ‘Match of the Century’.
Henry’s hammer
Boxing came to Wembley in June 1963, when British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper fought 21-year-old Cassius Clay.
A bloodied Cooper dumped the American – soon to change his name to Muhammad Ali – on his backside with a savage left hook at the end of the fourth round only to be himself stopped in the next by a man who defeated Sonny Liston in his next fight to take the world title.
1966 and all that
On July 30 1966, Geoff Hurst lit up the old Twin Towers with the first World Cup final hat-trick in England’s 4-2 victory over West Germany.
Hurst, who had cancelled out Helmut Haller’s opener before Martin Peters took the hosts to within seconds of glory only for Wolfgang Weber to equalise, struck twice in extra time, the first of them with the help of a still disputed call from Azerbaijani linesman Tofiq Bahramov, to claim the Jules Rimet Trophy.
Bobby dazzler
A decade after the Munich Air Disaster which had claimed the lives of eight of his players, Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby guided his rebuilt team to the pinnacle of continental football when they beat Benfica 4-1 at Wembley to lift the 1968 European Cup.
Bobby Charlton’s double either side of goals from George Best and Brian Kidd secured glory in extra time as United became the first English club to lift the trophy.
Gray day for Sunderland
The 1998 Championship play-off final yielded one of the most dramatic contests ever fought out at headquarters as Charlton eventually edged their way into the Premier League after a roller-coaster 4-4 draw with Sunderland.
The sides could not be spilt despite Clive Mendonca’s hat-trick against his home-town club and the combined firepower of Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn, and ultimately Sasa Ilic’s penalty shoot-out save from Michael Gray won the day.
Noisy neighbours
The home of English football provided temporary accommodation for Welsh rugby union while the Millennium Stadium was under construction, although they proved ungrateful tenants.
Victory over Wales would have handed England a 1999 Five Nations Grand Slam, and they led 31-25 until Scott Gibbs’ superb late try and Neil Jenkins’ conversion sent the crown to Scotland instead.
Lionesses roar
A crowd of 87,192 packed into Wembley on July 31, 2022 to witness England’s 2-1 extra-time victory over Germany.
Ella Toone’s superb finish had given Sarina Wiegman’s side a 62nd-minute lead, but after Lina Magull had levelled to take the tie into extra time, Chloe Kelly stabbed home and clinched the Lionesses’ first major title.
Wembley has become one of world football’s most revered football stadiums over the last 100 years, but only survived its infancy thanks to a Scotsman and some greyhounds.
The first FA Cup final at what was then called the Empire Stadium took place on April 28, 1923.
The stadium had been built in 300 days, at a cost of £750,000, for the following year’s British Empire Exhibition, which was held to demonstrate Britain’s enduring colonial strength in the wake of the First World War.
There were concerns over whether the 1923 final between Bolton and West Ham would even manage to draw a full house to the 125,000-capacity stadium, but ultimately it took mounted police to clear the pitch in order for the match to kick off due to overcrowding.
It has been estimated that well over 200,000 people gained access to the stadium for the match, which became known as ‘The White Horse Final’ after a light grey horse called Billy, ridden by policeman George Albert Scorey and who showed up white in the black and white images of the time, helped clear spectators from the pitch.
Bolton beat West Ham 2-0 in a match which kicked off around 45 minutes late.
Despite the popularity of that contest, the exhibition itself which followed in 1924 and 1925 was considered a commercial failure, and the stadium was all set for demolition had it not been for the intervention of two key individuals.
Sir James Stevenson, a Scot who was chairman of the exhibition committee, lobbied for the stadium to remain open, while Arthur Elvin stepped in to stop it going to the dogs by organising greyhound races on the stadium’s track, starting in 1927, which made Wembley financially viable.
Wembley is most closely associated with football but has hosted a myriad of other sports over the years – some more successfully than others.
The NFL has enjoyed great success in bringing its International Series of regular-season matches to the stadium, which has also hosted some enthralling boxing contests from Cassius Clay v Henry Cooper in 1963 to Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
An attempt to popularise ski jumping in the UK by hosting a Winter Sports Exhibition – in late May – featuring a 150-foot jump constructed out of scaffolding did not catch on quite so well, and appears set to remain a one-off.
In an era before football enjoyed blanket coverage, the FA Cup final at Wembley was for many years one of the only games to be regularly televised internationally, making it a venue players all around the world dreamt of playing at.
Pele, the Brazil great who died late last year, said it was his biggest regret that he never played a match at Wembley, which he described as “a cathedral of football”.
The old stadium’s place in English football folklore was secured when it played host to the 1966 World Cup final, with the home team winning the trophy thanks to a 4-2 extra-time victory over West Germany.
By the 1990s, however, there were fresh calls for the stadium, now beginning to show its age, to be bulldozed.
Playing host to England’s matches at Euro ’96, with ‘Three Lions’ ringing out from the stands, was the old stadium’s last great hurrah, with its final match a sad, soggy affair in October 2000 as England slipped to a 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany which prompted the resignation of manager Kevin Keegan.
The rebuild, which cost over £700million, featured an arch to replace the famous Twin Towers as the stadium’s most eye-catching element.
It remains a go-to destination for national and international football events, and has already hosted two Champions League finals since it reopened in 2007.
What should have been one of its most memorable occasions turned into arguably its darkest day, as England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties in July 2021.
The match was overshadowed by chaos outside and within the stadium. Individuals under the influence of drink and drugs created disorder, with around 2,000 people without tickets gaining entry.
Baroness Casey, who led an independent review into what went wrong on the day, highlighted a catalogue of “near-misses” which could have led to fatalities.
The final Wembley deserved came just over a year later, as England triumphed in extra time against Germany at Women’s Euro 2022.
The five UK and Ireland football associations are hoping to convince UEFA’s executive committee later this year to make Wembley the centrepiece of another Euros – this time the men’s competition in 2028.
Thanks to those who helped it through the uncertainty of its earliest days, the stadium could reasonably hope to still be hosting top-level sports in another 100 years’ time.
A crestfallen Giannis Antetokounmpo declared "there's no failure in sports" after the Milwaukee Bucks were consigned to a stunning first-round playoff exit by the Miami Heat.
The Heat won Game 5 128-126 in overtime at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday to take the series 4-1.
Inspired by Jimmy Butler, who scored 42 points, Miami became the sixth number eight seed to beat a top seed and the first since the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012.
The Heat were two points down with 2.1 seconds to go, prompting Erik Spoelstra to call a timeout and draw up a play that Butler did not feel was the right approach, so his coach changed his mind.
That paid off when Gabe Vincent threw a pass to Butler, who tied up the game to force overtime and the Heat went on to eliminate the Bucks.
Bucks superstar Antetokounmpo, who scored 38 points and took 20 rebounds, dismissed talk of the team being a failure this season.
"There's no failure in sports," he said. "There's good days, bad days. Some days you're able to be successful. Some days you're not. Some days it's your turn.
"Some days it's not your turn. That's what sports is about. You don't always win.
"It’s not a failure, it's steps to success. There's always steps to it. You work towards a goal. Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years was a failure? No."
Spoelstra lavished praise on Butler after he stepped up once again to make a huge impact.
"He’s desperate and urgent and maniacal and sometimes psychotic about the will to try to win," Spoelstra said of Butler.
"He'll make everybody in the building feel it. That's why he is us and we are him. That's the way we operate as well."
The New York Knicks are "hopeful" on All-Star Julius Randle's availability for the Easter Conference Semifinals after re-injuring his left ankle and exiting their Game 5 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Randle left Wednesday's game with 1:17 remaining in the second quarter after landing awkwardly on the same ankle which sidelined hm for the final five games of the regular season.
Knicks head coach Tim Thibodeau revealed after their Game 4 win on Monday that Randle was still dealing with the ankle issue originally sustained on March 29 against the Miami Heat.
Randle was only able to play 16 minutes in Game 5 before exiting when he rolled his ankle, scoring 13 points with four rebounds and six assists.
"It would be premature for me to comment," Thibodeau told reporters after the game. "Obviously, he has to be re-examined tomorrow. We're hopeful that it's not bad."
The Knicks' triumph means they get a longer break prior to the Conference Semifinals commencing on May 31 against Miami, who knocked out the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
"The turnaround will be quick," Thibodeau said. "That's the next challenge, be ready."
The magnitude of the Knicks' victory was not lost on Thibodeau, marking the franchise's first postseason series win in more than a decade, dating back to 2012.
"The tradition of the Knicks, not only what it means to the city and the league," he said. "We have the best fans in the world, best city in the world, best arena in the world.
"They respond to the way this team plays. They play hard. They play smart and they play together. There's still a lot of work to be done. We have a lot of areas to improve upon. We're looking forward to the next challenge."
Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, while R.J. Barrett added 21, with Mitchell Robinson pulling in 11 offensive rebounds from his 18 for the game.
The Knicks out-rebounded the Cavs throughout the series, including 48-30 in the clincher and Cleveland All-Star Donovan Mitchell cited that physicality as the difference.
"They outplayed us," Mitchell said. "It's as simple as that. They did their job and we didn't.
"For me, personally, I don't feel like I was the player I needed to be for this group. I just didn’t deliver."
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said overtime hero Matthew Tkachuk is "just a gamer" after his dramatic goal clinched a 4-3 road win over the Boston Bruins in Game 5.
The Panthers will take the series back to Florida for Game 6, with Tkachuk swooping on an error from Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark to show poise and score six minutes into OT.
Tkachuk has been a central point during the Stanley Cup first-round series, with Ullmark threatening to fight him in Game 4, but Maurice lavished him with praise after his Game 5 heroics.
"That guy is a - and then you put a long string of profanity - gamer," Maurice told reporters. "Is he not a gamer?
"There's 700 guys in the league, 640 of them jam that thing as fast as they can and lose it, and he pulls it across. He's just a gamer."
Tkachuk revelled in sending the series back to Florida, after scoring his first career playoff OT goal in his 32nd playoff game. It was also the Panthers' first OT win in their history when facing elimination (1-4).
"I think my favourite part about this is I guarantee everybody in this building thought the series was over today," he said. "Get it back on a flight down to Florida, that's the most exciting part."
The Bruins set several regular-season records, including most wins (65) and most points (135) in NHL history and were the raging favourites for the series against the Panthers, who were the East's second wild-card team.
"We were supposed to get swept this series, right? Everyone was saying," Tkachuk said. "I don't think anybody really gave us a chance after losing two games in a row at home. Coming here, it just seemed like the series was over before the game even started.
"Now they're coming down to Florida. We know there can't possibly be a Game 7 in their mind right now, and everybody here in Boston's minds. So it's up to us to see you guys back here in a few days."
It may have been different when Brad Marchand skated in alone on goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky late in regulation but was denied.
"I knew it wasn’t going in," Maurice said, before he admitted he was lying. "You can't know that it wasn't going in, so I'm full of [it] when I just said that to you.
"But I don’t feel like we’ve had a whole lot of advantage in this series, in the karma of the game. I just felt that we had stored enough karma that that shot wouldn't go in."
The result means the Bruins have lost consecutive home games for the first time this season.
"We tend to make big mistakes right now," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said. "I don't know why, but the last two games at home we don't manage the ice or manage the puck, it's one of the two."
Jimmy Butler delivered another clutch display with 42 points including a dramatic game-tying shot to send Game 5 to overtime before the Miami Heat eliminated the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 128-126 on Wednesday.
The OT victory at Fiserv Forum meant the Heat completed a shock 4-1 first round series triumph, becoming the sixth eight seed to beat a top seed and the first in more than a decade, dating back to 2012.
The Heat launched another fourth-quarter rally led by Butler, similar to Game 4, fighting back from a 102-86 three-quarter time deficit.
Butler scored 14 fourth-quarter points including a game-tying three-pointer with 2:11 left, along an incredible falling alley oop layup from Gabe Vincent's inbound with time almost expiring to send the game to OT.
Miami went ahead early in OT and did not surrender their lead, although the Bucks spurned the final possession as the clock expired with Grayson Allen unable to get a shot away.
Butler finished with 42 points on 17-of-33 shooting with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Kevin Love made five triples with 12 rebounds, while Gabe Vincent added 22 points and Bam Adebayo had a triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 38 points with 20 rebounds and Khris Middleton shot four-of-10 from three-point range in his 33 points.
Road Warriors take lead in series
The Golden State Warriors claimed a rare road win at the right time, as they claimed a 3-2 series lead over the Sacramento Kings with a 123-116 victory.
Stephen Curry scored 31 points on 12-of-25 shooting, making only two-of-10 from beyond the arc, coming up with a patient three-point play to ice the game with 22.4 seconds left.
The Kings had closed within one point at 111-110 with 4:14 left, with Malik Monk getting hot to finish with 21 points after being scoreless midway through the third. De'Aaron Fox scored a team-high 24 points on nine-of-25 shooting with seven rebounds and nine assists but six turnovers.
Klay Thompson went five-of-11 from three-point range in his 25 points, while Draymond Green scored 20-plus points for the first time since Christmas 2019 with 21 points off the bench.
Grizzlies stay alive, Knicks progress
Desmond Bane and Ja Morant starred as the Memphis Grizzlies stayed alive in the playoffs with a 116-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers after a strong first half.
The Grizzlies led by as much as 17 points in the first half and while the Lakers closed the gap, Memphis pulled away again led by Bane's 33 points with four three-pointers, while Morant added 31 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Xavier Tillman did a brilliant defensive job on LeBron James who was kept to 15 points on five-of-17 shooting, going scoreless in the fourth quarter. Anthony Davis had 31 points and 19 rebounds. The Lakers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 in LA.
The New York Knicks advanced into the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals with a 106-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers rounding out a 4-1 series win, their first series triumph since 2013.
Wales appointed Gareth Jenkins as their new head coach, replacing Mike Ruddock who resigned from the post earlier in the year, on this day in 2006.
Ruddock had won the Grand Slam with Wales a year earlier, but was succeeded by Jenkins, who signed a two-year contract to incorporate the 2007 World Cup.
Wales Rugby Union chairman David Pickering was part of a five-man panel that recommended Jenkins for the position.
Pickering said: “What shone through for us was Gareth’s fantastic passion and vision for the game. He is a coach of the highest calibre and he has had success over many years with Llanelli.
“We, as a board, are absolutely delighted. He is the right man at the right time to take Wales forward. We went out to seek the best man for the job – it is what we said from day one – and we know we have got the best person for the job.”
A firm favourite of the Welsh supporters, Jenkins enjoyed success with Llanelli and was assistant Wales coach when they were crowned 1994 Five Nations champions.
Additionally, he helped Ian McGeechan mould an unbeaten midweek team during the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.
However, Jenkins’ reign in charge lasted just 20 Tests, winning only six games before his dismissal in September 2007 following a disappointing World Cup campaign.
Wales had beaten Canada and Japan in their group, but lost their decisive match against Fiji, meaning they did not reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Following Jenkins’ departure, Warren Gatland was then appointed as Wales boss and immediately led the side to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2008.
Aaron Judge overcame injury as he drove in three runs to lead the New York Yankees past the Minnesota Twins 12-6 on Wednesday.
Judge had an injury scare with an awkward slide into third base on a failed steal attempt in the second inning, immediately walking off the field and into the Yankees tunnel.
The Yankees outfielder got himself stuck in the ground on the head-first slide, with his shoulders lurching forward while his body stayed almost still.
Judge, on his 31st birthday, appeared to be favouring his right arm as he left the field and seemed to have some wrist discomfort when he returned to the bench. He would return to play, with a walk, single and strikeout, having hit a three-run double in the second inning before his injury scare.
Gleyber Torres capped a six-run fourth-inning by crushing a 429-foot two-run blast to left field to open up an 11-1 lead.
Jose Miranda homered twice for the Twins, while Joey Gallo drove in Miranda with a sixth-inning blast to make it 11-5, but the Yankees were always in control after racing to an early 5-0 lead.
Anthony Volpe and Anthony Rizzo both had two-run doubles, with the former going two-for-three with three RBIs. Dominic German had eight strikeouts across six innings but allowed five runs.
Rays shut down again
The record-breaking Tampa Bay Rays were shut down for the second straight time as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against the reigning world champion Houston Astros.
Hunter Brown had a career-high eight strikeouts as he combined with two relievers on a two-hitter, with Ryan Pressly working a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save.
The Astros scored on a Wander Franco error for misplaying a potential inning-ending double play, with Alex Bregman credited with the RBI, as Jeremy Pena scored.
Houston ended the Rays' 14-game home winning run to start the new season on Tuesday and backed that up.
Maggi's magic moment after long wait
Drew Maggi had a moment to remember, making his MLB debut after 13 seasons and more than 1000 games in the minor leagues, as the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-1.
The 33-year-old journeyman came in to pinch hit in the eighth inning and struck out on four pitches, having cranked a foul shot into the stands down the left-field line off his first pitch. It was Maggi's only at-bat and the end result was slightly underwhelming but it stirred up loud applause from the PNC Park crowd.
Jason Delay went three-for-three with three RBIs, while Roansy Contreras took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Contreras finished with five strikeouts and two walks, allowing only two runs.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was cited for two cases of third-degree assault after allegedly hitting two women with a chair immediately after his side's NBA playoffs elimination.
Edwards raced off the court after missing an attempted game-tying three-pointer on the buzzer as the Timberwolves lost 112-109 to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 at Ball Arena sealing their elimination.
As Edwards exited down the tunnel, he grabbed a folding chair and swung it before throwing it, allegedly striking two women in the process.
The Denver Police Department confirmed on Wednesday that they are investigating the incident, although they noted neither woman was seriously injured. According to reports, the police held up the Timberwolves team bus to cite Edwards after the game.
The Timberwolves said in a statement: "We are aware of the alleged incident regarding Anthony Edwards following Game 5 in Denver and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this moment."
A third-degree assault charge in Colorado carries a punishment of up to 18 months in jail and a fine of up to $1000. The former NBA Draft top overall pick is scheduled for a June 9 court date in Denver.
Aaron Rodgers hinted his stay with the New York Jets could stretch beyond the 2023 season as he targeted glory at his unveiling, saying: "That Super Bowl III trophy is looking a little lonely".
Rodgers ended a near-two-decade stint with the Green Bay Packers earlier this week, with the Jets trading four draft picks to land the four-time NFL MVP.
During the offseason, Rodgers hinted his future could lay outside the league, saying retirement was "100 per cent" an option back in February.
However, speaking at a press conference to mark his arrival in New York, Rodgers suggested he could represent the franchise for more than one season.
"They definitely gave up some picks for me to be here, so this isn't like one and done, in my mind," he said.
Asked if he was simply determined to enjoy the present, rather than look to the future, Rodgers added: "If that rubs some people the wrong way, so be it.
"I want to be all in. I want my 'yes' to be a full 'F yes'."
The Jets' 1969 triumph at Super Bowl III remains the only occasion on which they have won it all, with Rodgers looking to help the team end a miserable 12-year stint without a postseason run.
"I love daydreaming and night dreaming, too – it's fun to take your mind to that spot," he said.
"That's why I'm here. I'm not here to be a stopgap to have a mediocre season. We want to win the whole thing. That Super Bowl III trophy is looking a little lonely."
Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to continue to "show our real face" after they secured a third win in a row to move up to sixth in the Premier League.
Liverpool came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 at London Stadium on Wednesday thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Joel Matip, cancelling out Lucas Paqueta's early opener.
West Ham boss David Moyes was left infuriated after a handball appeal against Thiago Alcantara in the penalty area late on was waved away by referee Chris Kavanagh, as well as by the VAR.
"I liked the performance a lot," Klopp said at his post-match press conference. "First half, I think we were exceptional. Controlled the game from the beginning pretty much, made one mistake and bam – 1-0 down. Great goal, I have to say – what a screamer – but [we] stayed calm, kept playing, scored our screamer as well and controlled the game.
"Second half I liked as well. We had to really dig in deep then because of the physicality of West Ham, they always have a chance to come back as long as you don't kill the game – and we didn't. [We] had massive chances after set-pieces, I have no clue how we didn't take them – I didn't understand it but then [we] scored a wonderful goal from a set-piece.
"I heard now about the handball [but] we were on the other side of that. I thought he just fell on the ball but I can understand Moysey sees that probably completely different.
"In the end, if you look at the game, I think we are the deserved winner and that's, for me, very important. If we got a point, I'm still happy with the game, not with the result – [but] now I'm happy with both."
The win took Liverpool within six points of the top four, albeit having played two more games than fourth-placed Manchester United and one more than Newcastle United in third.
On the race for the Champions League spots, Klopp said: "I can't see the race yet, because we are not in position for a race. The only thing we can do is win football games, if that puts pressure on other teams that's not in our hands because we don't play them [United and Newcastle].
"I want us to finish the season as good as somehow possible. I want us to take something out of this season for next year, if that is European competition, great, if not, we have to accept it as well and go from there.
"I want us, at least for a few weeks, [to] show our real face – and not the nice one, the ugly one, the nice one, the ugly one. It's really tough to do that. So now we did it for kind of three games – three and a half, the second half against Arsenal was brilliant as well.
"We played here plenty of times, it's always tough. Result-wise, it looked better from time to time but the goals we scored were then counter-attacks, stuff like that, quick reacting, all these kind of things. Tonight we controlled the game in a way we never did before against West Ham and I really liked that."
Klopp had earlier told BT Sport how pleased he was again with Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance in his new hybrid role between right-back and midfield, with the 24-year-old claiming an assist for Gakpo's goal, and making more passes in the opposition half than anyone else on the pitch (62).
The Liverpool manager refused to entertain the idea that Alexander-Arnold's new role had led to West Ham's chances down their right side, and replied to a question about one specific chance that ended with Virgil van Dijk narrowly denying Michail Antonio in the first half: "That had nothing to do with the role of Trent.
"We had three players on the other side in a challenge, so we just don't win the ball. That means we move to the ball side, that is a risk you take, you should win the ball then.
"Three v one we don't win the ball, then the other side is open... it has nothing to do with Trent Alexander-Arnold."
US Open finalists in 2021, neither Emma Raducanu nor Leylah Fernandez made it beyond the first round at the Madrid Open.
Raducanu, who is set to drop out of the WTA's top 100, withdrew from her first-round meeting with Viktoriya Tomova on Wednesday due to a hand injury.
The 20-year-old Briton has endured a difficult season, with her best performance coming at the Indian Wells Open, where she lost to world number one Iga Swiatek in the last 16.
Fellow youngster Fernandez has also struggled, and she came unstuck against world number 194 Mirra Andreeva, who progressed 6-3 6-4.
The big shock came as Jaqueline Cristian, ranked 525th in the singles rankings, defeated 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Having taken the first set, Stephens looked set to book her place in round two, only for Romanian Cristian to prevail 5-7 6-4 6-4.
Alize Cornet overcame world number 39 Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-3, while Camila Giorgi was forced to retire from her match with Mayar Sherif before the start of a deciding third set, and Amanda Anisimova was another top-50 casualty.
Rebeka Masarova, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Marina Bassols Ribera and Irene Burillo Escorihuela carried the flag for Spain into the next round.
Eugenie Bouchard got the better of Dayana Yastremska as her return to top-level tennis continues.
Xavi said there could be "no excuses" for Barcelona's meek 2-1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano, which saw the Blaugrana miss the chance to go 14 points clear at the top of LaLiga.
Barca look destined to end their four-year wait for a league title in the coming weeks, and Real Madrid's 4-2 defeat at Girona on Tuesday gave them the opportunity to pull further clear.
However, goals from Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia handed Rayo a deserved victory, with Robert Lewandowski's late volley proving to be a mere consolation.
Barca have only lost three league games all season, but the Blaugrana have now taken just five points from the last 12 available to them in LaLiga, leaving Xavi to rue a missed opportunity.
"We didn't have a good game, we weren't comfortable. They were very intense and aggressive and they didn't let us play," Xavi said.
"We lacked understanding of the game, we abused long passes. There are no excuses, Rayo deserved to win.
"We tried with courage until the end, but they deserved the victory. We have a margin and there is one less game left.
"We have to think about Saturday. The message to the players is that the league has not been won. It costs a lot to win this league and every game away from home is a war.
"This defeat weighs us down and annoys us. Today we failed and we are leaving annoyed because it was a very good opportunity."
Having lost on their last league trip to Rayo in October 2021, Barca have now suffered back-to-back defeats in Vallecas for just the second time in their history, also doing so in December 2002.
Defender Ronald Araujo believed the hosts warranted their win, saying: "Rayo deserved the victory. They played well.
"In the first half we weren't up to it, but we still have a good points advantage. Now we have two home games that we have to win."
Barca welcome Real Betis to Camp Nou in their next game on Saturday, holding an 11-point lead over Madrid at the top of LaLiga and requiring a maximum of 11 more points to clinch the title.
Pep Guardiola insisted there was nothing decisive about Manchester City’s 4-1 win over Premier League rivals Arsenal but acknowledged something big had shifted with the title now in his side’s hands.
City made light of a fixture long billed as a high-pressure title decider, with the dynamic play of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland ripping through the Arsenal defence time and again.
City scored four – Haaland netting the last after twice setting up De Bruyne, who in turn got the assist on a John Stones header – but could have exceeded that in the first half alone on a dominant night. Rob Holding’s late goal was slim consolation for the Gunners.
Arsenal still ended the night top of the table, but their two-point advantage looks particularly vulnerable with a City side who have won seven in a row in the league boasting two games in hand.
“It was an important game, not decisive but important,” Guardiola said.
“We played very good. I know the opponent we played. They’re still top, I know it sounds naive what I’m saying but we are still behind. We are still there.”
With the exception of a few days in February after City won 3-1 at the Emirates, Arsenal have topped the Premier League table since the third week of the season.
City have been playing catch up all along with Guardiola calling Arsenal the favourites for the title, but this result convinced the Catalan he and his side are finally in the stronger position.
“Absolutely (I prefer) my position because now it’s in our hands,” he said.
“I would love that these two games are six points but you have to win them, but I prefer it because it depends on us.
“Until today, I prefer the position in the Premier League of Arsenal because if Arsenal had beaten us it’s in their hands. But now it is in our hands.”
For Arsenal this was a fourth straight game without a win, with the Gunners appearing to wilt just as City turn up the heat.
Mikel Arteta admitted his side were second best on the night and might now end up second best in the league, but refused to admit defeat in a title race his side still lead, at least for now.
“The analysis is clear,” Arteta said. “The better team won the game. They were probably at their best, especially in the first half, and we were nowhere near our level. When that happens the gap becomes too big.
“The first 30 minutes all the basic things you have to do against an exceptional team in terms of competing, winning duels, understanding what the game requires, we didn’t do it and we were punished.
“The stats said Arsenal were going to finish sixth or seventh and we are where we are with five games to go. Those players deserve a lot of credit after nine-and-a-half months being here. And there are still five games to play.
“In 22 years in this country I’ve seen a lot of things and there are not two equal games in this league.”
Arsenal have five games remaining and Arteta admitted they would need to win them all – something that would put them on 90 points – to take the challenge to City.
“We first have to lift the players up tonight because they suffer and it was difficult to swallow,” he said.
“Do everything we have done so well in the next match to earn the right to win it. That’s where we have to start.”
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