Aryna Sabalenka’s pursuit of a first Wimbledon title remains on course after her demolition of Madison Keys in the quarter-final.

The Belarusian, who was banned from last year’s tournament, is making up for lost time and was too strong for Keys on Court One, winning 6-2 6-4.

With Iga Swiatek being knocked out on Tuesday she will now have her sights on the Venus Rosewater dish after booking a second semi-final appearance in SW19.

Her eyes will have lit up when Swiatek was beaten by Elina Svitolina as it means she is now just one win away from ending the Pole’s 66-week reign as world number one.

There is no one left in the tournament who can match her brute force from the back of the court and her big-match experience, having won the Australian Open in January, will stand her in good stead to win two more matches.

She said: “It feels really amazing to be back in the semi-final, I can’t wait to play my second semi-final at Wimbledon and hopefully I can do better than last time.

“It was a really tough game, I was so happy to win the second set, that game at 2-4 0-40 was just incredible.

“Since I was little I was dreaming about the Wimbledon title, it is something special, Wimbledon is different, it’s more special. It doesn’t matter who I am going to play, it is going to be a tough battle.”

When she found herself in trouble at 2-4 and 0-40 down in the second set, she reeled off 12 successive points to put herself back in control.

Keys, who won in Eastbourne in the week before the tournament began, was enjoying her best run here since 2015, but she was on the end of a barrage from Sabalenka and could have regrets about not taking her chances when they came, specifically that game to go 5-2 up in the second.

Sabalenka was on the attack from the start and broke Keys in the opening service game thanks to a sliced winner down the line.

A second break followed as Sabalenka was in total control, until Keys began to find her range and forced break points as her opponent tried to serve the first set out.

Sabalenka saved them to go in front and then put pressure on Keys’ serve earlier on as the American was forced to navigate some difficult deuce games.

She did so and then looked to have turned the tide, breaking at 3-2 with some power hitting of her own before going 40-0 up and within a point of 5-2.

But Sabalenka activated beast mode and won 12 consecutive points on her way to three successive games to put herself back in firm control.

She then served it out to seal a memorable win and move one step closer to her Wimbledon dream.

Connections of Passenger will bide their time before making any plans for the colt, who is back in work following a break.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by the Niarchos family, the three-year-old son of Ulysses flashed plenty of ability in three runs this term.

A late developer, he saw the racecourse for the first time in April and powered to a three-length victory in the Wood Ditton, a maiden over mile at Newmarket.

Withdrawn from the Dee Stakes at Chester due to soft ground, connections paid £14,000 to supplement the colt into the Group Two Dante at York.

Though keen early in the extended 10-furlong contest, he finished an unlucky-in-running third to The Foxes, beaten a length and a half.

Supplemented for the Betfred Derby at a cost of £85,000 just days before the Epsom Classic and bidding to give the trainer and jockey Richard Kingscote a second successive victory in the blue riband after Desert Crown last June, he was keen again and did not see out the mile-and-a-half trip, eventually finishing 12th of the 14 runners.

Alan Cooper, racing manager to the Niarchos family, said he is likely to revert back to 10 furlongs for the time being.

He said: “Passenger is very well and has come back into work after his race in the Derby, and Sir Michael will make a programme in due course.

“He said that he is now back in work and is very happy with him.

“I think the targets will be clarified when he is ready to run, but I think they are more likely to be over 10 furlongs than 12 furlongs.

“It is way too early to speculate (on any targets). He is a lovely horse and we will give him all the time to mature and then go from there. Good ground is what he would want. He wouldn’t want heavy ground.

“He had three races in quick succession, so the decision was taken to give him a bit more time.”

Rory McIlroy is confident he will bear no mental scars from his latest near-miss in a major championship as he prepares to return to the scene of his Open triumph.

McIlroy held a share of the lead when he birdied the first hole in the final round of last month’s US Open, but failed to make another and finished a shot behind American Wyndham Clark at Los Angeles Country Club.

The 34-year-old has now recorded 19 top-10 finishes since winning the last of his four major titles in the 2014 US PGA, a month after also winning the Open at this year’s venue of Royal Liverpool.

McIlroy declined to speak to the written press ahead of this week’s £7million Genesis Scottish Open, but gave two short television interviews in which he would only speak about on-course matters.

Asked if there were any mental scars from the US Open, McIlroy said: “I don’t think so.

“The one nice thing about the US Open a few weeks ago is I had to play golf the week after. Well, I didn’t have to, but it was nice to play the week after at the Travelers because then you’re not really dwelling on it, right.

“You have to get right back in the saddle and go all over again. There has not been much dwelling on anything.

“I was really happy with my performance (in Los Angeles). I thought I stuck to my game plan really well. I know my game is in good shape so, I’m excited about that.

“I’m as close as I’ve ever been (to winning), really. My consistency in performances, especially in the majors over the last couple years, is way better than it has been over the last few years.

“Having had a really good chance at St Andrews last year, having a really good chance in LA a few weeks ago, I need to keep putting myself in those positions obviously and the more times I go through them, even though I’m not getting the wins, it’s going to stand by me for whenever I get myself in that position again.”

McIlroy was bullish about his chances of winning the Masters in April to complete the career grand slam only to miss the cut at Augusta, but feels he has learnt from that experience.

“I felt like my game was in really good shape, I didn’t produce what I needed to produce the first two days and that was disappointing,” he said.

“I think I learned a lot from that and just about playing a golf tournament…72 holes is a long time. A lot can happen. It’s a journey to get yourself into contention and to be there on Sunday afternoon and there’s a lot of golf shots to be hit and a lot of golf to be played.

“The worst thing you can do in this game is get ahead of yourself.”

Rory McIlroy is confident he will bear no mental scars from his latest near-miss in a major championship as he prepares to return to the scene of his Open triumph.

McIlroy held a share of the lead when he birdied the first hole in the final round of last month’s US Open, but failed to make another and finished a shot behind American Wyndham Clark at Los Angeles Country Club.

The 34-year-old has now recorded 19 top-10 finishes since winning the last of his four major titles in the 2014 US PGA, a month after also winning the Open at this year’s venue of Royal Liverpool.

McIlroy declined to speak to the written press ahead of this week’s £7million Genesis Scottish Open, but gave two short television interviews in which he would only speak about on-course matters.

Asked if there were any mental scars from the US Open, McIlroy said: “I don’t think so.

“The one nice thing about the US Open a few weeks ago is I had to play golf the week after. Well, I didn’t have to, but it was nice to play the week after at the Travelers because then you’re not really dwelling on it, right.

“You have to get right back in the saddle and go all over again. There has not been much dwelling on anything.

“I was really happy with my performance (in Los Angeles). I thought I stuck to my game plan really well. I know my game is in good shape so, I’m excited about that.

“I’m as close as I’ve ever been (to winning), really. My consistency in performances, especially in the majors over the last couple years, is way better than it has been over the last few years.

“Having had a really good chance at St Andrews last year, having a really good chance in LA a few weeks ago, I need to keep putting myself in those positions obviously and the more times I go through them, even though I’m not getting the wins, it’s going to stand by me for whenever I get myself in that position again.”

McIlroy was bullish about his chances of winning the Masters in April to complete the career grand slam only to miss the cut at Augusta, but feels he has learnt from that experience.

“I felt like my game was in really good shape, I didn’t produce what I needed to produce the first two days and that was disappointing,” he said.

“I think I learned a lot from that and just about playing a golf tournament…72 holes is a long time. A lot can happen. It’s a journey to get yourself into contention and to be there on Sunday afternoon and there’s a lot of golf shots to be hit and a lot of golf to be played.

“The worst thing you can do in this game is get ahead of yourself.”

Tottenham defender Ryan Sessegnon has been left devastated by his recent hamstring injury – but has vowed to come back stronger than ever.

Spurs confirmed on Tuesday that Sessegnon had undergone surgery on his left hamstring following an injury in the first week of pre-season training under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

Left-back Sessegnon was plagued by muscle injuries last season and now faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Devastated and not really sure what to say right now, but I wanted to come on here and say thank you for all the kind messages I’ve received,” he said on his Instagram page.

“Hopefully this provides a light at the end of the tunnel. I feel very hungry and motivated to return stronger than ever and be back doing what I do best, for you guys.”

Sessegnon made 23 appearances for Tottenham last season, but his last outing for the club occurred back in February after a hamstring injury curtained the second half of his campaign.

The ex-Fulham academy graduate was over the initial problem and returned to work at Spurs on July 1, only to suffer a reoccurrence of last season’s muscle issue.

It is expected surgery will be a “permanent solution” to his hamstring troubles.

Sessegnon has only made 56 appearances for Tottenham since joining in the summer of 2019 and will now miss the club’s upcoming tour of Perth, Bangkok and Singapore.

Earlier on Wednesday, Spurs announced they would now play local side Lion City Sailors on July 26 in the Singapore leg of their pre-season tour after previous opponents AS Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho, pulled out of their tour to Asia.

Tottenham have also added another fixture to their summer schedule with the club set to face Barcelona in the 58th Joan Gamper Trophy match on August 8.

The pre-season friendly will take place at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys – the scene of the 1992 Olympic Games – due to construction work taking place Barca’s Camp Nou stadium.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ivan Perisic were among the international players to return to training at Hotspur Way on Wednesday despite speculation over their futures.

A decision on who rides Pertemps Network July Cup favourite Shaquille is unlikely to be made until minutes before declaration time on Thursday morning.

With former champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who partnered him to a remarkable success in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, suspended, James Doyle, who rode him to win his two previous races, had been next in the frame.

However, Doyle is required at Ascot by his principal employer Godolphin so a rider has yet to be confirmed, but it will come as no surprise that trainer Julie Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown have been inundated with offers.

“There has been lots of interest from people interested in riding him,” said Brown.

“We are obviously waiting to see who is available. Oisin (Murphy) wasn’t booked until 9.50am on Thursday when he won on him at Royal Ascot and Martin (Hughes, co-owner and breeder) is quite relaxed about waiting until Thursday morning and seeing who is available.”

One man who may be free is Ryan Moore, with the participation of his intended mount Little Big Bear described as only 50-50 by Aidan O’Brien on Monday.

“Martin used to have horses based in the south in the past and has dealt with a lot of jockeys, so he said we’ll have a conversation on Thursday morning after we have seen who has been declared,” said Brown.

“James is going to Ascot to ride for Godolphin, we do know that, which is a shame for us because it made things incredibly easy.

“It has always been a bit of a topic of conversation with this horse as he has run seven times and had four different jockeys, but the guys have managed superbly well and hopefully it will be the same on Saturday.”

When it was put to Brown that Moore may be available, he said: “It’s a possibility isn’t it, but we need to let their situation finalise before that discussion can take place. We’re aware that may be a possibility.”

Shaquille’s remarkable win at Ascot, when he gave away at least five lengths by fly-jumping out of the stalls, was a first Group One success for Camacho and Brown and they have been surprised by the level of goodwill which has come their way since.

Brown said: “It’s a great feeling. Jules was saying yesterday when we were coming down to Newmarket how many good wishes we’ve had since Royal Ascot and how pleased people are for us, as we are small to medium-sized training operation. People have been so kind and that’s been such a nice surprise.

“We are looking forward to Saturday. It will be a different sort of pressure as it looks like we are going to start favourite, whereas at Ascot Little Big Bear was a short-priced favourite and we went there slightly under the radar.

“So it’s different from that perspective, but you’ve got to deal with it and what a lovely position to be and what a great position to be in – to have a favourite for a Group One race.”

Former Bristol and Bath back-row forward Nick Koster has died at the age of 34.

Koster made 62 appearances for Bristol between 2013 and 2017 after joining them following a short stint with Bath.

He also captained Cambridge University in the 2018 Varsity Match against Oxford, scoring a try, and played in South Africa for Western Province and the Stormers.

The cause of Koster’s death is not known.

“Bristol Bears is devastated to hear of the tragic passing of hugely-popular former player Nick Koster at the age of 34,” the Gallagher Premiership club said on its website.

“The South African-born back row played 62 times for the club, making a remarkable impact on and off the field during his five seasons with Bristol.

“In 2017, Koster was shortlisted for community player of the season for his incredible work with the club’s Community Foundation, giving up hours of his own time to a number of programmes and initiatives with young people in the city.”

Former Bath head coaches Gary Gold and Andy Robinson, meanwhile, also paid tribute.

“Absolutely devastated to hear the news of Nick’s passing. One of the best schoolboy rugby players to have ever played the game and an outstanding person and friend,” Gold said on Twitter.

And Robinson tweeted: “He was a wonderful human being who had a huge impact on me and my families’ lives with his kindness, generosity, great sense of humour and rugby ability.”

Marketa Vondrousova believes she will be facing ‘super woman’ when she takes on Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Ukrainian wild card Svitolina is inspiring new mothers across the world with her run to the last four, just nine months after giving birth to her daughter Skai.

“It’s incredible what she did. She received a wild card and she’s in semis. It’s incredible,” said Czech 24-year-old Vondrousova.

“I feel like it’s such a short time after a baby. She’s doing amazing things.

“Yeah, she’s a fighter and she’s playing so good. I think for us, we can see that we also can manage with a baby. It’s amazing.

“She also did great job in Paris. Now she’s doing these things. Yeah, I mean, for me it’s incredible she can do this with a baby, and after such a long time also.

“We chat a bit on Instagram. I’m with her all the way. She’s fighting so much for everything. Now she’s just playing amazing tennis also. She’s a super woman, I think.”

Vondrousova, the world number 42, pulled off a shock by beating fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.

Svitolina, currently ranked 76 but who has been as high as three, stunned world number one Iga Swiatek on Centre Court.

“It’s different right now,” said Svitolina, 28. “Right now I just say to myself I think it’s less years that I have in front than behind me. I have to go for it. I don’t have time to lose anymore. I don’t know how many years I will be playing more.

“So just I try to tell myself, like, go for it. You practice for these moments, for these big moments. This really helped me and calmed me a little bit, as well.”

Naiktha Bains and Maia Lumsden were denied a semi-final spot in the Wimbledon women’s doubles after being outclassed by third seeds Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter.

The wildcards have enjoyed a fine run at the All England Club and were the first all-British pair to reach the last eight of the draw for 40 years.

But their impressive progression was ended emphatically on Court Two as 2021 champion Mertens and her Australian partner Hunter eased through 6-2 6-1.

Bains and Lumsden on Monday hailed emulating the 1983 achievement of Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs as “surreal”.

The two 25-year-olds were on the backfoot from the start on Wednesday after a double fault from Leeds-born Bains gifted their rivals the opening game and she again failed to hold serve in game five.

Scottish player Lumsden, who previously feared her career may be ended by long Covid, showcased some classy shots and there was plenty of power from Bains, but it was not enough to prevent the more experienced duo wrapping up the opening set in 35 minutes.

Belgian Mertens – the former world number one doubles player – and Hunter received a third-round walkover after Czech opponent Marketa Vondrousova withdrew following her progression to the semi-finals of the singles, while their second-round match ended prematurely because of an opposition retirement.

After the British pair were each broken either side of being unable to capitalise on three break points, a few drops of rain at 6-2 3-0 threatened to impede further straightforward progression.

But play quickly resumed and the weather held as Bains and Lumsden ended a memorable run with defeat in an hour and 11 minutes.

Jordan Nobbs admits it is an “unbelievable feeling” to be part of England’s World Cup squad this summer after the setbacks she has suffered in the past.

Nobbs, 30, went to the 2015 tournament in Canada but was restricted to just one appearance by a hamstring issue, then missed out on selection for the 2019 edition in France and the Euros that the Lionesses won on home soil last summer following knee injuries.

A year on from that latest disappointment, there was joy for Nobbs as she was included in England boss Sarina Wiegman’s 23 for the forthcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, at the end of a season that saw her make a January move from Arsenal to Aston Villa.

And the 71-cap midfielder said: “I think I’m still waking up now with that butterfly feeling.

“Everyone dreams of playing in major tournaments, and everyone knows the journey I’ve been on, so to be part of this one and such a talented squad, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Nobbs had been with Arsenal since 2010, and she said of her departure: “It was a risk to a certain extent but also with the limited game time I was getting, it was kind of like I had nothing to lose as well.

“Naturally, there were a lot of tears and it was difficult to leave a club that I loved and owe a lot to, but when it comes to wanting to drive for another major tournament, I think I had to do everything possible, and as long as I knew I tried my best, I’d have been comfortable with whatever outcome came from that.”

She went on to make 11 WSL starts for Villa, scoring four goals, as they achieved a fifth-placed finish in the division, and she added: “I think I knew with regular game time I can get back to my best.

“I think Carla (Ward, the Villa manager) just gave me that confidence to go again and allow myself to be in the position I am now. She gave me a bit of love, and game time. Sometimes, it’s the small things that allow you to shine on the pitch.”

While things have come together on this occasion for Nobbs, there has been disappointment for the likes of England captain Leah Williamson and Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead, two of her former Arsenal team-mates who will miss this tournament after sustaining ACL injuries. Fran Kirby has been ruled out due to a knee issue as well.

Nobbs, whose injury prior to the 2019 World Cup was ACL damage, said: “I dropped them a message. But I think when you’ve been through that before, you know how many messages you get.

“So it’s just letting them know you’re there if they need you, but also they all need to take different journeys and roads to deal with the situation and come through that. Naturally, we’re all gutted for them.

“It’s like learning to walk again when you have that kind of injury. It’s a lot of sitting in front of the telly with ice on your leg and not really doing much. I think you do go into a place where you kind of self-sabotage and sit and mope around for a bit.

“Then, once you’re up and going again, that goal is just to get back on that pitch. It’s difficult times, but also that feeling of getting back, it’s what you need to do to get back.”

She added: “I think it does just make you resilient – if I look back and think about what I’ve gone through, and I’m still here fighting, you can come through a lot in football. It’s not just me, there’s other players who have had difficult times.

“It’s just that ‘never give up’ attitude really.”

Dujon Sterling insists he is bringing a “winning mentality” to Rangers as he teams up again with Michael Beale.

The 23-year-old defender officially joined the Light Blues from Chelsea on a four-year deal on July 1.

Sterling began his career at the Stamford Bridge club – where he was first coached by the Rangers boss – and had loans spells with Coventry, Wigan, Blackpool and Stoke.

The former England Under-20 player had “quite a few clubs” interested in signing him this summer but he opted to join Beale who is revamping the Gers squad.

Speaking before Rangers’ trip to Germany for a pre-season training camp, which he missed with a knock reportedly not deemed serious, Sterling said: “The first time I ever met him (Beale) I was about seven or eight. At Chelsea you start in development at six and you do that for two years then you join the academy at under-eight.

“He was head of south London – I am from north London – and he was dealing with the under-14s and I was under-13 and I used to play one (year) up with his boys’ age group.

“That’s when I first got coached by him.

“At Chelsea, everything was about winning. You couldn’t take second place. We always had to win and I feel it here as well. You need to win.

“None of my loans have been with winning teams. You have had to dig deep.

“So I have got that mentality, I have the winning mentality and it is now putting them both together to create something here to get the next trophy.”

Sterling, primarily a right-back but who can play on the left, will in the first instance battle with Rangers captain James Tavernier for a starting place but is not fazed by the prospect.

He said: “It is about competing together but I am not just tied down to one role.

“I can play many roles so I don’t fear Tav being the captain, it is about competition.

“You need competition all over the pitch, that’s how everyone will get better. No one slips up, that’s how you stay a winning team and you need that the whole season, plus there is more than one game per week.

“I like to prioritise on my defending. It is really important.

“A lot of defenders now, right-backs, left-backs, they get judged on their stats up the pitch but defensively they are not great.

“So I like to do my defending, win my one-to-one battles and when the chance arrives to go forward, do that and help the team but knowing that my team-mates and manager has trust in me to be able to defend.”

Jockey Dane O’Neill is expected to make a full recovery despite sustaining fractured vertebrae and ribs in a fall at Wolverhampton on Tuesday.

The veteran rider was taken to hospital after a fall from Eagle Eyed Tom in the opening race.

The gelding, trained by Charlie Hills, appeared to stumble and clip heels when leaving the stalls in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap, unseating him.

The race was abruptly stopped and voided, while O’Neill was attended to by paramedics on the track before being stretchered off and taken to hospital.

An update on the Facebook account of O’Neill’s wife Laura, read: “Following his fall at Wolverhampton, Dane was treated on the track before being transported by the racecourse ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

“He had a prompt assessment including scans where a fractured thoracic vertebra and some fractured ribs were discovered.

“Dane is likely to have surgery in the next few days and the expectation is he will make a full recovery after a period of rehabilitation.”

The post added: “Dane and his wife Laura would like to thank the medical staff for their care and are grateful for all the best wishes received from his friends and colleagues in racing.”

O’Neill is a key member of the Shadwell operation and racing manager Angus Gold was relieved about the prognosis.

He said: “That’s fantastic. That’s the only important bit – that he makes a full recovery.

“From our point of view, you hate to see that happen to anybody, but from a Shadwell perspective, he is a huge part of our operation.

“We are certainly going to notice his absence very strongly, but all that matters is that he gets better.

“We just wish him the speediest of recoveries and hope they operate soon, and get him back on track.

“As long as he’s all right, that’s all we care about – and we can’t wait to get him back as soon as he is mended.”

O’Neill has ridden 23 winners in Britain so far in 2023 and landed two Group One races at Meydan earlier this year, including Danyah in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night.

“He is a massive part of the operation, not just on the racecourse, but he rides a lot of work, all around Lambourn for us in particular, and is hugely helpful to all of us,” Gold added.

“He has a good relationship with (head of Shadwell) Sheikha Hissa, and obviously she is very concerned about him. Hopefully, it will all go smoothly for him and we all send him our best wishes.”