Qinwen Zheng claimed a historic victory over Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics as she won gold in the women's singles.
China's Zheng, who ousted world number one and three-time reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek at Roland-Garros en route to the final, prevailed 6-2 6-3 in Saturday's final.
It makes the 21-year-old the first Asian-born player to win gold in the women's or men's singles at the Games since tennis was first introduced to the Olympics in 1896.
Zheng started the encounter fiercely, earning an early break in the second game and raced into a 3-0 lead on Court PhilippeChatrier.
The world number seven would stay in cruise control for the remainder of the opener, seeing out her service games before ending the set with another break.
Zheng threatened to take the match away from Vekic in double quick time as she again found a swift break of serve in the second set.
Croatia's Vekic responded well, though, hitting back by reeling off back-to-back games.
However, a break at the fourth time of asking to make it 5-3 proved decisive for Zheng, who duly served out to clinch gold.
Data Debrief:
Zheng's triumph saw her become the second player to win the women's singles at the Olympics on clay after Jennifer Capriati (1992), since the sport's reintroduction to the Games in 1988.
She has now won 28 matches out of 36 (77.77) on the surface since the start of 23. Among players with 10+ matches played on clay in that time, only three have a better win percentage - Swiatek (91.7%), Elena Rybakina (85.2%) and Aryna Sabalenka (80.6%).
Zheng is the first Chinese player in the Open Era to claim a medal in the women's or men's singles at the Olympics, while she also joined an elite list of women to have reached the finals of the Olympics and the Australian Open in the same season.
Steffi Graf (1988), Justine Henin (2004), Maria Sharapova (2012) and Angelique Kerber (2016) are the other players to have achieved that feat.
Three-time Olympic Gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and reigning World champion Sha’Carri Richardson were temporarily denied entry to the warm-up track at the Stade de France in Paris as they arrived to prepare for the semifinals and final of the Women’s 100m at the Paris Olympics on Saturday afternoon.
Video circulating on social media showed both Fraser-Pryce and Richardson waiting outside the gate to enter the facility as security officials denied them entry.
Both athletes reportedly arrived to the venue in private vehicles rather than the team shuttle provided by the organizers and were told they would have to get into the venue another way.
A second video showed Fraser-Pryce trying to make sense of the situation.
“She said they changed the rule yesterday. How can you change the rule and then not say? So, they’re asking all the athletes who, for whatever reason, don’t stay in the village, they can’t come through the gate?” Fraser-Pryce said.
“We came through this gate yesterday and went through security and were okay. The man said we have to go all the way up where everybody else is entering to come back down here. That’s crazy,” she added.
Fraser-Pryce and Richardson are expected to battle for gold in the 100m.
The semifinals are set to start at 12:50pm Jamaica Time (1:50pm EST) with the final scheduled for 2:20pm (3:20pm EST).
American star Simone Biles collected her third gold medal of the Paris Olympics as she triumphed in the vault final on Saturday.
Biles took her overall Olympics tally to seven gold medals as she recorded an average score of 15.300.
The 27-year-old, who withdrew from several events, including the vault, at Tokyo 2020, is now the third most decorated female gymnast in the history of the Olympics, with 10 medals to her name.
She will take part in the floor and beam finals on Monday, meaning she could overtake Vera Caslavska's tally of 11, won between 1960 and 1968.
Larisa Latynina, with 18 golds, is the most successful female gymnast in Olympic history.
Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who won gold in Tokyo three years ago, claimed silver, while Biles' team-mate Jade Carey took bronze.
The teams that will battle for the 2024 CAZOVA Zonal Under-19 Men’s and Women’s Championships were decided in the semifinals of the tournament at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town on Friday.
Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados will do battle for the men’s crown after convincing semifinal straight set victories over the US Virgin Islands and Jamaica, respectively.
Despite finishing in three sets, the match between T&T and USVI was about as competitive as you can get.
Trinidad & Tobago won the first set 25-23 before taking the next two 25-21 and 25-22, respectively.
The match between Jamaica and Barbados was competitive for two of the three sets. Barbados won the first 25-20 before winning the second 25-21. The third set was the least competitive, with the Bajans winning 25-13.
On the women’s side, hosts Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago made it to the final after five set wins over USVI and Barbados, respectively.
Jamaica won the first set 25-20 before USVI levelled proceedings with a 25-19 second set win.
Jamaica were back to their dominant best with a 25-15 third set victory before, once again, USVI showed grit and determination to tie things up a 2-2 with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.
The fifth set was also close, with the hosts eventually winning 15-10.
Trinidad & Tobago showed grit and determination of their own in different circumstances. They played an excellent first two sets, winning them 25-21 and 25-16 to go 2-0 up. Barbados battled back, however, with a 25-23 win in the third set and 25-22 win in the fourth to set up a deciding fifth.
In the end, only two points separated them with T&T winning the final set 15-13 to secure a spot in the final.
The finals are scheduled for Monday, August 5.
Reigning Olympic champion Xander Schauffele was the joint leader heading into the final round of the Paris Games, with Jon Rahm level with him in top spot.
The pair are tied at 14 under after three rounds of action at Le Golf National, with Rahm producing a five-under 66 to jump up the leaderboard from fourth.
Schauffele enjoyed another mostly error-free round, carding a three-under 68 with the hopes of retaining the crown he claimed in Tokyo three years ago.
Britain's Tommy Fleetwood remains just a shot behind after another fine round.
He sent a putt on 18 narrowly short for what would have been a three-way tie for the lead.
Hideki Matsuyama, who was tied for the lead going into the third round, dropped to joint-fourth after two bogeys in his first four holes, missing the opportunity on 18 to go within two shots of the lead.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler shot himself into contention for a medal after carding a four-under 67, leaving him level with Rory McIlroy and Joo-Hyung Kim in T6.
Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard produced the best round of the day, shooting a course record-tying 62 to move him 26 places up the leaderboard.
Trinity Rodman's moment of magic in extra time was enough for the United States to see off Japan and progress to the Olympic semi-finals.
The two sides laboured in the first half, with Emma Hayes' team enjoying plenty of possession but struggling to create any meaningful chances at the Parc des Princes.
The USA improved after the break and their first decent opportunity arrived in the 63rd minute when Mallory Swanson exchanged a one-two before curling an effort just wide.
Rodman's influence grew as the game wore on, but it was Sophia Smith who had the best chance prior to the USA's winner, only for the 23-year-old to take too many touches when through on goal, allowing Ayaka Yamashita to close down the angle.
But as penalties approached, Rodman stepped up in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half of the additional 30 minutes, collecting Crystal Dunn’s pass before cutting inside and curling in an unstoppable shot.
Japan substitute Riko Ueki almost equalised from close range, but the USA were able to clear their lines and hold firm to tee up a semi-final against either Canada or Germany.
Data debrief: USA fail to convert possession into opportunities
Despite neither side creating much in the way of chances with the USA mustering an expected goals (xG) of 0.68 to Japan's 0.53, the Americans dominated the ball for large swathes of the match.
They had 71.3% possession, had more than double the passes and final third entries of Japan with 1,026 to 403 and 89 to 44 respectively.
But it ultimately took a moment of brilliance from Rodman to settle the contest. At 22 years and 75 days old, she is the youngest player to score an extra-time goal for the USWNT since Heather O'Reilly at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Philippe Clement was pleased with the improved second-half performance of his Rangers side but suggested the bar was low during the 0-0 draw with Hearts.
Rangers started the encounter poorly, but Clement took encouragement from the improved display in the second 45 minutes, with Cyriel Dessers going closest as his header crashed against both crossbar and post.
Hearts had the better of the Scottish Premiership opener, having 18 shots to Rangers' nine, and 0.78 of the hosts' 1.28 expected goals (xG) was mustered in the first half.
Clement said: "We showed the right images in half-time, we talked, we discussed, to do the right things – and then you see that we play better football and we create more and we have much more control of the game.
"We need to continue that way – like we played in the second half."
Despite the uplift in performance, Clement underlined how poorly he felt his players performed in the first half, most notably when they were without the ball.
He said: "In the first half, I could have changed, maybe eight. They need to understand that it's not only with the ball – you need first to win the duels and we lacked that in the first half.”
"In the second half we were much braver with the ball, with the right positioning also."
Clement's observations were backed up by the match statistics, with Rangers winning just 38.5% of their duels in the first half.
Rangers' manager was pleased enough with the performances of his debutants Connor Barron and Vaclav Cerny but hinted at more reinforcements before the end of the summer transfer window.
He added: "Connor played a good game, but not at the level that he played in the pre-season, but also it's his first competitive game. He will be a big asset for the future.
"You saw Vaclav's qualities to be calm on the ball and to make the right decisions. He's an experienced player with a lot of quality.
"We need to get a few more of those types in to help our young players to grow."
It is a quick turnaround for Rangers before their next match, as they face Dynamo Kyiv in a crucial first-leg Champions League play-off on Tuesday.
Rangers made a disappointing start to their Scottish Premiership campaign as they drew 0-0 with Hearts at Tynecastle.
This poor result rather compounded a lacklustre pre-season, despite manager Philippe Clement signing a contract extension on Friday.
Hearts made a quick start, with debutant James Penrice going close as he burst into the box and forced Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland into a fine stop at his near post.
The hosts continued piling on the pressure as Yan Dhanda struck the crossbar with a stylish effort.
Rangers looked more assured after the break with Cyriel Dessers heading against the corner of the crossbar and post early on after a delicious left-footed cross from Tom Lawrence, who then went close himself with a dipping volley from outside the box, which Zander Clark had to acrobatically save.
Laurence Shankland drove into the area with twenty minutes to go, but he was thwarted by an onrushing Butland, though Rangers could not any inroads going the other way.
Data debrief: Dessers dangerous but Rangers struggle
Cyriel Dessers contributed 0.65 of Rangers' 0.83 xG, having the most shots for the away side with four, as well as having the joint most touches in the opposition box of any player with seven, alongside Hearts' Shankland.
However, it was a meek attacking display overall from Rangers, who had nine shots to Hearts 18, with the home team creating 1.28 xG.
They are now unbeaten in 12 home league games, which matches their best Scottish Premiership run since November 17 to April 2018. Indeed, the last team to beat Hearts in the league at Tynecastle were Rangers, back in December last year.
Tottenham Hotspur's unbeaten start to pre-season came to an end as goals from Gabriel Vidovic and Leon Goretzka secured a 2-1 for Bayern Munich in Seoul.
Pedro Porro pulled a goal back for Spurs with just over 20 minutes remaining, but they were unable to find a way past Vincent Kompany's side.
It took four minutes for Bayern to open the scoring as Guglielmo Vicario's poor pass to Djed Spence was picked off by Serge Gnabry, with Vidovic finishing from close range.
In a half that saw the Bundesliga side have 12 shots compared to Spurs' two, they were unable to increase their advantage until after the half-time interval.
Mathys Tel picked out Goretzka inside the area, with the German seeing his first effort saved by Vicario, but was able to follow up the rebound to double their lead.
Spurs would improve in the second half, with Porro's strike from distance evading the grasp of Manuel Neuer in the 66th minute offering hope of a comeback.
However, Bayern would control the latter stages of proceedings, able to see out the win as Ange Postecoglou's side suffered their first defeat of pre-season.
Data Debrief: Spurs
Spurs' second half performance will be a positive for Postecoglou to take from the encounter, improving their expected goals (xG) total from 0.11 to 1.22 after the break.
But in truth, Bayern dominated from start to finish, registering 22 shots, 20 of which came inside the area, with 11 of those on target.
Tel was a particular bright spark for Kompany's side, having the most touches in the opposition box (nine) and the equal most passes in the final third (13).
Pep Guardiola insists he is committed to Manchester City as England continue their search for a new manager.
The Football Association is recruiting for Gareth Southgate’s successor after he stepped down from the role following last month’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Guardiola, who helped City claim a record fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, has a year left on his contract and is expected to leave the club next year.
The 53-year-old has won 225 of his 304 league games in charge of the Citizens, scoring 755 goals in that time and averaging a win rate of 74.01%.
But when asked about the potential of managing the Three Lions in the future, Guardiola was quick to distance himself from the position.
“I am here, I am really pleased. I cannot say anything. I don’t know where it has come from. I am really satisfied here," Guardiola said.
“I am desperate for when the players are ready to come back to start to train all together and refresh what we have to do.”
The Spaniard is currently with his squad for the pre-season tour of the United States, facing Chelsea in Ohio on Saturday evening.
Guardiola’s comments come at the end of a week that saw both Eddie Howe and Jurgen Klopp rule themselves out of contention for the England job.
England U21 head coach Lee Carsley and former Chelsea boss Graham Potter are also among the top contenders to become the Three Lions' 16th permanent manager.
Following their encounter with Enzo Maresca's side, Guardiola and his squad will return to England ahead of their Community Shield fixture with Manchester United at Wembley next week.
Matthew Ebden and John Peers were crowned Olympic champions in the men's doubles after their victory over the United States' Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
The Australian duo came from a set down to win on Court Philippe Chatrier in just over two hours, emerging 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-1) 10-8 victors at Roland-Garros.
Krajicek and Ram would start well, winning a break point in the sixth game, only for their Australian opponents to respond instantly to level the encounter at 4-4.
With both pairs holding their serve for the remainder, a tie-break would decide who would take the first set, with the Americans able to obtain the early advantage.
Krajicek and Ram found another early break in the second, but again saw their lead vanish as Ebden and Peers rallied to win three consecutive games.
The Australian's took the game to a second tie-break, producing some stunning tennis along the way as the encounter went the distance in the French capital.
Ebden and Peers would carry their momentum into the decider, and despite missing four gold medal points, were able to hold on to secure the triumph.
Data Debrief: Australia strike gold at Roland-Garros
Ebden and Peers showed grit and determination worthy of winning a gold medal, coming from a set down to scoop the top prize.
The Australian's impressed on serve, scoring nine aces compared to Krajicek and Ram's six, winning 73% of their first-serve points.
Jamaica’s Sabrina Lyn, Bahamas’ Rhanishka Gibbs and St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Kennice Aphenie Greene were all eliminated at the preliminary stage of the women’s 50m freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Saturday morning at the Paris La Defense Arena.
Greene, 17, was the first of the trio to compete, producing a time of 27.23 to finish third in heat number five.
The 20-year-old Lyn and 18-year-old Gibbs both lined up in the seventh heat and finished fifth and sixth with times of 26.08 and 26.27, respectively.
Lyn was the highest placed of the three in the overall standings after the heats in 29th while Gibbs and Greene came in at 31st and 42nd, respectively.
Only the top 16 swimmers advanced to the semifinals.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson expectedly headline Caribbean men through to the 100m semi-finals at the Paris Olympic Games, as both were very easy in winning their respective heats at Stade de France on Saturday.
Seville, Thompson, and compatriot Ackeem Blake, along with the British Virgin Islands’ Rikkoi Brathwaite and Cuba’s Reynaldo Espinosa, are the Caribbean representatives that remain on course for the final.
Currently the world leader at 9.77s, Thompson was easy in victory in heat one in 10.00s, ahead of Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati (10.08s) and Cuba’s Reynaldo Espinosa (10.11s).
Kenyan stalwart Ferdinand Omanyala topped heat two in 10.08s, ahead of Italy’s Chituru Ali (10.12s) and Joshua Hartmann (10.16s) of Germany. Trinidad and Tobago’s Devin Augustine (10.31s) was fifth in that heat and missed out on the semi-finals.
Great Britain’s Louie Hinchcliffe sprang a surprise to win heat three in 9.98s, upstaging American Noah Lyles (10.04s), who had to work somewhat toward the end. South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi (10.06s) secured the third automatic spot in the heat. Naquille Harris (10.38s) of St. Kitts and Nevis missed out.
Seville also ran a relaxed race to finish tops in heat four as he stopped the clock at 9.99s. Japan’s Sani Brown (10.02s) and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson (10.13s) also progressed. Bahamas’ Terrence Jones (10.31s) was fifth in that heat.
Heat five was topped by Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi (10.02s), ahead of Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs (10.05s) and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (10.06s). Cayman Island’s Davonte Howell (10.24s) was sixth.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine produced a late surge to top heat six in 10.03s, ahead of Blake (10.06s) and Brathwaite (10.13s). Bahamas’ Wanya McCoy (10.24s) and Guyana’s Emanuel Archibald (10.40s) were fifth and eighth, respectively.
American Kenneth Bednarek was joint fastest in qualifying at 9.97s, which he clocked in winning heat seven, ahead of Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (9.98s) and Canada’s Andre de Grasse (10.07s). Jose Gonzalez (10.40s) of the Dominican Republic was eighth.
A stacked eighth and final heat was topped by another American, Fred Kerly, who also stopped the clock in 9.97s. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (10.01s) and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.03s) also progressed.
Cejhae Greene (10.17s) of Antigua and Barbuda ran well for fourth, but wasn’t fast enough for one of the non-automatic qualifying spots, while Haiti’s Christopher Borzor (10.28s) was fifth.
Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey failed to capitalise on a second chance at the women’s 800m semi-finals as she again finished down the track in the Repechage round on day two of athletics action at the Paris Olympic Games inside the Stade de France on Saturday.
With the winner of the four Repechage heats and the next two fastest non-automatic qualifiers guaranteed a semi-final spot, Tracey, running in heat two, could only manage fifth in 2:03.67.
While the Jamaican missed out, Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza ran a well-timed race where she controlled the pace, backed off, and then rallied late to win heat three to continue her medal hunt. Almanza won in 2:01.54.
The other qualifiers include Australia’s Abbey Caldwell (2:00.07), France’s Anais Bourgoin (1:59.52), Germany’s Majtie Kolberg (1:59.08), and Kenya’s Vivian Chebet Kiprotich (1:59.31). These ladies will join the 18 automatic qualifiers from day one, including Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin and Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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