Emma Raducanu secured her first win over a top 10 opponent as she defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the quarter-finals of the Eastbourne Open.
The former US Open champion came from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5, emerging victorious after two hours and 42 minutes.
Pegula stamped her authority on the game from the start, winning break point in the opening game and remaining in control despite a spirited comeback from Raducanu.
However, the Brit built on her improved display in the second set, trading blows with the world number five and coming out on top to take the game to a decider.
Raducanu looked set to close out the contest as she claimed consecutive break points, but the American showed her class to drag herself back level.
But it would be Raducanu who would emerge victorious, meaning there will be three British women in the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1978.
Data Debrief: Raducanu roars to victory
Raducanu's victory saw her reach her first ever quarter-final at the Eastbourne Open.
The Brit's success was also the first time she has won a match on tour after being a match point down.
Emma Raducanu secured her first win over a top 10 opponent as she defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the quarter-finals at Eastbourne.
The former US Open champion came from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5, emerging victorious after two hours and 42 minutes.
Pegula stamped her authority on the game from the start, winning break point in the opening game and remaining in control despite a spirited comeback from Raducanu.
However, the Brit built on her improved display in the second set, trading blows with the world number five and coming out on top to take the game to a decider.
Raducanu looked set to close out the contest as she claimed consecutive break points, but the American showed her class to drag herself back level.
But it would be Raducanu who would emerge victorious, meaning there will be three British women in the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1978.
Data Debrief: Raducanu roars to victory
Raducanu's victory saw her reach her first ever quarter-final at Eastbourne.
The Brit's success was also the first time she has won a match on tour after being a match point down.
Phil Foden has left the England squad to fly back home 'temporarily' due to a pressing family matter, an FA spokesperson confirmed.
The Manchester City star played 89 minutes in the Three Lions' final Group C fixture against Slovenia on Tuesday night.
Foden has started in all three of Gareth Southgate's side's group fixtures, featuring in England's win over Serbia and 1-1 draw with Denmark.
After confirming top spot in Cologne, the Three Lions last-16 fixture will take place this Sunday at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.
Austria midfielder Leopold Querfeld is confident his side can beat anyone at Euro 2024 after reaching the knockout stages in Germany.
Querfeld, who represented his nation twice before the start of the tournament, made his European Championship debut in Austria's win over the Netherlands on Tuesday.
The defender played 26 minutes as Ralf Rangnick's side finished top of Group D following France's 1-1 draw with Poland.
"It's by no means something that can be taken for granted, but it's definitely something we thought we could do," Querfeld said.
"The evening after the game was extremely nice. We brought friends and family to the hotel, were able to spend a cozy evening together and had a really nice time,"
Austria will watch this evening's action with interest to discover who their opponents will be at the Leipzig Stadium next Tuesday.
Rangnick's side will face the runners-up of Group F, with Turkiye, Czechia and Georgia all in with a shout of progressing to the knockout stages on Matchday 3.
But given their performances in the tournament so far, Querfeld is confident that Austria can reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
"No matter what opponent we get, they will have a very difficult time against us," he said.
Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi has been named in Spain's squad for the football tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, with Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Pedri among the eligible players not selected.
The 17-year-old centre-back was named in Luis de la Fuente's provisional squad for Euro 2024 but was cut ahead of La Roja's final party being announced.
He is joined by Eric Garcia, who spent last season on loan at Girona, while Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena are included despite being at Euro 2024 with the senior team.
Head coach Santi Denia was able to select players under the age of 23, with Manchester City's Sergio Gomez, Sporting CP's Abel Ruiz and Real Betis left-back Juan Miranda taking the three overage spots.
The likes of Yamal, Williams and Pedri were eligible but have not been chosen in what is initially a 22-man squad but must be cut to 18 ahead of the Games.
Spain took silver at the delayed 2020 Games in Tokyo three years ago, losing 2-1 in extra time to Brazil in the gold medal match.
For this year's competition, they have been drawn alongside Uzbekistan, Egypt and the Dominican Republic in Group C, facing the former in their first match on July 24.
Provisional Spain squad: Arnau Tenas (Paris Saint-Germain), Joan Garcia (Espanyol), Alejandro Iturbe (Atletico Madrid), Marc Pubill (Almeria), Juanlu Sanchez (Sevilla), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Cristhian Mosquera (Valencia), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Jon Pacheco (Real Sociedad), Juan Miranda (Real Betis), Miguel Gutierrez (Girona), Adrian Bernabe (Parma), Benat Turrientes (Real Sociedad), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Pablo Barrios (Atletico Madrid), Aimar Oroz (Osasuna), Sergio Gomez (Manchester City), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona), Diego Lopez (Valencia), Sergio Camello (Rayo Vallecano), Samu Omorodion (Atletico Madrid), Abel Ruiz (Braga).
Lando Norris has "emerged from the pack" to represent the main threat to Red Bull, says the team's principal Christian Horner.
Alongside reigning champion Max Verstappen, Norris has finished in the top two positions at five of the last six races, including Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver has also finished in the top four in each of his last six races, as many times as in his previous 15.
He has led for a career-high 58 laps this season and his next podium finish will see him match John Watson for 13th place in the charts for all British drivers, with 20.
Looking back on last week's race in Barcelona, Horner acknowledged Verstappen – who triumphed by 2.219 seconds – was fortunate to make a strong start count.
"If Lando had track position it would have been difficult to beat him," Horner told Sky Sports News.
"It was so close between the two of them and they were 18 seconds ahead of the rest. I would say Lando has emerged from the pack as the most consistent challenger.
"We've had four pole winners in the last four races. It's very, very tight.
"But Lando I would say, he seems to have worked out these tyres, McLaren have done a great job as well, and they're going to push us hard for the rest of the year."
Red Bull are on home turf this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, for the third sprint race weekend of the season.
"On such a short lap, it's going to be so tight and we expect McLaren and Lando to be fast again," Horner added.
"Ferrari and Mercedes? Who knows. If you look at the gap to those guys after the race it was pretty similar to last year. The one who has stepped up is Lando."
South Africa coach Rob Walter says his players will not feel the burden of near misses in the past as they prepare for their T20 World Cup semi-final against Afghanistan.
The Proteas withstood a nervy finish to get a three-wicket victory over co-hosts West Indies in Antigua, maintaining their perfect run at the tournament with seven wins from seven so far.
South Africa have never made it past the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup, with this due to be their third such appearance.
This time around, they have been on the right side of tight wins, and Walter is keen to ease any pressure from past results that could hinder the team.
"The near misses in the past, they belong to the people who missed them," Walter said. "To be honest, this team is a different team.
"We own whatever is ours to own. And so, our nearest reflection point is this tournament where we've managed to get over the line. So that's what we think about.
"I think there's always an energy that you can feel that's tangible when it comes to a semi-final.
"There'll be a mixture of emotions which is with anxiety, but excitement and I think anyone in any sport, if they get to this phase of a competition, feels that. And so really, it's just acknowledging that and accepting it and then just understanding what you'll do with that.
"We still want to play our best cricket in the key moments of the game."
United States goalkeeper Matt Turner has urged fans of the Copa America hosts not to forget the value of results ahead of Thursday's clash with Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The USA got their Group C campaign up and running with a 2-0 win over Bolivia, with Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun on target.
Some believed Gregg Berhalter's side should have recorded a more comprehensive victory as they racked up 20 shots on goal to Bolivia's six.
Nottingham Forest shot-stopper Turner, though, says tournament wins should not be taken for granted.
"We'll never have that luxury. I think you take wins when you can get wins, no matter the context," Turner said.
"You take the result, especially in tournament play, it's the end all be all. I implore people to not lose sight of that.
"Obviously, we wish we did some things better, but that's what tournaments are about. You want to improve and get better throughout the tournament and keep growing as a team, and a bond and a culture.
"At the end of the day, we got a clean sheet, we scored two goals and we won. Going into this next match, we know we might have to be a little bit better if we want to win."
Panama, meanwhile, were beaten 3-1 by Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay in their opening match, with Amir Murrillo netting a late consolation after Maximiliano Araujo, Darwin Nunez and Matias Vina scored for the 15-time winners.
"I think we had too much respect for Uruguay, in the first half there were too many mistakes," head coach Thomas Christiansen said.
"They're a great team that you have to respect, but I think in moments we were afraid of making a mistake.
"In the second half, we showed this team is alive with enthusiasm and desire. Now it's time to make another big effort against the United States before ending with Bolivia."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Panama – Amir Murillo
Murillo netted a late consolation against Uruguay, also recording the most touches (62) and joint-most touches in the penalty area (four, also Jose Fajardo) of any Panama player in their opening match.
That game saw Panama surpass 250 completed passes in a Copa America game for the first time. They will not be pushovers in Atlanta, but if they are to really trouble the hosts, they need wing-back Murillo to contribute in the attacking third.
United States – Christian Pulisic
Pulisic provided a goal and an assist as the USA beat Bolivia in their Group C opener, becoming the first American to score and assist in a single Copa America match since Clint Dempsey did so twice in 2016, versus Ecuador and Costa Rica.
Pulisic averages 0.93 goal contributions per 90 minutes in competitive matches for his country, the highest rate in their history (minimum 1,500 minutes played).
The Milan winger also recorded the most line-breaking passes in the attacking third of any player during Group C's first set of games, with four.
Until the USA's first match, only Rodrigo De Paul of Argentina had reached that figure in the tournament's opening round of fixtures.
MATCH PREDICTION: UNITED STATES WIN
After beating Bolivia, the USA could start a Copa America tournament with back-to-back victories for the very first time.
Only once before have they managed successive wins in the competition, winning three games in a row up to the quarter-finals in 2016, as they finished fourth on home soil.
They have never lost or even conceded a goal to CONMEBOL opponents at the Copa America, drawing 0-0 with Mexico in the 1995 quarter-finals before triumphing on penalties, and routing Costa Rica 4-0 in the group stage in 2016.
The USA have only failed to score in one of their previous 19 matches against Panama on home soil, in a goalless draw in New Jersey in the 2005 Gold Cup final, which they won via spot-kicks.
With home advantage on their side, we expect more joy for the USA on Thursday.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Panama – 22.6%
United States – 54.7%
Draw – 22.7%
Mexico captain Edson Alvarez will miss the remainder of the Copa America after suffering a hamstring injury in their opening match against Jamaica.
Alvarez was in tears as he left the pitch just 30 minutes into El Tri's 1-0 victory in Houston on Saturday, having gone down clutching his right hamstring.
It has now been confirmed that the West Ham midfielder will play no further part in Mexico's campaign, which continues against Venezuela on Wednesday.
In a video posted to the team's social media accounts, Alvarez said: "I had that dream just like my team-mates but sometimes these things happen in football and I will have to learn and grow from all this.
"I have made the decision to stay with the team until the end, to support and encourage them, as I always have done.
"Now it will be my turn off the field. It will also help my rehabilitation and I will return as soon as possible."
After facing Venezuela, Mexico round off their Group B campaign versus Ecuador on Sunday.
Lionel Messi has revealed he played through discomfort in his right hamstring as Argentina beat Chile 1-0 in their second match at the Copa America on Tuesday.
Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to score an 88th-minute winner as the world champions secured qualification for the quarter-finals with one match to spare.
Messi failed to score for a second successive game at the tournament, only recording one shot worth 0.02 expected goals (xG), though he did create a game-high five chances for his team-mates.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also led all players on the pitch for passes in the final third (18) and completed seven of his 11 attempted dribbles – both match-high figures.
Boss Lionel Scaloni has now been handed a major worry, however, with Messi revealing he played through the pain barrier.
"I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the game. It was tight." Messi said.
"It wasn't as loose as it should've been, but I was able to finish the game. We'll see how it goes."
Messi could get a rest when Argentina face Peru in their final Group A match on Saturday, though, with only a point required to secure top spot.
Scaloni said: "Against Peru, the guys who didn't get minutes in these matches will play."
Oleksandr Usyk has vacated the IBF heavyweight championship just five weeks after becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion with his win over Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian handed Fury his first professional defeat via a split decision last month to unify the WBC belt with his WBA, WBO and IBF titles.
The fighters are set to face off in a rematch in December and Usyk had requested he keep the IBF belt to make that contest another undisputed bout.
However, the IBF's rules dictated that Usyk had to be stripped of the title if he did not face mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois next.
Dubois is expected to face fellow Brit Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium on September 21, and that fight is now likely to be for the IBF championship.
Addressing Joshua and Dubois in an Instagram post, Usyk wrote: "The IBF belt is my present for you.
"Your friend, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk."
Usyk was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since the turn of the century, with Lennox Lewis last achieving the feat in the three-belt era in 1999.
Gary Neville believes England are mismanaging their star players and has called on Gareth Southgate to start Kobbie Mainoo in the Euro 2024 knockout stages.
England topped Group C as a result of Tuesday's goalless draw with Slovenia, but they were booed off by their fans after producing another flat performance.
The Three Lions created just 0.8 expected goals (xG) despite enjoying 74% of the possession, the latter being their highest figure ever recorded in a major tournament match where they failed to score (since 1966 for World Cup and 1980 for Euros).
Southgate's team failed to attempt a single shot until the 30th minute, their longest wait for an attempt in a Euros match since 2000 (35th minute versus Germany).
The England boss only made one change to the team that toiled in a 1-1 draw with Denmark on matchday two, replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher, as Phil Foden and Harry Kane continued to struggle in attack.
Speaking in his role as a pundit for ITV Sport, Neville said: "England have Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden… massive, massive talents and we cannot afford to mismanage them," he said.
"We are the only country in the world who continually ask, 'where can these players fit?'"
Manchester United midfielder Mainoo had a positive impact when he replaced Gallagher at half-time, and Southgate feels he should start Sunday's last-16 clash, which will pit England against a third-place finisher from either Group D or E.
"Every time England made a change, they got better," Neville said. "I am certain Mainoo will start the next game.
"Southgate thought Gallagher was the option for energy, but it was quite obvious we needed someone on there to get us playing and Adam Wharton is capable of doing that as well.
"The more substitutions we made, the less rigid we looked. We looked so basic in the first half, it was a struggle to watch that and I think we moved forward in the second half. We did not get the result, but there were glimpses of what we can be."
As Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz eye their pivotal Copa America clash against Ecuador, Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has expressed a blend of cautious optimism and strategic focus, as they chase history in the Group B fixture at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on Wednesday.
The 53rd-ranked Jamaicans are hunting their first goal, first point and, by extension, first victory in three appearances at the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament, a feat they will be hoping to achieve against the 30-ranked Ecuadorians to bounce back from a 0-1 defeat to Mexico in their opening fixture.
Kickoff is 5:00pm Jamaica time.
A victory would keep Hallgrimsson’s side in the hunt for one of the top two spots to the knockout stage. However, that is easier said than done, and despite their gallant effort against Mexico in Saturday’s defeat, Ecuador represents a different challenge, one which Hallgrimsson knows they can by no means scoff at even though their opponents also suffered a 1-2 loss to Venezuela in their opening encounter.
“It's going to be a tough match. Really a tough match,” Hallgrimsson stressed.
“They (Ecuador) came into this group for the media as favorites and have done brilliant in terms of their results prior to the tournament. A tough team to beat is a tough team to play against, and like I said, they have managed to get good results against the biggest teams in South America, and it's always low scoring matches. They conceded two goals, against Venezuela, but this was after they had been playing one man down for close to 50 minutes,” he noted.
“So the reason why Venezuela scored two goals was probably down to fatigue, and we need to be aware of that. We cannot go all in and concede a goal because it's difficult to get back against a team like Ecuador and Venezuela. So we need to be careful, but we need to be brave as well at the same time. It needs to be a calculated risk that we take,” the Icelandic coach added.
Though Jamaica and Ecuador have crossed swords in international friendlies on four occasions, this will be their first Copa America meeting. It should be noted that Jamaica has never defeated Ecuador, which means Wednesday’s contest takes on added significance for Hallgrimsson’s side to possibly achieve two significant milestones in one go.
But, again, that is easier said than done, as in their four meetings to date, Ecuador has won three, while the other ended in a stalemate. The last encounter between the two, in 2018, ended 2-0 in favour of the South Americans.
Across those four games, Jamaica has only scored three goals, while Ecuador tallied nine. With all the stats lining up against the Boyz, Hallgrimsson highlighted the importance of maintaining a balanced approach.
“We had a good game against Mexico the players performed well, but we just didn’t win. We are the underdogs in the group so we just want to show the same performance against Ecuador and see what it brings us. Hopefully it will bring us three points, but certainly we want to build on the performance against Mexico because we really are doing everything to stay in this tournament, I believe we have the squad to do that and so that is the focus,” Hallgrimsson declared.
Despite his familiarity with Ecuadorian counterpart Felix Sanchez, Hallgrimsson pointed out that it offers very little comfort.
“I know Felix so I know what kind of football they will play, and of course we have analysed them really well. They are really aggressive and physical and they have a strong midfield, but I think it’s the energy and commitment of this Ecuador team that is going to be the trickiest thing for us. Like I said they lost their first game as well which puts them under pressure so I know they are going to be more intense against us,” he opined.
Still, the tactician expressed delight that the Boyz are in high spirit with every player eager to give their best.
“Everybody's fit and ready, and that's a good sign. Normally, the first game causes some injuries after a long break for some players, but everybody's fresh. Everybody wants to play big games for Jamaica, so everybody's fighting for a spot in the team, and that's a good and healthy sign for us,” Hallgrimsson ended.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will prioritise balance throughout the Copa America, with Lautaro Martinez pushing for a start after scoring twice from the bench.
Having come on to add Argentina's second goal in a 2-0 win over Canada last week, Martinez struck an 88th-minute winner in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Chile.
Martinez's three competitive goals off the bench for Argentina are more than any other player has managed for the team since his international debut in 2018.
The Inter man's impact has led to suggestions he could edge out Julian Alvarez to start alongside Lionel Messi, but Scaloni will select his number nine on a game-by-game basis.
"Lautaro and Julian have played together," Scaloni said. "There's always the need for balance.
"Lautaro is very happy today, and Julian is too. I will always choose the one that I think is best suited for that match.
"Today Julian played, but we have 11 players. We have to balance the gameplan.
"Sometimes there might be a disruption of that balance for any reason, but usually, I like playing with a good structure. We will be making choices throughout the tournament."
Argentina have secured their place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare and will top Group A if they avoid defeat against Peru on Saturday.
Despite overseeing a perfect start to the Albiceleste's title defence, Scaloni has been questioned for not calling upon Alejandro Garnacho, who has been an unused substitute in both matches after enjoying a breakout campaign with Manchester United.
"We would love to see him because he is young and he is a fresh player," Scaloni said of the winger.
"Sometimes we think that given the match, we could send him in. But then as the match evolves, we think maybe it is not the right match.
"Hopefully when we give the young players the opportunity, they will be able to seize it."
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