Johnny Sexton was determined to enjoy Ireland's historic series win in New Zealand, even if he recognises there remains work to do ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.
Ireland headed to New Zealand for a three-match series having never won an away Test against the All Blacks.
They ended that wait last week to set up a decider in Wellington, where the tourists sensationally snatched the series with a 32-22 success.
The result was no less than Ireland deserved, with their 19-point half-time lead the largest any team has ever enjoyed at that stage of a Test against New Zealand.
Although the All Blacks rallied after the break, with Andrew Porter heading to the sin bin, Sexton helped to keep his side ahead having passed 1,000 international points in the first half.
"It's a very special day, because we're playing against the best in the world, the very best," Sexton told Sky Sport in the post-match presentation. "To come down here and do it is very, very special."
Sexton said Ireland have learned the hard way about getting carried away. This result comes a year out from the 2023 World Cup – a competition that Ireland have yet to win, or even make the semi-finals of, despite being one of the world's best teams over an extended period.
"It means a lot now," Sexton said. "I know in a year's time, when the World Cup starts, it won't mean anything, as we've learned before.
"But we'll certainly enjoy tonight – and maybe a couple more days. Then we've got to keep improving; that's what we've learned from previous years: we've got to keep improving.
"This group of boys, with the management we've got, they're a very special group, and I'm proud to be part of it."
Sexton paid special tribute to Ireland coach Andy Farrell.
"It's clear how much belief [is in the team], and it starts with the main man, with Faz," he said.
"He's come in here, he's changed things, he was brave at the start and he stuck with some older lads and got criticised, he brought in some younger lads, he's just done an amazing job. It's all credit to him, really."
Ireland dominated a record-breaking first half and held on for a second straight victory in New Zealand to triumph in their three-Test series against the All Blacks.
The tourists had been winless in 13 away matches against New Zealand prior to last weekend's breakthrough success, which set up Saturday's decider.
Andy Farrell's side duly made it two in a row with a remarkable 32-22 win that required both style and spirit in Wellington.
A quite sensational first half saw Ireland 19 points in front at the interval at 22-3 – the biggest 40-minute deficit in All Black history.
Hugo Keenan's stunning score was one of three tries, while Johnny Sexton kicked his way past 1,000 international points, becoming the eighth man to that mark.
New Zealand were unsurprisingly much improved after the break, and Andrew Porter's yellow card for a head-on-head challenge gave them further impetus.
The second of two Sexton penalties bounced away off the crossbar between a pair of All Blacks tries, but Rob Herring's superb score at full stretch gave Ireland breathing room to clinch a series success.
Russell Westbrook has split from long-time agent Thad Foucher due to "irreconcilable differences" over "his best pathway forward".
Foucher, who has represented the former MVP for his entire NBA career, revealed the news in a statement released to ESPN.
The development comes as Westbrook's future remains unclear, with his huge contract and underwhelming performances hampering the Los Angeles Lakers.
Trade rumours have circled Westbrook, even as new Lakers coach Darvin Ham described himself as "excited as hell to have Russell Westbrook on our team".
Foucher also feels Westbrook and the Lakers should continue together, although he did not make clear whether this opinion had contributed to their parting.
"I represented Russell Westbrook for 14 years and am proud of our partnership, which included a highly successful 2008 draft, a super-max contract and the only renegotiation-and-extend max contract in history," Foucher's statement read.
"I also supported Russell throughout his rise into a prominent fashion industry figure and recently orchestrated three successive trades on Russell's behalf – culminating with the trade to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
"Each time, teams gave up valuable players and assets to acquire Russell – and each time, a new organisation embraced his arrival. We did it together with grace and class.
"Now, with a possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. And even then, such a trade may require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via buyout.
"My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell's value and his best option is to stay with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that Darvin Ham publicly offered.
"Russell is a first-ballot Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player and will prove that again before he is retired.
"Unfortunately, irreconcilable differences exist as to his best pathway forward and we are no longer working together. I wish Russell and his family the very best."
Roger Federer won his eighth Wimbledon men's singles title on July 16, 2017, when he swatted aside Marin Cilic to move past Pete Sampras and Willian Renshaw on the all-time list.
The Swiss great spurned match points against Novak Djokovic in the 2019 final, and in all likelihood it will be eight and out for Federer.
To mark five years since that last triumph, when Federer picked apart a blister-hit Cilic, Stats Perform has selected five Wimbledon classics featuring the 20-time grand slam winner.
It would have been easy to select many more, with Federer having won 105 of his 119 singles matches at Wimbledon, but these stick in the mind.
2001: Sinking Sampras, announcing impending greatness
Three years on from winning the boys' singles title, it was a 19-year-old Federer who came to Wimbledon 2001 in pursuit of a first main-draw win. He had lost in round one in 1999 and 2000, to Jiri Novak and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, but his talent was becoming widely known. This time Federer advanced to the quarter-finals, fending off Christophe Rochus, Xavier Malisse and Jonas Bjorkman, before running into the great Pete Sampras in round four.
Sampras had mopped up four in a row and seven of the last eight men's singles titles at Wimbledon, but the American's reign would be ended by the teenage Federer, a sensational 7-6 (9-7) 5-7 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 winner.
The beaten Sampras offered a prescient comment after the match, saying: "There are a lot of young guys coming up, and Roger is one of them. But I think he's a little extra special than some of the other guys."
Federer would lose to Tim Henman in the quarters of a tournament that was won by wildcard Goran Ivanisevic, and in 2002 Federer crashed to Mario Ancic in round one, but from 2003 to 2007 the man from Basle was unbeatable in SW19, lifting the title five years in succession.
This was the victory that made him believe it possible.
2008: Nadal halts Federer charge
Federer's glory run had taken in final wins over Mark Philippoussis, Andy Roddick (twice) and Rafael Nadal, also on two occasions. When it came to the 2008 trilogy clash between the five-time champion and the Spanish youngster, the previous year's five-set title match had pointed to likely fireworks.
In 2007, Federer had fended off a charge from the Spaniard to breeze through the decider, but it would be a different story third time around. Perhaps the greatest Wimbledon final in living memory was capped by late-night drama as Federer, who had not dropped a set until the showpiece match, roared back from a two-set deficit, saving match points in the fourth-set tie-break, to set up a winner-takes-all finale.
Earlier rain delays meant it was 21:15 BST when Nadal crossed the winning line, the clay-court king triumphing 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (8-10) 9-7 after four hours and 48 minutes of a raging, breathtaking battle to bring to an end Federer's reign on grass.
2009: After one trilogy final, could Roddick defy Federer in another?
Journalist: How would you describe what you did today?
Andy Roddick: I lost.
That press conference exchange just about summed up Roddick's floored state of mind after he succumbed 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to Federer in their third Wimbledon final.
The American played a spectacularly great match over four hours and 16 minutes and yet was still beaten by his long-time rival, whose victory gave him a record 15th men's grand slam title, as 14-time winner Sampras watched on.
Federer served 50 aces that day, many of them in a staggering tense final set, simply refusing to lose.
2010: Saving face against Falla
A year on from the Roddick epic, Federer was plunged into another in round one when Colombian left-hander Alejandro Falla looked like pulling off an upset for the ages.
Falla was the talk of the sporting world when he snatched the first two sets, and the world number 60 had three break points against Federer's serve at 4-4 in the third.
Federer clung on, and in the fourth he again repelled the danger when Falla served for the match at 5-4 ahead. From that point, having spurned glorious opportunities to close it out, Falla faded and ended up losing 5-7 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-1) 6-0.
It was a reminder that Federer can be a scrapper too, winning on off days, refusing to submit to humiliation.
2016: Cilic classic leaves Federer "ecstatic"
This was the quarter-final that fuelled hopes the meeting of Federer and Cilic in the 2017 final would prove to be another Wimbledon masterpiece.
That title match, a year later, proved an anti-climax, but this tussle in the last eight was spellbinding, with Cilic going two sets clear and having three match points in the fourth.
Having beaten Federer in the US Open semi-finals two years previous, Cilic again produced lights-out tennis, only to find the great champion across the net stubbornly refusing to give ground as the match reached its climax.
Federer scrambled admirably to snatch a 6-7 (4-7) 4-6 6-3 7-6 (11-9) 6-3 victory, saying: "I'm ecstatic I was able to come through. It wasn't going well for me, so it was about staying in the match somehow, hoping for his level to drop maybe a little bit, and get a little bit lucky. It was an incredible match."
He could not keep it going, losing another five-setter to Milos Raonic in the semi-finals, but Federer would be back a year later to land his eighth, and surely last, Wimbledon title.
The San Antonio Spurs have locked up a young core player as they set to embark on an extensive rebuild, reportedly agreeing to a four-year, $80million extension with wing Keldon Johnson to tie him to the franchise through the 2026-27 season.
Johnson’s agents, Rich Paul and Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports, confirmed the agreement to The Athletic on Friday night.
Coming off a breakout 2021-22 campaign in which he averaged 17 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 40 per cent from 3-point range, Johnson was entering the final year of his rookie contract. The 22-year-old was selected by San Antonio in the first round (29th overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft, and started a team-high 74 games this past season.
Johnson will enter the upcoming season as the Spurs’ leading returning scorer after the team traded All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that netted San Antonio three future first-round choices, as well as the option to swap first-round picks in 2026.
The Murray deal was the first indicator the Spurs would be undertaking a roster overhaul after missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season in 2021-22, and with Murray gone, Doug McDermott had the most expensive contract on the team's books at $13m for each of the next two seasons.
With plenty of cap space and a requirement for each team to spend at least 90 per cent of the total cap ($123m for the 2022-23 season), Johnson's deal was a no-brainer, locking him up as a valuable, tradable asset at the very least if they do not view him as a part of their rebuild.
Prior to the Spurs' three-year postseason drought, they reached the postseason 22 straight times – tied for the longest streak in NBA history – and won five league titles under longtime coach Gregg Popovich during that span.
Johnson, who has averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 38.5 per cent from 3-point range in 161 career games, now heads a youthful roster that includes three first-round selections from the 2022 draft.
The Spurs selected versatile Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan with the ninth overall pick, before later adding Ohio State guard Malaki Branham (20th pick) and Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley (25th pick).
The Boston Red Sox needed 11 innings to defeat the New York Yankees 5-4 as newly minted two-time All-Star Rafael Devers went deep.
Boston had lost eight of their previous 10 games entering Friday's contest, but Devers got the Red Sox off to a perfect start with a two-run home run in the first inning.
The Yankees responded in the third frame when D.J. LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo both got on base, setting up Giancarlo Stanton for a three-run blast over the right-field wall to jump ahead 3-2.
Christian Vasquez tied things up an inning later with his own 390-foot solo home run to left-field, before teammate Bobby Dalbec gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead when he repeated the act in the seventh frame, sending his homer 391 feet to the same spot.
That lead would hold until the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Yankees looked like they would steal it after Red Sox closer Tanner Houck allowed an infield single and a hit-by-pitch to put Gleyber Torres and Matt Carpenter on-base with no outs.
Houck then committed a fielding error, handing the Yankees a run and tying things at 4-4 with still no outs.
The Red Sox opted to intentionally walk the next batter, loading the bases, before they got a crucial ground-ball, throwing out the winning run at home as part of a double-play to keep the game alive.
In extra innings, after the Red Sox were unable to score, the Yankees again loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but again fell victim to a ground-ball double-play to extend the game for another frame.
It was not pretty, but Xander Bogaerts was able to hustle across to third base on a fly-ball, before taking a chance and breaking for home after a wild pitch bounced off Jose Trevino's facemask behind the plate to score what would turn out to be the game-winning run.
Ryan Brasier finished it off by coming in and collecting three quick outs for the save and the victory.
J-Rod shows why he is the only rookie All-Star
Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez made it clear why he is viewed as one of the game's next big stars as he crushed a grand slam in his side's 8-3 win against the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez, who earned his first All-Star selection this season at 21 years old, finished the game with five RBIs.
He drove in his first run with a base hit in the fourth inning, before coming through with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning to stick the dagger into the Rangers fans.
The home run was Rodriguez's 16th of the season – the most of any rookie – while he also leads all rookies in stolen bases (21) and hits (91). The win was also the Mariners' 12th in a row, their longest winning-streak since 2001.
Alcantara takes loss despite another quality start
National League Cy Young Award favourite Sandy Alcantara delivered another terrific pitching performance in his side's 2-1 loss at home against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Alcantara pitched eight full innings, striking out 12 batters, while giving up two runs from four hits and two walks. It was the 13th consecutive start he has pitched at least seven innings, and his ERA is now 1.76, trailing only Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan.
The Phillies were finally able to do some damage off the Marlins star in the seventh inning, with Darick Hall delivering an RBI double, before he was driven in by J.T. Realmuto's RBI double.
Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray showed exactly why he was a top-five pick in last month's NBA Draft in his side's 82-69 win against the Phoenix Suns on Friday at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Murray, the fourth overall pick, was efficient in all areas, shooting eight-of-14 from the field and four-of-eight from long range for his 21 points and 10 rebounds in just 23 minutes.
He also had zero turnovers, one blocked shot and posted a game-high plus/minus of plus 21, meaning that despite the win, the Kings were outscored by eight points while he was on the bench.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder showed their depth of young talent by defeating the Golden State Warriors 90-82 despite second overall pick Chet Holmgren and second-year star Josh Giddey both sitting out.
The Thunder had six players score in double-figures, including 12th pick Jalen Williams, who had 10 points and six assists, but the top prospects in the game were on the Warriors' side.
Second-year wing Jonathan Kuminga top-scored for the Warriors yet again, but only shot five-of-15 for his 16 points, although he did show improved playmaking with five assists and two turnovers.
There were promising signs for center James Wiseman as well, scoring 14 points on four-of-six shooting, hitting the only three-pointer he attempted while also grabbing seven rebounds and blocking a shot in 21 productive minutes.
Wiseman did not play a single game in the 2021-22 season due to persistent injuries, but the second overall pick from the 2020 draft projects to have a significant role for the reigning champions.
Major League Baseball has agreed to pay $185million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit filed eight years ago over minimum wage and overtime pay violations for minor league players.
The agreement was filed Friday with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco and is awaiting final approval from Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero, who is expected to grant the request.
The lawsuit, initially filed in March 2014 by three retired minor league players – Aaron Senne, Michael Liberto and Oliver Odle – was settled on May 10 to avoid a trial that was to start three weeks later. Per the agreement, players will split a total sum of $120,197,300 with the remaining portion to go towards attorney fees and other related costs.
MLB also agreed to rescind its former policy of paying minor league players only within the confines of the season, which prevented players from receiving wages during spring training, extended spring training and when participating in instructional leagues.
"This settlement is a monumental step for minor league players towards a fair and just compensation system," said Garrett Broshuis, an attorney representing the players. "As a former minor league baseball player, I’ve seen first-hand the financial struggle players face while earning poverty-level wages – or no wages at all – in pursuit of their major league dream."
Spero previously awarded the players over $1.8 million in damages after finding MLB in violation of California wage requirements back in March. The judge also ruled that minor leaguers should be considered year-round employees and that MLB violated Arizona minimum wage laws as well.
"These are not students who have enrolled in a vocational school with the understanding that they would perform services, without compensation, as part of the practical training necessary to complete the training and obtain a license," Spero wrote.
After receiving increased pressure from both players and labour advocates, MLB agreed to increase minimum salaries of minor league players prior to the 2021 season and announced a new housing policy in November that would provide most players at all levels furnished housing accommodations at the expense of major league clubs.
"We are only in the second year of a major overhaul of the 100-year-old player development system and have made great strides to improve the quality of life for minor league players," MLB said in a statement.
"We are proud that minor league players already receive significant benefits, including free housing, quality health care, multiple meals per day, college tuition assistance for those who wish to continue their education and over $450 million in annual signing bonuses for first-year players."
Jon Rahm has said that he hopes Tiger Woods will carry on playing, after the American legend failed to make the cut after the second round at the Open at St Andrews.
Woods followed up his first round score of six over par with a second day three over to finish at nine over, with the cut line at par.
There were positive signs early on with a birdie on the third hole, but two bogeys in the following three holes and a double-bogey on the 16th eliminated any hopes of making it to the third round.
He was visibly emotional on the 18th hole, as he arrived to a rapturous reception from the gallery.
The 15-time major winner alluded to the fact that he may never play in another Open at St Andrews, but Rahm remained hopeful that he would be seen back at the 'home of golf'.
Rahm told reporters: "From what I heard, it will be in 2030, which is eight years from now, which is probably a few years too long. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the effort just to play and do a proper good-bye.
"I'm hoping this is not Tiger's last. I'm hoping somehow he can get healthier and be back. Obviously he's done amazing things here and amazing things everywhere in the world.
"You can tell he's in pain. I know he puts a front out there and he tries to walk normal, but you can tell in certain moments going down some of the hills. You can tell he's suffering.
"So hopefully they can – not fully fix it, I don't know if they'll be able to, but minimise it and have a normal life. As normal life as Tiger Woods can have obviously."
Maria Sharapova announced the birth of her first child on Friday with English businessman Alexander Gilkes.
Sharapova, 35, retired early in 2020 when she was just 32, citing increasing physical pain that became too much to ignore.
She won five slam titles between 2004 and 2014, securing a career Grand Slam in the process – although she has lived in the United States since moving there as a child.
In an interview with the New York Times after her retirement, Sharapova detailed her chronic shoulder injuries that have plagued her since she was 21 years old, as well as something called intersection syndrome in both forearms, which she described as "like shin splints in my forearms."
In her Instagram post announcing the birth, Sharapova said her child, Theodore, is "the most beautiful, challenging, and rewarding gift our little family could ask for."
Alexander Bublik beat Andy Murray to reach the semi-finals of the Hall of Fame Open, while Dominic Thiem was knocked out of the Swedish Open on Friday.
Bublik and Murray have now beaten each other two times apiece this year after the third seed won 7-5 6-4 in Newport.
The Kazakh overpowered the three-time grand slam champion to move into the last four, winning 80 per cent of his first-serve points and breaking three times.
Murray hit back straight after being broken at the start of the second set, but the former world one trailed 4-3 after failing to hold for a third time and Bublik did not give him another look-in.
Bublik will do battle with Jason Kubler for a place in the final after he defeated fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-5 7-6 (7-3).
Sebastian Baez ended Thiem's encouraging run to the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 win in Bastad.
Thiem, who has endured an injury nightmare, won his first match 14 months by beating Emil Ruusuvuori in the first round and followed that up by getting the better of Roberto Bautista Agut, but the former US Open champion will go no further.
Argentinian Baez will now come up against Andrey Rublev after the second seed from Russia saw off Laslo Djere 7-5 6-4.
Pablo Carreno Busta blew Diego Schwartzman away in a 6-1 6-0 thrashing, while Francisco Cerundolo got past Aslan Karatsev in straight sets.
Rory McIlroy knows he has "got the game" to be the man who lifts the Claret Jug at the 150th Open Championship on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman carded a second-round 68 at Andrews to sit three shots behind leader Cameron Smith.
McIlroy has not added to his major haul of four since 2014, when he was crowned Champion Golfer of the Year and won the US PGA Championship.
But he is confident he can change that on the Fife coast this weekend.
"I know I've got the game. That's all I need," he said. "I just need to go out and play my game and play my golf over the next two days and that's all I can do.
"Cam Smith goes out and shoots another two rounds like he did the first two days, I'm going to have a really hard time to win the tournament.
"I've just got to go out and do the best I can and worry about myself and hopefully that's good enough."
It was a day of low scoring at the home of golf, where Smith shot a blemish-free 64 to rise to the summit.
Australian compatriot Adam Scott also took advantage to sign for a 65, with McIlroy acknowledging it was important to be aggressive.
"It was one of those, you needed to go out and make birdies," he explained.
"It wasn't like you could be defensive at all. You had to go out and play well and make birdies because everyone was doing that.
"I just tried to play a little bit more on the front foot and be a little more aggressive."
But not everyone in the field managed to make the conditions count in their favour, with Tiger Woods labouring to a 75 as he missed the cut.
Afterwards, the 15-time major winner conceded he may never play an Open at St Andrews again, but Woods was heartened by the response he got from fans and his fellow professionals.
McIlroy was just starting his round and walking down the first when Woods was heading up the 18th to rapturous applause, with the two acknowledging each other.
"I've gotten pretty close to Tiger over these last few years," said McIlroy. "Especially after the accident, I think we've all sort of rallied around him down there in Jupiter and we all want to see him do well.
"He was our hero growing up, even though I'm maybe a touch older than some of the other guys, but we want to see him do well, we want to see him still out there competing.
"This week was obviously a tough week for him, but we're all behind him, we're all pulling for him."
Longtime offensive lineman Richie Incognito has retired from the NFL after a career filled with controversy, stating "I'm proud to retire with the Raiders".
The guard was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, before joining the Buffalo Bills late in the 2009 season.
He played only three games for the Bills in the remainder of that season, before signing a contract with the Miami Dolphins.
Incognito made the Pro Bowl in 2012 after an impressive season with the Dolphins, but he was suspended during the 2013 campaign for his alleged bullying of team-mate Jonathan Martin.
He sat out the 2014 season before re-joining the Bills in 2015 where he enjoyed the most successful period of his career, making three Pro Bowls while his team made the playoffs in 2017.
His time at the Bills was also not without its controversy, with Incognito accused of racially abusing Yannick Ngakoue during a playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, for which he later apologised.
Incognito was also involved in an incident at an Arizona funeral home in which he was arrested and charged, while the police found firearms in the back of his vehicle.
The former Nebraska and Oregon lineman then left Buffalo to join the then Oakland Raiders, and stayed there through their move to Las Vegas before his retirement.
The 39-year-old released a statement through the Raiders' website, stating: "Since I played my first snap at 12 years old, nothing in my life was more important than football. The game always came first.
"After stepping away from football in 2018, I knew if I came back, it would be to finish out my career on my terms. It also had to be with the right team, which I found in the Raiders.
"I'd played so long, and I'd gotten this 'bad boy' reputation, but it just fit with the Raiders. They trusted who I was, and they let me play.
"I love the Raiders organization, and Mr. Davis means the world to me. It's why after four teams and 15 years, I'm retiring a Raider.
"I wanted to finish on my own terms. Not a lot of people get to do that in this league and that's why I'm so proud to retire with the Raiders."
Petra Martic beat home favourite Belinda Bencic to set up a semi-final against Caroline Garcia at the Ladies Open Lausanne.
Martic toppled the second seed with a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) victory on Friday.
The unseeded Croatian, who was beaten by eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round at Wimbledon last week, claimed the only break of the first set to lead 5-3 and held her nerve to serve it out.
Bencic twice came from a break down in the second set to force a tie-break, but Martic raced into a 6-0 lead and duly moved into the last four.
The 31-year-old Split native will come up against Garcia, who beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4 6-1.
Frenchwoman Garcia also reached the last 16 in the grass-court grand slam at SW19 and has won 11 of her past 12 matches.
Unseeded duo Olga Danilovic and Anastasia Potapova will contest the other semi-final following victories over Simona Waltert and Wimbledon quarter-finalist Jule Niemeier respectively.
At the Budapest Grand Prix, Anna Bondar is through to the last four without dropping a set in her homeland after defeating Martina Trevisan 6-4 6-1.
Ninth seed Bondar will face Bernarda Pera, who beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-4 6-3. Yulia Putintseva had won all eight games before Lesia Tsurenko retired from their quarter-final due to injury and she will take on Aleksandra Krunic, who cruised past Wang Xiyu 6-0 6-1.
The Houston Texans have reached settlement agreements with 30 women who were willing to make claims against the team in relation to Deshaun Watson's alleged misconduct.
Quarterback Watson, who is now at the Cleveland Browns, was sued by 24 women who accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and 2021, when he was with the Texans.
Twenty of those civil lawsuits recently ended with confidential settlements, while Watson has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Now ESPN have reported the Texans have agreed to settle with the 30 women, according to a statement from the attorney for the women, Tony Buzbee, who added the settlements were confidential.
"We were shocked and deeply saddened when we first learned of the allegations against our then franchise quarterback in March 2021," Texans owners Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair said in a statement, as quoted by ESPN.
"Although our organisation did not have any knowledge of Deshaun Watson's alleged misconduct, we have intentionally chosen to resolve this matter amicably.
"This is not an admission of any wrongdoing, but instead a clear stand against any form of sexual assault and misconduct.
"We hope that today's resolution will provide some form of closure to the parties involved, our fans and the Houston community at large.
"As an organisation, we will now turn our focus to the future and doing what we can to ensure respect for all."
A retired federal judge will make a decision on Watson's immediate NFL future, with a hearing already under way to determine whether he violated the league's personal conduct policy.
Cameron Smith holds the 36-hole lead at the 150th Open Championship after a day on which Tiger Woods likely waved a fond farewell to St Andrews.
A stellar 64 from Smith handed the Australian a two-shot lead on 13 under at the halfway point, with Cameron Young his nearest rival, while the likes of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler are firmly in the mix.
But 15-time major winner Woods, who has his name etched onto the Claret Jug three times, missed the cut following an untidy 75, conceding afterwards that he would probably not be returning when the home of golf next hosts the sport's oldest major.
Woods was met with rapturous applause as he made the walk down the 18th fairway, with McIlroy tipping his hat to the American as he headed down the first at the start of his round of 68, which left the 2014 winner three shots behind, level with Viktor Hovland.
After early rain on the Fife coast, the conditions were conducive to low scoring and Smith was one of a host of players to take advantage, with compatriot Adam Scott's 65 moving him to seven under and Tyrrell Hatton's 66 leaving him one better off.
Johnson got to nine under with a 67, one ahead of world number one Scheffler.
Other big names to join Woods in missing the cut were reigning champion Collin Morikawa, six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
SHOT OF THE DAY
Smith headed to the par-five 14th on the back of three consecutive pars and looking for something to ignite his back nine to match the fireworks of the front nine.
And my word did he find it. His approach shot found the green but was a long way from the hole, leaving him with surely a lag putt just to put it close enough for a birdie.
But that was never going to be enough for the on-form Smith, who rolled it all the way up to the hole and in the cup for a spectacular eagle.
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Smith's 64 was Friday's lowest round on a day when his scorecard remained blemish-free.
The 28-year-old's putter stayed hot as he made six birdies and an eagle en route to a score that puts him in firm contention for a maiden major.
CHIPPING IN
Tiger Woods: "This is my favourite golf course. I fell in love with it back in 1995 and it hasn't changed. I just love how it can be played in so many different ways."
Mark Calcavecchia: "Forget about my golf. It wouldn't have mattered if I shot a pair of 75s or a pair of 85s, which I nearly did. It was about playing one more, my last one here at the home of golf, which is really cool to be able to end it here."
Cameron Smith: "I think there's going to be a few more gnarly pins, and I think being smart out there is definitely going to be the key to staying at the top of the leaderboard."
A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME
- Cameron Smith's combined score of 131 is a record after 36 holes in an Open at St Andrews.
- All four past champions at St Andrews missed the cut: Zach Johnson (2015), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), Tiger Woods (2000, 2005) and John Daly (1995).
- From his 22 appearances at The Open, this was only the fourth time Woods failed to make the cut.
Fitness athlete Avernell Modest is still basking in her third-place finish in the Bikini Class of the Inter-Island Bodybuilding Fitness and Physique Championships held at the Maho Casino Royale in St Maarten on July 3.
The Kansas City Chiefs and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. were unable to agree to a long-term contract, missing Friday’s deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign multi-year deals.
Brown will make $16.7million under the franchise tag in 2022, but his future beyond that remains unsure.
The Chiefs acquired Brown, 26, from the Baltimore Ravens last off-season, and he started 16 games last season protecting Patrick Mahomes' blindside.
According to reports, the Chiefs had offered Brown a six-year contract that could be worth over $131m, but Brown’s agent, Michael Portner, balked at the lack of guarantees, especially late in the deal.
"We got really close," Portner told NFL Network. "We enjoyed dealing with the Chiefs and we understand their position as well. I'm not gonna let these athletes sign a flashy contract without the substance or security there."
NFL Network previously reported that Brown would not report to the beginning of the Chiefs’ minicamp on July 26, but Brown has yet to declare his intentions.
The stand-off between Brown and the Chiefs comes after long-time right tackle Mitchell Schwartz announced his retirement due to complications from a lingering back injury.
Cameron Smith set a 36-hole St Andrews Open Championship record but predicts a "brutal" test in the third round.
The Australian started Friday three shots back of first-round leader Cameron Young but held the clubhouse lead after reaching 13-under for the tournament thanks to blemish-free second-round 64.
Smith opened with three birdies before adding another trio to go six-under through the first 10 holes.
The Players Championship victor managed pars on his next three holes, before sinking a remarkable long-range putt to eagle the 14th.
Rory McIlroy and Paul Broadhurst's Old Course low-round Open record of 63 appeared in danger, but Smith closed with four pars to finish eight-under for the second round.
Smith still managed to set the 36-hole record at a St Andrews Open, having taken just 131 strokes across his first two rounds, with 132 having been achieved on three occasions before Friday.
While Smith will head into the weekend leading the final major of the year, he expects a tough challenge with a later tee time on Saturday.
"I think being off late again tomorrow afternoon it's obviously going to be a bit firmer, more like the first day, I would say," he told reporters.
"So I would say it's going to be pretty brutal out there. I think there's going to be a few more gnarly pins, and I think being smart is definitely going to be the key to staying at the top of the leaderboard."
Smith remains in search of a major maiden win, with his best finish coming at The Masters in a tie for second in 2020, and believes his patience will again be key with tricky conditions and slow play on the course.
"I think just being patient. I obviously got off to a really hot start and it's very easy to just keep going, getting on the front foot and maybe trying to hit some shots that are a little bit too aggressive," he added.
"But I just stayed patient and holed some really nice putts. I don't think we can really do anything about [the slow play], to be honest, the way the course is set up.
"I'm a really impatient person. Everyone that knows me hates me for it. So I have to try my best out there to be really patient, with the pace of play, and with the golf course as well."
Smith is no stranger to being in contention at a major, having finished in the top five on five occasions across The Masters, U.S. Open, US PGA Championship and The Open.
While appreciating the historic occasion of the 150th Open, Smith insists he will not get caught up in the moment as he prioritises treating every round the same.
"It's obviously a really good spot to be in. I feel like I've been in this spot a lot over the past couple of years, and things just haven't quite gone my way yet," he continued.
"But like I said before, I've just got to be really patient over the weekend. I think the golf course is going to get a lot harder and a lot faster. So just be patient and make good putts.
"I think I've always done a pretty good job of just treating every round the same. I think it's going to be a really cool experience being out there. It has been this whole week.
"But I've always done a really good job of just doing the same thing, going through the same process every morning, making sure I feel the same – get on the range, hit the same shots. It's very boring, but it does the trick."
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