Cameron Norrie branded an umpiring call against him “absurd” and “unacceptable” after battling to a five-set victory over Benoit Paire in the first round of the French Open.

A British singles wipe-out looked to be on the cards for the second time in four editions in Paris when Norrie trailed 4-2 in the deciding set on Suzanne Lenglen but he fought back to defeat Frenchman Paire 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 and silence the lively home crowd.

A key moment occurred in the third game of the second set when, with Norrie serving at 30-30, umpire Nico Helwerth docked the 14th seed a point for a hindrance, claiming he had shouted out during play.

Paire went on to break serve and, although Norrie kept his protest brief on court, he made it clear in the press conference room just how unhappy he was.

“I think both of us didn’t know why he called it,” said Norrie. “I think Benoit thought it was for him, both of us were a bit confused. It was for sure a grunt. It was a big point. I don’t know why he felt it was necessary to get involved there. He gave me no warning whatsoever.

“It ultimately changed the momentum of the match. I was holding pretty comfortably, for the most part, up until that point. The next point Benoit had a winner and then I was a break down.

“It was strange. He must have thought that I said something, and I think for him to get involved there was absurd.”

Norrie cited another decision on Sunday against Dan Evans, when the British player was foot-faulted by a line judge at the far end of the court for his back foot crossing the centre line.

“I watched that and he was nowhere near foot-faulting and the guy is calling him on the other side of the net,” said Norrie.

“What are we doing here? I’m here playing tennis, competing as hard as I can, and to do that, a pretty big point. Maybe if I spoke to him now he thinks he’s wrong but, at the end of the day, I’m fighting my a**e off and one call could obviously influence the match.

“I did my best to try and not let it bother me. I’ve never been called for that before ever. I think it’s obviously unacceptable – that’s my point of view – but, if he makes a decision wrong, there’s no consequences. And, for me, if I do something wrong, there’s consequences.”

Paire, possessor of one of the best beards in sport but not one of the best temperaments, has toyed with retirement at the age of 34 and came into the event as a wild card ranked 134.

When they met in the same round at the US Open last summer, Norrie won two lightning quick sets 6-0 either side of a competitive second, with Paire packing up his bag before the match had finished.

But his attitude was very different here and he probably should have won a scrappy first set after leading by a break and having seven more break points.

Norrie has struggled for form over the past couple of months and was unable to wrest the momentum back from Paire during the second and third sets, with the crowd getting ever more involved, breaking out the Marseillaise and the Mexican wave.

The Frenchman seemed to settle for a decider after going an early break down in the fourth, and he looked on his way to victory when Norrie handed over another break to start the fifth, but the British number one was eventually rewarded for his probing.

He can expect a similar atmosphere in the next round, when he takes on a resurgent Lucas Pouille, who has been the toast of Roland Garros this week after coming through qualifying following injury and personal problems.

Norrie relishes such occasions, saying: “I think it’s great to play those matches in grand slams against home favourites, and I think that’s why I play tennis. That’s why I love those moments.

“To be on the flip side of that is difficult at times. I think the crowd can be tough at times, but I keep reminding myself it’s good to be playing, that I want to be out there competing and being in those tough moments when the crowd is against me.

“It makes it even better to come through those matches, so it was really cool to play on that court and against Benoit, who was competing really hard and also he came with a good level today.

“I didn’t play my best, and there’s a lot of the things I want to work on in practice tomorrow, but it’s good to get through it and nice to win a five-set match.”

Andrea Atzeni partnered Angers to an impressive victory in the Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen at Cologne on Monday.

Atzeni, who now rides as a freelance, teamed up with Mario Baratti, who is based in France, to win the German equivalent of the 2000 Guineas and deny Charlie Johnston and Ioritz Mendizabal with Finn’s Charm in second.

Angers had only won one of his six starts in France, and was third to Jean-Claude Rouget’s French Guineas fifth Valimi on his most recent outing.

Finn’s Charm attempted to make all under Mendizabal, with Roger Varian’s previously unbeaten Dragon Icon and Benacre, a stablemate of Finn’s Charm, within touching distance.

The leader briefly looked to have slipped the field before Atzeni brough Angers with a powerful run down the outside and he went on to win by six lengths.

Dhangadhi was third, just ahead of Benacre and Dragon Icon.

“He’s a lovely, big horse and ran very well in France the last day,” Atzeni told Wettstar.

“He gave me a nice feel going down to the start and his trainer Mario Baratti has done a great job to keep him spot on for this race, as it’s never easy to travel a horse to a different country.

“He looked the best horse in the paddock and he was by far the best horse in the race.”

“Mentally destroyed” Jack Draper cursed his injury luck once again after being forced out of the French Open with a shoulder problem.

The 21-year-old has struggled with hip and abdominal issues this season but declared himself fully fit ahead of the year’s second grand slam.

However, it became clear in the eighth game of his first-round contest against Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry that Draper was ailing physically again when he started to serve underarm.

He managed to hold serve to make it 4-4 but Etcheverry claimed the next two games to take the opening set, after which a resigned-looking Draper called the trainer.

He took some pills and tried to play on but, trailing 0-30 in the second game of the second set, pulled the plug and shook hands with his opponent before trudging off court.

“Yesterday during practice when I was hitting serves, I started to feel a bit of a twinge at the bottom of my shoulder,” said Draper.

“I took all the things I needed to go on court today, hoping it would settle down. But it didn’t. It got worse. I had every intention to try to compete and play well, but after the first game it was clear that it was very sore.

“I hate being the guy who is injured a lot. It’s difficult. Mentally, it’s extremely tough, tougher than playing and losing almost.

“I put in a lot of work. I had a good week last week and I’m coming here feeling optimistic but it’s not meant to be. I feel a bit mentally destroyed.”

There is no doubt about Draper’s potential but, rather like his friend Emma Raducanu, his body has so far been unable to hold up to the rigours of top-level tennis.

He is optimistic this issue will not seriously impact his grass-court prospects, with Wimbledon starting in five weeks.

“I said to my coach in the first set, ‘I’m not retiring from another match’,” said a dejected Draper. “I don’t want to do this. Even if I had to play three sets serving underarm, I don’t care, I just wanted to play.

“But there’s no point in making this worse. I’ve obviously got to think about the grass round the corner and hope it settles down before that.

“It’s not a tear or a strain, it’s something to do with the tendon at the top of my arm. And, if I’m trying to serve 130mph serves, the impact, it’s just going to get more and more sore.

“It’s a huge part of my game, my serve, so hopefully it settles down but I have no idea how long that might be.

“I think I’ll be more than fine for Wimbledon, it’s just what’s going on in the weeks coming up.”

Draper feels his tennis abilities are counting against him to a degree, with the British number four winning two matches in Lyon last week on his return from the abdominal injury he suffered in March.

“I’d almost maybe be happier in the future if I lost first or second round, to make sure I’m not coming back off a five week lay-off and winning three or two matches at a high level,” he said.

“Same in Indian wells, I won three matches and against (Carlos) Alcaraz it’s just too much. It’s really frustrating. But I will get there. It’s just a brutal sport.”

Anmaat secured his first Group One success when leading home a British one-two in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp.

The five-year-old progressed rapidly throughout an unbeaten 2022 which culminated in a Group Two success in the Prix Dollar at the same track on Arc weekend.

And following a pleasing return behind Adayar in the rearranged Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket, the Owen Burrows-trained runner showed his liking for the French capital once again on Monday afternoon.

Ridden with patience by Jim Crowley in the 10-furlong contest as David Simcock’s Light Infantry dictated terms on the front end from Joseph O’Brien’s Buckaroo, Anmaat was asked to go through the gears and deliver his challenge when angled out by his rider in the home straight.

But with Light Infantry and Buckaroo refusing to lie down, plus home contenders Erevann and Facteur Cheval quickening along with Anmaat, Burrows’ gelding had to pull out all the stops to claim gold in a fantastic five-way dash for the winning post, with Light Infantry holding on for the silver medal.

Crowley told Equidia: “It was a good finish. It was a bit messy early on, I thought I was a little bit far back. He picked up very well, he’s improving all the time, It’s lovely to win a Group One.

“I was a little bit concerned about the quicker ground but he’s handled it fine. I’m hoping he will improve and he will be even better with more cut in the ground as well.”

Beaten Irish 2,000 Guineas favourite Royal Scotsman is undergoing tests following his lacklustre run at the Curragh.

Paul and Oliver Cole’s colt was sent off was sent off a heavily supported 6-4 chance in Ireland having finished third to Chaldean in the Newmarket equivalent.

However, he never looked like getting involved under Jamie Spencer and came home ninth of the 11 runners, beaten over seven lengths.

“He’s come back and he’s a bit sore, we’re just investigating now,” Oliver Cole told Sky Sports Racing.

“I don’t really want to say too much, but he never picked the bridle up going down to post and he never picked the bridle up during the race which is totally unlike him.

“So, we’re investigating now and it will all come out in the wash in the next couple of days, but it certainly wasn’t him.

“All options are still there for him – the St James’s Palace, the Jersey, we’re just trying to do the sensible thing. If we went for the Jersey, we could step back up to the Group One miles after that, all being well.

“We need to win a race with him.”

Ed Walker does not think his Betfred Derby contender Waipiro faces an “impossible” task in attempting to turn the tables on favourite Military Order from their run at Lingfield.

The pair were first and second, separated by a length and a quarter, in the Derby trial at the Surrey track, which was this year was moved from the saturated turf to the all-weather course.

The Godolphin runner was immediately promoted to the head of the betting while Waipiro is around a 16-1 chance, and Walker feels that offers each-way value given it was just the third run of his life.

“He didn’t show a lot on his debut at Kempton Park but we left him in the Derby for a reason. It wasn’t a total surprise that he won at Newmarket but it was obviously very pleasing,” said Walker.

“It looked a very hot race but we chose a race like that to answer questions as we believed he was a nice horse and we wanted to see where he sat with other nice horses. The result was very rewarding and he stepped up again at Lingfield.

“You have to be very pleased with his run at Lingfield. He was very relaxed and very professional. He performed to a high level and it was a satisfying run.

“I think he stamped himself as a high-class colt there as he gave the Derby favourite a good run for his money and you have to be pleased with that.”

Waipiro was forced wide off the bend at Lingfield and Walker feels he could have finished closer on another day.

“The race didn’t go as smoothly in the last couple of furlongs as it did for the winner, who looks a very good horse, and he is bred for the job and he is a very worthy favourite for the Derby,” said Walker.

“Military Order was dominant in the last 100 yards and we are going to have to make another significant step forward to beat him, but I don’t think it is impossible for him to turn it around.

“I think the void is the massive difference in price. I’d imagine, in an open Derby, he might attract attention from punters having an each-way bet. I certainly wouldn’t put anyone off having an each-way bet on him.

“I think he will handle the track and the occasion. He can get a bit warm at home and I wouldn’t be worried seeing him get a bit warm in the preliminaries.

“He is most likely going to wear a red hood to post to help keep a lid on him a bit, because he was a bit noisy at the start at Lingfield. He is generally a very relaxed horse and a professional horse.”

Cameron Norrie survived a five-set battle with Frenchman Benoit Paire and the lively Roland Garros crowd to keep British hopes in the singles alive.

There looked set to be a British wipe-out for the second time in four editions in Paris when Norrie trailed 4-2 in the deciding set on Suzanne Lenglen after Jack Draper was forced to retire injured.

But 14th seed Norrie showed his battling qualities again to pull off a 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory after three hours and 33 minutes.

And he can expect more of the same in the second round when he takes on a resurgent Lucas Pouille, who has been the toast of Roland Garros this week after coming through qualifying following injury and personal problems.

“It was an amazing match,” said Norrie. “All credit to Benoit. He played really well. He made it really difficult. Great atmosphere, thank you to everyone for the support both ways, it was amazing. I’m pleased to be through after a really tough one.”

Paire, possessor of one of the best beards in sport but not one of the best temperaments, has toyed with retirement at the age of 34 and came into the event as a wild card ranked 134.

When they met in the same round at the US Open last summer, Norrie won two lightning quick sets 6-0 either side of a competitive second, with Paire packing up his bag before the match had finished.

The Frenchman said afterwards it could have been his final match but he decided to continue and his attitude was much better here.

He probably should have won a scrappy first set that lasted almost an hour, breaking for 4-3 and then having seven more break points after Norrie had levelled.

The 27-year-old has struggled for wins over the last two months after a brilliant start to the season and there was not the same certainty on his groundstrokes that British tennis fans have been accustomed to.

Norrie’s biggest weapon is his consistency but here he was caught between dropping shots too short and pushing them long and it was his fighting spirit and a dependable wide serve to Paire’s backhand that helped him through the opener.

Norrie looked a little more relaxed at the start of the second set and immediately had a break point but it was he who was broken to trail 2-1 after a contentious moment when umpire Nico Helwerth docked him a point for what appeared a very harsh hindrance call at 30-30, the official claiming Norrie had shouted out during play.

The crowd were in full voice when Paire managed to hold to level the match, and the French national anthem boomed around Suzanne Lenglen when their man broke again to lead 2-1 in the third set.

With Paire feeding off the support, Norrie was kept on the back foot and this corner of Paris was in party mood as the Frenchman moved two sets to one in front.

The fourth set went by in a flash, with Paire broken early and then appearing to save himself for a decider, where Norrie handed his opponent the initiative again right at the start with a game full of errors.

But the British number one did not allow his head to drop and his probing earned dividends with a break back for 4-4 before Paire finally cracked.

Scotland assistant coaches Steve Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have followed the lead of head coach Gregor Townsend in extending their contracts until April 2026.

Defence coach Tandy, forwards coach Dalziel and scrum coach De Villiers all joined the national team set-up in 2020 and have become valued members of the backroom staff.

Their new deals have been announced just weeks after it was confirmed that Townsend, whose initial contract was due to expire after the World Cup this autumn, would be remaining in his post for a further three years.

“The news that Steve, John and Pieter have extended their contracts is a real boost,” Townsend told Scottish Rugby. “They are all key members of the coaching group and provide invaluable support to our players and myself.

“Since coming on board all three have made a hugely positive impact to not only their individual areas but also to our all-round game and the environment. I’d like to thank Scottish Rugby for their support in keeping this coaching group together for the next few years.

“We enjoy working with each other and are determined to do all we can to bring out the best in this special squad of players.”

Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Pete Horne and former All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar both joined Scotland’s coaching group as assistant attack coaches for the Six Nations campaign earlier this year, and they will continue their roles during the build-up to the World Cup and into the tournament itself.

“It’s great news that we’ve been able to secure the services of Pete and Brad for the Rugby World Cup too,” said Townsend. “They both contributed to our group hugely during the Guinness Six Nations period.

“I’m looking forward to working with them again on the attack side of our game and helping improve the skills and decision making of our players.”

Mental skills coach Aaron Walsh will also continue working with Scotland for the World Cup.

The squad are due to meet up this week to begin preparations for the World Cup in France, albeit several players will not join up with the group initially due to late finishes to the season with their clubs.

Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes’ upgrade is unlikely to provide a swift end to his losing streak.

Hamilton and team-mate George Russell were given their first taste of the team’s revamped machine in Monaco.

Hamilton and Russell qualified sixth and eighth, before making up two and three places respectively in Sunday’s rain-hit race following an early call to move from slick to wet rubber.

Traditionally, the Monte Carlo layout has been among Mercedes’ worst tracks with this weekend’s race at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona set to represent a truer reflection of the team’s outright speed.

But Wolff believes he did not see enough progress from their upgraded car to suggest they will immediately move ahead of Aston Martin and Ferrari in the pecking order, or challenge Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team who have won all six races this year.

“We need to be careful,” said team principal Wolff. “We will collect more data in Barcelona, but I don’t expect us to clear Ferrari and Aston Martin there either.

“It is about understanding what does this car do now and how do we set it up?

“We are good at grinding away. Last year, the package was terrible at the beginning of the season, and we won a race in Interlagos [at the penultimate round] so we will get there.”

Hamilton finished 39 seconds behind Verstappen on Sunday as the Dutchman claimed his fourth victory in six races to extend his championship lead to 39 points.

Red Bull have now won 15 of the last 16 grands prix, with Verstappen, who grazed the wall en route to taking the chequered flag in Monte Carlo, remaining on course to race to his third world title in as many years.

Asked if Verstappen’s dominance is proving to be a turn-off for the sport, Wolff replied: “When you win in Formula One it is a meritocracy.

“They have done a good job and the car is fast in all conditions and the driver is at the top of his game.

“We need to do a better job, catch up, find intelligent solutions and hope our development slope is steeper than theirs, and eventually fight again.

“Whether it is good for the show or not, a strong fight between 10 drivers, or at least two, is obviously much better for all of us, but we have to accept it and work to get back there.

“The best driver in the best car spending the same money wins the championship, and if you break the rules you should be heavily penalised, but only then, and you should not be penalised for simply doing a good job.”

Jack Draper suffered more physical problems at the French Open when a left shoulder problem forced him to pull out during his first-round clash with Tomas Etcheverry.

The 21-year-old has struggled with hip and abdominal problems this season but declared himself fully fit ahead of the year’s second grand slam.

However, it became clear in the eighth game that Draper was ailing physically again when he started to serve underarm.

He managed to hold serve to make it 4-4 but Argentinian Etcheverry claimed the next two games to take the opening set, after which a resigned-looking Draper called the trainer.

He took some pills and tried to play on but, trailing 0-30 in the second game of the second set, pulled the plug and shook hands with his opponent before trudging off court.

There is no doubt about Draper’s potential but, rather like his former junior compatriot Emma Raducanu, his body has so far been unable to hold up to the rigours of top-level tennis.

He will now hope this issue does not seriously impact his grass-court prospects, with Wimbledon starting in five weeks.

Ante-post favourite Military Order leads 16 contenders for Saturday’s Betfred Derby at Epsom, with Passenger the sole supplementary entry.

Representing Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, Military Order booked his place in the Classic line up with a comfortable trial success at Lingfield and he is the only contender for his handler, who has won the race twice with Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021).

“From the team’s point of view, we’re very happy with him. He came out of his Lingfield Derby Trial win very well and we’ve been very pleased with him since,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.

“He’s improving week on week physically, and we can’t fault him to date on what he has been doing in his work and on the racecourse. He goes out and gets the job done in the mornings without being flash.

“He’s a mile-and-a-half horse, so you don’t expect flashy work. That hasn’t changed from his two-year-old days and I wouldn’t expect it to change.

“Military Order, like his brother Adayar, goes out and gets the job done.”

Sir Michael Stoute saddled Desert Crown to victory last year and he looks to Passenger to give him seventh overall win the in the race.

Owners the Niarchos Family opted to stump up the £85,000 fee to add him to the 12-furlong Classic after enduring a luckless run when third in the Dante last time out.

Aidan O’Brien is the race’s leading trainer with eight wins on his CV and Auguste Rodin captains a possible four-strong team as he seeks to put a disappointing 2000 Guineas run well behind him stepping up in trip.

Adelaide River, Covent Garden and Chester winner San Antonio complete the potential Ballydoyle squad.

Frankie Dettori is set to have his last ride in the Derby aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Arrest, an impressive winner of the Chester Vase on his seasonal bow while Dante winner The Foxes is in contention for Andrew Balding.

York second White Birch reopposes for John Murphy, Jessica Harrington’s Leopardstown Derby Trial winner Sprewell and the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Alder round out the Irish hopefuls.

Charlie Johnston’s 2000 Guineas fifth Dubai Mile is set to be joined by stablemate Dear My Friend, who was eighth in the Dante, with Ralph Beckett’s unbeaten Artistic Star, the Roger Varian-trained King Of Steel and Waipiro for Ed Walker the other candidates.

Frankie Dettori will lay a wreath at the statue of Lester Piggott on Derby day, as Epsom also permanently renames a race in memory of one of the sport’s most decorated jockeys.

Piggott, who died last year aged 86, won the Derby a record nine times and Epsom has announced that each year moving forward a member of the weighing room will lay a wreath in the colours of Piggott’s 1970 Derby hero Nijinsky at the statue of the rider situated on the Queen Elizabeth II Stand lawn.

Dettori will take this year’s wreath-laying duties as he makes his final appearance on Derby day before retirement, while the track has also renamed the £75,000 10-furlong handicap staged on Saturday as the Lester Piggott Handicap Stakes.

Dettori – who had a mural commemorating his Derby win on Golden Horn commissioned by Epsom prior to the track’s opening meeting of the season – classed Piggott both as a good friend and hero and is honoured to become the first jockey to lay the annual wreath.

He said: “It is an honour to be asked to lay a wreath at Lester’s statue on Derby day. He was a hero of mine who then became a good friend and it’s impossible to measure the impact he had on me, both as a person and a jockey throughout my life.

“I’m sure it will be a poignant and emotional moment for many reasons and I’m grateful to Epsom Downs for inviting me to lead this year’s tributes to Lester on my last Derby day as a jockey.”

Brian Finch, chair of Epsom racecourse, added: “For so many of us, Lester Piggott is synonymous with the Derby and Epsom Downs like no other jockey before or since.

“Lester sadly passed away just six days before the Derby in 2022 and we ran the Derby in his memory.

“For such a distinguished figure in the long history of the Derby and with his unprecedented achievements unlikely to be matched, we felt it was important to establish a permanent annual commemoration and celebration of Lester’s life on Derby day.

“I would like to thank Frankie Dettori for agreeing to lay the wreath in Lester’s memory this year ahead of his final ride in the Betfred Derby and I hope the Betfred Lester Piggott Handicap will provide an exciting finish of which Lester would have been proud.”