Justin Thomas says he is starting to see “a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel” as he heads into his US PGA title defence.
Both of Thomas’ major victories so far have come at the US PGA – 2017 and 2022 – but he has arrived at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester following a first missed cut in eight Masters appearances last month.
The 30-year-old American’s highest finish anywhere this year was fourth at the Phoenix Open, with the Valspar Championship providing Thomas’ only other top-10 result.
He is a 20-1 shot to land a third US PGA crown, although he was encouraged by his display at the recent Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.
“How you learn is failure and negatives, and I feel like I’ve had a great opportunity for a lot of learning the past couple of months this year,” Thomas said.
“I am starting to see a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel.
“There are going to be days where 70 might be the best that I have that day, but it’s sure better than 71, or 75 might be the best I have that day, but it’s better than 76. That’s just kind of how I have always been taught.
View this post on Instagram“How I described it for a couple months is, I’ve never felt so far and so close at the same time.
“That is a very hard thing to explain, and it’s also a very hard way to try to compete and win a golf tournament.
“That’s how you get out of it, just playing your way out of it and hitting the shots when you want to and making those putts when you need to.
“Then your confidence builds back up, and next thing you know you don’t even remember what you were thinking in those times.
“I felt like I showed a lot of really good signs in Charlotte (Wells Fargo).”
Thomas played a practice round on Monday, and his first impressions of Oak Hill backed up what he has been told.
“I came out (on Sunday), just with wedges and putter and walked all 18 holes and just hit chips and putts around the greens,” he said.
“I actually played the golf course (on Monday) in its entirety, and it’s everything that I had heard about. It’s a tough test.”
London Irish could be suspended from the Gallagher Premiership as speculation continues to rage about their future amid a possible takeover by an American consortium.
The Rugby Football Union says that, along with Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players’ Association, it is “seeking to take action to obtain greater clarity on the future of London Irish”.
The RFU said: “The proposed takeover of London Irish by an American consortium has led to a significant amount of uncertainty and speculation about the future of the club, which is having an impact on players, staff and fans of the club.
“It is imperative that the club will be in a position to take its place in the Gallagher Premiership in season 2023-24 and to complete that season.”
A deadline of May 30 has now been set by the RFU in what is an increasingly grim saga, with Irish having reported debts of £30milliom.
By that time, a takeover of the club must have been completed and approved by the RFU, with the buyers undertaking to provide all required working capital to meet the club’s obligations for at least next season, or the club showing that it will continue to be funded to operate throughout next season.
The RFU added: “If the club fails to meet these conditions, it will be suspended from participating in the Premiership (and other competitions) in season 2023-24 to avoid a scenario where the club enters insolvency mid-season, with the corresponding and substantial impact that has on players, staff and fans, as well as on the remainder of the league.
“This deadline was set to give enough time for the buyers to provide the information needed and for the transaction to complete.”
Wasps and Worcester entered administration earlier this season, resulting in their expulsion from the Premiership.
It meant the Premiership dropping to 11 clubs, with the most fraught campaign in English domestic rugby history reaching its conclusion on May 27 when Saracens and Sale Sharks contest the final at Twickenham.
Irish, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on a place in the title play-offs, finishing fifth, three points behind Northampton.
Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson says he is “super proud” that his Gallagher Premiership finalists are flying the flag for rugby union in the north of England.
And Sanderson believes a sold-out AJ Bell Stadium that provided an inspired soundtrack to Sale’s pulsating play-off victory over Leicester must be viewed as just the start of their journey.
Sale play within 23 miles of five Super League clubs – Salford, Leigh, St Helens, Warrington and Wigan – while Old Trafford is just four miles down the road and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium only a further five miles away.
It represents a congested sporting picture, but Sale have put themselves firmly on the map by reaching a first Premiership final for 17 years, with Saracens awaiting them at Twickenham on May 27.
“My job is to get them (players) to perform and play well at the weekend – that is my first priority – but there are many different hats to wear,” Sanderson said.
“And I am so proud of the fact that, potentially, our reach in the north is expanding.
“There are bigger crowds coming and the buzz is better. It’s busier, it’s a ‘Brucie bonus’. It is a humbling addition to the role in that you might be inspiring some kid to pick up a ball.
“I remember The North playing New Zealand when I was a kid. You know what I mean? Right now, we are flying the flag, and yes, I am super proud of that.
“I can’t talk too much about it because I start to cry and get too emotional.
“To come home, to this team – the team I played for and captained, that my brother played for, that my dad played against – it’s a bit of a dream.
“It feels like the start. I’m pumped, but I will think about the future in two weeks’ time. We have got a job to do before then.”
Sale fly-half George Ford, who played for Leicester when they defeated Saracens in the final a year ago, mirrors Sanderson’s view on building a northern stronghold.
Oldham-born Ford has won more than 80 England caps, playing on many of the sport’s biggest stages, and he is enthused by Sale’s future – on and off the pitch.
Ford said: “We speak about it all the time in that one of our reasons why is to make the people up here proud and interested in rugby union.
“To come out and support us, but more importantly for the kids to come out and pick up a rugby ball and start playing up here.
“It is obviously challenging with football and rugby league, but we are doing our utmost to have an effect on these young kids.
“Rugby union up here has got its challenges, as we all know. All we can do as a club is perform well, try to win games, fill the place out and try to entertain these people, give them a winning team that care and compete.
“We want to inspire the kids as well. The amount of kids you saw out there with smiles on their faces – ultimately, that’s what it is about.
“When we have finished and are long gone from the game, they are the people that will come in and take the game forward.
“If we can inspire kids to come and play up here – northern lads playing for Sale – that is what we want.”
Golden Arrow, who created a highly favourable impression when scoring on debut at Hamilton on Sunday, will head to the Listed National Stakes at Sandown on Thursday week.
Alice Haynes is eyeing Royal Ascot following the Havana Grey juvenile’s three-quarter-length victory in the five-furlong Sky Bet Sunday Series EBF Maiden Stakes, and is keen to give the colt more experience beforehand.
Having made smooth headway against four rivals under Kieran O’Neill, Golden Arrow led a furlong out and kept on strongly at the first time of asking for owners Al Mohamediya Racing.
“It was a fantastic performance,” said Haynes. “He is all speed and will sharpen up a lot from that.
“The front two had the experience and I liked how he was behind the bridle the whole way and then came through at the end.
“Although he was a breeze-up horse, I quite like my two-year-olds to be behind the bridle, so they are not doing too much, and then to finish like that.”
The in-form Newmarket handler, who started training in 2021, is keen to head to the Royal meeting with the colt, who cost £200,000 at the breeze-ups.
“He will have an entry in the National Stakes before Royal Ascot, as I think it is important he goes and gets a bit more valid experience. He will probably be Norfolk Stakes-bound,” added Haynes.
“Thursday week will come around quickly and hopefully the ground will dry out a bit more. We might get some summer ground soon. We look forward to seeing ‘good’ in the ground.
“He is an exciting prospect and it is good for the owners, who are new with me.
“He was one of the more expensive ones, but Havana Greys are a real a pleasure to train.”
International rugby league is facing an uncertain future after France announced its decision to withdraw from hosting the 2025 World Cup, citing its inability to meet financial guarantees required by the French government.
The move, which affects the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, has left the international game’s governing body, the IRL, scrabbling to consider other “contingency options” in order to ensure the continuation of the event.
However, those options do not include England, as following up its successful staging of the delayed 2021 tournament last year is seen as unfeasible given the short notice and level of finance required, the PA news agency understands.
IRL chief Troy Grant described the move as “very disappointing”, adding: “I respect the French Government’s decision amid the challenges they are facing but I can’t hide my disappointment, that I conveyed clearly to them in person.
“Despite our focus having been on France, we will now accelerate our consideration of other contingency options.”
The most obvious – and perhaps only remaining – option is to stage the tournament in Australia or New Zealand, although even this would be likely to require at least a one-year delay for logistical reasons.
RFL chairman Simon Johnson, who is also an IRL board member, said: “After the success of last autumn’s Rugby League World Cup in England, it is imperative that all in the sport now work with International Rugby League to rebuild the international calendar, for men’s, women’s and wheelchair rugby league.
“We are excited about the prospect of England men hosting Tonga in a three-Test series this autumn, with announcements to follow soon of fixtures for our women’s and wheelchair teams, and discussions already advanced regarding another home series in 2024.”
Rumours of French financial difficulties surfaced earlier this year, and enthusiasm for seeing through the project was hardly bolstered by last month’s double international in Warrington, in which both the French men’s and women’s teams were beaten 64-0 by England in back-to-back landslides.
The move also comes at an embarrassing time for the sport, whose “strategic partner” IMG has underscored the importance of the international fixture list as a cornerstone of its vision to “reimagine” the sport worldwide.
England are close to confirming a series against Samoa, who inflicted an agonising semi-final defeat at the Emirates Stadium last year, in 2024, but the women’s squad have fewer options with only a prospective Test against Wales on the agenda for later in 2023.
And the news will come as a particular blow to the wheelchair game, given France’s record of reaching the last three finals, including their narrow defeat to England last year.
Geraint Thomas has no qualms about donning the pink jersey in the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday, despite inheriting it after race leader Remco Evenepoel’s withdrawal due to Covid.
Evenepoel’s routine test on Sunday night came back positive, only a few hours after the Belgian world champion pipped Thomas by a single second in the stage nine time trial to reclaim top spot in the general classification.
There have been previous instances of riders declining to wear leader’s jerseys, most notably when Chris Froome did so for one stage of the 2015 Tour de France following the injury-enforced withdrawal of Tony Martin.
While Thomas sympathised with the circumstances of Evenepoel’s exit, the Welshman intends to be in pink for the 196-kilometre stage from Scandiano to Viareggio following Monday’s rest day.
“Leading the race is a massive honour, but at the same time it’s not really the way you want to take the jersey,” he said. “That’s the way it is. I’ll definitely wear it with pride.
“It’s the first time I’ve worn the pink jersey. It’s not the best way of taking it, but I think for the race it’s still a good thing to keep it in the race. I just wish Remco well and hope he’s back soon.”
Evenepoel had established a 45-second advantage over the rest of the field and Thomas initially thought his rival was joking when contacted by the Soudal Quick-Step rider before the official announcement.
Primoz Roglic, who is Thomas’ immediate challenger just two seconds adrift after the first week, last week told the Ineos Grenadiers rider he had tested positive for Covid before the Slovenian backtracked and revealed he was joking.
“(Evenepoel) messaged me before the announcement,” Thomas said. “At first, I thought, ‘Is he winding me up a bit?’ After the whole Roglic stuff. But then there was the announcement and it was a surprise.”
Evenepoel was the sixth rider to leave the race with Covid, including Thomas’ team-mate Filippo Ganna. Thomas revealed he and the rest of the team are now taking precautions in an effort to minimise the risk of catching the virus.
“We just need to try to be a lot more aware of it and go back to what we used to do with Covid in 2020 or 2021, when we were in our own little bubble and we were wearing masks in public spaces,” he said.
“As a team we’re going to go back to that strategy. If everybody in the race does the same thing then it will stop other riders going home.”
Thomas will turn 37 later this month, on the day the race reaches stage 18 of 21, and was in a relaxed mood despite a chequered history at the Giro.
His best result in four attempts is 80th place, but Thomas, who finished third in last year’s Tour de France, insisted he was through trying to prove himself.
“It would be amazing (to win),” he added. “After 2020 I kind of thought that would be it for my chances of winning the Giro (he withdrew from that race after fracturing his pelvis on stage three).
“I don’t really feel too much pressure or expectation. I’d just love to take the opportunity.
“A lot of people seem to just write me off or whatever, but I feel like I just proved all that wrong last year and this is just a bonus round now.
“When you get towards the end of your career, you realise how lucky we are just to be able to race our bikes for a living. It’s not going to last forever and I want to make the most of it.”
Slipofthepen will bid to punch his ticket to Royal Ascot when he takes on three rivals in the Heron Stakes at Sandown on Tuesday evening.
The unbeaten colt, who is owned by the King and Queen, is a general 16-1 chance for the Betfred Derby a fortnight on Saturday.
However, it seems likely that Slipofthepen, who will be ridden by James Doyle, will bypass the Epsom Classic and head to the Royal meeting, where he holds an entry in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
The son of Night Of Thunder won a novice race over a mile on debut at Kempton in November.
He returned to the same all-weather course and distance to score with some ease in a conditions event last month, yet Sunday’s Poule d’Essai des Poulins at ParisLongchamp came a little too quickly.
The King’s racing manager, John Warren, said: “We were disappointed not to get Slipofthepen to the French 2000 Guineas, but the ground was too heavy for such a good-moving colt.
“We are hoping for a good showing so that we can find out where he sits to be aimed at Royal Ascot.
“John Gosden thinks he is a pretty smart colt, so we are treating him with plenty of respect.”
Slipofthepen has a little to find on ratings with the Ralph Beckett-trained Grey’s Monument, who won twice last season as a juvenile and signed off with a runner-up finish in the Group Two Horris Hill at Newbury.
He tackles a mile for only the second time in eight starts, having opened his Classic campaign with a 19-length defeat by subsequent French Guineas runner-up Isaac Shelby in the Greenham back at the Berkshire track.
Beckett said: “The track and ground should suit him. He’s in great shape and he’s come on for his seasonal debut and we’re looking forward to seeing him on a round track.
“I don’t think he got bogged down in the mud (in the Greenham). I just think he needed it.
“It will be only his second run over a mile, but arguably it was his best run at York when he won over this trip, so we’re looking forward to it.”
The Charlie Johnston-trained Finn’s Charm, who won a decent mile handicap at Musselburgh on his return, and Captain Winters, who was 10 lengths behind him on his seasonal bow, complete the field for the Listed contest.
Slipofthepen will bid to punch his ticket to Royal Ascot when he takes on three rivals in the Heron Stakes at Sandown on Tuesday evening.
The unbeaten colt, who is owned by the King and Queen, is a general 16-1 chance for the Betfred Derby a fortnight on Saturday.
However, it seems likely that Slipofthepen, who will be ridden by James Doyle, will bypass the Epsom Classic and head to the Royal meeting, where he holds an entry in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
The son of Night Of Thunder won a novice race over a mile on debut at Kempton in November.
He returned to the same all-weather course and distance to score with some ease in a conditions event last month, yet Sunday’s Poule d’Essai des Poulins at ParisLongchamp came a little too quickly.
The King’s racing manager, John Warren, said: “We were disappointed not to get Slipofthepen to the French 2000 Guineas, but the ground was too heavy for such a good-moving colt.
“We are hoping for a good showing so that we can find out where he sits to be aimed at Royal Ascot.
“John Gosden thinks he is a pretty smart colt, so we are treating him with plenty of respect.”
Slipofthepen has a little to find on ratings with the Ralph Beckett-trained Grey’s Monument, who won twice last season as a juvenile and signed off with a runner-up finish in the Group Two Horris Hill at Newbury.
He tackles a mile for only the second time in eight starts, having opened his Classic campaign with a 19-length defeat by subsequent French Guineas runner-up Isaac Shelby in the Greenham back at the Berkshire track.
Beckett said: “The track and ground should suit him. He’s in great shape and he’s come on for his seasonal debut and we’re looking forward to seeing him on a round track.
“I don’t think he got bogged down in the mud (in the Greenham). I just think he needed it.
“It will be only his second run over a mile, but arguably it was his best run at York when he won over this trip, so we’re looking forward to it.”
The Charlie Johnston-trained Finn’s Charm, who won a decent mile handicap at Musselburgh on his return, and Captain Winters, who was 10 lengths behind him on his seasonal bow, complete the field for the Listed contest.
Marshman is primed for a competitive renewal of the 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes on the opening day of the Dante meeting.
The Karl Burke-trained three-year-old began his season in the Group Three Prix Sigy at Chantilly in mid April, a race he won by a length and a quarter after a 205-day break.
The success resumed Marshman’s career after a good juvenile campaign that saw him take two novice events before finishing second in the Gimcrack when beaten by Godolphin’s Noble Style.
He now returns to the Knavesmire to take on the same course and distance in an intriguing Group Two event over six furlongs, where he will cross paths again with stablemate Cold Case, the colt who finished third behind him in the Gimcrack.
“He’s in great form at home, he’s been working well with Cold Case,” said Nick Bradley of owners Nick Bradley Racing.
“I wouldn’t say he’s in front or behind, it’s hard to say as they do everything on the bridle.”
Of his Gimcrack run last season he added: “If you look at the horses behind him, Cold Case was four lengths behind him, Royal Scotsman was six lengths behind.
“I think that was a really, really good race.”
Bradley reports the horse to have fared well following his Chantilly success, a race that has set him up nicely for his seasonal debut on British turf.
He said: “I was delighted with that performance, what I was impressed about was the way he accelerated away from the field – he put the race to bed really quickly.
“We expected him to get tired and he did, but he’s come out of the race really well and it should put him spot on for this.”
As well as recent Ascot winner Cold Case, the Duke of York features the crack John Quinn-trained mare Highfield Princess, Australian ace The Astrologist and the Charlie Appleby-trained Creative Force.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock loss to lowly-ranked Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.
Alcaraz will take over from Novak Djokovic as world number one next Monday but his French Open preparations suffered a blow with a 6-3 7-6 (4) loss to 135th-ranked Marozsan.
The 23-year-old had never played in the main draw of an ATP event or beaten a top-100 player prior to arriving in the Italian capital but, having come through qualifying, he now finds himself in the last 16 of one of the biggest tournaments outside the grand slams.
Marozsan stunned Alcaraz in the first set with the pace of his forehand, while he played the Spaniard at his own game with frequent drop shots.
The second seed, who was on a 12-match winning streak after claiming titles in Barcelona and Madrid, fought hard in the second to try to turn the match around.
He led 4-1 in the tie-break but Marozsan was not to be denied, reeling off six points in a row to clinch the victory of his life and one of the biggest shocks of the season.
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video, he said: “I’m very, very happy. I couldn’t imagine this. It was my dream last night. I just beat the world number one, he’s the best in our sport. Everything was perfect today.”
Inspiral will head straight to Royal Ascot after bypassing the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
The Group One-winning filly, trained by John and Thady Gosden, had topped the ante-post market for the Group One mile contest at the Berkshire track.
However, she was a surprise omission for the feature event at the confirmation stage on Monday.
Owned by Cheveley Park Stud, the daughter of Frankel won the Coronation Stakes and the Prix Jacques le Marois in her three-year-old campaign, adding to her success in the Fillies’ Mile as a juvenile.
While the Gosdens will instead be represented by Laurel, who is one of 16 possibles for the race won by the brilliant Baaeed last season, Inspiral will make a belated four-year-old debut.
Cheveley Park Stud’s managing director Chris Richardson explained: “There is no issue with her. Mrs Thompson was adamant that she wanted the filly to go straight to Royal Ascot, as we did last year.
“She looks great, but she is not quite there, is the general feeling. It is like last year, so rather than rush her, we decided to wait.
“It has been cold and miserable and it has just taken time for these fillies to come to themselves.
“We just felt she blossomed in June last year and we didn’t really want to rush her, so the Queen Anne will be her likely target.”
Curtis Strange believes Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler have separated themselves from their rivals and backed an “intense” Rahm to enjoy a stellar career.
Rahm is top of the world rankings after four wins from 11 events in 2023, including succeeding Scheffler as the Masters champion after claiming his second major title at Augusta National.
Scheffler made a successful title defence in the WM Phoenix Open and also won the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass, leaving him just behind Rahm in the rankings but a full two points clear of Rory McIlroy in third.
The leading pair are unsurprisingly vying for favouritism ahead of the 105th US PGA Championship at Oak Hill, where Strange won the second of his back-to-back US Open titles in 1989 and will be on commentary duties for ESPN.
“They’re first and second in damn near every category,” Strange said of Rahm and Scheffler.
“Then when you look at wins there’s four and two, and top fives are equal and top 10s are equal. Who’s best? Whoever shoots the lowest score that day.
“How do you split hairs when they’re both so doggone good and both separated themselves from the rest of the field at this point in time.
“With all due respect to Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm to me when he started on the tear earlier this year, I thought to myself he’s a guy that could be one of the few guys in the history of this game that could win eight or nine tournaments in a year.
“The last guy to do that is Tiger Woods and I believe the guy to do that before him was Vijay (Singh).
“How can he win eight or nine tournaments a year? He physically has the strength. He’s a mountain of a man. He’s so strong.
“He mentally has the focus and the intensity to last through that 12-month period and to stay on top of his game. Then he’s got the talent. He’s got the length off the tee. When he gets on a stretch putting, he’s tough to beat.
“Scottie could do that. I just think Jon has a bit more intensity to hang in to do that over the course of 10 to 12 months.”
Asked how many majors he thinks Rahm is capable of winning, Strange added: “It’s impossible to predict (but) there’s certainly huge potential for a guy like that.
“Again, I like to think of his intensity. He doesn’t look like he’s going to win some and back off and get comfortable. He looks like he’s got an inner drive to do the best he can over a 20-year career.
“At the Masters he looked dominant. Strength shows its face so many different ways, and to me it showed it particularly when the weather got really cold and nasty on Friday and Saturday.
“His strength and his ability to hit the golf ball showed well during some of those difficult times.”
Jayson Tatum scored a playoff career-high 51 points – the most ever in a Game 7 in NBA history – to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-88 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday to return to the Eastern Conference finals.
After his 16 point fourth-quarter performance rallied the Celtics to a Game 6 victory, Tatum was hot from the start in the winner-take-all Game 7, going 17-of-28 from the field – including 6 of 10 from 3-point range – while grabbing 13 rebounds to help Boston advance to face the Miami Heat in the East finals for a second year in a row.
The series will begin Wednesday in Boston.
Jaylen Brown added 25 points and Malcolm Brogdon scored 12 off the bench for the Celtics, who broke the game open in the third quarter.
With the game tied at 55 early in the third, Boston went on a 28-3 run while holding the 76ers without a point for 6:20 to build an 83-58 advantage.
Tatum scored 17 of Boston’s 33 third-quarter points as the 76ers were limited to just 10 points in the period – tied for the lowest-scoring quarter by a team in a playoff game in the shot clock era.
While Tatum’s point total surpassed Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s 50-point mark set just two weeks ago against the Sacramento Kings for the most in a Game 7 in league history, MVP Joel Embiid and James Harden combined for just 24 points.
Embiid finished with 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting and eight rebounds and Harden scored just nine while misfiring on 8 of 11 shots.
The 76ers lost in the conference finals for the third year in a row and fifth time in six seasons.
Cameron Norrie set up a last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open thanks to a 6-2 7-6 (4) victory over Marton Fucsovics.
The British number one had looked on track for a straightforward triumph as he won the first set with minimal fuss and then stormed into a 5-1 lead in the second, only for his Hungarian opponent to fight back to 5-5.
Norrie edged the tie-break which followed, 7-4, however, and will next face Djokovic after the world number one continued his winning run by overcoming Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 4-6 6-1.
The Serbian was given a tough test by the Bulgarian, who – having been 3-1 down in the second set – broke twice to force the decider, but the top seed and defending champion rallied to see out the match convincingly.
“(I was) very solid. I think I could have won in straight sets,” 22-time grand slam winner Djokovic told the ATP website.
“I was a set and 4-2 up and had a pretty decent forehand in the middle of the court at deuce on his serve and missed that.
“He held his serve well, we had new balls the next game, I did a double fault, the crowd got into it and got behind him and of course the energy of the place and of the match changed.
“I dropped my level a bit, but luckily I managed find it right away in the first game (of the third set), made that crucial break and kind of shifted the momentum to my side, so I’m really pleased with the way I closed out the match.”
Russian world number three Daniil Medvedev earned his maiden win at the tournament with a 6-4 6-2 triumph over Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori and expressed his relief at finally winning a match in Rome.
“We can talk about all of the matches I lost here, they were different,” Medvedev told the ATP website after reaching the third round.
“The first one, I feel like I should have won, but it is (what it is). Whenever I come to a tournament, I know that I can play well, so I’m happy to finally get the win here in Rome.”
Denmark’s Holger Rune continued his good run with a 6-4 6-2 success against Andy Murray’s conqueror Fabio Fognini, while Norway’s world number four Casper Ruud defeated Alexander Bublik 6-1 4-6 7-6 (0).
In the women’s event, defending champion Iga Swiatek eased into the last 16 with a comfortable victory over Lesia Tsurenko.
The world number one continued her strong start in the tournament, cruising to a 6-2 6-0 success, and was pleased with another solid performance.
“For sure, after a pretty rusty start, I was able to break back pretty quickly, so I’m happy that I played solid game,” she said in her post-match press conference.
“Just to have another experience playing on centre court… and I’m happy that it wasn’t raining!”
Czechia’s Marie Bouzkova’s upset Coco Gauff in their last-32 encounter, prevailing 4-6 6-2 6-2 to oust the American sixth seed, while Madison Keys advanced to the last 16 via walkover after her opponent Victoria Azarenka withdrew due to a leg injury.
Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson hailed George Ford as “a little pocket of calm amid the chaos” after his team reached a first Gallagher Premiership final for 17 years.
England international fly-half Ford was a dominant presence, guiding Sale home against his former club Leicester in an absorbing play-off clash at a sold-out AJ Bell Stadium.
Ford, who went off injured in last season’s Premiership final when Leicester beat Saracens – Sale’s opponents at Twickenham on May 27 – kicked three penalties and a conversion.
But he also epitomised Sale’s resilient attitude against a Tigers team that pushed them all the way before going down to a 21-13 defeat.
“They are a special group, these boys. They had to drink deep from the well today,” Sale rugby director Sanderson said.
“They stuck to the task, and George Ford drove that – a little pocket of calm amid the chaos.
“You need to be physically up to the task, you need a heart, you have really got to want it. What more can you ask for?
“I am proud of how they stuck at it and just got better at the basics as the game went on.”
Sale now face Saracens in pursuit of a Premiership crown that they last claimed when players like Jason Robinson, Charlie Hodgson and Sebastien Chabal ruled the roost.
And for Sanderson that means preparing a team to try and beat a club he spent several successful seasons with as an integral part of Mark McCall’s coaching staff.
Sale, though, look set to be without captain Ben Curry, who was carried off during the first half after suffering a hamstring injury.
Sanderson added: “He will get a scan tomorrow. He is on crutches and he got carried off. We will see tomorrow, but I doubt if he will make the final.
“I spent the major part of my life down there with those guys (at Saracens), but I am so engrained in this here that it feels like I have been here forever. It adds a little bit more spice.”
Wings Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed scored tries for Sale, but Leicester held a 13-10 lead with 24 minutes left before the Ford-inspired Sharks turned things their way.
A battling Leicester performance delivered a second-half try for wing Harry Potter, plus eight points from the boot of 39-year-old Jimmy Gopperth, who was a late replacement for World Cup-winning South African fly-half Handre Pollard.
Tigers’ interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth will join the England set-up of his former Leicester boss Steve Borthwick this summer, and a second successive Premiership final appearance proved just beyond the east Midlanders.
Wigglesworth said: “It was a close game, small margins. We just couldn’t find the advantage to tip it in our favour.
“We stuck in the contest, and we can’t fault the spirit and fight in the group.
“I am incredibly proud to have been asked to lead this group. I am so grateful for how they (Leicester) have treated me.”
And on Pollard’s absence, he added: “We only made that call this morning.
“Handre hadn’t trained for the last couple of training days. It was a calf issue, which is incredibly painful, but it can also clear up at a moment’s notice.”
The Memphis Grizzlies suspended Ja Morant from all team activities on Sunday after the All-Star point guard appeared to again be holding a gun during a social media video.
Morant previously served an eight-game suspension that was handed down by the NBA for being seen holding a gun live on Instagram while at a club when Memphis was playing in Denver in early March.
In the latest video, Morant is in a vehicle and appears to have a gun in his hands while someone else filmed him and broadcast it live on Instagram.
“We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
The Grizzlies said Morant is suspended “pending league review.”
The NBA suspended Morant earlier this season for “conduct detrimental to the league.”
“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement in March. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”
Morant announced that he was stepping away to seek help after the first video went viral, and he later did an interview with ESPN during his suspension.
“I don’t condone any type of violence,” Morant told ESPN. “But I take full responsibility for my actions. I made a bad mistake and I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes.
“But in the future, I’m going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change this narrative.”
Morant was named to the All-Star team for the second straight season in 2022-23 and averaged 26.2 points while setting career highs with 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Memphis went 51-31 to win the Southwest Division and earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, but the Grizzlies were ousted in six games in the first round by the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Saracens may have broadened their horizons in attack this season but Owen Farrell insists they have always played with greater adventure than given credit for.
One victory separates Saracens from a sixth Gallagher Premiership title after they crushed Northampton 38-15 in Saturday’s semi-final at StoneX Stadium.
Director of rugby Mark McCall described it as “our strongest defensive performance for years”, but it is in their willingness to attack that the club have evolved most significantly.
Frustrated by last season’s defeat to Leicester in the Premiership final, they resolved to show more ambition for 2022-23 and have flourished as a consequence with only Saints scoring more tries in the regular season.
Farrell has been at the heart of the buccaneering with assistance from Alex Goode and Elliot Daly, but England’s captain denies that it is a radical change in direction for Saracens.
“There was always a perception about us before – and at times rightly so – that we were this team that just strangled teams and kicked everything,” Farrell said.
“But if you look back, in some of the finals we had against Exeter and Clermont, we played rugby.
“People were talking as if we didn’t play rugby, as if we just kicked everything and used the driving maul. I don’t know how people thought we won games, but we played rugby.
“We would have patches of it during the season and then go back to fundamentals.
“We were trying to bring more of it out and the bits that we showed in the past before have showed us that we were ready for doing more of it. It felt like we were ready to do it, so that’s why we did.
“We’ve come from a place – and rightly so – that was built on solid foundations: a good kicking game and defence. And attack came off the back of that.
“That started a long time ago, even before I left school. That served us unbelievably well. I just feel we’ve been ready for a bigger jump this year.
“The key thing has been to take that into the bigger games and I’m glad we did that against Northampton.”
Farrell and Goode were the catalysts for Saracens’ dynamism against Saints, pulling the strings in a dazzling start to the play-off.
“It’s about picking our heads up and looking to see if it’s on. There’s obviously a percentage of how on it is. If it’s properly on we want to take it,” Farrell said.
“If we think we can take metres to score a try, get to halfway rather than kick it there, then that’s a chance that we want to take.
“We want to take obvious chances and we don’t want to be half in, half out. We don’t want to be indecisive. We want to be decisive.”
Sale Sharks reached their first Gallagher Premiership final for 17 years as they ended Leicester’s hopes of back-to-back titles with a 21-13 victory at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Alex Sanderson’s team will meet his former club Saracens at Twickenham on May 27 in pursuit of a Premiership crown that Sale last claimed when players like Jason Robinson, Charlie Hodgson and Sebastien Chabal ruled the roost.
After finishing 10 points above Leicester during the regular league season, Sale were pushed all the way by Tigers in an absorbing encounter.
Former Leicester fly-half George Ford played a key role in Leicester’s downfall, kicking three penalties and a conversion, while wings Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed claimed tries.
Sale overcame the sight of their captain Ben Curry being carried off injured, and they withstood a resilient Leicester effort that saw a try for wing Harry Potter, plus eight points from the boot of Jimmy Gopperth.
But Leicester will also curse themselves for twice ruining promising late attacking platforms through wayward kicks to touch that prevented attacking lineouts.
Sale showed five changes from their final regular season game against Newcastle, with Gus Warr, Simon McIntyre, Nick Schonert, Akker van der Merwe and Tom Curry all returning for the sold-out clash.
Leicester welcomed back the likes of Freddie Steward and Anthony Watson, but they suffered an injury blow when fly-half Handre Pollard was ruled out, being replaced by 39-year-old Gopperth.
The New Zealander missed a gilt-edged chance to put Leicester ahead when he drifted a close-range penalty wide, but he made amends three minutes later as Tigers moved in front.
Sale’s indiscipline surfaced early on, and Gopperth found his range again, this time from 48 metres to make it 6-0.
The game had a relentless pace to it, and it went up a gear when Sale found their rhythm, probing for gaps through adventurous running from Reed and full-back Joe Carpenter, while England centre Manu Tuilagi also made his presence felt.
Sale were a threat when they were able to put width on their possession, and Roebuck finished off a flowing move before Ford added a touchline conversion as Leicester fell behind.
The Sharks then suffered a major blow when Curry departed the action after suffering a suspected knee injury as Leicester attacked on Sale’s 22. He was replaced by Dan du Preez.
Curry received a standing ovation as he left the action, but he was soon able to watch from the sidelines, with Sharks exerting sustained pressure inside Tigers’ 22.
And Tigers’ cause was not helped when their England prop Dan Cole received a yellow card from Wayne Barnes following a high challenge on Van der Merwe.
Leicester then lost scrum-half Ben Youngs for a head injury assessment after he halted Sale centre Rob du Preez’s charge for the corner, and Tigers’ defence held firm, with Sale taking a 7-6 lead into half-time.
Youngs did not reappear for the second period – fellow England international Jack van Poortvliet took over from him – while Sanderson made early use of the replacements’ bench, sending on props Bevan Rodd and Coenie Oosthuizen.
A successful Ford penalty from just inside’s Leicester’s half opened up a four-point gap, yet the Tigers went back in front seven minutes later when centre Dan Kelly’s long pass sent Potter scampering over, with Gopperth converting.
A Ford penalty then tied the contest at 13-13 with 22 minutes left, and then he turned provider, creating space in midfield, and although his pass to Reed hit the ground, the wing finished brilliantly.
Reed was quickly at it again, breaking clear from inside his own half before firing the ball to replacement scrum-half Raffi Quirke, but the pass was rightly adjudged forward by Barnes.
Ford, who was a dominant figure during the closing quarter, then kicked a long-range penalty that left Tigers eight points behind as their title grip was prised away.
Kevin Sinfield carried Rob Burrow over the finish line at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon after pushing his great friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate for 26.2 miles on Sunday.
With just a couple of metres left to go, Sinfield lifted Burrow out of his specially adapted wheelchair and the pair completed the course together in an emotional conclusion at Headingley Stadium.
As a crowd cheered them on, Sinfield gave Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in late 2019, a kiss of affection after joining 12,500 other runners in Leeds’ first marathon in 20 years.
Sinfield has raised over £8million for MND charities after several other ventures, including an Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge in November when he ran seven back-to-back ultra-marathons.
In late 2020, Sinfield ran seven marathons in seven days and in 2021 he completed a run of 101 miles in 24 hours.
Sunday’s event, plus the Leeds Half Marathon which also take place on Sunday, was held by Leeds City Council in partnership with Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All charity and has already surpassed the £1m fundraising mark.
Sinfield told the PA news agency on Friday: “To raise money for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity is really important, but this is also about a celebration of friendship.”
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