Handre Pollard claimed a 20-point haul as South Africa beat Wales 30-14 to win the Test series in Cape Town on Saturday.
Wales secured a historic first victory in South Africa last weekend to set up a decider at DHL Stadium, but the world champions outscored Wayne Pivac's side three tries to one to take the series 2-1.
Pollard put the Springboks in front with an early penalty and the fly-half then powered over from close range for a try following a sustained period of pressure.
Wales hit back courtesy of Tommy Reffell's first international try and Dan Biggar's penalty reduced the deficit to two points after South Africa lost Cheslin Kolbe to injury.
But the world champions were outmuscling the tourists at the set-piece and Bongi Mbonambi marked his 50th Test by charging over from the back of a ruck following a lineout late in the first half.
Another two Biggar penalties made it 17-14, but captain Siya Kolisi crossed after South Africa went through the phases just before the hour mark and Pollard added the extras.
Eben Etzebeth was then given a great ovation after he was replaced in his 100th Test, with the excellent Pollard making no mistakes with another two penalties late on as the Springboks deservedly wrapped up the series.
Michael Matthews held off a challenge from Alberto Bettiol to win stage 14 of the Tour de France, while Jonas Vingegaard kept Tadej Pogacar's challenge for the yellow jersey at arm's length.
The 192.5km race from Saint-Etienne to Mende saw a leading group of Matthews, Luis Leon Sanchez and Felix Grossschartner pull away with a few kilometres remaining, only for the chasing group to reach them inside the final 3km.
Bettiol then produced an impressive effort to not only catch Matthews, but overtake him, though the Australian came back to ultimately take the victory, his first in the Tour de France in five years.
The Team BikeExchange–Jayco rider had already finished second twice in this year's tour at Longwy and Lausanne, but showed immense grit to climb to the win on Saturday, producing a second wind to fight off the challenge of Bettiol and go one better.
Matthews achieved an average speed of 45.6km/h in the last 52km, and said after his win: "“I think it's pretty much the story of my career. I've had so many rollercoasters up and down but my wife and my daughter kept believing in me. How many times have I been smashed down but I always get back up?
"This was for my daughter today; she's four years old and I really just wanted to show her why I'm away all the time and what I do it for. And today was that day.
"Today was that day. I wanted to show everybody I'm not just a sprinter. I can ride like I rode today."
The battle for the yellow jersey saw Pogacar try to pull away from Vingegaard to make up some of the 2:22 second deficit on the General Classification leader, but the duo eventually finished with the same time, over 12 minutes behind Matthews.
The efforts of both against one another did see them pull away from Geraint Thomas, who remains in third place in the GC, though lost 17 seconds on the two ahead of him.
Mixed day for Aussie riders
It has been a bad time of late for Lotto Soudal rider Caleb Ewan, with a nightmare Giro d'Italia earlier in the year and a Tour de France to so far forget, including a crash during Friday's stage 13 leaving him injured.
The Australian did not have quite the Saturday his compatriot Matthews enjoyed, but Ewan's mission was simply to make it through within the cut-off time, which he was able to do, albeit nearly 40 minutes after Matthews had sealed victory.
STAGE RESULTS
1. Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange–Jayco) 4:30:53
2. Alberto Bettiol (EF Education–Easypost) +0:15
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +0:34
4. Marc Soler (UAE–Team Emirates) +0:50
5. Patrick Konrad (BORA–hansgrohe) +0:58
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 55:31:01
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) +2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +2:43
Points Classification
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 333
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 164
3. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 155
King of the Mountains
1. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 46
2. Louis Meintjes (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) 39
3. Neilson Powless (EF Education–Easypost) 37
Tommy Fleetwood is hoping his strong finish to Saturday's round has put him in the mix to challenge for The Open Championship.
Fleetwood made gains at the 14th, 15th and 18th holes to sign for a 66 and get to nine under at St Andrews.
It put him among the chasing pack on a day when conditions on the Fife coast were conducive to low scoring.
And Fleetwood, whose best finish at golf's oldest major was the runner-up spot in 2019, is optimistic he will be among the contenders on Sunday.
"It felt important," he said of his birdie at the last. "I birdied 15, parred 17 and birdied 18, but they all felt really important just being in the position we're in.
"We just can't afford to be dropping back too much and giving away too many chances at this point when you know the leaders are a long way ahead of you and you're trying to catch up.
"I'd have taken it [a 66] at the start of the day, that's for sure. I've just got to sit back and wait and see where we end up.
"It will be nice teeing off [on Sunday] feeling like we have a chance and see if we can get some momentum going on the front nine.
"It would be very cool and very special to be able to have a go again like down the stretch on a Sunday at The Open.
"I'll just wait and see. It's not in my hands. We'll ee what those guys do and if they get too far ahead, I'll be doing my best anyway, but it will be nice to have a chance, that's for sure."
Viktor Hovland sat at the summit through seven holes, the Norwegian getting to 14 under after starting the day on 10 under.
Playing partner Rory McIlroy was two shots back, level with overnight leader Cameron Smith and Cameron Young.
The American trio of Dustin Johnson, Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay were 10 under.
Eddie Jones believes England demonstrated they are heading in the right direction following the gutsy series victory over Australia.
Jones' side added to their tour triumph in 2016 by making it back-to-back series wins Down Under, beating the Wallabies 21-17 in the deciding Test on Saturday.
The tourists fell behind in the series after going down 30-28 in Perth, but levelled up by prevailing 25-17 in Brisbane last weekend.
They made a slow start to the third Test, falling 10-3 behind after Tom Wright crossed for the hosts. Yet England recovered as Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith went over to turn the contest firmly in their favour at 21-10, and they stood firm after Folau Fainga'a powered over later on.
It meant England lifted the Ella-Mobbs Trophy, justifying the backing from Jones. Despite a disappointing Six Nations campaign, Jones maintained a constant view that his team were making significant advances, which he feels has been justified by this series victory.
The head coach hopes the progress will continue as the 2023 World Cup in France edges closer, with his side aiming to go one better after losing 32-12 to South Africa in the 2019 final.
"We weren't at our best in this Test, but we kept fighting, and we kept in the game – particularly the defence of our finishers at the end was outstanding – and that got us the result," Jones told Sky Sports.
"We were just a little bit off, but we kept fighting, and it was a great effort by the leaders. It's a really positive step. We've always felt the team is going in the right direction. Sometimes, the results don't reflect that.
"At the end of the game, we had six players with under 10 caps, so it is an inexperienced squad who will really benefit from an experience like this.
"They understand how hard they have to fight to win a Test match away from home. Some of our guys have now won two series away in Australia. I am so proud of their efforts.
"We are in a good position. We have just got to slowly, slowly keep improving. We want to be at our best by next October."
Reigning champion Yulia Putintseva's Budapest Grand Prix title defence came to a disappointing end after she was beaten in the semi-final in straight sets by Aleksandra Krunic.
The Kazakh Putintseva struggled to get going, failing to convert any of her seven break points, as the Serbian Krunic broke her serve four times en route to a 6-2 6-2 win.
Bernarda Pera will await Krunic in the final in Hungary, after her 6-3 6-4 victory over Anna Bondar.
Bondar raced out to an early 3-0 lead in the first set, but Pera rattled off six games in a row to take the opener.
The Croatian-born American then won the first three games of the second set, before overcoming a desperate late Bondar charge to break her at 5-4 and finish things off.
Sunday's final will be the third meeting between Krunic and Pera with the latter winning both of the previous contests, firstly in the quarter-finals of the Guangzhou Open in 2018 and then in Moscow in 2021.
At the Ladies Open Lausanne, qualifier Olga Danilovic cruised through to the final with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Potapova.
Danilovic won her first WTA Tour singles event in Moscow in 2018, overcoming Potapova after three sets.
And the world number 124 was victorious against Potapova once more in Switzerland to seal her place in her second WTA Tour singles final.
The Serbian 21-year-old will meet Petra Martic in the decider on Sunday after Martic overcame sixth seed Caroline Garcia 6-4 1-6 6-3.
Neither player had dropped a set on their way to the semi-finals, but things at Lausanne were tied up at one set each after two.
Garcia had won all three of her previous meetings with Martic, but the Croatian's two crucial breaks of serve in the final set were telling, as she held her nerve to reach the final against Danilovic.
Wales were forced to make a late change for the decisive third Test against South Africa when Gareth Anscombe was ruled out due to a rib injury.
Anscombe came off the bench to kick the conversion that sealed a dramatic first win for Wales against the Springboks on South African soil last weekend, levelling the series at 1-1.
He will not feature at the DHL Stadium on Saturday after suffering an injury blow, so Rhys Patchell takes his place on the bench.
Captain Dan Biggar was passed fit to start at number 10 after recovering from a shoulder problem.
Wales are eyeing a first series win in South Africa after Wayne Pivac's side snatched their historic success over the world champions in Bloemfontein.
Andy Murray will continue to play professional tennis for as long as he keeps "seeing progress" in his game, the Scot has revealed.
The former world number one was knocked out of the Hall of Fame Open by Alexander Bublik on Friday, with the Kazakh winning their quarter-final 7-5 6-4 in Newport.
It follows Murray's disappointing second-round exit at Wimbledon to John Isner, and while the 35-year-old wants to see results improve, he was optimistic ahead of the switch from grass to the hard-court season.
"Obviously I just want the results to be a bit better," Murray told the ATP Tour website. "I felt like I had a good chance of [winning] here. If I got through Bublik, it would have been a good opportunity potentially in the semi-finals.
"But… to have my body feeling pretty good and getting lots of matches in is important for me."
Murray did have some success on grass this year, including reaching the final of the Stuttgart Open before losing to Matteo Berrettini.
"There were some good moments, but also some tough ones," he added. "Today's match and the loss at Wimbledon were disappointing and frustrating for me, but then I also had my best wins in a while in Stuttgart.
"So a bit up and down, but a little bit of progress overall and I'll try and keep that going through the hard-court summer.
"[I want] to continue to improve. If I keep seeing progress I’ll continue to keep playing."
Murray met NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier in the week, with the Minnesota Vikings star praising the tennis supremo's "grit", and Murray revealed Cousins was looking to incorporate tennis into his own preparations for the new season.
"I'd never actually met any NFL athletes before, but he seemed like he loved his tennis and he was saying that he feels like a lot of the movements you make in tennis are similar to a quarterback," Murray added.
"He would prefer to do an hour of tennis to an hour of agility drills, which I can understand as you get a little bit older, trying to keep things fresh and fun in training in pre-season is important."
England captain Courtney Lawes hailed the determination of his team-mates after the tourists sealed a series victory over Australia on Saturday.
Eddie Jones' side made it back-to-back series wins Down Under - adding to their 2016 triumph - as they recovered from a slow start to defeat the Wallabies 21-17 in the deciding Test.
The hosts, who won the opening Test 30-28 before they were pegged back 25-17 in the second last weekend, dominated early proceedings at Sydney Cricket Ground, establishing a 10-3 lead thanks to Tom Wright's try.
But England came back before the break through Freddie Steward, while Marcus Smith also crossed in the second half to put the 2003 world champions in control at 21-10 to the good.
Folau Fainga'a went over late on as the hosts set up a grandstand finish, but Lawes and his team-mates stood firm to lift the Ella-Mobbs Cup.
"It really shows what it means for us to play this team," the skipper told Sky Sports. "We had a tough start to this series, but have showed what we're made of.
"We didn't come out how we wanted to today. The message at half-time was to stick together. We knew what we wanted to do. We showed what it means to play for this team.
"We did what we wanted to do to improve week on week. It's a proud moment, for sure.
"We've still got a lot to learn. We can win a game like this where you don't really fire a shot, and you take your chances when you can. We did a lot of defending."
Meanwhile, try scorer Steward also heaped praise on the efforts of Jones' side, saying: "The boys just dug in and gave everything. To win with an effort like that, it was a proper Test match. It's special.
"To come here, dig in with an effort like that at the back end of the season is pretty awesome. It is a great way to end the season especially having been one down is amazing."
Kevin Kisner took advantage of warm and still conditions at St Andrews to surge up the Open Championship leaderboard, as low-scoring at St Andrews looked set to be order of the day.
American Kisner needed two birdies in his final three holes on Friday to reach level par, the cut mark, and he capitalised on an early tee time on day three to card nine birdies in a seven-under 65, moving at least briefly into the higher reaches of the leaderboard.
American Trey Mullinax and Italian Francesco Molinari also went low with six-under 66s, after both began on level par, while South African Dean Burmester had a 67 to reach five under through 54 holes.
Bryson DeChambeau was also surging into contention, reaching six under for his round through 13 holes, helped by an eagle at the ninth.
That put him alongside Kisner on seven under for the tournament, with Tommy Fleetwood joining them after picking up four shots through his first six holes.
Kisner, 38, proudly held the clubhouse lead and told Golf Channel the conditions had been ripe for going low.
"It was very benign earlier, hole locations a little more accessible and not playing as much wind as we've had the last two days, with it being pretty warm too," Kisner said.
"So the ball was going pretty far, and it felt like you were aiming right at the flag for the first time all week."
The afternoon forecast was for slightly stronger winds, with the possibility of showers, but the Old Course was giving the players great scoring opportunities and that looked set to continue, even if Kisner hoped a storm would brew up.
"I hope the winds blows like hell, and they can all shoot over par and I have a chance tomorrow, but I think there's a lot of birdies out there," Kisner said.
"The guys are really good golfers. Hopefully, they don't get too far away, and I can still have a chance."
Australian Cameron Smith held the lead through 36 holes on 13 under par, putting him two ahead of American Cameron Young, with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Norway's Viktor Hovland one back on 10 under.
England made sure of only their second series victory in Australia after coming from behind to beat the Wallabies 21-17 in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Eddie Jones' side recovered in impressive fashion from a slow start that saw them trail 10-3 after Tom Wright's try.
The tourists hit back with Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith crossing, and they came under late pressure before securing another triumph Down Under, six years after their first.
England weathered a storm during the early stages; Noah Lolesio missing a first kick of the series before the right boot of Farrell put Jones' team in front.
The hosts soon established the lead that their early pressure deserved. Marika Koroibete's lay-off released Wright, who broke from just inside his own half and exchanged passes with Nic White before going over.
Lolesio booted the conversion and added a penalty, but England finished the half strongly. After Farrell trimmed the gap with a penalty, England edged their noses back in front at 11-10 when Steward crossed in the corner after a lengthy spell of pressure.
Farrell could not add the extras but stretched the England advantage with a penalty early in the second half, before Smith pounced on a poor lineout with a 55-metre sprint for the line.
Folau Fainga'a powered over 14 minutes from time to set up a nervy finish, but the tourists stood firm to seal the series.
The San Francisco Giants made MLB history with a remarkable ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers that concluded with Mike Yastrzemski's walk-off grand slam.
A regular season home game for a team hovering just above .500 in mid-July was perhaps not a likely setting for one of the most remarkable ever finishes to a major league game.
But it was exactly what the Giants required after the Brewers' five-run fifth inning had turned the contest on its head.
San Francisco were 5-2 down heading into the bottom of the ninth facing All-Star Brewers closer Josh Hader.
What followed was scarcely believable, even for those involved.
Solo home runs from Joey Bart and Darin Ruf were followed by Yastrzemski's big moment, making the Giants the first MLB team to hit three homers in an inning including a walk-off grand slam.
"Three bombs off Hader in the ninth? I still don't believe it," starter Alex Wood said after the dramatic 8-5 win. "It is just crazy. But we needed it and the boys pulled it off."
The Giants could have been forgiven for deeming this a lost cause; their previous walk-off grand slam had come courtesy of Bobby Bonds in September 1973.
But Yastrzemski revealed this stunning late show was inspired by Bart's conversation with injured catcher Curt Casali, which carried through the Giants dugout.
"We felt like the energy was sucked out of the dugout, and I think Joey was just a little fired up that there wasn't any really positive energy at the time," Yastrzemski said. "He was just kind of fed up.
"Obviously, we weren't out of the game, but it kind of felt like it for a little bit. I think we fell into the: 'Here we go again', and I'm glad we were able to flip the script and get out of that."
Bart explained: "I said something to Curt, just between me and him, like: 'Hey, we’ve got to get going'.
"As a young player, I don't feel like it's really my role to try to go and speak out.
"But that's just kind of how I was feeling at the time, like: 'Hey, it's not over yet, let's find a way to win'. And magic happened, for sure."
Andy Farrell believes Ireland have achieved their biggest feat yet by winning a series in New Zealand, a result that he suggests "won't be done again".
The tourists were humbled by the All Blacks in the first of three Tests but responded in sensational fashion with back-to-back victories – their first ever away wins in New Zealand.
A first such series success was secured on Saturday by a 32-22 win in which Ireland dominated the first half and dug in for the second.
And the long-awaited accomplishment is not one Farrell foresees happening again in a hurry.
"This is a special group, you know? To come over here and achieve what they've achieved, it won't be done again," the Ireland coach told Sky Sports. "Knowing what we know, that's not going to happen in the next few years, anyway.
"This is probably the toughest thing to do in world rugby.
"We came over here with task in hand, and we went for it straight from the start, which is great. It's a group of 40 players and a lot of staff, as well.
"We said it was going to be the start of our World Cup year, but I don't know... I think it is probably a little bit bigger than that."
Ireland led by 19 points at half-time, the biggest advantage against New Zealand at that stage of a match in Test history.
Having beaten one of the world's best sides, Farrell's men are confident they can take on any opponents.
"They already do believe that," he said. "They keep turning up and surprising me, certainly. The bunch are just tight, and they really do believe, they really do believe that.
"After the first game, we got held up over the try line five times and made plenty of opportunities in the second game, and they knew there was a better performance in them.
"There certainly was for that first 40, wasn't there? These guys have won a lot of stuff and broke some records – this one will top it, I would have thought."
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.
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