Claymore, who gave Jane Chapple-Hyam a notable Royal Ascot success in last season’s Hampton Court Stakes, will head to Haydock for the Rose of Lancaster Stakes in a fortnight’s time.
The lightly-raced four-year-old had been off the track since last July when reappearing in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown in May.
However, he was last of six, beaten some 49 lengths by Hukum, and reportedly bled.
But Chapple-Hyam is confident he is nearing a return to action and said: “Claymore had a little hiccup at Sandown, but he is back in full training now.
“We will look maybe at Haydock. We’ll see how he performs over the next fortnight, but he’s been doing OK.”
While the Newmarket handler has been held up by a bug which has affected her juveniles in particular, the well-touted El Bodon, who was beaten narrowly on debut at Yarmouth, got off the mark at Lingfield and will now face a step up in class at Newmarket.
“El Bodon had the mucky lungs, just like Born To Rock (fifth of seven to Kylian on his return in the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown on Friday), so we went for the penalty kick at Lingfield, because we had a fit horse.
“He will run in the July Stakes at Newmarket on the Thursday. It is a Group race and he is where we think he is.”
Meanwhile Quatre Bras, who was beaten half a length when third to Lightning Leo on his Yarmouth seven-furlong debut, will also face tougher company.
Chapple-Hyam said: “The other one I liked, Quatre Bras, is in the Superlative. He was second-favourite on the Saturday in the seven-furlong race at Royal Ascot (Chesham), but we had to scratch him too, because he had a mucky lung.
“He’s in the Superlative on Saturday, as we think he’s good enough to be there.
“I’d say this bug swept through Newmarket. It hasn’t touched my older horses – as you could see, I had a 40-1 shot when Streaky Bay won at Yarmouth (on Thursday) – but it has gone through my two-year-olds.
“I’ve got colts in one yard and fillies and mares in the other. It is just unfortunate that the young ones are getting it and the older ones have have a stronger immune system. That’s all it is.”
There was no joy for either big-race favourite Chaldean or any of the British and Irish raiders at Deauville as Good Guess ran out an ultra-impressive winner of the Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat.
Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean was attempting to get back to winning ways having finished second behind Paddington at Royal Ascot, and Oisin Murphy had the son of Frankel in a handy position tracking the pace of the forward-going Sauterne in the early stages.
Fellow British challengers Indestructible and Shouldvebeenaring were also in a prominent position and looked to have claims heading into the final two furlongs.
However, none were able to match the acceleration shown by the Fabrice Chappet-trained winner, who struck over the course and distance for the second time this term following his win in the Prix Djebel in April.
Although only sixth in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp, Stephane Pasquier’s mount welcomed the return to seven furlongs when second to Breizh Sky last month and turned the tables on that rival here to lead home a one-two-three for the home team in tremendous style.
Karl Burke’s Indestructible finished best of the foreign challenge in fourth, with Chaldean bitterly disappointing as he faded out of contention quickly.
George Duffield has Paddington as the one to beat throughout his future races having shown he has both pace and a will to win in his brilliant victory in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.
The 76-year-old famously partnered Giant’s Causeway to win Sandown’s greatest Flat prize for Paddington’s trainer Aidan O’Brien in 2000, and 23 years on comparisons have been drawn between the ‘Iron Horse’ and Ballydoyle’s latest champion.
Although starting his season in handicap company, Paddington has followed a well-trodden path since striking at Listed level on May 1. He subsequently added the Irish 2,000 Guineas, before following in the footsteps of Giant’s Causeway to claim the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot en route to Esher.
At Sandown the similarities kept on coming and the son of Siyouni’s battling success over an Emily Upjohn who refused to lie down brought back plenty of memories of Duffield’s own Eclipse triumph when Giant’s Causeway held off Sir Michael Stoute’s Kalanisi in a thrilling finish.
“I watched it with Ann (Duffield, wife) and I predicted Paddington would win,” said Duffield.
“I said come and watch this race and I said ‘he will win, whatever he has to find he will find’ and I was chuffed when he proved me right.
“I said ‘that was just like Giant’s Causeway’ with the way the race went. When I rode Giant’s Causeway I jumped and found myself in front because the pacemaker got left and then the race was near enough identical for me.
“Paddington won a bit further than Giant’s Causeway, but the race played out like completely the same scenario. It was great stuff.”
Paddington has undertaken a steep rise to become one of the best three-year-olds in training and it was his Irish Guineas success at the Curragh that first alerted Duffield to his potential.
He has since gone on to prove himself a high-class operator and the two-time Classic winning rider feels Paddington has earned the right to be compared to Giant’s Causeway having shown a similar desire for victory at the business end of the Eclipse.
Duffield said: “The first time I took any notice of him was when he won the Irish Guineas.
“He just looked a bit sloppy and when he went to win his race at the Curragh he half hung fire a bit, got a bit lost and wanted to lay on the other horse. Then all of a sudden the penny dropped and ‘boom’ – away he went. It went from ‘he might win this race’ to ‘he will definitely win this race’ and he went and won quite well.
“He clearly improved from that and went to Ascot and showed you the horse he probably really was.
“In the Eclipse, the John Gosden filly is really good and he had to work hard for it and he was always going to outbattle her. He has that mindset, I think, just like Giant’s Causeway.”
Giant’s Causeway would go on to run a further five times after winning the Eclipse, winning three times at the highest level and being narrowly denied in the other two, most notably in his final start against Tiznow in an unforgettable Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Connections will be hoping Paddington will follow suit to become a fitting wearer of the ‘New Iron Horse’ moniker, something he has a chance of achieving in Duffield’s opinion because of his impeccable mindset.
“Ryan (Moore) said we haven’t seen the best of him yet and the race didn’t go to suit and I could both agree and disagree with that,” continued Duffield.
“I thought you couldn’t ask any more of him when you are taking on a filly as good as Emily Upjohn – she is a very good filly.
“I was watching thinking she was travelling quite well, Paddington was probably there sooner than he wants to be and idled a bit in front and then had to find it. And he found it, he buckled down and he found it.
“If you have that winning mindset, and he appears to have it, then they are always hard to beat because they are proper sporting horses that love the competition. If you put them under pressure they will go and find a bit more for you. Giant’s Causeway was the same, he just loved saying ‘come on have a go then, let’s see how good you are’.
“You don’t actually know what a horse is thinking, but that was the feeling Giant’s Causeway gave me in the Eclipse, ‘come on mate, you’re going to have to try harder than that because I’m not finished yet.”
“Paddington looks to have that mindset and looks a really good horse.”
Paddington appears likely to continue following the Giant’s Causeway route, mixing and matching the best options over a mile and 10 furlongs – something Duffield feels could prove the best option considering the pace he possesses.
“He might now go the Giant’s Causeway route and go for the Sussex Stakes and the Juddmonte and I think he will always be the one to beat wherever he goes,” continued Duffield.
“He’s got pace. Any race you put him in he has the pace to deal with it, whether that is a mile or a mile and a quarter.
“I wouldn’t be looking at a mile and a half right now, I would just concentrate on a mile and a mile and a quarter. If you want to bring him back to a mile then fine, he will have no problem with that. Which way you go doesn’t matter. He has that natural speed.
“Aidan is the man for that though, he’ll know exactly where he will want to be sending him and I reckon he will always be one you have to be frightened of.
“The man is an absolute genius of a trainer and if he thinks he’s a good horse, then he knows the score, he knows his horses inside out and back to front. Ryan is a very good judge of a horse also, and if he thinks there is more to come like he said after the race then this could be a really good horse.
“I think he’ll be hard to beat wherever he goes.”
Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg has announced his retirement from rugby union with immediate effect.
Hogg had previously revealed plans to end his career after the World Cup in France later this year.
But the 31-year-old has decided to call time “knowing that I have given my body and heart to rugby”.
Hogg tweeted: “It is difficult where to start, but with great sadness and an enormous amount of pride I am announcing my immediate retirement from playing rugby.
“I fought with everything I had to make the Rugby World Cup, but this time my body has not been able to do the things I wanted and needed it to do.
“We knew this day would come eventually. I just never thought it would be this soon.
“It’s hard to put into words just how much of an impact the game has had on my life. I will be retiring knowing that I have given my body and heart to rugby.
“I will be forever grateful to this amazing community and cannot wait to begin my journey as a proud supporter of Scottish Rugby”.
Hogg made his Scotland debut in 2012. He played at two World Cups and went on each of the last three British and Irish Lions tours in 2013, 2017 and 2021.
He moved from Glasgow to Exeter in 2019 and was named Scotland captain the following year. Hogg skippered the national team for just over two years before Jamie Ritchie took over the role after head coach Gregor Townsend opted to make a change.
Hogg was visibly emotional before winning his 100th cap against Ireland earlier this year, although the match ended on a sour note when he was forced off in the closing stages with an ankle injury that ruled him out of the final Six Nations match versus Italy.
Townsend told www.scottishrugby.org: “Following Stuart’s news we would like to wish him all the best in his retirement. He has been an outstanding player for Scotland and has had a career lit up with so many achievements, highlights and special memories.
“I have had the pleasure of coaching Stuart for the majority of his career, and he was a joy to work with and watch on the training field and in games.
“He had a love for so many aspects of the game, and not only got joy from taking on defenders with ball in hand but also putting his team-mates into space.
“His basic skills and speed set him apart from other players, and it has been an amazing effort to play Test rugby for the past 11 years”.
Bucanero Fuerte is set to be campaigned at Group One level following his battling success in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh.
An impressive winner at the Kildare venue on debut, connections kept their powder dry with the precocious son of Wootton Bassett until Royal Ascot, where the Adrian Murray-trained youngster ran a fine race in the Coventry Stakes to finish a gallant third to Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber.
Sent off 100-30 for the Group Two Railway, he built on that Ascot effort to quickly gain compensation, producing a brave performance off a positive ride from Rossa Ryan to hold off Ballydoyle’s Unquestionable and His Majesty.
The victory continued a golden spell for owners Amo Racing who enjoyed a double at Royal Ascot and also for Westmeath handler Murray who was picking up his second Group Two prize in the space of two weeks following Valiant Force’s Norfolk Stakes success at the big summer showpiece.
“Bucanero Fuerte has come out of the Curragh in great form and the team out in Ireland are really happy with him,” said Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for Amo Racing.
“We were delighted with what he did there and he came forward from his Ascot run so we have to be chuffed with that.
“We’ve always held him in high regard and it’s nice it has come to fruition. We looked after him through the early part of the spring and he’s coming to the boil nicely now which is good to see.”
With Group Two honours secured, the natural next step is to seek top-table glory and both the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (August 12) and Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (September 10) back at the Curragh will come under consideration, as will Deauville’s Prix Morny on August 20.
“He’s got all the options. He’s in the Phoenix Stakes, he’s in the National and we’ll put him in the Morny,” added Pennington.
“We can’t wait to see him up at seven furlongs, but he showed at the Curragh he’s not slow. It will be a Group One on his next start, we just need to decide which one we go for.
“We would like to run in the Phoenix Stakes, that would be very much on our agenda and the National Stakes. They are the races we want to be competing in and he’s shown that he’s up to that level.”
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva continued her dream start to life on grass by storming into the last-16 at Wimbledon with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Anastasia Potapova.
Qualifier Andreeva, the youngest woman in the main draw at 16-years-old, had to wait a day to begin her third-round match but again showed why she is the talk of the tennis world with an accomplished display.
Andreeva’s victory in one hour and 35 minutes over her more experienced compatriot means her impressive grand-slam showing of reaching round three at Roland Garros in June has now been bettered.
She had never competed on grass before she started qualifying at Roehampton last week, but was able to chalk up a sixth consecutive win on the English lawn.
Potapova edged their first meeting in three sets last October and despite breaks being exchanged early on, Andreeva took control and won five of the last six games of the first set.
Further breaks were shared at the start of a much closer second set before Potapova moved 4-1 up.
Andreeva showed impeccable poise to keep calm and fought back to break in the seventh and 11th games of the second set to book a fourth-round meeting with Madison Keys.
An emotional Andreeva, who has made no secret of her affection for two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, said on-court: “Of course I am really happy I managed to win this match.
“It was an amazing battle, she played really well and congrats to her and her team because they did a good job.
“I did everything I could. I gave my all and I come back in the second set from 1-4 so of course I feel great.
“I have been working on (my emotions) really hard with my coaches, with my parents, we talked a lot. Now I know it is easier or better to control my emotions on court.
“But today honestly even if I wanted to show some emotions, I couldn’t because I was out of breath on every point!
“I do enjoy the atmosphere, it is just amazing here. You see all the pro players, you see (Novak) Djokovic, you see Murray… yes the atmosphere is great and I hope next year I will be in a different locker room (for seeds) that is the level above!”
The Minstrel Stakes is next on the agenda for Just Beautiful, as trainer Paddy Twomey plots a route to a possible tilt at Breeders’ Cup glory in the autumn.
A Group Three winner for Ivan Furtado in 2021, the five-year-old was subsequently bought for 625,000 guineas on behalf of Moyglare Stud Farm and moved to Ireland to join Twomey.
She only made it to the track twice last season, disappointing at Leopardstown before finishing third at the Curragh, and she was again well held on her first start of this term in the Athasi Stakes.
But having bounced back to winning ways in the Group Two Lanwades Stud Stakes at the end of May, Twomey is hopeful she can continue to show her true colours for the remainder of the year.
“She’s in good form and the plan is to run her in the Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh on (Irish) Oaks weekend,” said the trainer.
“She’ll have three options after that – the Prix Rothschild and the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville or the City of York Stakes. It’ll be one of those three races hopefully after the Minstrel Stakes.
“The long-range plan would be the Breeders’ Cup Mile if we could, but we’ll take it one step at a time.
“We didn’t really get a clear run at her last year – we had plenty of hold-ups.
“It was great to get a clear run with her this year and she’s versatile, I think. Seven furlongs on fast ground is probably her optimum, she has a lot of ability and I do hope she wins a Group One before the year is over.”
Joanna Mason, who suffered a leg fracture in a gallops accident last month, looks set to return to the saddle “in two or three weeks”.
Mason, 33, who was sidelined for 10 days when kicked in the knee by Jazz Samba following his win at Beverley on May 1, suffered more bad luck when three pigeons flew out of bushes adjacent to the gallops at her grandfather Mick and his son David Easterby’s yard, spooking a filly she was riding and unseating her.
The Malton rider raised her profile significantly on a wider stage earlier this year, producing a superb performance in February’s International Jockeys Challenge at the Saudi Cup to finish as leading woman rider and in third place overall.
On her rehabilitation, she said: “It’s going well, not doing too badly. I’m not a 100 per cent sure. I’ve increased stuff this week in the hydrotherapy pool, the physio and in the gym, and am doing a lot more weight-bearing. I’m hoping I’ll be back within the next two or three weeks.
“I definitely couldn’t get on a horse yet. I am just body-weight loading and doing that with heel raises, but I’m getting there.
“The knee is still a bit sore, because I was over-using it and hopping around while I was nursing my left one. There is not as much pressure, and it doesn’t hurt. I’m not doing too badly. I suppose your body will tell you when you are ready, but the process always takes longer than you think.
“The physios are really happy and I’m doing enough to push it without it hurting.”
Matteo Berrettini would have “signed with my blood” to have the Wimbledon run he is putting together.
The 2021 finalist has been struggling with a recurring abdominal problem that forced him to miss the defence of his Queen’s Club title but is through to the fourth round after convincing victories over Alex De Minaur and Alexander Zverev.
Berrettini, who was forced out of Wimbledon last year by Covid, said on court after his third-round victory that he had spent many days crying in his bed as he fought to get healthy again.
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“If they told me a few weeks ago you’re going to play five days in a row in Wimbledon, I would have signed with my blood,” the Italian said later.
“I really spent days in bed thinking about the tournaments that I missed, the injuries that I had, sadness that I was feeling. I was like, ‘I have to come back and feel alive when I play’.
“That’s the energy I have right now. It doesn’t matter how tired I am. In the morning, go there, enjoy. I find that extra energy that maybe a few years ago I took for granted.”
Berrettini is unseeded with his ranking having dropped to 38 and he revealed he arrived in London with serious fears he may have to miss Wimbledon for a second year in a row.
“I wasn’t sure even if I was going to play,” he said. “I flew here and I said maybe the atmosphere is going to help me a little bit.
“I was really not sure about it. Not because I didn’t want to. In order to play a slam, you have to be ready physically, emotionally, mentally. There are many things.
“The will is not enough. But then I have to say I did a great job with my team. We worked really hard. They let me decide. A few days before, I thought, ‘I’m not ready’.
“But then I missed too many events in the last years. I couldn’t leave this place without trying. That’s what I said to myself. I think this place has something special. I feel a kind of energy I don’t feel anywhere else.”
Berrettini is one of the best grass-court players in the draw and he will next try to upset top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is yet to go beyond the fourth round at the All England Club.
The Italian, who beat Alcaraz over five sets at the Australian Open last year, is looking forward to the challenge, saying: “In a way it’s what you want, right? You want to play against the best players in the world.
“Playing against Carlos, it’s always been a pleasure, a great fight. He’s the best player in the world. It’s going to be a great challenge. But I’m so glad that I have this opportunity right now.
“I remember watching him play at Roland Garros from my TV. Now it’s going to be me against him. I’m really happy for that. I think this is going to help me to go there and enjoy and find that extra energy that I was talking about.”
Zverev certainly would not be surprised to see Berrettini come out on top, with the German saying: “I told him that he can win the tournament if he plays like this.
“Of course there are other players that are great. He’s playing Alcaraz next. I think he’s a great player as well. But, if he plays like this, he has chances against anybody.”
Matt Manning, Jason Foley and Alex Lange produced the first combined no-hitter in Detroit Tigers history, leading the way to a 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday.
Manning was pulled after allowing a seventh-inning walk to Cavan Biggio on his 91st pitch. He walked three and struck out five in his 6 2/3 innings of work.
Foley recorded four straight outs before handing the ball over to Lange, who pitched a perfect ninth and recorded his 13th save of the season.
The start of the game was delayed nearly an hour and a half due to rain, but fans who stayed were treated to history as the Tigers rushed Lange on the mound after Spencer Torkelson squeezed the final out at first base.
Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter had first-inning RBIs for the Tigers, providing all the offence the team would need.
Riley Greene reached base four times in his first game back from the injured list after recovering from a stress fracture in his lower left leg.
Strider, Braves beat slumping Rays to stay hot
Spencer Strider stuck out 11 to win his seventh straight decision and the red-hot Atlanta Braves sent the Tampa Bay Rays to their seventh consecutive loss, 6-1.
Strider limited the Rays to four hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings with one walk to join Arizona’s Zac Gallen and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan as the only 11-game winners in the majors.
Sean Murphy finished Atlanta’s four-run fourth inning with a three-run homer off rookie Taj Bradley, who gave up four runs and five hits in five innings.
The MLB-leading Braves homered in a franchise record-tying 25th straight game. They have won 20 of 22 to open a 9 ½-game lead in the NL East.
Dodgers hit five home runs, beat Angels again
Mookie Betts hit his 10th leadoff home run of the season for one of the Los Angeles’ Dodgers five homers in their ninth straight win against the reeling Los Angeles Angels, 10-5.
Betts’ home run set the MLB record for most in the first half, surpassing George Springer, who had nine with the Houston Astros in the first half of 2017.
Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, J.D. Martinez and David Peralta also went deep to help the Dodgers make it 10 consecutive wins against the Angels since a loss on Aug. 6, 2021.
Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer and fell a double shy of the cycle as the Angels dropped their fifth in a row.
Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka go head to head on Court One as Wimbledon hosts scheduled play on the middle Sunday for just the second year.
Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek headline the action on Centre Court as the singles competitions continue without the presence of any Britons.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day seven’s action.
Svitolina set for Azarenka battle
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Elina Svitolina had planned to watch Harry Styles in Vienna this weekend. Instead, the Ukrainian will once again be under the spotlight for taking on a player from Belarus.
Svitolina beat two Russian players at the French Open before falling to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals. But she was booed in Paris for sticking to the Ukrainian position of not shaking hands with opponents from the two countries due to the ongoing war.
On Sunday, she faces Victoria Azarenka in the first Wimbledon match between someone from Ukraine and one from either Russia and Belarus since the war started.
Svitolina is well aware of the significance of the clash, saying: “A lot of Ukrainians will be watching, will be supporting me. I will go out there and put the fighting spirit on and just really fight for every single point.”
Middle Sunday action
For just the second time in its long history, Wimbledon will host scheduled action on the middle Sunday.
Up until last year it was always a day of rest, leading to ‘Manic Monday’ when all 16 fourth-round matches were played on one day.
This year’s play will be particularly welcome as the tournament is still playing catch up from indifferent weather in the first week.
There are some third-round matches still to be completed while a host of doubles and junior matches were cancelled on Saturday.
Match of the day
Hubert Hurkacz is the man who ended Roger Federer’s Wimbledon career when he won their quarter-final in 2021.
The Pole was then beaten by Matteo Berrettini in the semi-final, but he gets the chance to take down another big gun when he faces Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian is seemingly invincible on Centre Court so Hurkacz is going to have to channel that performance against Federer if he has any hope of prevailing and ending Djokovic’s reign.
Order of playCentre Court
Andrey Rublev v Alexander Bublik
Iga Swiatek v Belinda Bencic
Hubert Hurkacz v Novak Djokovic
Court One
Jessica Pegula v Lesia Tsurenko
Jannick Sinner v Daniel Galan
Victoria Azarenka v Elina Svitolina
Weather
Early thunderstorms will give way to more settled conditions
Nasa Hataoka produced a dazzling 66 in tough conditions to seize the third-round lead in the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach as England’s Charley Hull kept her faint hopes alive.
The Japanese leader, 24, shot a bogey-free 66 to finish on seven-under-par on a day when nobody else broke 70 and only 11 of the 74-strong field came home under par.
American Allisen Corpuz fell out of a share of the lead with a bogey on the last with overnight leader Bailey Tardy and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim two shots back, two ahead of Korean duo Jiyai Shin and Hae Ran Ryu – the only other players under par.
Hataoka has lost in play-offs at two majors, including the US Women’s Open two years ago.
She said: “Although circumstances may be different, I think some of the elements are still the same as they were versus two years ago.
“In other words, I have to go on all of those 18 holes, discuss with my caddie and work out what’s the best for me, and enjoy my day tomorrow.”
Two birdies on the front nine had seen Hull move under par, but she dropped two shots coming home before a birdie on the last saw her continue her daily improvement with a round of 71.
She is tied for seventh on level par with American Angel Yin, seven strokes behind Hataoka and one ahead of a group including rookie sensation Rose Zhang – who won on her professional debut earlier this season – and former world number one Minjee Lee from Australia.
Hull said she “played solid all day” and admitted having more to focus on at Pebble Beach than just the golf was helping her game.
She said: “I struggle to concentrate on the golf course sometimes, so taking it all in, looking at the views, is helping a lot. There’s such good views… I’m really enjoying it out there.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. On this golf course, anything can happen.
“I like it when it’s tough – when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. That’s what my dad always used to say to me.”
Ireland’s Leona Maguire slipped back to two-over-par as she included two double bogeys in a 75, with England’s Bronte Law tied for 14th a shot further back after a 72.
Irish amateur Aine Donegan fired a third round 75 after a nine on the eighth derailed three early birdies but remained just inside the top 20 on four over.
The NBA Saturday revealed plans for its inaugural in-season tournament that will begin Nov. 3.
The tournament will have a prize pool of roughly $18 million and will be capped by a championship game on Dec. 9.
“This is a concept that has been rumbling around the league office for about 15 years,” Silver said. “It’s not a new concept in sports. For those that follow particularly international soccer, it’s a long tradition of having in-season tournaments … so we thought, what a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA and it’s a perfect fit for our game.”
Games will be played mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays in November – except for Nov. 7, when the league will play no games to commemorate Election Day.
The Final Four will be played in Las Vegas.
“I’m excited about this midseason tournament,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I think it’s going to add an element of energy and excitement for the players and coaches and the fans. I think it’s a great idea.”
Teams were assigned to a five-team group and will play against each other; the six group winners will make the quarterfinals, as will the best two second-place teams from the groups.
All tournament games except the championship will count in the standings. It’s been known for some time that teams will be getting only an 80-game schedule when the 2023-24 slate its released by the NBA in the coming weeks.
Games 81 and 82 will be added in December.
Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs have agreed on a new five-year contract extension, the team announced Saturday.
The 74-year-old Popovich is already the oldest coach in NBA history and will see the record extended with the new deal.
Details of the contract were not released as part of the team’s policy.
Popovich is the winingest coach of the all-time and recently completed his 27th season as the Spurs’ coach.
He has guided San Antonio to five NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) and has been named the NBA’s Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2012, 2014).
Popovich ranks third all-time in playoff wins with 170, trailing only Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171), and will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
Popovich’s decision to remain as head coach and President of Basketball Operations with the Spurs comes not long after the team landed the No. 1 pick in the draft and selected French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama made his official NBA Summer League debut on the court on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets in Las Vegas.
Popovich also won an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games that were played in 2021.
Katie Boulter conceded she was beaten by the “much better player” as her Wimbledon run came to an end with a crushing loss to defending champion Elena Rybakina.
Boulter cemented her new-found status as British number one by reaching the last-32 for a second successive year, and there were high hopes she could at least give third seed Rybakina a match.
Boulter has shown many times that she loves the big stage but, having waited until nearly 9pm to walk out on Centre Court, she managed to detain Rybakina for only 56 minutes in a 6-1 6-1 hammering that ends home singles hopes at Wimbledon.
“Obviously a really tough match against a tough competitor,” said the 26-year-old. “I gave it my best today. I wouldn’t say I really felt like I got into the match fully.
“She’s clearly the defending champion for a reason, and I learned a lot today and that’s what I’m going to have to take from today’s match.”
After some positive results earlier in the week it has been a chastening two days for British tennis, with Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady all falling on Friday.
Boulter pulled off the best win of her career in the second round here last year, defeating former finalist Karolina Pliskova, and in seven previous matches against top-10 players had only failed to win at least a set on one occasion.
Rybakina had not been convincing in the first two rounds after coming into the tournament under-cooked because of illness but she hit her stride straight away and the match quickly got away from Boulter.
The Kazakh possesses probably the fiercest strike in the women’s game, as well as the best serve following Serena Williams’ retirement, and she lost only nine points on serve throughout the match while hitting 20 winners.
Boulter admitted she has never faced a ball-strike quite like Rybakina’s before, saying: “Obviously it’s a lot quicker and the majority of girls, they don’t quite hit the ball like that. It’s quite flat. You don’t really see where she’s going. She disguises it very well.
“I struggled with it a lot today. It felt like I got into it a little bit at times and I started to pick up her ball but she was relentless at the end of the day. She was the much better player.”
Having to wait until so late to go on court after two long matches and a rain delay probably did not help Boulter, who nevertheless insisted she enjoyed the occasion.
“It was quite late,” she said. “Obviously it was my first match playing under lights. It was a little bit different and it took time for me to adjust on serve especially. I don’t think I quite found it.
“I will always reflect back on something positive. The crowd are incredible. I wanted to give them a bit more today, but unfortunately I couldn’t do that. But I appreciated them every single second I was out there.”
There are certainly positives to take from the grass-court season for Boulter, who won her first WTA Tour event in Nottingham last month, while she will be at a career-high ranking just outside the top 70 a week on Monday.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a tough night but I’m going to sit here tomorrow morning and tell you that I’m at a career high,” she said.
“I’ve had some seriously positive weeks. I’ve come off the back of five long weeks with no injuries, no issues.
“I’ve got a great rest of the year ahead of me. I’ve got not many points to defend. It’s a really good opportunity for me to keep pushing my ranking up and really make a statement and play many more matches like today. They’re the matches that I want to be playing.”
It is not the end of Boulter’s Wimbledon, meanwhile, with the Leicestershire player due to contest her second-round mixed doubles match alongside boyfriend Alex De Minaur on Sunday.
“I’m sure tonight Alex will be giving me some words of wisdom,” she said. “I’m going to be ready to go tomorrow and enjoying myself and having fun. It will be a great way to end Wimbledon, for sure.”
Rybakina was delighted with her performance and she moves on to a fourth-round clash against 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
British tennis fans stayed on the Hill into a dark, damp Saturday evening as they supported Katie Boulter as she tried – but ultimately failed – to keep British hopes alive in the Wimbledon singles competition.
Boulter was beaten by last year’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round after Sir Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady were all knocked out on Friday.
Lucy Garrett, 25, ended her day at Wimbledon by watching Boulter’s defeat from the Hill.
The Leeds resident told the PA news agency: “It has been good that we were able to stay.
“I actually saw Katie on Centre Court last year and I have been following her ever since.
“It was nice to see her win at Nottingham, but obviously not on Centre Court today. It’s great to support the last Brit.
“It’s been a shame (the British men) all got knocked out at the same time.
“They’ve all played really well, it’s just how the draw has fallen for them.”
Gary and Wendy Linnett, from Warwickshire, came to Wimbledon with their two adult sons to watch the tennis.
Mrs Linnett, 53, said it was “predictable” that all the British singles players had been knocked out of Wimbledon in the first week.
She said: “I have been a tennis fan since I was eight years of age and it’s pretty much always been the same, apart from when Andy Murray was around.
“I’m not surprised, I have to say.”
Bryony Holmes-Dixon, 25, watched the last half an hour of Boulter’s match on the Hill after watching the day’s action across different courts.
Ms Holmes-Dixon, from Leeds, said: “(The British players) have been playing against very good players.
“I have never been to Wimbledon before it’s been really good. It hasn’t been as rainy as the other days.”
Inside Centre Court British fans tried to roar Boulter to victory.
Adam Griffin, 45, said he felt “massively disappointed” that all the British singles tennis players were knocked out in the first week.
The Londoner told PA: “I think it was a bit of bad luck.
“We were lucky enough to watch Boulter on Centre Court.”
British interest in the Wimbledon singles is over after Katie Boulter’s chastening defeat to Elena Rybakina.
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev both got through to the fourth round in four sets while Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka were winners in the women’s draw.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how day six unfolded.
Alcaraz’s four-hour escape
Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one, is generally regarded as the most likely contender to stop Novak Djokovic, but his title credentials came under real scrutiny in his third-round match with Nicolas Jarry.
The Chilean is currently enjoying a career-best ranking, but had only won one match at Wimbledon before this year, so it is perhaps no surprise that he did not know which side of Centre Court the players’ chairs were when walking out.
However, Jarry made Alcaraz work hard as he levelled at one set all and then was a break up in the fourth set, looking primed to take it to a decider.
But the Spaniard showed all of his battling skills as he won five of the last six games to seal a 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 7-5 success in just short of four hours.
Celebrity cornerFokina’s late gift
When Alejandro Davidovich Fokina goes to bed tonight he will probably have nightmares.
Only he knows what possessed him to produce an underarm serve at 8-8 in his match-deciding tie-break against Holger Rune, which the Dane gleefully ran on to with ease and despatched a winner that gave him match point.
The sixth seed, who described the Spaniard’s serve as “crazy” and “unexpected”, duly obliged to book his fourth-round spot.
Tweet of the dayQuote of the dayStat of the dayShot of the dayPicture of the dayBrit watch
Home interest in the singles is over for another year after Katie Boulter’s Centre Court demise.
The British number one was the last Briton standing after Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Liam Broady all went out within 90 minutes of each other on Friday, but she was dismantled by defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday night.
Boulter, who won at Nottingham in the build-up, matched her best performance at this tournament but was outclassed by Rybakina, who won 6-1 6-1.
Katie Boulter was blown away by defending champion Elena Rybakina as British singles interest at Wimbledon came to an end in the third round.
Boulter cemented her new-found status as British number one by reaching the last 32 for a second successive year, and there were high hopes she could at least give third seed Rybakina a match.
Boulter has shown many times that she loves the big stage but, having waited until nearly 9pm to walk out on Centre Court following two lengthy matches and a rain delay, she managed to detain Rybakina for only 56 minutes in a 6-1 6-1 hammering.
After some positive results earlier in the week it has been a chastening two days for British tennis, with Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady all falling on Friday.
Boulter pulled off the best win of her career in the second round here last year, defeating former finalist Karolina Pliskova, and in seven previous matches against top-10 players had only failed to win at least a set on one occasion.
She handled her status as favourite well to see off Daria Saville and Viktoriya Tomova in the first two rounds and was looking forward to having a crack at the defending champion.
Rybakina was a significant step up but the Kazakh had been shaky at times in her opening two rounds having come into the tournament under prepared because of illness.
She possesses probably the fiercest strike in the women’s game, though, as well as the best serve following Serena Williams’ retirement, and she hit her stride straight away.
Boulter has been working on adding more variety to her flat-hitting game but with options can come indecision and a couple of ill-advised drop shots cost her a break of serve for 3-1.
First-strike tennis usually favours Boulter but the power coming from Rybakina’s racket, particularly on her serve, was on another level.
The third seed, who remarkably is the first women’s defending champion to reach the fourth round here since Williams back in 2016, broke again for 5-1 and wrapped up the first set in 26 minutes.
Boulter’s support camp, including boyfriend Alex De Minaur, tried to lift her, and she halted the run of games against her at seven by holding for 1-2 in the second set.
That was as good as it got, though, with the score the same as last year’s third round, when Boulter lost to Frenchwoman Harmony Tan.
It has nevertheless been a positive fortnight and a transformative grass-court season for Boulter, who will be ranked just outside the top 70 on Monday and now has the chance to really push on.
Aryna Sabalenka acknowledged there would only be a “little celebration” for making the second week at Wimbledon this time with her eyes firmly set on another grand slam title.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka marched into the fourth round at the All England Club on Saturday with a routine 6-2 6-3 victory over Moscow-born Anna Blinkova, hitting 30 winners in an 81-minute breeze on Court One.
Second seed Sabalenka is at the top of her game having made it to at least the semi-final stage of her last three grand slams, but it was at Wimbledon two summers ago where she made her big breakthrough at a major.
A run to the last four for the current world number two in 2021 was the first time she made the second week at a grand slam and the Belarusian has not looked back since and is focused on lasting the distance on grass this time.
“Yeah, I have really great memories from here. It was my first breakthrough,” Sabalenka said, having missed last year’s tournament due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players competing due to the war in Ukraine.
“I was very happy two years ago to be able to get to the second week. Yeah, since that I kind of had more belief in myself in the grand slams.
“I don’t think anymore about the second week of the grand slam, you know? I kind of felt a little relief after that breakthrough.
“I’m still happy. It’s still a little celebration because of making the second week, but the goal is to go as far as I can. I’m trying to stay focused.”
Back-to-back aces booked Sabalenka her place in the last-16, after surviving an entertaining 14-minute seventh game of the second set to hold.
The 25-year-old will face another Russian next after Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 21st seed, was the first female winner on day six with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Dalma Galfi on Court 18.
Last year’s Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur survived a scare and a lengthy stoppage due to a wet Centre Court surface to progress into the fourth round with a battling 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Bianca Andreescu.
After Jabeur hit back from losing the first set to level, the Tunisian found herself 3-1 down in the decider, but crucially broke back against the former US Open winner before heavy rain arrived at 7.36pm.
With the Centre Court roof open, the grass surface briefly took a hammering of rain and a 50-minute delay occurred while it was left to dry.
But once play resumed, Jabeur showed her mettle on her first return to the venue since last year’s final.
Two break points were held by the world number six in her first service game after the resumption before she broke to love in the ninth game and sealed her place in round four with an ace.
“I felt like I didn’t play my best today, I wanted to be more aggressive and play my game but I am playing against a grand slam champion,” Jabeur said before admitting to almost asking spectator Billie Jean King for advice mid-match.
“You have to do what you do and Billie was watching so I was going to ask her what should I do. I swear I was going to turn to her.
“Very emotional coming back here after a great final last year. It is one of, if not my favourite court. I love the grass, love the energy and hopefully I can come back and play more matches here.”
The wet weather disrupted some of the early play on Saturday but Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia beat the rain to down Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-2 on Court Three before a suspension meant there was no time for an on-court interview.
When play did resume in SW19, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova finished the run of qualifier Natalija Stevanovic in straight sets.
Madison Keys, who won the Rothesay International in Eastbourne last week, continued her fine form with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
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