Is British women’s tennis in the doldrums or on the up?
The doom and gloom surrounding the complete absence of British players from the women’s singles draw at the French Open has given way to a raft of positive results on grass.
Katie Boulter defeated Jodie Burrage to win her first WTA title in Nottingham in the first all-British tour final since the 1970s while there have also been encouraging performances from Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and Katie Swan.
View this post on InstagramBoulter’s title has lifted her back into the top 100, which also doubles as the rough cut-off for entry into grand slams, but the 26-year-old believes a bigger-picture view is needed.
“I think we put a lot of emphasis on being ranked inside 100 and I’m not entirely sure if I personally agree with it,” she said.
“I think we need to continually look at the amount of players we have coming through and stay positive. Because, if we go down the negative route, we can always find something.
“Each and every one of these girls can be inside 100. I think we should be asking questions if we don’t have anyone who can be.
“These girls are getting wins against top-100 players but everyone’s individual and they have to work on what they need to do. I’ve got a lot of work to do inside or outside the top 100.”
It has been 40 years since Britain had anything approaching strength in depth, and the sport is far more global now than it was then.
While the men appear to be doing better – with four players in the top 100 and consistent performers in Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans – there are actually six British women in the top 150 compared to five men.
And four of the top five women are aged 26 or under, whereas that is only the case for one man – 21-year-old Jack Draper, who will miss Wimbledon with the latest in a series of injuries.
The British women have mostly been rivals since their junior days and the hope, along with a strong return from injury for Emma Raducanu, must be that they can push each other up the rankings.
Boulter certainly sees it that way, saying: “It means everything for all of us. I think that’s why we’re such a good group of girls because we keep pushing each other on. I hope we can continually do that. I think there’s a lot more to come for all of us.”
Dart looked to have broken clear of her peers last year when she moved into the top 100 but this year had been a struggle prior to the grass season, with the 26-year-old plummeting down the rankings.
She has found form and confidence at home, reaching the quarter-finals in Nottingham – where tension at the net after she lost to Boulter took the headlines – and Birmingham.
Asked about the rivalry between the British women, Dart said: “We’re all on our different journeys. I’ve had a bit of a dip in form. Last year was a good year for me. I’m trying to regain that form.
“I don’t see myself in competition with anyone else, just myself. It definitely shows me that my level is there. I’ve just got to, week in, week out, keep putting it out there. The grass season is so short and the most important thing is the whole year.”
Dart is right not to focus too much on grass-court results because, while clay probably gives an overly negative impression of the state of the British game, the reverse is true for grass, which a lot of players from other countries are inexperienced and uncomfortable on.
The 26-year-old, meanwhile, revealed that she is still searching for a permanent coach after a trial with Frenchman Morgan Bourbon did not work out.
View this post on InstagramDart, who split from Nigel Sears last year, is working with Colin Beecher on the grass while his regular charge Kyle Edmund continues to recover from a wrist injury.
Edmund’s dreadful luck unfortunately shows no sign of improving, with the 28-year-old finally back on court after years of knee trouble only to suffer a separate problem just before the French Open.
Dart said: “I’ve been really fortunate that Colin has been able to have the time to do this grass-court season with me. It’s been really tough on Kyle with his injuries but I’m really grateful that he allowed him to come and work with me.
“I’m back to square one. For sure I’m looking for someone long term so I can get that consistency. It’s very challenging, to say the least.
“There’s not that many people out there, a lot of people are taken and are in long-term partnerships. But I’ll keep looking and you never know, sometimes post-Wimbledon people can become available.”
The St. Louis Cardinals gave up four runs in the first inning but rallied to beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-5, on Sunday to split the teams’ two-game series at London Stadium.
Former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras went 4 for 4 and scored two runs for St. Louis, while Paul Goldschmidt delivered the go-ahead RBI single that chased NL ERA leader Marcus Stroman in the fourth.
The Cubs later said that Stroman exited early due to a blister on his throwing hand. He was charged with six runs - three earned - on eight hits.
St. Louis committed two errors in the first inning before recording an out, saddling starter Matthew Liberatore with four unearned runs, but five Cardinals relievers held the Chicago lineup in check the rest of the way.
The Cubs fell to 37-39 and missed a chance to get back to .500, while the Cardinals have won five of seven following a six-game losing streak.
Yankees rally to take series from AL West-leading Rangers
Harrison Bader delivered a go-ahead two-run double during an eighth-inning rally that lifted the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers.
The Yankees trailed 3-2 before scoring three times in the eighth to win the rubber match of the three-game series. DJ LeMahieu had a two-run double earlier for New York, which went 4-2 on its week-long homestand after returning to the Bronx on a season high-tying four-game losing streak.
New York also overcame ace Gerrit Cole's shortest outing of the season, a 4 2/3-inning stint in which he was tagged for three runs and nine hits.
Jonah Heim had a solo home run off Cole and finished 2 for 4. Leody Tavares also collected two hits and an RBI for Texas, which stranded 10 runners compared to just three for the Yankees.
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi was in line for his 10th win of the season after yielding two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings and exiting with a one-run lead.
Braves hang on to take two of three from Reds
Matt Olson hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning and the Atlanta Braves staved off a comeback attempt from the Cincinnati Reds for a second straight day to hold on for a 7-6 win.
Olson's 25th homer of the season, which snapped a 3-3 tie and matched him with Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead, helped Atlanta win the three-game series between National League division leaders and two of its hottest teams. The Braves have now won 17 of 20 and snapped Cincinnati's 12-game winning streak with a 7-6 victory on Saturday.
The Braves tacked on a needed insurance run in the top of the eighth to go up 7-4, but the Reds rallied and pulled within one on Matt McClain's two-run double with two out in the bottom of the inning.
McClain was left stranded, however, and Raisel Iglesias later got Kevin Newman to ground into a game-ending double play with two on in the ninth to record his 12th save.
McClain finished 4 for 5 with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs to become only the second Reds rookie since 1901 with four extra-base hits in a game, joining Chris Sabo in 1988.
Marcell Ozuna knocked in a pair of runs for Atlanta, while Charlie Morton earned the win after striking out seven while allowing three runs in five innings.
Keegan Bradley claimed his sixth PGA Tour title with a three-shot victory in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
Bradley took a one-shot lead into the final round at TPC River Highlands and was never in real danger of being caught after making five birdies in his first 12 holes.
The 2011 US PGA Championship winner gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope with three bogeys in four holes from the 13th, but eventually signed for a closing 68 to finish 23 under par.
Fellow American Zac Blair surged through the field with a final round of 62 to finish 20 under par alongside Brian Harman, who returned a second consecutive 64.
“This is for all the kids that grew up in New England, who got to sit through the winters and watch other people play golf,” said Bradley, who was born in Vermont, one of the six states which make up the New England region.
“I just am so proud to win this tournament. Travelers and everybody involved puts on a first-class tournament. It’s been like this for a decade and I’m so happy to be the winner here.
“I’m so lucky and thankful to be from this New England area. I just can’t believe it. This seems like a dream.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Chez Reavie shared fourth place on 19 under, with Rory McIlroy another shot back after a closing 64.
“I got off to a hot start, which was nice and what I felt like I needed,” McIlroy said after a round containing seven birdies and one bogey.
“Then hit a drive on nine that I didn’t think was that bad. Ended up against the boundary fence and made a bogey there which halted the momentum that I had.
“Bounced back well with a birdie on 11 but then missed a chance on 12, birdied 13. Then just couldn’t get anything to drop over those last few holes.
“I knew I was never going to win with the way Keegan was playing, but I felt like I probably needed a couple more birdies to finish top five.
“I’ll probably still sneak into the top 10 by the end of the day, but would’ve been nice to finish a little higher. Still, it’s another good week and solid performance after a long run, and looking forward to a couple of weeks off.”
McIlroy, who came into the week on the back of his second place in the US Open in Los Angeles, added: “Last Sunday feels like a month ago at this point.
“But coming off the disappointment of the US Open, coming straight here and sort of trying to refocus and forget about what happened in LA and tee it up here and play well, I thought was pretty good.
“I could have sort of went through the motions this week and mailed it in a little bit. I tried hard until the end and put in a decent performance.”
Jordan Staal will remain the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes for the foreseeable future.
The 34-year-old centerman and the Hurricanes agreed to a new four-year contract worth $11.6million, the team announced Sunday. If no deal had been reached, Staal would have become a free agent in less than a week.
Staal’s deal includes a full no-movement clause for the first three seasons.
“I’m ready to grind. I’m ready to play,” Staal told reporters during a conference call. "I feel really good about my game and feel like I can help the team for the rest of this contract. I’m going to do my best to my abilities.
“I’m excited about the deal and where this team is headed, the direction, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Staal is entering his 18th NHL season and has been with the Hurricanes since 2012. He has worn the “C” on his chest since 2019.
“[Staal’s] leadership has been an integral part of our success, and the impact he has made on our organization cannot be overstated,” general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "We could not be more excited to sign him for four more years.”
The Hurricanes won the Metropolitan Division last season with a record of 52-21-9. The franchise has secured a playoff spot in each of the last five seasons and is hoping Staal can help lead Carolina back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2006.
Staal had 17 goals and 17 assists in 81 games last season and remains among the top defensive forwards in the NHL. In 2022-23, he averaged 2:21 of short-handed ice time per game, while winning 55.7 percent of his faceoffs.
Staal has 275 goals and 370 assists in 1,173 career games.
Spurred by Jhaniele Fowler’s 55 goals, defending Suncorp Super League champions, West Coast Fever, defeated Melbourne Vixens 64-57 on Sunday to advance to the preliminary final against New South Wales Swifts on July 1.
The winner will the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Grand Final set for July 8.
The Thunderbirds defeated the Swifts 64-62 on Saturday night.
In what was a tough match, Fowler playing before her home crowd at the RAC Arena, missed just one shot as Fever led each quarter 15-14, 17-16, 16-14, before opening up a seven-point lead after taking the final quarter 16-13.
Mwai Kumwenda only missed one of her 40 attempts to lead the scoring for the Vixens.
Over at the Qudos Bank Arena, Romelda Aiken George’s 29 goals were not enough to get the New South Wales Swifts against the Thunderbirds, who pulled off a dramatic 64-62 victory to book a place in the Grand Finals.
Helen Housby added 15 goals for the Swifts but Eleanor Cardwell’s 18 goals, 13 from Lucy Austin and 11 from Tippa Dwan were just enough to seal the Thunderbirds’ place in the final.
St Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol admitted featuring in Major League Baseball’s second London Series exceeded the expectations he had ahead of the trip.
Beating division rivals the Chicago Cubs 7-5 on Sunday to split the two-game series at London Stadium likely crept into his assessment, but it was the overall experience of the English event that most stood out.
With the Phillies and Mets set to cross the pond next June, MLB seems to have converted an enthusiastic ambassador within its own ranks ahead of the next editions in 2024 and 2026.
He said: “Coming into it I knew it would be a good experience but it’s a lot better than I anticipated, from being able to come into the city and get an idea of the culture and the people, and then the stadium, the game environment.
“It’s very festive I would say. A very, very positive experience.”
Saturday’s crowd of 54,662 had already broken the record for the biggest attendance for an MLB game this season, a tally exceeded on Sunday with 55,565 flocking to West Ham’s Premier League home.
That number would not fit inside most MLB stadia.
Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras said: “I enjoyed every single second out there. The experience was nothing but amazing. I think that’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of. The fans were amazing and I’m really thankful they came out to watch us play.”
MLB did its best to transform the Hammers’ venue into a bona fide big-league ballpark, complete with monstrous hot dogs, ‘donut burgers’ and a traditional sing-along to Take Me Out to The Ballgame during the seventh-inning stretch.
But converting curious Britons is key to the sport’s sustained success on these shores, so it was important to get the balance right for what – at least after unscientific surveys of accents inside London Stadium – seemed like a decent home crowd to complement those who travelled over.
Also essential to the league’s ambitions is ensuring that Great Britain is growing a new cohort of players at an exciting time for the country’s national teams.
Last year, the men’s baseball team played heavy hitters like the USA in the World Baseball Classic, the sport’s closest equivalent to the World Cup, after qualifying for the first time.
A women’s baseball team has formed and played in Europe, while GB softball – who narrowly missed out on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, are about to test themselves at their own World Cup qualifier in Dublin next month.
MLB’s Trafalgar Square takeover included one of those women in the home run derby, and was set up to draw the attention of those who might not have purchased a ticket this time round, while outreach programmes took place at schools and clubs around the country.
Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar added: “It’s huge to grow the game. For a lot of us it was the first time in Europe.
“Any time you can come out here and try to grow the game a little bit, it’s big and hopefully they leave today and you inspire some kids to go out there and buy a glove, buy a bat and go in the backyard and play a little bit.”
Fred Wright ended his wait for a professional win in style as he became British men’s road champion in Saltburn hours after Pfeiffer Georgi claimed the women’s title for a second time.
The popular 24-year-old paid a heartfelt tribute to Bahrain Victorious team-mate Gino Mader, who died on June 16 following a crash at the Tour de Suisse, pointing to the sky as he crossed the line.
“There’s lot of emotions,” Wright said. “I’m thinking about a lot of things…I just wanted to enjoy the day because that’s what bike racing is about. I can’t stop getting emotional…
“(Gino) would have believed in me today, more than I would have believed in myself.”
Wright earned fans with have-a-go heroics that brought podium finishes from breakaways at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana last year, but had somehow still been awaiting victory at the top level.
But after he left behind James Knox and Stevie Williams on the last of 10 laps of a punishing course – including more than 3,500 metres of ascent – there would be no near miss this time.
Knox and Williams are purer climbers than Wright, but the 24-year-old Londoner rode smartly, attacking on the descent to the foot of Saltburn Bank, the short but steep final climb which provided the finale with gradients reaching 22 per cent.
“I was really pleased with the way I rode it,” Wright said. “I probably had the best legs of my life out there. I knew that compared to them I had to edge it on the downhill and the flat so I used that to my advantage to use as little energy as possible. It was just all guns blazing to the finish.
“I still can’t believe I’ve got my first professional win, it’s a monkey off my back.”
Earlier, Georgi attacked on Saltburn Bank to distance Claire Steels and Anna Henderson, reclaiming the jersey she won in Lincoln in 2021 before finishing second to Alice Towers in Castle Douglas last year.
“It’s so special,” Georgi, now a two-time national champion at the age of 22, told the PA news agency.
“It still hasn’t sunk in. After I won the jersey in Lincoln, I really wanted it back because it’s such an honour and it gave me a lot of confidence in the peloton turning up with the stripes.
“I’m really happy to get it back. It’s hard to win it once and it’s really hard to win it twice because I think everyone looks at you a bit more. Coming into Lincoln I was maybe a bit more unknown but this time I had more pressure that I kind of put on myself.”
Both races were hugely attritional. Of the 101 riders who started the women’s race, it was clear with more than two of the seven laps remaining that only seven were contenders for victory.
Steels kept attacking, but when Georgi tried a move of her own on the penultimate ascent of Saltburn Bank she saw she could distance her 36-year-old rival, and she repeated the move on the final lap to take the win.
“I was doubting myself that I was the strongest so I thought I needed to test where I was,” she said. “After that I got the confidence that I could actually win it.”
While the women raced in heat and humidity, the skies began to break midway through the men’s race with sunshine giving way to showers, and showers giving way to torrential rain and thunder at the start of the penultimate lap.
That was about the time that Bahrain-Victorious announced their eight-man squad for the Tour, with no surprise that Wright was in it.
“I’ll go to the Tour with a lot of confidence,” he said. “I’ve won the national championships, I’m happy at the moment, and I’m going to keep trying.”
Fred Wright ended his wait for a professional win in style as he became British men’s road champion in Saltburn hours after Pfeiffer Georgi claimed the women’s title for a second time.
The popular 24-year-old paid a heartfelt tribute to Bahrain Victorious team-mate Gino Mader, who died on June 16 following a crash at the Tour de Suisse, pointing to the sky as he crossed the line.
“There’s lot of emotions,” Wright said. “I’m thinking about a lot of things…I just wanted to enjoy the day because that’s what bike racing is about. I can’t stop getting emotional…
“(Gino) would have believed in me today, more than I would have believed in myself.”
Wright earned fans with have-a-go heroics that brought podium finishes from breakaways at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana last year, but had somehow still been awaiting victory at the top level.
But after he left behind James Knox and Stevie Williams on the last of 10 laps of a punishing course – including more than 3,500 metres of ascent – there would be no near miss this time.
Knox and Williams are purer climbers than Wright, but the 24-year-old Londoner rode smartly, attacking on the descent to the foot of Saltburn Bank, the short but steep final climb which provided the finale with gradients reaching 22 per cent.
“I was really pleased with the way I rode it,” Wright said. “I probably had the best legs of my life out there. I knew that compared to them I had to edge it on the downhill and the flat so I used that to my advantage to use as little energy as possible. It was just all guns blazing to the finish.
“I still can’t believe I’ve got my first professional win, it’s a monkey off my back.”
Earlier, Georgi attacked on Saltburn Bank to distance Claire Steels and Anna Henderson, reclaiming the jersey she won in Lincoln in 2021 before finishing second to Alice Towers in Castle Douglas last year.
“It’s so special,” Georgi, now a two-time national champion at the age of 22, told the PA news agency.
“It still hasn’t sunk in. After I won the jersey in Lincoln, I really wanted it back because it’s such an honour and it gave me a lot of confidence in the peloton turning up with the stripes.
“I’m really happy to get it back. It’s hard to win it once and it’s really hard to win it twice because I think everyone looks at you a bit more. Coming into Lincoln I was maybe a bit more unknown but this time I had more pressure that I kind of put on myself.”
Both races were hugely attritional. Of the 101 riders who started the women’s race, it was clear with more than two of the seven laps remaining that only seven were contenders for victory.
Steels kept attacking, but when Georgi tried a move of her own on the penultimate ascent of Saltburn Bank she saw she could distance her 36-year-old rival, and she repeated the move on the final lap to take the win.
“I was doubting myself that I was the strongest so I thought I needed to test where I was,” she said. “After that I got the confidence that I could actually win it.”
While the women raced in heat and humidity, the skies began to break midway through the men’s race with sunshine giving way to showers, and showers giving way to torrential rain and thunder at the start of the penultimate lap.
That was about the time that Bahrain-Victorious announced their eight-man squad for the Tour, with no surprise that Wright was in it.
“I’ll go to the Tour with a lot of confidence,” he said. “I’ve won the national championships, I’m happy at the moment, and I’m going to keep trying.”
The St Louis Cardinals stormed back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-5 and split Major League Baseball’s second London Series.
For some punters this event was about gawking at two-foot long hot dogs and potentially seeing a handful of home runs, though noises around London Stadium suggested a decent number of the 55,565 in attendance were genuinely invested in the sport.
Players from both sides emphasised the seriousness of MLB’s trip across the pond – which holds genuine consequences for the National League Central rivals’ postseason hopes – while MLB will be evaluating if and how they can continue to stage games in London after the last scheduled series here in 2026.
Chicago were dealt a blow when pitching ace Marcus Stroman was forced off with injury to start the fourth, while the division-bottom Cardinals (32-45) benefitted from an alert offence and strong performance from the bullpen in a game that featured 11 different men on the mound.
Stroman entered the afternoon with wins in an MLB-leading seven straight starts, while Cardinals boss Oliver Marmol turned to Matthew Liberatore after Jack Flaherty was a late fitness scratch.
The Cardinals quickly fell behind after the ‘visiting’ Cubs batted first, capitalised on a pair of errors and got themselves out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
But St Louis rallied in the bottom half of the second and had the bases loaded with two outs before singles from Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan made it 4-3.
With a man on first, Marmol swapped his starter for right-hander Jake Woodford at the top of the third, while neither of the two pinch runners Cubs boss David Ross introduced for the subsequent at-bats crossed home plate and the score stood at 4-3.
But it was all tied up at the end of the inning after Jordan Walker’s line drive to centre brought home Lars Nootbaar.
The Cards took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fourth through Paul Goldschmidt, who this weekend became the first MLB player to play in five countries and drove in Edman to make it 5-4.
Something seemed to be troubling the usually reliable Stroman. He began the game with the national league’s lowest earned-run average, but in London he ended the afternoon with six runs allowed and hit Donovan with a pitch.
A mound visit determined the Cubs ace was suffering from a blister to his right index finger and he was pulled after 3.1 innings and replaced by Michael Fulmer, St Louis extending their lead when Lars Nootbaar’s sacrifice fly allowed Donovan to score from third.
The Cardinals managed just six hits across all nine innings on Saturday. By Sunday’s seventh-inning stretch they had posted 11, including Nolan Gorman’s fifth-inning single to make it 7-4.
The bullpen quartet of Woodford, Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Andre Pallante combined for seven scoreless innings before Jordan Hicks gave up a sacrifice fly to Nico Hoerner, allowing Nick Madrigal to cross home plate.
Though the Cubs had no given up a run since the fifth it was too late to spark a comeback, despite winning a video review challenge.
It was down to Seiya Suzuki to make magic happen with their last out. Instead, Hicks caught him swinging to seal the all-important victory in Britain.
The Jamaica Golf Association turned to its sport for a major fund raiser dubbed the Pink Ball Tournament which was staged last Saturday at the Constant Spring Golf Club.
The tournament raised approximately JMD$2 million dollars.
Twenty-two teams of three persons each teed off shotgun style at 8:00 am with the top five teams walking off with prizes and trophies while contributing with hefty entry fees of eight thousand dollars for each team member.
The overall winning team of Rowena Coe, Cameron Coe and Michele McCreath, scored 127 to record a four-point win. The team of Peter Chin, Gregory Mayne and Emily Maybe posted 131 points for the runner-up spot. Third place went to the team of Bruce Lopez, LJ Holmes and Alison Reid who were just two points back on 133 points. Team Oliver McIntosh, Courtney Cephas and Carlton Hume and the team of Metry Seaga, Andre Foote and Mike Gleichman scored 134 each but were placed fourth and fifth, respectively, based on the competition rules.
The returns from the fundraiser will be used to help to defray the costs to send the junior and senior teams to the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship and the Caribbean Amateur Golf Champions which will be held in July in the Cayman Islands and Trinidad, respectively.
The budget to send the teams to the championships is close to JMD$ 10 million which means the Jamaica Golf Association's search for funds continues.
Jamaica performed well in both championships last year while bringing back a number of category trophies.
Several sponsors supported the Pink Ball Tournament including BCIC, Sandals Foundation, KFC, S Hotel & Resorts , Fleetwood Jamaica Limited, Digicel Business and Tile City.
Carlos Alcaraz considers himself one of the favourites to win Wimbledon after picking up his maiden grass-court title at Queen’s Club.
Alcaraz overtook Novak Djokovic as world number one and will be the top seed at SW19 after a commanding 6-4 6-4 win over Alex De Minaur in the final of the cinch Championships.
The 20-year-old Spaniard was playing only his third ever grass-court tournament, and his first outside of two underwhelming visits to Wimbledon.
In his first match at Queen’s he needed a third-set tie-break to get past French journeyman Arthur Rinderknech, but as the week wore on he grew in confidence on the surface and by Sunday looked to the manor born.
“I had no expectations,” said Alcaraz. “But you know, if I have no expectation, I’m gonna win it.
“But honestly, I have a lot of confidence right now coming into Wimbledon. I ended the week playing at the high level. So right now I feel one of the favourites to win Wimbledon.
“I have to get more experience on grass. Even if I win the title, I just played 11 matches in my career on grass, so I have to get more experience, more hours.
“But obviously after beating amazing guys, great players, and the level that I played, I consider myself one of the favourites or one of the players to be able to win Wimbledon.
“I saw a statistic that Novak has won more matches in Wimbledon than the other top 20 players (put together). What can I say about that, you know? I mean, Novak is the main favourite to win Wimbledon. That’s obvious.
“But I will try to play at this level, to have chances to beat him or make the final at Wimbledon.”
De Minaur had been hoping to match his British girlfriend Katie Boulter, who won a first career title in Nottingham last weekend, but he just came up short.
“The positive for the week, for me, I think has been my mentality, my mindset, how calm I have been on the court and how I have backed myself at every stage,” said the 24-year-old Australian.
“When I’m in that kind of mindset and attitude, I can beat anyone. Even if things don’t go my way, I’m content because I know I left it all out there and I try to play the way that I want to play.
“So that’s a big positive for me coming into Wimbledon.”
In the wheelchair final, Britain’s Alfie Hewett was beaten 4-6 6-3 7-5 by Joachim Gerard of Belgium.
Hewett then teamed up with compatriot Gordon Reid in the doubles and beat Gerard and Stephane Houdet in a third-set tie-break to lift the trophy for the first time as a pair.
Derby-winning jockey Martin Dwyer has admitted he will not be fit to ride Pyledriver in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes as he continues his recover from a knee injury that has seen him sidelined for 15 months.
The Liverpool-born jockey, who turns 48 on Wednesday, partnered Sir Percy to Epsom Classic glory in 2006 for Marcus Tregoning and was preparing to ride Pyledriver in last year’s Dubai Sheema Classic when hurt riding out for Brian Meehan.
Dwyer severely twisted his knee when a leather iron broke and he suffered a torn ACL in March 2022.
A length recovery process has still not been completed and Dwyer said it was “tough” watching the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver’s victory in Saturday’s Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
“I had an operation to remove scar tissue about six weeks ago. It has helped, I’m moving forward. I’m going back to see the surgeon this week and get a bit more of an update,” said Dwyer.
“I got on a rowing machine last week, which was a massive step forward, then my knee swelled up.
“The surgeons are happy and mechanically it is working. He has kind of fixed it, but it is a bit like when you have a horse with an injury. You think, ‘he’s so much better now, we’ll give him a canter,’ but when you canter him he’s lame the next day. That’s where I am, to sum it up.”
Pyledriver was having his first run since his King George success under PJ McDonald last July.
The six-year-old, who had been off the track for 336 days with injury, took his earnings to just shy of £2 million in beating West Wind Blows in Saturday’s Group Two contest.
He has taken his race well, according to Muir, who said: “He’s grand this morning. He’s really good, come out of it like a gazelle. He went up there as good as he did yesterday morning, so I’ve got no bothers there at all.
“He trotted out well, looked a picture and it’s brilliant.”
He now looks set to defend his title on July 29, with McDonald again likely to deputise for Muir’s son-in-law.
“I would love to be fit for the King George, but that’s long odds-against to happen,” said Dwyer.
“It was tough watching again yesterday. I was delighted for the team.
“It was brilliant and great to see him bounce back like that. William has done a great job, as it was touch and go there for a while that the horse would ever run again.
“It was mixed emotions, watching him run, but delighted for everyone.”
Dwyer, who has split his time between providing his expertise as a TV pundit and Lambourn’s Oaksey House rehabilitation centre, is not openly entertaining thoughts of retirement and praised the care he has received.
“Even just to get back to normal life, being able to run for a bus – I’ve been throwing the kitchen sink at it in rehab,” added Dwyer.
“I just have to focus on that and just get back to normal life and walk the dog.
“They are great at Oaksey House. The physios have been superb. Jerry Hill, the BHA doctor, speaks personally to my surgeon, they communicate and try different things, so I could not be better looked after.
“The physio at Oaksey House even came with me to see the surgeon. We are leaving no stone unturned, trying everything and let’s hope it works.”
Derby-winning jockey Martin Dwyer has admitted he will not be fit to ride Pyledriver in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes as he continues his recover from a knee injury that has seen him sidelined for 15 months.
The Liverpool-born jockey, who turns 48 on Wednesday, partnered Sir Percy to Epsom Classic glory in 2006 for Marcus Tregoning and was preparing to ride Pyledriver in last year’s Dubai Sheema Classic when hurt riding out for Brian Meehan.
Dwyer severely twisted his knee when a leather iron broke and he suffered a torn ACL in March 2022.
A length recovery process has still not been completed and Dwyer said it was “tough” watching the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver’s victory in Saturday’s Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
“I had an operation to remove scar tissue about six weeks ago. It has helped, I’m moving forward. I’m going back to see the surgeon this week and get a bit more of an update,” said Dwyer.
“I got on a rowing machine last week, which was a massive step forward, then my knee swelled up.
“The surgeons are happy and mechanically it is working. He has kind of fixed it, but it is a bit like when you have a horse with an injury. You think, ‘he’s so much better now, we’ll give him a canter,’ but when you canter him he’s lame the next day. That’s where I am, to sum it up.”
Pyledriver was having his first run since his King George success under PJ McDonald last July.
The six-year-old, who had been off the track for 336 days with injury, took his earnings to just shy of £2 million in beating West Wind Blows in Saturday’s Group Two contest.
He has taken his race well, according to Muir, who said: “He’s grand this morning. He’s really good, come out of it like a gazelle. He went up there as good as he did yesterday morning, so I’ve got no bothers there at all.
“He trotted out well, looked a picture and it’s brilliant.”
He now looks set to defend his title on July 29, with McDonald again likely to deputise for Muir’s son-in-law.
“I would love to be fit for the King George, but that’s long odds-against to happen,” said Dwyer.
“It was tough watching again yesterday. I was delighted for the team.
“It was brilliant and great to see him bounce back like that. William has done a great job, as it was touch and go there for a while that the horse would ever run again.
“It was mixed emotions, watching him run, but delighted for everyone.”
Dwyer, who has split his time between providing his expertise as a TV pundit and Lambourn’s Oaksey House rehabilitation centre, is not openly entertaining thoughts of retirement and praised the care he has received.
“Even just to get back to normal life, being able to run for a bus – I’ve been throwing the kitchen sink at it in rehab,” added Dwyer.
“I just have to focus on that and just get back to normal life and walk the dog.
“They are great at Oaksey House. The physios have been superb. Jerry Hill, the BHA doctor, speaks personally to my surgeon, they communicate and try different things, so I could not be better looked after.
“The physio at Oaksey House even came with me to see the surgeon. We are leaving no stone unturned, trying everything and let’s hope it works.”
Connections of Derby third White Birch are eager for another crack at Auguste Rodin in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby next Sunday.
And should all go well at the Curragh, a possible Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bid may be on the cards.
Trainer John Murphy has floated the idea of a trip to ParisLongchamp in October after seeing plenty of improvement in three runs this term.
The grey landed the Group Three Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown to start his Classic campaign, before a slow-starting, fast-finishing runner-up spot in York’s Dante Stakes.
White Birch tackled a mile and a half for the first time at Epsom where, despite again being slowly away, he made up plenty of ground under Colin Keane to stay on behind Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel in the Betfred Derby.
Murphy is keen to take on the Aidan O’Brien-trained Derby winner again and is a general 5-1 chance to lift the Irish Classic.
“He is in great shape,” said the County Cork-based handler. “I think we are happy enough to have another crack at him. It is going in the right direction.
“I think we fancy our chances. He’s going the right way, definitely. We are going to be looking forward to a very nice run.
“The ground is heading as though there might be some juice in it, which won’t bother him either. He’ll have no bother with ground – he’s very versatile ground-wise.
“I think that would inconvenience others more than him, because in the trial (Ballysax) it was heavy.”
Owned by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, the strapping son of Ulysses is expected to improve as he matures and a possible tilt at the Arc could be in the offing at the end of the season.
“He has been a bit unlucky in the Dante and the Derby,” Murphy added. “He could do with winning a big one, which would be lovely for us all.
“It would just completely turn around our profile maybe. It would put a smile on everybody’s face for sure and a pep in the step.
“And I’ve no doubt he will improve with age, given his physique. He is a big horse, he’s getting stronger. I’ve not any doubt he will improve.
“He is in the Champion Stakes and I think he is going to be put into the Arc. We’ll see how he progresses. We will discuss it with the owners and we’ll see what they want to do, but we’re really looking forward to next weekend first.”
Ollie Sangster could look to York’s Ebor Festival in August with Royal Ascot third Inquisitively.
The Ten Sovereigns colt was beaten just under four lengths by Big Evs in Wednesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes, having previously finished a narrow second on his only other start at Windsor last month.
While the Group Three Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood on August 2 could come into the equation, Sangster is also eyeing a Listed contest at York on August 26 with a maiden stop-off another possibility along the way.
“We were very happy and delighted (with his Ascot run),” said Sangster.
“You never know what to expect, but the horse was in really good form, so we were hopeful of a positive run first time there. To finish third was great, we were delighted with that.
“He’s come out of the race in good form and we’ll hopefully now just work back from nice targets.
“The Molecomb is an obvious one but I think the winner is going there and he looks like a good horse and there’s a race at York called the Julia Graves (Roses Stakes) which is a Listed race over five. Further down the line there is races like the Flying Childers, but for now that is a way off.
“He’s still a maiden so we’ll work it out and we might just tick that off in the meantime, but there will be a couple of nice targets for him hopefully.
“It’s nice not just for me but also for the team, we don’t have a huge amount of horses but it’s nice to hopefully have a half-decent one.”
George Baker is eyeing up a tilt at the Sky Bet Ebor with Cemhaan following his gallant effort in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot.
The six-year-old has been somewhat of a stable star for Baker, winning five of his 18 starts since joining the the Robins Farm handler from John Gosden in 2020 and this year competing at the Royal meeting for the second successive season.
He bettered last year’s seventh in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, with a fine effort to finish third in the opening day’s concluding contest – a run which can be marked up given the impressive nature of the winner Vauban and the fact Cemhaan only lost second in the dying strides when pipped to the runner-up spot by another Willie Mullins-trained runner, Absurde.
“It was a wonderful run,” said Baker.
“I thought a leg had fallen off because he drifted so much. I genuinely thought he was around a 20-1 chance and to see him on the boards at 66-1, you do wonder if a leg has actually fallen off.
“He ran a hell of a race and he has been a star for us. He’s been in great form recently and Pat Cosgrave gave him a lovely ride. Pat said he would have been second if he hadn’t had to commit to chase the mighty Vauban which just paid in the last 20 yards and we got done for second, but it was a huge run and we were clear of rest.
“Take out the annoying Mr Mullins – who luckily is a mate of mine – and we have won the race really nicely.”
Delighted with his charge’s performance, Baker now feels the £500,000 Ebor on August 26 is the obvious long-term target for his ever-improving son of Muhaarar and options ahead of the valuable York contest include possible trips to Germany and France next month, or even an early sighter of the Knavesmire in the John Smith’s Cup on July 15.
He continued: “We’ve got much to look forward to and the Ebor would be the obvious plan. We’ll revolve the season around that.
“He’s in a Group race in Germany in July and he’s in the John Smith’s Cup which is back to a mile and a quarter, but I think this horse is pretty flexible and a mile and a quarter up to one-mile-six and maybe even further is fine for him.
“For now, all roads lead to the Ebor and if we have a run in July, we may sneak over to Germany or France for a Group race. That may make sense as some of those sometimes do cut up between festivals.
“He’s an exciting horse and we’re lucky to have him.”
Jelena Ostapenko won her second title on grass with victory over Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham.
In a battle of the top two seeds, it was the second seed who came out on top, with Ostapenko triumphing 7-6 (8) 6-4.
It was the Latvian’s first title since Dubai last February and her first on grass since Eastbourne in 2021.
Ostapenko clinched a very tight first set on her fourth set point in the tie-break after saving one chance for Krejcikova and moved to the brink of victory at 5-1 in the second set.
Czech Krejcikova, who will return to the top 10 on Monday, threatened a comeback, winning three games in a row, but Ostapenko made it across the line.
“She’s a really great player and congrats to her and her team,” said the 26-year-old, who has survived several close battles this week.
“I was really close from 5-1 to 5-4 but then I managed somehow and I’m really, really happy about it. I was fighting every match. I played five great matches, this was the only match in two sets. It’s a great preparation for Wimbledon and there’s still a couple of things I can do better.”
Krejcikova, who was playing her first final on grass, did not drop a set until the final and felt losing the first-set tie-break was crucial to the outcome.
“She’s playing well,” said the top seed. “I’m disappointed but that’s tennis. (The tie-break) was maybe the key to the match because when you play the first set that long and you are up, down, up, down all the time – I was very unfortunate.
“I definitely had a great week. It was really nice to be here, I really enjoyed it. It’s special to play on a centre court and to enjoy the support. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back.”
Carlos Alcaraz secured his first grass-court title and top billing at Wimbledon with victory over Alex De Minaur in the final of the cinch Championships.
The 20-year-old Spaniard overtook Novak Djokovic as world number one, and confirmed he will be a major contender to take the Serbian’s crown at SW19 next month, with a commanding 6-4 6-4 win at Queen’s Club.
Alcaraz was playing only his third ever grass-court tournament, and his first outside of two underwhelming visits to Wimbledon.
In his first match he needed a third-set tie-break to get past French journeyman Arthur Rinderknech, but as the week wore on he grew in confidence on the surface and by Sunday looked to the manor born.
Alcaraz will now be top seed at Wimbledon and, on this evidence, has a genuine chance to emulate compatriot Rafael Nadal, who won at Queen’s in 2008 and went on to claim the big one three weeks later.
A break of serve in each set proved enough to overcome Australian number one De Minaur, who competed well but had no answer to the pace and power of the favourite.
For example when De Minaur, 24, created the match’s first break point, at 4-3 in the opener, Alcaraz simply rolled out a 137mph ace.
A high-quality first set swung the way of the top seed when De Minaur sent a backhand wide, and then a forehand long, to gift Alcaraz the break.
The youngster from Murcia wrapped up the 49-minute set with an ace before taking a medical time-out for treatment on his right thigh.
Whatever the issue was, it did not seem to bother Alcaraz too much as he forced another break point at 2-2 in the second – and De Minaur picked the worst possible time to throw in a first double fault.
Victory was confirmed when De Minaur’s return floated long and Alcaraz celebrated an 11th career title, and surely the first of many on the lawns of London.
Alcaraz said: “It means a lot to have my name on the trophy. It was special to play here where so many legends have won. To see my name surrounded by the great champions is amazing.
“I started the tournament not very well, especially my movement on the grass, but it’s been an amazing week.”
De Minaur had been hoping to match his British girlfriend Katie Boulter, who won a first career title in Nottingham last weekend, but he just came up short.
He said: “It’s been a great week for me. We were close but I wasn’t quite able to get it done. Too good from Carlos.”
Classic-winning filly Mawj will remain sidelined for the time being after missing her intended clash with Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes due to a dirty scope.
The Saeed bin Suroor-trained three-year-old defeated Tahirya in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, before Dermot Weld’s star took the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.
Tahiyra landed Friday’s Coronation Stakes with a comfortable length to spare over Remarquee at Royal Ascot, with Bin Suroor an interested bystander.
He said: “It was a good performance from the winner. She did it impressively.
“It was a shame Mawj could not run, but we are not going to force her to run when she is not well.
“She will take a break now and have some time to recover.
“She has a bad infection in her chest and once she is ready, we will start her work again. Once she starts her work, then we will have a look at the options.”
Mawj wintered in Dubai and the daughter of Exceed And Excel won both the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic and mile Fillies Guineas before taking the Newmarket Classic by half a length on her return to Britain, her fifth win in eight starts.
The popular Godolphin handler says she is likely to return to Dubai at the end of her Classic season, but added: “We will have a race for her before she leaves for Dubai. Once she starts work, then we will find a race for her. It could be in the UK or abroad.”
Though Bin Suroor saddled Live Your Dream to finish third in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, he was not too disappointed after missing the target at this year’s Royal meeting.
He said: “Ascot was good. It is the best meeting in the world. The horses that run there over the five days, they are the best.
“There are millions and millions of people worldwide watching these races. It is royal racing – it is great. There is no other meeting like it in the world.”
Bin Suroor hopes that he will make his mark at Newmarket’s July meeting and added: “We have some for that meeting, but I hope the ground won’t be too firm.”
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