Rory McIlroy completed the ideal preparation for the 151st Open as he produced a stunning finish to deny home favourite Robert MacIntyre in dramatic circumstances in the Genesis Scottish Open.
MacIntyre had set a daunting target of 14 under par thanks to a sensational birdie on the 18th, just the second of the day on the closing hole at the Renaissance Club as strong winds made for testing scoring conditions.
However, overnight leader McIlroy birdied the par-three 17th to get on level terms and then hit a stunning 2-iron approach into the last before holing from 10 feet to complete a closing 68 and win his second Rolex Series title of the year.
McIlroy, who will head into next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, scene of his 2014 triumph, on the back of his first win on Scottish soil, said: “I’m really proud.
“That was such a tough day, especially the back nine. To play that in four under par to win the tournament I’m really proud of how I stuck in there, hit some amazing shots down the stretch and was able to finish it off.
“It feels incredible. It’s been a sort of long six months I feel since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tonnes of chances and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going in to next week as well.
“It’s nice to have the validation. It’s great racking up top fives and top 10s, but it’s much nicer heading away with a trophy on a Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a great shot of confidence and helps having something fresh in my memory. If I hopefully find myself in a similar position next week where I have a chance to win with nine holes to go, I can certainly draw on what I did here.
“I haven’t seen Hoylake since 2014 so I’ll get out on the course on Monday and try to figure it out and make sure I’m ready.”
MacIntyre began the final round five shots behind McIlroy but made good on his promise to relish “absolutely brutal” weather as he followed birdies on the third and sixth with an eagle on the par-five 10th.
A birdie on the 14th moved the left-hander into the outright lead for the first time as pacesetter Tyrrell Hatton began to falter – and he immediately doubled his advantage after a superb approach to the next finished inches from the hole.
McIlroy kept himself in contention with a birdie on the 11th and, after MacIntyre bogeyed the par-five 16th, the Northern Irishman holed from almost 40 feet on the 14th to share the lead.
MacIntyre was fortunate to find the spectator walkway following a wild drive on the 18th, but took full advantage by hitting a stunning approach with a fairway wood to within four feet of the hole.
The resulting birdie completed a superb 64 but, having gone to the turn in 37, McIlroy came home in 31 – despite failing to birdie either par five – to snatch an unlikely victory.
“It was a poor tee-shot on the 18th, but then probably the best shot I have ever hit in my life,” MacIntyre said.
“I thought it might be enough, but that’s what happens when you are playing against the best in the world. I’ve grown up watching Scottish Opens and my dream was always to win one.
“I thought today might have been the day, but it wasn’t to be. I’m absolutely gutted just now, but I take my hat off to Rory. What a finish.”
MacIntyre had fought back tears as he walked off the 18th green contemplating what looked like being a third DP World Tour title worth £1.2million and a two-year PGA Tour exemption.
“I have never had support like that in my life,” he added. “Having the support of family and friends is massive. But it felt like everyone out there was willing me to do it.
“I was struggling for a wee bit there, I didn’t have the love for the game, I didn’t have the buzz, I was never in contention, I was pottering about middle of the table.
“The last wee while I have been in contention, I have got the buzz back. It would have been one hell of a celebration but it wasn’t to be just now.”
The runners-up finish is still a massive boost to MacIntyre’s chances of securing a Ryder Cup debut in Rome and McIlroy was full of praise for the 26-year-old.
“If he can shoot 64 on a day like today he can do anything,” McIlroy said. “That was an unbelievable round of golf. It’s great to see him back in form.”
South Korea’s Ben An and Sweden’s David Lingmerth secured places in the Open after finishing in a tie for third with world number one Scottie Scheffler, with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard taking the last berth thanks to a closing 67.
Eve Johnson Houghton is preparing a strong assault on the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes with her talented youngsters Bobsleigh and Juniper Berries.
Bobsleigh collected the Woodcote at Epsom in the process of winning his first two starts and was not disgraced when beaten three lengths in sixth behind River Tiber in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Juniper Berries also showed a good level of form in her early outings and was another to perform with real credit at the summer showpiece when finishing fourth in the Queen Mary Stakes.
Both were given time off to recover from their Ascot exertions, but now the Oxfordshire-based handler has her eye on Newbury’s valuable five-furlong sprint for her pair of precocious two-year-olds, who could be tasked with trying to pick up the £122,925 cheque on offer to the winner.
“I think they are both going to run in the Super Sprint at Newbury,” said Johnson Houghton.
“I gave them both a bit of a break after Ascot because it’s tough going there and it’s a tough old track. They’ve had a nice break and are back doing really well.”
Christopher Head is eagerly looking forward to taking on Nashwa with his dual French Classic winner Blue Rose Cen at Goodwood.
The daughter of Churchill has been a revelation for Head, winning the Prix Marcel Boussac last season before carrying all before her this term.
She landed the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches by a length and three-quarters before thriving for the step up to 10 furlongs in the Prix de Diane, winning by four lengths.
With Nashwa bursting back on to the scene with her thrilling win in the Falmouth on Friday, she will be lying in wait for the French challenger, hoping to defend her title in the Qatar Nassau Stakes.
“We’ll stay on the plan, the Nassau Stakes and of course the fight with Nashwa – I can’t wait to see that like all the racegoers and lovers of races,” Head told Sky Sports Racing.
“She had a little bit of time out but I want to be competitive in the next race, so I’m not going to wait.
“She’s pretty much shown she can go on any ground – she’s been on firmer ground, she’s been on heavy ground and is possibly better on softer ground – I just can’t wait to see her run.
“There will be a lot of discussion with the owner because she will either run in the Prix de l’Opera or the Arc de Triomphe, we will see after the Nassau so it is a bit early to discuss about it.”
Rory McIlroy produced a stunning finish to deny home favourite Robert MacIntyre the biggest win of his career in amazing fashion in the £7million Genesis Scottish Open.
MacIntyre had set a daunting target of 14 under par thanks to a sensational birdie on the 18th, just the second of the day on the closing hole as winds gusting up to 40mph made for testing scoring conditions.
However, overnight leader McIlroy birdied the par-three 17th to get on level terms and then hit a stunning 2-iron approach into the last before holing from 10 feet to secure his second Rolex Series title of the year.
“I’m really proud,” said McIlroy, who will head to next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, scene of his 2014 triumph, on the back of his first win on Scottish soil.
“That was such a tough day, especially the back nine. To play that in four under par to win the tournament I’m really proud of how I stuck in there, hit some amazing shots down the stretch and was able to finish it off.
“It feels incredible. It’s been a sort of long six months I feel since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tonnes of chances and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going in to next week as well.”
MacIntyre had been fortunate to find the spectator walkway following a wild drive on the 18th, but took full advantage by hitting a stunning approach with a fairway wood to within four feet of the hole.
The left-hander began the final round five shots behind McIlroy, but made good on his promise to relish “absolutely brutal” weather as he followed birdies on the third and sixth with an eagle on the par-five 10th.
A birdie on the 14th moved MacIntyre into the outright lead for the first time and he immediately doubled his advantage after a stunning approach to the next finished inches from the hole.
McIlroy kept himself in contention with a birdie on the 11th and a vital par save on the 12th, the world number three thinking his putt had missed before it caught the edge of the hole and dropped.
And, after MacIntyre bogeyed the par-five 16th, McIlroy holed from almost 40 feet on the 14th to share the lead.
MacIntyre’s amazing birdie on the 18th completed a stunning 64 and edged him back in front, but, after missing from eight feet on the par-five 16th, McIlroy conjured up a magical finish to seal a brilliant fightback.
Henry Searle became the first British boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon since 1962.
The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton beat fifth seed Yaroslav Demin 6-4 6-4 on Court One to emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed 61 years ago.
He is Britain’s first junior champion since Laura Robson won the girls’ event in 2008 and ensured more home success at this year’s tournament after Neal Skupski won the men’s doubles on Saturday.
It will be a life-changing experience for Searle but he looks like he has the temperament and the ability to succeed in the men’s game after a brilliant campaign where he did not drop a set, highlighted by him sending down a 134mph during the final.
He never looked back after beating the top seed in the first round and the teenager succeeded where Jack Draper and Liam Broady have failed in recent years by winning the final.
On the prospect of what might be to come, he said on court: “I’ll definitely try and prepare myself for it, I’ll keep working hard and see what happens.”
He added: “It is amazing to play on Court One with such a special crowd and manage to get the job done.
“It’s a pretty special feeling and it is not going to come too often and I am going to try and enjoy it. It was amazing in front of this crowd today.”
He was backed by an army of fans on Court One, all decked out in matching t-shirts, and Searle was not overawed by his surroundings and the prospect of what he could achieve.
An even opening to the first set was punctuated by a small rain delay after which a key passage of play occurred.
Searle’s serve came under pressure for the first time in the match and he did brilliantly to fend off three break points.
As often is the case, he had the momentum and then broke Demin, a Russian with a powerful forehand, to lead 5-4.
With the pressure on serving for the set at 30-30 Searle fired a 132mph bullet serve that was an ace and then won the set with a booming forehand winner.
Everything was going Searle’s way and a break in the first game of the second set put him in even further control.
He then showed confidence and composure to hold Demin at bay and sealed the title when the Russian went long on his first championship point.
There was another British victory in the boys’ under-14s as Mark Ceban beat Svit Suljic 7-6 (5) 6-3, but Hollie Smart was beaten in the girls’ under-14s, going down 6-3 6-1 to Luna Vujovic.
Aidan O’Brien has not ruled out Adelaide River joining stablemate and dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.
Adelaide River produced a fine runner-up effort when beaten a length by Feed The Flame in the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Friday evening.
The son of Australia, who was eighth in the Derby and then runner-up in the Irish Derby to Auguste Rodin, stuck to his guns admirably having kicked under Ryan Moore a furlong and a half out in the mile-and-a-half contest. John and Thady Gosden’s Oaks winner Soul Sister was a neck behind in third.
O’Brien said: “He ran a fine race. We were very pleased with that. He stayed on well and Ryan was very happy with him, so we’re delighted.
“We’ll see how he comes out of it, but he is still in the King George. We will see how things go over the next few days, but he ran well and we’re very happy with him.”
Auguste Rodin remains the 9-4 favourite with Coral for the all-aged middle-distance event, with Adelaide River unchanged at 25-1.
Lois Toulson and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix have made history by winning Great Britain’s first ever World Championship diving medal in a women’s event.
The pair took silver in the 10 metres synchro in Fukuoka, Japan.
The medal marks another notable achievement for the duo after they won European gold in Rome last year.
Toulson and Spendolini-Sirieix’s third-round score of 70.20 put them in a healthy position for a medal and another 70-point plus score in round four put them on the brink of history. The pair then finished with their highest score of 74.88, giving them a final tally of 311.76.
Their score was second to China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan, who took the gold, with the American pair of Delaney Schnell and Jessica Parratto with bronze.
Toulson told British Swimming: “I think I can speak for both of us that we are over the moon. Coming into this competition, we both knew that we could do it, but that sometimes makes it worse.
“But we put in a good performance and we’re over the moon! I can’t really believe that, I had no idea (about becoming the first British female divers to win a World Championship medal).
“I’ve been after a world medal for a while now, so to finally come away with one, and next to Andrea with a good performance, it makes all the hard work feel worth it.
Spendolini-Sirieix, the daughter of TV personality Fred Sirieix, added: “It’s incredible. I’m so proud of us, and to see women in sport excelling, proving we can do everything.
“It didn’t cross my mind when we were competing, I just knew that we had a goal to achieve. We have achieved so many goals – we got the Paris (Olympics) spot, we got more than 300 points, we improved on the prelims and then adding to history is a beautiful moment.”
Starlore could be a name to note for owners Juddmonte following his impressive winning debut at Sandown last week.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained youngster was sent off the 9-2 joint second-favourite for what looked a hot seven-furlong maiden at the Esher track and looks to have a bright future following his professional display in the hands of Ryan Moore
The son of Kingman travelled like a classy operator throughout and once hitting the front, defied his inexperience to hold off the fast-finishing pair of Maximum Dividend and the well-regarded Arabian Crown, who is trained by Charlie Appleby.
“He’s a nice horse and I would say that was a very nice maiden,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“Sir Michael and the team were very happy with him going into the race and obviously Ryan (Moore) wanted to ride him which was a positive sign.
“I thought he did it well to be fair, I know the Charlie Appleby horse was very well fancied and I would say it was a strong maiden.
“He’s a big, immature horse and I imagine he has a lot of strengthening and maturing to do and hopefully he can develop into a nice colt.”
Last season the Stoute-trained Nostrum started out at Sandown for Juddmonte before going on to compete in Group company at the back-end of the season, and Mahon hopes Starlore could be seen at a similar level having become the first juvenile winner of the campaign for Freemason Lodge.
He continued: “I would say Sir Michael will take his time and won’t rush him because he is an immature horse and I think he will let him mature now and hopefully he will develop into a Group-race performer.
“Sir Michael is a master of finding improvement, so you would hope he will be able to keep finding improvement in him.”
Ramatuelle looks another high-class performer for Christopher Head after the filly became the first French-trained winner of the Prix Robert Papin for 10 years.
The Group Two at Chantilly has been dominated by overseas raiders in recent years, with the likes of Tis Marvellous, Signora Cabello and Blackbeard all on the roll of honour.
This time though, it was all about Head’s hugely-promising filly, who has won three of her four starts.
Her only defeat came on her second outing when beaten by Beauvatier, a subsequent Listed winner who is now unbeaten in three.
She was always travelling very kindly in the hands of Aurelien Lemaitre and once asked to put the race to bed, there was never a question she was going to quicken away.
Amy Murphy’s Myconian briefly threatened to get involved but it was Aidan O’Brien’s His Majesty who stayed on for second, beaten four lengths.
It continues a great season for Head, who has enjoyed plenty of success with Blue Rose Cen and Big Rock already.
The winning filly is owned by a syndicate which includes former NBA star Tony Parker, who told Sky Sports Racing: “It was a great win and I’m very happy for the team.
“The coach has a plan and now it’s on for the (Prix) Morny next month.
“She’s at home here, that’s her third win here and she’s clearly comfortable here at Chantilly, hopefully it will be the same next month.
“She’s super calm, it looks like she knows what she wants to do and she’s loving it. Her number one quality is her calmness. She has a huge heart and huge talent.
“I just like to share everything with our team, we share the same passion.”
Head said: “She was incredible, she loves the speed and she’ll be going to the Morny for sure. I just can’t wait to get to that race.
“I was not concerned about her being keen as there was nobody who wanted to go in front of her, she’s capable of doing better than that, of course.
“She’s pretty much like an older horse, it’s a pleasure to see her in races behave this way.”
Hukum remains on target for what looks set to be a mouthwatering edition of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on July 29.
Owen Burrows’ stable star was forced to miss the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot due to the prevailing quick ground given he had only recently come back from a serious injury.
He clearly retains all his ability, though, as on his first outing for 356 days he toppled the hitherto unbeaten Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.
The Hardwicke was ultimately won by William Muir and Chris Grassick’s Pyledriver, last year’s King George victor, and he will be lying in wait again. Hukum already has one verdict over him in last year’s Coronation Cup.
Also on course for the King George at present are this year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, plus Coronation Cup winner Emily Upjohn, with the possibility of Desert Crown, Luxembourg and Westover running, too.
“Touch wood, everything is going well and he’ll be running in the King George,” said Burrows.
“We’d like to see some rain, of course, we’d never want to go on rattling quick.
“It was frustrating to miss the Hardwicke with him, but the King George is the big one for him.
“The King George has always been about the clash of the generations and this year that looks especially the case. We’ll see what turns up, but it looks like this year it is going to be a proper race.
“We were really pleased with him at Sandown, we’ve been happy with how he’s been since, so we’re really looking forward to running him.”
Ankle surgery has ruled out 15-time major winner Tiger Woods from playing in The Open at Royal Liverpool but there will be a new Tiger in town for the week, with a German amateur carrying the name at Hoylake.
Tiger Christensen came through final qualifying at West Lancashire Golf Club in Crosby, near Liverpool, earlier this month to book his major debut.
But the United States-based 19-year-old accepts the similarities end with sharing the same name, country of residence and preference for an orange-and-black striped animal driver headcover.
“He’s a pretty big inspiration. To me he’s the greatest of all time,” said the Arizona University student
“I think it’s really special what he’s done for the game, changed the entire game and made it more popular, and his achievements are just unbelievable.
“It’s something you could look up to.”
Referring to how he got his name he added: “It’s not only named after Tiger Woods – my dad has a very good friend who’s a retired boxer and his ring name was Tiger so it’s 50/50.”
“For me it’s never been (a burden) because it’s just my birth name. I’m glad to be called Tiger.
“I understand everything I’m ever going to do they are going to compare me to him straightaway but at the end of the day it’s a different time, I don’t have any connection to him. It’s just a name.”
View this post on InstagramBut with a name like Tiger surely he was destined to become a golfer?“I played a lot of football when I was younger and I always wanted to be a football pro until I was about 10 and then I started playing US kids tournaments and that is when I transitioned to wanting to become a golf professional,” added the Hamburg-born golfer, whose world ranking is above 3,700.
Christensen was the only amateur to make it through final qualifying across four venues, only three days after almost securing a place via the European Amateur Championship in Estonia.
A month earlier the teenager made his DP World Tour debut with an appearance in the Porsche European Open held in the city of his birth, although rounds of 80 and 79 saw him miss the cut by some distance on 13 over.
“I cope with pressure pretty good, although at the DP World Tour event there was a new pressure I hadn’t had in playing with spectators,” he said of his imminent Open appearance.
“Usually in amateur events only the final couple of groups, if you are playing well, get spectators but I think the DP World Tour event really helped me going into the Open.
“I’ve now had those couple of crowd experiences, the seriousness of everyone around the tournament and how professional it is, so I think that will help me a lot.
“I don’t want to sound cocky but I was pretty certain of qualifying. I played the US Open qualifying and fell just short. I felt it wasn’t far away.
“It’s going to be a great experience. I’m going to go with zero expectations and take it all in.
“But my final goal, which is supported by smaller goals, is to win as many majors as I can.”
Kim Clijsters has advised Ons Jabeur to “fake it until you make it” after another heartbreaking grand slam final defeat.
The popular Tunisian could not overcome her nerves in a 6-4 6-4 loss to Marketa Vondrousova that made it back-to-back Wimbledon final losses.
A US Open final defeat to Iga Swiatek was sandwiched in between and Jabeur now joins an unwanted club of players who have lost their first three grand slam finals.
Like Andy Murray, it took Belgian Clijsters five attempts before she finally won one, and she shared tears with Jabeur in the locker room
“Just watching her in her interview and seeing the emotions afterwards, it brings back a lot of memories and thoughts of how you go about it,” said Belgian Clijsters.
“There’s no secret, it’s just trying to give yourself the opportunity to get to that stage again. The unfortunate thing is you cannot practise these things, you cannot practise being in a grand slam final, you can only do it within the occasion.
“The biggest thing she has to maybe learn is to fake it, fake it until you make it. You could see it really clearly that the negative emotions were taking over.
“If she missed a shot, there was the natural kind of reaction that was negative. When she made a great point, there was nothing a lot of the time. That just showed the doubt was overpowering everything.”
Clijsters lost twice in French Open finals and once each at the Australian Open and US Open before her maiden success in New York in 2005.
“It’s tough,” said the 40-year-old, who went on to win four major titles. “But there shouldn’t be any question in her mind about whether she can do it or not. She can beat all these players, there’s no doubt about that.
“For me the most disappointing is not so much the loss, it’s the fact that you weren’t able to bring your best tennis to the biggest occasion, and that’s the most frustrating and that’s why you start to worry – why am I not able to do it? Why am I so overwhelmed with emotions on the big stage?
“But it does feel good eventually when you get it. It’s definitely a process. I just know looking back I wasn’t ready to win and I’m very happy I didn’t win my first.”
Jabeur was grateful for Clijsters’ support and is encouraged that many other players have been through similar adversity before eventually getting their hands on a winners’ trophy.
“I love Kim so much,” said Jabeur. “She’s a great inspiration for me. I grew up watching her a bit. The fact that she takes the time to give me advice and to really hug me, always be there for me, I think it’s priceless.
“She was telling me all the time she lost four. That’s the positive out of it. You cannot force things. It wasn’t meant to be.”
The Foxes will return to Europe for his next outing following his narrow defeat in the Belmont Derby.
Andrew Balding’s colt won the Dante before finishing fifth in the Derby at Epsom and was dropping back to 10 furlongs when making his first visit Stateside earlier this month.
He performed with real credit when sent off favourite for the Grade One contest, going down by a length in the hands of Oisin Murphy behind Todd Pletcher’s Far Bridge.
Being slowly away from a wide draw took its toll on the son of Churchill at the business end, compromising his chances of scooping the £343,750 first-prize, but connections were thrilled with his performance and now have their eyes on further big-race assignments closer to home.
He has returned to Balding’s Kingsclere base in rude health and could now be set for a return to the scene of his Dante triumph in York’s Juddmonte International Stakes on August 23 or a drop further back in trip to a mile for the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville (August 13) depending on conditions.
“I think if he had missed the break from a good draw he would have still won, but I think a combination of the bad draw and missing the break just got him beat,” explained Alastair Donald, racing manager for owners King Power.
“He ran huge and it’s another step in the right direction for him, I think.”
Donald went on: “He’s back in England and he will next run in either the Juddmonte or the Jacques Le Marois. He definitely has the speed to go back to a mile and he was the last off the bridle in the Craven.
“Obviously it is stallion enhancing winning over a mile and we will probably be determined by the weather where we will run. If it was soft ground in France we wouldn’t go there and if it was soft at York we would give that a miss, so we’re just keeping our options open between those two races.”
Shohei Ohtani’s solo shot keyed a three-run rally in the ninth inning, Trey Cabbage scored the walk-off run on a throwing error in the 10th and the Los Angeles Angels edged the Houston Astros 13-12 in a wild game Saturday.
Ohtani led off the home half of the ninth with his MLB-leading 33rd home run of the season, taking Houston closer Ryan Pressly deep. Taylor Ward scored on a passed ball later in the inning, and Hunter Renfroe’s RBI single tied the game.
After Ohtani was intentionally walked in the 10th, Astros rookie shortstop Grae Kessinger threw wide of first base while attempting to turn an inning-ending double play, allowing Cabbage to cross home plate and trigger a massive celebration.
The Angels, who had won just once in their previous 11 games, overcame deficits of six runs in the seventh inning and three runs in the ninth.
Both teams’ starters – Reid Detmers for the Angels and Framber Valdez of the Astros – pitched at least six innings, with 18 of the game’s 25 total runs coming in the seventh inning or later.
Brewers blank Reds again, take NL Central lead
Freddie Peralta and three relievers combined to allow just one hit and the Milwaukee Brewers shut out the Cincinnati Reds for the third consecutive game, giving them sole possession of first place in the National League Central.
Christian Yelich homered on the first pitch of the game, and William Contreras and Owen Miller added solo shots later to secure the 3-0 win Saturday.
Peralta (6-7) got his first win since May 21 by throwing six strong innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six.
Elvis Peguero and Joel Payamps pitched an inning each, and Devin Williams shut the door with his 22nd save of the season.
Milwaukee earned 1-0 victories over Cincinnati on July 9 – the last game before the All-Star break – and in the teams’ first game back on Friday. The Reds managed a total of just seven hits over those three games.
Orioles rally from 4 down, win 7th straight game
Gunnar Henderson hit a game-tying solo shot in the seventh inning, helping the Baltimore Orioles complete a four-run comeback and win collect their seventh straight win by beating the Miami Marlins 6-5.
The winning streak ties the Orioles’ season high and is the longest active run in the majors.
Baltimore (56-35) fell behind 4-0 in the second inning but entered the seventh trailing 5-4. Henderson led off the frame and hit a first pitch home run to tie the game, and Anthony Santander plated the go-ahead run with a one-out single.
Miami squandered a 4-for-5 night from Luis Arraez, who raised his batting average to .386 this season.
Novak Djokovic is going for his eighth Wimbledon title and Carlos Alcaraz his first in a final billed as the ultimate generation game.
Djokovic, 36, is bidding to become the oldest man to take the SW19 crown while 20-year-old Alcaraz is the youngest finalist since fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2006.
The winner will also claim the world number one spot.
Elsewhere, there is British interest in the juniors competition, with Henry Searle reaching the final of the boys’ singles, while Alfie Hewett looks to finally win an elusive wheelchair singles title in SW19.
Here, the PA news agency looks ahead to the final day of the Championships.
Will it be Novak the gr-eight?
Djokovic is making history with virtually every victory and a 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Jannik Sinner in his record-equalling 46th grand slam semi-final earned him a record-breaking 35th final, taking him past American great Chris Evert.
The Serbian is now only one victory away from matching Roger Federer by winning an eighth Wimbledon title, and Federer and Bjorn Borg by claiming five in a row.
He would also move level with Margaret Court with a record 24th grand slam crown.
It is 10 years since Djokovic lost a match on Centre Court, an extraordinary run of 45 matches going back to the 2013 final against Andy Murray.
Or king Carlos the first?
Standing in Djokovic’s way is swashbuckling Spaniard Alcaraz in what will, incredibly, be only the 18th match of his career on grass.
The world number one proved he has got the hang of the surface by winning at Queen’s Club last month and he dismantled third seed Daniil Medvedev in three sets in their semi-final.
Alcaraz already has a grand slam title to his name having won last year’s US Open, and he reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
There he was beaten by Djokovic, but only after cramping up following two evenly-contested sets.
Next stop, Searle’s court
Wolverhampton’s Searle is one match away from becoming Britain’s first boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon for 61 years.
The 17-year-old defeated American fourth seed Cooper Williams 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Backed by his noisy fan club consisting of family members and friends from his tennis club, Searle is on the brink of emulating Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed in 1962.
Jack Draper was the last British player to make the final five years ago, while Liam Broady also reached it in 2011, but both were beaten.
Searle will face 17-year-old Yaroslav Demin of Russia in the final.
There is also British interest in the junior doubles after Hannah Klugman and Isabelle Lacy reached the final, while Alfie Hewett goes for his maiden wheelchair singles title against world number one Tokito Oda of Japan.
Order of play
Centre Court (from 2pm)
Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic
Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens v Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova
Court One (from 11am)
Alfie Hewett v Tokito Oda
Henry Searle v Yaroslav Demin
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan v James Blake/Lleyton Hewitt
Weather
Sunny changing to cloudy by late morning.
On what was an action-packed opening day at the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships on Saturday, most of the medal favourites safely progressed to the next round, setting up even more mouth-watering prospects for sports enthusiast, heading into Sunday’s second day of action in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
In boys’ Under-17 action, Jamaica’s Thomas Overton defeated Barbadian Armaan Suleman in straight sets, 11-3, 11-3, 11-8; Shiloh Asregado of Guyana bettered Trinidad and Tobago's Yohann Marchock 3-0, after posting 11-1, 11-6 and 11-7 scores in the three games.
Luke Wilson of Barbados also came out tops 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 in his contest against Trinidad and Tobago’s Sanjiv Mungal, while Guyana’s Demetri Lowe got the better of Trinidad and Tobago’s Marcus Camps-Campins 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-8 in a hard-fought contest.
However, when it came down to second round action, it was Guyana’s Louis da Silva, who earlier had a bye, Daniel Henderson, Luke Wilson, Vincentian Jaydon Williams, Andrew Cox, Elias Carpol, Jamaica’s Lucas Thomson and Mohryan Baksh, also of Guyana, that will contest the third round.
Da Silva will square off against Henderson, Wilson against Williams, Cox against Carpol, while Thomson and Baksh, will lock horns.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Christophe Bovell is among those that secured their spots in the next round in the boys’ Under-15 category, following a 11-13, 11-6, 11-12 and 14-12 win over Bermuda’s William Frith.
Guyana’s Richard Rodrigues also progressed after bettering Vincentian Dru Sanuel 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-1 in a match that lasted 24 minutes, while Bermuda’s Charlie Makin scored an 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 win over Avian Wade of Guyana in a 16-minute contest.
Blake Edwards ensured will have another representative in the next round, as he easily brushed aside De’ron Lewis 11-6, 11-2, 11-3.
Jayden George of St Vincent and the Grenadines was given a bye, along with Barbadian Daniel Sealy, Bermuda’s Owen Rosorea and Zevieh Abraham of British Virgin Island.
Meanwhile, byes were the order of the day in the opening round of the boys’ Under-19 category, but when they got to the second round is where the true quality came to light.
Nicholas Verwey of Guyana outclassed Barbadian Aidan Parris 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 in a four-set match that lasted a half-hour. Verwey will next tackle Jamaica’s Alex Chin, who defeated British Virgin Islands Louis Day in straight sets, 11-6, 11-6, 11-1.
Barbadian Alex Stewart and Jamaica’s Tobias Levy are also set to lock horns after both registered comfortable three-set wins over Russell Forrester and Neil McComb respectively, while another Jamaican Arjan Trehan and Guyana’s Michael Alphonso, will meet in the other contest.
On the girls’ side of action, Jamaica’s Katherine Risden defeated Darci Reich of US Virgin Island 11-3,11-3, 11-2 in a 14-minute match, to book her spot in the next round of the Under-19 category. She is set to face Sumairaa Suleman of Barbados, who was given a bye.
Another Jamaican Savannah Thomson bettered Vincentian Nadira Morgan 11-5, 11-9 and 11-1 in a 17-minute match. She awaits her opponent which will either be Trinidad and Tobago’s Sigourney Williams or Guyana’s Kirsten Gomes.
In Under-17 category, the Barbados pair of Eboni Atherley and Sarrayah Yearwood and Jamaica’s trio of Elle Wilson, Mehar Trehan and Sanjana Nallapati, are those who were safely through to the next round at the time of writing.
Gerwyn Price advanced to the second round of the World Matchplay as he recovered from a slow start to defeat Stephen Bunting 10-3 in Blackpool.
After Bunting won the first two legs, Price hit back to level things up before sweeping to victory, claiming each of the last seven.
The Welshman, runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in last year’s competition, said on Sky Sports: “I was 2-0 down, could have been 3-0 down – it was a slow start. I didn’t play brilliant, but I did what I had to do.
“I was up and down. It was just first-round jitters. Getting through the first round is always tough, but I’ll be better next round.
“It’s one of the tournaments I haven’t won, so you try a little bit too hard sometimes, especially in finals. But I’ve plenty more years left in this game so if it’s not this year, it will be sometime soon hopefully, and fingers crossed it is this year.”
Price’s opponent in round two will be Joe Cullen, who saw off Belgian debutant Mike De Decker 10-7 in the first match of the tournament’s opening night.
The Winter Gardens action also saw 2019 champion Rob Cross eliminated after losing a thrilling contest to Daryl Gurney.
Cross came back from 4-0 down to force a tiebreaker, and then led for the first time in the match at 10-9, before Northern Ireland’s Gurney turned things around again to triumph 12-10.
Gurney now faces Gary Anderson, the winner in 2018 and runner-up in 2020, after the Scot beat Dave Chisnall 10-6.
Neal Skupski revealed he had no choice but to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles title after his brother and coach Ken returned from his family holiday in Ibiza to watch the final.
Skupski became just the second Briton to win the SW19 men’s doubles in the open era, after Jonny Marray 11 years ago, as he and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court.
The 33-year-old Liverpudlian thought he would have to play his final without Ken in his box after his older sibling drove home following Thursday’s semi-final to go on holiday.
But his big brother hot-footed it back to the tournament and, wearing his brother’s clothes, saw history being made as Neal completed a Wimbledon hat-trick following 2021 and 2022 wins in the mixed doubles.
“There was a lot of pressure on me this morning after he came back,” Neal said. “He did go to Ibiza for probably 14 hours.
“He drove home straightaway after the semi-final, back to Liverpool and it obviously took four or five hours.
“He got back around 11pm, had a 2am alarm and drove to Manchester airport with his family. Got to Ibiza around 9.30am and enjoyed the day there.
“Then he had a 1am flight this morning back from Ibiza that was delayed a couple of hours so got into Gatwick at 4.30am, slept in a pod at Gatwick airport. Got the car at 9am here.
“He was on court with me borrowing my clothes. Yeah, he’s already left to go back to Ibiza with the family. He probably wants a pay rise!
“He always said, ‘If you make the final, I’m coming back’. I don’t know if he ever believed that I’d make the final. But, yeah, amazing for him. Unbelievable commitment.”
After winning the mixed doubles with Desirae Krawczyk in the last two years, Neal said the men’s doubles title would be the “pinnacle” and it is his first grand slam triumph in the men’sevent, having lost in the US Open final last year.
He also becomes the first British man to win a hat-trick of titles since the great Fred Perry in the late 1930s.
“I’m speechless really,” he added. “It’s something I never thought would ever happen. Obviously I won the mixed doubles a couple times with Desirae Krawczyk.
“It’s just an amazing feeling right now.
“It’s an amazing achievement, when you said about Fred Perry, the last person to win three in a row.
“But, yeah, it’s nothing that I was thinking about coming into the event. It was more thinking about me and Wesley, what we were going to do.
“The goal this year was to win a grand slam. Obviously we’ve done well in previous grand slams, making the quarter-finals and the US Open final last year.
“But now to call ourselves grand slam champions in the men’s doubles, an amazing achievement for not just us but the whole team.”
Rossa Ryan had just one thing on his mind after riding his first Group One winner with Shaquille – his parents.
After all the interviews were done in a windswept Newmarket winner’s enclosure following the Pertemps-sponsored July Cup and the horses had long since departed, the young rider still had plenty of emotion in his voice, almost overwhelmed by a victory that meant so much in so many ways.
Ryan had been at something of a crossroads when parting company with the burgeoning Amo Racing operation, a move announced last August.
To his credit, one of the first to congratulate him amid the throng of well-wishers was Amo’s founder Kia Joorabchian, who wrapped an arm around the jockey with hearty words of congratulation.
The parting may have been amicable, yet Ryan can be forgiven if he ever doubted himself. No need. He has been riding as well as anyone over the past few months, and the length-and-a-half success aboard Shaquille – not for a big yard, but that of an underdog form Norton, North Yorkshire – was testament to his immense ability.
He had only come in for the ride after Oisin Murphy, who was aboard when the colt had been victorious against his own age group in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, had been suspended.
And against the older horses not everything had gone to plan, with Shaquille falling out of the stalls and then lit up.
Ryan said: “I had to make a move in the middle part of the race – that was him. I had no option. I just let him blow out and grab his wind and he just went away.
“He doesn’t have to do anything right – he has got the ability.”
He added: “I didn’t have much of a choice. I tried to settle him in behind, but he wasn’t having it.
“So once he put his head in front three out, he filled up for me and I just managed to grab hold of him and pull him back a bit.
“Two out, he kicked and he stayed going. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye and he kicked again for me at the half-furlong pole. It was just an incredible performance.
“It is not like he’s shown up a bad field. And he’s doing it in a fashion.”
Ryan was full of praise for the Julie Camacho-trained three-year-old, who showed plenty of guts to fend off Run To Freedom.
But he had just one thing really on his mind, and he was abundant in his acknowledgement of his parents.
“It means the world – everything I’ve worked for,” Ryan said.
“Mum and dad starting me off at home, everything they have put into me, I can’t thank them enough.
“They are the backbone behind it all. They have kept me on the straight and narrow for so long.
“I am so grateful to them. It will mean a lot to them as well.
“It has been a big year. It is down to my agent and I couldn’t do it without him.
“I am looking to build on it every season and it is going the right way so far. I just hope we can keep it going.”
Injury and suspension aside, it would be a brave man to back against him doing that.
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