Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes’ upgrade is unlikely to provide a swift end to his losing streak.
Hamilton and team-mate George Russell were given their first taste of the team’s revamped machine in Monaco.
Hamilton and Russell qualified sixth and eighth, before making up two and three places respectively in Sunday’s rain-hit race following an early call to move from slick to wet rubber.
Traditionally, the Monte Carlo layout has been among Mercedes’ worst tracks with this weekend’s race at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona set to represent a truer reflection of the team’s outright speed.
But Wolff believes he did not see enough progress from their upgraded car to suggest they will immediately move ahead of Aston Martin and Ferrari in the pecking order, or challenge Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team who have won all six races this year.
“We need to be careful,” said team principal Wolff. “We will collect more data in Barcelona, but I don’t expect us to clear Ferrari and Aston Martin there either.
“It is about understanding what does this car do now and how do we set it up?
“We are good at grinding away. Last year, the package was terrible at the beginning of the season, and we won a race in Interlagos [at the penultimate round] so we will get there.”
Hamilton finished 39 seconds behind Verstappen on Sunday as the Dutchman claimed his fourth victory in six races to extend his championship lead to 39 points.
Red Bull have now won 15 of the last 16 grands prix, with Verstappen, who grazed the wall en route to taking the chequered flag in Monte Carlo, remaining on course to race to his third world title in as many years.
Asked if Verstappen’s dominance is proving to be a turn-off for the sport, Wolff replied: “When you win in Formula One it is a meritocracy.
“They have done a good job and the car is fast in all conditions and the driver is at the top of his game.
“We need to do a better job, catch up, find intelligent solutions and hope our development slope is steeper than theirs, and eventually fight again.
“Whether it is good for the show or not, a strong fight between 10 drivers, or at least two, is obviously much better for all of us, but we have to accept it and work to get back there.
“The best driver in the best car spending the same money wins the championship, and if you break the rules you should be heavily penalised, but only then, and you should not be penalised for simply doing a good job.”
Jack Draper suffered more physical problems at the French Open when a left shoulder problem forced him to pull out during his first-round clash with Tomas Etcheverry.
The 21-year-old has struggled with hip and abdominal problems this season but declared himself fully fit ahead of the year’s second grand slam.
However, it became clear in the eighth game that Draper was ailing physically again when he started to serve underarm.
He managed to hold serve to make it 4-4 but Argentinian Etcheverry claimed the next two games to take the opening set, after which a resigned-looking Draper called the trainer.
He took some pills and tried to play on but, trailing 0-30 in the second game of the second set, pulled the plug and shook hands with his opponent before trudging off court.
There is no doubt about Draper’s potential but, rather like his former junior compatriot Emma Raducanu, his body has so far been unable to hold up to the rigours of top-level tennis.
He will now hope this issue does not seriously impact his grass-court prospects, with Wimbledon starting in five weeks.
Ante-post favourite Military Order leads 16 contenders for Saturday’s Betfred Derby at Epsom, with Passenger the sole supplementary entry.
Representing Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, Military Order booked his place in the Classic line up with a comfortable trial success at Lingfield and he is the only contender for his handler, who has won the race twice with Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021).
“From the team’s point of view, we’re very happy with him. He came out of his Lingfield Derby Trial win very well and we’ve been very pleased with him since,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.
“He’s improving week on week physically, and we can’t fault him to date on what he has been doing in his work and on the racecourse. He goes out and gets the job done in the mornings without being flash.
“He’s a mile-and-a-half horse, so you don’t expect flashy work. That hasn’t changed from his two-year-old days and I wouldn’t expect it to change.
“Military Order, like his brother Adayar, goes out and gets the job done.”
Sir Michael Stoute saddled Desert Crown to victory last year and he looks to Passenger to give him seventh overall win the in the race.
Owners the Niarchos Family opted to stump up the £85,000 fee to add him to the 12-furlong Classic after enduring a luckless run when third in the Dante last time out.
Aidan O’Brien is the race’s leading trainer with eight wins on his CV and Auguste Rodin captains a possible four-strong team as he seeks to put a disappointing 2000 Guineas run well behind him stepping up in trip.
Adelaide River, Covent Garden and Chester winner San Antonio complete the potential Ballydoyle squad.
Frankie Dettori is set to have his last ride in the Derby aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Arrest, an impressive winner of the Chester Vase on his seasonal bow while Dante winner The Foxes is in contention for Andrew Balding.
York second White Birch reopposes for John Murphy, Jessica Harrington’s Leopardstown Derby Trial winner Sprewell and the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Alder round out the Irish hopefuls.
Charlie Johnston’s 2000 Guineas fifth Dubai Mile is set to be joined by stablemate Dear My Friend, who was eighth in the Dante, with Ralph Beckett’s unbeaten Artistic Star, the Roger Varian-trained King Of Steel and Waipiro for Ed Walker the other candidates.
Frankie Dettori will lay a wreath at the statue of Lester Piggott on Derby day, as Epsom also permanently renames a race in memory of one of the sport’s most decorated jockeys.
Piggott, who died last year aged 86, won the Derby a record nine times and Epsom has announced that each year moving forward a member of the weighing room will lay a wreath in the colours of Piggott’s 1970 Derby hero Nijinsky at the statue of the rider situated on the Queen Elizabeth II Stand lawn.
Dettori will take this year’s wreath-laying duties as he makes his final appearance on Derby day before retirement, while the track has also renamed the £75,000 10-furlong handicap staged on Saturday as the Lester Piggott Handicap Stakes.
Dettori – who had a mural commemorating his Derby win on Golden Horn commissioned by Epsom prior to the track’s opening meeting of the season – classed Piggott both as a good friend and hero and is honoured to become the first jockey to lay the annual wreath.
He said: “It is an honour to be asked to lay a wreath at Lester’s statue on Derby day. He was a hero of mine who then became a good friend and it’s impossible to measure the impact he had on me, both as a person and a jockey throughout my life.
“I’m sure it will be a poignant and emotional moment for many reasons and I’m grateful to Epsom Downs for inviting me to lead this year’s tributes to Lester on my last Derby day as a jockey.”
Brian Finch, chair of Epsom racecourse, added: “For so many of us, Lester Piggott is synonymous with the Derby and Epsom Downs like no other jockey before or since.
“Lester sadly passed away just six days before the Derby in 2022 and we ran the Derby in his memory.
“For such a distinguished figure in the long history of the Derby and with his unprecedented achievements unlikely to be matched, we felt it was important to establish a permanent annual commemoration and celebration of Lester’s life on Derby day.
“I would like to thank Frankie Dettori for agreeing to lay the wreath in Lester’s memory this year ahead of his final ride in the Betfred Derby and I hope the Betfred Lester Piggott Handicap will provide an exciting finish of which Lester would have been proud.”
Mawj will head to the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot for a rematch with Tahiyra, who gained compensation for her narrow defeat in the Qipco 1000 Guineas with victory in Sunday’s Irish equivalent.
Trainer Saeed bin Suroor gained a third success in the fillies’ mile Classic at Newmarket last month when Mawj showed plenty of guts to down Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra by half a length.
The Godolphin handler has always believed the daughter of Exceed And Excel would develop as a three-year-old and she duly delivered, adding to his previous success in the race with Cape Verdi (1998) and Kazzia (2002).
“She is in good form,” said Bin Suroor. “Her win means a lot. It was the third time we won the 1000 Guineas, but it had been a long time since the last one – 21 years.
“Obviously, the Classic races and the Group One races, you have to have the good horses.
“We knew last year she was a good filly, but she is a tiny filly and you have to look after her.
“I gave her a break between races, just to allow her to recover.”
Mawj is now being prepared to take on Tahiyra, who had won the Moyglare Stud Stakes last season and gained her second top-class success with victory over Meditate in the Irish Classic.
Though she won on soft ground at Newmarket, Bin Suroor insists Mawj will not be concerned what ground conditions await her at the Berkshire track.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel, who bypassed the Curragh Classic, has had plenty of experience on differing surfaces.
In her eight starts, on which she has won five, she was victorious over six furlongs on fast ground at Newmarket, on soft ground over a mile when taking her Group One.
“She goes to the Coronation Stakes now,” he added. “I don’t think the ground matters to her, because she won on softer ground in Dubai also and she came back here on soft ground.
“I think she will handle any ground and we look forward to going to Ascot with her.”
Silvestre de Sousa has withdrawn his appeal against a 10-month ban picked up in Hong Kong recently.
The former UK champion jockey was handed the lengthy suspension having pleaded guilty, along with fellow rider Vagner Borges, to breaching rule 59 (3), which states “no jockey shall bet, or facilitate the making of a bet, or have any interest in a bet, on any race or any contingency relating to a race meeting”.
A press release from the Honk Kong Jockey Club at the time stated that Borges “had an interest in a bet” on his mount Young Brilliant in a race at Happy Valley on April 26, with De Sousa having “facilitated” that bet.
The statement added that “there was no evidence before the stewards that Borges and De Sousa had ridden their horses in the respective race with any intention other than to obtain the best possible placing for their mounts”.
However, the stewards also underlined “it is fundamental to the integrity of racing that jockeys are not permitted to bet or to have an interest in a bet”.
De Sousa’s solicitor Harry Stewart Moore confirmed the Brazilian would be appealing but on Monday the KHJC released a statement which read:
“The Stewards have approved an application from jockey S de Sousa to withdraw the appeal lodged by him against the severity of a 10 month disqualification from 12 May 2023 to 11 March 2024 (both dates inclusive), imposed by the Stipendiary Stewards on 12 May 2023 for a breach of Rule 59 (3). The Stewards further directed that the appeal deposit be refunded.”
Tony Bellew won the vacant WBC world cruiserweight title against Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park on this day in 2016.
Fighting at the home of his beloved Toffees, the Everton fan put on a show, claiming the belt with a third-round knockout.
Makabu had entered the fight as the bookmakers’ favourite and started well, sending Bellew to the canvas in the opening round with a left-hand shot.
However, the Liverpudlian quickly recovered with a barrage of combinations in the third round to floor Makabu.
The win meant Bellew won a world title at the third time of asking after previous bouts at light-heavyweight against Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson ended in defeat.
Bellew, who played ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan in Sylvester Stallone’s film Creed, admitted he had “achieved a dream”.
“I am Everton, and that’s why I got up. Nothing was going to stop me tonight,” he said.
“I’ve achieved a dream tonight, all those people who said I couldn’t do it, well I’ve done it. I’m world champion, that’s what I am!
“The last time I saw something like that I was in a Hollywood movie, now it’s real. I’ve lived the dream tonight. I am the best cruiserweight in the world, I have proven it tonight.”
Emiliano Grillo won his second PGA tour title after he edged out Adam Schenk in a double playoff hole while English golfer Harry Hall finished tied third in Texas on Sunday.
The Argentinian was two strokes clear and looked primed to take out the Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Golf Course in Fort Worth.
But the 30-year-old hit a double-bogey on the last hole, providing an opening for Schenk to come back into contention, seeking to win his first PGA Tour title.
Grillo hit his drive into a small stream on the final hole which took the ball back 150 yards before stopping against a rock.
He decided to take a penalty stroke and landed a two-putt from 20 yards to tie with Schenk.
Schenk made par on the final hole while English PGA Tour rookie Harry Hall needed a par on the final hole to compete in the playoff.
Hall hit a bogey on the last hole after landing his drive into the water and finished tied in third with world number one American Scott Scheffler on 7-under.
Grillo struck a five-foot birdie putt to claim the title on the second playoff hole to get his first tour win in more than seven years, finishing the tournament on eight-under with 68 on his final day.
Grillo’s last win was in Napa in 2015 and has had four top 10 finishes this season.
American Adam Schenk finished second place for the second time this season and is still pushing for his first tour win.
Hall, 25, was leading after the first and second day but failed to hang on to the lead with two birdies and five bogeys on Sunday.
Englishmen Aaron Rei and Justin Rose finished tied 12th on three-under.
Katie Taylor laughed off talk of retirement after her first professional defeat this month and is targeting a November rematch against Chantelle Cameron.
Taylor’s bid to become undisputed world champion in two weight categories simultaneously fell flat as the previously unbeaten lightweight was outpointed on her Ireland homecoming by Cameron in Dublin.
Cameron, who retained her four light-welterweight world titles with the majority decision win, has intimated she wants to step down to 135lbs to challenge for Taylor’s belts in any return bout.
And the 36-year-old Taylor insisted her only priority is another showdown with Cameron, telling RTE: “I don’t even know what retirement means. I definitely don’t feel like it’s time for me to retire.
“It will happen one day in the future, but now my sights are set on securing a rematch with Chantelle. That’s the only fight that matters to me now. I think we’re looking at a November date.
“I haven’t looked back on the fight yet. I think the right person won. I have to take the loss and move on from it. I’m just excited to get back to America to start training again for the rematch.
“I will learn from this. I definitely didn’t feel myself in there. I did feel very, very tired straight away. I’ll just have to go back to the drawing board.
“I’m definitely not going to end my career like that.”
Fernando Alonso has not given up hope of defying the odds and beating Max Verstappen to the Formula One world championship after he finished second at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Alonso took the chequered flag 27.9 seconds behind Verstappen and has now secured five podiums in six races following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin.
The 41-year-old Spaniard will head to his home race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya next weekend 51 points adrift of Verstappen and a dozen behind Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull.
“The championship is long and we will not give up,” said Alonso after he finished runner-up for the first time in nine years.
“Red Bull and Max are dominating every race. The Red Bull is untouchable and even with great results, we are behind them. We are relying on weekends where they have issues.
“If Max has one or two of those, then we will be a little bit closer in the championship.
“This is motorsport and anything can happen. On true pace we are not there yet, but we won’t give up.”
Alonso kept Verstappen honest throughout Sunday’s race and was holding out on old rubber in the hope that rain would arrive.
But when it did, Alonso stopped for drys believing the track would not be wet enough for intermediate tyres.
However, the downpour continued and the Spaniard was forced to come back into the pits on the next lap, scuppering any chance of claiming his first victory in a decade.
“Maybe it was extra safe but in that minute-and-a-half it took to go through Turns five, six and eight again, the track changed completely,” added Alonso.
“The lap we stopped was completely dry but on my out-lap from the pits, it was wet.
“There was a huge margin behind me to do two stops and we thought it was the right thing to do. It was a complex race to read and execute.”
Christian Horner fears the Monaco Grand Prix will be “left behind” unless drastic changes are made to Formula One’s most famous track – as rain saved another procession in the principality on Sunday.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led every lap to win for a second time in Monte Carlo, extending his championship lead to 39 points after six rounds.
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso took second place, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon third. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth respectively for Mercedes.
Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s closest title challenger, endured a horror show. He started last and finished 16th after five pit stops, and multiple collisions with different competitors, and the walls that wind their way round the two-mile course.
For 51 laps, the race was a dud. Verstappen saw off Alonso on the short run to Sainte Devote and the major players followed round one by one.
The rain enlivened the predictable spectacle. Carlos Sainz slid off and kissed the wall at Mirabeau in his Ferrari, while Russell and Perez made contact after the Mercedes man rejoined the track following an error, also at the rain-soaked Mirabeau corner.
Lance Stroll hit the barriers twice and Haas’ calamitous decision to keep Kevin Magnussen on slick tyres backfired as the Dane crunched the wall at Rascasse.
But take away the sodden race track, and the top dozen were on course to take the chequered flag in the order they started.
And even with the downpour, Verstappen, Alonso and Ocon, who started first, second and third, finished first, second and third.
“It was an exceptionally boring race until the rain came down,” was Russell’s damning verdict.
Red Bull team principal Horner, fresh from celebrating his team’s sixth win from as many races, picked up the debate.
“It’s Monaco and it’s here for its history and its uniqueness,” he said. “But the problem is that the cars are so big now.
“All venues have to evolve a little and if there was just one area where you could create space for an overtake it would just give that chance, because so much weight is placed on qualifying. The race is won or lost on Saturday.
“I am sure that with the creativeness there is and the amount of land they are reclaiming here, there’s got to be the opportunity to introduce a bigger braking zone.
“Maybe make Turn 1 a little sharper or slower, or extend the circuit if there is the opportunity to add in another kilometre that included a hairpin – that would be phenomenal.
“It’s something to contemplate because when you think of the next 20 years of Monaco you don’t want to see it left behind.
“It earns its place on the calendar. It’s the jewel in the crown in many respects, but as the sport continues to move forward you can’t stand still, and Monaco needs to be part of that process.”
Despite being considered among the most glamorous events in world sport, the Monaco track has remain largely unchanged from the first grand prix staged in 1929, and some have claimed it is no longer fit for purpose in its current guise.
F1 bosses have looked at ways to adapt the tight and twisty layout, but have made little progress.
Verstappen kept his composure in the changeable conditions, and even survived a bump with the wall when the rain landed at Portier, to take his 39th win for Red Bull, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 victories for the grid’s all-conquering team.
“If you have a good car you can break these numbers,” said Verstappen.
“I never thought I would be in this position in my career. Growing up, I wanted to be a Formula One driver and I am now winning these races. It is amazing and better than I could have ever imagined.”
Jackson Wray believes new Gallagher Premiership champions Saracens deserve more respect for emerging from one of the bleakest episodes in the league’s history as a title-winning force once more.
Sale were defeated 35-25 in a gripping final at Twickenham on Saturday as Saracens claimed their sixth domestic crown with captain Owen Farrell producing a masterclass at fly-half.
It provided an element of redemption after they were shaded 15-12 by Leicester in last year’s showpiece, which they reached in their first season back in the Premiership having been relegated in 2020 for repeated salary cap breaches.
As part of their punishment they were fined £5.4million and while some players departed, the bulk of them – including their core of England stars – remained for the campaign spent in the Championship.
The loyalty shown has enabled Saracens to return to the summit of the English game and Wray, who is retiring after 13 years as a professional at his only club, has sounded a note of defiance.
“I don’t think people talk about this enough. It was the biggest fine in sporting history in a game where you lose money every year. Let’s just put that in perspective for a moment,” Wray said.
“And we have got through it. That says a lot more about the owners. They said, ‘we made a mistake and we will stay and put it right’.
“Together we have done it. We have done our bit as players – stayed and fought and gone against everyone.
“Even in this final. Everyone was with Sale. Every club in the land was with Sale. Do you know what? That’s how we like it. That is how we have always liked it. No one wants us to win and we don’t care.
“We want to do well for each other and well for the club because this club has given us everything. It has given me everything for 17 years and the least I can do is pull on this shirt with pride every week.”
Saracens’ celebrations spill over into Sunday, with the squad holding a retro sports shirt fancy dress event in London.
For Maro Itoje victory over Sale has placed the sight of Freddie Burns landing a last-gasp drop goal to clinch the title for Leicester 12 months earlier firmly in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m just happy. Last year we fell short, we got close, a drop goal was a painful way to lose,” Itoje said.
“I was tired of seeing that Freddie Burns drop goal every five minutes on BT Sport! Thank God I don’t have to go through another year of that. All in all, super happy!
“You can’t really hold on to the past too much but going through the pain of last year, I think it is fair to say we have been fairly consistent all throughout the season.
“Even when the internationals were away, the guys again stepped up. And obviously we have a few internationals, so those guys have been fantastic.”
Point Lonsdale will head for the Dahlbury Coronation Cup on Friday, as Aidan O’Brien finalises his squad for Epsom’s two-day Derby meeting.
The Australia colt is unbeaten in two starts this season having followed up his reappearance success in the Alleged Stakes by adding the Huxley Stakes at Chester, to prove he still possesses all the high-class ability he showed when motoring to multiple victories as a juvenile.
He is one of three in the mix for O’Brien in the Group One contest alongside Dubai Gold Cup scorer Broome and last year’s Derby fifth Changingoftheguard.
However, it appears Point Lonsdale is Ballydoyle’s main hope for the race, trying a mile and a half for the first time.
“The plan is to go for the Coronation Cup with Point Lonsdale,” said O’Brien. “It looked the last day like a mile and a half might suit him.”
O’Brien also holds a strong hand in both of the Classics set to be run on the Surrey Downs with Savethelastdance the overwhelming favourite for the Betfred Oaks and Auguste Rodin high-up on ante-post lists for the Betfred Derby despite disappointing in the 2000 Guineas.
“Epsom is all about Auguste Rodin at the moment and everything has gone well since the Guineas. We have others in and it’s possible that something else will run with him,” said O’Brien when assessing his contenders.
“Covent Garden might run in the Derby as well along with Adelaide River.
“Gooloogong will go for the mile and six race, the (Queen’s) Vase, at Ascot.
“Savethelastdance has done well since Chester. Be Happy was second in Lingfield and may run as well.”
Above The Curve made all the running under Maxime Guyon to land the Group Two Prix Corrida with an easy two-length success at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained four-year-old had been touched off when finishing third in the Prix de l’Opera over 10 furlongs in October before a lacklustre run in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
A daughter of American Pharoah, she had a bit to find after finishing last on her seasonal return in the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh earlier this month.
Guyon, riding Above The Curve for the first time, kept things simple, setting a steady gallop before winding things up approaching three furlongs out.
Dual Group One winner Nashwa, making her first start since finishing fourth to Tuesday as favourite in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf having been one place in front of Above The Curve on Arc day, tracked the winner throughout.
However, Hollie Doyle was hard at work turning in and on ground quicker than she would have ideally liked, the John and Thady-Gosden-trained mare faded to fourth, with Mqse Se Servigne coming from last to briefly challenge the winner, with the keen-going India pipping Nashwa for third.
Thady Gosden was far from unhappy with Nashwa’s performance.
He said: “I don’t think we can be too disappointed. All the other fillies had one or two runs already this year and it has been a long time since her last run at the Breeders’ Cup in Keeneland.
“It was just the lack of a run and she’ll come on plenty for that. We’ll see how she comes out of the race and see how she travels back before making any hard and fast plans for her.”
Mark Cavendish won the final stage of his last Giro d’Italia to spark scenes of huge emotion in Rome as Primoz Roglic confirmed his overall victory.
Cavendish, who announced on the second rest day of this race that this season would be his last, made it look easy as he opened up several bike lengths over Alex Kirsch and Fernando Gaviria even before a crash on the final approach split the bunch.
It was a 17th career Giro stage win for the 38-year-old Manxman, who kept alive his record of winning at least one stage every time he had taken part in the Italian Grand Tour.
It was also Cavendish’s first win of the season and first with the Astana-Qazaqstan team, a timely confidence boost as he now turns his attentions to the Tour de France and his bid to take the stage win record there outright.
Astana may not have the greatest sprint pedigree or a lead-out train for Cavendish, but that hardly mattered when he had Geraint Thomas – who lost the pink jersey to Roglic on Saturday’s time trial – lending a hand, the Ineos Grenadiers rider offering a lead-out going into the final two kilometres.
The oldest ever stage winner in Giro history was a hugely popular one as Roglic and Thomas were quick to offer their congratulations.
Roglic takes the overall win by 14 seconds from Thomas, the fourth smallest margin of victory in Giro history.
Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a scare against Jiri Vesely in his opening match at the French Open.
The 2021 finalist seemed to have the contest well under control after a slow start when he moved two sets ahead of his Czech opponent but Vesely took the third and had three set points at 6-3 in the fourth-set tie-break to force a decider.
Fifth seed Tsitsipas saved all of them, though, before clinching a 7-5 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7) victory and roaring with relief.
The Greek knows he will need to play better going forward, saying: “It was a great comeback from me on that tie-breaker. I didn’t really play the way I wanted to play.
“I started just going more to the ball, being much more aggressive on my shot-making, and I kind of dictated a little bit better. The match was very inconsistent from my side. I felt like I haven’t played a match with so much inconsistency in a very long time.
“There weren’t a lot of rallies in play. He was serving big, so I had to find ways to change that. At times I felt like my footwork was lousy.
“But otherwise I’m happy with how things turned around, and my fighting spirit went on full display in those last few points of the tie-breaker. It was a great way to end it by just being patient and waiting for that chance to pop up.”
Tsitsipas has had an up-and-down season so far and struggled with injury after reaching his second grand slam final at the Australian Open but the clay-court swing has seen him find more consistency.
The 24-year-old revealed he is trying to play with a smile on his face having been influenced by Carlos Alcaraz’s positive attitude.
“I had a practice session with Carlitos the other day and did throw in a ‘thank you’ just randomly, and I don’t know if he understood that or not,” said Tsitsipas.
“I owe a lot to Carlitos because he’s such a breath of fresh air. He’s so competitive and he’s always with a smile on his face, and so much charisma to him and so much positive energy that he distributes.
“I think that’s contributed a lot to his growth as a tennis player and his consistency, too. I admire him for who he is. I have that capacity of being that person. I truly believe that.”
Eleventh seed Karen Khachanov, who has reached the semi-finals at the last two grand slams, had to fight back from two sets down to beat Constant Lestienne, and the vocal French crowd, 3-6 1-6 6-2 6-1 6-3.
Hubert Hurkacz also survived a five-setter against David Goffin while 24th seed Sebastian Korda saw off fellow American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 7-5 6-4.
World XV coach Steve Hansen insisted Israel Folau should be able to move on from the anti-gay views that resulted in Rugby Australia terminating his contract.
Folau scored a try but was booed throughout Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Barbarians by a group of around 100 banner-waving LGBTQ+ protesters, while the Rugby Football Union raised the pride flag on the roof of Twickenham.
The devout Christian was sacked by RA in 2019 for publishing a series of discriminatory posts on social media, including one telling “homosexuals” that “hell awaits you”.
He has switched national allegiance to Tonga ahead of this autumn’s World Cup and Hansen, who was wearing a pride wristband, said a line should be drawn under the episode.
“Everyone is allowed an opinion. We don’t necessarily have to agree with each other on our opinions but you are entitled to have one,” Hansen said.
“You can’t be punished for the rest of your life for having an opinion that most of us disagree with.
“I’ve always been a great believer that you can’t help somebody change by leaving them on the outside.”
A 32,597 crowd enjoyed a 14-try thriller as stars such as Charles Piutau, Semi Radradra and Sbu Nkosi caught the eye in glorious conditions.
It provided Barbarians coach Eddie Jones with a triumphant return in his first appearance at Twickenham since being sacked by England in December.
In previous years he coached against the Barbarians and he urged the RFU to be careful over how its traditional annual fixture against the Red Rose is marketed in the future.
“I can speak as a former England coach. I don’t think England should play the Barbarians, unless it’s a younger England team,” Jones said.
“At this time of the season you can never pick the England team, so it shouldn’t be called England. It should be called England President’s XV or something like that.
“Playing against the Barbarians is a great idea but to try and sell it as England is not honest. It’s not honest.”
Pablo Larrazabal hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez after winning the KLM Open by two shots just two weeks into his forties.
Larrazabal celebrated the milestone by winning his ninth DP World Tour title and second in just four weeks after producing a big finish at Bernardus Golf on Sunday.
Having seen his overnight lead evaporate in the early stages of the fourth round, Larrazabal recovered with a series of birdies to sit in a five-way tie at the top after 12 holes.
And he finished with a flourish, birdieing the 15th, 17th and 18th to sign for a closing 69 and finish the tournament on 13 under par.
Larrazabal, who came into the week fresh from playing four rounds at last week’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, now has two victories in 2023, having won the Korea Championship Presented by Genesis in April.
Fellow Spaniard Adrian Otaegui finished alone in second on 11 under after closing his final-round 70 with a birdie.
Rasmus Hojgaard and Deon Germishuys were then in a tie for third, one stroke further back.
Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Ewen Ferguson finished in a share of eighth on seven under.
Winning so soon after his recent birthday, Larrazabal set his sights on replicating Jimenez, who clinched 13 DP World Tour titles in his forties – although he joked he would settle for a fraction of his success.
He said: “Hopefully I do 20 per cent of what Miguel did in his forties. This is the first win of 40.”
Reflecting on the final round, Larrazabal added: “It doesn’t matter how fast you run at the beginning, you have to run fast at the end to win the race.
“And that’s what I did. What a putt on the last. I tried to make two putts from 20 feet and suddenly I made it.
“I’m so proud of myself and so proud of my team. We struggled big time through Covid but here we are – four wins in the last 15 months. It means too much to me.”
Aidan O’Brien’s Drumroll was the beneficiary of a stewards’ inquiry at the Curragh on Sunday as he claimed the Heider Family Stables Gallinule Stakes.
The son of Deep Impact is a full-brother to Ballydoyle’s former 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior and was upped to 10 furlongs in this Group Three contest having chased home Saturday’s Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Paddington on his previous start.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, he was tracking the pace set by Jim Bolger’s Cork scorer Young Ireland and first past the post Teutates in the early stages, and it was Donnacha O’Brien’s charge and the 4-5 favourite who emerged as the main players as the race entered the business end.
Having found top gear, Drumroll began to wear down his chief rival but was met with still opposition as Teutates refused to lie down in the hands of Gavin Ryan.
But the head-on viewing showed that Drumroll was bumped not once but twice in the closing stages and although Teutates prevailed by a short head, the 22-1 outsider of the field was demoted to second following an inquiry, with Drumroll awarded top spot.
Drumroll could now find himself on O’Brien’s Irish Derby teamsheet.
O’Brien said: “He’s progressing and a mile and a quarter looks a good trip for him. The Irish Derby is a possibility.
“He’s still a bit of a baby and ran a bit green.”
Meanwhile the younger O’Brien was proud of Teutates efforts and will now look at a Royal Ascot handicap for his Churchill colt.
He said: “He’s run a cracker. We always thought he was a stakes horse and works like that at home. To be honest I ran him in this to get him into one of the handicaps in Ascot as he had to go up a few pounds.
“As you can see there he can run around a little bit so he’s a hard horse to win with. I thought it would be easier to get him up in the weights by running in a stakes race rather than winning a handicap with him.
“He’s better on that kind of surface.”
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