Star Of Mystery ran out an ultra-impressive winner of the Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies’ Stakes, as Charlie Appleby made a welcome return to the big-race winner’s enclosure at Newmarket.
Appleby has endured a quiet time of late, drawing a blank at Royal Ascot, but the performance of the hugely promising daughter of Kodiac gave the Moulton Paddocks handler plenty to smile about.
Second to the well-regarded Carla’s Way on debut, Star Of Mystery wasted little time opening her account in tremendous fashion at Haydock on her second start, which saw her sent off the 4-5 favourite for this Listed contest.
And she gave favourite-backers barely a moment’s worry, quickening smartly from a forward position in the hands of William Buick to blow the opposition away in fine style, registering a visually taking four-length success from Cry Fiction in the process.
It was Appleby’s second win in the six-furlong contest, following the success of Summer Romance in 2019. However, Appleby does not think she will become a Classic filly next season.
“She is a filly we know pedigree-wise, she is a from a speed-on-speed family,” he said.
“We came here today confident that she would come forward from that run at Haydock.
“We knew at the time when she got beaten at Lingfield that the winner that day was strongly fancied. It was a big ask to go to Ascot and it didn’t materialise unfortunately. We then went to Haydock and and obviously thought we hadn’t beaten a great deal, but when you win by 11 lengths, it is still a very impressive performance and physically she has done well since then.
“The natural route would be to work back from a Cheveley Park realistically. That’s the likelihood. I’m not going to say where we go next, but that will be our target.
“I think she is a six-furlong filly. People have asked if she is a Guineas filly. No, I don’t think she’ll get a Guineas, unless they shorten it by a couple of furlongs. No, realistically, she is not a Guineas filly and it will be wrong to train her like that.
“She is a set little model and we’ll keep cracking on as we are and hopefully she will do what we hope she can achieve in the Cheveley Park and we’ll be delighted.
“We will be positive with her this year.”
Lewis Hamilton will start today’s sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix from a lowly 18th as Max Verstappen took pole position.
Defending champion Verstappen raced to top spot for the second day in succession following his qualifying triumph for Sunday’s 71-lap Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez joins team-mate Verstappen on the front row for today’s 23-lap dash round the Red Bull Ring, with McLaren’s Lando Norris an impressive third.
Norris, who finished nearly six tenths back from Verstappen, lines up one place ahead of Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.
The winner of today’s race will be awarded eight points, but the result has no bearing on Sunday’s main event.
Hamilton was eliminated in the opening phase after he had three laps deleted for exceeding track limits.
“That was really bad time usage,” said Hamilton over the radio. “Am I out?”
“Yes we are,” replied his race engineer Pete Bonnington.
Hamilton had been leading the way in Q1 before he had a hat-trick of laps chalked off by race director Niels Wittich for running all four wheels of his Mercedes over the white line at the final bend.
Hamilton tumbled down the order and was knocked out at the first hurdle of qualifying for only the second time in the last six years.
In Friday’s qualifying session, which determined the grid for Sunday’s main event, Verstappen said Wittich made the drivers look like “amateurs” with his over-zealous refereeing.
But Wittich did not hold back in the second qualifying running of the weekend, with Hamilton not the only driver penalised. Verstappen also had multiple laps scrubbed off.
Following his early exit, Hamilton said: “It is for a sprint race so it does not really matter.
“I wish I was still out there. But there is nothing really to say. We focus on what we can do and we could easily have been much further up. Today I will have some fun from the back.”
Hamilton was soon followed out of qualifying by team-mate George Russell after he suffered a hydraulic failure. Russell’s Mercedes mechanics were forced to change his steering rack meaning that he was unable to post a lap in Q2. He starts 15th.
Today’s sprint race takes place at 4:30pm local time (3:30 BST).
William Buick is to replace suspended Frankie Dettori on Emily Upjohn in next weekend’s Coral-Eclipse, after partnering the John and Thady Gosden-trained filly in a piece of work at Newmarket on Saturday morning.
Emily Upjohn, 10-11 favourite with the sponsors for the 10-furlong Sandown showpiece, worked a mile on the July course with Oaks winner Soul Sister and Mimikyu, who was beaten a short head in a York Group Three on her seasonal bow.
The trio all worked nicely, with Mimikyu in particular looking on very good terms with herself, and the trio finished within a length of each other.
Thady Gosden said: “Following Frankie’s appeal, the owners wanted William to ride and that’s the way we are going. Obviously, William is an excellent rider and we are delighted to have him aboard.
“It is disappointing and frustrating for Frankie not to be riding her, and with William not having a ride in the race he seemed a very sensible option for the owners.
“William had not sat on her before today, but he seemed pleased with what she did. She is a pretty laid-back filly in the mornings.
“Mimikyu always works very well. She has always been a very nice filly.”
Buick won the Eclipse for Gosden in 2012 with Nathaniel and they will team up again at the Esher track, where they could potentially meet Aidan O’Brien’s St James’s Palace Stakes winner Paddington.
Gosden went on: “The Eclipse remains the plan. Although she is coming back to a mile and a quarter after the Coronation Cup, we feel that this is the right spot for her. She likes Sandown, as she has proved before.”
Soul Sister, meanwhile, has several options and could be supplemented for the Irish Oaks at the Curragh on July 22, although she also holds entries in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot a week later and the Nassau Strakes at Goodwood on August 3.
Gosden senior said: “I was pleased with all three fillies’ work.
“Mimikyu always works well, the other two are always a bit more laid back about life, but I’m pleased with them. Emily Upjohn is bright and happy and William is pleased with her.
“There is no final decision where Soul Sister goes at this stage, but Emily Upjohn is on course for the Eclipse and Mimikyu is in a couple of places.
Lewis Hamilton will start Saturday’s sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix from a lowly 18th.
Hamilton was eliminated in the opening phase of the sprint shootout on Saturday in Spielberg after he had three laps deleted for exceeding track limits.
“That was really bad time usage,” said Hamilton over the radio. “Am I out?”
“Yes we are,” replied his race engineer Pete Bonnington.
Hamilton had been leading the way in Q1 before he had a hat-trick of laps chalked off by race director Niels Wittich for running all four wheels of his Mercedes over the white line at the final bend.
Hamilton tumbled down the order and was knocked out at the first hurdle of qualifying for only the second time in the last six years.
Today’s 23-lap sprint race takes place at 4:30pm local time (3:30 BST).
America’s Taylor Moore and Canadian Taylor Pendrith shared a narrow lead ahead of a jam-packed leaderboard at the halfway mark of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
The pair finished Friday’s second round on 13 under par after mirroring each other’s scores across the first two days – Moore carding a 64 and 67, while Pendrith scored a 67 on Thursday followed by a 64.
They lead by one stroke from America’s Rickie Fowler and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.
England’s Aaron Rai features among a group of four players in the hunt on 11 under, after he recovered from an early bogey to head into the clubhouse on Friday with a score of 68.
Six players are a shot further back, with just four strokes separating the top 18.
Tyrese Haliburton has landed a max contract extension with the Pacers, a deal that could be worth up to $260 million.
The deal is the largest in franchise history and also Indiana's second deal ever to surpass $100 million.
The third-year pro was an All-Star for the first time last season, becoming the first player in league history to average 20 points and 10 assists while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range in a season.
Haliburton was drafted 12th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2020 but was traded to the Pacers in February 2022 in a deal that send Domantas Sabonis to the Kings.
Desmond Bane and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a five-year, $207 million max contract extension.
Bane, 25, gets the first $200 million deal in Grizzlies' history as he's developed into one of the NBA's best young shooting guards in his three seasons with Memphis.
He set career highs with 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and field goal percentage (48 percent) for the Grizzlies last season.
Bane is among the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, making 42.5 percent of his attempts in his career, while increasing the volume each season.
Matt Olson hit two of the six home runs for the Atlanta Braves and baseball’s hottest team rolled to a 16-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Friday.
Olson went 4 for 5 with his National League-leading 27th and 28th home runs and fell a double shy of the cycle as Atlanta won its sixth straight to finish June with a major league-best 21-4 record.
The 21 victories tied the Atlanta record for most wins in a calendar month, a mark that was set in May 1998 and matched in August 1999, in June 2002 and in June 2022.
Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Sean Murphy and Eddie Rosario also went deep to help Atlanta raise its home run total to 153, by far the most in the majors.
Mike Soroka won in his first home start since Aug. 3, 2020, when he tore his Achilles tendon for the first of two times. He allowed three runs and five hits in six innings without a walk and seven strikeouts.
Atlanta scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Riley doubled home Acuna and Olson followed with a 434-foot, opposite-field blast to centre. After Murphy struck out and Marcell Ozuna walked, Rosario belted his 14th home to make it 5-0.
Olson’s second homer of the game – another two-run shot – in the fifth inning extended the lead to 10-3 and Rosario’s groundout made it 11-3.
The Marlins ended a five-game winning streak and a seven-game run on the road.
Steer’s walk-off homer in 11th gives Reds wild win
Spencer Steer delivered a walk-off home run in the 11th inning after Matt McLain had a game-tying two-run homer in the 10th to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a wild 7-5 win over the reeling San Diego Padres.
After Elly De La Cruz doubled home the tying run in the 11th, he tried to score from third on Nick Senzel’s grounder but was called out because he didn’t touch the plate before Gary Sanchez’s tag.
Steer made that irrelevant shortly after when he belted a 2-2 pitch from Drew Carlton over the left-field wall for his 13th home run.
Cincinnati won its third straight despite Alexis Diaz’s save streak being stopped at 23 in a row. San Diego has lost a season-high six in row.
Ohtani hits 30th home run in Angels’ loss
Shohei Ohtani's hit the longest home run of his career for his major league-leading 30th of the season but the Los Angeles Angels lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2.
The Japanese sensation took Tommy Henry 493 feet out to right field in the sixth inning for the longest homer in the majors this year. He became the first player since 2013 to hit 30 homers by the end of June.
He also extended his own team record for home runs in a month with 15 and tied the AL mark for June homers.
It didn’t take long for some of the NBA’s top free agents to come off the board.
Point guard Fred VanVleet is leaving the Toronto Raptors after agreeing with the Houston Rockets on a three-year maximum contract totalling $130million, according to multiple media outlets.
The NBA's negotiating period began Friday at 6 p.m. EDT. Deals will not be made official until the end of the league's annual moratorium on July 6.
Undrafted out of Wichita State, VanVleet broke out during the Raptors’ 2019 title run and was a coveted prize in this year’s free agent class.
VanVleet averaged 19.3 points and a career-high 7.2 assists last season.
The Rockets entered this free agency period with the most salary cap room in the NBA, an estimated $68million.
The Raptors responded by adding Dennis Schröder on a reported two-year, $26million deal as they look to build around Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. Toronto was also able to retain center Jakob Poeltl on a four-year, $80million deal.
Irving stays paired with Dončić
Kyrie Irving has agreed to a contract to remain with the Dallas Mavericks and stay paired with superstar Luka Dončić, multiple media outlets reported Friday at the dawn of free agency.
The deal is reported to be worth $126million over three seasons, with a player option for the final year.
The Mavericks acquired Irving at last season’s trade deadline for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft compensation, but Irving reportedly explored other options in free agency.
Irving had been eligible for a maximum contract of up to five years and $272million with Dallas, but he landed at a shorter deal after playing about 40 games per year over the last four seasons.
The Mavericks also came to terms with sharp-shooting guard Seth Curry on a two-year deal.
Blazers keep Grant on 5-year deal
As a busy NBA offseason moves forward, Damian Lillard and his future with the Portland Trail Blazers continue to steal the spotlight.
Forward Jerami Grant and the Trail Blazers agreed on a five-year, $160million deal to keep him in Portland, multiple media outlets reported Friday.
The implications of Grant’s new deal on Lillard’s situation remain unclear, but a total tear-down to build solely around No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson appears less likely with Grant signed through the 2027-28 season.
Acquired from the Detroit Pistons for a draft pick a year ago, Grant averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 63 games with the Trail Blazers last season.
Even after retaining Grant, Portland projects to be about $15million under the luxury tax threshold, with a key decision still to come on restricted free agent Matisse Thybulle.
Draymond Green staying with Warriors
The Golden State Warriors kept their core intact, agreeing with Draymond Green on a new four-year, $100million contract, according to multiple media outlets.
Green had declined a $27.6million player option earlier this offseason.
An 11-year NBA veteran, Green has spent his entire career with the Warriors, winning four championships and being named to an All-Defensive Team eight times.
Bucks retain Middleton on 3-year deal
The Milwaukee Bucks also kept a key player from a championship team, agreeing with Khris Middleton on a three-year contract worth $102million.
Earlier this offseason, Middleton turned down a player option for next season at $40million.
Middleton, a three-time All-Star, helped the Bucks win a title in 2021. A right knee injury limited him to 33 games last season.
Veteran center Brook Lopez remains an unrestricted free agent.
Kuzma cashes in with Wizards
Kyle Kuzma became one of the big winners early in free agency, agreeing with the Washington Wizards on a four-year, $102million deal.
Kuzma’s contract comes after he turned down a $13million player option earlier this offseason.
After making $13million in each of the last two seasons, Kuzma will make $22.8million next season.
Kuzma is coming off a career year in which he averaged 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Wizards.
Johnson gets $108M from Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Nets and restricted free agent Cam Johnson have agreed on a new four-year contract worth $108million.
A key part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns last season, Johnson scored a career-high 15.5 points per game last season, including 16.6 per game in 25 contests with the Nets.
Brown leaves Denver for Indiana
After helping the Denver Nuggets win their first NBA title, Bruce Brown is headed to the Indiana Pacers on a two-year, $45million contract.
Brown played a key role for the Nuggets off the bench, averaging a career-high 11.5 points during the regular season, plus 12 points per game on 51.1-percent shooting in the playoffs.
Vincent headed to Lakers
Also cashing in on a strong postseason run was Gabe Vincent, who left the Miami Heat for the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-year, $33million deal.
The undrafted guard averaged 12.7 points and shot 37.8 percent from 3-point range during Miami’s run to the NBA Finals.
The NBA’s top free agent is already off the board.
Kyrie Irving has agreed to a contract to remain with the Dallas Mavericks and stay paired with superstar Luka Dončić, multiple media outlets reported Friday.
The deal is reported to be worth $126million over three seasons, with a player option for the final year.
The NBA's negotiating period began Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Deals will not be made official until the end of the league's annual moratorium on July 6.
The Mavericks acquired Irving at last season’s trade deadline for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft compensation, but Irving reportedly explored other options in free agency.
Irving had been eligible for a maximum contract of up to five years and $272million with Dallas, but he landed at a shorter deal after playing about 40 games per year over the last four seasons.
Irving accepting less than his maximum eligible contract opens up some or all of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, up to $12.4million, for Dallas to use on role players.
While the Mavs were determined to keep a co-star to pair with Doncic, some have questioned the viability of the fit.
Dallas finished the season 9-18 after acquiring Irving and missed the playoffs. Irving averaged 27 points, five rebounds and six assists in 20 games with the Mavericks last season.
After helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA title, Irving has morphed into one of the more enigmatic players in basketball. His stints with the Cavs and Nets both ended with trade demands.
Irving has played 671 career games since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2011, averaging 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
Undisputed world super-middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has announced he will return to the ring against Jermell Charlo in September.
The bout between the Mexican superstar and the super-welterweight champion from America is set to take place in Las Vegas on September 30, the two fighters posted on social media.
Alvarez successfully defended his world titles against Britain’s John Ryder on May 6 this year.
The 32-year-old won by unanimous decision in front of more than 50,000 people in Guadalajara, Mexico, improving his overall record to 59-2-2.
Charlo, 33, is currently the undisputed super-welterweight champion, holding the WBO, IBF, WBA and WBC belts having won 35 of his 37 fights with just one loss back in 2018.
Alvarez had previously been linked with a clash against Jermell’s twin brother Jermall, who fights at middleweight level.
Justin Rose admitted he was delighted with a “gutsy” 73 which kept him in contention for a second Betfred British Masters title, 21 years after the first.
Rose held a one-shot lead after a superb opening 65 at The Belfry, but it was a different story on Friday as he covered his first 10 holes in four over par.
However, the former world number one rallied to card four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine and finished the day on six under par, tied for the lead with France’s Antoine Rozner.
“It felt like a very, very tough day,” Rose said. “I got off to kind of a weird start, I didn’t feel like I was hitting poor shots and three-putted number one. The hole looked a little smaller for some reason.
“It wasn’t easy and this golf course holds up. Every year it has a pretty stout winning score and you can see why.
“I made some mistakes clearly, I was four over par at one point in my round, so actually delighted to bring it back and finish minus six.
“A good result out of the day I think and also generally feel pretty decent with how I played today. Just three three-putts and one or two little errors which crept in but not too bad considering what was a tough afternoon.
“I did readjust and tried say to myself I can make three birdies coming in down the last seven holes and that’s kind of how it played out.
“It was a good gutsy finish I suppose and dinner will taste good because of that. Through 36 holes I’m in a great spot.”
Rose and Rozner enjoyed a one-shot lead over a seven-strong group of players which included defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen, former Ryder Cup players Oliver Wilson and Andy Sullivan and English amateur John Gough.
Sullivan dodged a fine for swearing as he moved into contention for a fifth DP World Tour title with a second round of 68, the 37-year-old Midlander making five birdies in the space of six holes from the 12th.
“It was good. I played really well today,” Sullivan said, who was part of the European team beaten by the United States at Hazeltine in 2016.
“I missed an eight-footer on 11 which did get a massive expletive. Luckily the cameras weren’t there as I would have got fined, and then I got going after that.
“I felt the momentum and obviously having a home crowd behind you is nice, local crowd and quite a few out there today, so it’s good when you get the roars going and you get them going, you feel like your energy is up today.”
Sullivan joked that it had been a “pain in the a***” to secure tickets for all his friends and family, but Olesen was certainly appreciating the support of the sizeable crowds.
“It was great from early doors this morning,” the Dane said. “There was a lot of people and good atmosphere the whole way around, so it’s always fun to play in front of that.
“I didn’t think it was that easy today. It was quite windy but I had some really nice up-and-downs to keep the round going which was very important. I’m pretty happy with today.”
Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson and Robert MacIntyre lie two shots off the lead on four under par, while Welshman Jamie Donaldson slipped four strokes off the pace after following his opening 66 with a 76.
Compatriot Rhys Enoch holed out from 220 yards with a four iron to make an albatross on the par-five third hole, a second round of 69 leaving him one under par.
Al Husn wore down the dual Group One-winner Nashwa to cause a minor surprise in the JenningsBet In Shiremoor Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes at Newcastle.
Nashwa won the Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes in a glittering three-year-old season, while she also ran well in the Oaks, the Prix de l’Opera and at the Breeders’ Cup.
She was sent off the 8-11 favourite to get back to winning ways under Hollie Doyle, who tried to dictate matters from the front.
John and Thady Gosden’s Nashwa raced keenly throughout but when Doyle asked the Frankel filly to put the race to bed, she immediately took a couple of lengths out of the field.
However, she did not make life easy for Doyle and began to hang to her left, and all the while Jim Crowley was coming with a strong run on the Roger Varian-trained Al Husn.
Al Husn (3-1) herself was a Listed winner last time out and had only lost one of her previous five races so is clearly on the upgrade and she continued her progression.
Deep inside the final furlong as Nashwa began to tire, Al Husn was hitting top gear and won by half a length.
Crowley told Sky Sports Racing of the winner: “She’s clearly thriving, she looked so well in herself tonight.
“She felt in great form, I was bit concerned I was drawn nine but I was able to get a really nice position.
“It was a bit of a rush when we turned for home but she picked up nicely and hit the line well.
“She’s improving all the time and off that run you crack on and aim a little bit higher, there’s no reason why she can’t progress. She wants to win, she’s not big but she’s a little terrier.
“I think so (earned a crack at the Nassau). I’ll speak to Roger and connections but she’d have nothing to lose running in a race like that and everything to gain.
“Touch wood she’ll progress again.”
Betfair cut the winner to 10-1 from 25s for the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
Max Verstappen accused Formula One’s referee of making the sport’s superstars look like “amateurs” in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position for Sunday’s 71-lap race in Spielberg after he saw off a late flurry from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Carlos Sainz starts third in the other scarlet car ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton who qualified fourth and fifth respectively.
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finished only 15th after all three of his laps in Q2 were deleted for exceeding track limits.
Verstappen also had four runs scrubbed off by the stewards for putting his Red Bull over the white lines. In all, an extraordinary 47 laps were deleted by race director Niels Wittich.
“This is a joke,” said Verstappen over the radio. “Honestly, with these track limits, f****** ridiculous.”
Verstappen managed to fend off Leclerc by just 0.048 sec, but moments after he stepped out of his Red Bull, the Dutch driver took aim at Wittich’s refereeing.
“Today, it was very silly,” he said. “It made us look like amateurs with the amount of laps that were being deleted and some of them were so marginal.
“We spoke about it in the briefing before, and when it is very marginal, it is impossible to judge if the car is out or in, and yet laps were still getting deleted. It was not a good look today.
“People will say, ‘you should have kept the car in the white lines’. If it was that easy, you can take my car and try it, but you probably wouldn’t get up to speed in time.”
A Remote Operation Centre in Geneva consisting of six officials – FIA’s answer to football’s VAR system – flag up contentious laps to Race Control at the circuit using various camera angles. Wittich then has the final say.
It is understood that if the laps in question are marginal, Wittich will lean in favour of the driver.
But Verstappen continued: “We don’t do this on purpose. With these speeds and the high-speed corners it is so hard to judge where the white line is and that is why a lot of people got caught out.
“My first lap in Q3 was just a banker lap which takes out the joy. Today showed that it is not easy to have a clear rule about it.”
Despite the row, reigning world champion Verstappen will be favourite to take his seventh victory from the nine rounds so far this season and extend his 69-point championship lead over struggling team-mate Perez.
Behind the Dutchman, Norris impressed to take fourth spot in his revamped McLaren, one place ahead of Hamilton who finished 0.428 sec adrift of Verstappen.
The Red Bull Ring is hosting F1’s second sprint event of the year with a shortened qualifying and race to follow on Saturday before Sunday’s main event.
“Our car has not suited this circuit in the past and it showed again today,” said Hamilton. “It was a really tough and difficult session but we got through it, thank God.
“We will try to do better in sprint qualifying tomorrow, and then fifth on Sunday is a strong position to start from.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell managed only 11th on a disappointing afternoon for the Briton.
Daria Kasatkina expects the popping of champagne corks to be the most unsettling noise at Wimbledon as she prepares for her first grand slam action since being booed at the French Open.
The world number 11 is among a number of Russian and Belarusian players set to return to the All England Club next week following last year’s ban due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Kasatkina, who first faces Saturday’s Eastbourne final against Madison Keys, left Roland Garros in early June with a “very bitter feeling” having being jeered by the crowd after her defeat to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
She is enjoying being back in front of “very respectful” spectators in Britain for the first time in two years and looking forward to competing at SW19.
“I have always liked playing in the UK,” she said following her 6-2 7-5 semi-final win over Camila Giorgi at the Rothesay International. “I had good results here and good memories.
“I’m really happy to be back and to have this opportunity again.
“It feels great because the people here, we can see that they have got the culture of the game, they know when they have to support, when it’s the tight moment of the match.
“They are very respectful to the players. People are super nice to me. I really appreciate the support.”
Knowing Svitolina would stick to her policy of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players, Kasatkina gave her opponent a thumbs-up in Paris but still received boos.
The 26-year-old Russian has been drawn to play American Caroline Dolehide in the first round at Wimbledon.
Asked if she thinks the welcoming atmosphere will continue in south-west London, she replied: “Oh, even more. The tournament is the most classic tournament we have.
“The only disturbing fact on the matches is the popping of the champagne! I’m really happy to be back there.”
Kasatkina, who has spoken against the war in Ukraine, dug in to see off Giorgi on Friday at Devonshire Park.
She breezed through the opening set in just over half-an-hour but was forced to hold off a fightback in a tight second after her Italian opponent battled back from 4-1 down to level at 5-5.
World number 25 Keys awaits her in Saturday’s showpiece after she overcame an injury scare to progress to her second Eastbourne final by upsetting fellow American Coco Gauff.
The 2014 champion, who suffered a painful fall in the middle of the second set, triumphed 6-3 6-3 against the world number seven on a blustery afternoon in Sussex.
“I just took a slip and my hip went in the direction it shouldn’t have gone in,” said the 28-year-old, who has been draw against British wildcard Sonay Kartal at Wimbledon. “Hopefully it’s fine for tomorrow.
“I’ve had a little bit of a not great year so far, so being able to make a final here where I won my first title is amazing.
“It’s definitely 10 times more difficult when you have to play Coco and then you throw in hurricane winds on top of it.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from June 30.
FootballJames Maddison was looking forward to his new challenge.
Spot the Robbie Fowler cameo as Liverpool went back to the 90s to launch their new away kit.
Erling Haaland was grateful.
Kai Havertz was taking a break.
Green was a theme of the day’s away kit announcements.
Fulham launched their new home look.
Ange Postecoglou enjoyed Australian success in his new home city.
Bournemouth’s new boss arrived in the building.
A bouncy castle tribute to Marcus Rashford.
Not sure about Dwight McNeil’s future in modelling.
Aaron Mooy retired.
James Tarkowski looked to a future in coaching.
CricketEngland looked back at day two of the Lord’s Test before the start of day three.
Which was hit by the weather after Australia had dominated.
GolfThe NFL got the better of the NBA in ‘The Match’.
Leading tennis players should speak out against "appalling" human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia as the Public Investment Fund (PIF) targets a partnership with the ATP Tour.
That is the view of Amnesty International's regional campaigner Reina Wehbi, who sees the prospective link as a way of distracting from the country's "crackdown" on basic rights.
Earlier this week, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told The Financial Times that talks had been held over a partnership between the PIF and the men's tour.
Saudi Arabia's numerous sports investments – including the PIF's majority ownership of Newcastle United and the controversial LIV Golf circuit – have been denounced by critics as efforts to improve the country's reputation through 'sportswashing'.
Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Wehbi said tennis stars should not shy away from criticism of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights.
"Saudi Arabia is promoting its colossal investment in sporting events and entertainment as progress and reform. This is a far cry from its appalling human rights record," Wehbi said.
"Saudi Arabia's interest in the ATP fits into a wider pattern of sportswashing that the country has been using to divert attention from its escalated human rights violations.
"Authorities continue their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Almost every single human rights defender has been unlawfully detained in Saudi Arabia.
"Last year, Amnesty recorded the highest number of executions in 30 years in Saudi Arabia. Human rights should be a primary consideration when choosing where to host international sporting events and sporting bodies have the responsibility to undertake due diligence to identify and mitigate human rights violations directly linked to their events.
"Tennis players and all other celebrities should make sure to use their celebrity status and their popular platforms to speak up against abuses and be the voice of those put behind bars for exercising their rights.
"They should make sure not to offer Saudi Arabia uncritical praise and not to help it avoid scrutiny for its continued human rights violations behind the scenes.
"All players should advocate for the respect and protection of human rights wherever they are."
Max Verstappen’s crushing dominance of Formula One continued at the Austrian Grand Prix after he put his Red Bull on pole position.
The world champion, a winner at six of the first eight races, saw off his rivals at the Red Bull Ring to seal his fourth pole on the spin for Sunday’s 71-lap grand prix.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc provided Verstappen with a late scare, but the Monegasque had to settle for second place, crossing the line 0.048 seconds shy of the Dutchman.
Carlos Sainz took third in the other scarlet car, while Lando Norris impressed in his revamped McLaren to take fourth spot. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, 0.428 sec adrift.
Sergio Perez’s torrid time continued after all three of his laps in Q2 were deleted for track limits. He lines up a lowly 15th on Sunday.
The increasingly under-pressure Mexican looked to have sealed his spot in Q3 in the closing seconds only for the stewards to scrap his lap after he drove all four wheels on his Red Bull beyond the white line at the final bend.
“Can we go again?” asked Perez over the radio. “No, that is the chequered flag,” said his race engineer, Hugh Bird. “What a f****** joke,” replied a furious Perez.
George Russell was also subjected to an early bath after he failed to make it out of Q2. The Englishman, who retired at the last round in Canada after he crashed into the wall, missed out on progressing to the final phase by just 0.041 sec and qualified 11th.
For Verstappen there were no such concerns, and the Dutchman is on course to extend his 69-point lead at the summit of the standings following another commanding performance.
His qualifying triumph was greeted with a number of his travelling Dutch fanbase lighting orange flares.
“It was very difficult because of all the track limits,” said Verstappen. “We don’t do this on purpose, but with these speeds and the high-speed corners it is so hard to judge the white line and that is why a lot of people got caught out.
“It was about surviving. My first lap in Q3 was just a banker lap which takes out the joy but we still did a good enough lap and I am happy to be on pole.”
Verstappen’s countryman Nyck de Vries’ place on the grid appears uncertain after Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko said Christian Horner was right to question whether he should have been signed.
The 28-year-old was brought into the Red Bull junior stable at the beginning of the year, but he has struggled to get up to speed at AlphaTauri, and he did little to help his cause here after he qualified last for Sunday’s race.
Earlier, qualifying was delayed by half-a-dozen minutes after Valtteri Bottas stopped in his Alfa Romeo.
Bottas spun on the exit of the opening corner and was left stranded on the track as he failed to engage neutral.
The red flags were deployed but Bottas was able to get going again and made his way back to the pits. The Finn made it through to Q2 and qualified 14th.
Spielberg is hosting the sport’s second sprint event of the year with a shortened race on Saturday to come before Sunday’s main event.
Not a name associated with big Saturday afternoon contests, Deborah Faulkner is targeting an “absolutely huge” JenningsBet Northumberland Plate success with the heavily-supported Golden Rules.
Faulkner is responsible for less than a dozen horses at her Monmouthshire yard and is pinching herself at the fact that she houses the market leader for the £150,000 Newcastle showpiece.
Bought out of John and Thady Gosden’s yard for bargain-basement price of 6,000 guineas in October 2021, Golden Rules did not make his debut for his new connections until appearing at Kempton in March of this year, when he proceeded to make every yard of the running under Oisin Murphy.
With the three-time champion jockey again in the saddle, and owner Gareth Cheshire bullish about his chances in a recent interview, the six-year-old has been backed into favouritism for the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’, which is only heightening Faulkner’s nerves.
She said: “I don’t know who is gambling on him, it’s not me because I don’t bet!
“He’s in good order, Oisin sat on him on Wednesday and he was more than happy with him.
“It’s all in the lap of the gods now and I just hope we don’t end up with egg on our face, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.”
While Golden Rules was out of competitive action for the best part of two years prior to his Kempton comeback, Faulkner revealed he has not suffered any major setbacks.
“We didn’t even attempt to get him on the track last year. For whatever reason they sold him, he had a few issues and we’ve just given him time,” Faulkner added.
“He does a lot of swimming and hopefully that’s sorted out his impatience in a race – he seems to have settled a lot better.
“We’ve just ticked along with him and when we thought he was ready, we had a little pop with him.
“We were originally going to run him over jumps, that’s why we bought him, but the ground wasn’t in his favour at all and we didn’t want to risk him, so we went for the Kempton race.
“He’s worked very well at home, so going to Kempton it was just a case of whether he still had the enthusiasm to race and luckily for us he did.”
Faulkner will not be making the trip to the north east herself, instead electing to watch on from her home in Wales.
She said: “It would be absolutely huge if he could win. We’ve only got 10 horses and I’m not going on Saturday because somebody has to stay in the yard and as three-quarters of our workforce has gone to Newcastle, it’s left to me to do the honours with the remaining horses!
“I will be very nervous, I just hope he lives up to expectations.”
Prior to the Golden Rules gamble, the ante-post favourite was the William Haggas-trained Post Impressionist.
The four-year-old finished second to subsequent St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov on his only previous visit to Gosforth Park and while he has been off the track since winning a lucrative prize at York in October, hopes are high, despite the fact a high draw in stall 19 of 20 is hardly ideal.
“He got a lovely draw in stall 19, that’s helpful! But he’s been training well and should run well,” said Haggas.
“He wants a bit of cut in the ground – he doesn’t really want summer firm – so we thought this would be the right sort of place to start.
“He was very slow to come to hand in the spring, but he’s coming now and has had a good preparation.”
The Newmarket handler has an interesting second string to his bow in Nathanael Greene, who like Post Impressionist will be tackling the two-mile distance for the first time.
Nathanael Greene was fifth at Ascot and fourth at Goodwood in May, most recently finishing just over five lengths behind Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami, and Haggas feels he could outrun his odds.
He added: “I thought Nathanael Greene wouldn’t be miles away. He’s got the headgear back on and he clearly needs that, so hopefully he’ll run a good race.
“He’s run two solid races this season and I think he’ll appreciate going up in trip as well.”
Hugo Palmer is also double-handed, with Zoffee and Rajinsky both bringing strong course form to the table .
Rajinsky has finished third and fourth in the last two renewals, while Zoffee plundered last year’s Northumberland Vase – the consolation race for the Plate.
“He’s getting better all the time, Rajinsky. He’s produced two career-bests from three runs this year and we were praying to be able to run him in the Queen Alexandra at Ascot last weekend,” said Palmer.
“I think he’d have been the top-rated horse in the race and I think he’d stay that far, but we are where we are and he’ll have no ground concerns at Newcastle.
“Zoffee is such a consistent horse – if they were all like him it would be an easier game.
“He found the line really well at Ascot (sixth in Ascot Stakes), for all he found it possibly just a furlong too far.
“He’s very well versed at two miles, he copes with that trip and he obviously won the consolation last year, so it’s always been the hope that he could try to follow up in the big one this year.”
The Alan King-trained Rainbow Dreamer is another Newcastle regular and has been kept fresh for this race since winner the Marathon over the course on All-Weather Championships Finals Day in April.
King said: “He’s a much better horse on the all-weather and he seems well when he’s lovely and fresh, so it was always the plan to give him a break and train him for this.
“It’s all gone very well – he seems to love it. He’s a bit higher than he was last year and it won’t be easy off that sort of rating, but he seems very well and this was the obvious place to come.
“Let’s hope he runs well.”
Gilles Simon believes Andy Murray's inferior trophy haul means he cannot be grouped with tennis' 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Murray has enjoyed a long and stellar career, reaching 11 major finals and claiming three grand slam titles, as well as spending 41 weeks ranked as the world number one.
But with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam successes respectively, Simon feels Murray is not quite on their level.
"He's not part of the Big Three," Simon told Stats Perform at the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas.
"You don't have to compare him with the Big Three, because he played at the very same time and we have the result.
"Andy was a fantastic player, just under these three guys in terms of level. In the end, the gap is huge in terms of titles: 23, 22 and 20, compared to three, so he's not part of the Big Four.
"He played at the same time as everyone and he has three and they have 20 or more. That's how I see it."
Simon – who won three of his 19 meetings with Murray before retiring in 2022 – feels the Scot was unfortunate to have competed with the 'Big Three' and would have been remembered as one of the game's greats in another era.
"He could have won 17 slams without the Big Three," Simon explained. "What is hard for Andy is to compare him to other players from other generations, when other players maybe have more slams than he has.
"If he had played at that time, he could maybe have had 15 and been one of the greatest. You cannot compare him with the Big Three, we saw it already, we saw the results.
"Where I feel sad for Andy is that if you play in a different era, you have 10 [grand slam titles] and then if we take the all-time rankings, we go to [Pete] Sampras with 14 and you say maybe he's here.
"This is where I feel it's a bit of an injustice for him compared to his level, because he would be closer to something like this than to someone who has three slams. He would be much higher in the all-time rankings."
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