Aryna Sabalenka won the Madrid Open for the third time in a thrilling 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka, the world’s number one, won the opening set, but Gauff forced a tie-break in the second, which wasted a championship point.
Although Gauff came back from 3-0 to make it 3-3, Sabalenka, 26, recovered, and a double fault gave them the victory.
Both women made it to the semi-finals confidently, with Gauff coming off of Iga Swiatek’s stunning semi-final victory and Sabalenka as the best overall.
Sabalenka started well, winning 17 games in a row, but Gauff’s brave recovery gave her a 5-3 lead in the second set.
After making it 5-5, the American, who is now 21 years old, saved six break points to thwart Sabalenka’s comeback.
She finished second behind Swiatek in 2024 and won her previous matches in Madrid in 2021 and 2023. She leads Petra Kvitova, a Czech player, with 11 wins and 18 losses.
“Coconuts, congratulations. I’m so happy to see you back playing the tennis you love,” Sabalenka said.
“I love playing against you because you are such a fighter.”
We have gone through a lot together, so thank you to my team.
I believe it will be your fourth straight finals, Gauff told Sabalenka. “Congrats on your success,” Gauff said.
Jade Thirlwall, the singer who opened up about the demands on ITV’s The Assembly, says she finds it difficult to handle having children with Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan.
Singer Jade is fed up with the recurring questions about her fertility.
Singer Jade Thirlwall says she finds constant questions about having children hard to handle. The former Little Mix star, who has gone on to forge a hugely successful solo career, opened up about the pressures to have a family.
Jade, 32, has been dating Rizzle Kicks musician Jordan Stephens for five years, and says she finds speculation about her being pregnant “invasive” on ITV ’s The Assembly.
“The thing that annoys me the most is ‘Am I going to have children, am I pregnant?’” she offloads. “I find it weird that people ask that as they don’t know what my circumstances are. You don’t know if someone can’t have children, they don’t want to or aren’t ready yet.”
Jade says the thing that annoys her the most are questions about when she is going to have a child(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
It’s an invasive question, in my opinion. Since starting out as a solo artist, I’ve put on some weight. Then there are speculators. I’m like, “Babe, I just had a piece of garlic bread.” I’m obese. I believe I must pay attention to it all the time.
South Shields-born Jade rose to fame on ITV talent show The X Factor, when she auditioned as a solo singer and was put into group Little Mix with Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson.
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Angel of My Dreams, which won best song at this year’s Brit Awards, was her first solo album.
For the ITV series The Assembly, the singer was quizzed by a group of people who were autistic, neurodivergent, and learning disabilities.
They grilled Jade on her days on the set of her talent shows and questioned whether she had “sold her soul” on The X Factor.
Jade used to be 1 out of four Little Mix singers before embarking on her solo career(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Warner Bros)
She winced, “Maybe a little bit in the beginning.” I had just signed the dotted line when I was so young. However, as the years pass and I become more knowledgeable about the field, I’ve been squandering some of my soul as I grow more creative and have learned more about it.
Asked if the demise of the show means the end of boss Simon Cowell, she said: “I think it’s the end of that TV show, the end of that era. I don’t think it’s the end of Simon Cowell specifically.”
She opened up about her first dates with Jordan, 33 – saying she laid down her biggest turn offs straight away.
We posed very serious questions to one another, such as, “Do you clap when the plane lands because that’s a big ick for me.”
Before their engagement, she also recalled a disastrous meeting with a sluggish suitor.
Jade opened up about her relationship with Jordan(Image: FILE)
She revealed that she had previously been catfished. I had a drink at a bar when I met him. Because he looked so different, I didn’t realize it was him. I quickly became icky because he was posing a lot of intrusive questions, almost like a journalist.
When Jade was questioned about Liam Payne’s tragic passing last year, she expressed her grief.
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She remarked, “He was my first friend in the industry.” When we were both young, we both auditioned for the X Factor. He was so lovely. He had a lot of talent. He made his family proud, which he did. This person is a star, according to everyone on the show at the time, I can recall. He had the X Factor in real life. He was intended to pursue musical and vocal careers.
On ITV, The Assembly will continue on Sundays at 10 p.m.
After beating fellow European hopefuls Fulham 1-0 to move level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League, Unai Emery claimed that qualifying for the Champions League is Aston Villa’s “dream.”
To put pressure on the teams above them before the weekend’s final games, Youri Tielemans scored the only goal in the opening half to give Villa their seventh win in nine league games.
Manchester City is currently third and Villa are seventh, but Newcastle, Chelsea, and sixth-placed Nottingham Forest are all still in the lead.
The top five players in the Premier League will each be guaranteed a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming season.
Emery told BBC Match of the Day, “We are so excited to play in the Champions League once more.”
“Europe is very important for our development and the club.” The most challenging accomplishment we can achieve is the Champions League.
The Champions League is our dream, they said, “and it was a very significant win.”
In their next two games, Villa travel to Manchester United in their final game of the campaign, before hosting Bournemouth away and Tottenham Hotspur at home.
Despite a rousing second-leg fightback at Villa Park, they managed to reach the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club competition this year, falling 5-4 on aggregate to Paris St-Germain.
We’re desperate to get back, said Villa captain John McGinn. You want more once you’ve tasted it.
“Hopefully, today will prompt us to knock on the door.” We have the best interests in mind and will give it everything.
By defeating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in the final game of the season, Bournemouth increased their chances of capsizing a fantastic season with European qualification.
Things may change in the final weeks of the campaign, but there will be at least eight Premier League teams competing in Europe next season, an increase from the usual seven.
Crystal Palace, who finished second in the FA Cup final against Villa last weekend, may still qualify for Europe via the league or by defeating City in the FA Cup final later this month.
Who is still up for grabs by the contenders?
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Chelsea (A), Arsenal (H), Brighton (A), and Crystal Palace (H) are at Liverpool.
Liverpool (A), Newcastle (H), and Southampton (A) are at Arsenal.
Newcastle: Chelsea (H), Arsenal (H), Everton (H), and Brighton (A).
Nottingham Forest: Chelsea (H), West Ham (A), and Crystal Palace (H), respectively.
Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), and Fulham (A) are Manchester City.
Chelsea: Manchester United (H), Newcastle (A), and Liverpool (H).
Aston Villa: Tottenham (H), Manchester United (A), and Bournemouth (A).
Aston Villa (H), Manchester City (A), and Leicester (H) are Bournemouth.
Everton (H), Brentford (A), and Manchester City (H) are Fulham’s (H).
Brighton: Wolves (A), Liverpool (H), Tottenham (A), and Newcastle (H).
Manchester United (H), Ipswich (A), Fulham (H), and Wolves (A) are at Brentford.
How many teams could be considered for the Champions League?
Eight to eleven Premier League teams will travel to Europe next season, depending on how things turn out this year.
Because of England’s better performance in Uefa’s coefficient rankings, at least five of those will play in the Champions League.
If Arsenal wins the Champions League and finishes outside the top five, which is a remote possibility, or even seven if that happens and Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League, that number could rise.
How many teams could be eligible for the Europa League?
Next year, there are a maximum of three Premier League teams that could compete in the Europa League.
The FA Cup winners and the team that finished sixth are likely to take second place.
However, if the cup winners have already secured a place in Europe, they will face the next highest-placed team that has not yet qualified for Europe.
If Chelsea loses the Conference League and does not advance to the Champions League, a third place might be awarded.
The Conference League, how about it?
A Premier League team will receive one Conference League spot.
Newcastle, the current host of the Carabao Cup, will win, but that could change if Eddie Howe’s side earns a place in the Champions League or the Europa League.
That appears likely given that Newcastle currently belongs to the top four.
How could there be 11 English football teams in Europe?
Although this is highly unlikely, it might still occur.
Arsenal, Manchester United, or Tottenham would need to win the Champions League, and Chelsea would need to take the Conference League title, with all three winners having to finish outside the top six.
Chennai Super Kings 211-5 (20 overs): Ayush 94 (48), Jadeja 77* (45), Ngidi 3-30
Bengaluru defeated Bengaluru by two runs to win.
With just two runs to go, Bengaluru defeated Chennai Super Kings to claim the lead in Indian Premier League history.
At the end of the 18th over, the West Indian batter had a lead before scoring a superb 53 not out of 14 balls for RCB, who went 213-5.
However, bottom-placed Chennai almost managed to pull off a remarkable chase thanks to 114 runs for the third wicket from Ayush Mhatre (94) and Ravindra Jadeja (77 not out).
Ayush and Dewald Brevis were taken out by Lungi Ngidi and left the visitors 1762-4, but Jadeja and another veteran, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, both of whom had dug in, left their side with 15 minutes before the final whistle.
Yash Dayal conceded two singles before taking Dhoni lbw for 12, but Shivam Dube’s six-ball was a waist-high no-ball.
However, Dayal made it six of the final three balls and made his final six deliveries for one each to seal the victory that gave RCB two points clear of the IPL standings.
Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli (62) put on a strong opening stand of 97, which was a strong start for the competition’s new leaders.
At 21 and 192 days, England’s Aaron Bethell became the third-youngest player to reach the milestone with his maiden IPL half-century.
Just before the halfway point, Chennai put on a strong bowling display that put their opponents’ innings on hold before being caught by Brevis off Matheesha Pathirana for 55.
With 12 balls left, RCB were 97-1, but Shepherd was able to hold on to go 159-5.
He set records for four fours and six sixes, with Pathirana’s final six deliveries costing 21 and Khaleel Ahmed’s final one coming in at 33.
Ayush, age 17, nearly took the lead when he hit 14 boundaries before Krunal Pandya attempted to make his first IPL century debut with a six.
After catching Brevis lbw and dismissing Sam Curran earlier in the innings, Ngidi finished with 3-30 overall, but Dayal took the bowling hats as he clinched the victory with some steely death bowling.
Northampton Saints won the Investec Champions Cup final 37-34 in an unforgetable classic thanks to Tommy Freeman’s hat-trick.
Ten tries and three Saints yellow cards were used in the incredible semi-final, which came to an end with the visitors turning Leinster over a metre from their own line in the final moments.
The hosts in Dublin, tournament favorites prior to this match, only managed seven tries, but Northampton scored five in the semi-finals, with Henry Pollock and James Ramm also scoring.
Despite those scores and a 12-point lead at half-time, there was no drama in the final minute.
Leinster initially thought they had the ball in the corner at 79 minutes, but after a protracted delay, referee Pierre Brousset sent Saints’ Alex Coles to the sin-bin and gave the Irish side a penalty.
Leinster had a chance to hold off Leinster, but with the tap penalty Saints produced one last stirring defensive stand with 14 men to seal one of their biggest victories in history.
Images courtesy of Getty
The difference in this year’s Leinster’s team was their dominant defense, which was their fourth successive title and their first title since 2018.
After failing to win any of their two previous knockout games, Glasgow Warriors and Harlequins were caught on their heels by Saints’ quick start.
No one else’s front-liners looked more sharp for the hosts’ United Rugby Championship game against Scarlets last time out than Freeman, despite the hosts’ heavily rotated lineup.
The England international scored a hat-trick in the first half, just as his opposite wing James Lowe did a year ago.
After the visitors’ superb maul defense prevented Leinster’s opening attack, Freeman was the one who delivered Fin Smith’s delicate nudge to put the game away after seven minutes.
Images courtesy of Getty
Tommy O’Brien scored the first of Leinster’s five tires with a superb pass that Sam Prendergast scored with a penalty to reduce the arrears.
Leinster scored their second just before the break when Josh van der Flier put the ball on the charge after Max Deegan hit it and crashed over.
The final 15 minutes of the half were all Northampton, if it appeared like the result would settle Leo Cullen’s side.
After taking a flat pass across the gain-line and showing an impressive turn of pace, Pollock crossed for a try just three minutes later and ran 45 meters round Prendergast.
Freeman’s team took a 27-15 lead at the turn after two more tries in just two minutes.
Inpho
Leinster’s response to the first half of the second half was slow and inconsistent.
However, a 50: 22 lowe’s turn of events did some good. Saints once more held their ground against the maul, but Leinster were able to capitalize on Caelan Doris’ tap penalty to score after an illegal defense.
The Leinster and Ireland skipper made a 50: 22 of his own shortly after, but his team once more struggled to execute the line-out maul.
Smith’s second penalty gave his team a 30-22 lead before Van der Flier’s second score was awarded with substitute Ryan Baird winning the penalty and line-out with 20 minutes left.
Saints, however, waded in a strong direction once more. Full-back James Ramm was over in the corner just two minutes later with a brilliant line.
When blind-side flanker Josh Kemeny was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Rabah Slimani, Northampton’s efforts to secure the victory were hindered.
With 10 minutes left, Lowe cut the deficit by scoring Leinster’s second goal of the day with a deft tap penalty, and Prendergast added the extras to bring his side within three.
Leinster: O’Brien, O’Brien, Ringrose, Lowe, Prendergast, Gibson-Park, Healy, Sheehan, Furlong, Snyman, McCarthy, Deegan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt.)
Replacements: Barrett, Porter, Kelleher, Porter, Slimani, Baird, Conan, McGrath, R Byrne, and Barrett.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised a group of women who walked out during an empowerment event organised by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu in Port Harcourt, calling the act “disturbing and embarrassing”.
The protest happened on Friday at the EUI Event Centre and was allegedly led by women loyal to the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Some of the protesters, said to include sacked local government vice chairpersons, left the venue while chanting pro-Fubara slogans.
They demanded that Governor Fubara’s wife, Valerie, address them instead of the wife of the state’s administrator, Mrs Theresa Ibas. Despite the protest, the event continued inside, with Mrs Ibas speaking on behalf of the First Lady.
Reacting to the incident in a statement released on Saturday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Minister Wike, currently on official engagements in China, expressed disappointment over what he termed a “show of shame”.
“This incident is very disturbing and embarrassing”, Wike stated. “An insult on anyone representing the First Lady of Nigeria at an event is a direct insult on the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As a leader in Rivers State, I apologise”.
READ ALSO: Women Stage Walkout At Remi Tinubu Empowerment Programme In Rivers
The FCT Minister urged supporters of the suspended governor to desist from actions that ridicule the state and cautioned Siminalayi Fubara to be transparent about his political intentions.
He said, “It is not enough to visit people and plead for peace. Those who genuinely want peace must work and act for it.
” These are the same people who claim to want peace, yet they sponsor individuals to insult everyone, including the president and his wife. How can you plead for peace while orchestrating actions that undermine it? “
Wike added that sincerity is essential for true reconciliation and warned that political gimmicks and public embarrassment would only escalate tensions.
” All those shenanigans won’t bring peace. I am sure they know that because they are not sincere with their up-and-down pleadings, “he said”. As for me and those who subscribe to my leadership, we condemn in totality that disgraceful conduct. We apologise to our First Lady for the embarrassment caused by a few individuals who do not represent the character or ideals of the Rivers people. “
The Renewed Hope Initiative initiative’s goal was to provide training and support for 500 women in Rivers State. The Office of the First Lady and the Office of the President’s Senior Special Assistant to the President collaborate on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
