Archive March 12, 2025

Defending champion Iga Swiatek clinched her place in the Indian Wells quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing of Karolina Muchova.

Poland’s Swiatek is bidding to become the first woman to win the California tournament three times, having also sealed the title in 2022.

Swiatek’s match against Muchova was delayed by almost an hour because of rain, but it then took her just 57 minutes to secure a dominant victory in which she did not face a single break point.

“Sometimes matches can be pretty weird”, Swiatek said. “It’s enough for one player to not feel perfect and the other feel great. Then suddenly the difference is much bigger than it usually is.

” It’s tennis. Things like that can happen. For sure I used my opportunities and I used my chances. It’s not easy, but, I can imagine that it looks like it. “

The 23-year-old five-time Grand Slam champion is the first woman to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals for four consecutive years since Karolina Pliskova, who achieved the feat between 2016 and 2019.

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russian Mirra Andreeva won to set up a quarter-final meeting.

Svitolina needed five hours, including a near three-hour rain delay, to beat American fourth seed Jessica Pegula 5-7 6-1 6-2, while ninth seed Andreeva saw off Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 6-1 6-2.

Denmark’s Holger Rune ended Stefanos Tsitsipas ‘ winning run to reach the quarter-finals.

Tsitsipas, seeded eighth, had won his past seven matches taking in a maiden Dubai Tennis Championships title, but was beaten 6-4 6-4 in one hour 33 minutes.

The highlight of the match was a remarkable through-the-legs lob from the baseline by Rune to save break point in the second set.

Having reached the same stage in Indian Wells last year, the 21-year-old is the first Scandinavian since Stefan Edberg in 1994-95 to reach back-to-back quarter-finals.

” It was an extremely good match from my side from start to finish, “said 12th seed Rune.

” I stayed very committed on my game plan and mentally I was very good. That made the difference, how composed I could start. It was a cool battle. “

Rune will play Tallon Griekspoor in the last eight after the Dutchman beat Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in a rain-affected match 7-6 6-1.

Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev set up a quarter-final meeting with France’s Arthur Fils by beating American Tommy Paul 6-4 6-0.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek clinched her place in the Indian Wells quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing of Karolina Muchova.

Poland’s Swiatek is bidding to become the first woman to win the California tournament three times, having also sealed the title in 2022.

Swiatek’s match against Muchova was delayed by almost an hour because of rain, but it then took her just 57 minutes to secure a dominant victory in which she did not face a single break point.

“Sometimes matches can be pretty weird”, Swiatek said. “It’s enough for one player to not feel perfect and the other feel great. Then suddenly the difference is much bigger than it usually is.

” It’s tennis. Things like that can happen. For sure I used my opportunities and I used my chances. It’s not easy, but, I can imagine that it looks like it. “

The 23-year-old five-time Grand Slam champion is the first woman to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals for four consecutive years since Karolina Pliskova, who achieved the feat between 2016 and 2019.

Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russian Mirra Andreeva won to set up a quarter-final meeting.

Svitolina needed five hours, including a near three-hour rain delay, to beat American fourth seed Jessica Pegula 5-7 6-1 6-2, while ninth seed Andreeva saw off Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 6-1 6-2.

Denmark’s Holger Rune ended Stefanos Tsitsipas ‘ winning run to reach the quarter-finals.

Tsitsipas, seeded eighth, had won his past seven matches taking in a maiden Dubai Tennis Championships title, but was beaten 6-4 6-4 in one hour 33 minutes.

The highlight of the match was a remarkable through-the-legs lob from the baseline by Rune to save break point in the second set.

Having reached the same stage in Indian Wells last year, the 21-year-old is the first Scandinavian since Stefan Edberg in 1994-95 to reach back-to-back quarter-finals.

” It was an extremely good match from my side from start to finish, “said 12th seed Rune.

” I stayed very committed on my game plan and mentally I was very good. That made the difference, how composed I could start. It was a cool battle. “

Rune will play Tallon Griekspoor in the last eight after the Dutchman beat Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki in a rain-affected match 7-6 6-1.

Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev set up a quarter-final meeting with France’s Arthur Fils by beating American Tommy Paul 6-4 6-0.

Men’s Six Nations: Wales v England

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 15 March Kick-off: 16: 45 GMT

Wing Tommy Freeman says he is already studying how to play centre with a move into midfield “definitely on the cards” for England.

All 19 of Freeman’s Test appearance have come on the wing, but the 24-year-old regularly switched to outside centre for Northampton last season, starting there in Saints ‘ Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Leinster.

Ollie Lawrence, England’s first-choice 13, suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in Sunday’s win over Italy, while the team have lacked a heavy-duty gainline-breaking midfield runner since Manu Tuilagi moved to French side Bayonne in 2024.

“I have trained there and, in the week, I make sure I know I know all the roles there”, Freeman told Rugby Union Weekly.

“It is definitely on the cards. That option is there”.

Asked if he saw centre as a long-term positional switch, Freeman said “not right now” while revealing there were aspects of playing centre that were more enjoyable than being on the wing.

Freeman is in a rich vein of try-scoring form, having crossed in each of England’s games in the Six Nations this year. If he does so again against Wales on Saturday, he will become the first English player to score tries in every round of the Six Nations.

France wing Philippe Bernat-Salles is the only player to have achieved the feat since Italy’s inclusion in the competition in 2000, although his compatriot Louis Bielle-Biarrey would also achieve the feat with a try when France play Scotland.

Saturday’s game will be Freeman’s first experience of playing away at the Principality Stadium for England.

“Having spoken to the lads about it, I know it is an awesome place to go, the crowd is electric with the roof on”, he said “I am really buzzing for it”.

As well as coming out on top in the usual fierce rivalry between the two nations, England hope they can end the day at the summit of the Six Nations table.

Leaders France are a point ahead of England and have a vastly superior points difference than any other team. Ireland, in third, are a point behind England before taking on Italy in their final match.

However Freeman insisted that chasing a four-try bonus point would not change how England approach the game.

“I don’t think it influences us as players, we know what we can control”, he added. “We are aggressive with the ball and run with intent, that is all we can do, what happens happens.

” If we get our game on, hopefully the tries come off the back of it. If that puts some sort of pressure on the other teams then that is a win. “

Freeman also revealed one thing has been unique in England’s preparation however, with his rapping skills being called upon by head coach Steve Borthwick.

” In the meeting yesterday Steve was talking about these buzzwords and they kind of rhymed a little bit, he noticed and asked us ‘ if there was to be a rap, who would you choose to rap? ‘

“At Saints I did a rap once so one of the lads mentioned my name. So that was last night, stressing, sorting this rap out.

Men’s Six Nations: Wales v England

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 15 March Kick-off: 16: 45 GMT

Wing Tommy Freeman says he is already studying how to play centre with a move into midfield “definitely on the cards” for England.

All 19 of Freeman’s Test appearance have come on the wing, but the 24-year-old regularly switched to outside centre for Northampton last season, starting there in Saints ‘ Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Leinster.

Ollie Lawrence, England’s first-choice 13, suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in Sunday’s win over Italy, while the team have lacked a heavy-duty gainline-breaking midfield runner since Manu Tuilagi moved to French side Bayonne in 2024.

“I have trained there and, in the week, I make sure I know I know all the roles there”, Freeman told Rugby Union Weekly.

“It is definitely on the cards. That option is there”.

Asked if he saw centre as a long-term positional switch, Freeman said “not right now” while revealing there were aspects of playing centre that were more enjoyable than being on the wing.

Freeman is in a rich vein of try-scoring form, having crossed in each of England’s games in the Six Nations this year. If he does so again against Wales on Saturday, he will become the first English player to score tries in every round of the Six Nations.

France wing Philippe Bernat-Salles is the only player to have achieved the feat since Italy’s inclusion in the competition in 2000, although his compatriot Louis Bielle-Biarrey would also achieve the feat with a try when France play Scotland.

Saturday’s game will be Freeman’s first experience of playing away at the Principality Stadium for England.

“Having spoken to the lads about it, I know it is an awesome place to go, the crowd is electric with the roof on”, he said “I am really buzzing for it”.

As well as coming out on top in the usual fierce rivalry between the two nations, England hope they can end the day at the summit of the Six Nations table.

Leaders France are a point ahead of England and have a vastly superior points difference than any other team. Ireland, in third, are a point behind England before taking on Italy in their final match.

However Freeman insisted that chasing a four-try bonus point would not change how England approach the game.

“I don’t think it influences us as players, we know what we can control”, he added. “We are aggressive with the ball and run with intent, that is all we can do, what happens happens.

” If we get our game on, hopefully the tries come off the back of it. If that puts some sort of pressure on the other teams then that is a win. “

Freeman also revealed one thing has been unique in England’s preparation however, with his rapping skills being called upon by head coach Steve Borthwick.

” In the meeting yesterday Steve was talking about these buzzwords and they kind of rhymed a little bit, he noticed and asked us ‘ if there was to be a rap, who would you choose to rap? ‘

“At Saints I did a rap once so one of the lads mentioned my name. So that was last night, stressing, sorting this rap out.

Australian Grand Prix

Venue: Albert Park, Melbourne Dates: 14 March-16 March Race start: 04: 00 GMT on Sunday, 16 March

McLaren Formula 1 boss Zak Brown has guided Lando Norris ‘ career since 2015, and believed he was a future world champion “pretty much right away”.

This could be the year Norris proves him right.

McLaren ended last season as constructors ‘ champions and, barring unexpected surprises, Norris has the chance to build his flirtation with a title challenge against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen last year into a full-on onslaught in 2025.

Brown is far from the only one who has long felt Norris was destined for the very top.

Stephanie Carlin, who worked with Norris throughout the junior categories and is now McLaren’s F1 business operations director, also always believed he would make it.

Brown has been backing Norris, 25, since long before either were at McLaren.

Until Norris reached F1, the money to fund his career came from his father Adam, who became a multi-millionaire through success as a pensions trader.

Norris, who has dual Belgian nationality through his mother Cisca, was educated at Millfield in Somerset, but as his career blossomed it became increasingly hard to find time to attend school, and there was a fair bit of home tutoring involved.

Every step Norris took on track, he was a winner, but when it came time to move up to motor racing for 2014 after winning European and world karting titles, Adam Norris and manager Mark Berryman did not have the necessary contacts.

They turned to Brown – then the boss of a sports marketing agency called JMI, and well known in F1 as a deal maker and sponsor finder.

Initially, Brown felt “this is not what I do”. But Norris ‘ team were persistent. Brown says: “I thought: ‘ All right, everyone tells me he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, maybe I can help. ‘”

By 2017, Brown was in charge of McLaren Racing, after Dennis was ousted by the other owners, and he began to lay out the steps for Norris to graduate to F1.

In January 2018, Brown paired 18-year-old Norris with then McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 world champion, in the Daytona 24 Hours sportscar race in his United Autosports team.

Norris gave himself the target of setting a faster lap than Alonso – and achieved it. And stunned people with his pace in the wet at night before the car eventually retired.

“Fernando Alonso, one of the best racing drivers in the world, Lando was his match”, Brown says. “Cold tyres, middle of the night Daytona, if you asked Richard Dean, who ran them, who was better, he wouldn’t know”.

When Alonso announced he was quitting F1 at the end of 2018, Norris was the obvious replacement, and McLaren started giving him experience in practice sessions.

Having proved faster than one McLaren race driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, in his first outing, his next was at Monza, with Alonso in the other car.

Brown recalls: “They’re swapping times. Fernando has just set his time, so he’s done, and obviously paying attention to what times Lando is doing.

” We come on the radio to Fernando and we go: ‘ Fernando, Lando’s on a lap, get out of his way. ‘

“First sector, same 10th. Second sector, Lando is half a 10th up. Third sector, on the radio, Fernando: ‘ Sorry, I didn’t see him. ‘ Lando: ‘ Fernando just blocked me! ‘ And we all just giggled on the pit wall, like, ‘ Welcome to Formula 1. ‘

A few races later, Norris jokingly served Alonso a cup of tea during a wet practice session at the US Grand Prix in Austin. But soon he was the apprentice no longer.

In his debut season in 2019, Norris was immediately a match for his team-mate Carlos Sainz, who had four years ‘ experience, and he destroyed then seven-time race-winner Daniel Ricciardo when the Australian joined the team in 2021.

By then, Alonso had returned to F1 after two years in other categories. He and Norris swapped helmets. The Spaniard wrote on the one he gave to Norris:” You are a star – a rock star. “

Norris quickly became a fan favourite, with his diffident-but-jokey personality, and willingness to show his true self on social media. His public profile built through the Covid-19 pandemic as he live-streamed himself playing video games, and he used that to build his gaming and lifestyle brand Quadrant.

Brown says:” He used to be very shy and he still kind of is a quiet, shy guy in his own way. Even though he kind of comes off as extroverted, he’s actually not. But as he’s become more mature, I have seen him become more comfortable in his skin.

“He has never lacked confidence. He was a young kid when I first met him, he was 14. So what I’ve seen outside of becoming a better racing driver, (is) a better team leader, more prescriptive in what he wants. And his on-track performance has grown with it”.

It has taken time for Norris to establish himself as a front-runner in F1.

In their first few years together, the McLaren car was not fully competitive, although Norris came close to a win with a superb performance in Russia in 2021, only to misjudge the incoming weather and not pit for wet tyres in a late downpour.

Norris kept the faith, signing two contract extensions, despite interest from Red Bull. That, Brown says, was down to “relationships, transparency, visibility to what we were doing. He’s comfortable here. This has been his family since day one”.

Norris ‘ career trajectory turned midway through 2023, a year that started with a restructuring of McLaren’s engineering group by Andrea Stella, who had been made team principal the previous December.

Carlin joined McLaren at the beginning of 2024. It had been more than five years since she had worked with Norris in F2.

“I sat in engineering and heard him giving feedback”, she says, “and I was blown away. I just could not believe the development of this teenager I’d known, a very successful F2 driver and champion in F3 and F4. It was incredible”.

Those first five years in F1 had turned a boy into a man, and a promising driver full of potential into one of the best in the world. But there was still learning to be done.

After a slow start to 2024, another upgrade for the Miami Grand Prix in May made McLaren absolutely competitive. Norris took his maiden win that weekend. He secured three further victories as it began to look as if he could challenge for the title.

In the end, the head start Verstappen established in the first five races of the year was too much. A few small Norris errors along the way did not help.

“I made my mistakes, and I learned a lot”, Norris says. “The one thing I’ve learned is probably to believe in myself a bit more”.

Norris is not one to shy away from his difficulties in public.

Berryman says: “I know he berates himself a little bit but he’s always done that. We’re trying to stop him doing it as much but he probably won’t. He’s a bit like Charles (Leclerc of Ferrari). They just say it how it is.

” The main thing from a Lando perspective is that I don’t think there has been anything that he’s not got considerably better at after review. On a development curve of Lando, we are not plateauing yet. We are still at a pretty high level of (growth) in terms of where he is hungry in looking at himself and helping himself. “

Carlin adds:” Learning to be an F1 driver and learning to be a championship-contending F1 driver are two different things. And that’s what we’ve talked about, in terms of learning how to win a race first of all, and learning how to win a world championship are two completely different campaigns. “

Australian Grand Prix

Venue: Albert Park, Melbourne Dates: 14 March-16 March Race start: 04: 00 GMT on Sunday, 16 March

McLaren Formula 1 boss Zak Brown has guided Lando Norris ‘ career since 2015, and believed he was a future world champion “pretty much right away”.

This could be the year Norris proves him right.

McLaren ended last season as constructors ‘ champions and, barring unexpected surprises, Norris has the chance to build his flirtation with a title challenge against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen last year into a full-on onslaught in 2025.

Brown is far from the only one who has long felt Norris was destined for the very top.

Stephanie Carlin, who worked with Norris throughout the junior categories and is now McLaren’s F1 business operations director, also always believed he would make it.

Brown has been backing Norris, 25, since long before either were at McLaren.

Until Norris reached F1, the money to fund his career came from his father Adam, who became a multi-millionaire through success as a pensions trader.

Norris, who has dual Belgian nationality through his mother Cisca, was educated at Millfield in Somerset, but as his career blossomed it became increasingly hard to find time to attend school, and there was a fair bit of home tutoring involved.

Every step Norris took on track, he was a winner, but when it came time to move up to motor racing for 2014 after winning European and world karting titles, Adam Norris and manager Mark Berryman did not have the necessary contacts.

They turned to Brown – then the boss of a sports marketing agency called JMI, and well known in F1 as a deal maker and sponsor finder.

Initially, Brown felt “this is not what I do”. But Norris ‘ team were persistent. Brown says: “I thought: ‘ All right, everyone tells me he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, maybe I can help. ‘”

By 2017, Brown was in charge of McLaren Racing, after Dennis was ousted by the other owners, and he began to lay out the steps for Norris to graduate to F1.

In January 2018, Brown paired 18-year-old Norris with then McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 world champion, in the Daytona 24 Hours sportscar race in his United Autosports team.

Norris gave himself the target of setting a faster lap than Alonso – and achieved it. And stunned people with his pace in the wet at night before the car eventually retired.

“Fernando Alonso, one of the best racing drivers in the world, Lando was his match”, Brown says. “Cold tyres, middle of the night Daytona, if you asked Richard Dean, who ran them, who was better, he wouldn’t know”.

When Alonso announced he was quitting F1 at the end of 2018, Norris was the obvious replacement, and McLaren started giving him experience in practice sessions.

Having proved faster than one McLaren race driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, in his first outing, his next was at Monza, with Alonso in the other car.

Brown recalls: “They’re swapping times. Fernando has just set his time, so he’s done, and obviously paying attention to what times Lando is doing.

” We come on the radio to Fernando and we go: ‘ Fernando, Lando’s on a lap, get out of his way. ‘

“First sector, same 10th. Second sector, Lando is half a 10th up. Third sector, on the radio, Fernando: ‘ Sorry, I didn’t see him. ‘ Lando: ‘ Fernando just blocked me! ‘ And we all just giggled on the pit wall, like, ‘ Welcome to Formula 1. ‘

A few races later, Norris jokingly served Alonso a cup of tea during a wet practice session at the US Grand Prix in Austin. But soon he was the apprentice no longer.

In his debut season in 2019, Norris was immediately a match for his team-mate Carlos Sainz, who had four years ‘ experience, and he destroyed then seven-time race-winner Daniel Ricciardo when the Australian joined the team in 2021.

By then, Alonso had returned to F1 after two years in other categories. He and Norris swapped helmets. The Spaniard wrote on the one he gave to Norris:” You are a star – a rock star. “

Norris quickly became a fan favourite, with his diffident-but-jokey personality, and willingness to show his true self on social media. His public profile built through the Covid-19 pandemic as he live-streamed himself playing video games, and he used that to build his gaming and lifestyle brand Quadrant.

Brown says:” He used to be very shy and he still kind of is a quiet, shy guy in his own way. Even though he kind of comes off as extroverted, he’s actually not. But as he’s become more mature, I have seen him become more comfortable in his skin.

“He has never lacked confidence. He was a young kid when I first met him, he was 14. So what I’ve seen outside of becoming a better racing driver, (is) a better team leader, more prescriptive in what he wants. And his on-track performance has grown with it”.

It has taken time for Norris to establish himself as a front-runner in F1.

In their first few years together, the McLaren car was not fully competitive, although Norris came close to a win with a superb performance in Russia in 2021, only to misjudge the incoming weather and not pit for wet tyres in a late downpour.

Norris kept the faith, signing two contract extensions, despite interest from Red Bull. That, Brown says, was down to “relationships, transparency, visibility to what we were doing. He’s comfortable here. This has been his family since day one”.

Norris ‘ career trajectory turned midway through 2023, a year that started with a restructuring of McLaren’s engineering group by Andrea Stella, who had been made team principal the previous December.

Carlin joined McLaren at the beginning of 2024. It had been more than five years since she had worked with Norris in F2.

“I sat in engineering and heard him giving feedback”, she says, “and I was blown away. I just could not believe the development of this teenager I’d known, a very successful F2 driver and champion in F3 and F4. It was incredible”.

Those first five years in F1 had turned a boy into a man, and a promising driver full of potential into one of the best in the world. But there was still learning to be done.

After a slow start to 2024, another upgrade for the Miami Grand Prix in May made McLaren absolutely competitive. Norris took his maiden win that weekend. He secured three further victories as it began to look as if he could challenge for the title.

In the end, the head start Verstappen established in the first five races of the year was too much. A few small Norris errors along the way did not help.

“I made my mistakes, and I learned a lot”, Norris says. “The one thing I’ve learned is probably to believe in myself a bit more”.

Norris is not one to shy away from his difficulties in public.

Berryman says: “I know he berates himself a little bit but he’s always done that. We’re trying to stop him doing it as much but he probably won’t. He’s a bit like Charles (Leclerc of Ferrari). They just say it how it is.

” The main thing from a Lando perspective is that I don’t think there has been anything that he’s not got considerably better at after review. On a development curve of Lando, we are not plateauing yet. We are still at a pretty high level of (growth) in terms of where he is hungry in looking at himself and helping himself. “

Carlin adds:” Learning to be an F1 driver and learning to be a championship-contending F1 driver are two different things. And that’s what we’ve talked about, in terms of learning how to win a race first of all, and learning how to win a world championship are two completely different campaigns. “