World number one Judd Trump won six frames in a row despite joking that he was only playing at “10%” as he claimed a 6-2 victory over Zhao Xintong to reach the final of the Champion of Champions in Leciester.
China’s Zhao, the world champion, made breaks of 50 and 72 to take the opening two frames, with Trump initially appearing well out of sorts.
However, the Englishman responded with runs of 68, 73, 77 and 66 as he reeled off the next five frames before sealing his victory with a break of 63.
“From 2-0 I felt I controlled the game. I scored heavily and didn’t miss much. I am happy to be in the final because I am still not 100%, I’m probably at about 10%,” said Trump.
“I have changed my tip from brass to titanium this season and I am really struggling.
“I don’t feel comfortable or fluent, I really have to take care over every shot.
“When I play my best I know I will win nine times out of 10, but over the last few years I have learned how to win more often when I am not at my best.”
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime set up a semi-final with world number one Carlos Alcaraz by beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final group match of the ATP Finals.
Neither player was at their best in what was a must-win match, sharing 55 unforced errors, but two-time champion Zverev was left to rue failing to convert any of his four break points as Auger-Aliassime held his nerve to win 6-4 7-6 (7-4) and secure second place in the Bjorn Borg Group behind Jannik Sinner.
The Italian, the defending champion, had defeated already-eliminated Ben Shelton 6-3 7-6 (7-3) earlier on Friday to maintain his 100% record and extend his winning run to 13 matches.
“This is the grand finale and when you see the list of champions it’s pretty much just world number ones,” said Auger-Aliassime.
“You want to be in finals. I’m going to have to go through a great player but I’m going to take my chance if I have it.”
There was a sense of deja vu for an increasingly frustrated Zverev, who had wasted seven break points in his straight-set defeat by Sinner on Wednesday.
And after being almost impenetrable on serve, dropping just three points in his opening four games, a run of errors in the 10th game – including missing a routine volley at deuce – gifted Auger-Aliassime the first set.
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Sinner wary of De Minaur upset despite clinical form
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Italian Sinner has warned that Alex de Minaur “doesn’t have a lot to lose” in their semi-final.
Sinner advanced to the last four without dropping a set or a service game, showcasing his clinical touch against Shelton by converting two of his three break-point opportunities in the first set and sealing the win in the tie-break with his second match point.
Efficient on serve throughout the match, he shut down Shelton’s only break point – he has now saved all eight he has faced in Turin – and gave up just seven points in six second-set service games.
The 24-year-old, targeting a third consecutive appearance in the final at the end-of-season showpiece, boasts a 12-0 record against seventh seeded De Minaur but is unwilling to underestimate the Australian, who upset Taylor Fritz to clinch second place in the Jimmy Connors Group.
“I’m very happy for [De Minaur],” Sinner said. “Props to him for coming back with that performance [against Fritz]. It’s one of the best matches I’ve seen him play.
“I have to be very careful – he doesn’t have a lot to lose. It’s going to be very difficult.”
In the doubles, a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory for Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic means there will be five British players in the semi-finals – the most from a single nation since 1992.
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime set up a semi-final with world number one Carlos Alcaraz by beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final group match of the ATP Finals.
Neither player was at their best in what was a must-win match, sharing 55 unforced errors, but two-time champion Zverev was left to rue failing to convert any of his four break points as Auger-Aliassime held his nerve to win 6-4 7-6 (7-4) and secure second place in the Bjorn Borg Group behind Jannik Sinner.
The Italian, the defending champion, had defeated already-eliminated Ben Shelton 6-3 7-6 (7-3) earlier on Friday to maintain his 100% record and extend his winning run to 13 matches.
“This is the grand finale and when you see the list of champions it’s pretty much just world number ones,” said Auger-Aliassime.
“You want to be in finals. I’m going to have to go through a great player but I’m going to take my chance if I have it.”
There was a sense of deja vu for an increasingly frustrated Zverev, who had wasted seven break points in his straight-set defeat by Sinner on Wednesday.
And after being almost impenetrable on serve, dropping just three points in his opening four games, a run of errors in the 10th game – including missing a routine volley at deuce – gifted Auger-Aliassime the first set.
1 day ago
Sinner wary of De Minaur upset despite clinical form
Getty Images
Italian Sinner has warned that Alex de Minaur “doesn’t have a lot to lose” in their semi-final.
Sinner advanced to the last four without dropping a set or a service game, showcasing his clinical touch against Shelton by converting two of his three break-point opportunities in the first set and sealing the win in the tie-break with his second match point.
Efficient on serve throughout the match, he shut down Shelton’s only break point – he has now saved all eight he has faced in Turin – and gave up just seven points in six second-set service games.
The 24-year-old, targeting a third consecutive appearance in the final at the end-of-season showpiece, boasts a 12-0 record against seventh seeded De Minaur but is unwilling to underestimate the Australian, who upset Taylor Fritz to clinch second place in the Jimmy Connors Group.
“I’m very happy for [De Minaur],” Sinner said. “Props to him for coming back with that performance [against Fritz]. It’s one of the best matches I’ve seen him play.
“I have to be very careful – he doesn’t have a lot to lose. It’s going to be very difficult.”
In the doubles, a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory for Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic means there will be five British players in the semi-finals – the most from a single nation since 1992.
Westminster Council has reportedly banned any filming at an iconic Beatles landmark, meaning that a famous shot of the fab four will not be recreated for the films
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Director Sam Mendes had hoped to recreate this iconic shot(Image: Daily Record)
Westminster Council has reportedly banned any filming at an iconic Beatles landmark. The legendary rockband, which was made up of John Lennon, Ringo Starrr George Harrison and Paul McCartney, will be the focus of an upcoming biopic and Sam Mendes had hoped to recreate a famous shot in the film.
The cover of the band’s 1969 album, Abbey Road, sees the band strolling across in a line and it has become an integral image within the history of the Penny Lane hitmakers, but the council in that area of North West London are said to have rejected a request to shoot there.
An insider told The Sun: “It’s believed they turned down the request on the basis that they’d have to shut down the road for filming to take place safely. The trouble is that the huge number of tourists who visit the area often cause disruption by having their picture taken recreating the scene.
READ MORE: Paul McCartney gives new music update as he ‘finishes’ huge amount of new songsREAD MORE: Sex Education star confirmed for new Beatles film directed by Sam Mendes
“That would be magnified by having dozens of cast and crew present to do the same thing for the movie. Now the producers are facing the prospect of omitting the scene as they really don’t want to rely on CGI because that would not look authentic.
“The hope is that they kind a road that looks similar enough that they can still make it happen in some form.”
The Mirror has contacted Westminster Council for comment.
Paul Mescal will play Sir Paul McCartney while fellow Irish actor Barry Keoghan takes on the role of Sir Ringo Starr in the multi-part films, which will be released in 2028. Sony Pictures announced there will be four films, with an April 2028 release date, directed by British filmmaker Sir Sam Mendes.
Also revealed in the cast are Babygirl star and British actor Harris Dickinson, who will play John Lennon, while Mescal’s Gladiator II co-star Joseph Quinn portrays George Harrison. Speaking at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on Monday, which the cast also attended, Sir Sam called the films the “first binge-able theatrical experience”. “I’ve been trying to make a story about The Beatles for years,” he added. It was already announced that Sir Sam will produce the films under his Neal Street Productions banner alongside its co-founder Dame Pippa Harris, the former chairwoman of Bafta, and Julie Pastor.
The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles – Sir Paul, Sir Ringo, and the families of Lennon and Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film. Sir Ringo previously appeared to let slip that Saltburn star Keoghan had taken on the role. He told Entertainment Tonight: “I believe he’s somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many.” When Sir Ridley Scott was promoting his second Roman epic Gladiator II last year, he revealed Mescal was joining the Beatles project, telling an industry event that the actor was “actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next” so he may not be able to join him on his next film.
There have been previous films about the Beatles, including Nowhere Boy, about Lennon growing up in Liverpool, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson. BBC drama Lennon Naked starred Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston as Lennon, and Chapter 27 depicted the musician’s death in New York in 1980 with Dallas Buyers Club actor Jared Leto playing his killer, Mark David Chapman.
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Formed in 1960, The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world, having achieved 18 UK number one singles and 16 UK number one albums.
Normal People star Mescal and Keoghan are both Oscar nominees, having been nominated for drama Aftersun and black comedy The Banshees Of Inisherin, respectively. Dickinson has also acted in the comedy Triangle Of Sadness and thriller Where The Crawdads Sing, while Quinn rose to fame in Stranger Things before taking on roles including in A Quiet Place: Day One.
Luke Humphries saw off a spirited fightback from Michael Smith as he booked his place in the semi-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts with a 16-8 victory.
World number one Humphries raced into a 4-0 lead in the best of 31-leg match but Smith battled back to level the match at 7-7 all.
However, Humphries won nine of the next 10 legs as the 30-year-old ruthlessly closed out the contest against his fellow Englishman.
Humphries, the 2023 Grand Slam champion, averaged an impressive 104.98 with a checkout percentage of 44.4%
He will face Gerwyn Price in the last four after the Welshman chalked up a 16-9 win over England’s Ricky Evans.
The remaining two quarter-finals at the WV Active Aldersley centre in Wolverhampton take place on Saturday.
Displaced Palestinians are reeling after heavy rains flooded their tents in makeshift displacement camps in Gaza City, as the United Nations warns that Israeli restrictions on aid have left hundreds of thousands of families without adequate shelter.
Abdulrahman Asaliyah, a displaced Palestinian man, told Al Jazeera on Friday that residents’ mattresses, clothes and other belongings were soaked in the flooding.
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“We are calling for help, for new tents that can at least protect people from the winter cold,” he said, explaining that nearly two dozen people had been working for hours to get the water to drain from the area.
“This winter rain is a blessing from God, but there are families who no longer wish for it to fall, fearing for the lives of their children and their own survival,” Asaliyah said.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Friday’s flooding primarily affected Palestinians in the north of the Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people have returned following last month’s ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Flooding was also reported in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, said the rescue agency, which urged the international community to do more to “address the suffering” of Palestinians whose homes were destroyed in Israel’s two-year war on the enclave.
“We urge the swift delivery of homes, caravans, and tents to these displaced families to help alleviate their suffering, especially as we are at the beginning of winter,” it said in a statement.
While the October 10 ceasefire has allowed more aid to get into the Gaza Strip, the UN and other humanitarian groups say Palestinians still lack adequate food, medicine and other critical supplies, including shelter.
Aid groups working to provide shelter assistance in the occupied Palestinian territory said in early November that about 260,000 Palestinian families, totalling almost 1.5 million people, were vulnerable as the cold winter months approached.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said this week that it has enough shelter supplies to help as many as 1.3 million Palestinians.
But UNRWA said Israel continues to block its efforts to bring aid into Gaza despite the ceasefire deal, which stipulated that humanitarian assistance must be delivered to Palestinians in need.
“We have a very short chance to protect families from the winter rains and cold,” Angelita Caredda, Middle East and North Africa director at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said in a statement on November 5.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said Palestinians across Gaza have been voicing fears that this winter would be particularly difficult due to the lack of safe shelter.
“It only rained for a couple of minutes – 30 minutes or so … [and] they were completely flooded,” she said. “Their tents are very fragile and worn-out; they have been using them for the past two years.”
She added that most Palestinians do not have any other options but to remain in tent camps or overcrowded shelters, despite the difficulties.
“We’re already seeing Palestinian children walking barefoot. They do not have winter clothes. They do not have blankets. And at the same time, the aid that is coming in … is being restricted,” Khoudary said.
Back in Gaza City, another displaced Palestinian man affected by the heavy rains, Abu Ghassan, said he and his family “no longer have a normal life”.
