Emma Raducanu demonstrated her growing confidence on a clay court with a commanding Italian Open second-round win over Swiss lucky loser Jil Teichmann.
British number two Raducanu, who only knew she was facing Teichmann a few hours before the match, progressed with a clinical 6-2 6-2 win.
After earning her first win on outdoor clay in almost three years at the Madrid Open, she has now won back-to-back matches in Rome.
It is the first time Raducanu has reached the last 32 in the Italian capital – although tougher tests than 94th-ranked Teichmann await.
“I still don’t feel really comfortable [on clay],” the 22-year-old English player told Sky Sports.
“I guess in a way it helps I have to be super focused on every single point, get my feet right and try not to fall over.
“I think I’m slowly finding my feet.”
Raducanu was due to face 20th-ranked Ekaterina Alexandrova, but the Russian withdrew through injury on Friday morning.
Instead Raducanu found out in her warm-up she would be playing Teichmann, a left-hander who had lost in qualifying.
Teichmann, 27, has been as high as 21st in the world rankings and is adept on a surface which comes more naturally to her than Raducanu.
“She is a leftie and it’s a completely different challenge. I hadn’t played a leftie since February,” Raducanu said.
“I spent the first few games adjusting to the way the ball curls, but I’m so proud of how I fought through.”
The 2021 US Open champion has spoken about using the European clay court season, which culminates with the upcoming French Open, to finetune her game with the help of coach Mark Petchey.
Playing more aggressively on the slower surface – and taking greater control of points – has been the aim.
Clay is often about hanging tough in the longer, very physical rallies, but the pace and depth in Raducanu’s returning game ensured she was not dragged into a lengthy scrap by Teichmann.
Raducanu, now ranked back inside the top 50, showcased her ability to dominate from the baseline.
Regularly stepping into the court and hitting returns earlier allowed the world number 49 to beat Teichmann with powerful winners.
Raducanu’s service game, which she struggled with at the start of the season, was also commanding.
Having lengthened the takeback in a bid to find more fluidity with her opening shot, Raducanu did not lose serve and won 73% of her first-serve points.
That featured five aces – including the one which clinched victory on her fourth match point.
“After Miami I made some tweaks – it’s a completely different motion, more fluid, a bit longer and hopefully more robust under pressure,” she explained.
“It’s by no means the finished product but there is room to grow it.”
Raducanu is the only British player left in the women’s singles draw after Sonay Kartal lost 6-4 6-2 to Czech 30th seed Linda Noskova.
Chelsea have an “opportunity to be a part of history” if they finish the Women’s Super League season unbeaten, says manager Sonia Bompastor.
The champions are aiming to be the first WSL team to record an ‘Invincible’ season in a 22-game campaign.
They face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in their final league match on Saturday at 12:30 BST.
“Obviously we are champions and are really happy with that but we have the opportunity to make history by being invincible,” said Bompastor, whose side have also won the Women’s League Cup and face Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup final on Sunday, 18 May.
“We still have two games to go that are really important because we have two goals – to stay unbeaten and win the [domestic] treble.
“We know these teams will not let us get that easily so we need to stay focused and stay professional.”
Apart from defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals, it has been an impressive first season for Bompastor in charge of Chelsea since she joined from French giants Lyon in the summer.
Only Arsenal (2012), Manchester City (2016) and Chelsea (2017-18), have gone full seasons without defeat previously, but not in a 22-game WSL campaign.
“It would mean a lot [to go unbeaten in the WSL]. It would probably be the only time in my career to be in that situation,” added Bompastor.
“In the men’s game when the team has achieved that, they have stayed in history. I think about Arsenal’s men’s team when they went invincible, people always talk about it.
“When you have this opportunity, to be that close to making history, you have to do it because it will stay forever.
“Even for your kids later to have this history to tell to other people will be nice.”
Saturday’s opponents Liverpool will give Chelsea a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge, while Bompastor’s side will lift the WSL trophy after full-time.
“That’s really nice. I heard [Liverpool interim manager] Amber Whiteley saying that they would give that honour to us and I think that’s the right thing to do,” said Bompastor.
Canada’s unemployment jumped to its highest level since November as United States President Donald Trump’s imposed tariffs affect the export-dependent economy.
Statistics Canada showed a 0.2 percent increase for the month of April, bringing the country’s unemployment rate to 6.9 percent, according to its report released on Friday.
The 6.9 figure matched November unemployment, which was an eight-year high outside of the pandemic era.
The agency pointed to the effect tariffs imposed by the US had on the country’s manufacturing sector, which lost 31,000 jobs on a monthly basis. The wholesale, retail and trade sector saw 27,000 jobs cut.
Employment in the public sector increased by 23,000 or up 0.5 percent in April, following three months of little change, especially due to increased temporary hiring for the federal election that took place on April 28.
The average hourly wage growth of permanent employees, a metric closely watched by the Canadian central bank to gauge inflationary trends, was at 3.5 percent in April, unchanged since March.
Overall, the employment number was largely flat with minimal gains of net 7,400 jobs in April, it said – slightly higher than analyst expectations at 6.8 percent. This was in contrast to a loss of 32,600 jobs the prior month.
The employment rate, or the proportion of the working-age population that is employed, was at 60.8 percent in April, following a decline of 0.2 percentage points in March. This was a six-month low, the statistics agency said. The employment rate had been depressed for most of 2023 and 2024 as population growth outpaced employment gains. However, since February, population growth has not been very high but employment gains have slowed.
“People who were unemployed continued to face more difficulties finding work in April than a year earlier,” StatsCan said, adding that among those who were unemployed in March, 61 percent remained unemployed in April – almost four percentage points higher than the same period last year.
Major hit coming
Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium in March and automobiles in April, along with import duties on a broad range of products with various reductions and exemptions, have affected businesses and households.
The Bank of Canada has warned that growth would take a major hit in the coming months as exports fall, prices increase, hiring drops and layoffs accelerate. It has said it will act decisively if the economy needs urgent support.
“Overall, we are seeing a job market that was weak heading into the trade war, now looking like it could soon buckle. Today’s report supports the case for a Bank of Canada cut in June,” Ali Jaffery, senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets, told the Reuters news agency.
A British court has found two men guilty of cutting down the famous “Sycamore Gap” tree in what prosecutors called a “moronic mission”.
Newcastle Crown Court found former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, guilty of criminal damage on Friday for the 2023 felling of the tree at Sycamore Gap.
The historic tree, estimated to be almost 200 years old, stood at the centre of a dip in the landscape of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it a popular spot for photographers and even marriage proposals.
It was also featured in the 1991 film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
After about five hours of deliberation, the pair were convicted on two counts of criminal damage – to the sycamore and the wall, which was damaged when the tree fell on it.
“We often hear references made to mindless acts of vandalism, but that term has never been more relevant than today,” Northumbria Police’s Kevin Waring said after the conviction.
“At no point have the two men given an explanation for why they targeted the tree – and there never could be a justifiable one,” he added.
General view of the Sycamore Gap tree that was felled, in Northumberland, UK, September 28, 2023 [File: Lee Smith/Reuters]
On the night of September 27, 2023, the two men drove to the site and sliced through the trunk of the tree in “a matter of minutes”, prosecutor Richard Wright said.
“Having completed their moronic mission, the pair got back into the Range Rover and travelled back towards Carlisle” where they lived, he added.
Gale Gilchrist, from the Crown Prosecution Service North, said “in just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its [the tree’s] historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.
“We hope our community can take some measure of comfort in seeing those responsible convicted today,” she added.
The two men have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on July 15.
The National Trust conservation body said the felling of the tree had “shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage”.
The cast of Baywatch introduced fans to their first slow-motion run on the beach in 1989, but since the show wrapped decades ago, we’ve taken a look at where the hunks of the show are today
It’s been decades since the show first aired and the LA hotties hit our screens(Image: Baywatch Co/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
It’s been nearly 40 years since the iconic cast of Baywatch first dashed down the beach, and it’s safe to say a lot has happened since the days of the skimpy swimwear and buff bods. From tragic deaths, cancer battles, jail time and befriending criminals, it’s been a turbulent time for the hot hunks of Baywatch.
One sad loss came when Baywatch legend Paul Nichols, who saved the show from being axed, passed away earlier this year. The star died on March 14 at his home in Weatherford, Texas, but his family only went public with the news this week. His death came just 12 days after he lost his beloved wife of 31 years.
In 1991, Nichols, then working for The Lippen Group, played a crucial role in the revival of Baywatch by helping All American Television shift it into first-run syndication. This savvy move breathed new life into the series that NBC had dropped after its initial season.
Fans loved the iconic lifeguard drama, which went on to become one of the biggest and most memorable shows as Mitch, CJ and the gang patrolled the LA beaches. The show lasted 11 seasons after it aired in 1989. While it’s been a few decades since the show ended, we’ve taken a look at where the cast are now since hanging up their whistles…
READ MORE: Paul Nichols dead: Baywatch icon dies less than two weeks after wife’s death
Pamela Anderson, 57, (CJ Parker)
Pamela Anderson, 57, (CJ Parker)
Blonde bombshell CJ burst onto screens in the second season and retired her buoyancy aid in 1997, after five seasons. The actress, Playboy favourite Pamela, went on to make a series of movies, including Barb Wire and Scary Movie 3, but it was the honeymoon sex tape with rocker ex-husband Tommy Lee that turned out to be the film role of her career.
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Now an animal rights activist and strict vegan, Pamela launched her own skincare brand, Sonsie. In October 2024, she was named a “Woman of the Year” by Glamour magazine too. She also released four novels and three memoirs, including her 2023 memoir, Love, Pamela, with a Netflix documentary on her life, Pamela: A Love Story released in the same month.
In February, she got positive reviews when she was cast in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl, as she called her character “the role I have been waiting for my entire career.”
David Hasselhoff, 72, (Mitch Buchannon)
David Hasselhoff, 72, Mitch Buchannon)
The Hoff stayed until the penultimate series and before Baywatch was in Knight Rider. Career problems led to treatment for alcoholism in 2007 but career highs include being a judge on Britain’s Got Talent in 2011 and getting his own show, Hoff The Record. He can now be found shopping in Cardiff with his third wife, Welsh sales assistant Hayley Roberts, 45.
Hasselhoff is still acting and doesn’t take himself or his Baywatchrole too seriously, as he uses it periodically for parodies and commercials. He has also become a motivational singer, a popular musician in Germany and has a Malibu-themed clothing line.
But recent reports claim he’s now “living on borrowed time” according to a source close to the 72-year-old actor. The television icon was spotted in a wheelchair at Cancun airport in Mexico on Monday before limping through LAX in California.
Carmen Electra, 53, (Lani McKenzie)
Carmen Electra, 53, (Lani McKenzie)
The model only appeared for one season, in 1997, but her acting left a lasting impression. Former Playmate Carmen swapped slo-mo beach running for horror comedies including Scary Movie but her notable role by far was dating X Factor chief Simon Cowell in 2013.
Famed for previous relationships including a four-year marriage to Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, she was also briefly hitched to basketball rebel Dennis Rodman. However, last year the star sparked concerns from fans following a bizarre podcast interview.
The actress appeared on Dear Media’s The Skinny Confidential with Lauryn Bosstick to coincide with Baywatch’s 35th anniversary, where she appeared less polished than usual. Some fans called it ‘hard to watch’ and speculated about Carmen’s condition, although a source said that her sluggish behavior was caused by a bout of Covid.
David Charvet, 52, (Matt Brodie)
David Charvet, 52, (Matt Brodie)
French-born David played beach hottie Matt for three seasons until 1995, when he left and started playing a resident hottie in US soap Melrose Place. Not content with just being gorgeous, he quit acting to concentrate on his music career, got a five-album deal and recorded duets with Bryan Adams and Seal.
In 2018 he split up with his Dancing with the Stars wife Brooke Burke. He is thought to still live in Malibu and so far has only produced three of the expected five albums, which gives us all something to look forward to…
Yasmine Bleeth, 56, (Caroline Holden)
Yasmine Bleeth 56, Caroline Holden
Troubled Yasmine was one of TV’s most famous faces and even launched her own line of swimwear, Yaz Wear. But after leaving the show she battled cocaine addiction and her career bombed. She met her hubby club owner Paul Cerrito in rehab in 2000 and, now the couple split their time between Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Michael Newman, 68, (Newmie)
Michael Newman, 68, (Newmie)
Real-life lifeguard, muscular Michael was initially hired as a consultant to add authenticity. He based many of the rescues on real situations he’d faced and even had his own fan club.
Newmie quit acting after Baywatch and went on to sell houses in the wealthy suburbs of LA and was also passionate about continuing to raise awareness about the heroism of lifeguards and firefighters.
He was one of several Baywatch cast members featured in the 2024 Hulu docuseries After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, but sadly passed away in 2024 aged 64 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease after an 18-year battle.
Kelly Packard, 50, (April Giminski)
Kelly Packard, 50 (April Giminski)
Kelly insists she is “very proud” to have appeared for two seasons. After leaving in 1999, she went on to star in teen sitcom California Dreams before hosting Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Kelly, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since her teens, was married to Dr Darrin Privett when she joined Baywatch and they had four kids. In 2014 the family appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, but Kelly has been pretty quiet ever since.
Erika Eleniak, 55, (Shauni McClain)
Erika Eleniak, 55, (Shauni McClain)
The ex-Playboy playmate was in the show until season three. After quitting she had roles in films including a remake of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Erika, who had an eating disorder earlier in her career, went on Celebrity Fit Club in 2006 after putting on weight. She is now said to live in Calgary, Canada, with her husband, Roch Daigle and their daughter.
In 2023, she shared she was struggling with aging. “[I’m] going through a lot of healing right now and the one thing that we know about life that is constant is that nothing is constant,’ she said in an Instagram video at the time.
“So I’ve been doing some deep digging, right, about aging all of this,” she said as she pointed at her face. “Struggling to hold onto my youth, to let it go, where to be in that.”
In 2024, the actress made a rare apperance at the After Baywatch: Moment In The Sun premiere held at The Bungalow in Santa Monica, California as she showed off fully tattooed arms when she wore a short-sleeved black top with long slacks.
Traci Bingham, 57, (Jordan Tate)
Traci Bingham, 57, (Jordan Tate)
After playing her busty character for two seasons, the lingerie model-turned actress left in 1998 and has since carved out a lucrative career in reality TV. She won £80,000 on The Surreal Life and competed in Gimme My Reality Show, Fear Factor and Celebrity Big Brother.
Like Pamela, she’s an animal rights activist. She appeared on the red carpet in 2024 looking almost unrecognisable as she headed to a reunion with former co-star Jeremy Jackson at the After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun.
Kelly Slater, 53, (Jimmy Slade)
Kelly Slater, 53, (Jimmy Slade)
The reluctant star has told how he was forced into doing the show by his mother… when all he wanted to do was surf. Kelly, who says it “wasn’t a fun time”, quit after 27 episodes and took to the water.
Today, the father-of-one is regarded as the greatest pro surfer of all-time, having won 11 world championships. He was pressured into doing Baywatch by his mother, saying: “I was embarrassed to do the show and really didn’t want to be an actor.”
He was given the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in Madrid Monday at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards. It’s Slater’s fifth award from the prestigious event, which began in 2000 to honor individuals around the world who make a significant impact in sports.
Alexandra Paul, 61, (Stephanie Holden)
Alexandra Paul, 61, (Stephanie Holden)
Alexandra starred in five seasons and, for some of that time, her character dated Mitch. Stephanie was eventually killed off in 1997 after being struck by lightning.
Since leaving the show, Alexandra has gone on to have numerous bit-parts in movies and TV shows, including Mad Men. Married to a vegan triathlon coach, she is now an endurance athlete “practicing owning Iess stuff”, as well as a political activist. She has been arrested numerous times for protesting.
She is passionate about tackling global over-population and chose not to have children herself. However earlier this year the actress revealed that she was stalked for 13 years, and it cost her $60,000 in legal fees.
Alexandra said it all started in December 2011 when she claimed a woman knocked on her door with her little brother asking to use the restroom. She said she let them in her home to use the restroom, and for the next couple of days, the woman reportedly kept leaving notes for her – which led to Alexandra’s husband to call the number she had left to tell her to ‘leave us alone.’
Gena Lee Nolin, 53, (Neely Capshaw)
Gena Lee Nolin, 53, (Neely Capshaw)
Like REM drummer Mike Berry, Gena hails from Duluth, Minnesota. She joined Baywatch in 1995, quitting in 1998 to star in her own TV show, Sheena.
Another Playboy pin-up, Gena played herself in the 2017 comedy-action turkey Killing Hasselhoff. After having her third child in 2008, Gena was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that hits the thyroid gland. She is married to former NHL hockey star Cale Hulse.
Jeremy Jackson, 44, (Hobie Buchannon)
Jeremy Jackson, 44, (Hobie Buchannon)
Having almost lost the role of Hobie to Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy played Mitch’s son from age 10. He left years later after battling steroid addiction.
After a sex tape scandal with porn star Sky Lopez, he tried a TV comeback but was axed from Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 when he opened glamour model Chloe Goodman’s dressing gown. Things got worse and, in 2017, he was jailed for nine months after stabbing a woman while trying to steal a car.
While Jeremy is now clean and working as a fitness coach and sober mentor for other recovering addicts, he has previously spoken openly about his struggles, which also included a turbulent end to his marriage to Loni Willison.
AJ Langer, 50, (Caroline Larkin)
AJ Langer, 50, (Caroline Larkin)
Millions knew her as sexy Caroline but AJ is now known as the Duchess of Devon. Born in Ohio, AJ was also in Beverly Hills 90210 and The Wonder Years. In 2004, she wed Charles Courtenay, son of the 18th Earl of Devon. The couple moved to the family seat at Powderham Castle in May 2015 and have two children, but then divorced in 2023 as she “underestimated” life as an aristocrat.
Nicole Eggert, 53, (Summer Quinn)
Nicole Eggert, 53, (Summer Quinn)
Actress Nicole won an army of male fans during the first few seasons. Revealing she had a boob job after meeting co-star Pamela Anderson, Nicole’s career flopped when she left the show.
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She went on Celebrity Fit Club to shed weight, had a boob reduction on TV’s Botched and joined celebrity diving series Splash. The mum-of-two filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and she now reportedly sells ice creams from her van.
Nicole has two daughters – Dilyn, 27, with ex-boyfriend Justin Herwick, and 14-year-old Keegan, whose father she has never publicly revealed. She has sadly been battling breast cancer, and during an appearance on the Amy & T.J. podcast last year, Eggert revealed she had recently undergone a single mastectomy.
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Everton manager David Moyes has dismissed suggestions he wants to bring striker Richarlison back to the club this summer.
The Brazilian left Everton for Tottenham three years ago in a £60m deal but has struggled for form and fitness at Spurs.
Reports claimed Moyes was interested in the 27-year-old, who has two years left on his contract.
However, the Scot distanced himself from a move for Richarlison, who scored 53 goals in 152 games all competitions for the Toffees between 2018 and 2022 after joining from Watford.
“Richarlison is a really good player and someone I’ve liked,” Moyes told a news conference on Friday.
Moyes also responded to recent comments by Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is one of 13 players out of contract at the club this summer.
Midfielder Doucoure, who has two caps for Mali, spoke on former goalkeeper Ben Foster’s podcast this week and said there had been “no talks” over a new deal.
The 32-year-old went on to say he would not accept a pay cut and felt he deserved an improved offer from Everton.
But Moyes added: “Some of the games he’s played very well but he is obviously no spring chicken, so we have to make sure we have other replacements when required.
“We are making lots of decisions behind the scenes. It is good to have so many [players] that want to stay.”
