‘It means the world’ – Alcaraz secures year-end number one ranking

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Carlos Alcaraz said securing the year-end world number one ranking “means everything” after he reached the knockout stages of the ATP Finals with three straight wins.

Alcaraz was already assured of a semi-final place, after Alex de Minaur beat Taylor Fritz earlier on Thursday – but he would not be denied in his bid to edge rival Jannik Sinner in the race to be crowned the top-ranked men’s player of 2025.

The 22-year-old Spaniard let out a huge roar as he achieved the feat by beating Italian ninth seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-1 – also ensuring he recorded 70 wins in a season for the first time in his career.

Sinner will play De Minaur in the last four, while Alcaraz awaits the winner of German Alexander Zverev and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, as the world’s top two aim to set up a tantalising final blockbuster showdown to conclude a year in which they have once again dominated the tour.

“It means the world to me, to be honest. The year-end number one is always a goal,” said Alcaraz said.

“At the beginning of the year I saw number one really far away, with Jannik winning almost every tournament he plays.

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Alcaraz will end the year top of the rankings for the second time, having become the first teenager to achieve that feat in 2022.

In addition to his tour-leading 70 wins, Alcaraz has also achieved an unmatched eight titles in 2025 – including two Grand Slams – equal to his total number of losses.

Now he will seek to complete another stunning season by winning the ATP Finals for the first time.

Musetti was backed by a passionate home support inside a packed 12,000-capacity Inalpi Arena, as he sought to build on the momentum of his dramatic victory over De Minaur on Tuesday.

The Italian, battling fatigue in his seventh match in nine days following his run to the Athens Open final, matched Alcaraz deep into the opening set – but his admirable resistance was eventually ended in an absorbing 11-minute 10th game.

Although Musetti continued to dig in, withstanding a break point in his opening service game of set two, his relentless opponent continued to apply pressure and broke to love for a 3-1 lead.

That sparked Alcaraz’s dash to the finish line, but only after a free-hitting Musetti created his first two break points to re-energise the crowd.

De Minaur recovers from ‘dark place’ to progress

De Minaur was among those willing Alcaraz to victory after maintaining his interest in the season-ending competition, despite opening with back-to-back defeats.

The Australian said he had recovered from “a dark place” following his painful loss to Musetti, in which he held a 5-3 lead in the deciding set before losing four consecutive games to concede the match.

Requiring a straight-set victory to remain in contention two days later, De Minaur ended American sixth seed Fritz’s tournament with an impressive 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win.

“It means a lot. A couple of days ago I was in a pretty dark place,” De Minaur told Sky Sports.

Alex de Minaur celebrates his victory against Taylor Fritz at the ATP FinalsGetty Images

De Minaur was reluctant to trust the news that he would qualify with an Alcaraz win when he was initially informed in his post-match interview.

The 26-year-old had lost his past 16 matches against top 10 players, and each of the five matches he had previously played at the ATP Finals. The latest loss to Musetti had rocked his confidence.

But, against an opponent whom he had lost the two previous meetings, De Minaur reset mentally to produce an inspired display against Fritz.

Before leaving the court, he wrote ‘finally’ on the TV camera lense.

“I’ve dealt with a fair bit of heartbreak recently,” De Minaur said in his post-match interview.

In the men’s doubles, world number one pairing Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool set up an all-British semi-final against Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski by beating Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3 7-5 to finish second in the Peter Fleming group.

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BBC apologises to Trump over documentary, rejects defamation claim

Britain’s public broadcaster, the BBC, has apologised to Donald Trump for editing a speech to make it look like he had advocated violence, seeking to ward off the United States president’s threat of legal action.

But in a statement on Thursday, the broadcaster rejected the basis for a defamation claim.

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The BBC said its chair, Samir Shah, sent a personal letter to the White House, making clear to Trump that he and the corporation were “sorry” for how his speech was edited in a documentary for Panorama, a current affairs show.

It added that the broadcaster has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary on any of its platforms.

“While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the BBC said.

A third-party production company made the documentary film, called Trump: A Second Chance?, which spliced together three quotes from two sections of a speech Trump delivered on January 6, 2021.

But the two sections of the speech were delivered almost an hour apart. Critics argued that the documentary edited the separate lines into what appeared to be one quote, in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell”.

Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

Following Trump’s speech, thousands of his supporters would march on the US Capitol and storm the building, in an apparent attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost.

The documentary Trump: A Second Chance? was broadcast days before the 2024 presidential election, which Trump won.

Trump’s lawyers had told the BBC to withdraw the Panorama programme, apologise to the president and appropriately compensate him for the harm caused, or face a lawsuit seeking damages of at least $1bn.

They accused the documentary of containing “false, defamatory, disparaging, misleading or inflammatory statements” about Trump.

The Telegraph newspaper recently published leaked accusations of “systemic bias” at the BBC, which has further fuelled the controversy.

Director-General Tim Davie, along with news chief Deborah Turness, quit on Sunday, saying the scandal was damaging the BBC.

In a statement, Turness wrote that, “as the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me”.

Davie, meanwhile, used his departure to emphasise that the BBC “continues to be admired as a gold standard” in journalism.

“Overall the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director general I have to take ultimate responsibility,” he wrote in his farewell.

The accusations at the BBC have put the broadcaster at risk of having to use money paid by its viewers to compensate the US president for an error of its own making.

That, critics say, could hand more ammunition to the BBC’s detractors, at a time when growing numbers are cancelling their annual licence fee payment.

Legal experts have said that Trump would face challenges taking his case against the BBC to court in the United Kingdom or the US. They said that the BBC could show that Trump wasn’t harmed because he was ultimately elected president in 2024.

Deadlines to bring the case in English courts, where defamation damages rarely exceed 100,000 pounds ($132,000), expired more than a year ago. Because the documentary was not shown in the US, it would be hard to show that US citizens thought less of him because of a programme they could not watch.

While many legal experts have dismissed the president’s claims against the media as having little merit, he has won some lucrative settlements against US media companies, and he could try to leverage the BBC mistake for a payout, potentially to a charity of his choice.

Trump’s grandaughter last after debut LPGA round

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Kai Trump shot a 13-over-par round on her LPGA debut as she ended the first day of the Annika tournament in last place.

The 18-year-old amateur, who is the granddaughter of US President Donald Trump, hit two double bogeys and nine bogeys in her opening round in Florida.

She has played only three events this year and is ranked number 461 in the American Junior Golf Association rankings.

Trump received a sponsor’s exemption to play at the Annika but ended the first day four shots behind her closest competitor and 19 off the lead, held by South Korea’s Haeran Ryu on six under.

The LPGA said her “broad following and reach are helping introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans”.

Trump has more than six million followers on social media and recently launched her own apparel and lifestyle brand.

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MLS calendar to change in 2027 to align with top leagues

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Major League Soccer has voted to change its competition schedule to align with other top leagues from the summer of 2027.

The MLS season currently operates from February to December and the switch to a summer-to-spring format marks one of the most significant developments since the North American competition’s formation in 1995.

The decision follows a two-year review process and the MLS believes the shift in calendar will help its clubs operate more effectively across global transfer windows.

“The calendar shift is one of the most important decisions in our history,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber.

“Aligning our schedule with the world’s top leagues will strengthen our clubs’ global competitiveness, create better opportunities in the transfer market, and ensure our Audi MLS Cup Playoffs take centre stage without interruption.

“It marks the start of a new era for our league and for soccer in North America.”

Mauricio Pochettino, the head coach of the United States, added: “This is a great step forward for MLS to be on par with the top leagues in the world.

“The ability to align with the international calendar will have a huge positive impact for the players, coaches and clubs.”

The alteration is also designed to reduce clashes with international fixtures and summer tournaments, with the end-of-season play-offs moving to May when the US domestic sports calendar is less crowded and the weather is milder.

In addition to a new calendar, league owners also voted to update the regular season format to a single-table competition and said research showed that 92% of fans were in favour of the move.

MLS evolution continues

Plans are also in place for the competition to observe a winter break from mid-December into February, with no league matches scheduled during January.

The MLS say that it is working with the MLS Players Association to finalise an agreement on a transition plan and will continue to review potential adjustments to its play-offs.

The league proposes to stage a transition season from February to May 2027 that features a 14-game regular season, play-offs, and the MLS Cup.

There are currently 30 clubs in the MLS – a far cry from its inception when just 10 competed during the first season in 1996.

Yet this term has provided another snapshot of why the league wanted to take yet another step in a long period of evolution.

While the league’s play-offs are currently under way, they are battling for attention with the NFL and US college football seasons.

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The debate around the MLS calendar has raged for years.

The current structure avoids teams having to play in the depths of winter – which would be impossible in the northern US states and Canada.

Crucially, it also limited clashes with the major American sports leagues – the NFL, NBA and NHL – with whom teams often shared stadiums (in the case of the NFL) and might be competing with for TV income.

However, the clear drawback is that the league has to continue during the summer when international matches and tournaments take place – there will be a point next year when the USA and Canada are hosting World Cup and MLS matches, with a consequent weakening of teams and a likely lessening of interest in domestic matches.

Most MLS sides now have their own soccer-specific stadiums and the competition has its own niche on the US sporting map so the main reasons for a summer league no longer exist.

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Strictly Come Dancing legend Neil Jones comforted by fans after sharing devastating news

Neil Jones, a beloved star of Strictly Come Dancing cast, has recently shared some unexpected personal news, which saw his fans and show co-stars rush to support him

Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones has shared heartbreaking news with his followers this week.

The 43-year-old professional dancer revealed on Instagram that his father died, with a post he shared with fans on Thursday, November 13. Neil, who is in a relationship with Love Island star Chyna Mills, 26, posted a series of black-and-white photos of his dad as fans and fellow Strictly stars flooded the comments with messages of support.

He wrote: “Yesterday I said goodbye to my Dad for the final time, I thought I knew my dad but yesterday I realised I didn’t after hearing so many lovely & funny stories from family and his closest friends, I know he would be smiling looking down with a pint in his hand. Thank you Wendy and everyone for making it such a special day. RIP DAD.” His Strictly co-stars were quick to offer their condolences. Karen Hauer said: “Sending all our love Neil.” Diane Buswell expressed: “Jonsey sending you so much love.”

AJ Pritchard wrote: “Sending love.” James Jordan added: “Mate. I’m so so sorry for your loss – sending love.”

Nancy Xu commented: “Sending you lots of love.” Judge Motsi Mabuse also wrote: “So Sorry Neil.”

Fans joined in with heartfelt tributes, with one writing: “Im sorry for your loss. Sending you love and healing prayers.” A seconf fan said: “So sorry for your loss.” A third wrote: “So sorry to read this Neil! I hope you’re ok xxx.”

Neil has long been a part of Strictly Come Dancing after joining the beloved dance series in 2016. However, over the years, he hasn’t always been assigned a celebrity partner – including in the latest series.

Last weekend’s show saw the competition heating up once again. Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison and her partner Kai Widdrington delivered the performance of the night with a fierce tango to The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift, earning them the top spot on the leaderboard. Close behind were Love Island’s Amber Davies and her partner Nikita Kuzmin.

Unfortunately, Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and his partner Karen Hauer found themselves in the dance-off. They were pitted against La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec, but the judges unanimously voted to save La Voix, making Harry the sixth celebrity eliminated from the series.

Meanwhile, fans have recently been delighted as it was announced on Thursday that four former contestants are set to returnto the dance floor for Blackpool week, Layton Williams, Ashley Roberts, Jay McGuiness, and Danny Mac.

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Man Utd consider Adeyemi move – Friday’s gossip

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Manchester United eye January deal for Karim Adeyemi, Chelsea prepare blockbuster bid for Julian Alvarez and Liverpool and Tottenham in pursuit of Antoine Semenyo.

Manchester United are considering a January move for unsettled Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward Karim Adeyemi, 23. (Bild – in German, subscription required)

Chelsea are preparing a blockbuster 150m euro (£132m) bid to sign Argentina striker Julian Alvarez, 25, from Atletico Madrid next summer. (Fichajes – in Spanish)

Brazil and Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, 24, is also being looked at by Manchester United in their attempts to strengthen their number six position. (Mail – subscription required)

Liverpool and Tottenham are eyeing Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, to reinforce their attacks. (Teamtalk)

English midfielder James Garner, 24, says he has “heard nothing” and there have been no talks with Everton about extending his contract, which runs out next summer. (FourFourTwo)

Newcastle United are keen on AZ Alkmaar’s 19-year-old Dutch midfielder Kees Smit, who is also being monitored by Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. (Mail – subscription required)

West Ham have reignited their interest in 23-year-old Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, who has been capped by England Under-21s. (Talksport)

Brentford, Everton and Leeds are chasing Celtic’s Daizen Maeda, 28, with the Japan forward keen on a January move from Scotland. (Teamtalk)

Roma want to sign Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee on loan from Manchester United in January but face competition from Everton, West Ham, Juventus and PSV Eindhoven. (Mirror)

Manchester United have identified Malmo’s Swedish goalkeeper Melker Ellborg, 22, as a potential back-up to Belgian Senne Lammens, 23. (Sun)

Manchester United’s English defender Harry Amass, 18, is set to continue his loan at Sheffield Wednesday beyond the January transfer window. (Express)

Wolfsburg have set their sights on moves for West Ham and Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug, 32, and Brentford’s 27-year-old Norway centre-back Kristoffer Ajer. (Sky Sports News)

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has denied he told 19-year-old Real Madrid striker Endrick, who is set to join Lyon on loan, he had to leave the Spanish club in order to have a chance of making his squad for the 2026 World Cup. (AS – in Spanish)

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