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Alexander Zverev, the third world number three, flew off the court in the middle of the match to defeat Flavio Cobolli from Italy 6-4 7-6 (8-6).

Zverev ran off the court because he needed a toilet break in the second game of his grass-court quarter-final.

He initially struggled in longer rallies and appeared visibly unwell when he returned, but eventually improved and was able to defeat world number 24 Cobolli.

Before the match, I felt fine. I suddenly felt extremely bad out of nowhere. The 28-year-old German said, “I felt ill, went to throw up, and then 15 minutes later I felt good again.”

“I have never experienced that before, I don’t know what it was.” When the adrenaline subsides, I’m hopeful that I’ll be alright in a few hours.

Zverev will face Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals, whose match on Friday was briefly postponed due to the Russian’s nosebleed on the court.

With 10 days until the grass-court Grand Slam begins, the former world number one rallied to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite needing a medical timeout in the second set to maintain his winning streak for the grass-court Grand Slam.

Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s number one, defeated Elena Rybakina 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 7-6 (8-6), in a drama-filled match at the Berlin Open.

The Belarusian only saved the first match point thanks to a fortunate net cord in the decisive tie-break, which ended with 6-2.

Sabalenka needed the necessary momentum swing. Sabalenka won the next five points to advance to Saturday’s semi-finals after Kazakh 2022 champion Rybakina lost to Rybakina.

“It’s amazing to win matches like this, it prepares your fighting spirit for the upcoming tournaments,” said Sabalenka.

In the semi-finals, the 27-year-old will face Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of their 2023 final at the All England Club.

With a 25-run victory over Edgbaston, the Bears won the Women’s T20 Blast, taking on the Blaze for the first time.

The hosts batted first before winning the toss, winning 172-6 with Sterre Kalis scoring the only goal with 54.

The Blaze then fell from 71-1 to 83-4, and with Em Arlott taking three wickets, Bears moved them up to second place in the table and managed only 148-8.

At Chester-le-Street, Essex cruised to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Durham.

Two top-notch teams met in the Birmingham game, both of whom had already won three of their previous games.

Bears chose to bat and got off to a good start with 59 for the opener with Meg Austin and Davina Perrin.

However, Kathryn Bryce’s superb 4-21 bat from Kathryn Bryce made the score the anchor innings for the Netherlands with 54 off 41 balls.

The Blaze’s second wicket was scored by Bryce and Tammy Beaumont by 49 runs in six overs, but the momentum changed when Bryce fell to Millie Taylor, especially when Beaumont went out for 44 in the following over.

Essex won their opening match of the series against Durham by falling to 17-4 inside four overs, with Kate Coppack and Esmae MacGregor taking the first two wickets, respectively, for the hosts.

Captain Hollie Armitage held the series together as she finished with a 47-run win, but Durham had only just passed three-figures for her lack of real support.

Essex immediately overcame the run-rate, scoring just five runs in the opening over, and never looked too much into trouble, even at 71-4.

And Essex, who are now in fifth place, completed the task with an unbeaten 34 led by Maddie Penna and Jodi Grewcock, ending a four-game losing streak.

Florian Wirtz has become a record signing for Liverpool.

The German has purchased a property in Anfield for £100 million, which could eventually bring in a record £116 million for the British.

New Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz says he wants to “win everything every year” at Anfield after the Germany playmaker joined from Bayer Leverkusen for a club record £116m.

The 22-year-old has signed a long-term deal with the Reds, understood to be five years which will keep him on Merseyside until at least 2030, after completing a medical at the club’s training ground on Friday.

The deal, which includes a guaranteed £100m and a further £16m in add-ons, tops Liverpool’s previous club record signing of Virgil van Dijk for £75m in 2018.

Should those add-ons be achieved, Wirtz’s move to Anfield would become a British transfer record to beat the £107m Chelsea paid Benfica for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in 2023.

“I would like to win everything every year. First of all, we have to do our work,” said Wirtz, whose shirt number will be announced later in the summer.

“Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I’m really ambitious.

“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.

“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best.

Wirtz made his top-flight debut aged 17 for Bayer Leverkusen in May 2020 and just 19 days later he became the then-youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history against the might of Bayern Munich – a club who were also in contention for his signature this summer.

In addition to his goalscoring efforts, Wirtz has provided 44 assists in the Bundesliga since he made his debut.

That ranks him third of all players over that time but everyone else in the top five is aged 29 or older, which indicates the high ceiling for Wirtz’s development.

A dynamic playmaker blessed with pace, awareness and the ability to make clever decisions at high speed he was one of the Bundesliga’s top performers operating as a number 10.

He was also the most effective dribbler of all players in the German top flight last season, both in terms of volume and accuracy while carrying the ball.

A total of 23 of his 31 Bundesliga appearances in 2024-25 came in an attacking midfield/number 10 berth, although he does tend to drift towards the left wing.

German football expert Raphael Honigstein told BBC Radio 5 Live that Wirtz is “more or less the fully-formed article” and Liverpool are “buying a superstar” who will “bring a lot of class and poise”.

“He has played for Leverkusen and Germany so knows the demands that are on him, but still, he will have to adjust to the pace of the Premier League and the more physical way,” Honigstein said.

“Opponents will try to negate his influence and that might prove a challenge, but he is young enough and good enough. He is not easily intimidated and stands up strong to the challenge.”

The youngest player to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances at 18 years and seven months, he was the face of a fearless and dynamic Leverkusen side.

He is also an influential dressing room figure despite his age.

If Wirtz takes up a place in Slot’s midfield, playing as a traditional 10, someone has to miss out, especially in the 4-2-3-1 formation used so effectively last season.

It’s unlikely to be Ryan Gravenberch given his rise into the anchoring role, which means Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister become vulnerable.

The two share similar stats, with Szobozslai creating more ‘big’ chances across the season, serving up more goals and assists, and Mac Allister being the more combative of the two.

Wirtz could provide an option on the flank, but Liverpool’s wide areas appear to be under lock and key.

Mohamed Salah holds the right side, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo offer variety on the left.

There is a world where Wirtz, or Szobozslai, play in the centre-forward role in a 4-3-3, more as a false nine.

That system and formation, often used by Slot at former side Feyenoord, which sees the central striker dropping to receive passes, link the play and create room for runs from elsewhere.

It was a style that Roberto Firmino built his legacy with, allowing the relentless Salah and Sadio Mane to prosper from wide berths.

Wirtz’s initial fee means he moves for exactly half the world record, which remains the £200m Paris St-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar in 2017

After seeing his side close out their title-winning campaign with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at Anfield, Slot reflected in an interview with BBC Sport on the club’s lack of transfer business last summer.

It was an extremely quiet transfer window, with Federico Chiesa the only immediate signing that was made.

But despite the lack of additions, Liverpool cruised to the Premier League title in Slot’s first season in charge.

This time, however, they are doing things differently.

While some clubs are taking advantage of the early window due to playing in the Club World Cup, or to meet Profit and Sustainability requirements, the Reds appear to be doing their business quickly as the best preparation for the new season.

This is also a first proper summer transfer window for sporting director Richard Hughes, who joined the club in March last year from Bournemouth.

At that time his immediate task was identifying and appointing Jurgen Klopp’s successor but his full focus now, with more than a year to prepare, has been on player recruitment.

The club are in talks to sign Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez for £40m and continue to be linked with signing a new centre-back and a striker.

Despite spending big on Wirtz they are most likely not done yet.

Headingley, Day One of the First Rothesay Test

India 359-3: Gill 127*, Jaiswal 101, Pant 65*, Stokes 2-43

England has yet to bat.

The toss was won by England.

As England struggled after winning the toss on the opening day of the first Test, Shubman Gill made his century debut as India’s captain, and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal added a sparkling ton of his own.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement, along with other world leaders, established India’s belief that their future batting is secure while simultaneously demonstrating England’s ability to defeat them in this five-test series.

On a slick, oppressive day at Headingley, the tourists increased their lead to 359-3. Gill elegantly stroked his way to 127 not out after Jaiswal, the 23-year-old opener who destroyed England in India 18 months ago, crunched 101.

Rishabh Pant and Gill are currently working together for 138 dollars, with Pant looking ominously poised at 65 not out.

The decision of Ben Stokes will be debated. Gill claimed he would have fielded first despite the heat and pitch that provided no clear encouragement to the bowlers.

And England were ultimately below par with the ball with their choice, failing to make the most of the opportunities that were presented throughout the day. The pick was Stokes himself, who bowled quickly for a score of 2-43.

Since Stokes took over as England’s captain in 2009, England have only batted first once in home tests. The team that bowled first won the previous six Tests at Headingley.

Even though the logic around the surface, overhead conditions, and quick outfield suggested Friday was a batting day, it is a luxury to evaluate Stokes’ decision in hindsight and it may turn out to be the correct one.

The England attack was another factor that needed to be taken into account. Chris Woakes returned from an ankle injury to bowl little, and neither Josh Tongue nor Brydon Carse have ever played in a top-notch game at Headingley. With England’s backing, they could have bowled more successfully.

To ignore India’s young batters, who were fantastic, would do them a disservice.

Despite having Kohli as one of the superstars, neither he nor Rohit were ever a part of an Indian team’s Test series success.

When these teams met in India at the beginning of 2024, Jaiswal simply picked up where he left off by plundering 712 runs. England restricted his options for scoring with drives and cuts, which he did too frequently.

A Carse blow to the ribs, which England did not explore frequently enough, caused him discomfort on November 19. As he approached three figures, Jaiswal also experienced pain in his right hand.

A slam dunk into the opposition saw the left-hander score five Test hundred and built on his impressive run in his first starts for England, Australia, and West Indies. In Headingley, an Asian opener scored their first Test century, and Jaiswal has the most runs of any Indian opener with 20 Tests remaining.

When Stokes hurried one into Jaiswal’s off stump, a stand of 129 with Gill came to an end. By this point, Gill was familiar with his off-side drives, pulls, and touches left and right.

The 25-year-old captain had a chance to score one, but Ollie Pope’s throw at the non-striker’s end went unpunched. After Pant refused a single to Stokes midway through the game, Gill had to make up his mind on 97.

England would have to bowl the match at some point, better than they did on Friday, regardless of the toss decision. The anticipation over Jofra Archer’s potential return will only increase when he plays for Sussex on Sunday, despite Mark Wood’s and Gus Atkinson’s injuries.

England did at least advance early, acknowledging the necessity of a bowl full at Headingley, but that gave Jaiswal and KL Rahul the chance to score a 91 on the opening stand.

India were 92-2 at lunch and the scores were even when Rahul edged a drive to Joe Root at first slip and then Sai Sudharsan’s debutant was caught by Sai Sudharsan down the leg side. The best thing it could have done for England was that.

Only Stokes, who was incredibly fit throughout the afternoon and evening, was a threat. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was tinkered by the visitors as England switched the pacers from one end.

Pant skipped and belted Stokes straight for four before making his announcement. He resisted one swift blow off Bashir for six while he restrained his aggressive instincts to support Gill.

After all the hard work I put in, I just wanted to join and do something for my team, my country, and myself. I adored it.

Tim Southee, England’s bowling coach, said in the opening Test Match Special: “It was a difficult day, but we will get our opportunity to bat soon. Tomorrow, we’ll try to make some progress.

“Jaiswal and Pant both had excellent knocks,” Pant said. Many guys also contributed to those knocks.

Test Match Special: “It’s India’s day,” says England’s bowler Mark Wood. As the day progressed, the pitch improved, and India’s batters displayed class.