Category Sports News

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

In their first-round French Open victories, Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa both claimed inspiration from legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal.

Swiatek, a three-time defending champion, and Carlos Alcaraz, a men’s champion, were present for a Sunday tribute ceremony to 14-time champion Nadal.

With a 6-3 6-3 victory over Slovakia’s Sramkova on Monday, the Pole won her 22nd French Open appearance.

“I knew Carlos [Alcaraz] was behind me, so I had to be brave, but seeing Rafa crying makes me feel more emotional,” Swiatek said.

“It’s wonderful that the tennis world is appreciative of Rafa and expresses our gratitude for everything he has done. He is a tremendous inspiration.

Even his presence here yesterday, even when he’s not playing, really made me think. Rafa, I appreciate it.

After defeating Naomi Osaka, the four-time major champion, 6 (7) 6-1 6-4, Badosa paid tribute to her fellow Spaniard.

When I was 7-6 down, Badosa said, “The first thing I did was look over there, to get inspiration from Rafa,” and that is where I was next to the silver plaque with Nadal’s footprint next to the net post on Court Philippe Chatrier.

I told him, “Come on Paula, you have to fight like he would.”

Swiatek, who is competing for a fifth French Open title in six years, has fallen behind in recent years in terms of rankings and has fallen behind.

She doesn’t have a WTA title in the first five months of the season, for the first time since 2020 when she competes in the clay-court major.

Swiatek is known for getting things off to a fast start, but she had to battle it out with Sramkova, who was 42nd overall.

She won the first three games to take the lead, but the second game’s opening game saw her score at 15 instead.

Swiatek held on, holding on for 3-3 before winning the next three games to set up a meeting with Emma Raducanu from Great Britain.

After losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, Swiatek recalls speaking with him in Paris in 2021, the same year that Swiatek’s title defense came to an end in the quarter-finals.

I asked him how he felt after he lost, and the next day he was just sitting there after breakfast or something. “Swiatek said,”

He was shivering. He said, “Oh, it’s just a tennis match.” I’ll have many more chances.

Leinster’s United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Scarlets will take place on Saturday (15:00 BST), and Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw will not play.

Henshaw has a knee issue that could keep him out for four weeks, while Furlong, a tight-head prop, is out for a “minor calf injury,” according to Leinster.

Jordan Larmour has been sidelined for five months with a hamstring injury, which is more encouraging.

The 27-year-old wing has only made five appearances this year, the most of which was against Munster on December 27. He has 32 caps for Ireland.

Furlong has also had a campaign that was hampered by injuries. The 32-year-old has only made eight Leinster appearances as a substitute while suffering from calf and hamstring issues.

He was named in Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad earlier this month despite not having much game time.

Furlong started both New Zealand and South Africa’s 2017 and 2021 Lions series matches.

As the Wolves forward prepares to make a £62.5 million move to Old Trafford, Matheus Cunha’s transfer to Manchester United is in a very advanced stage.

According to BBC Sport, United will be required to pay the entire price for the Brazilian attacker over the course of a two-year period in three installments.

A deal over the forward’s package is now a formality, according to sources who believe the two parties are coming close to reaching a total agreement on personal terms.

Wolves won’t be receiving a formal approach yet, but that will be expected in the near future.

By the time the 2026-27 campaign is over, well-placed sources have indicated that they will be required to pay the entire sum.

The final sum, which will be due in the summer of 2027, will be due at the end of the following season, along with the first £20.8 million that will be paid upon purchase.

Since joining Wolves from Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan in January 2023, Cunha has scored 33 goals for the club. He has made 92 appearances.

The 25-year-old almost certainly did his last game for Wolves against Brentford on Sunday, but he has since taken to social media to post a message to his fans.

It was the best season of my life, he wrote individually. All of this was only possible because I had such a strong heart for this club.

Along with Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Martinelli, I am the Brazilian who has scored the most goals in a Premier League season.

French Open 2025

Location: Roland Garros, May 25 – June

Emma Navarro, the ninth seed, was beaten by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first-round 6-0 6-1 victory in just 57 minutes.

Navarro, who reached the semi-finals of the previous year’s US Open, did not play well on the second day in Paris.

With a winning record of 6-0 5-0, Bouzas Maneiro attempted to become the first woman to defeat a top-10 player with 6-0 6-0 at a Grand Slam since Martina Navratilova defeated world no. 7 Manuela Maleeva in the 1989 US Open.

However, the American only won 44% of her first-serve points and only claimed 30 of the 86 total points.

Navarro was also hampered by only four winners, compared to 23 unforced errors.

Elena Rybakina, the former champion of Wimbledon, defeated Argentine qualifier Julia Riera 6-1, 4 , 6-4, to overcome a second-set slump.

Do you believe in magic, I kept asking myself. ‘”.

Childhood fan Leah Williamson took to the microphone while holding a Champions League trophy around her neck in front of 10, 000 Arsenal fans outside Emirates Stadium on Monday.

Renee Slegers’ side stunned European giants Barcelona to claim their first European title in 18 years with the only goal scored by Stina Blackstenius.

Williamson always believed Arsenal would have won the Champions League title, despite the fact that they were the favorites heading into Saturday’s final against a Barca side that was chasing a third successive title.

“Do you believe in magic? is something I’ve been saying for a long time, and my team-mates will all say that.” ‘”, she said. That’s what I could sense, she said.

I was certain that it would occur against Lyon and that it would occur in the final. And magic came true.

Williamson became the team’s mascot when Arsenal last won the championship in 2007 at the age of eight.

The 28-year-old had a lump in her throat when she addressed the audience, which was her close friend and 2007 Champions League scorer, Alex Scott.

We all knew it would be a special day, but when we all left today, we all declared, “This is one of those moments.” I’ll tell my grandkids about this at some point.

“I have witnessed with my own two eyes how successful Arsenal have been, especially the women of Arsenal,” according to my education. I had no desire to miss anything about it. It is very unique.

North London was clouded on Monday with grey skies, but the sea of red and white as thousands of fans poured into Armoury Square was breathtaking.

Due to safety concerns, the celebrations had a 10, 000 capacity, but fans turned out in droves, some arriving as early as 06:00 BST to secure their spot.

Win, a club dog from Arsenal, was in full view as Beth Mead held him during the event, which was brought to the club by men’s manager Mikel Arteta to create the family atmosphere.

As she took the microphone and sang Sweet Caroline, Freed From Desire, and Simply the Best, left-back Katie McCabe was living her best life. Both players and fans clapped along to the music.

When McCabe addressed the crowd, “I’ve been with these girls for almost ten years.” My blood is red.

The girls “are everything you need in a team,” said the team’s leader on Saturday night in Lisbon.

Arsenal, the only English club to have won the Women’s Champions League, will now bypass the qualification stages for the following season’s competition, moving on to the group stage as holders.

Given the turbulent start to the season, the Gunners’ victory in Lisbon is even more impressive. They lost the first leg of their Champions League qualifying match and only managed to win one of their first four league games.

Boss Jonas Eidevall resigned in October, and Slegers was appointed interim in January. He was then made a permanent employee.

Slegers’ achievements are still sapping, and she has never been able to get beyond the Champions League’s group stages this year.

After the game, the Dutchwoman told the crowd, “There were so many emotions.” “I anticipated that I would be taking it in when I got home, but I just ordered food and snoozed.”

If you are together and stick together whatever happens, you can improve daily if you have the foundation of being excellent players, which is what we have done.

The final word was spoken to the history-making Blackstenius before the Arsenal players lifted the trophy and donned red and white confetti.

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

Iga Swiatek said she was “inspired a lot” by seeing Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier once again as she began her French Open title defence with victory over Rebecca Sramkova.

The three-time defending champion claimed her 22nd successive French Open match win as she beat Slovakia’s Sramkova 6-3 6-3 on the main court in Paris.

Swiatek, bidding for a fifth French Open title in six years, has suffered a downturn in form in recent months and dropped to fifth in the world rankings.

For the first time since 2020, she arrives at the clay-court major without winning a WTA title in the first five months of the season.

The Pole, along with defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz, were in the crowd for a tribute ceremony to 14-time champion Nadal on Sunday.

“I knew the cameras were on Carlos [Alcaraz] behind me so I needed to be brave, but seeing Rafa crying makes me more emotional,” Swiatek said.

“It’s great the tennis world could show their appreciation and tell Rafa we are really thankful for everything he did. He is a huge inspiration.

Swiatek is known for making a fast start but she had to fight her way through her first service game against 42nd-ranked Sramkova.

She won the final three games of the first set to take the lead but was broken to 15 in the opening game of the second.

However, Swiatek stuck in, breaking back for 3-3 before winning the next three games to set up a meeting with Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Afterwards, Swiatek recalled speaking to Nadal in Paris in 2021 after his semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic – the same year Swiatek’s title defence ended in the quarter-finals.

“I was devastated that he lost and the next day, he was just sitting there after breakfast or something, and I asked him how does he feel?” Swiatek said.

“He was chill. He was like, ‘oh, it’s just a tennis match. I’ll get many more chances’.