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Jasper Philipsen will wear the Tour de France’s yellow jersey for the first time in his career after winning stage one of the 2025 edition.

A sprint finish was expected after a flat stage beginning and ending in Lille, and Alpecin-Deceuninck’s lead-out train delivered the 27-year-old in the perfect position to claim the stage win.

The Belgian beat Biniam Girmay by a comfortable margin to claim his 10th stage win on the Tour, with Soren Waerenskjold third.

The peloton split about 17km from the end of a chaotic opening day, with general classification contenders Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic caught in the second bunch.

Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, who is expected to be his main rival, were in the lead group along with most of Philipsen’s team-mates.

“It’s really amazing,” said Philipsen. “My 10th victory is something I will never forget.

“It was a perfect team performance. I think we were there all day in a really nervous stage but we knew it could be our day and we had to be at the front when the split happened.

Philipsen claimed four stage wins in 2023 and finished that edition of the Tour with the green jersey as the points classification leader.

He said he had “dreamt” about wearing yellow.

Already I had the green jersey from two years ago but to have the yellow jersey hanging somewhere in my house is amazing,” he said.

A five-man breakaway was caught with more than 100km to go on the 184. 9km loop route, which was affected by crosswinds and featured multiple crashes.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna was forced to abandon after going down with British debutant Sean Flynn, and he was soon followed by fellow time-trial specialist Stefan Bissegger.

Benjamin Thomas will wear the polka-dot jersey as mountain leader after winning two of the day’s three climbs, wiping out Matteo Vercher as he lunged for the line to claim his second mountain point.

Then came the split, which resulted in Roglic and Evenepoel crossing 39 seconds after Pogacar and Vingegaard, and the latter’s British team-mate Simon Yates struggled.

The Giro d’Italia champion got a puncture and tried to recover but ended up coming in more than six minutes after the lead group.

Jasper Philipsen will wear the Tour de France’s yellow jersey for the first time in his career after winning stage one of the 2025 edition.

A sprint finish was expected after a flat stage beginning and ending in Lille, and Alpecin-Deceuninck’s lead-out train delivered the 27-year-old in the perfect position to claim the stage win.

The Belgian beat Biniam Girmay by a comfortable margin to claim his 10th stage win on the Tour, with Soren Waerenskjold third.

The peloton split about 17km from the end of a chaotic opening day, with general classification contenders Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic caught in the second bunch.

Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, who is expected to be his main rival, were in the lead group along with most of Philipsen’s team-mates.

“It’s really amazing,” said Philipsen. “My 10th victory is something I will never forget.

“It was a perfect team performance. I think we were there all day in a really nervous stage but we knew it could be our day and we had to be at the front when the split happened.

Philipsen claimed four stage wins in 2023 and finished that edition of the Tour with the green jersey as the points classification leader.

He said he had “dreamt” about wearing yellow.

Already I had the green jersey from two years ago but to have the yellow jersey hanging somewhere in my house is amazing,” he said.

A five-man breakaway was caught with more than 100km to go on the 184. 9km loop route, which was affected by crosswinds and featured multiple crashes.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna was forced to abandon after going down with British debutant Sean Flynn, and he was soon followed by fellow time-trial specialist Stefan Bissegger.

Benjamin Thomas will wear the polka-dot jersey as mountain leader after winning two of the day’s three climbs, wiping out Matteo Vercher as he lunged for the line to claim his second mountain point.

Then came the split, which resulted in Roglic and Evenepoel crossing 39 seconds after Pogacar and Vingegaard, and the latter’s British team-mate Simon Yates struggled.

The Giro d’Italia champion got a puncture and tried to recover but ended up coming in more than six minutes after the lead group.

South Africa (28) 42

Tries: Kriel, Van den Berg (2), Arendse, Koch, Van Staden Cons: Pollard (6)

Italy (3) 24

World champions South Africa began their Test season with an entertaining 42-24 victory over a youthful Italy at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

Stand-in captain Jesse Kriel gave the Springboks the perfect start in the 11th minute before scrum-half Morne van den Berg, playing only his third international, scored twice.

In a blistering first-half performance, rapid wing Kurt-Lee Arendse also picked up a try to establish a 28-3 lead.

After the break though, Italy slowed the green tidal wave, benefiting from debutant Vincent Tshituka’s try being ruled out for obstruction, and reducing the arrears with a score from hooker Manuel Zuliani.

Replacement Vincent Koch bundled in for South Africa, but the visitors stormed back and were only denied a try by a brilliant saving tackle from Arendse on Simone Gesi.

The Azzurri were not finished, however, as Pablo Dimcheff scored with 15 minutes to go and captain Niccolo Cannone forced his way through to set up a dramatic conclusion.

A try from flanker Marco van Staden with eight minutes left finally halted the revival, as the Springboks closed out the win.

South Africa: Willemse; Kolbe, Kriel (c), De Allende, Arendse, Pollard, Van den Berg; Nche, Marx, Louw, Etzebeth, De Jager, Van Staden, Tshituka, Wiese.

Replacements: Mbonambi, Wessels, Koch, Snyman, Mostert, Smith, De Klerk, Le Roux.

Italy: Trulla; Lynagh, Menoncello, Zanon, Gesi, Da Re, Fusco; Fischetti, Di Bartolomeo, Ferrari, N Cannone, Zambonin, Izekor, Zuliani, L Cannone.

Replacements: Dimcheff, Spagnolo, Hasa, Canali, Vintcent, Odiase, Garbisi, Bertaccini.

Strawberries and cream – the traditional food combination seen at Wimbledon, but a different take on it may be fuelling Iga Swiatek’s bid for the title.

Following her straight-set win against American Danielle Collins on Saturday, she was asked what she would have to eat to celebrate it.

“I have my favourite actually,” she said. “I ate it as a kid. It is pasta with strawberries. “

Sorry, what?

“You should try it guys,” Swiatek continued. “Pasta with strawberries and a little bit of yoghurt. It is just great. “

It sounds an unusual combination – and for many people in the world it is – although it is a delicacy in Swiatek’s native Poland.

Tucking into it regularly seems to be doing the job as Swiatek is enjoying an impressive run at Wimbledon, beating Collins 6-2 6-3 in one hour and 15 minutes to set up a fourth-round meeting with Clara Tauson of Denmark.

The five-time Grand Slam champion has not fared well on grass in recent years and only twice before Saturday had she reached the fourth round at SW19.

But it has been a different story so far this year and, after Swiatek made the final of Bad Homburg last month, she has carried that momentum into Wimbledon.

Against Collins she dictated play with her first serve and faced just three break points in the match, saving all of them.

What is the secret to this upturn in form on grass?

“Honestly, it is much more fun [on the grass] this year,” said the 24-year-old former world number one.

Teenager Mirra Andreeva showed why she is one of the hottest prospects in the sport after moving into the fourth round with a comfortable win.

Seventh seed Andreeva, 18, outclassed American opponent Hailey Baptiste in a 6-1 6-3 victory on Court One.

Russia’s Andreeva reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open last month and is aiming to surpass that on the Wimbledon grass.

She has reached the last 16 for the second time in her career, having previously done the same in 2023.

“Before I played today I told myself, ‘Just go out there and do something’,” said Andreeva, who is making only her third appearance at the All England Club.

“I always expect something from myself but I always try to let myself go and enjoy.

Showing supreme movement and clinical ball-striking, Andreeva breezed through the opening set in 31 minutes.

Baptiste, ranked 55th in the world, was willed on in the second set by an enthusiastic crowd who wanted to see a true contest.

When Andreeva broke for a 3-1 lead, the result looked a formality. Baptiste instantly broke back to halt Andreeva’s progress but lost serve again as the world number seven secured a straightforward win in one hour and 18 minutes.

Under the tutelage of former SW19 champion Conchita Martinez, she has already won two WTA 1,000 titles – the rung of tournaments below the majors – in Dubai and Indian Wells this season.

Her impressive progress is demonstrated by the fact she has won 35 tour-level main-draw matches this year – a tally only bettered by world number one Aryna Sabalenka (44) and Swiatek (37).

A much tougher test than 23-year-old Baptiste awaits Andreeva next, however.

Another big seed was sent tumbling out of Wimbledon as former champion Elena Rybakina suffered a straight-set defeat by Tauson in a match that took more than four hours to complete because of rain delays.

Eleventh seed Rybakina, who won the Championships in 2022, was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 by Denmark’s Tauson, who knocked out former British number one Heather Watson in the opening round.

Rain initially caused this match on the exposed court two to be suspended at 4-4, but once play resumed two hours later it was a tight contest as neither player could be separated, before Tauson saved two set points and then took the opener in the tie-break.

The Dane continued her momentum by breaking Rybakina’s first service game in the second set, before the players went off the court as rain fell once more with Tauson leading 4-2.

But this delay was only around 15 minutes and Tauson returned to the court to seal another break and close out the win.

Tauson, who had never won on grass before this year, will next face eighth seed Swiatek.

“Thanks to the crowd it amazing to play here today even though it was a little rainy,” she said.

“Before this grass season had started I had never won a match on grass, so I am super proud. “