Category Sports News

British number one Emma Raducanu is out of Wimbledon after falling short of beating top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a gripping third-round match on Centre Court.

Raducanu, 22, put the three-time Grand Slam champion – and clear title favourite – under extreme pressure before succumbing to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat.

“It is a difficult to take right now,” Raducanu said.

“It’s hard to take a loss like that but at the same time I’ve pushed Aryna, who is a great champion, so I have to be proud. “

Raducanu, ranked 40th in the world, played with clarity and confidence throughout most of a captivating contest.

Had the 2021 US Open champion served out the opener at 6-5 after saving seven set points in the previous game, or converted a set point in the tie-break, the momentum of the lead might have carried her to a notable victory.

However, the deficit proved too much to overturn – even though Raducanu broke to lead 4-1 in the second set.

The long rallies she needed to break down Sabalenka eventually took their toll and Raducanu began to look fatigued as the world number one fought back.

Sabalenka, who is aiming for a first SW19 title, goes on to face Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens in the fourth round on Sunday.

“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said the 27-year-old Belarusian.

Coming into her home Grand Slam tournament, Raducanu tried to temper expectations following a difficult build-up.

It was a sensible policy given she is always the centre of attention because of her major-winning status and the furore which surrounds home players at Wimbledon.

The dominant manner of her second-round victory against 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova, however, lifted belief.

Despite producing her best performance in “a long time” against the crafty Czech, Raducanu knew she still had a gap to bridge with the very best – and Sabalenka is the leading marker.

Raducanu’s level in the first set was even better than against Vondrousova.

The sharp uplift of volume on Centre Court, accentuated by the greenhouse effect of the covered roof, indicated the home fans believed as much as Raducanu did.

The challenge was maintaining her level.

Errors started to creep in when she served at 4-3 – summed up by a wild forehand long on break point – and her baseline game continued to break down in the next as Sabalenka gathered momentum.

Raducanu was also left frustrated by Wimbledon’s newly introduced electronic line calling system, which she claims makes “some dodgy” decisions.

When Raducanu faced seven set points at 5-4, it felt like the match could quickly swing away from her.

But she is a more resilient competitor these days and demonstrated her improved durability by breaking in the 11th game to serve for the set.

Sabalenka, though, showed why is the dominant figure on the WTA Tour by raising her game when it mattered most.

Previously, Raducanu would have wilted after losing the first set to a top-level opponent, but there was further evidence she is no longer a soft touch.

Raducanu has now won only three of her 16 matches against top-10 players, but this was a markedly improved performance from her defeats by Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff this year.

“It does give me confidence because the problem before was I felt I was gulfs away. But at the same time it is difficult to take right now,” Raducanu added.

Raducanu regrouped to break early in the second set, stepping in more to return and the subtle change of tactic helped her power into a 4-1 lead.

The 15,000 home fans continued to vociferously get behind Raducanu in a bid to help her over line and force a decider, but the energy expended in the elongated rallies and heat of the battle took its toll.

Looking wearier and more flustered, Raducanu lost her advantage of a single break and Sabalenka dropped just four points in the next three games to secure a hard-fought win.

Raducanu was given a warm ovation as she left court before Sabalenka won the crowd over by praising the home player’s efforts.

“What an atmosphere – my ears are still hurting. It was super loud,” said Sabalenka.

Betfred Super League

Leigh (0) 18

Tries: Niu, Ipape, Trout Goals: O’Brien 3

Wigan (8) 8

Leigh Leopards scored three unanswered second-half tries to fight back and beat high-flying neighbours Wigan Warriors to move up to third in the Super League table.

A well-worked early try from Jake Wardle and an Adam Keighran penalty just before the break put the visitors 8-0 up midway through the third ‘Battle of the Borough’ of the season.

Tesi Niu grabbed Leigh’s hard-earned response early in the second half before Edwin Ipape finished an audacious team move in greasy conditions to put the hosts ahead for the first time.

While the Leopards can be overtaken in third if Leeds Rhinos upstage leaders Hull KR on Sunday, this win has them within three points of defending champions Wigan.

The night had started with a major blow for Leigh, as head coach Adrian Lam confirmed full-back David Armstrong would be ruled out for nine months with a knee injury.

The Australian had been included in the 21-man squad for the game against Wigan despite struggling with the injury in their defeat by Leeds a week earlier.

Wardle pierced the Leopards’ resistance after just five minutes, taking a short cut-out pass from Jai Field to dot down for the first time since grabbing a try in Wigan’s last win against Leigh in May.

The score from the decorated centre came in a week that he was called up for an England squad get-together that has had national team boss Shaun Wane calling for greater intensity from Super League’s biggest names as they prepare to take on Australia in the autumn Test series.

The clash of regional rivals delivered on Wane’s demand for a “low-scoring” game which has “teams going at it”.

While Leigh were kept scoreless in the first half, they went close through Frankie Halton, who failed to ground his finish after racing onto a grubber kick from Ipape, while Charnley should have done better to link up with Hodgson when in a promising position after breaking clear.

Leigh finally got their chance to respond thanks to Harry Smith’s attempted 40-20 kick that went long and out on the full.

The hosts made the most getting the ball back inside Wigan’s half, with Tonga international Niu weaving his way over from close range following clever work from Ipape and Lachlan Lam.

Ipape then went over himself at the end of a free-flowing move, with the ball passing through multiple hands before Umyla Hanley sent him clear to touch down under the posts.

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester:

“It was awesome and great to be a part of as usual. Being in Wigan borough it’s important that we got that win tonight.

“We needed to have a really strong performance here tonight and I thought we were really good in patches.

“Wigan made a few errors [in the second half] and we were able to capitalise on that, but I thought the way we created some tries and some opportunities off the back of our skill is everything we want to be as a club. “

On Armstrong’s injury: “I’m broken-hearted for him, the club, for the fans and players – he is loved by all the boys. He didn’t really get into his groove and there is so much more of him to show and that is what we can look forward to.

Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet told BBC Radio Manchester:

“It was an intense game and Leigh were worthy winners.

“Second half they built pressure through their kicking game, their chase was very committed, and in these conditions it is a massive weapon. And we didn’t find out flow in the same area.

“We started well physically and committed to the game plan, but it was just that spell when the game swung in Leigh’s favour that I expected us to be more resilient.

“I certainly got a few things wrong tonight and I will learn from that and hopefully be better next week.

Leigh: Hodgson; Brand, Niu, Hanley, Charnley; O’Brien, Lam; Ofahengaue, Ipape, Trout, Halton, O’Neill, Liu.

Interchanges: Hughes, Tuitavake, Davis, McNamara.

Wigan: Field; Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall; Farrimond, Smith; Dupree, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis.

Interchanges: Harvard, Mago, Byrne, Leeming.

England midfielder Angel Gomes has joined nine-time French champions Marseille after his contract expired at fellow Ligue 1 outfit Lille.

Roberto de Zerbi’s Marseille had already reached an agreement in principle to sign the 24-year-old, who announced in May he would leave Lille at the end of his deal.

Gomes earned his first four senior caps for England under interim manager Lee Carsley last year, but has yet to feature under current boss Thomas Tuchel.

The midfielder began his career at Manchester United but left in 2020 having made just 10 appearances in all competitions, after making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2017.

He spent the past four seasons in Ligue 1, after initially being loaned to Boavista in Portugal, scoring 10 goals and providing 19 assists in 134 appearances for Lille.

Third T20, The Oval

England 171-9 (20 overs): Dunkley 75 (53); Sharma 3-27

India 166-5 (20 overs): Mandhana 56 (49); Filer 2-30

England won by five runs; India lead series 2-1

England held their nerve to keep the T20 series alive with a thrilling last-ball victory by five runs against India at The Oval.

Chasing 172 to win, India needed 12 from the last over and six off the final ball, but seamer Lauren Bell had opposing captain Harmanpreet Kaur caught at mid-off for 23 – and the hosts now only trail 2-1 in the series with two matches to play.

The tourists, eyeing a series win at the earliest opportunity, were in full control, needing 49 from 42 balls with nine wickets in hand before an eye-catching spell of fast bowling from Lauren Filer changed the course of the game.

Filer had Jemimah Rodrigues caught behind for 20 and star batter Smriti Mandhana, who made 56, was also beaten for pace and caught at mid-on as the quick regularly reached speeds of 79mph.

Harmanpreet’s knock kept India in the hunt but England restricted them to 166-5 despite a flurry of dropped chances in a chaotic ending, setting up a tantalising encounter in the fourth of five T20s at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

England’s first innings also provided plenty of drama, as they raced to 137-0 after fine half-centuries from Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, before losing nine wickets for 31 runs in the space of 4. 4 overs, and finishing with 171-9.

Dunkley made 75 from 53 balls and Wyatt-Hodge struck 66 from 42, but Sophie Ecclestone’s 10 was the only other score in double figures in a collapse which included three batters falling first ball.

England’s top order was under pressure, with opening stands of nine and two in the series so far, but Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge responded to the pressure in style having been given the freedom to bat first and set a total after stand-in captain Tammy Beaumont won the toss.

They were initially quite cautious, reaching 44-0 from the six-over powerplay, before Dunkley led the acceleration, targeting the leg side and using her feet effectively to the spinners who were put under pressure for the first time.

Wyatt-Hodge followed suit after a slower start as England were on course for a total close to 200, contrasting with Dunkley by hitting effectively through and over the covers, as India’s bowlers had no answers to their variety.

What followed, however, was baffling.

Dunkley clubbed a full toss back to Sharma for the breakthrough, before the triple wicket over from seamer Arundhati Reddy – Capsey was caught after trying to ramp her third ball, Wyatt-Hodge chipped a slower ball to the India captain and Jones was pinned lbw for a golden duck.

Beaumont was bowled attempting a sweep at the end of the 18th over, before left-arm spinner Shree Charani – who was expensive with 43 runs conceded from her four overs – had Paige Scholfield stumped and Issy Wong caught behind first ball.

British number one Emma Raducanu is out of Wimbledon after falling agonisingly short of top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a gripping third-round match on Centre Court.

Raducanu, 22, put the three-time Grand Slam champion – and clear title favourite – under extreme pressure before succumbing to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat.

“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said 27-year-old Belarusian Sabalenka.

“I had to fight for every point to get this win. “

Raducanu, ranked 40th in the world, played with clarity and confidence throughout most of a captivating contest on Centre Court.

Had the 2021 US Open champion served out the opening set at 6-5, or converted a set point in the tie-break, the momentum of the lead might have carried her to a notable victory.

However, the deficit proved too much to overturn – even though Raducanu broke to lead 4-1 in the second set.

The long rallies she needed to break down Sabalenka eventually took their toll and Raducanu began to look fatigued as the favourite fought back.

Men’s world number one Jannik Sinner, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek are among the headline acts on the first Saturday of Wimbledon fortnight.

Sinner has demonstrated why he is one of the big favourites for a first title at SW19 by cruising through his first two matches, while Djokovic showed glimpses of his best form in his second-round victory over Great Britain’s Dan Evans.

Meanwhile, eighth seed Swiatek is one of the highest remaining seeds in the women’s draw and the Pole will hope to get into round four at Wimbledon for only the third time in her career.

Italian Sinner has reached the finals of the past three Grand Slam events, winning two of them. At 13:30 BST, he will open play on Centre Court against Spaniard Pedro Martinez, who is ranked 52nd in the world.

Djokovic, 38, is making his 20th appearance in the men’s singles at Wimbledon and will aim to make it to the fourth round for the 17th time.

He is third on Centre against fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, who has equalled his best-ever run at the tournament.

In between those two matches, world number four Swiatek takes on former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins.

Seventh seed Andreeva plays in the first match on Court One (13:00 BST) against Wimbledon debutant Hailey Baptiste, followed by Krejcikova’s tie against 10th seed Emma Navarro of the United States.

There are no British players in singles action on Saturday, but the three doubles events contain home interest and the juniors’ tournaments also get under way.

Fifth seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool are in show court action as they take on Hendrik Jebens and Albano Olivetti last on court two in the second round of the men’s doubles.

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski – the sixth seeds – also continue their quest for the men’s doubles title when they take to court 15 for their second-round match against Nicolas Barrientos and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli.

Salisbury returns to the same court later as he partners Luisa Stefan of Brazil in the mixed doubles.

It might be a day off from the singles for home hope Sonay Kartal, but she is back in action alongside Jodie Burrage as they face 11th seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund in the women’s doubles second-round on court 16.

Also in the women’s doubles, Ella McDonald and Mimi Xu take on American pairing and 16th seeds Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin third on court three.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, one of the most impressive performers during the first week, will be among those first in action when play on the outside courts begins at 11:00 BST.

She is up against Denmark’s 23rd seed Clara Tauson, while former Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina, now representing Australia, is first on court three against Russian Liudmila Samsonova.

In the men’s draw, Alex de Minaur could meet Djokovic in round four if he gets past Danish qualifier August Holmgren, while Grigor Dimitrov may meet Sinner in the last 16 should he defeat Austria’s Sebastian Ofner.

11:00-19:15 – Live coverage – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

11:00-21:30 – Live coverage of outside courts – BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

12:00-16:30 – Live coverage – BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds app and BBC Sport website

12:20-16:00 – Live coverage – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

19:00-22:00 – Live coverage – BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds app and BBC Sport website

19:15-22:00 – Live coverage – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app