Category Sports News

Last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini became the latest top-10 seed to make an early exit at Wimbledon, but world number one Aryna Sabalenka put this year’s record number of upsets out of her mind in a hard-fought victory.

Italian fourth seed Paolini’s 4-6 6-4 6-4 second-round defeat by Kamilla Rakhimova came after eight top-10 seeds across the men’s and women’s singles draws went out across the opening two days – the most at a Grand Slam in the Open era.

But Sabalenka avoided that same fate with a gritty 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win over Czech world number 48 Marie Bouzkova.

It means the only top-five seed remaining in the women’s draw at the All England Club after day three of the Championships is top seed Sabalenka.

The Belarusian is aiming to add a maiden Wimbledon title to her three Grand Slam triumphs at the US and Australian Opens.

After her win, the top seed told the Centre Court crowd: “I hope it is no upsets any more in this tournament, if you know what I mean! “

“Honestly, it is sad to see so many upsets in the tournament in both draws,” she added.

“I’m just trying to take it one step at a time. I know if I’m focused, if I’m there, if I’m fighting, I know I’m going to have my chance in each match.

“I think it’s really important to focus on yourself and to take it one step at a time – do not really look at the draw.

“This is something that can create a lot of nerves and a lot of doubts. “

Sabalenka will face Emma Raducanu in round three after the British number one overcame 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova later on Wednesday.

After a scorching couple of days at SW19, handheld fans were replaced by umbrellas on a drizzly morning which delayed play on the outside courts by almost two hours but the sun came out in time for Sabalenka’s match.

The three-time major winner made tough work of the opening set, struggling to find consistency and, while not playing badly, she was not clinical in crucial moments.

Having watched three of the top five seeds fall on day two, including French Open champion Gauff, Sabalenka would have welcomed a draw that was beginning to open up.

But eye rolling and shouting in frustration at times, she could not conjure a break point in the first set and instead went down a break when she double faulted at 5-5 to hand Bouzkova the lead.

That was met with a big cheer from a Wimbledon crowd desperate to back the Czech underdog, but they were equally as animated when Sabalenka let out a huge roar as she dug deep to force the tie-break.

Paolini’s energetic style and personality lit up SW19 last year as she reached a second career Grand Slam final but missed out to Barbora Krejcikova.

This year she is one of 16 seeds to exit the women’s draw in the opening two rounds so far.

The 29-year-old slumped to defeat on a shady Court Three, despite taking the first set with ease.

A lengthy game in set two where Russian world number 62 Rakhimova saved break points seemed to be the turning point for Paolini’s downfall.

She was broken at 3-3 then could not prevent Rakhimova serving out for the set.

Unable to muster a fightback after immediately being broken in the decider, she cut a disgruntled figure as she saved three match points but went out at the fourth.

British number one Emma Raducanu swept aside 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova to reach the Wimbledon third round.

The 22-year-old produced an outstanding performance marked by authority and intensity on Centre Court to win 6-3 6-3 in 82 minutes.

It was a level the former US Open champion will need to replicate – if not improve – when she meets world number one and top seed Aryna Sabalenka next and equal her best run at the Championships.

Raducanu was the third British player through to the third round on Wednesday, following earlier victories for Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie.

Her victory came on a day when 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini became the fourth top-five seed to exit the women’s draw as she was upset by Kamilla Rakhimova.

After regaining her status as British number one following a run to the Queen’s quarter-finals last month, Raducanu spoke about how she is now feeling free to express herself on court.

Her final Wimbledon preparations did not go perfectly, though, and she admitted she needed to get her “head in the game” after losing to Australian teenager Maya Joint in Eastbourne last month.

But, after a comfortable opening victory over compatriot Mimi Xu, this was Raducanu at her free-flowing best.

Following an assured start, she made a deserved breakthrough in the sixth game with a stunning passing winner on the first break point of the match.

Vondrousova offered an immediate response but the Briton regained her composure and pounced again on a fourth break point opportunity for a 5-3 lead, before seeing out the set.

Raducanu did not allow her intensity to drop at the start of the second as, to the delight of her adoring home crowd, she again broke the 26-year-old Czech’s resistance with a third break point for a 2-1 lead.

She began her push for the finish line by avoiding a repeat of the immediate setback in the opening set, battling to a superb hold from two break points down.

Such was the consistency Raducanu had shown on serve, she closed in on victory untroubled, and the chair umpire had to remind the crowd to remain quiet during the points as their excitement increased.

Second Test, Edgbaston

India 310-5: Gill 114*, Jaiswal 87; Woakes 2-59

England: Yet to bat

England currently lead five-match series 1-0

England were held up by India captain Shubman Gill’s patient century as their bowlers fought admirably on day one of the second Test at Edgbaston.

After captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first again, his bowlers battled against Gill’s calmness and another flat pitch to limit India to 310-5 at the close.

Chris Woakes bowled KL Rahul off the inside edge in a fine new-ball spell and Brydon Carse found extra bounce to have Karun Nair caught at slip for 31 shortly before lunch.

But opener Yashasvi Jaiswal complied an elegant 87 and after he was caught behind off Stokes, Rishabh Pant put on 66 with Gill as the new-ball zip faded in the Birmingham sunshine.

England hung in, however, and Pant’s patience broke after tea when he hit Shoaib Bashir to long-on for 25. Nitish Kumar Reddy was bowled shouldering arms to Woakes in the next over.

That left India at risk of collapse but Gill remained unflustered and reached three figures for the second match in a row in 199 deliveries. He put on 99 with Ravindra Jadeja to see out the final 90 minutes of play.

Stokes continues to defy all cricketing convention.

There were clouds overhead when he chose to bowl but the surface looked slow and favourable for batting even before the sunshine arrived after only a couple of overs.

In his mind – and India’s – will be England’s record chase of 378 against the same opposition here in 2022.

India were 359-3 at the end of day one in the first Test last week and still lost, meaning there will be no panic in England’s camp even if the Jadeja-Gill partnership ensured the day was shaded by their opponents.

Their patience in the field in the afternoon was impressive while Woakes and Carse threatened throughout.

A short-ball ploy attempted before lunch was quickly shelved and instead Stokes hunted wickets through clever field placements.

India’s changes appear an attempt to consolidate their lower order, which could yet prove crucial as they look to go beyond the 465 they made last week.

Woakes was excellent with the new ball, finding a hint of movement off the seam while being relentless with his lines outside off stump.

Rahul tentatively played on, and had two tight lbw decisions – first against Jaiswal on 12 and the second against Nair on five – gone England’s way the day could have had a different complexion. Both were given not out on the field and shown as umpire’s call when England reviewed.

The hosts bowled more bouncers in the morning than in any opening session of a Test in England but this only allowed runs to flow for Jaiswal, who cut and drove.

Afterwards England corrected, dried up the runs and Jaiswal chased a wide delivery to be caught behind.

Pant was drawn in in similar fashion. A swashbuckling century-maker in both innings in Leeds, he only hit one four and one six in his 42 balls.

When Reddy, one of the three players brought into India’s XI alongside spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar and Akash Deep, played an inexplicable leave, India were 211-5.

Gill, though, did not offer a chance all day. The closest England came was an lbw decision they attempted to overturn when Gill had 17 but there was a big inside edge.

The 25-year-old did not play like the flowing batter seen in white-ball cricket.

Despite some elegant drives and clips through mid-wicket, the 125 balls he took to reach 50 was the most of his career. This was also his slowest century.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: “Shubman Gill said he’d have bowled but I think this is the way India can beat England – if they score 450.

“India should’ve won the first Test match if they held their chances. India are doing what they need to do to win this game.

“England bowled well enough to get two or three more wickets but the rub of the green with the umpire’s calls has gone the way of India.

“This is a flat wicket and there’s not a lot there for the seamers or spinners and England should score a lot on here if it doesn’t crack. “

England bowler Chris Woakes, speaking to BBC Sport: “I think we’ve put in a really good shift. I feel it was a good day, we asked questions on a good batting surface. Had things gone our way this morning, I feel like the day could’ve been very different but that’s the game we play.

Fans gathered from mid-afternoon in the pubs of Caxton Street close to the Suncorp Stadium, familiar accents at every turn, reminders of home.

Long after the Lions had put away the Queensland Reds 52-12 – notching up eight tries and a half century of points for the second game in succession – these same fans were back where they started, with an eyeful of rugby and a skinful of pints. Lions jerseys everywhere. The first real stirrings of a proper red army in the land of the green and the gold.

Two games played in Australia and three played in total and we’re beginning to see a picture forming; not complete, but with more detail than before, some players coming up in rich colour and others beginning to fade to grey as the Lions build towards the first Test at the same stadium on 19 July.

A statistic did the rounds during the week, inspired by rugby statinator @topofthemoonGW, that fairly knocked everyone to the ground. Elliot Daly had featured in 10 Lions matchday squads in a row before his run ‘ended’ in Brisbane against the Reds.

Only it hadn’t. Hugo Keenan dropped out through illness and Daly stepped back in to make it 11 in a row. It’s a number that would have had the old boys saluting him, the Lions of the late 1800s and early 1900s who ran themselves into the ground in so many games that half of them lost about two inches off their trouser leg.

We’re now back to where we were this time last week, sweating on an injured Lion. Tomos Williams had to go home, cut down in peak form, and the hope is that Daly, playing fantastically, doesn’t suffer the same fate after going off in the second half. As sporting heartbreak goes, it would be beyond cruel.

What a strange situation at full-back now. Not a crisis by any means, but curious. Daly is nursing an injury to his arm, Keenan hasn’t played since the end of May and Blair Kinghorn only just landed in the country the other day.

Head coach Andy Farrell was asked if he was worried. “No, we’ve lots of full-backs,” he said.

And he’s right. Kinghorn and Keenan will get up to speed soon enough and, in reserve, he has Marcus Smith (admittedly not everyone’s cup of tea at 15, but an option) and the versatility of Huw Jones who revived his international career when playing well at full-back for half a season with Harlequins before returning to Glasgow.

Lions captain Maro Itoje was asked on Monday about the high number of minutes he has played this season for club and country and whether he felt tired at all.

On the contrary, he said. He felt revived and energised by the Lions around him – and in Brisbane he proved it. One try, 10 carries, 18 tackles – he was an absolute pest just as soon as the Lions settled down after their initial ropey period.

He wasn’t so hot against the Pumas but this was Maro beginning to crank through the gears.

“I think the whole point of these tours is you’re with great players, and you see great players performing well, and it gives you extra motivation to perform well,” he said, later.

When Farrell singled out Mack Hansen for praise after the Western Force game last weekend, Freeman might have gulped hard. The coach of Ireland bigging up an Ireland wing?

It can’t have been easy listening for Tommy Freeman or for Duhan van der Merwe as they attempt to break up the Irish pair for the Test team.

Van der Merwe, a sensational broken field runner, has lost too much ground on the other three at this point. He was good and bad on Wednesday, but he’s clearly fourth of the four wings. His game just didn’t fit with what Farrell wants from his wings.

In their two games in Australia the Lions have encountered some bumps on the road – desperation and a high penalty count in the first half in Perth, some restart issues, a few unconvincing scrums – but they’re clever players and capable of coming up with solutions on the hoof.

The scrum was penalised too often for comfort in Brisbane. It didn’t cost them, but the Lions don’t want to get a reputation for being ill-disciplined.

“I think we’ll look back on some of the decisions and get some clarity on a few,” said Farrell. “I suppose that’s how it always is, isn’t it? It’s hard to referee at the best of times. But I obviously know that we’ve got a world-class front row. “

When you hear a coach saying that he will seek “clarity” on scrum interpretation it normally means he didn’t agree with the interpretation. There was a strange kind of spikiness around this one.

“I’m saying we need some clarity on bits, because that’s what you’d always want to do, so you can fix things if you need to fix them,” he said.

Jac Morgan needed a big game – and he delivered. His energy levels were tremendous, his aggression in the tackle, his subtle touches and, of course, his try were of the highest quality.

Morgan rose up the ranks while Tom Curry fell down. He has lost his mojo at the wrong time. Close to a Test certainty during the season, Curry will now be lucky if he makes the 23. It’s all beginning to look very cut-throat.

Will Stuart had a chance to propel himself into the box-seat at tighthead but he got done in defence and gave away three penalties. It wasn’t the audition he wanted.

Against all odds, Finlay Bealham, not even in the original squad, might just be favourite for a Test spot because the great Tadhg Furlong still hasn’t stirred in the way Furlong can.

Offering up sweet thoughts for Daly’s fitness, there’s a Test 23 beginning to emerge through the fog of uncertainty. Skin and hair will fly in protest, but…

Kinghorn (Daly), Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell (F Smith), Gibson-Park (Mitchell); Genge (Schoeman), Sheehan (Cowan-Dickie), Bealham (Furlong), Itoje, McCarthy, Chessum (Beirne), Van der Flier, Conan (Pollock)

Such is the nature of this trek what happened in Brisbane will be an after-thought later on Thursday when Farrell names the team to face the Waratahs. So much build-up and yet the Lions have to move on from it in a relative instant.