Category Sports News

Victoria Mboko, a teen, blew past Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Open, continuing her fairytale run.

The 18-year-old Canadian won 6-4, 6-2 in Montreal, beating two-time major champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

In her first WTA 1000-level semi-final, she will face ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

In her on-court interview, Mboko, who is ranked 85th, said, “I’m so excited to be in the semi-final here.”

Mboko placed 333rd in the world at the beginning of the year, and when the rankings are updated the following week, he will be in the top 50.

She made her WTA Tour debut in March after a 22-game winning streak that included five titles from the lower-tier ITF Tour.

In her first Grand Slam appearance, she impressed, defeating 25th seed Magdalena Frech in Wimbledon’s opening round, and she did so in the third round.

Mboko is the youngest woman to reach the semi-finals since Belinda Bencic in 2015, and she is the first Canadian to do so since Bianca Andreescu won the competition in 2019.

Alexander Zverev came back from a set down to defeat defending champion Alexei Popyrin 6 (6) 6 6-4 6 6-3 in the men’s event in Toronto.

The 28-year-old German is reaching his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, becoming the only active men’s player to do so alongside Novak Djokovic.

He will face Russian Karen Khachanov, who defeated American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6, 7-3.

Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament, which begins on Thursday, was confirmed by The Cincinnati Open.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals, but the 24-time champion is recovering from a groin injury.

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick has a demanding day job, but he also has a passion for football, to the extent that he wants to play the sport.

The 30-year-old’s top priority has been resolving his biggest slump in an otherwise glittering golf career for the time being, though it might come one day.

Although it has been a difficult and heartfelt experience, last month’s Open resulted in a tie for fourth place in his career.

That was a great way to wrap up the men’s major season as he was the leading UK golfer that week on the Antrim coast.

Even more so now, given how Fitzpatrick’s game started at the Masters in April.

He had missed the cut the month before, when he won the 2022 US Open with caddie Billy Foster, at the Players.

After taking some time to reset his career following a disappointing 2024, this miserable early spring stifled expectations. Although he was prepared to fight once more, his game persisted.

Fitzpatrick told BBC Sport, “I simply didn’t have it.” “I put in a lot of work, my coaches put in a lot of work, but it just didn’t happen.”

There is no stone unturned in my favor, but it’s difficult when you intend to hit a shot and go too far. Simply put, I was unsure of what was coming.

The former world number six was in the top 75th by the time the Masters was over, earning him a share of 40th place.

He had no idea how to stop the decline. Additionally, there are times when things go wrong with the course.

Since Fitzpatrick’s mid-twenties, these vicissitudes have caused what had previously been a mystery to split up with his coach and confidante, Mike Walker.

Before turning professional, Walker helped his protégé win the US Amateur alongside fellow South Yorkshireman Pete Cowen.

Fitzpatrick remarked, “My relationship with Mike is really more important than golf.” I’ve been admiring him since I was 14 or 15 years old.

I have no idea what to say to him, and I respect him so much. I wasn’t playing well at the same time, and things probably needed to change.

“It’s my job, and I needed to get myself together.”

Fitzpatrick and Alabama-based coach Mark Blackburn started working on the game the week after the Masters.

In 15 years, Fitzpatrick said, “It was the first time I’ve ever had anyone look at my swing or learn a lesson from someone other than Mike Walker or Pete Cowen.”

Blackburn was interested in learning about his new student’s physical prowess and flexibility. They soon learned that Fitzpatrick’s arms are unusually long.

Which is less effective for hitting irons because it is more difficult to control the club’s depth and is more likely to hit it heavier, he said.

“The other thing is that I don’t have great shoulder flexion, and as a result, I lose my swing as a result of swinging it too far.”

Before each shot, Fitzpatrick would pull back his shoulders and stutter out his chest, making it clear that he was 11 under par at Portrush.

He said, “I’m trying to pinch my shoulder blades together.”

The effort is worthwhile. Fitzgerald placed eighth in the US PGA at Quail Hollow in May, joining only five of the top 10 players since the Masters, including placing fourth in Portrush the week before the US Open, and eighth overall at the Wyndham on Sunday.

He is now aiming to surpass the top 30 on the PGA Tour in Atlanta in order to advance to the season-ending Tour Championship. He is currently 41st and will compete in the FedEx St Jude play-off, which will take place on Thursday in Memphis.

When asked who he credits with guiding him through the most difficult period of his career, Fitzpatrick responds, “My mum, dad, and wife Katherine.”

She kept saying, “You’re a great player, you’re going to get it back,” when I won the US Open.

His enthusiasm for football has remained constant. Fitzpatrick and Fitzpatrick sat down to get in touch with a tactical expert who had appeared on the BBC Sport website.

Although some people believe it to be a joke, Fitzpatrick expressed his delight in football over golf. I have a football obsession. It is fantastic for me.

“I love supporting Sheffield United, over here in the States, they show me every game I could want to see, which is amazing.

Fitzpatrick has visited Brentford, the Premier League champions, to learn from his encounters with the performance team. His voice echoes the conversations he had with and the people he met.

He was “absorbing information like a sponge.” He said how they use data and how culture is so crucial. Simply fascinating.

Finding little things that might be useful for golf, I believe we’ve learned a lot from it.

not just golf, though. He asserts that he might switch sports one day.

Although I’m not sure when I’ll ever have the opportunity to work in football, Fitzpatrick said, “I’d love to do this if the opportunity ever came up in some way, shape or form.”

“I just find that to be very wishful thinking, but I really enjoy it.” I enjoy learning everything there is to know about it.

A resumed golf career is more important. He wants to keep his place in the Ryder Cup team from Europe for the upcoming trophy defense at Bethpage in New York along with making it to East Lake for the Tour Championship.

“It’s nice to play well in the play-offs and Ryder Cup,” Fitzpatrick said. “It would be very special to be a part of that once more.”

He has won three Ryder Cups, but his eight-game record, which is disappointing, and does not reflect someone’s talent with ten tournament victories in his professional career.

He said, “I still want to be a part of it to give myself a chance to improve it,” despite my past.

Fitzpatrick will provide a lot of perspective for the European team if he makes Luke Donald’s team.

He acknowledged that “in the last 15 months there has been an extra effort to try to be a little more understanding of my own psychology really” and to be “forgiving” of myself.

Catching things earlier is what I would take away from the slump, I thought. I am unable to reach that point once more.

“It was difficult for me, and the issue was that it lasted for a long time. You need to catch those things as soon as you can and turn them around as quickly as you can because you can’t afford to be behind the eight ball.

Kelsie Burrows, the Cliftonville captain, was given a 16-game ban for allegedly assaulting a match official.

Following the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Glentoran Women on July 25th, the Northern Ireland international received a red card from the referee.

The club are understood to be appealing the decision, which means defender Burrows will be able to play in Friday’s Premiership game against Crusaders Strikers. The suspension is effective immediately and applies to all competitions.

For “entering the field of play to confront a match official,” team coach Brendan Lynch received a three-game ban from the same game.

With two games in hand, Cliftonville are currently six points clear of Linfield, and the incident occurred after the final whistle of the victory over Glentoran.

More managers are taking part in the Fantasy Premier League season, which is making it more difficult than ever to earn the top 10k.

That’s where BBB Sport’s four FPL experts for 2025-26 can help.

We’ve compiled the best coaching from Gianni Buttice, Holly Shand, FPL Heisenberg, and Pras, Holly Shand, and other players.

And we’ve also spoken to Max Littleproud, winner of the BBB Sport FPL league last season with an incredible finish of fifth in the world.

A player like Bruno Fernandes was always a much better FPL pick because he was nailed on to play 90 minutes, take free kicks, and score penalties, which is a good example of how I used to use that.

Since a free-kick goal or penalty is not as dependent on the opponent’s difficulty, these points add up and make these picks more fixture-proof.

Bukayo Saka is your captain, but he misses a penalty. This is an illustration of a wise choice versus a bad choice.

I’m betting on them making up the difference with the new defensive contribution points if they come out with clean sheets.

Don’t try to be like them in any way. Don’t try to be different from them.

England’s series victory over India was marred by seven runs.

Really, six. The final Test could have been won by one sweet connection from Gus Atkinson. England would have enjoyed a tie.

What can be learned from the extreme narrowness of the margin? Try not to lose one of your bowlers to a dislocated shoulder, and take your catches after making a hundred. Is it difficult to write a new coaching manual?

The Oval’s nipper reinforced what we already knew, above all.

England can defeat anyone with the help of Ben Stokes. They are vulnerable without him.

Other teams must deal with injuries or a lack of fitness. Without Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, India was a failure. However, the tourists comfortably defeated England 4-1 last year without Pant in the team in the two Tests that Bumrah did not play.

When asked if England are too dependent on him, Stokes simply replied, “No”.

Stokes is England’s beating heart, in fact. England lose their balance when he isn’t playing the all-action all-rounder. They lose their tactical vigor and focus without him as captain. wickets, runs, and fielding. He represents his team in person. Benball, not Bazball, is probably the proper name for it.

One might wonder how Stokes, the arch rivalry, handled watching the finale of Monday go down in the air. The man who orchestrated their final one-wicket victory in a Test was England’s patron saint of lost causes.

The Ashes are up for grabs for England. Since winning a series there in 2010-11, they have the best chance of succeeding in Australia. It’s a low bar, don’t you think? They have won none of their 15 Test matches in Australia over the past 14 years, losing 13 of them, drawing one, and losing none.

Ben Stokes has both a chance to win and lose. Consider this: Of the England squad that travels to Australia, none will have ever experienced victory in a Test there, and only five will have participated in a Test there.

One Test hundred will be stacked up against them, and that will be Stokes’. Stokes and Mark Wood will be the only bowlers to record a five-wicket haul in Australia. Wood won’t have played a test in 15 months if he is fit for November.

Stokes has a clear task ahead. He needs to play like Ian Botham, captain like Mike Brearley, and maintain his form after suffering from a shoulder injury. The hardest part is probably in the last section. Due to injuries, he hasn’t played in all of England’s previous four Test matches.

He has a history of turning water into wine (or whatever he’s drinking these days) after claiming to have cut back on alcohol. The 2019 Headingley Test and the 2019 World Cup Final. The 2022 T20 World Cup final in Cape Town. In 2023, Headingley hosted The Enrageous Hundred at Lord’s and again in the same year. This year, Lord.

Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ben Duckett will lend their support. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope must demonstrate unwavering devotion to the kind of patience they have received. Although Jacob Bethell’s injury may have limited him to two first-class games by November, England’s batting is strong. When Jamie Smith struggled to maintain his form in his first five-test series as a wicketkeeper-batter, he will need to demonstrate better durability against India.

Who will be seated when the music stops on the plane to bowl with? It’s exciting to see Wood and Jofra Archer working together on a fiery Perth pitch, aiming to match Australia’s heavy artillery.

In the best case scenario, they will be supported by Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and Atkinson, with potential for a tearaway bolter. They must be managed properly if England is truly capable of bringing their most dangerous weapons to Australia. A successful campaign start must be struck in the right direction.

The Liam Dawson debate appears to have been overturned for the spinner. Shoaib Bashir, according to Ricky Ponting, is the closest thing England has to Nathan Lyon. Enough said, folks.

England’s preparation, or lack thereof, will cause some concern. Before the first Test, they will face their own Lions team in one warm-up game. It is important to keep in mind that England frequently wins the first series of tests before losing the last. Sixth consecutive series won the series opener against India, and they also lost the sixth-straight finale.

The biggest challenge will be removing the noise from Australia, which is already present. Over the next three months, it will only become louder. David Warner, Steve Smith, and Lynn have all piped up. Only a short while will pass before Bluey the dog, Ned Kelly, and Kylie Minogue have their say.

However, Australians are notorious for being reluctant to rebel. They did in 2010-11.

Over their batting, especially in the top three, Australia has some questions to answer. Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Sam Konstas, and Cameron Green, a fading veteran, are currently its members. Beyond that, Alex Carey has recovered from the woes that came with Jonny Bairstow’s “stuffing” in 2023, and Smith is the best Ashes batter since Don Bradman, and Travis Head is the best all-format batter in the world.

Their bowling, which includes Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Lyon, is their super-strength.

With a Test bowling average of 16.53, which is the best of any seamers since 1914, they can call on Scott Boland. He still managed a score of 2 3 in his two Test matches against the Bazballers in England in 2023.

In summary, Australia’s bowling is better, while England’s is better at it. Because Australia is at home, Bowlers are typically the series’ favorites, so they will start as favorites.

Stokes is present in England, though.

The first Test will take place on November 21 in Perth, with 108 days left until then. 108 days of pondering Glenn McGrath’s score prediction and Stokes’ shoulder. 108 days of trying to work when you’re sleep deprived and refusing Christmas with your in-laws because it conflicts with the Boxing Day Test. 108 days of comparing scores from the Sheffield Shield and hoping Archer showers safely. 108 days of pondering England’s ability.