Iga Swiatek avoided another shock defeat against Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala by fighting back to win their Madrid Open second-round match.
World number two Swiatek, who was stunned by Eala in Miami last month, won 4-6 6-4 6-2 on the Spanish clay.
Swiatek lost in the Stuttgart quarter-finals last week and, having received a bye in the Madrid first round, produced some edgy groundstrokes in a poor first set.
A tally of 25 unforced errors indicated it was a performance nowhere near befitting of the WTA Tour’s dominant clay-court player of recent seasons.
Mistakes continued to come as the 23-year-old from Poland fell a break down early in the second set.
Swiatek, who is the reigning Madrid champion and has a host of ranking points to defend over the European clay swing, looked in serious trouble.
It felt like the same story as when 19-year-old Eala, then ranked outside the world’s top 100, beat her on the Miami hard courts.
Winning five games in a row from 4-4 in the second set swung the match in her favour and, after missing her opportunity to serve out, broke Eala’s serve for a hard-fought victory.
A telling statistic was Swiatek hitting 57 unforced errors as Eala won only 80 points in the match.
Swiatek, who is gearing up for a tilt at a fifth French Open title next month, will play Czech 31st seed Linda Noskova in the last 16.
Meanwhile, British men’s number three Cameron Norrie earned his first ATP main-draw victory since the start of March.
In this Thursday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day from an EFL footballer jailed for killing a cyclist to Emmerdale stars’ surprise engagement
Lucas Akins had been a regular for Mansfield this season but has been sentenced to time in prison(Image: Getty Images)
Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we’ll be pulling together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Thursday we’re featuring everything from an EFL footballer jailed for killing a cyclist to Emmerdale stars’ surprise engagement
Our Showbiz team bring you the news of JoJo Siwa receiving a cold four-word message from her partner ahead of the CBB final, while our news reporters bring you the story about a former Britain’s Got Talent star who allegedly raped two women just months apart.
Elsewhere, there’s the incredible tale of how one kiss led to a woman’s whole world coming crashing down, while we also delve into an Emmerdale couple’s surprise engagement news.
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EFL footballer handed prison sentence after killing cyclist
(Image: Getty Images)
Our court reporters bring you the news that footballer Lucas Akins has been given a prison sentence at Leeds Crown Court for causing the death of a cyclist in Huddersfield by careless or inconsiderate driving. The sentence relates to an incident in March 2022, with cyclist Adrian Daniel, 33, dying 10 days after being hit by Akins’ Mercedes.
Akins has been sentenced to 14 months in prison following a hearing. He will serve half the sentence in custody before being released on licence, and has been handed a one-year driving ban.
Read the full story here.
JoJo Siwa receives cold four-word message from partner ahead of CBB final
JoJo Siwa on Celebrity Big Brother(Image: REX/Shutterstock for Big Brother)
This Thursday, our Showbiz team couldn’t believe it when Celebrity Big Brother star JoJo Siwa received a blunt message about her partner Kath Ebbs from her mother in tonight’s episode.
JoJo Siwa’s relationship has been a topic of discussion among CBB fans due to the US star’s close and tactile relationship with fellow housemate Chris Hughes.
In tonight’s episode, which sees the housemates receive letters from home, JoJo has Chris read her letter from her mum.
Read the full story here.
BGT star ‘gripped victims throats’ as he raped two women, court hears
Andrew Johnston is accused of two charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault.
A former Britain’s Got Talent star allegedly raped two women just months apart. A court has heard how Andrew Johnston, 30, was studying at the Royal Academy of Music when the incidents took place. The former choirboy was 13 when he finished on Britain’s Got Talent in second place.
He subsequently went on to land a £1million recording contract with Syco Music – owned by Simon Cowell. The court heard how Johnston allegedly gripped his victims by their throat during sex – and refused to wear a condom. Johnston denies two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
Read the full story here.
One kiss that led to woman’s whole world coming crashing down
(Image: Men Media)
Next up is the incredible tale of a female cop who was pictured kissing one of two criminal associates she had become “infatuated” with as she passed them information.
Choni Kenny, 27, who joined Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2020, was handed a prison sentence of three years and nine months. A two-day sentencing hearing was told she had a “casual sexual relationship” with Josh Whelan, described by Judge Neil Flewitt KC as a “committed criminal”, and a “physical but casual” relationship with former schoolmate Rahim Mottley.
Read the full story here.
Emmerdale couple surprise loved ones as they announce engagement news
Emmerdale viewers have learned some big news about a couple that was rather unexpected(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Finally, Emmerdale viewers have learned some big news about a couple that was rather unexpected – with the loved ones of the pair as equally as stunned over a wedding bombshell.
Warning, this article contains spoilers from today’s episode that is now available on ITVX but will not air on ITV1 until tonight (24 April).
Read the full story here.
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A new study found that as a result of big stock grants, the median pay among US CEOs increased by 7.5 percent to a record $ 16.8 million for 2024, which outpaces the median pay for US CEOs.
According to a review of pay among S& and P 500 CEOs conducted by ISS-Corporate, the corporate advisory arm of Institutional Shareholder Services, the CEOs of Axon and Union Pacific were among those who received significant pay increases from stock awards.
Other CEOs performed well, according to Roy Saliba, managing director at ISS-Corporate, who oversaw the study, whose goals were set during the comparatively stable years of 2023. Before Donald Trump started a trade war that has stymied global markets recently, that was before that president.
These figures don’t align with the looming uncertainty, stock performance for the year, current company performance, and other factors that “spout out.” According to Saliba, the pay decisions for 2024 would have been made at least a year ago because of the time difference, Saliba said.
He claimed that his company’s unit advises businesses to wait before altering pay plans to reflect market uncertainty. According to him, boards could use a different set of performance indicators to evaluate an executive’s performance against their peers.
According to Saliba’s study, 320 businesses in the S& and P 500 have reported pay data so far this year. The executives had a respectable job. According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, average hourly earnings for US employees increased by 4% last year, while inflation data from the Department of Commerce shows that it will increase by only 3% in 2024.
The CEO’s gains were aided by the company’s performance above those rates. The 320 Saliba companies that were analyzed had a median annual shareholder return of 15.1% in 2024.
CEO Patrick Smith at Axon, the maker of the Taser stun gun, was at one extreme, receiving a $ 164.5 million salary last year, up from $ 40 to $ 058 in 2023. He only received $ 31, 201 and $ 8, 857 in other compensation, including private air transportation, in that year.
According to Axon’s filing, the stock units that made up the majority of Smith’s 2024 pay serve as “an incentive for future performance in the form of a high-risk, high-reward compensation plan,” and the value can only be realized once each set of stock price and operational goals is met.
Axon’s comment was not forthcoming.
After being hired in August of that year, CEO James Vena received a salary of $ 17.6 million for his service to Union Pacific, versus $ 2 million for his portion of that year. The majority of his pay came from significant stock and option bonuses, according to a railroad spokesperson, which are performance-based.
His actual bonus and equity will reflect that and be less, according to the spokesperson.
Under the influence of progressive theory ,
Progressive Democrats in Washington have long urged progressive Democrats to support high CEO pay, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has introduced legislation to increase taxes on businesses whose executive compensation is 50 percent of the worker’s average salary.
Tens of thousands of people have lined up in Vatican City to catch a final glimpse of Pope Francis as he lay in state for a second day and Italian authorities stepped up security arrangements before his weekend funeral.
Francis died aged 88 on Monday morning in his rooms at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse, having only recently left hospital after five weeks of being treated for double pneumonia.
About 61,000 people had filed past the late Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin in the first 26 hours since Francis began lying in state at St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, the Vatican said.
Such was the demand to see him that authorities extended visiting hours on Wednesday from midnight (22:00 GMT) until 5:30am (03:30 GMT) on Thursday.
After a break of just one and a half hours, the doors opened again with authorities saying the window might again be extended on Thursday night if necessary.
Each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds while authorities on Thursday banned the use of smartphones inside the basilica.
A day earlier, the flow of mourners was slower as many people tried to take photos and videos.
“It was a brief but intense moment next to his body,” Italian Massimo Palo, 63, told the AFP news agency after his visit.
“He was a pope amongst his flock, amongst his people, and I hope the next papacies will be a bit like his,” he added.
“He was a wonderful pope,” Rome resident Alessandra Caccamo told the Reuters news agency as she queued outside the Vatican.
“I’m going to miss him so much because it’s like I’ve lost a piece of me.”
Pallbearers, flanked by Swiss Guards, carry the coffin of the late Pope Francis as it is transported from the chapel of Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica [Alberto Pizzoli/AFP]
The head of the pontiff’s medical team said in interviews published on Thursday that Francis had died quickly from an unexpected stroke and did not suffer undue pain.
“I entered his rooms and he had his eyes open,” Sergio Alfieri told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
“I ascertained that there were no respiratory problems, and then I tried to call his name, but he did not respond to me.”
“In that moment, I knew there was nothing more to do,” Alfieri said.
Funeral preparations under way
The coffin is due to be sealed on Friday at 8pm (18:00 GMT) in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo who is running the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected.
More than 170 delegations – including heads of state and government and other dignitaries, such as United States President Donald Trump, Argentinian President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William – are expected in St. Peter’s Square for Saturday’s funeral as millions more people watch on television across the globe.
Italy’s Civil Protection Department estimated that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.
After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
A group of “poor and needy” will be present at the basilica to welcome the coffin, the Vatican said.
He will be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus. People will be able to visit it from Sunday morning, the Vatican announced.
Election for new pope
After that, all eyes will turn to the process of choosing Francis’s successor.
“A chapter in the church’s history has been closed,” Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller told the Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview published on Thursday.
Mueller is one of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote in the secret conclave that will be held next month to elect the Catholic Church’s 267th pontiff.
Before the conclave, which is not expected to begin until at least May 6, cardinals already in Rome are meeting each day, primarily to discuss logistical matters for the day-to-day running of the 1.4 billion-member church.
Thursday’s meeting lasted about three hours and 113 cardinals took part, the Vatican said. The next meeting is expected on Friday morning, but the cardinals will not meet on the day of the funeral.
Every cardinal taking part in the meetings must take an oath to “scrupulously maintain” secrecy over any discussions about the election of the next pope.
Dan Lydiate, who won 72 Wales caps and played three Tests for the British and Irish Lions, is to retire at the age of 37.
The flanker will play his final game on European soil as Dragons go to his former Welsh professional club, Ospreys, on Saturday, 26 April (15:00 BST), before moving into a coaching role.
Lydiate made his Wales debut in 2009 and made one start at the 2023 World Cup before a final international appearance for Wales against the Barbarians.
He also featured in the 2012 and 2019 Six Nations Grand Slams under Warren Gatland, and the 2011 and 2015 World Cup campaigns.
Born in Salford to a Welsh mother, Lydiate was brought up with a farming background in Llandrindod Wells, before joining what was then the Newport Gwent Dragons’ academy.
His professional career could have been ended before it had barely begun when he broke his neck in a European match in Perpignan.
It was not the only time he had to overcome a major injury setback, with a serious knee injury in February 2021 appearing to signal the end of his Wales hopes, only for Lydiate to recover and help his country to a first ever win in South Africa the following year.
Renowned for his defensive chop-tackling abilities, the quietly spoken Lydiate formed part of a formidable back row for much of his international career, mostly at blind-side flanker alongside Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric.
He also captained his country against Italy and England in 2016 and Georgia in 2017.
At club level he moved from Dragons to Racing Metro in 2013, before returning from Paris a year later to join the Ospreys, for whom he made 90 appearances.
He returned to the Gwent region 10 years after departing, developing his farming career alongside his rugby, and will run out in a Dragons shirt for the 106th time at the Swansea.com stadium.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for DL, he’s a man of grace and humility and he works hard,” said Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia, a former playing colleague at the Ospreys.
“A British and Irish Lion, played for Wales, had a nasty injury and came through to become the man he is now.
“He’s an awesome proud father, he’s on the farm and he’s been awesome to work with.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing him going back to the Ospreys on the weekend, enjoy the moments at his old stomping ground and leave some fingerprints on his last game. Then we’ve got a plan for his coaching role.”
Lydiate has already been helping with coaching the breakdown area for the Dragons.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Dan, he’s a great professional and more importantly a great person, someone whom I’ve grown close to over the last two years,” said club captain Angus O’Brien.
Gough pays tribute to ‘quiet’ Lydiate
“When he went out to Perpignan and broke his neck, it looked like a career-ender as a young lad so to see him come back from that and work his way up, his performances under Gatland and with the Lions were absolutely unbelievable,” said former Wales team-mate Ian Gough.
“He’s quite quiet, he lets his rugby do the talking but he’s a genuine fellow and it’s great to see him have that career after that horrific injury. He had another bite in 2021 when it looked like his career had stalled, and had a knee injury within the first quarter of the game, but it’s the mark of a bloke to come back again.
The inquest into the death of Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack has been delayed until July at the earliest.
The midfielder, who was the first player to reach 100 appearances for United, died in September 2023 at the age of 27.
The inquest had been due to take place last week in Chesterfield but was postponed.
During a pre-inquest review hearing on Thursday, the Cusack family’s lawyer criticised a “perceived lack of transparency” regarding the disclosure of material.
This included requesting an unredacted version of a Football Association (FA) report following the investigation it launched in January last year into the circumstances that led to Cusack’s death.
Maria Mulla, appearing remotely on behalf of the Cusack family, told the hearing: “One of the concerns is a perceived lack of transparency, particularly in relation to documents that are being provided to them [the family]. I am told the FA report in particular has missing pages and appears with a large number of redactions, whole pages.”
She later added: “The scope of this inquest is very much a work in progress. The family wants some transparency.”
However, coroner Sophie Cartwright said that disclosure had been made under “the Worcestershire principle”, which permits redactions according to matters such as relevance.
Ms Cartwright added that while she was given “full, unfettered access”, both the FA and Sheffield United had sought redactions before onward disclosure, and she had considered additional ones necessary.
Legal representatives for both the FA and Sheffield United said they had acted in accordance with those principles.
However, Ms Cartwright did issue an apology to the Cusack family for the length of time it had taken to collate the disclosure bundle, which extends to more than 700 pages and was sent to them earlier this week.
“I apologise to the family, you have been waiting a long time for disclosure that is important to you,” she said.
Shortly after Cusack’s death, her family complained about “processes and conduct” at Sheffield United, including the conduct of former women’s team manager Jonathan Morgan.
An investigation commissioned by the club found no evidence of wrongdoing.
But the FA launched its own investigation to establish whether “further action is required under our jurisdiction within football”.
At a previous hearing, the FA’s legal counsel said the organisation would file a report to the coroner by the middle of January. It is understood this took place.
Mr Morgan attended the hearing alone, while the FA’s legal counsel Stephen Walsh and head of integrity David Matthews were also present.
Sheffield United’s chief executive Stephen Bettis appeared remotely.
