Francesca Jones defeated Anouk Koevermans 6-3, 6-2 in Palermo to win her second Challenger Tour title in a dominant display.
The 24-year-old will move up to 84th overall when the rankings are released on Monday, marking her first appearance in the top 100.
Jones, an England international, lost in the opening round of the US Open earlier this month, but he has since won four clay-based Challenger Tour victories. He is the fourth alternate for the main draw of the US Open in the coming month.
She served out the first set before breaking her Dutch opponent to take the 5-3 lead.
At the Palermo Ladies Open, Jones, who is undefeated, continued that momentum into the second and broke once more in the opening match before putting up a double break at 4-1 to seal the victory.
The Bradford-born player has never been outside the first round of a Grand Slam event and reached her first semi-final in 2023 with a hamstring problem.
In Washington, Fernandez prevails.
With a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Anna Kalinskaya at the Washington Open, Leylah Fernandez won the tournament’s biggest victory of her career.
Fernandez broke again for 5-1 before serving out the first set after a double fault from Russian Kalinskaya, who gave her a break to take the lead 3-1.
As Canada’s Fernandez added another double break, helping her win the set in 40 minutes, Kalinskaya struggled with the humid conditions in the second half.
Fernandez won her first WTA 500 title and her first final appearance since losing at Eastbourne in June 2025.
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Ellie Thomason
Senior journalist for BBC Sport
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Tough, England defender Lucy Bronze’s middle name, perfectly captures her performances at Euro 2025.
The Chelsea full-back admitted to playing the entire tournament with a broken leg after the Lionesses won the European title against Spain in a penalty shootout.
No-one knew that I had a fractured tibia throughout the entire tournament, according to Bronze.
She played 598 minutes for Sarina Wiegman’s side, joining only Keira Walsh, Alex Greenwood, and Hannah Hampton, who were England’s oldest players at Euro 2025, at the age of 33 years, eight months, and 30 days.
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When Wiegman made all of her substitutions in the quarter-final against Sweden, she was captured film self-strapping support around her right leg during a break.
After assisting her team to recover from a 2-0 deficit to end the match, Bronze then slammed her spot-kick into the top of the net to give England the winning penalty.
She was unable to play in the tense enounter in Sunday’s showpiece because she was ill once more but managed 105 minutes while playing against Spain before being forced to leave the pitch in tears.
“My knee hurt on the other leg today,” said Bronze. Because I’ve been suffering a lot, I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game.
They are aware of this, but if that’s what it takes to play for England, I’ll do that. We play through things like that to inspire each other, which ultimately led to our mutual success.
When asked if her condition will prevent her from giggling in Basel, Bronze replied, “It’s very painful. That’s it, I’m going to a party, I’m going to enjoy it, and that’s it.
After the game, Wiegman confirmed Bronze’s injury and claimed the experienced player had a “crazy mentality.”
We made an effort to manage her tibia because she had some issues, “added the Dutchwoman.” You’re not managing it when you play 120 minutes, are you?
She represents genuine England.
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Ellen White, her former England teammate, said to BBC Sport after learning about Bronze’s injury: “I mean this in the nicest way, but she is not human.
She is true England, even though I adore and love her.
It is unheard to say that she has just won a major tournament while her tibia has sprained. She slammed that ball in for the Sweden game because she must have been insane.
The girls should credit her, fair play. Lucy Bronze will give everything she can to play for England and win as well.
Steph Houghton, a former England captain who also played for Bronze, called her an “absolute legend of women’s football.”
She said, “To be playing that many games consecutively in tournament football is a great accomplishment.
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Daniel Kaluuya has since resigned from the limelight, which has led some fans to believe the actor now lives secretly somewhere else. He won an Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah.
Daniel has an inspiring story from growing up on a Camden council estate to breaking into Hollywood(Image: Getty Images)
Daniel Kaluuya’s career has recently become the subject of wild speculation following his absence from the screen.
Since winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2021 for Judas and the Black Messiah, the British star has kept a surprisingly low profile in Hollywood blockbusters. When he bagged his Oscar, Kaluuya was reportedly flooded with movie offers – but he has since stayed clear from appearing on screen. However, this had ultimately led to wild rumours emerging online, particularly after a social media post claimed he’d “joined a cult.”
Before being pulled, the post exploded with over 24 million views, igniting an old story that dates to Nope’s filming days. Vanylla Salimah Mahmoud, also known as Heir Holiness, a New Age figure who once claimed to be Kaluuya’s manager, was linked to Kaluuya by US media outlets at the time.
According to reports, Kaluuya’s relationship with his former employer and publicists was reportedly terminated due to concerns about Mahmoud’s influence.
The star has denied rumours after he was linked to ‘spiritual adviser’ called Heir Holiness(Image: A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)
However, an insider in Hollywood said that Kaluuya hasn’t changed and that he is simply following his own path, writing and producing more small movies than the typical blockbusters.
Kaluuya is currently working on a live-action film based on Barney, a character from the children’s film Spider-Verse. He currently has production company 59% and production company William Morris Endeavor as his primary representative.
Kaluuya began his career in British television after being raised on a council estate in north London by his Ugandan mother, who had nominated him for an Oscar or BAFTA award. Jordan Peele’s 2017 film Get Out won him international recognition.
Daniel Kaluuya is a popular actor among fans(Image: Deadline via Getty Images)
When Kaluuya was questioned about the cult-favor rumors in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kaluuya responded, “It showed me that I was in a paradigm of fame. The truth of the situation and the unnamed, unnamed source have more credibility than what is actually said, according to the unnamed source.
Heir Holiness also refuted the cult accusations, calling Kaluuya “family” and claiming that they “made it up.” My main concern was making sure he was safe and able to perform his duties, which was very shocking. It is entirely fake.
The actor was raised on a Camden council estate and was born in London in 1989 to Ugandan parents. For his A-levels, he attended Camden School for Girls, St. Aloysius’ College, and Torriano Primary School.
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He began acting at age nine, writing his first play, and studying theater at the Anna Scher Theatre School.
Kaluuya began acting professionally in 2006, gaining early fame for his role as Posh Kenneth in Skins and appearing in shows like Doctor Who and Silent Witness before breaking into film.
Canadian music sensation Drake is currently touring Europe with fellow singer PartyNextDoor, but he has caused some uncontrollable controversy by changing concert dates on his own.
Drake has abruptly rescheduled some tour dates in Manchester(Image: WireImage)
Music fans have been left in despair as Drake has announced his hotly anticipated concert in Manchester this coming week has been cancelled. The 38-year-old Canadian rap star had been due to thrill fans at the Co-Op Arena on Monday night.
However, it became public on Sunday that the concert had to be abruptly postponed due to travel disruption. However, Drake fans were informed that the shows would be changed.
Fans had less than a week to change their plans to see the star at the newly constructed music and events venue because the concerts were being held by LiveNation and Ticketmaster handled ticket sales. Some fans were still detained because they were unable to alter their plans to see the musician on his rescheduled dates.
Drake and fellow Canadian singer PartyNextDoor, 32, are on the road playing Jahron Brathwaite’s stage name, PartyNextDoor. With their $OME $PECIAL $HOWS 4 U tour, the boys have been entertaining their fans.
On Sunday, the announcement of the alteration to the advertised plans was made. A notice describing the rescheduled concert was displayed to fans of the official Co-Op Arena website.
Some fans can no longer see the Canadian chart star(Image: Getty Images)
A notice warned that tomorrow’s performance in Manchester on July 28th was rescheduled due to an unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics.
The good news is that Drake will now play in Manchester on August 5th, and it’s going to be an unforgettable night,” the statement continued. We look forward to seeing you there; all tickets are still valid for the new date.
The headliner’s concert was followed by the following information: “Five-time Grammy-award winning and multi-platinum global artist Drake announced his highly anticipated return to Europe and the UK with his $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK EU run that will launch this July.
PartyNextDoor is on the road with Drake(Image: Getty Images)
“PartyNEXTDOOR will play on every date during the show.” Produced by Live Nation. Following his Assassination Vacation Tour in 2019, Drake makes his first trip to Europe and the UK in six years.
The change in dates has left some fans disappointed, however. One responded to the news sadly on Instagram, writing: “I’m so sad came way from New York to see the boy.”
Many others have taken to social media to try to sell their rescheduled tickets because the change of dates prevented them from attending the show. Additionally, Drake ran the risk of alienating some fans because of the chaos in the schedule.
One bitterly criticized X, saying that “drake has already cancelled or rescheduled three shows: Zurich, Belgium, and Manchester.” Who the f**k chooses his tour dates and why does he always reschedules or cancels them whenever he travels to Europe? people visit his concerts in other nations! This is absurd.
Before the rescheduled dates, Drake and PartyNextDoor have already performed on two dates in Manchester and a number of dates in London. Then they travel to Amsterdam the following week before returning to Manchester.
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The duo will play to crowds in countries like Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and more until late September.
In the state’s Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, governor Nasir Idris confirmed that some soldiers have been killed in the ongoing battle against banditry.
While inspecting some of the state’s armored personnel carriers (APCs), the Governor Idris confirmed the death toll at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi while denying that the exact number of casualties had been made.
Governor Idris reaffirmed his administration’s support for the security forces and pledged to continue helping the families of the fallen soldiers who paid the price in the service.
The 223 Light Tank Battalion, Zuru, Lt. Commanding Officer, conducted the inspection. The governor was given the military equipment by Colonel Muhammad Saleh, who thanked the state government for its efforts to increase security agency capacity.
Governor Idris thanked President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Defense Staff, and other security service leaders for their commitment to addressing issues relating to national security.
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“We are grateful that we have deployed essential military equipment to thwart any bandits’ attacks, particularly in our most flimsy local government areas,” he said.
The Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff for sending armoured vehicles to Kebbi are appreciative of the government. My administration will continue to make every effort to help the security services succeed on the front lines.
Both our countrymen and I are pleased with the military’s bravery and bravery in battling bandits. Communities have been expressing gratitude by acknowledging that security personnel are working to stop the banditry menace.
He also made a plea to nearby residents to cooperate with security forces by providing timely information to support ongoing operations.
We pray for the repose of some of the brave men who lost them in battle. He assured that Kenya State would continue to support the families of our fallen heroes to prevent them from being forgotten.
Lt. Colonel Saleh also expressed gratitude to the Military High Command for its ongoing encouragement and support of combatants.
We are continuously addressing security issues, he said, urging the public to share relevant information about bandits’ movements and activities.
