Archive July 2, 2025

Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning world number one, defeated Czechoss Marie Bouzkova to continue her quest for her maiden Wimbledon title.

With a gritty 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory over the world number 48, Sabalenka avoided the same fate after a record-breaking number of seeds fell in the opening two days – eight top-10 players overall in both the men’s and women’s singles draws.

The Belarusian hopes to add Venus Rosewater Dish to her three previous Grand Slam victories, including those from the US and Australian Open.

If British No. 1 Marketa Vondrousova, who is currently the No. 1, defeats her on Wednesday in round three, she might face Emma Raducanu.

Olga Danilovic of Serbia and Keys both won comfortably in the third round, beating them 6-4, 6-2, respectively.

On a gloomy morning that nearly two hours later, handheld fans were replaced by umbrellas at SW19, which greatly reduced play on the outside courts.

But just in time for Sabalenka’s round two match when the sun started to set in, the roof on Centre Court was off.

The three-time major winner struggled to find consistency in the opening set and was inconsistent in her play in crucial situations.

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

But when she double-failed to give Bouzkova the lead at 5-5, she was unable to create a break point in the first set and instead went down a break while eye rolling and shouting in frustration at times.

A Wimbledon crowd who was desperate to support the Czech underdog greeted that with a lot of cheer, but Sabalenka let out a huge roar as she pushed the tie-break deep into the match.

In the fifth game, she increased the aggression and executed each of her signature powerful groundstrokes with a loud grunt before a more straightforward second set.

Although Sabalenka is undoubtedly well-liked at Wimbledon, potential third-round matches against Briton Raducanu could put them to her.

Wales’ players are “buzzing” about Sophie Ingle’s return, who claims she is fit to start their first major tournament game.

After having anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, the former Wales captain and record-holder in the Women’s Super League (WSL) has not played a competitive game in more than a year.

The 33-year-old midfielder, however, claims she is feeling “like herself again” and is set to start Saturday against the Netherlands in Lucerne.

She worked so hard to recreate this moment, and I believe she only offers a different level of expertise and ability based on both her on and off the field.

Ingle expressed her relief at being chosen for Wales’ 23-player squad last week, saying she would be ready to play if chosen, but that the former Chelsea midfielder now believes she is ready to play against the Netherlands.

She stated, “I’m feeling really good.” Every day I’m on the pitch, I feel more self-assured and confident, and this week’s majority of the girls said, “Looks like you haven’t been out for nine months,” which is obviously a compliment and gives me more confidence.

“Sometimes you don’t really know how you play, how you look when you run, or how you look when you kick a ball, but it’s really nice to hear that feedback from the girls.”

Then, when I watch my training clips back, I start to feel like myself again and move really well around the pitch.

Ingle acknowledges that being on the squad is a great relief, especially since there is no guarantee that she will recover in time.

I believe this because they consistently recommend recuperating from an ACL injury in nine to twelve months. However, as you’ve seen over the past year, particularly with some of my club’s teammates, they’ve overstayed the 12-month mark, she said.

In a difficult Euro 2025 qualifying group that includes England and France, Scotland’s Striker Kayleigh Barton claims the return of Ingle has pleased the entire Wales squad as they attempt to upset that country in Switzerland.

Sophie is a professional, according to Barton, who knew from the beginning that she had a goal in mind and was aware of her goals.

Because of Sophie’s presence both on and off the pitch, it’s fantastic that we have her back with us in the squad.

She is a fantastic character, and she always makes me smile every day, and I’m so happy she’s succeeded in achieving her goals of returning to the team.

Ingle has won numerous awards during his glittering club career with Chelsea, but he anticipates Saturday to be a career highlight when Wales’ players debut in front of their friends and family in Lucerne.

“Yes, I’m anxious.” Can’t wait to see the fans there, she said. The families are “more excited than we are,” he said.

We frequently receive messages from our families telling them they’re eager to leave, and I believe we do the same for the fans.

Shaun Wane, England’s head coach, wants the big names in the Super League to increase the intensity of their team’s matches to help them get ready for the autumn Test series against Australia.

Before his contingent of Australian-based National Rugby League (NRL) players bolster the ranks at the end of the club season, the 60-year-old has selected a 32-person Super League-based squad to help embed his messages for the series against the world champions.

Wane is using the occasion to explain what he expects of players and what he wants them to improve, helping them to understand his demands at the highest level.

With six uncapped additions to the group based on individual performance, the coach has been given the upper hand when the standard has occasionally been poor. However, many people have excelled in Super League this year.

Wane told BBC Sport, “I looked at the St Helens and Leeds game from the previous week, and it was intense.” However, I require more standard test match games.

The coaches of the Super League say, “That’s what they want and what they’re working toward.” However, I need more low-scoring [matches], teams that are aggressive and don’t penalize anyone for their errors. That is the Ashes preparation.

There are still plenty of things for their autumn opponents to sort out before they board the planes for the “Old Dart,” despite Wane grappling with his own issues, most notably a lack of time on the field with his players.

After long-standing boss Mal Meninga left his position to take the position at the new NRL franchise, the Perth Bears, for whom a full roster must be created, a coach must be appointed.

If former captain Brad Fittler’s interview with Australian radio station 2GB is to be believed, which states that there must be sorting accommodations, training facilities, kit, and other tour essentials, logistics also need to be fixed.

Fittler canceled his job due to his media obligations, and recent reports suggest that former Kangaroos Cameron Smith might join him.

Wane anticipates high-quality opposition in October, regardless of who takes the baton.

“I hope there is chaos, that would be ideal!” “Wane joked, “Any advice you can give me the better.

However, they have a fantastic team, some excellent players to select from, and they will be competitive, so regardless of the coach, they will be ready to play when they visit this country in October.

“If we can have a full stadium at Wembley, that’ll do for me,” he said.

The most recent State of Origin representative series, which will end on July 9 in Sydney, has been designed to feature New South Wales and Queensland in one game. This gives England coaches a sense of what to expect.

When I play with things I want them to clip up, I whatsap on Lee Briers and Andy Last, Wane continued.

There is something special about getting the call for your country, even though the six newcomers are far from guaranteed a spot when they face the Green and Gold at Wembley on Saturday, October.

Leigh forward Owen Trout has represented the England Academy and the Knights, a group made up of players who were just starting out, but this is his first full senior position.

The Wakefield-born packman was pleased to be able to tell his family the good news, but nothing compares to the club’s head coach, Adrian Lam, who he had gotten ahold of.

He jumped up and down and grinned with joy when I first told him, according to Trout.

He probably reacted with more vigor than my father did. My father isn’t really emotional, though. My father was like, “Oh no, that’s good,” “Oh no, that’s good,” and he was very mellow.

Adrian is a very emotional person, and I was anticipating his happiness.

The Challenge Cup was won by Super League leaders Hull KR, and back-rower James Batchelor is one of their unsung heroes.

The opportunity to follow his brother Joe and become a full international is a major plus for the rest of 2025, as is the lure of facing the Kangaroos, and Batchelor saw his brother Joe becapped by England in 2022 and win domestic honors with St Helens.

We would wake up at five or six in the morning to watch those internationals, Batchelor told BBC Sport.

“When you were younger, it was England versus Australia,” but it became that way more frequently.

Sonay Kartal’s dominant victory over Viktoriya Tomova set her precedent for the first British player to advance to round three this year.

Due to rain in the morning, Wednesday’s play was delayed by more than two hours due to blistering heat for two days.

However, British number three Kartal immediately despatched Tomova with a 6-2, 6-2 victory following her impressive first-round victory over 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko.

Kartal has advanced to the third round of Wimbledon for the second year in a row.

“I wanted to recoup the run I did last year. I wanted to demonstrate that I can play consistently at this level right now.

“I have been putting myself on the spot for the past few months. I made a conscious effort to only play bigger games this year. I have a lot more confidence in my game now.

Kartal really took off in the sixth game of the opening set, breaking again at 5-2 up to take the first set after breaking her first break of serve.

Tomova struggled to recover in the second set after Kartal’s first four games, which she had won.

In the fifth game, Tomova was able to break Kartal’s serve, but it only served to halt the Briton’s excellent winning run.