British junior Hannah Klugman suffered defeat on her WTA main-draw debut as she lost to Yulia Putintseva at the Nottingham Open.
The 16-year-old, runner-up in the French Open girls final in May, fell 6-2 6-2 to world number 27 Putintseva in the first round.
Klugman is one of a number of highly-rated British juniors, having won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships in Florida aged 14.
But Putintseva was a step up in quality, with the Kazakh winning the Birmingham Classic title on grass last year.
“I felt very uncomfortable on my first match on grass, having done a long period on clay, so I struggled today,” Klugman said.
“It was a tough one against a top player – I’ve never played against someone like that.
Klugman struggled on serve against Putintseva, hitting five double faults and winning just five of 18 points on her second serve.
She held just once in a first set that featured six breaks of serve, with Putintseva winning four of the final five games.
The Briton improved in the second set, moving around the court with more ease but an unfortunate bounce at the net wrong-footed her and Putintseva passed her to break for a 4-2 lead.
Putintseva then held before breaking Klugman once again to wrap up victory in 70 minutes.
Clara Tauson also advanced on the first day of the WTA 250 tournament, beating Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 7-5 2-6, but new Queen’s champion Tatjana Maria withdrew before her first-round match.
British junior Hannah Klugman suffered defeat on her WTA main-draw debut as she lost to Yulia Putintseva at the Nottingham Open.
The 16-year-old, runner-up in the French Open girls final in May, fell 6-2 6-2 to world number 27 Putintseva in the first round.
Klugman is one of a number of highly-rated British juniors, having won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships in Florida aged 14.
But Putintseva was a step up in quality, with the Kazakh winning the Birmingham Classic title on grass last year.
“I felt very uncomfortable on my first match on grass, having done a long period on clay, so I struggled today,” Klugman said.
“It was a tough one against a top player – I’ve never played against someone like that.
Klugman struggled on serve against Putintseva, hitting five double faults and winning just five of 18 points on her second serve.
She held just once in a first set that featured six breaks of serve, with Putintseva winning four of the final five games.
The Briton improved in the second set, moving around the court with more ease but an unfortunate bounce at the net wrong-footed her and Putintseva passed her to break for a 4-2 lead.
Putintseva then held before breaking Klugman once again to wrap up victory in 70 minutes.
Clara Tauson also advanced on the first day of the WTA 250 tournament, beating Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 7-5 2-6, but new Queen’s champion Tatjana Maria withdrew before her first-round match.
In Berlin, two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur made good use of her lucky loser status, coming past Caroline Dolehide 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to reach the second round.
Former Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale is part of a US-based consortium’s attempt to take over League One club Plymouth Argyle.
Talks with the private equity firm are said to be at an early stage.
Plymouth owner Simon Hallett said last month that a previous agreement to sell a stake in the club had fallen through.
Bale would be following the lead of former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric, who has become part of the group that acquired control of Swansea in November 2024.
The Croatia midfielder took on a minority stake in April this year with the stated aim of generating worldwide attention on the Welsh club.
Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady previously became part of the new Birmingham City’s ownership group, while Wrexham have generated huge amounts of revenue from publicity attached to their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Plymouth were relegated to the third tier last season after an ill-fated return to the Championship.
The ambitious pre-season appointment of Wayne Rooney as manager did not work and his replacement Miron Muslic resigned at the end of the season and joined German club Schalke.
Former Manchester United midfielder and Watford boss Tom Cleverley was appointed as manager on 13 June.
It is not known what role, if any, five-time Champions League winner Bale will have at Plymouth should the planned takeover succeed.
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the death of a police inspector, Okolie Amechi, who was accidentally shot by his 10-year-old son.
It said that the incident occurred on Sunday evening.
It explained that the son, who was unaware of the state of the AK 47 assigned to Amechi, pulled the trigger and struck his father in the back.
The Command also said the the inspector’s second child was struck in the hand due to the accidental discharge.
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“The Anambra State Police Command expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident that resulted in the death of Police Inspector Okolie Amechi in Awka.
“The son unaware of the state, of the AK 47 rifle assigned to the inspector, pulled the trigger and struck the inspector in the back and his second child in the hand,” a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, read in part.
It further noted that Amechi was confirmed dead at a hospital, adding that the rifle had been recovered.
“Regrettably, Inspector Amechi was taken to the hospital and was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty while the second victim is responding to treatment.
“Also, the rifle has been recovered and the remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue.
The Princess of Wales proudly stood on the sidelines as she supported Prince William at the royals’ annual Garter Day parade – but it seems they suffered a relatable mix-up
The Princess of Wales attends Garter Day procession at Windsor Castle
A giggling Princess of Wales left Prince William hanging during a relatable mix-up at the annual Garter Day. Kate missed last year’s event during the period she was receiving cancer treatment but returned today to watch the procession of Ladies and Knights of the Garter through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.
The King and Queen followed tradition and were at the back of the procession dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, as were the other members of the order including William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward. As Kate and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh are not part of the order, they stood on the chapel’s Galilee Portch, a traditional vantage point to see the spectacle, as they waited for their husbands to pass by.
Kate chatted animatedly to Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh (Image: PA)
As the elderly Military Knights of Windsor, who led the procession, appeared into view and made their way slowly past them, the two women appeared tickled by something, laughing together.
But it meant when William came into view further up the hill, he appeared to keep glancing towards his wife but she was too busy chatting to the Duchess. And then when Kate, wearing a white Self Portrait dress, finally looked up, William was chatting to Edward walking beside him meaning they missed each other’s eye.
However, it wasn’t long before the pair were reunited as after the ceremony in the chapel, they shared a carriage ride together back to Windsor Castle.
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William missed catching his wife’s eye as he walked in the procession (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain, with knights chosen by the sovereign in recognition of their outstanding public service and achievement. Last year, the Duchess of Gloucester was invested, having been made a Royal Lady Companion.
Air Chief Marshal the Lord Peach, a retired RAF officer who chairs Nato’s military committee, Lord Kakkar, a professor of surgery, and Lord Lloyd-Webber, the composer, were also invested and installed as Knights.
Other Knights include former prime ministers Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair and Baroness Manningham-Buller, the former head of MI5, the first female chancellor of the Order.
The couple were reunited after the service for a carriage ride (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
One royal missing from today’s procession was Prince Andrew, who despite being a member of the order, has not taken part in the public procession for the last four years.
However, he was seen earlier today dressed in a shirt and tie driving to Windsor Castle for the event, where he was believed to have taken part in the event’s annual lunch and investiture, which takes place behind closed doors.
The Order of the Garter is limited to 24 Knights or Ladies Companion, in addition to the King and the Prince of Wales and several “supernumerary members”, including some foreign monarchs such as the King of Spain and the King of the Netherlands.
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Recipients of the honour are chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally.
Harlem Eubank would prefer his cousin, Chris Eubank Jr, to chase a legacy-defining fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez rather than revisit his rivalry with Conor Benn.
The unbeaten welterweight says if Eubank Jr does fight Benn again, however, the weight discrepancy between the two Britons must be addressed.
Eubank Jr outpointed Benn in a grudge match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April, more than two years after their original 2022 bout was cancelled due to Benn’s failed drug tests.
A two-fight deal was in place, but Harlem is unsure whether a rematch will materialise.
“There’s obviously a lot of money there for it, so potentially,” he told BBC Sport.
“But Chris is 35 now and I’d like to see him take the Canelo fight and sail into the sunset.
However, any potential clash with Mexican superstar Alvarez would likely have to wait until 2026. The undisputed super-middleweight champion will defend his belts against Terence Crawford in September.
Harlem, 31, also criticised the weight stipulations that surrounded the first fight.
Eubank Jr – naturally the bigger man – appeared drained during fight week and was restricted by a rehydration clause which meant neither fighter was allowed to put on more than 10lb from the 11st 6lb limit at the weigh-in.
He was fined £375,000 after missing the mark at the first weigh-in by just 0.05lb, before successfully making weight at a second check-in on the morning of the fight.
“Weight games should never be appropriate in a sport like boxing,” Harlem added.
Catterall is on a different level to Benn
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Eubank Jr’s victory over Benn settled a feud more than three decades in the making, sparked by their fathers’ famous rivalry in the 1990s.
The bout came after Benn’s two failed drug tests, which led to a lengthy investigation. Benn has always denied intentionally doping and had his suspension lifted in November 2024.
Unbeaten welterweight Harlem, who stopped Tyrone McKenna in March with his cousin and uncle, Chris Eubank Sr, watching on, will challenge Jack Catterall in Manchester on 5 July.
Having previously called out Benn himself, Harlem believes former world-title challenger Catterall is on a different level
“He [Benn] lost to Jr by a wide margin in an entertaining fight,” he said.
“I gave him props for going the distance and continuing the battle, but in terms of boxing, my next fight is a whole different level.
