Carlos Alcaraz defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Japan Open in Tokyo.
The top seed of Spain dismissed any lingering questions about an ankle injury he sustained in the opening round and fired 39 winners without going through a break point.
As he aims to win his eighth ATP title of a remarkable season, the world number one will face fourth-seeded Casper Ruud from Norway on Monday in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz remarked, “I think I just played unbelievable today, I’m not going to lie.”
“I felt like I could play every shot and do everything on the court.”
Following victories at the US Open earlier this month, Rotterdam, and the Cincinnati Masters, Alcaraz is unbeaten on the way to a fourth hard court title in Japan.
The 22-year-old six-time Grand Slam champion has also won three titles on grass at Queen’s and three at Monte Carlo, Rome, and the French Open in Roland Garros.
However, only third seed Holgar Rune is the only notable player to lose in the quarter-finals, leaving only three of the top four players in the draw for the semi-finals in Tokyo.
Jenson Brooksby, 24, is expected to move up from 86 in the world to at least 57th when the rankings are next updated after his impressive run in Tokyo, to Denmark’s Rune, who lost 6-3, 6-3.
After defeating another American, Sebastian Korda, Brooksby will face compatriot Taylor Fritz, who defeated the second seed 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3).
Gauff serve issues come back in China Open victories.
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In a third-round match at the China Open, defending champion Gauff defended his decision to face Fernandez, saying, “I did what I needed to do to win.”
The issues with her serve, which eventually brought the American second seed to tears at the US Open, resurfaced in Beijing after she won a close encounter in three sets, winning 6-4, 4-6, and 7-5.
The 21-year-old, two-time Grand Slam champion, broke seven double faults during the contest.
Both players struggled with their serve, taking 15 total breaks throughout, including eight on the final set, three on Gauff’s serve and five on Fernandez’s.
Gauff split her second match point at 5-2 ahead of the Canadian world number 25 on both occasions, but she rallied at 5-5 to finish the match, sealing victory on her second match point.
In her on-court interview, Gauff said, “We were going back and forth. It was very physical.
“Obviously, I was playing pretty well through the third set.” I could have done better, but I still managed to prevail today.
Bishop Wale Oke has urged Nigerians to unite as she observes her 65th birthday on Wednesday.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN)’s national leader called for a special church service on Sunday to honor the country’s independence.
The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Speaking on the theme “The Power of Unity in Building a Great Nation” taken from Psalm 133, said that if the people of Nigeria were united, it could be better and better.
If the leaders, the led, the governors, and the governed come together and work together to advance the country, he said, the country would be blessed with everything it needed to become a global force.
Bishop Wale Oke, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), addresses a special church service on September 28, 2025 to celebrate the country’s independence in Abuja.
He said, “We can have a nation where peace and unity rule,” and that the United States of Nigeria could become a powerful force on the world stage.
Read more about Akpabio, Akume, Musa, and other Africans who are 65 attending special service for Nigeria.
He warned that the country’s division along tribal, religious, and regional lines still prevents development in Nigeria.
“We will advance quickly because we are brethren, not because of tribe, not because of section, or region.”
Bishop Wale Oke, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), addresses a special church service on September 28, 2025 to celebrate the country’s independence in Abuja.
Using Genesis 11: 1-9, which states that a people who work together can accomplish the impossible.
“We must look beyond tribal, religious, and partisan politics,” he says. What divides us is much more powerful than what unites us.
We must fall in love with one another. Love is the only true force. And when we truly love one another, we will treat everyone equally and justly, regardless of race, religion, or background, “Oke said.
The Duke of Sussex had a private meeting with another royal during his dazzling trip to the UK. According to royal expert Jennie Bond, Harry wants to remain a member of the royal family despite this decision.
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Prince Harry made a secret visit to see a family member while in the UK(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry’s secret visit to the see Duchess of Kent during his whirlwind UK trip was an important olive branch for the royals, according to an expert.
During his four-day return to his home country, the Duke of Sussex met with his father King Charles for a 55-minute private tea at Clarence House, marking their first meeting since February 2024.
Away from the spotlight, Harry also met with another member of the royal family on his visit, with his spokesperson confirming that he met Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent at Kensington Palace. The prince paid his respects following the death of his wife, Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, who passed away on 4 September at the age of 92.
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Harry departed the UK before the Duchess’ funeral at Westminster Cathedral, instead travelling to Ukraine for a long-arranged meeting with injured soldiers in the war-torn region.
With the duke taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with the Duke of Kent, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes he is trying to mend bridges within the royal family.
She exclusively told the Mirror: “I think it’s a sign that Harry very much wants to remain part of the royal family. But that doesn’t mean he wants to be part of the institution. Family ties seem to mean a lot to him these days, in spite of the damage he has done and the hurt he has caused.”
She continued to discuss the Kents’ relationship with Harry, highlighting how the prince felt compelled to express his condolences in person.
She continued, “Harry and Meghan’s wedding was a significant event in his life for many years. Harry was undoubtedly moved by the Duchess’ presence because it was one of her few public appearances.
I’m sure he thought it was a good idea to go see the Duke and express his condolences in person. Even though his life is now elsewhere, we are aware that he is seeking reconciliation, and this was just one more small step.
While Prince Harry didn’t attend the Duchess’s funeral, held in London on September 16, Jennie Bond believes this was a decision made by Harry to not steal the spotlight at such a sombre event, and to fulfil his engagement in Ukraine.
Bond said, “No one has confirmed whether he was invited to the funeral itself” or not. However, he would have known that this day would have been dedicated to the Duchess, and that he would have been the subject of all the headlines. Therefore, I believe it was wise for him to avoid.
It would have been very difficult to reschedule the trip because of the length of his planned meeting in Ukraine, which must have involved some very complex preparations. In the end, I believe he chose the wisest course of action: he first saw the ailing Duke in a private setting before leaving the rest of the family to mourn in public.
Many of the cast members from the Wizard of Oz’s first film, which was released in 1939, were permanently harmed, both physically and mentally, and led to the drug-dependent lead actress Judy Garland’s death at the age of 47.
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Due to the horrors that the cast experienced, the Wizard of Oz movie was said to be cursed.
Elaine Merk Binder, who was amongst the final surviving munchkins from the beloved film The Wizard of Oz, has died aged 94.
The heartbreaking news was confirmed by her daughter Annette Phillips to TMZ, though no cause of death was revealed. Binder successfully auditioned for the movie in 1938 and was chosen as one of eight children who would perform dance and vocal numbers as part of the Munchkin cast.
The 1939 fantasy classic left numerous cast members with lasting damage – both physical and psychological – and sent its leading lady, Judy Garland, spiralling into substance abuse that would eventually claim her life at just 47.
One of the first films to enter the Technicolor, The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was successful commercially and financially unsuccessful.
The movie’s 1949 re-release only led to a profit for Hollywood’s colossus MetroGoldwyn-Mayer.
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Despite numerous mishaps, horrifying injuries, and four different directors’ attempts to refute the notion of a Wizard of Oz curse, it is still remarkable that the entire cast survived the filming process.
“Health and safety regulations weren’t the same as they are now, and studios were allowed to get away with treating their stars appallingly”, explains Dr Ellen Wright, senior lecturer in cinema and TV history at De Montford University.
“Our stars were treated like workhorses because that’s how they operated.” They were given terrible demands and seven years of contracts that they couldn’t get out of. If they refused they were penalised”.
Judy started playing on stage alongside her sisters as a vaudeville girl when she was just 16 when the movie was being shot.
She was completely in charge of her life after being locked into her MGM deal.
She was placed on a rigid regime of chicken soup, black coffee and cigarettes, whilst being given tablets to suppress her hunger.
The teenager’s weight and appearance would be constantly monitored by Studio Chief Louis B. Mayer.
“He would apparently refer to her lovingly as ‘ my little hunchback’, says Ellen”. She ended up with chronic body dysmorphia because he had been a constant enemy of her. Judy was already 4 feet 11 inches tall, but her handlers monitored every bite of her food.
” Her chest was strapped down and her frame compressed into restrictive corsets to create the illusion of the innocent young Dorothy. “
The studio hosted a birthday party for her, but it was a few weeks too early to fit in her schedule. She couldn’t even choose the day to celebrate her birthday! “says Ellen”. She was denied access to a slice of her own cake because it would make her fat, despite the fact that they had photographed the gathering for the fan magazines.
Her mother, who had a nine-year history of drug abuse, had given her daughter, Judy, a substance abuser, from when she was a young girl.
She would begin each day with her ‘ pep pills ‘ – speed – to elevate her energy levels, but would become so stimulated by evening that she required barbiturates to achieve sleep”.
Judy later told her biographer Paul Donnelley, “They had us working days and nights on end.” They would prescribe pills to keep us awake for a long time after we were exhausted.
” Then they’d take us to the studio hospital and knock us out with sleeping pills… Then after four hours they’d wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. We were hanging from the ceiling for the majority of our lives, but that was our way of life.
Judy had completely dependent upon herself when production came to a close, and she suffered from substance abuse for the rest of her years.
” She suffered from this chronic sense of not being enough, “says Ellen”. Although Mayer bullied her to the core, she was undoubtedly a talented young woman.
The leading woman of the movie also had to deal with challenges during the production process. The initial Tin Man actor, Buddy Ebson, was rushed to hospital and nearly perished from toxic aluminium poisoning merely 10 days into shooting.
His makeup was pure powdered aluminum, which the studio was unaware had this potential fatality, Ellen explains.
Buddy had already laid down all the vocals for the Tin Man, so the studio decided to reshoot his scenes with a stand-in, Jack Haley.
In order to achieve the Tin Man’s signature silver appearance, the makeup team discreetly used an aluminum paste rather than powder. However, Haley developed an eye infection from the metallic irritant.
After wearing his 100-pound fur costume for hours on end under the sweltering Kleig lights, Bert Lahr, who portrayed the Lion, succumbed to heat exhaustion. He was forced to consume his lunch through a straw and had to lie down on planks to eat.
The prosthetic mask he wore permanently damaged Ray Bolger’s facial features when he played the Scarecrow.
And Terry, the adorable Toto character, did not manage to escape unharmed: one of the cast accidentally stepped on her paw, which caused a two-week recovery period at Judy’s home.
One of the most severe injuries on set was sustained by Margaret Hamilton, a teacher and part-time actor hired to play the green-faced Wicked Witch of the West.
Her copper-based makeup caught fire as a result of a pyrotechnic error, leaving her with third-degree burns on her arms and face, which is agonizing.
” She point blank refused to do any more stunts after that, so the studio had to hire a body-double to film the stunts instead, “says Ellen.
Tragically, Betty Danko’s replacement, who was being filmed the Witch’s dramatic arrival in Munchkinland, was burned to death by the sluggish broomstick she was perched on. She spent 11 days in the hospital, where her legs were left permanently scarred.
” They were just another cog in the machine, “says Ellen”. The big stars had the wealthy cars, the wealthy homes, and were fairly well-paid.
“But the argument was, “We pay you well so we can treat you like s***,” and most of the time the homes weren’t theirs, the cars were on tick, and the clothes they wore were loaned out by the wardrobe department. They were in a gilded cage.
They simply had to do some of the things that were required of them because it was unbearably dangerous.
In a scene in which Dorothy and the Scarecrow are sucked into a meadow of poppies, which turns into a snowy tempest, Judy and Ray were even forced to stomp around in asbestos.
“That’s what they used as snow, they had no idea it was carcinogenic so she was just inhaling all of that asbestos,” says Ellen.
Because you faced off against a formidable machine that had you in its grasp, there were very few stars who could command any say-so. You did what they told you – whether that was rolling around in asbestos, being bullied or being fed loads of drugs. “
Unfortunately, Judy passed away at the age of 47 from a barbiturates overdose, leaving behind her three children, Lorna and Joey Luft.
Her estate was only worth $40, 000, or £200, 000 in today’s money, despite earning millions throughout her glittering career.
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Ellen reveals that Judy never saw that in herself, but she did so much to bring joy to so many people. She never truly loved herself despite all that money and success.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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Mike Henson
Rugby Union News Reporter for BBC Sport
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England’s dominance is now the defining characteristic of the women’s rugby landscape, with six straight Grand Slam victories, six straight Grand Slam victories, and a record-breaking 33 consecutive Test victories.
However, the Red Roses haven’t always had the best of both worlds. Not very far at all.
Seven years later, if you consider the Six Nations, England had won just one of them. In addition to the 2017 Rugby World Cup final, they had lost six of their previous seven meetings with New Zealand.
In recent years, defeats have also been suffered by Wales, Ireland, France, and Canada.
They were a significant force, but they were not.
However, two decisions were being made in the background that, on Saturday, supercharged England’s comeback from defeat to Canada.
A new domestic women’s league was established by the Rugby Football Union in October 2016.
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Additionally, England players were given full-time XV-a-side central contracts in September 2018. The first 28 players to play for the Red Roses to become fully professional included Jessica Breach, Natasha Hunt, and Emily Scarratt.
Prior to this, England squads were offered short-term contracts to play for major tournaments and pay for match fees, but they were required to balance their rugby with other jobs and frequently switch to the sevens program.
Deborah Griffin, the organization’s former president, served on the RFU’s board at the time. She organized the first Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1991.
She said, “I believe the league has significantly improved the Red Roses’ performance.”
There was a difference in standards between what the girls were experiencing at the club level and what they were experiencing at the club, so the whole goal was to prevent that step up to the Red Roses wasn’t so important.
Our depth of strength is our greatest strength throughout the entire competition. You don’t have to worry about the bench’s performance because they frequently outperform the field’s.
“We’ve been playing this league for eight years, and that’s why.” It has been extremely significant.
With players like Australia, New Zealand, and France already signing year-round deals, player pressure to switch to full-time XVs had increased as well.
Griffin claims that the performance aspect was prioritized over the player’s welfare.
“We obviously wanted to perform better. One of the RFU’s goals is to have championship-winning England sides.
However, there was a time when girls would travel back from France to play on Sunday and then take a ferry on Monday to get back to work.
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England won the Six Nations title in both the first and second years of the Premier 15 contracts in 2019. And then essentially everything.
Only twice have they lost in 73 games since the start of 2019.
The Premier 15s, which has evolved into the PWR, is the highest level of domestic rugby in the world, drawing world-class players to England to play their matches.
Those choices cost a lot. They continue to be.
Like their male cousins, PWR teams don’t earn money. Their losses can reach hundreds of thousands.
The Red Roses are a losing program for the RFU, despite filling Allianz Stadium with the women’s world cup victory over Canada on Saturday.
According to CEO Bill Sweeney’s forecast for the company’s fiscal year, it won’t make a profit until 2030.
A lot of money is required to commit the Red Roses to rugby, in order for them to do so.
The main objections to the establishment of a new domestic women’s league and, particularly, a full-time England XV program were made.
The main concern was with finances, Griffin says, and it took some time to get past the line.
However, choosing not to support the women’s game as well may have had a cost.
According to Griffin, “one of the biggest reasons it did get past the line was because of the sponsors, particularly O2,”
They and a few others made it very clear that they wanted to contribute some of their sponsorship to the promotion of women’s soccer.
If you don’t, sponsorship might be in danger if you don’t do that.
They didn’t say that, but it’s understood that.
Since then, the Red Roses have attracted new team-specific sponsors, with companies that support the women’s team from consumer electronics, clothing, and beauty products manufacturers.
In Berlin, more than 100 000 people staged a demonstration against the Nazis’ support of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Following a call from a strong coalition of about 50 organizations, including pro-Palestinian organizations Medico International, Amnesty International, and the opposition Left Party, demonstrators called for a large demonstration on Saturday from Berlin’s City Hall to the Grosser Stern.
The All Eyes on Gaza – Stop the Genocide rally organizers demanded that “Germany’s complicity” in Israel’s genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave be ended.
Additionally, they demanded that Israel’s military cooperation be ended. Weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment are included in this list of imports, exports, and transits.
The International Court of Justice is looking into the actions of the Israeli government, which have long been referred to as genocide by experts and international organizations. The German government continues to deny the systematic violence, according to organisers, despite it being clear that the Israeli military is carrying out large-scale atrocities in Gaza.
The crowd chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Viva Palestine,” while holding up posters with the slogans “Freedom for all” and “Freedom for Palestine” Palestinian flags were also waved by numerous protesters.
They demanded immediate restrictions on German arms exports to Israel, the passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and sanctions from the EU against Israel.
The centre-right government is being forced to reevaluate its position toward Israel as a result of a new survey released on Tuesday that revealed that 62 percent of German voters think the actions taken in Gaza constitute genocide.
This sentiment, according to the representative poll conducted by YouGov, crosses political boundaries, with 60% of voters in Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc referring to Israel’s military campaign as a genocide against Palestinians. The SPD’s voter turnout was higher at 71% among coalition partners.
