The Guardian

Alex de Minaur recovers from match point down to beat Alexander Zverev Carlos Alcaraz launches comeback of his own to leave event level at 5-5 For much of his afternoon on court against Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur seemed destined to end his day with an excruciating defeat. De Minaur had rapidly found himself down a set and a break, then Zverev served for the match at 6-2, 5-4. After miraculo…

Chris Fagan kept faith in his Lions which meant they could thrive with the weight of the football world upon them – and rip out Fremantle hearts There is no precedent for what happened at the MCG on Saturday. There have been devastating finals losses before – the Bulldogs losing the 1997 preliminary final to Adelaide and St Kilda losing the 2009 grand final to Geelong immediately spring to mind. …

Friday’s verdict against Manchester City will change everything we understood about their Premier League title triumphs Welcome, then, to the age of asterisk. Whatever punishment Manchester City and their owners receive at the end of this process, the fact remains, everything is tainted now. Overturn the tables, scatter the gold coins. Throw your medals in the bin. You cheated to win them. Whatev…

WSL rivals meet at Stamford Bridge; 4.30pm BST kick-off Live scores | Putellas on target for Lionesses | Email Will It is rare to see Melvine Malard without a grin and she has a mountain of reasons to keep it that way. A wedding in June, a big-money move to Chelsea, a Ballon d’Or nomination and a first taste of a London derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The France forward is lov…

Australia beat South Africa 42-38 in World Cup warning Les Kiss’s side reduced to 11 men in final 15 minutes A year out from the World Cup, Australia have sent a huge warning shot to the competition, upsetting the two-time trophy winners South Africa with an extraordinary 42-38 win in Perth. On a weekend when the AFL and NRL delivered fairytale comebacks, the Wallabies trumped both rival codes, h…

Senior able to move limbs but taken to hospital USC linebacker Desman Stephens II ejected for play Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has decried a “disgusting play” that left his starting quarterback, Dante Moore, in hospital during the Ducks’ 41-27 win over USC. Moore was carted off the field after a late hit by Trojans linebacker ⁠Desman Stephens II in the first half of Saturday’s game in Los Angel…

Alpine condemn social media abuse of world champion Fans of Argentinian driver criticised after Baku incident Lando Norris has been the victim of a wave of online abuse, having stated that the Alpine driver Franco Colapinto should not be in Formula One , after the Argentinian caused an accident that knocked the defending world champion out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday. Such was the le…

Updates from the final round of county cricket games Get in touch with Tanya on email or comment BTL “One last dance”, says Dave at the Old Trafford reception, clad in a Lancashire bobble hat. The covers are still on, but play is due to start at 10.45. This is also goodbye to the international summer as well, as England take on Sri Lanka in the third ODI at The Oval. Continue reading...

Over-by-over updates, third ODI from 10.30am BST South Africa v Australia: follow the second ODI live The injured Jos Buttler is replaced by Jordan Cox, who plays his first ODI since a tough tour of the Caribbean two years ago. Liam Dawson and Sonny Baker also come into the XI; Rehan Ahmed and Josh Tongue drop out. Sri Lanka, unsurprisingly, are unchanged from their stirring win at Headingley. Co…

Things started to go wrong against Spain at the same time they did against Argentina, but for very different reasons and with far more cause for optimism You could feel it inside the stadium, one of those moments where the air starts to shift, the birds fly backwards through the sky, and outside on Wembley Way an old man clutches his copy of the England Pathway Blueprint to his chest and cowers u…

Premier League could be hit hard by aftermath, while Manchester City fans may know they took 30 years to recover from a guilty verdict in 1906 So it turns out none of that was real. Nothing that happened in English football between 2009-10 and 2017-18 that involved Manchester City actually happened. City beating Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford? Fake. Sergio Agüero’s 94th-minute winner to cl…

The much-derided Adidas Jabulani, created for the 2010 World Cup, is now the ball of choice in a niche sport About once a month, Ben Clarke, the world’s leading footgolfer, carefully pumps up his collection of coveted Adidas Jabulani footballs. Like most elite players, Clarke possesses an extensive array of balls, all of which require regular inflation to prevent degradation, even those sitting p…

His team bottom of the National League, Lee Cattermole’s ‘bomb squad’ approach could well end with him departing Among many doomsday scenarios facing Manchester City is plunging down the football pyramid. Would that be so bad? Instead of yawning at the prospect of yet another meeting with Real Madrid or repeated Aviva train-hampered journeys to Wembley, how about the exoticism of away travel to W…

Updates from the match at the Wanderers Stadium Start time in Johannesburg is 10am local/6pm AEST Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email South Africa’s Pink ODI tradition began at the Wanderers in 2013, raising breast-cancer awareness and funds. The Pink ODI Fund has supported breast-care services at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital; an official 2022 update said the initiative ha…

Two bowlers often described as ‘the nicest guys in cricket’ played starring roles as the Bears outlasted the County Championship competition Ethan Bamber may be an adopted Brummie but it’s fair to say he has the city’s self-effacing nature down to a tee. After sealing Warwickshire’s ninth County Championship with one final explosion of bails, and watching captain Ed Barnard lift the trophy to che…