The Guardian

British wildcard stuns the No 9 seed 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-0 Fery will face Alexander Zverev for place in men’s final It would have been perfectly reasonable for Arthur Fery to have finally betrayed a few nerves as he stood a point away from establishing a two-set lead in his first grand slam quarter-final. Any tension or fear he may have felt, however, was completely overpowered by his unwavering self…

Repeat of last World Cup final v Argentina still possible ‘We have to deal with it,’ France’s head coach says Didier Deschamps has insisted he is not concerned by the appointment of Argentinian officials to oversee the World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco on Thursday, with a repeat of the 2022 final against Argentina still possible. “We have to deal with it,” he said. “I trust the r…

Attendance and viewing figures at T20 World Cup hit an all-time high – and the sport’s appeal is pushing boundaries Women’s cricket is growing faster than the men’s game in many areas of the world, according to the International Cricket Council chief executive, Sanjog Gupta, who has defended his organisation’s reliance on the Indian market for driving expansion. The first women’s Test to be playe…

The USMNT’s World Cup crashout is the latest episode to suggest the support and intervention of Donald J Trump brings bad luck This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday Breaking a mirror. Walking under a ladder. Spilling salt. A black cat crossing one’s path. After the events of this week, it feels safe to add one more item to the…

The 24-year-old beat German Max Kanter into second Norway’s Torstein Træen keeps leader’s yellow jersey Olav Kooij, teammate to Paul Seixas at Decathlon CMA CGM, emerged out of the heat haze in Pau to win stage five in the Place de Verdun. The first sprint finish in the 2026 Tour de France saw Kooij, who won three stages in last year’s Tour of Britain, win with ease from Max Kanter of XDA Astana.…

French Open semi-finalist Kostyuk beats Paolini 6-3, 6-2 Czech No 9 seed Noskova defeats Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5 A lot has been made of how open the women’s draw at Wimbledon is this year, even before the defending champion, Iga Swiatek , and the world’s top two, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, all fell in the first week . But sometimes it pays to be aware of the in-form players, whoever they …

Russia banned since full-scale invasion of Ukraine Many national associations opposed to reintegration Uefa is prepared to block the return of Russian teams to international football after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted the country’s suspension from global competition. Fifa has indicated it will review its position after imposing a ban on Russian teams in the wake …

Two-time Ballon d’Or winner joins on a free transfer Mary Earps and Nicole Anyomi also new recruits London City Lionesses have announced the signing of Alexia Putellas at an event in New York, confirming the arrival in the Women’s Super League of one of the women’s game’s all-time greats. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner was available on a free transfer after leaving Barcelona at the end of the se…

A goalkeeper with 27.5m Instagram followers and a forward whose future is opaque make our team of players looking for new clubs As late bloomers and cult heroes go, few have made an impact on a World Cup quite like the goalkeeper who first defied Spain’s attackers and, after Cape Verde’s qualification for the knockouts, reduced Lionel Messi to a single goal. Vozinha departed Chaves in Liga Portug…

The Frenchman is a footballer, flautist and a thespian. There’s no question he is the most thrilling and compelling figure at this year’s tournament This has been the World Cup of characters, bold fashion statements, and bantz: we’ve had Thomas Tuchel rubber-banding around the England dressing room like a teen at his first all-ages rave, and Iván Barton booting Miguel Almirón from the field as if…

We pick six of the best analysts to feature at the World Cup in North America on screens in the UK, US and Australia Joe Hart There’s long been a feeling that, when it comes to punditry, only goalkeepers should talk about goalkeepers given the unique nature of the role. That view will have been strengthened by Hart’s appearances during this World Cup. The former England No 1 has been an authorita…

The Australian superstar returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue, and the playing conditions were comparatively abysmal. The Australian striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team infamously bereft of locker r…

Carrick set to welcome player back after World Cup Club preference is to ease wage bill by offloading player Marcus Rashford is set to be re-integrated at Manchester United following the World Cup, with the forward currently expected to start next season as part of Michael Carrick’s squad. Due to a breakdown in the relationship between the player and club, the 28-year-old, who has two years left …

On the eve of the first women’s Test at Lord’s, nine England players and one Australian from 1976 are gathering On Thursday, in a room in central London about three miles from Lord’s, a group of 10 women will gather together for a very special reunion. Fifty years ago, on 4 August 1976, they made history when they were among the first female cricketers to play a match at the so-called Home of Cri…

From Philly’s blockbuster coup to LeBron James once again dominating the market, here are the early winners and losers from a frantic first week of NBA free agency Once again, it’s time to pass judgement prematurely. After all, I would have my basketball writer card revoked were I to not evaluate before the dust has fully settled: that’s why they pay me the modestly-sized bucks, I’m told. So, wit…