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Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Giggling Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz show how much they enjoy each other's company with plenty of chemistry in US Open mixed doubles defeat, writes MATTHEW LAMBWELL
After two months of excitement and hysterical speculation it was all over in 51 minutes. The team of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz - an alliance with the power to turn the tennis public into a gaggle of giggling, gossiping teenagers - were bumped out in the first round of the US Open's mixed doubles fandango. It was fellow Brit Jack Draper who did the bumping, alongside American partner Jessica Pegula - a team who absolutely lived up to their billing as the No1 seeds. On the first point of the match, Raducanu made a total hash of a volley off a Draper return. Then Draper whipped a forehand past Raducanu to secure a break on the Alcaraz serve. If they had a poor start it was hardly surprising: Alcaraz was busy winning the Cincinnati title on Monday night and only landed in New York via private jet at 1am, before taking to the court again at 4pm. But they grew into it and produced some sparkling rallies - and more chemistry than an episode of Breaking Bad. They shared a warm hug after the match, an embrace which the Sky Sports cameras somehow contrived to miss Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten in straight sets by the number one seed at the US Open The speculation about romantic involvement has been baseless and intrusive but there is no doubt these two are good friends who enjoy each other's company. As they walked out, Raducanu whispered something in Alcaraz's ear and both giggled away. On-court chemistry is extremely important in doubles (several of the pairs in action looked and played as if they had never set eyes on one another) and these two both play best while wearing a smile. Raducanu, in particular, beamed after pretty much every point - especially in the fifth game of the match when Alcaraz sent down four big serves and Raducanu finished off each with a volley. As Raducanu held serve in the first game of the second set after a lovely rally, she raised her fist to the skies and a beaming Alcaraz waggled his finger in her direction. The rally of the match - and the whole day - was when Raducanu and Draper waged a battle of Britain, ending with Draper hitting a lovely angled pass. Raducanu had totally given up the point when suddenly Alcaraz came from nowhere to retrieve the ball, Raducanu having to duck as he threaded a winner down the line. Utter brilliance, which Raducanu greeted by putting her hands to her head in disbelief. But it was the squeaky-clean hitting of Pegula and the brutal aggression of Draper which carried the day. This was the first we had seen of Draper since Wimbledon; he has been nursing a forearm injury and it was heartening to see him looking so good on court. 'I haven't hit a ball yet,' Pegula said to her team at 2-0. It was an exaggeration but Draper really had taken over the early part of the match. Dragula were last night playing their quarter-final, chasing that $1million first prize. So, how was the first day of the event overall? Well there was, predictably, some shocking doubles on display as the singles players chanced their arm. Musetti/McNally vs Osaka/Monfils was a particularly ugly watch - they all just sat on the baseline and exchanged dreary, hopeless rallies. But Arthur Ashe stadium was sold out - that is 23,771 fans to watch mixed doubles - and Louis Armstrong was open to the public for free. Jannik Sinner, as expected, pulled out after retiring with illness from his Cincinnati final against Alcaraz on Monday night, and that left a serious lack of star power but Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud were good value. Amid all the big names, the stars of the day were Italian defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. The doubles specialists have been unremittingly critical of this event, describing it as a 'profound injustice' and played with a furious intensity, determined to show the world that singles class would be trumped by doubles nous. They certainly did that. It was almost embarrassing to watch the way they ran rings around Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina, who were made to look ham-fisted compared to the sprightly Italians who shimmered across the net. 'They are amazing players, we all know that,' said Vavassori. 'But the tactics in doubles are important.
The Sun
4 minutes ago
- The Sun
Ticketholder scoops gigantic £210m EuroMillions in super jackpot draw – making them richer than Adele
A LUCKY lotto player has scooped a whopping £210milllion in the EuroMillions superjackpot draw. The ticket holder from France has now become richer than Adele - who has a reported net worth of around £180million - after winning the eye-watering prize. 1 The jackpot has rolled over during recent draws, as there has been no winner, meaning the prize has now reached its cap of 250 million Euros (around £210 million). Tonight's EuroMillions winning numbers are: 24, 31, 34, 41, 43 and the Lucky Stars are: 06, 08. One lucky person has also become Britain's newest millionaire with the National Lottery Millionaire Maker. This follows a 250 million Euro win for an Irish family syndicate on June 17 in the EuroMillions draw. The jackpot had reached the maximum amount on June 6 after rolling over several times. Andy Carter, senior winners' advisor at Allwyn, said: 'Tuesday's jackpot has the ability to transform not just the winner's life, but the life of the friends and family around them. 'So, make sure you get a ticket to be in with a chance of banking Britain's biggest ever win.' Every EuroMillions ticket also bags you an automatic entry into the UK Millionaire Maker, which guarantees at least one player will pocket £1million in every draw. You can find out if you're a winner by checking your ticket against tonight's numbers below. The UK Millionaire Maker Selection winner is: XMPX55830. Tonight's National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are: 04, 08, 13, 36, 38 and the Thunderball is 07. The first EuroMillions draw took place on February 7, 2004, by three organisations: France's Française des Jeux, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado in Spain and Camelot in the UK. Exact location of winning €250 million ticket revealed This comes after the winners of the largest-ever EuroMillions jackpot revealed the risky move they took after receiving the life-changing news. After winning a staggering £213,000,000, a family syndicate took a unique measure to protect their golden ticket. The family, who won the money as a syndicate, described the experience as "surreal". Their good fortune came about as one of the family members ran an errand in Co. Cork and decided to buy a EuroMillions ticket. "Although I'm a regular player, I hadn't bought a ticket for the last two draws. I picked one up and honestly, didn't think much of it," they said. The impromptu purchase changed the family's lives forever. While they waited to cash in, the family took extra precautions to protect their winning ticket. However, their unique move proved potentially risky as they concealed it within an A4 sheet before placing it under a stack of laundry. It remained in the pile of clothes in their bedroom until it could be safely delivered to the National Lottery.
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Noel Gallagher admits he 'grossly underestimated what he was getting into' amid huge Oasis reunion tour with brother Liam as he says he wanted to run backstage five minutes after the first gig started
Noel Gallagher has opened up on how he felt on stage during the first Oasis reunion gigs, admitting he 'grossly underestimated what he was getting into.' The rocker, 58, recently reunited with younger brother Liam, 58, after 16 years for an epic 41-date world tour, which kicked off with a huge concert at Cardiff's Principality Stadium with over 70,000 fans in attendance. Speaking during his first interview since getting back with Oasis, Noel confessed that he had 'jelly legs' and felt like running backstage to his dressing room within five minutes of the opening show as he underestimated the scale of the event. Noel told talkSport radio to hosts Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent: 'I'm completely blown away, everyone is. It's difficult to put it into words, every night is the crowd's first night, so every one has that same energy to it. 'It's been truly amazing, I'm not usually short for words, but I can't really articulate it at the moment. For me personally, I grossly underestimated what I was getting into.' He went on: 'After about five minutes, I was thinking can we just go back to the dressing room and start this again. 'This is...I've done stadiums before, but my legs turned to jelly about halfway through the second song and I could have done with going back and taking a minute. 'It's been an amazing thing, it really is an amazing thing.' Meanwhile, the Don't Look Back In Anger hitmaker told how 'proud' he was of brother Liam and forgot how 'funny' he was after having buried their years-long feud. When asked if he'd been feeling emotional on tour amid the sibling's show of unity, Noel responded: 'We're not those kind of guys, it's great just be back with Bonehead and Liam and doing it again. I guess when it's all said and done, we'll sit and reflect on it, but it's great being back in a band with Liam. 'I forgot how funny he was.' He added of his brother: 'Liam's smashing it and I'm proud of him. 'Having been fronting a band for 16 years, I know how difficult that is and I couldn't do the stadium thing like he does it, it's not in my nature. 'I've got to say, I kind of look at him and go: "Good for you, mate". He's been amazing." Having played Dublin's Croke Park last week, Oasis will take their monumental gigs to North America before returning to the UK for dates at Wembley. They will then continue the tour with gigs in South East Asia, Australia and South America. And during the interview, Noel told how he's most looking forward to playing at Argentina's River Plate stadium as the venue is a 'special, special place' for the band. He explained: 'The River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires in November. It's the second last show and we've played there a couple of times. 'The Argentinians are without doubt in the top five places for us to play in the world and it's the furthest away from Ireland and Manchester. 'Everybody is looking forward to River Plate because it's a special, special, special place for us.' Noel's words comes amid reports he has been inspired during the Oasis tour and has written a number of new songs for a potential Oasis album. The singer is currently on tour with brother Liam and hasn't decided yet if they will perform the new music together. Noel, who also fronts High Flying Birds, is reportedly debating whether to keep the tracks for a solo album or join forces with Liam again to released a new Oasis album. An insider has told The Mirror: 'Noel has been inspired by playing to adoring crowds, who have supercharged his creativity. But he is undecided whether his work will become a new album for Oasis with Liam on vocals.' Noel is said to be 'waiting to see how things play out' on tour but so far is said to be in a 'fine mood'. But the source revealed: 'Noel has been in an absolutely fine mood. He's also been strumming some new tunes in his dressing room. But, from what he has said, these tracks are not yet aligned for any project. 'There is no Oasis studio return as yet agreed by the band, and they still have a long way to go. Things are great now, but who knows what will happen given the brothers' past troubles on the road.'
