
WTA roundup: Rebecca Sramkova stuns Barbora Krejcikova in London
June 11 - Solovakia's Rebecca Sramkova won 78.1 percent of her first-serve points while posting a 6-4, 6-3 upset of No. 7 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the HSBC Championships in London on Tuesday.
Sramkova's solid win at the Queen's Club earns her a match against wild card Emma Raducanu of Great Britain. Raducanu converted 4 of 5 break points in her 6-1, 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Cristian Bucsa.
No. 5 Russian Diana Shnaider rolled to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Magdalena Frech of Poland, and No. 6 Czech Karolina Muchova beat Australia's Maddison Inglis 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4. McCartney Kessler beat Brit Francesca Jones 6-2, 6-4 while Brits Katie Boulter and Heather Watson also notched victories.
Libema Open
Bernarda Pera converted 7 of 11 break points while outlasting fourth-seeded Magda Linette of Poland 6-2, 6-7 (10), 7-5 in the first round in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Ann Li upset No. 5 Anastasia Potopova of Russia 7-5, 6-2, and Australia's Kimberly Birrell took down No. 6 Wang Xinyu of China 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1. No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Miriam Bolkvadze of Georgia.
Greet Minnen of Belgium stunned Danielle Collins 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, Canada's Bianca Andreescu defeated Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei 6-1, 6-3, and Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands was a 6-3, 0-6, 6-3 winner over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Chelsea unveil their new away kit for 2025-26 season and will debut it in Club World Cup - as they bizarrely pay tribute to HUNGARY in strip
Chelsea have revealed their new away kit for the 2025-26 season. A standard shirt for an adult weighs in at £84.99. The Blues will give their new strips their first outings at the Club World Cup in the United States, where they will face LAFC, Flamengo, and ES Tunis in the group stages. Surprisingly, the story of Chelsea's away kit is rooted in 1950s Hungary. Former Chelsea manager Dave Sexton - who won the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup in the early 1970s - loved the 'Magnificent Magyars' Hungarian team of the '50s so much that he introduced a red, white and green kit in tribute to the nation's colours. Now, Chelsea have paid tribute to that old jersey by adding green and red lines down the centre of their white away shirt. Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, and Kadeisha Buchanan modelled the gear in the Saatchi Gallery in London. Their blue home kit went on sale a few weeks ago.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Crystal Palace's fight to stay in the Europa League explained - and why Nottingham Forest are getting involved
Crystal Palace are waiting on tenterhooks to discover if their European tour will be cancelled before it even begins. The Eagles thought they had secured their place in continental competition after defying all the odds to win the FA Cup - their first-ever major trophy - which resulted in them qualifying for the Europa League. However, their dream of European football - something they've never had in their 120-year history - hangs in the balance as Uefa decide whether Palace have breached the tournament's multi-club ownership rules, which do not allow teams under the same owner to compete in the same competition. Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest have since piled in on Palace's woes, writing to the governing body to voice their concerns over the breach. Here's everything you need to know about Crystal Palace's fight to stay in the Europa League. Are Crystal Palace in breach of multi-club ownership rules? Much of this saga centres around American businessman and Eagle Football Holdings owner John Textor. Eagle Football holds a 43 per cent stake in Crystal Palace, but also owns a 77 per cent stake in Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, who akin to Palace have also qualified for next season's rendition of the Europa League. To prevent collusion, Uefa does not allow multiple clubs under the same owner to compete in one of its competitions, and in the case that two teams under a multi-club model qualify for the same tournament, the side that achieved the better finish in its domestic season gets priority. Lyon finished sixth last term and qualified via their league position, while Palace finished 12th. However, there was a way around this. Under Article 5 or Uefa's rulebook, clubs had until March 1 of this year to have complied with the requirements to prove they are not "simultaneously involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration, and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition". What this often entails is the adaptation of shareholdings - such as putting shares in a blind trust - to follow regulations, with the likes of Ineos, the City Group and, most recently, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis all doing so to ensure their teams face no barriers to compete in Europe. Marinakis was preparing for the eventuality that Forest would qualify for the Champions League alongside Olympiakos, who are also owned by the Greek billionaire. Uefa's deadline of 1 March is clear, but Palace missed it. After all, their route to such a conflict was incredibly unforeseen at that point - they were sitting in the bottom half of the table and were only in the FA Cup fifth round. Meanwhile, Lyon only managed to gain European qualification in the season's last breath, moving into a Conference League spot thanks to a 99th-minute Le Havre winner at Strasbourg on the final day, before Paris Saint-Germain won the Coupe de France to bump Lyon into the Europa League. While a lack of foresight may prove unforgiving, it is understood that Textor's position means he cannot be enforced by the club to place his shares in a blind trust due to a lack of legal authority. With the deadline long gone, Palace have told Uefa that they are ready to take immediate steps to comply with their requirements, but are also arguing against the claim that they are in serious breach of the requirements at all. What is Crystal Palace's defence? Crystal Palace are arguing that their historic FA Cup triumph and subsequent Europa League qualification were achieved on their own merit rather than via the benefits of a multi-club system, and that the response to eject them from the competition is disproportionate. They also refute that they operate under such a multi-club model, with Textor holding just 25 per cent of the voting rights - crucially, less than 30 per cent. This could prove pivotal as Uefa's rules state that "no individual or legal entity" can hold a majority of shareholder voting rights - and thus the ability to have the final say on decisions - at two clubs in the same European tournament. Palace chairman Steve Parish and his top brass are widely accepted to be the key decision-makers at Palace, with Parish having the determining vote, while Textor has comparatively inferior influence. As such, there is an argument that Palace's operation is entirely independent, claiming not to have been assisted by Textor's Lyon connection in their FA Cup triumph last term. According to the club, this is in the sense that there have been no employee or coach sharing, no joint strategy, no collective scouting, and the fact that the last transfer between the two outfits came in August 2023, when now-Everton defender Jake O'Brien left Palace for Lyon. Why are Nottingham Forest getting involved? Nottingham Forest have written to Uefa to express their concerns and a desire for clarity over Crystal Palace's involvement in the Europa League when they might be in breach of the governing body's multi-ownership rules. As previously stated above, Forest were in a similar boat in regard to the possibility of falling foul of these regulations, only in the Champions League, which led to Marinakis diluting his control of the club. Forest missed out on Europe's premier competition on the final day of the Premier League season, allowing Marinakis to retake the reins, but now stand to gain from Crystal Palace's failure to change their ownership structure by the March 1 deadline. This is because they finished the season in seventh - at present a Conference League spot. There is no guarantee, but they could be lifted into the Europa League if Palace are expelled. What could happen next? Palace are doing all they can to convince Uefa that they are not in serious breach of the regulations, with Parish and Textor being invited to the governing body's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, for crisis talks. Textor has been part of the contingent to argue that his influence at the club is minimal - something he has publicly made known he is frustrated about, with the current leadership structure meaning he actually wants to sell his stake. As such, Textor is willing to resign as director of Palace to ensure their involvement in Europe next season, which would mean the American would lose any and all influence at the club. When will a verdict be reached? Uefa will continue to deliberate in internal meetings, primarily with their Club Financial Control Body, over the coming weeks and are expected to come up with a decision by the end of the month, forcing Palace to endure an anxious wait to see if their European dream lives or dies. While it may appear the simple compromise is to drop Palace to the Conference League - avoiding the ownership clash but keeping Palace in continental competition - a similar issue would arise due to the positions of shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer. They also own Danish club Brondby, who have qualified for the competition through finishing third in the Superliga. Palace are hopeful that if a sanction is imposed, it does not act as an injustice to their competitive achievements. It's reported that Palace believe a hard ban from European football would contradict Article 2 of Uefa's rulebook, which set out to ensure 'sporting values always prevail', and would instead be more receptive to a fine or oversight measures, such as the temporary monitoring of transfers.


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nick Kyrgios doesn't look like this anymore! Tennis champion shocks with dramatic new look following split from Costeen Hatzi
Nick Kyrgios has stunned fans with a dramatic new look as he recently rang in a milestone occasion. The tennis champion, who turned 30 in April, took to Instagram this week to debut his jaw-dropping new appearance – and followers could barely believe their eyes. Gone are the signature dark curls he's long been known for, replaced by a completely shaved head that left the star athlete looking almost unrecognisable. In a short clip, the Aussie star confidently showed off the buzzcut from multiple angles, locking eyes with the camera as he embraced the change. Kyrgios revealed the drastic transformation was in honour of a milestone birthday, telling fans: '30 is unreal. Not even in my prime yet. And shaved head is UNREAL.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Kyrgios appears to be embracing change after he confirmed his split from Costeen Hatzi last month. Following their split, Kyrgios' ex-girlfriend Hatzi, 26, delivered a parting message to her tennis star ex. Rumours of the breakup had been circulating for months, with Kyrgios appearing to unfollow the social media star on Instagram. The tennis star sparked rumours they had secretly split after he removed her initials from his Instagram bio. Meanwhile, Hatzi shared multiple cryptic posts, uploading a TikTok in which she appeared to mouth the words: 'Who the f*** did I marry? So at this point in time, I have filed for divorce'. She then confirmed the pair ended things on good terms, wishing the best for her ex-partner. 'I'm loving my work and doing content every day,' she told The Herald Sun. 'We haven't spoken, relationships come to an end. I believe it's for the best. 'I hope he finds peace and happiness within himself. 'I definitely entered the relationship with pure intentions. I loved him, thought we had a great connection.' The pair began dating back in 2021. They appeared head over heels for each other following their first meeting - which took place after he messaged Hatzi on social media about a mirror she was selling. He went to her home to pick up the mirror but as she previously said: 'It was love at first sight.' The pair became official in January, 2022 and moved in together, with Hatzi regularly seen following her beau around the world as he competed on the ATP Tour. After four years together, The Herald Sun revealed they split after a tournament in March, with Hatzi joking: 'Maybe I'll steer away from athletes.'