Emma Raducanu goes down swinging in thrilling loss to Aryna Sabalenka
The 22-year-old played some electrifying tennis under the roof on Centre Court but was unable to apply the finishing touches, eventually going down 7-6 (6) 6-4 after exactly two hours.
The first set alone took 74 minutes, with Raducanu saving seven set points and creating one of her own, while she led 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka recovered to set up a fourth-round clash with Elise Mertens.
Raducanu will now drop to British number three behind Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, who is the last home woman left in singles, but that will not be the case for long if she can maintain this level.
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Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Oscar Piastri interview: the world champion hopeful schooled in England
Haileybury school in Hertfordshire has produced some notable alumni over the years. Clement Attlee, the post-war Labour prime minister, attended the co-educational independent school. Poet and novelist Rudyard Kipling and playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn are Old Haileyburians. Film-maker Christopher Nolan and actor Stephen Mangan were also on the school's books. In the world of Formula One, Haileybury can lay claim to one of the greatest: Sir Stirling Moss. The British icon, widely regarded as one of the finest motor racing drivers of all time, won more than 200 races in a variety of categories across a 14-year competition career. Famously, though, Moss never actually won the Formula One world title, finishing runner-up on four occasions. Oscar Piastri is hoping to make up for that omission on the school's CV this year. 'That's the plan,' says the Australian. 'It's going OK so far. I feel like I've taken a step forward this year. I feel ready.' Heading into this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, it is intriguingly poised. Piastri, with five wins under his belt in 11 races, leads the championship by 15 points from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. By rights Norris should really be favourite for the title. The Briton is the more experienced driver and has been at McLaren for longer than Piastri. But Piastri is the odds-on favourite with the bookies. That he is so unbothered by that fact is the reason he is so heavily fancied. Piastri just seems to be bullet-proof. Ice cold. Where Norris has blown hot and cold this season, making numerous mistakes in qualifying and shunting into the back of Piastri in Canada, the Australian has been rock solid, his race-craft impeccable. Norris may still have him for outright pace, but Piastri is getting quicker and has definitely been the more consistent driver. 'I feel comfortable in the position I'm in,' he says when asked what it's like leading the Formula One world championship for the first time, as a 24-year-old. 'The way I look at it, if you're leading a championship, you're probably doing something right. And I feel like we have been doing quite a few things right. My ultimate performance has probably improved a bit this year, but I feel like I'm able to access it much more consistently so far. That's probably been the biggest thing.' Piastri was always a quick learner. He recalls growing up in Melbourne, always wanting to be first at everything. 'Even in my schoolwork,' he says. 'I wanted to do it better than anyone, and also do it faster than anyone, which kind of makes no sense. I would do it as fast as I could, but it kind of came at the cost of some accuracy. I soon learnt it's better to be accurate because otherwise you spend 15 minutes sitting there doing nothing, and it's not very useful for you when you get your score back.' There is actually rather an awkward postscript to the Stirling Moss-Haileybury connection. Moss later confessed to being unhappy at the school; bullied for reasons of his presumed Jewish origins. Piastri, though, says the school was the making of him. Moving 10,000 miles from Melbourne to the UK as a 15-year-old forced him to grow up. He spent four years as a boarder in Kipling House – England rugby player Nick Isiekwe was in the same house, although a few years older – and says it was a period in which he 'really developed'. Growing up in Melbourne he had always been sports-mad. AFL, cricket, athletics, basketball. Motor racing allowed little time for any of those, but he still turned out for the school's 3rd XI. Piastri's teachers remember a diligent and conscientious student who juggled his extracurricular activities with his academic work with great maturity. 'Oscar never demonstrated anything other than exemplary humility and remarkable composure throughout his four years at Haileybury,' recalled one teacher, Andy Searson, adding that Piastri was 'capable of bowling a heavy ball with an intimidating run-up'. The picture that emerges is one of a very grounded young man. Piastri met his girlfriend, Lily, at school when they were just 17, before they had even taken their A-levels (maths, physics and computer science, in Piastri's case, if you were wondering). They are still together six years later. 'Having that stability is nice,' he says of their relationship. 'Lily has been there from the start, from single-seaters to Formula One. A constant in what is quite a manic world.' Piastri is so nice, so calm, so well-prepared – 'the kind of schoolboy who had his pencils sharpened in front of him on his desk' as Damon Hill remarked on the Chequered Flag podcast earlier this year – it is easy to forget what a killer he is in the car. He appears bemused by the openness and vulnerability Norris displays on a weekly basis, even while praising it. 'Lando is a very open person,' he says of his team-mate. 'Speaking honestly, sometimes to his own detriment. But at the same time, it is a good quality to have. We are different people, but I do respect the way he goes about it.' As for whether he is less minded to smash his team-mate given how scrupulously fair Norris is, how lacking in sharp elbows, he just laughs. 'Not really,' he says. 'My opinion is you can't give an inch to anyone, regardless of who it is – in racing or in sport. And that doesn't really change. Especially once the helmet goes on. I get on with Lando. But once the helmet goes on, for all 20 of us, there are no more friends.' In this area, one senses the hand of Mark Webber, Piastri's compatriot who has been guiding his career from the start. Webber always had to fight his corner at Red Bull, forever battling for equal treatment in a team built around Red Bull wunderkind Sebastian Vettel. Piastri does not have that issue at McLaren. Webber has made sure of it. 'I think in terms of fighting my corner, it's been very, very valuable for me,' Piastri says of Webber's influence. 'Not that he has had to fight particularly hard in this environment. But just the experiences he had in his own career, being in a championship-winning team, fighting for a championship, there is a lot of hindsight which is very valuable for me. 'Some lessons you can only learn for yourself. But I definitely feel as if I've escaped a lot of [negative] lessons because of Mark's experience. Helping me avoid potential pitfalls. He thinks of questions either to ask me, or my engineers, or the team, before they occur to me. I feel like in the first couple of years of my career that was incredibly valuable and fast-tracked me to where I am now.' One thing is certain, if Norris is to prevail this season, it is not going to be handed to him. Piastri may have grown up on the playing fields of one of England's top public schools, but he remains an Australian through and through. He is teak tough and like all Australian sportsmen, appears imbued with self-confidence. Before he goes, I ask him for his predictions for the upcoming British & Irish Lions Test series. 'I don't actually follow the rugby that closely,' he says. 'Where I grew up, AFL was king.' What about the Ashes this winter? 'Oh, that's a different matter,' he says, smiling. 'Hopefully, I'll get to a game. Australia are going through a bit of a tricky spell at the moment. But on home soil? I'd always back Australia.' On British soil this weekend, one suspects he will back himself just the same.
The Guardian
an hour ago
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Women's Euro 2025: England kick off with French test as Wales make history
Update: Date: 2025-07-05T07:09:41.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Here's where it all starts for the Lionesses. The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? A huge test awaits in the challenge of France. A new-look team, though one full of established stars, needs to get out of the group stage, and then perhaps the competition opens up for them. That's all in the future, perhaps, but for Wales this is history, to quote in the news Noel Gallagher, the end of a long journey to be at a finals. Jess Fishlock leads her team against the Dutch, and Wales could be the wild card. So, a big day awaits, with news from the footbal industry as a whole coming in all day. Join us.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
England have gamechangers galore but must find another way to win Euros again
I would always rather enter a competition as champions than underdogs because you've got something to hold on to. Once you win, you know what winning looks like. England know how to do it and as the defence of their European title gets under way on Saturday do not underestimate how powerful that feeling is. When you are the holders, the most important thing to get right is your internal hunger and understand you've got a target on your back in every fixture. To counter that, you have to find another level in yourself because a title cannot be won the same way you won it before. In 2022, a massive component of England's success was the effectiveness of their substitutes, not least the gamechanging combination of Alessia Russo and Ella Toone as supersubs, along with Alex Greenwood and – in the final – Chloe Kelly. A successful team needs subs who can make that impact. This tournament will be interesting for England because roles have changed. England will be looking to newer faces such as Aggie Beever-Jones, Grace Clinton, Niamh Charles and Jess Park – players who can make a difference – to change games. Aggie's goalscoring record for Chelsea is exceptional; she scored 0.73 goals for every 90 minutes in the WSL last season and she produced that level the season before, too. We see lots of talented players in academies, but what sets the best from the rest? Coachability, being able to take on ideas, adaptability. That's why Aggie has progressed so well. She was prepared to do whatever it would take. She went to Bristol City on loan and had a difficult start there and I thought how important that would be for her. I remember her scoring a wonder goal for Chelsea against another of her former loan clubs, Everton, and the Everton players going over to her at the end to congratulate her. That just epitomises who she is, because she's so likable. She's such a popular person in the locker room. Aggie will provide competition for Alessia and in the short term she can come from the bench and make a significant contribution. Grace is another youngster who has had a really good season and players like these are why I value the loan system so highly. It offers a bridge between academy football and the top flight. There have been significant changes to England's squad and this group doesn't have as much experience, but that doesn't mean everything. Going into the Olympics last year I had – beyond the main group – a lot of players who were extremely inexperienced. But that brings a different dimension to the group. Sarina Wiegman doesn't usually use more than 13 or 14 players anyway and those 13 or 14 are proven winners. Among the bigger changes since the World Cup, Hannah Hampton, a player we signed for Chelsea, will be in goal. She has been preparing for this opportunity for a long time and I'm sure she's learned a lot from watching Mary Earps. Hannah is a modern goalkeeper who can play and distribute in the deepest spaces. She helps in possession because you can play with your goalkeeper as your spare player. She's maturing, but she's not at a top, top level yet. There's room to grow for her. But moving to Chelsea was a step in that direction. She came in when we had three goalkeepers already, because I felt she was going to be the long-term No 1 for club and country, so it was something the club should do for long-term planning. Being in a world-class environment that holds you accountable every day is what Hannah needs. She needs that discipline of quality. This campaign will be a real test for her, but she's had good preparation to put her in this position. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion In terms of England's biggest strengths, the front three stands out. Alessia has had an unbelievable season – she's gone up another level under Renée Slegers. I've always considered Lauren Hemp to be a world-class player. Then, if Lauren James is fit to start on the right, you've got someone who can drift in and create havoc. On top of that, you've got the experience of Beth Mead and Chloe, who found some form late in the season, so England have goals in them. That was very evident last Sunday against Jamaica. What people don't know about Lauren is she's a football junkie. People think she's just naturally talented, but she's worked so hard. She has also benefited from playing against boys for a lot of her life. That has given her that resilience in one-v-one duels. Have I seen someone as talented technically? No, she is that good. If she is fit and firing, she will be the difference-maker for England. She can pull something out of the hat at any moment. People don't really realise how hard her shot is. We all know about her skills – she used to try to nutmeg me as I walked everywhere – but what about the pace and accuracy of her shooting? I'm not sure I've seen a woman hit a ball like Lauren. I used to think Carli Lloyd was the best at that, but Lauren is unbelievable. Can England win it again? Of course they can. They've got a lot of quality and they've got an experienced manager. Of this squad of 23 players, 14 won a club trophy in the past year. They've had great years. I have no doubt it's going to take a lot for somebody to beat England or Spain in this tournament.
