PHOTO GALLERY: Highlights from the second round of the French Open
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PHOTO GALLERY: Highlights from the second round of the French Open
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
‘Threats and blackmail don't work' – Sporting chief hits back at Man Utd target Gyokeres and reveals fee he won't accept
SPORTING'S president has furiously hit back at Manchester United target Victor Gyokeres saying: "Threats and blackmail don't work." The Sweden striker is considering going on strike to force through a dream move to United or Arsenal. 3 Gyokeres, 27, is furious with Sporting for going back on their word over a transfer promise to him and plans not to play for the club again. He believes he had a gentleman's agreement to leave the Portuguese giants for £50million with a further £8million in add-ons but that claim has been rubbished by president Frederico Varandas. And the Sporting chief insists he will not be bullied into letting the ex-Coventry forward move to the Prem on the cheap this summer. Varandas said: ' Sporting will not accept blackmail and insults – you should know me better by now. 'One thing is certain, we will not accept £50m plus £8m. As of now, Sporting has not received any bids for Gyokeres. "He is a fantastic professional, to this day he has had zero offers. He has a three-year contract with Sporting.' Responding to claims they have changed their stance, Varandas gave his version of the meetings they had last summer. He says the only guarantee he gave to the forward was that he would not ask for the full £85m of his release clause. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS He said: "It was agreed that Sporting would not demand the release clause at the end of the season, especially because he was going to be 27. "We knew about Viktor's dream of going to a club where he could fight for the Champions League and we have common sense. "We guaranteed that we would not demand £85m. Sporting has common sense, it keeps its word. "The president of Sporting said that the club would not demand the clause and that we would adjust the value to Viktor's performance. 'But he was one of the best players ever to step on the pitch in Portugal with 63 goals and ten assists. Now I see the agent is releasing information to the press.' United boss Ruben Amorim has made Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo his top priority after signing Matheus Cunha earlier in the window. 3 But he worked with Gyokeres at Sporting and could yet firm up the interest if the Red Devils can shift some of their existing forwards this summer. United legend Rio Ferdinand is not convinced by the striker and said: "I don't think he's the guy. I've not watched him loads but I've watched him probably three times really, really closely. "And three times I've gone, 'He ain't getting that opportunity in the Prem'. "When I see him physically matched, what else is there? Is there enough - after he's physically matched - to get him a goal?' Arsenal remain in the frame for him too with new director of football Andrea Berta a big fan from his days at Atletico Madrid. The Gunners are working on a deal for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko but are currently unwilling to meet the German club's asking price. Should that move reach a stalemate, they could go back for Gyokeres if they felt he gave better value for money and could make more of an instant impact. However Sporting are not willing to let their prized asset go without a fight.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Flashlights and glowing golf balls. How a NY man played for 35 hours in quest for world record
A New York man is laying claim to the record for most consecutive hours playing golf — a 35-hour stint on a course on Long Island that began early Sunday evening and ended early Tuesday morning. Kelechi Ezihie initially planned to play 24 hours to set a Guinness World Record, only to learn hours into his effort that a British golfer had played for 32 straight hours on a course in Norway at the end of May. His sister had called him after seeing the 32-hour record while searching the internet, he said. Surprised but determined, he plodded on through rain, fatigue and drenched and aching feet to outlast the Brit, Isaac Rowlands. 'I feel proud to be able to say I am a world champion,' he said. "This is an opportunity that not many people have. It's definitely something I will definitely be telling my kids and my grandkids moving forward in the future.' Armed with friends, flashlights and glow-in-the-dark golf balls, the 27-year-old Ezihie teed off at Huntington Crescent Club at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and sank his last putt shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday — playing the 18 holes seven times for a total of 126 holes, he said. Along the way, friends took video of the entire outing and other people served as witnesses so Guinness could verify the record, he said. He was allowed a five-minute break per hour, under Guinness rules, and ended up taking 20-minute breaks at the end of each round while still following the rules. Kylie Galloway, a spokesperson for London-based Guinness, said it takes 12 to 15 weeks for specialists with the organization to review evidence and declare whether a record has been set. He said no one currently holds the record for longest golf marathon, and anyone who applies must have played at least 24 hours. Ezihie, an assistant manager at an organization that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism, said he wanted to set the record to promote diversity in golf. ' People become intimidated when they hear about golf and they think it's for the wealthy," he said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I see how much golf has taught me, and I just believe that golf is a game that everybody should be able to get a chance to play and they could definitely learn life lessons from this game.' Ezihie, who has been playing golf for only two and a half years, also promotes golf locally and is trying to raise funds to build a golf center in Imo State in Nigeria, where he is from, to build interest in the sport among children. He has lived in the U.S. since 2008. Near the end of his golf marathon in Tuesday's early hours, Ezihie said his feet were really hurting. 'I was willing to play 'til the wheels fell off, and I did just that. My legs gave up on me and I was limping almost through the whole round," he said, adding 'I enjoyed every round.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
WTA roundup: Emma Navarro saves match point, wins in London
June 11 - Third-seeded Emma Navarro saved a match point before rallying to win as Americans went 3-0 on Wednesday in the second round of the HSBC Championships in London. Navarro rallied for a 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory against Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia, who had a 5-4 lead in the second set and a 4-2 lead in the ensuing tiebreak. Navarro advanced to the quarterfinal against compatriot and No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, who was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Britain's Sonay Kartal in 64 minutes. No. 2 seed Madison Keys joined them in the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Russian qualifier Anastasia Zakharova. Down an early break at 3-1, Keys won 11 of the next 13 games. Germany's Tatjana Maria also reached the final eight with a 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-1 upset of sixth-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova. Libema Open Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine, ranked No. 231 in the world, pulled off a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 upset of top-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the first round in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The stunning victory over the defending champion, in a match that was suspended Tuesday and resumed Wednesday, came in the first WTA main draw match of the 24-year-old Branstine's career. No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated fellow Russian Anna Blinkova 6-0, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals. Up next for Alexandrova is another countrywoman in No. 8 seed Veronika Kudermetova, who ousted Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1 in 74 minutes. Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto also moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) defeat of Bernarda Pera. Winners in first-round matches on Wednesday included Maria Sakkari of Greece and Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania. --Field Level Media
