Jack Draper into Madrid Open final after his finest clay-court victory
Less than two months after Jack Draper took a significant step forward in his career with a first ATP Masters title at the Indian Wells Open, he has the opportunity on Sunday to play for another at the Madrid Open.
The 23-year-old Briton has progressed at a rapid rate on the tour over the past nine months and this is another significant new achievement. After securing entry to the world's top five by winning his quarter-final on Thursday, he backed it up on Friday by beating Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to reach a first ATP clay-court final.
No further ranking advances can be made from Draper's projected position of No5 but it will do wonders for his confidence ahead of the French Open
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BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
LTA promises equal prize money at Queen's by 2029
The LTA has pledged to introduce equal prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne by no later than total prize fund for the WTA event at Queen's Club - which begins on Monday - will be $1.415m (£1.043m), with the LTA voluntarily increasing the standard prize money by a that still comes nowhere near the amount the men will be paid for competing at the same venue the following prize money levels are set by the tours, and the ATP tournament will offer a total prize fund of 2.522m euros (£2.122m).Queen's Club is hosting a women's tournament for the first time since 1973, with Britons Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter set to compete. Both the men's and women's events are '500' category tournaments - the third-highest tier after the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 ATP event at Queen's has already sold out, while just over 80% of the tickets have so far been bought for the women's prices are lower in the WTA week, which will not yet be able to raise anything like the revenue of the long established men's spent on prize money cannot also be spent on developing grassroots tennis in the UK, and the LTA says the summer events lost a total of £4m last LTA's promise to introduce equal prize money by 2029 is four years before the deadline set by the WTA. While the WTA says major combined events should have equal prize money by 2027, standalone events - which the Queen's week technically is - have until is a combined '250' event, and will feature both men and women in the week before Wimbledon. The women's prize money is $389,000 (£286,650) - making it the highest-paying tournament of that size on the tour this year - while the men will share 756,875 euros (£637,000)."The LTA is committed to growing women's tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level and this move is an important part of that commitment," said LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd."This year fans will be able to enjoy both men's and women's tennis on the biggest stages that we can offer."We want to develop the tournaments so that the women's events deliver a path to profitability and greater visibility for the sport."
The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
New Queen's tournament to offer equal prize money for women by 2029
The LTA has pledged to secure equal prize money for the new women's tennis tournament held at Queen's and the mixed event in Eastbourne by 2029 at the latest. Women's tennis will return to The Queen's Club in Baron's Court, London for the first time in more than 50 years next week in the form of a WTA 500 event, one week before the annual men's ATP 500 event at Queen's. The player list includes Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter. The women's prize pot will stand at US$1.415m (£843,705), the highest purse on offer at a WTA 500 event of its draw size on the tour this year. Despite the notable figure, the women's prize money is still around half of the offering for the ATP event, which currently stands at $2,882,544 (£2,124,031). At the WTA Eastbourne event, which has been downgraded to a WTA 250 event in order to make space for the new event at Queen's, the prize money will rise to $389,000 (£286,570), making it the highest paying WTA 250 event on the tour. However, the ATP event's offering of $865,000 (£637,221) is still considerably higher. The LTA has voluntarily added a total of £397,738 to its women's events this year compared to the minimum prize money required by the WTA. Grass court events are particularly expensive to run and, according to the LTA, the events it held in 2024 operated at a loss of £4m in 2024 despite the success of the ATP Queen's event. However, the organisation intends to gradually increase its prize money commitment to the WTA over time and it is hopeful that the Queen's WTA event will eventually become profitable. The WTA event in Queen's has had positive returns as the tournament nears. More than 80% of tickets have already been sold for the tournament. Part of the LTA's motivation for returning women's tennis to Queen's was for the tournament to appeal to a more diverse fanbase and 55% of ticket purchasers for the Queen's WTA 500 event have been female. 'We are making significant increases this year to the women's prize money at Queens and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible,' said Scott Lloyd, the LTA CEO, in a statement. 'The LTA is committed to growing women's tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level and this move is an important part of that commitment.
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Euro 2025 power rankings: 10-goal Germany on the up, Lionesses slip
With the Nations League group stage coming to a close, we take a look at the 16 teams taking part in the European Championship this summer to see how they are shaping up: Spain's second-half comeback against England will have sent out warning signals. 'The team has ambition and character,' manager Montse Tomé said. 'To turn around an adverse scoreline against a top-level team like England … says a lot about the mentality of the players.' The forward Esther González is in rich form with seven in her last 10 for Gotham FC while Clàudia Pina will be a player to watch. The 23-year-old changed the game from the bench against the Lionesses, scoring twice. Their weakness lies in defence with both Irene Paredes and Laia Aleixandri struggling against more direct forwards. Results: Belgium 1-5 Spain; Spain 2-1 England Germany cruised to the Nations League semi-finals, with a confident defeat of the Netherlands catching the eye. The Bayern Munich forward Lea Schüller has stepped up since Alexandra Popp's retirement. However, Lena Oberdorf has been ruled out after failing to recover from an ACL injury. There have been recent murmurings of discontent with manager Christian Wück. Felicitas Rauch was recently dropped from the team and posted on Instagram: 'I am very disappointed! It's always a great honour to play for Germany ... not inviting me is one thing. Not informing me and not even giving me a reason, I just don't understand. Here I wish for a much more transparent communication.' Results: Germany 4-0 Netherlands; Austria 0-6 Germany It has been a difficult week with three senior players dropping out of Euro 2025 contention five weeks before the tournament. Mary Earps' retirement was a huge surprise and leaves the goalkeeping unit lacking in experience. Fran Kirby followed suit after being told she was not going to make the squad before Millie Bright ruled herself out stating that she is 'not able to give 100% mentally or physically'. Nations League results have fluctuated, ending with a strong win over Portugal and narrow defeat by Spain. Jess Park, Grace Clinton and Aggie Beever-Jones have bedded into the squad while Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Georgia Stanway have returned from injury. A question remains over Lauren James although Wiegman remains confident she will be fit. 'She is on the pitch [training] and still in the position that we expect her to be', the head coach said. Results: England 6-0 Portugal; Spain 2-1 England Drama never seems to be far from France. Laurent Bonadei recently caused shockwaves by dropping Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer, his captain and vice-captain, as well as the midfielder Kenza Dali. 'These are tough choices,' Bonadei said. 'It's a decision that's hard to hear, hard to understand and almost impossible for them to accept because they're legendary players.' Griedge Mbock was named captain and France completed an unbeaten Nations League campaign. Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani will be key, as will the impressive form of Sandy Baltimore. Results: France 4-0 Switzerland; Iceland 0-2 France Sweden's conclusive win over neighbours Denmark on Tuesday will have increased confidence in Peter Gerhardsson's side. Stina Blackstenius's hat-trick was a stand-out, while Lina Hurtig made a goal-scoring return. There was significant concern over an ankle injury to Fridolina Rolfö although a statement later said there was no fracture and she would return to Barcelona for monitoring. They continue to be steady and will always be in contention, but are yet to set the world alight, illustrated by three draws in this campaign. Results: Italy 0-0 Sweden; Sweden 6-1 Denmark The final week of their group was a disappointment. A heavy defeat by Germany and a draw with struggling Scotland is far from the best preparation. Big questions remain over the fitness of the captain Vivianne Miedema who left camp before the Scotland game. The forward Lineth Beerensteyn was also absent with injury. A positive, however, was the return of goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar against Scotland. 'We all have to be calm,' said the manager Andries Jonker. 'Sometimes it happens to teams that they lose their thread. That is why it is good that we now have a break.' Results: Germany 4-0 Netherlands; Netherlands 1-1 Scotland A confident win over Wales to secure their League A status will have done wonders. Andrea Soncin's team have beaten Germany and Denmark and drawn with Spain and Sweden in the last 12 months, proving they can test any side on their day. Cristiana Girelli's brace in Swansea showed the veteran still has plenty to give. Aurora Galli recently played for the under-23s as she continues to return from an ACL injury. Can she make the cut? Results: Italy 0-0 Sweden; Wales 1-4 Italy With just two wins in six – both against Switzerland – it has been a disappointing Nations League for Gemma Grainger's Norway. There is an abundance of talent on paper with the likes of captain Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen and Frida Maanum but the struggle to realise it continues. The positive will be that Guro Reiten and Graham Hansen have returned while they possess good strength in depth. They will be confident of topping their group, but questions remain over how deep they can go. Results: Norway 1-1 Iceland; Switzerland 0-1 Norway Denmark's indifferent form under Andrée Jeglertz continued this month and their 6-1 defeat by Sweden was chastening. An over-reliance on Pernille Harder remains an issue, no matter how often their captain shows up for her side. As with several managers involved in the tournament it will be Jeglertz's last hurrah with the Danes. Group C at the Euros will be no picnic, with Germany, Sweden and Poland in their way. Results: Denmark 1-0 Wales; Sweden 6-1 Denmark 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 The captain Tessa Wullaert remains the difference-maker. Her double against Portugal on Tuesday was a signal, as it was in their win over England. On their day, Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir's side can trouble any team. Consistency is lacking, however, and they have suffered some heavy defeats in the last year that will serve as a warning before a difficult group. Results: Belgium 1-5 Spain; Portugal 0-3 Belgium This campaign has been a tale of two halves for Francisco Neto's side. After a positive start Portugal have gone on a downward spiral, conceding 16 in their last three matches. Far from good preparation for the summer, they remain without their star player Kika Nazareth who injured her ankle in March and is unlikely to come back in time. A positive is the return of Jéssica Silva, who has recovered from an injury to her retina that left her unable to see. Results: England 6-0 Portugal; Portugal 0-3 Belgium Iceland should be feeling content with how they have performed. They have proven hard to break down in every game, coming away with four draws and two defeats (both to the favourites France). A lack of attacking threat remains for Thorsteinn Halldorsson with Sveindís Jónsdóttir their only real outlet up front. Results: Norway 1-1 Iceland; Iceland 0-2 France Hosting a major tournament can do wonders for any team but Switzerland's form is far from impressive. Defeats by France and Norway at the end of the campaign will have done little to improve optimism. Teenager Sydney Schertenleib remains one to watch but too many of their experienced core of players are out of form. Questions remain over whether Luana Bühler can recover from injury in time, having been out since March. Results: France 4-0 Switzerland; Switzerland 0-1 Norway Poland have done exactly what was asked of them, securing promotion to League A. Nina Patalon's team will be underdogs going into their first major tournament but they have players that will catch the eye. Hopes rest on captain Ewa Pajor, who has had a remarkable first season at Barcelona, scoring 43 goals in 45 matches. The 23-year-old Paulina Tomasiak has stepped up with goals. Results: Northern Ireland 0-4 Poland; Poland 3-0 Romania It will have been a frustrating time for Finland, who failed to secure direct promotion to League A. While Eveliina Summanen has made a vital return, worries over the fitness of Jutta Rantala remain. The 25-year-old is a key playmaker for Marko Saloranta's side but has missed most of the season through injury. She was, however, back training with the team over the last fortnight and hopes remain that she can recover in time. Results: Belarus 0-3 Finland; Finland 1-1 Serbia A decisive defeat by Italy was described by the head coach, Rhian Wilkinson, as 'a punch in the face'. It will remind Wales to guard against complacency. Despite not registering a win in League A, there were positive performances ahead of their first major tournament, but they lack a clear goal-scorer. Jess Fishlock continues to lead by example. Sophie Ingle has returned to training after suffering an ACL injury and, if she makes it, she will bring much-needed experience and quality. Results: Denmark 1-0 Wales; Wales 1-4 Italy If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email This is an extract from our free weekly email, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is back in to its twice-weekly format, delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday.
