
Coco Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open
Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to add to her U.S. Open title two years ago.
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27 minutes ago
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Idaho's Matteo Jorgenson gave it all for a Tour de France he could never win
Tadej Pogačar's victory looked certain as he flew up Butte Montmartre for the second of three times on the Tour de France's final stage. His lead in the race's general classification (GC) stood at four minutes and 27 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, more than 10 minutes clear of everybody else, and GC times had been frozen for the final stage. He had won four stages already; that he hadn't won at least six seemed more his choice than anybody else's. There was no need to be at the front here, to add a fifth cherry atop the ice cream, but Pogačar's unquenchable competitive spirit demanded an attempt. He stamped on his pedals on the cobblestoned hill, scything riders off the back of the bunch. By the time he crested Montmartre, he had just four others for company. Among them were the American Matteo Jorgenson and Wout van Aert, both of Vingegaard's Visma Lease-a-Bike team. Thanks to superb climbing performances and helming the deepest team in the race, Vingegaard managed to defeat Pogačar at the 2022 and 2023 Tours de France – given Pogačar's dominance since, these Tours now feel like distant memories from an obsolete world. Back then, Visma used Pogačar's raw aggression against him. With the knowledge that he would respond to every acceleration, Vingegaard and his teammates threw jab after jab and Pogačar exhausted himself trying to counter with haymakers. Pogačar – already an all-time-great cyclist – responded by simply eradicating any trace of weakness. In the 2024 Tour and the first 20 stages of the 2025 event, Pogačar looked invincible. He hadn't been dropped once. Most teams didn't even think of trying to unseat him, so pointless their resistance would be. The peloton can resemble a living thing, a giant vibrating insect with shimmering, multicolored scales. For all its beauty, no part of it stood up to Pogačar. Vingegaard was the only rider who could feasibly compete. Given how comfortably Pogačar beat him in 2024, he would need even more help from his team than before. Jorgenson intended to provide just that. It's baked into his job title, domestique, the French word for servant. If the Tour were a battlefield, the Idaho-bred Jorgenson would be on a suicide mission to engage Pogačar for as long as possible before he inevitably met his end. Any selfish goals he may have had were irrelevant. For the first four days of the Tour, Visma riders tried to surprise Pogačar with unusually timed accelerations on the flats, on the downhills, and into fierce sidelong wind. Jorgenson, to present a credible dummy target, tried to stick as close as possible to Pogačar in the overall standings. That way, Pogačar would be obligated to follow the American's attacks as well as Vingegaard's, leaving him potentially overextended. Pogačar casually fended off the Visma assault while simultaneously battling Mathieu van der Poel, a far heavier, more natural sprinter, in short dashes to the line. Van der Poel won their first duel on Stage 2; outsprinting him appeared a bridge too far for even Pogačar. All of two stages later, Pogačar exacted revenge. Vingegaard was behind in the sprints, but managed to stay eight seconds behind Pogacar through four stages, and Jorgenson 19. Visma's plan had yet to produce the desired result, but hadn't gone badly wrong either. Then on stage five's time trial, Vingegaard and Jorgenson dropped more than one minute each to Pogačar, rendering all the efforts of the previous four days irrelevant. Stage 12's hulking Hautacam was the most difficult climb yet; Pogačar chiseled two more minutes out of Vingegaard and 10 from Jorgenson. That was the end of any illusions that Jorgenson could be a general classification contender. With plan A vaporized, Visma tried to win individual stages. (Their Simon Yates had won stage 10, but it felt almost incidental.) On the queen stage of the race, Jorgenson stuck to the lead group, then formed a breakaway with two other riders as the rest jousted cagily at the foot of the unforgiving Col de la Loze. When Jorgenson fell back midway up the vertiginous slope, it looked like he had been instructed to wait for Vingegaard. Instead, Vingegaard's group caught him and went past. Jorgenson was empty. Related: Idaho-bred Matteo Jorgenson is big – and getting bigger in cycling's biggest races Such was Pogačar's dominance that when he grimaced in pain while following a Vingegaard attack on Mont Ventoux, I felt a genuine, if pathetic, thrill. Pogačar had shown so little mortality on the preceding stages that he had shifted the benchmarks for entertainment. In lieu of seeing him get dropped, I would accept a warped facial expression. It allowed a momentary dream of tighter competition before Pogačar whizzed clear on yet another sprint. Jorgenson's plight seemed even direr than Vingegaard's, who had seen his once-brilliant rivalry with Pogačar decimated by the latter's evolution. Though he failed to land a single meaningful blow on his foe, Vingegaard's efforts earned him praise. Jorgenson, meanwhile, disappeared silently on the slopes each day. He was emptying his reserves on stage after stage, seemingly to little effect for a hopeless purpose. With two stages left, Jorgenson admitted he had been tussling with bronchitis the previous week. What was this tall, sick man doing, trying to climb as fast as the wraiths around him? In 2023, Sepp Kuss, Visma's most dependable domestique, rode his way into the red leader's jersey at the Vuelta a España. Though he wasn't the best rider on his team, it stood to reason that Visma would throw their weight behind him given his lead. They eventually did, helping ensure Kuss' victory, but not before team leaders Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic initiated infighting that suggested they would rip the jersey from Kuss' back if given the chance. 'I had to give something up of my own ambitions to help them,' Kuss later said of his years as a domestique. 'Whether they needed my help or not, I don't know. Maybe they never did.' He laughed, but beneath the mirth is a frightening sentiment: the idea that those generous, painful sacrifices made no difference. At this year's Tour, Jorgenson looked into a darker crisis – Vingegaard needed all the help he could get, and Jorgenson couldn't give it. Maybe he could help someone else. With Vingegaard's GC bid doomed, Visma aimed at securing a final stage win, likely with Wout van Aert, whose plentiful horsepower suited short, punchy climbs like Montmartre. On the flats ahead of the third trip up Montmartre's jangly cobbles, Jorgenson began attacking the group. Pogačar followed each time, but on a slight delay. It was as if his legs needed a few seconds to overcome their fatigue before spurring into blurred motion. Though Visma's pecking and poking throughout the Tour hadn't resulted in any time profits, they had contributed to exhausting Pogačar. Jorgenson remained deathly loyal to that tactic. But still Pogačar had the energy to take the lead on the climb itself and further whittle down the survivors. As the top of the hill approached, van Aert suddenly thundered ahead of Pogačar, pushing his pedals so hard I could imagine the bike frame snapping beneath the strain. As van Aert sustained his violent effort all the way up, gradually, impossibly, Pogačar fell behind. Jorgenson had finally taken enough bites out of him that somebody else could draw blood, he'd shown that Pogačar still could bleed. Van Aert joyfully coasted across the finish line well ahead of the others, who, realizing the futility of chasing the rocket in front of them, had given up the chase. Pogačar rolled through the line with a finger held aloft in celebration of his fourth Tour de France victory. Jorgenson followed behind quietly, his agonizing, selfless job done and done well.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fabrizio Romano Offers Transfer Update on Chelsea, Man Utd Target's Future at PSG
It looks like the Premier League could be the next stop for PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, with Manchester United emerging as a strong contender. Chelsea and Manchester City are also showing interest in the Italian keeper. According to RMC Sport's Fabrice Hawkins, Donnarumma remains with PSG, but his camp is actively exploring potential destinations. Manchester United, Manchester City, Galatasaray, and clubs from Saudi Arabia have all communicated interest. Donnarumma is still committed to PSG and would only entertain a move if the right project came along. Inside the club, there's still a scenario where he competes with Lucas Chevalier for the No. 1 spot, with Luis Enrique expected to make the final decision, per Hawkins. PSG standout mulling over decision on his futureTransfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Thursday that Donnarumma and his team haven't ruled out staying at PSG. Even though his contract runs through June 2026 and Lucas Chevalier is on the way, Donnarumma could stay and compete for the starting spot like he did with Keylor Navas. He'll likely decide on his future in the coming months. Sports Zone recently reported that Manchester United have reached out to PSG about Donnarumma. It looks very unlikely that Donnarumma and PSG will come to an agreement. The report also mentions that Al-Ittihad and Galatasaray are offering him nearly €20 million a year, while Chelsea and Manchester City have shown interest as well. At the same time, Corriere dello Sport said Manchester United have become the frontrunner to sign Donnarumma, with recent talks happening between his representatives and the club.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How much Liverpool has spent and earned on transfers this summer as Alexander Isak chance remains
Liverpool is clearly having a massively ambitious summer. It is already looking at its record single-window spend in the rear-view mirror, and now there is serious talk about a bid for Alexander Isak. Naturally, that's raised eyebrows among the rest of the league. In truth, even Liverpool fans must be wondering what on earth is going on, although they are enjoying the sensation rather more than the rest of the division. So how is Richard Hughes pulling it off? Liverpool hasn't sold any hotels to itself, nor has it jettisoned the women's team. It banked some good money for Luis Diaz, but not so much that you would expect a move for Isak after already landing a potential club-record deal for Florian Wirtz. READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Alexander Isak offer, Will Wright deal agreed, Diaz replacement READ MORE: Rio Ngumoha moment speaks volumes as Arne Slot offers exciting Liverpool hint - 5 talking points I've taken a dive into all of Liverpool's incoming and outgoing business this summer. Upon closer inspection, it's clear how Liverpool is staying well within financial regulations — though that does not change the fact that the addition of Isak would make this a massively atypical transfer window. First off, I've looked at the signings Liverpool has made so far this summer. I've broken that down into the true cost (the transfer fee), and the accounting cost (the amount Liverpool will account for on its books, in a process known as "amortizing" the deal over a maximum of five years). For consistency, transfer fee figures are all taken from Transfermarkt. Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to be included in this season's accounts, so he is included too, even though a deal was concluded last summer. Player Transfer fee Accounting cost Florian Wirtz $143.5 million $28.7 million Hugo Ekitike $109 million $21.8 million Milos Kerkez $53.8 million $10.8 million Jeremie Frimpong $46 million $9.2 million Giorgi Mamardashvili $34.4 million $6.9 million Armin Pecsi $2 million $0.4 million Total $388.7 million $77.8 million $388.7 million (around £255 million) is clearly a huge overall spend. Even the amortized figure of $77.8 million is far from insignificant, given that Liverpool is also still accounting for amoritzed fees from prior windows; the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo, and even Darwin Nunez are still being paid off on the books. However, notably, none of those names were signed last season. Liverpool had an extremely quiet year in the transfer market, which gives it headroom not only from a financial regulations standpoint but also in terms of cash flow. As for the outgoings so far this summer, Liverpool has already netted some healthy fees. Accounting profit is the total fee the club received, minus any outstanding book value — although that's only relevant so far in the case of Luis Diaz, with all other deals representing pure profit. Player Transfer fee Accounting profit (estimated) Luis Diaz $80.4 million $63.7 million Jarell Quansah $40.2 million $40.2 million Caoimhin Kelleher $17 million $17 million Trent Alexander-Arnold $11.5 million $11.5 million Nat Phillips $4 million $4 million Total $153.1 million $136.4 million As you can see, Liverpool is actually in an accounting profit to the tune of some $60 million so far this summer. That alone effectively explains why Isak could clearly be signed while remaining within the rules. It may sound odd, but you can think of it like this: in accounting terms, Liverpool has paid a fifth of the fees for Wirtz, Ekitike, Frimpong and co. this summer, while netting the full fees for Quansah, Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, and Phillips, and most of the fee for Diaz too. The majority of Diaz's fee had already been accounted for, and an academy exodus makes up the remainder of the outgoings. In "book" terms, Liverpool is extremely comfortable. In real terms, the net spend is more like $235 million (£177 million). That's obviously a very significant figure, and one to which Liverpool would not commit (or indeed add to) lightly. But while a potential deal for Isak is still to come, there are also likely to be more outgoings. All being well, Darwin Nunez might cover as much as half of the overall transfer fee for the Swede, while fringe players like Federico Chiesa and Tyler Morton will claw back reasonable sums as well. Then there's the question of Harvey Elliott's future. Between them, this foursome could plausibly conjure up the entire Isak fund. In other words, even if Liverpool does sign Isak, it would be surprising to see a total net spend much higher than the $265 million (£200 million) mark. That's still obviously a far bigger summer than normal at Anfield, but it's effectively two summers' worth of spending, and it comes after a season where the Reds earned record sums for topping the new-look league phase of the Champions League. Suddenly, it starts to look like a perfectly reasonable summer for a newly-crowned league champion, even if Liverpool probably shouldn't get too accustomed to this kind of transfer lifestyle. But it has arrived at this point through hugely shrewd management over an extended period — and if this window sets Arne Slot's side up for a spell of dominance, people won't be questioning the value for long.