Irish bench made 'massive impact'
Ireland captain Dan Sheehan hailed the impact of his side's bench in Saturday's 27-18 win over Wales in Cardiff as they survived a major scare to clinch the Triple Crown and keep alive their Grand Slam hopes. "That was exactly what we expected, a proper Test game in a beautiful stadium in front of some seriously passionate fans," Sheehan told BBC One."Fair play to Wales, that was a proper Test match and I'd say we'll feel it for a few days, but I'm proud of the boys."We said it all week, they'd have their purple patches and their moments of strength."We just have to stick to what we do all the time, that's our process, it's staying calm, we didn't panic and we had to eke it out one minute at a time. That's what all those lads have practised for years."We rely heavily on our bench. They came on and made a massive impact, James Ryan, Bundee [Aki] both made a huge impact to lift the boys with fresh energy. "That was the making of the game there, relying on our bench to bring that energy."
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Sky News
5 hours ago
- Sky News
Essential guide to Wimbledon 2025 - the ones to watch, and break from tradition
The nets are up, the grass is mowed, and the strawberries are being lathered in cream. It's Wimbledon season. The third of the four Grand Slams in the tennis calendar kicks off on Monday 30 June with top ranked players including Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and British hopeful Jack Draper hoping to wow the crowds in SW19. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the tournament. What is the order of play? Both the women's and men's first round of the tournament are due to start on 30 June. Play is then scheduled every day for two weeks until the women's singles final on 12 July and the men's single's final on 13 July. In a change to the normal schedule, this year's singles finals will move from 2pm on the final Saturday and Sunday to 4pm, with the men's and women's doubles finals to be held first at 1pm. The Junior Championships and wheelchair competitions will also take place across the fortnight. A full order of play will be released on the official Wimbledon website the night before matches are due to take place. Ones to watch (and one to not) The championships promise to deliver some of the finest tennis in the world. It comes hot off the heels of the French Open, which saw a record-breaking five hour and 29 minute final between the two best players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Women's world number two Coco Gauff also managed to see off number one seed Aryna Sabalenka to secure her second Grand Slam title. Meanwhile, French wildcard Lois Boisson knocked out two top-10 players to reach the semi-finals. There are plenty of contenders who will be looking for success at Wimbledon. Below are just a few players to keep an eye on as the championships gets under way. One name that will be missing from this year's Wimbledon draw is Nick Kyrgios, who said last month he will not play due to a "small setback". "I know how much you've been looking forward to seeing me out there and I'm genuinely sorry to disappoint. This is just a bump in the road, though, and I'm already working hard to get back stronger than ever," the 2022 runner-up said on social media. Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry Alcaraz and Sinner have already clashed on some of the biggest stages in tennis, cementing their rivalry on the court, which echoes that over the years between the 'Big Four' - Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Recently, Alcaraz has been the one to break Sinner's lengthy winning streaks, first in Rome earlier this year, and then again in Paris. But the Italian remains in the top spot of the ATP Tour rankings, with 10,880 points compared to his Spanish counterpart's 8,850. "For the sport, it's something amazing to have these players after Roger and Rafa - and Novak is still playing, of course - but this kind of rivalry that they have," Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz's coach and former world number one, said after the French Open final. "Having these two guys fighting for big trophies, I think we have to be very happy about it in the sport of tennis. They know they have to play unbelievable tennis to beat the other guy." In numbers: Alcaraz Vs Sinner The two best players in the world came face-to-face for the first time in a Grand Slam final in Paris. After a gruelling (and record-breaking) five hours and 29 minutes match, it was Carlos Alcaraz who took the upper-hand over Jannik Sinner. Here is how the two compare going into Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz • Ranked No 2 by the ATP • 5 Grand Slam titles • Best Wimbledon performance: Winner 2023 & 2024 • One win away from completing a career slam • Banked an estimated £33m in prize money • Has won eight previous matches against Sinner Jannik Sinner • Ranked No 1 by the ATP • 3 Grand Slam titles • Best Wimbledon performance: SF 2023 • Halfway towards a career slam • Banked an estimated £30.6m in prize money • Has won four previous matches against Alcaraz Who are the British hopefuls? Homegrown talent from the UK will also be on display in SW19. Jack Draper has long been touted as the next star of British tennis, and at the age of 23 is the current British number one. In March, he won the biggest tournament of his career - the Indian Wells Open in California, often described as the "fifth slam" - and reached the Madrid Open final, leapfrogging Novak Djokovic to enter the world's top five for the first time. He's currently number 4 in the world. Also due to reappear on the court is a Murray (no, not that one). Doubles player Jamie Murray, brother of Andy Murray, is currently ranked British number seven and world ranked 34, and this year became the first Briton on record to play 1000 ATP Tour level doubles matches. He is among seven British doubles players in the world's top 50. , British women's number two (world number 37), is also set for a return to the grass. The former US Open champion has been plagued with a back injury this season and was knocked out of the French and Australian Opens by Iga Swiatek. In April, she also withdrew from Great Britain's squad for the Billie Jean King Cup to "look after her body". Speaking at the Queen's Club in June, the 22-year-old - who is at her highest world ranking since 2022, just ahead of British number 1 Katie Boulter at 34 - Raducanu said she has been able to "manage" her ongoing back issue, even though it "keeps coming back". 2:47 How much money do the winners get? The exact amount of prize money that Wimbledon champions will get this year is yet to be announced. Last year, both the women and men's singles champions bagged a record £2.7m. Runners-up got £1.4m and semi-finalists £715k. For doubles, winners received £650k (per pair), with the runners-up getting £330k. A break from tradition In a major break from tradition, line judges at this year's Wimbledon will be replaced with Live Electronic Line Calling. Following in the lead of the other Grand Slam tournaments, bar the French Open, the system will be fully automated, scrapping the need for line judges. Hawk-Eye technology has been used on certain courts at Wimbledon since 2007, helping officials and allowing players to challenge line calls, but will be used across the entire site for the first time, including during qualifying at Roehampton. The All England Club's chief executive Sally Bolton said last year that organisers went through "a significant period of consideration and consultation" before deciding to make the switch.
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Wimbledon to be shown on new TV channel to end BBC's 88-year monopoly
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The 10 greatest men's tennis matches ever: Where does Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's French Open epic rank?
'The level is higher than I've ever seen' said an awestruck John McEnroe. Mats Wilander added: 'I've seen Federer and Nadal and they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this to me.'
