Latest news with #AmandaAnismova
Scottish Sun
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
Revellers don fancy dress for booze-fuelled Otley Run as Brits to bask in 30C temps TODAY – but it won't last for long
The aim of the game is to have a drink in 17 pubs SUN-SATIONAL Revellers don fancy dress for booze-fuelled Otley Run as Brits to bask in 30C temps TODAY – but it won't last for long Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) REVELLERS have donned fancy dress for the Otley Run as the UK is set to bask in 30C temperatures. Cowgirls, union jack dresses and even cardboard ketchup bottles were spotted as boozy revellers took to the streets for a pub crawl with pals. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 A group of cowgirls with matching fans to keep cool Credit: NB PRESS LTD 7 Fans and hats are a common sight during this pub crawl Credit: NB PRESS LTD 7 A lifeguard, Lorax, and a Statue of Liberty were among the costumes Credit: NB PRESS LTD 7 The aim is to have a drink at 17 pubs for the famous crawl Credit: NB PRESS LTD Some only donned a movie t-shirt for their costume, while multiple "devils" were also spotted as many had leftover horns from Halloween. The two-and-a-half-mile rite of passage happens multiple times a year. The historic Otley Run starts at Woodies pub in Far Headingley and finishes at The Dry Dock at the edge of the city centre. The aim of the game is to have a drink in each of the 17 pubs along the way. Participants begin at Woodies before swilling snifters at 15 other watering holes during the challenge, which takes place several times a year. Drinkers sup a final brew at the aptly named Dry Dock - a narrow boat-turned-pub. It comes after Brits spent yesterday basking in temperatures as high as 33C as thousands flocked outside to enjoy the glorious sunshine. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all saw their hottest day of the year so far with sunseekers in England soaking up the scorching heat well into the evening. wimmers and sunbathers spent the day in Bournemouth and Brighton as they enjoyed an ice cream and a dip in the cooling water. Along the coast, many celebrated Bourne Free pride parade amid the soaring temperatures. And many watching Wimbledon were grateful for Iga Swiatek's flawless clean sweep victory in the women's singles final. Under the sweltering conditions, the Pole remained focused and brushed aside Amanda Anismova in straight sets - letting the SW19 revellers get off early. What counts as a heatwave? DESPITE many Brits spending the past few days basking in the sunshine we are not officially in a heatwave. A heatwave in the UK only comes around when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days of temperatures meeting or exceeding the temperature thresholds for a heatwave. Across the north and west of the UK this is set at 25C. In Greater London and the Home Counties, this rises to a whopping 28C. Spectators were advised to slap on the sunscreen and stay hydrated as "classic summer conditions" were forecasted for the tennis final. This is the third period of high heat the UK has experienced this year, leaving many Brits chuffed with the continued warm weather. The previous two were officially noted down as heatwaves with this one yet to officially meet the threshold despite it coming close. Large swathes of the UK have met the heatwave criteria, according to the Met Office. Temperatures hit 30.8C in Aboyne and Aviemore in Scotland, while in Wales, a high of 32.4C was recorded at Usk in Monmouthshire. The Met Office had announced much of Britain should look forward to a "fine and hot day". Temperatures are set to remain warm throughout Sunday. Amber and yellow heat health alerts are still in place for the Midlands and southern and eastern England until 9am on Monday when the weather is expected to last until. Today, for the Men's Wimbledon final, where Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz will face Jannick Sinner, the mercury will dip slightly. This may come as a relief to many revellers, and players alike, with slightly more cloud cover later in the day. But it will still be a hot day for those down south, with some areas predicted to reach 29C in the afternoon. The heat alerts, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Met Office, mean older and vulnerable people are at greater risk due to the temperature. This is because in the heat people are more likely to suffer dehydration, heat exhaustion, and potentially deadly heatstroke. Hot weather can also worsen asthma symptoms for some people, including increased breathing difficulties, wheezing, and coughing. It warns of a possible rise in deaths among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. Younger age groups could also be affected. There is also a higher risk for vulnerable individuals living alone or in care homes due to overheating indoors 7 A woman wears a union jack dress for her costume this weekend Credit: NB PRESS LTD 7 One inventive costume included a ketchup label Credit: NB PRESS LTD
The Independent
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
How Amanda Anisimova's Wimbledon nightmare unfolded in 57 minutes of tennis violence by Iga Swiatek
It took the Centre Court crowd two points to begin rooting for Amanda Anismova, after sensing some early nerves in her shaky serving arm. By the third, with the American facing three break points at 0-40, the crowd's cheers had dissipated into a hum of whispered concern. Swiatek quickly sealed the break, and Anismova's nightmare had begun. It was arguably the worst set of tennis in Wimbledon's long history of finals, perhaps of any grand-slam final. She served three double faults and put only 33 per cent of first serves in (Swiatek landed 80 per cent); most tellingly, she made an eye-watering 14 unforced errors in just six games (Swiatek made only two). Ansimova won nine points in 25 minutes and lost 27. Centre Court was in shock. There was a violence to what they had witnessed, in the way Anisimova was left alone and exposed trying to field Swiatek's arsenal but without any of the weapons she deployed in her semi-final, as if she'd dropped them on the long walk to the grass. The balanced footwork and booming backhand that downed No 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka were gone, replaced by heavy legs and a broken radar. The forehand abandoned her too, replaced by limp flops into the net. The second set was slightly more competitive as Anisimova engineered a few more sniffs. But she couldn't convert them, and at the other end Swiatek was ruthless, clenching her first in celebration like she was in a tense tie-break when the scoreboard in fact showed 6-0, 4-0, 15-40. Swiatek finished off the match with a backhand winner down the tramline. They shared a hug at the net and then they were off in different directions, Swiatek bounding up into the stands to embrace her family and support team, Anismova slumped in her seat with a towel draped over her head, wanting to wake up. She walked off court and when she returned a few moments later she was wiping the tears from her eyes. Anisimova handled the obligatory on-court interview with grace, fighting through the emotion to thank her family who were overflowing in her family box, including her mum who flew in overnight to be by her side. 'I would definitely not be standing here without you,' she said. 'My mum's put in more work than I have, honestly. She's done everything to get me to this point in my life.' Anisimova was the US prodigy winning junior titles and on course to be a superstar. But her father's sudden death – she was only 17 and he was her coach – took an enormous toll, as did the rigours of the professional tour's relentless churn. She quit tennis for eight months in 2023 citing burnout, saying the constant competition had become 'unbearable'. It was a brave move that saw her tumble from No 23 to No 359, a risk that came off with her results this year, winning a first WTA title in Qatar and this deep run at Wimbledon. This scoreline will follow her wherever she goes, but you suspect Anisimova will harness it as a valuable learning experience in what was her first grand-slam final. 'I know I didn't have enough today but I'll keep putting in the work. I'll keep believing in myself and I hope to be back here one day.' The stark result – the first 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon women's final since 1911 – almost overshadowed Swiatek's mastery of grass. On her least favourite surface at a tournament where she had not been past the quarter-finals before, Swiatek took charge of Centre Court, finding the lines with her groundstrokes, leaving Anisimova to swipe at little plumes of white dust where the ball had been and gone. Swiatek is now a six-time grand slam champion, with major titles on all three surfaces. Only seven other players have achieved those two feats in the open era. That she has done it at only 24 years old is remarkable. 'I didn't even dream about this [winning Wimbledon] because it felt too far away,' she said. 'I feel like I am an experienced player but I never expected this win. My team believed in me more than I did.' Swiatek has had to overcome her own challenges, having accepted a one-month ban last year after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) during an out-of-competition urine sample. She was deemed to have been at 'no significant fault' after proving that a batch of sleeping tablets she had been taking were contaminated. She described the ordeal as a 'nightmare', while her unimpeachable reputation was questioned and the words 'positive doping test' will now forever be written into her Wikipedia entry. The saga understandable entwined with her own drop in form and ranking, falling to world No 8, her lowest point in three years. There have been times this year when she has been searching to rediscover her A game, but there were also signs of life in her runs to the semi-finals in Melbourne and Paris, as well as the final of her grass-court warm-up tournament in Bad Homburg last month. Here it all came together, serving with power, moving her feet and striking the ball beautifully throughout the fortnight. Perhaps London's heatwave helped slow down the courts, giving her a touch more time and a touch more bounce to play with, to unleash her topspin. This match may be remembered as the day Ansimova failed to win a game, but it was also a landmark victory by the greatest player of her generation.
