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Updates from the sixth day’s play at Roland Garros How players are feeling the heat | Mail DanielNow then. Swiatek is brilliant at coaxing herself through the rounds, but she’ll not be happy to be broken immediately, Linette leading 2-0 … er, make that 2-1, the advantage immediately confiscated. Meantime, Rublev has also been broken, the serving that settled set one forsaking him in two, and that, really is the difference; he hammers his racket into the clay, which is better than doing so into himself, and he leads 7-5 1-3.Borges, who’ll feel unlucky to have lost the first set, breaks Rublev immediately for 5-7 2-0, while Linette holds in game one of her clash with Swiatek. Continue reading...

⚽ News and previews before big weekend of football⚽ Football Daily on Saturday’s final | Mail DomThe aforementioned Qatar played Ireland last night in Dublin, and lost 1-0.The game was played against the backdrop of mounting controversy over Ireland’s forthcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel, with the game scheduled for October 4 in Dublin a particular focus, and protesters hurled tennis balls bearing the message “stop the game” onto the pitch on several occasions during the first half.The 22-year will make a shock switch of allegiance from Italy to Australia four years after turning down the opportunity to represent the country of his birth at the tournament in Qatar.Football Australia is still awaiting confirmation from Fifa that the formalities surrounding Volpato’s change of heart can be completed before Socceroos coach Tony Popovic names his 26-player World Cup squad by 1 June. Continue reading...

Charles and Camilla to attend the Classic on 6 JuneRace attendance has suffered major recent declineThe king and queen will attend the 247th running of the Derby on 6 June, reviving what was a traditional engagement in the calendar for Queen Elizabeth II for most of her 70-year reign.The late Queen missed just two renewals of the Classic at Epsom Downs between 1953 – when her colt Aureole finished second, four days after her coronation – and the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Continue reading...

Unimpressive in qualification, fans will be hoping Carlo Ancelotti can get the best out of Vinícius Júnior, as he did at Real MadridThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!Here we are in the dog days of May, with the European club football season playing out a slow, sultry finale as the Geopolitics World Cup bangs ever louder on the door. Legendary managers and beloved players have made tearful farewells, shiny pots handed out, spies spotted in slapstick circumstances. But wait! The big closing number is still to come. Paris Saint-Germain. The Arsenal. Budapest. Saturday, er, 5pm BST. It’s Bigger Cup Final!Was the repeat reference to Phil Taverner’s punishment (Thursday’s letters) a rare slip on Football Daily Ed’s part, or was his original offence deemed so heinous that he’s to be named and shamed on a daily basis for the foreseeable? Just asking for a friend” – Phil Taverner.Donyell Malen played 46 times for Aston Villa and scored just seven goals, then scored 14 times in 18 games for Roma to finish as second-top scorer in Serie A this season after arriving in January. This might explain how Scott McTominay won Serie A player of the season, and why Italy failed to qualify for their third World Cup in a row” – Noble Francis.Re: George Smith’s letter. Not only is the $100+ fee for a train ride to the MetLife Stadium gouging, it is virtually mandatory. There is no pedestrian access during GWC, and the Meadowlands area has swamps that are foul with toxic waste” – Steve Hibbert [Big Website gave it a go – Football Daily Ed]. Continue reading...

Quiet architect of Saracens’ modern dynasty prepares for emotional farewell as his side battle for a playoff spot in penultimate match of the season The quietest man in the stadium will be the most brilliantly lit when the spotlight falls on him come the end of the match. Mark McCall will hope his last home match in charge of Saracens will have ended with his team back in the top four, just when it matters most, with one round to play.A win against Harlequins on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd would move Saracens ahead of Exeter into fourth, with the Chiefs visiting Leicester on Sunday. Saracens are 20-point favourites to beat Quins, Leicester 11-point favourites to beat Exeter. Unless both underdogs rear up to bite their hosts (an outcome the bookies rate as a one-in-50 chance), we are due a straight shootout for that fourth playoff spot on the regular season’s final weekend at Sandy Park, where Exeter will host Saracens. Continue reading...

In the streets where he grew up the PSG winger’s success is an inspiration and a continual source of prideThe cage where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s love for football began is still buzzing with life today. Sandwiched between the vast Soviet apartment blocks of Dighmis Masivi, children scream, “Kvaraaaa!” as they strike the ball, replica shirts bearing his name stretched proudly across their backs.This same “stadium”, as locals call it, fills each evening – like many across Tbilisi – with children playing football for hours, stopping only when mothers lean from balconies and shout that dinner is ready. Continue reading...

Wembley finalists seek to define status as modern greats but bubbling underneath is salary cap problemIt is fast becoming a story we are well versed with. For the third consecutive season, Hull KR and Wigan Warriors square off in a major final, with an historic first meeting in the Challenge Cup decider on Saturday afternoon at Wembley the latest chapter in a generational rivalry. The record is one win each, with Wigan triumphing in the 2024 Super League Grand Final and Rovers exacting revenge last year at Old Trafford.They are the two most recent champions not just of Super League but the world, having both beaten NRL opposition in the World Club Challenge. This final marks a moment in time for one of them to solidify a position as one of the modern era’s truly great teams. For once, it is Wigan who are arguably the underdogs. Continue reading...

Ian Rush among those from Liverpool and Juventus at ceremonyNew Anfield Road monument replaces original plaqueLiverpool have unveiled a new memorial on the 41st anniversary of the Heysel Stadium tragedy to the 39 fans who died.Representatives from Juventus, Liverpool’s opponents in the 1985 European Cup final, attended the unveiling ceremony at Anfield on Friday along with the Liverpool ambassador Ian Rush and the chief executive, Billy Hogan. Entitled Forever Bound, the memorial is in a more prominent location behind the Anfield Road Stand and replaces the original plaque on the wall of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, which was felt to be inadequate. Continue reading...

Charlotte FC’s Tim Ream appears to be in pole position to lead the US on the field this summer, but there are many factors to considerSign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletterIf you want to get US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino started, just use one word: leadership.The former Tottenham Hotspur manager is famously well-studied on the subject and there are no shortage of clips of him waxing poetic about it. He’s led players over hot coals, or had them press their neck up against the tip of an arrow and lean into it until it shatters. Ask Mauricio Pochettino about leadership and the words he’ll sprinkle into his answers will overlap heavily with late-night self-help ads, his sentences dotted with words like aura, bravery and self-determination. Continue reading...