First clay-court match of the season is 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory ‘Not my best level but I competed really well,’ says Briton Emma Raducanu opened her Madrid Open campaign with a gritty victory against a quality, in-form opponent, holding off Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach...
Palace’s Mateta punishes Arsenal muddle to leave Liverpool one point from title
Liverpool’s coronation as Premier League champions will have to wait a few more days, although it’s only a matter of when, not if. In a match that could have represented a microcosm of their domestic season, Arsenal appeared to be heading towards a narrow victory against a dogged Crystal Palace...
Andrew Flintoff feels cricket coaching chance ‘saved me’ after Top Gear crash
Former cricketer opens up on dark times during recovery ‘I thought my face had come off. I was frightened to death’ Andrew Flintoff has described his return to cricket as a coach over the past 18 months as “the one thing that saved me” as he struggled to come to...
London Marathon organisers boycott X over ‘descent into gutter’ under Musk
Trans women to remain barred from elite female races Event director hits out at abuse aimed at Eilish McColgan The London Marathon has revealed that it is permanently boycotting X, with the event director, Hugh Brasher, accusing the social media platform of “descending into a gutter” since Elon Musk took...
Rory McIlroy shaken by scale of ‘absolutely amazing’ reaction to Masters triumph
Augusta winner returns in Zurich Classic of New Orleans McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the defending champions Rory McIlroy has admitted to being taken aback by the scale of reaction to his Masters triumph. Two US presidents – Donald Trump and Barack Obama – plus huge names from worlds outside...
‘Rob just put it down to bad luck’: Lindsey Burrow on her husband, MND and running her own marathons
Wife of rugby league legend who spent the last five years of his life raising awareness of MND and fundraising for a cure says the game will always be a part of her family’s life This weekend Lindsey Burrow will run the London Marathon. Two weeks later, she will run...
Jack Draper backs Sinner as return from ban nears: ‘He doesn’t deserve any hate’
British No 1 says friend is ‘a really genuine, nice person’ Italian will return to action in May after three-month ban Jack Draper believes it has been important to stand up for his friend Jannik Sinner and that the Italian is undeserving of any hate as he prepares to return...
Arteta will not rest players against Palace despite looming PSG tie
‘When players are fit and available, they have to play’ Liverpool to be league winners if Arsenal lose to Palace Mikel Arteta will not shy away from selecting key Arsenal personnel to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday in their final game before next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg even...
Ronnie O’Sullivan holds narrow lead over Ali Carter in World Snooker Championship
O’Sullivan leads 5-4 on his return to competition Former champion Judd Trump makes positive start Ronnie O’Sullivan had to settle for a single-frame overnight advantage as the opening session of his world championship first-round encounter with his old foe Ali Carter failed to live up to its pre-match hype. The...
R&A ‘would love’ the Open to return to Donald Trump’s Turnberry course
Scottish course last hosted event in 2009 R&A says logistics, not politics, are a concern The R&A would like to see Donald Trump’s Turnberry course in Scotland return as host of the Open but will first need to assess the feasibility of the venue, the governing body’s chief executive, Mark...