Sports
Emma Raducanu dumped out of Madrid Open in grudge match with childhood rival | Tennis | Sport
Emma Raducanu suffered defeat in the second round of the Madrid Open in a grudge match with Marta Kostyuk. The Brit beat the world No. 36 here three years ago but Kostyuk got her revenge, winning 6-4 2-6 6-2 despite suffering an injury scare and receiving a medical time-out.
Ahead of their third tour-level meeting, Raducanu admitted that Kostyuk was a familiar opponent. The pair grew up competing on the junior circuit together, and the world No. 49 knew it would be an “immense challenge” to face off in Madrid.
“I grew up playing with her. We played all of the summer cups, winter cups together, we’re the same age group. It will be interesting,” Raducanu told Sky Sports before their second-round showdown.
“So much has happened in both of our careers. She’s a player who has been in amazing form and grew up on this surface so is very comfortable on the clay courts. It will be an immense challenge for me.”
She was right to be wary of the challenge Kostyuk posed, as the No. 24 seed broke in the opening game of the match. The Ukrainian won the coin toss and chose to receive, knowing she could attack the Raducanu serve.
Raducanu faced four more break points later in the opening set but dug deep to get herself out of the game, then got back on serve to draw level at 3-3. It didn’t last long, however, as Kostyuk broke again and kept rolling through to take a 6-4 lead.
Both women struggled with their serving early on – the former US Open champion hit three double faults in the first set while Kostyuk hit four, landing only 39 per cent of her first serves in.
The 24th seed suddenly raised injury concerns after closing out the first set, calling the physio. Kostyuk had a lengthy discussion with the trainer before receiving a medical time out for what appeared to be a wrist issue.
It gave Raducanu a chance to talk with her team in the box, and the Brit was first to pounce in set two, taking a 2-0 lead.
But the rollercoaster continued. Raducanu immediately relinquished her advantage. Then, a couple of games later, Kostyuk threw in back-to-back double faults to get broken again.
For the first time in the match, Raducanu was able to back up the break, surviving a tough game to pull ahead. And momentum was firmly on her side, as she broke again and reeled off four games in a row to take the second set and force a decider.
The third and final set followed a similar pattern to the others, as both women continued to break each other. There were moments of brilliance from Raducanu, who won a 19-shot rally with a sizzling winner while under pressure at 2-4 0-30.
But Kostyuk broke for the sixth and final time, giving herself a chance to serve it out. After two hours and 17 minutes, the 24th seed finally got the job done, sending Raducanu packing and booking her spot in the third round.
The three-set battle was completely different to their last match in Madrid, when the British No. 2 steamrolled through Kostyuk, winning 6-2 6-1.
It was another defeat for the British women on Friday, as Katie Boulter lost to No. 6 Jasmine Paolini at the start of the day, while Sonay Kartal lost another GB vs Ukraine clash on Court 4, going out to Elina Svitolina before Raducanu came onto court.
Sports
FIFA chiefs stage Gianni Infantino protest with mass walk-out after Saudi Arabia furore | Football | Sport
Senior FIFA figures staged a walk-out in protest over Gianni Infantino’s late arrival at their latest congress in Asuncion, Paraguay. The controversial FIFA president had been forced to apologise after delaying the high-profile meeting several times due to joining Donald Trump’s tour of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Infantino made a late decision to join U.S. President Trump’s delegation in the Middle East. The meeting of the FIFA Council had already been delayed to Thursday and changed to a virtual event, having initially been scheduled to take place in person on Tuesday. Infantino had been present for meetings between President Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
While Infantino was touring with the 78-year-old, representatives from worldwide football associations were holding meetings in his absence in Asuncion. Frustration with his decision to travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar is said to have boiled over.
In a further delay, Thursday’s meeting was moved back to 12:30pm after Infantino’s flight was held up. Reports this evening suggested that European delegates would walk out during the break after Infantino’s speech to show their displeasure over the situation. However, several members of the FIFA Council ended up leaving as part of the protest.
Among those reported by The Times to have walked out are FA chairwoman Debbie Hewitt and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. Several senior members of the congress made their displeasure known as Infantino spoke.
After finally arriving at the FIFA congress, Infantino said: “As president of FIFA, my responsibility is to make decisions in the interests of the organisation. I decided to be the last two days in the Middle East knowing the 2034 World Cup will be in Saudi Arabia and the World Cup in 2022 was in Qatar.
“The ‘25 Club World Cup and ‘26 World Cup will be in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Some important discussions took place in regard to the World Cup, and I felt that I needed to be there to represent football and all of you.
“We had an issue with our flight, which made this delay happen. Apologies. Sorry, and I am looking forward to spending time with you here.”
Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 but his management of the global football governing body has split opinion in recent years. He has previously defended his close alliance with President Trump as “critical” due to the USA’s joint-hosting of the 2026 World Cup.
Sports
Golf LIVE: Rory McIlroy buries rivals at PGA Championship as fourth big player withdraws | Golf | Sport
No doubting the star attraction today with Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele off together on the 10th at 1.22pm.
Selected groups:
12pm: Luke Donald (Eng), Padraig Harrington (Ire), Martin Kaymer (Ger).
6:03pm: Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Adam Scott (Aus), Will Zalatoris (US).
6:14pm: Dustin Johnson (US), Collin Morikawa (US), Justin Thomas (US).
6.25pm: Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Patrick Reed (US), Jordan Spieth (US).
6:47pm: Bryson DeChambeau (US), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Gary Woodland (US).
7:09pm: Brian Harman (US), Justin Rose (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus)
Starting at Hole 10:
12:38pm: Rickie Fowler (US), Brooks Koepka (US), Shane Lowry (Ire).
12:49pm: Jason Day (Aus), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Phil Mickelson (US).
1pm: Patrick Cantlay (US), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Jon Rahm (Spa).
1:22pm: Rory McIlroy (NI), Xander Schauffele (US), Scottie Scheffler (US)
Coco Gauff has apologised to her doubles partner at the Italian Open for her standard of play during their matches.
Gauff and Alexandra Eala lost in the quarter-finals to home duo Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, but had won two matches to make it that far.
The American felt that she was to blame for their disappointment, pointing out that Eala saved them from an earlier exit.
“And in our match yesterday, she definitely got MVP for that,” Gauff said. “I was just kind of there. So, I told her sometimes I forget how to play because sometimes it’s been a while. It’s just one of those things.
“You know how they say, you don’t forget how to ride a bike, doubles you definitely forget how to play.
“I told her I’m like a deer on ice at the net, that’s what I feel like. Many times I’ve apologised to her, but she’s quick, she’s fast, so she’s there to cover me.”
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