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Furious US Open star says Grand Slam chiefs went back on their word before Coco Gauff loss | Tennis | Sport

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Jelena Ostapenko claimed that US Open organisers went back on their word when it came to her match against Coco Gauff. The American thrashed the 20th seed on Tuesday, defeating Ostapenko 6-0 6-2. And the Latvian has now claimed that she was told they would be playing in the night session following her 6am bedtime, only to learn that they were scheduled first in the day session.

Ostapenko’s impressive US Open run came to a dismal end in the quarter-final as she lasted just 68 minutes on court against home favourite Gauff. It came after the Latvian stunned world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round on Sunday night with the match ending shortly before midnight.

The 26-year-old has now claimed that, immediately after upsetting the reigning champion, she was told that her quarter-final match against Gauff would be played in the night session on Tuesday. But that wasn’t the case, as the pair were scheduled first up at 12pm local time in the heat of the day session.

“I think it’s really hard to recover from those night matches, because after beating world No. 1, I went to sleep at, like, 5:00 in the morning, and still, you sleep for, I don’t know, maybe like seven, eight hours, but you completely don’t recover,” the 2017 French Open champion said after losing to Gauff.

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“Yesterday the whole day I felt very low energy. I thought today I was, like, going to wake up and feel better. But honestly, I didn’t really feel much better.” Explaining why she got to sleep so late, Ostapenko continued: “I got back to the hotel around, like, 2:00 a.m. and even I tried to go to sleep at 3:00 in the morning but I had all this adrenaline and it was impossible to fall asleep.

“Then when you go to sleep at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning, the whole day where you need a few days just to recover. I think it’s a little bit crazy.” And the Latvian clarified that it was the schedule that she thought was “crazy” after claiming organisers communicated something different to her.

“The thing was that when I asked the day before, I was pretty sure I’m gonna play at night session, because that’s what they told me,” she explained. “When the schedule came out, I saw I’m playing first match and was, like, wow, that’s a little bit strange scheduling.”

Ostapenko added: “Honestly, I thought at least maybe I play second where I thought our match will be interesting match and they would probably put it as a night session, especially she is from here.

“Yeah, when I saw the schedule I was a little bit surprised, not in a really good way.” The 20th seed also claimed that it was straight after her match against Swiatek that she was told she would play her quarter-final at night.

But Ostapenko already knew to take the claim with a pinch of salt. “I mean, you never know with the people who are doing schedule, because sometimes you feel like you better don’t ask anything, because sometimes it’s working your way or sometimes it’s working against you completely. It depends where and how it’s gonna work,” she said.



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Bryson DeChambeau’s amazing gesture mid-PGA Championship round caught on film | Golf | Sport

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Bryson DeChambeau might have finished disappointed at the PGA Championship, but one of his young fans was left delighted with the star. DeChambeau finished tied for second at six under par after failing to put pressure on Scottie Scheffler on the final day.

The LIV Golf rebel was right in contention during the third round before a disastrous finish saw him make a bogey at 16 and a double bogey at 17. That left him six shots behind Scheffler when he teed off on Sunday, but a final round of 70 was never going to be enough to trouble his compatriot. However, he left Quail Hollow having delighted a member of the crowd.

As he made his way down one of the fairways, DeChambeau noticed the boy wearing a hat in support of him. The pair shared a brief conversation before the 31-year-old got a marker pen out of his pocket in order to sign the hat.

The fan smiled broadly as DeChambeau completed his amazing gesture. It’s not the first time ‘The Mad Scientist’ has delayed his round to sign something for a spectator, also doing the same at the 2024 US Open.

During the tournament in Pinehurst, where DeChambeau won the major for the second time, he went out of his way to sign an autograph for a young fan wearing a Ben Hogan hat. It was the same hat design that the star, who idolised both Hogan and Payne Stewart, had previously worn himself.

After teeing off at the third hole during his second round, DeChambeau broke US Open protocol by walking over to the fan and signing a flag he was holding up. Indeed, despite his divisive move to LIV, the American has become a popular figure with the golf public, regularly engaging with his followers on social media.

Last year, he posted Instagram videos featuring him attempting to chip a golf ball into a hole on his own putting green from his driveway. He posted about the challenge daily, starting with one shot per day and gradually increasing the number of shots as the days went on, eventually nailing a hole-in-one on the 16th day.

He was also magnanimous in the aftermath of the PGA Championship. DeChambeau was pictured congratulating Scheffler after his win, and also smiling with his rival’s baby son.



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Emma Raducanu’s coach Mark Petchey told his biggest task as two problems raised  | Tennis | Sport

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A former Grand Slam champion has outlined the task facing Emma Raducanu’s part-time coach Mark Petchey to get the British star back to her best form. Raducanu heads into the French Open having enjoyed a brief resurgence in form this year, last week reaching the last-16 of the Italian Open.

She’s currently at the Strasbourg Open, where she comfortably beat sixth seed Daria Kasatkina in her opening match. It’s her last tournament before Roland Garros, where Petchey will again combine mentoring her with his media duties. Now 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, who’ll be working in Paris with TNT Sports, has addressed the biggest task facing him – that being to instill belief into Raducanu she can beat anyone.

“She needs people around her to keep reminding her she can beat anyone at her best,” she told Express Sport. “It’s good to see she’s playing better, winning matches, and her body his holding up.

“I think Mark Petchey is a good coach, but most importantly for Emma, she’s shown it’s important that she has someone who she gets along with and brings positive energy to her camp and makes her believe that she can do it.”

The ex-world No.1 also pinpointed the two potential problems that could hinder Raducanu’s form, adding, “Is her body holding up, and how is she mentally? If both are doing well, she’s going to get results.”

TNT colleague Jim Courier, also speaking with Express Sport, praised Petchey’s influence on the 2021 US Open champion, and believes he’s helped put a smile back on the face of the 22-year-old. He said: “No one watches more, or thinks more, about tennis than Mark Petchey.

“I’ve worked alongside him, the guy lives and breathes it, dives deep into the numbers and understands what the modern game looks like. “There’s trust and there’s knowledge, and that’s a great base to work off. Hopefully, now she’ll find consistency because she looks like she’s having fun.”

Raducanu has worked with a string of coaches ever since her incredible win in New York in September 2021. The all-British partnership began following her split from Vladimir Platenik in March, after just 14 days working together.



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Europa League final LIVE: Postecoglou snaps as Man Utd v Tottenham statement issued | Football | Sport

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By Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur supporters booking last-minute trips to the Europa League final are being charged thousands of pounds.

Direct return flights from the UK to Bilbao in northern Spain cost from more than £1,000, hotel rooms are at least £1,200, while match tickets are available on resale websites from about £500.

The final kicks off at 9pm local time (8pm BST) on Wednesday.

EasyJet is charging £1,823 to fly from Gatwick to Bilbao on Wednesday morning and return on Thursday morning. A return trip from Heathrow with British Airways – out on Wednesday morning, back on Thursday afternoon – costs £1,288.

Spanish airline Vueling is offering flights from Gatwick on Tuesday night, returning on Thursday night, for £1,179. A return trip on the same route a week later is available from just £116.

Tickets for the match at the San Mames Stadium are being sold on marketplace Ticombo from about £500. Some Man Utd and Spurs supporters were able to buy tickets through official channels from just £34.

The cheapest hotel rooms in central Bilbao on the night of the match are being sold on Booking.com for about £1,200. That is compared with £78 on Thursday night.

Airline pricing is generally driven by demand, with fares rising for a flight as more seats are filled. Booking.com, which does not control the pricing of accommodation listed on its website, previously urged providers to “act fairly”.



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