Sports
Sinner Into Semi-Finals With Ruthless Bublik Win
Top seed Jannik Sinner cruised into the French Open semi-finals with a ruthless straight-set victory over Alexander Bublik, bringing the Kazakh’s remarkable run in Paris to an end.
The Italian was in imperious form and is still yet to drop a set at Roland Garros as he won 6-1 7-5 6-0.
Sinner is hunting a first major title on the Paris clay having previously only gone as far as the last four, losing a five-set thriller to Carlos Alcaraz last year.
World number 62 Bublik has enjoyed something of a career rejuvenation at the French major, but shook his head and smiled ruefully as he was unable to find any answers to Sinner picking apart his unconventional style.
“We have faced each other a few times so I know him quite well, but with him [Bublik] you never know what’s happening,” said Sinner.
“He deserves to be in the quarter-finals, he beat very tough players. I tried to stay focused on my side and play as solidly as possible because he can have ups and downs so I tried to stay consistent.”
Victory extended Sinner’s winning run at the majors to 19 matches after triumphs at last year’s US Open and the Australian Open in January.
He will meet either sixth seed Novak Djokovic or German third seed Alexander Zverev in the last four.
They face each other at 19:15 BST on Wednesday, after Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti booked a showdown in the other semi-final.
After a drizzly morning with the roof on on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the sun was back out and the roof off when three-time Grand Slam champion Sinner took to the court and he needed only one hour and 51 minutes to dismantle Bublik.
After what he described as a “disgraceful” period in his career, Bublik’s surprise run at the French Open – in which he became the first Kazakh to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final – has seen him return to the top 50 in the rankings.
Refreshed from a recent trip to Las Vegas which proved to be a turning point in his form, Bublik has enjoyed the best run of his career at Roland Garros and said his win over British number one Jack Draper in round four was the “best moment of my life”.
His unorthodox approach to professional tennis – he has frequently discussed his complicated and frequently unhappy relationship with the sport – has allowed him to approach the French Open with freedom and enjoyment.
But a match against world number one Sinner for a place in the last four proved a bridge too far for the charismatic Bublik.
Sinner dominated the opening set, completely overpowering his opponent, and Bublik smiled with relief when he managed to hold at 5-0 to prevent a first-set bagel.
A tightly contested second set followed, with Bublik able to find some of the shots that stunned Draper last time out.
But while it was an improvement on set one, he failed to conjure a break point and a double fault at 5-5 to concede a break of serve was a sickening blow as Sinner’s pinpoint serve sealed the second set.
Normal service resumed for Sinner in the third set as he ruthlessly picked apart Bublik’s game, chasing down the drop shots that had proved so successful against Draper two days ago and returning his powerful forehand with ease.
Sinner rattled through the set in just 27 minutes, forcing the errors to break three times with another untimely double fault providing the platform for the world number one to move to 5-0 before putting the match to bed with a nonchalant cross-court forehand winner.
Bbc.com
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle might get a new option to pick from, as a player with dual nationality is set to switch allegiances to Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.
This comes as former Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has taken his first few steps to switch allegiances from France to Nigeria.
The 22-year-old midfielder was born in France to Nigerian parents, and he represented France at youth level.
However, he is 22 now and cannot play youth-level football anymore. He is due for the senior team, but he has yet to receive an official call-up to the senior Les Bleus team. But according to FIFA rules, a player can still switch allegiances to Nigeria. As a result, the Super Eagles door is still open.
It appears that the former Chelsea man is willing to try that route. In the summer, he was in Nigeria and was even spotted playing football with Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho in Owerri.
Now, reports have emerged that he has started the process of acquiring his Nigerian passport which will make him a bonafide Nigerian.
Once Ugochukwu gets his Nigerian passport, the next thing for him will be to switch his nationality with world football governing body FIFA so he can start playing for the Super Eagles.
A player of Ugochukwu’s profile would be a good fit for Eric Chelle’s system and he can give Nigeria a few good years.
The 22-year-old is originally a defensive midfielder, but he is more of a box-to-box player. He is physically strong, has composure on the ball, and is a decent carrier. The Rennes academy product also has the work rate which is needed to thrive in Chelle’s system.
His switch to the Super Eagles would provide healthy competition and depth in Nigeria’s midfield, and he can also chip in with the odd goal.
Ugochukwu just completed a loan move from Burnley to Galatasaray, and he will be looking to produce top performances for his new employers.
The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has intensified following Spain’s FIFA World Cup triumph, with England captain Harry Kane emerging as the bookmakers’ favourite to win football’s most prestigious individual award.
According to odds published by the Independent UK, citing Betfair, on Tuesday, Kane leads the contenders ahead of Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Kane strengthened his credentials after finishing the World Cup with six goals and becoming England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
The performance added to his already staggering 2025–2026 campaign, where he scored 72 goals and provided 7 assists in 61 appearances for Bayern Munich and England. Kane won three trophies with Bayern Munich, finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and claimed the European Golden Shoe.
Spain’s World Cup-winning duo of Yamal and Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, also rank among the leading contenders after helping their country lift the trophy. Messi remains firmly in the race after leading the Albiceleste to a second consecutive World Cup final, despite missing out on FIFA’s Golden Ball award to Rodri.
Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, partly thanks to Argentina winning 2022 FIFA World Cup
At 39, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recorded 8 goals and 4 assists before also missing out on the Golden Boot to France star Kylian Mbappe by two goals.
Mbappé once again proved his elite status. In a prolific 2025–2026 campaign for Real Madrid, he became La Liga and Champions League top scorer.
He is also the 2026 World Cup top scorer and became the all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.
Manchester City and Norway striker, Erling Haaland, also enjoyed another prolific season, scoring 27 Premier League goals and eight in the UEFA Champions League.
He carried that form into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals in five games to inspire Norway to a historic first-ever quarter-final appearance.
Erling Haaland #9 of Norway celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between Iraq and Norway at Boston Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
France’s Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise and England midfielder Jude Bellingham are also among the favourites.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26.
Top 16 Ballon d’Or favourites (Betfair odds):
Harry Kane – 13/8
Lamine Yamal – 9/4
Lionel Messi – 11/4
Kylian Mbappe – 7/2
Rodri – 9/2
Ousmane Dembele – 14/1
Jude Bellingham – 14/1
Michael Olise – 20/1
Erling Haaland – 22/1
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 28/1
Declan Rice – 28/1
Vitinha – 28/1
Fabian Ruiz – 33/1
Vinicius Jr. – 40/1
Bruno Fernandes – 50/1
Desire Doue – 50/1
Chelsea are on the brink of completing a British record deal for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers after the England international arrived for a medical earlier today, July 20, ahead of his proposed £117 million switch to Stamford Bridge.
According to Sky Sports, Morgan Rogers is expected to sign a six-year contract, with Chelsea holding the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months until 2033, provided he comes through his medical.
The 23-year-old returned from the United States on Sunday after helping England secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is now set to finalise his move in the coming days.
Chelsea acted decisively to beat Arsenal to Rogers’ signature after the Gunners refused to match Villa’s asking price, despite identifying him as their leading attacking target. The agreed fee will set a new British transfer record.
Rogers’ departure marks another major change in Aston Villa’s midfield, with the club already moving to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.
Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazil international Joao Gomes from Wolves in a deal worth up to £38 million. The agreement includes an initial £34 million payment, with a further £4 million in performance-related add-ons.
The 25-year-old had also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid but left Wolves’ pre-season training camp in Portugal last week to complete his medical before sealing the move to Villa Park.
Gomes becomes Villa’s second high-profile midfield signing in quick succession after the club completed a deal worth more than £50 million for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi on Friday, beating Newcastle United to the Switzerland international.
Villa’s transfer activity follows a difficult spell in midfield. Amadou Onana has been ruled out until next year after sustaining a serious knee injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium. The club have also sold Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for £35 million.
Gomes leaves Wolves after making 130 appearances and scoring seven goals since joining from Brazilian side Flamengo in 2023. He featured 41 times last season as Wolves endured a disappointing campaign that ended with relegation after finishing bottom of the Premier League.
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