Manchester City snatched a last-gasp win over Newcastle on Saturday as they look to kick-start their traditional title charge in the second half of the Premier League season.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won five of the last six titles and here, the PA news agency looks at their formidable record in the run-in.

Strong in the home stretch

City have won at least 14 of their final 19 games in each of the last six seasons, with a minimum of 45 points in that stretch (2.37 per game) in their five title-winning campaigns and 43 in 2019-20 when they finished second to Liverpool.

That includes the Premier League’s only 100-point tally in 2017-18 and the memorable battle the following season in which Liverpool set another record by finishing second with 97 points.

That season required City’s best run-in of all, winning 18 of their last 19 games and the last 14 in succession to stay a point ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side, who themselves finished with nine straight wins.

City won 14 of their last 19 games in 2019-20 but lost four – to Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and Southampton – as they finished 18 points behind the Reds, who had built up a dominant lead by winning 18 and drawing one before the halfway point.

Guardiola’s side have won 15, 14 and 15 of their 19 games in the second half of the three seasons since, winning the title on each occasion. That includes another one-point winning margin in 2021-22, when Liverpool won 16 and drew three in the run-in.

In the six completed seasons going back to 2017-18, City won 90 out of 114 games in the second half of the campaign to earn 280 points. Oscar Bobb’s late goal at St James’ Park on Saturday provided just the start required for another strong finish to the campaign this year.

Liverpool rank second with 254 points in the equivalent games, with Manchester United the only other team over 200 at a distant 208. City do also have 267 points in the first halves of those seasons, 18 more than Liverpool with the established ‘big six’ all above 200.

Let battle recommence

Liverpool are again the main rivals for this season’s title, currently top of the league and two points ahead of City having lost only one game.

Aston Villa are alongside City on 43 points but have played a game more and won only one of their last four, with Arsenal slipping three points further back in fourth after a run of one win in five. Spurs also have 40 points but, like Villa, have played 21 games.

With City and Liverpool’s goal difference also level on plus-25, the stage is set for another memorable fight over the second half of the season.

City’s experience and winning record in those battles will aid their bid, as is the keenly awaited return of Erling Haaland – still joint-top of the Golden Boot standings with 14 goals despite missing the last five games.

He is alongside Mohamed Salah, who was ever-present for Liverpool’s first 20 games but now faces his own absence of potentially up to four matches while away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. Salah also leads the league in assists, alongside Villa’s Ollie Watkins, with eight.

Former Chelsea forward Timo Werner believes he can make a big impact under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham without being “the main man” scoring goals.

Much was expected of the Germany international when he completed a £53million switch to Stamford Bridge in 2020 after scoring goals aplenty at RB Leipzig.

But the pacy forward failed to transfer his German scoring feats into the Premier League and returned to his former club for just £25m after two seasons in west London.

 

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The 27-year-old is back in English football after joining Spurs on loan – with Son Heung-min at the Asian Cup – and provided an assist on his debut in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Manchester United.

“We wanted to win the three points, that’s the only not-so-good thing but we did a very good game,” Werner, whose six-month loan includes an option to make the deal permanent, said.

“It’s not easy to win at Old Trafford and yeah I’m very pleased with my game.

“I enjoyed it out there and with the assist, it was a very good debut for Spurs.”

Asked whether supporters saw the best of him at Chelsea, the Germany international said: “That’s hard to say. There was always criticism of my game there.

“At the beginning I also started like I did here, from the left side.

“I think a lot of people wanted to see me scoring more goals, but at Spurs, with the tactics we have and the way the manager wants me to play, I can bring a lot to the group, also with my assists and maybe (by) not being the main man who scores the goals.

“To make deep runs to create space for the others and like today, to create an assist.”

Werner’s work on the left allowed Rodrigo Bentancur to make it 2-2 at Old Trafford, where Spurs twice came from behind and should perhaps have left with more than a point.

It was a promising debut from a player that scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea and helped win the Champions League in 2021.

“Maybe sometimes it’s not about the fans or the manager,” Werner said when asked if criticism of his time at Stamford Bridge was unfair.

“Sometimes it’s about you, how you are getting things together, how you look at your stats and think, ‘I wanted to score more goals’.

 

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“I think now I’m a bit older, I see how important assists and deep runs are for the team.

“I also want to score goals but it’s not the main part of my game anymore. I can bring so much more especially in this kind of tactic for the group.”

Richarlison and Bentancur were the goalscorers for Postecoglou’s side on Sunday, cancelling out goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.

Hojlund’s thumping opener got United off to a dream start inside three minutes, but Erik ten Hag’s side lost their way in what will be their only Premier League match this month.

“We were talking in the break about switching off, so it was a little bit annoying (to concede so quickly),” Hojlund said, referring to Bentancur’s strike within a minute of the second half getting under way.

“We need to take the positives with us, again we need to be disappointed, as two times we were ahead.

“It can happen but again I think we played a great game.”

Opener Ben Duckett insists England will be well prepared for their Test series in India, despite criticism of their last-minute arrival in the country.

Ben Stokes’ squad are currently in state-of-the-art facilities in Abu Dhabi on a training camp and are planning to transfer to Hyderabad just three days before the first Test begins on January 25.

Former England bowler Steve Harmison believes that is simply not enough acclimatisation time in Indian conditions and paves the way for a 5-0 defeat, but low-key warm-up matches have fallen off the agenda since Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum took charge of the side.

With the series already spanning seven weeks and no guarantees over the local players they would come up against, Duckett has no qualms about the decision.

“There’s training every day and we’re hitting thousands of balls, with the bowlers bowling to us,” he told the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

“There probably is loads of spinners (to train with) in India but none of them are (Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar Patel and (Ravichandran) Ashwin. You might face a 15-year-old off-spinner in the nets but that’s not really going to equip you for the first Test match.

“We’ve got quite a big squad with us and there will be hours of training every day. In India you are pretty hotel-bound, the luxury of being in Abu Dhabi is you can get out and about for an extra 10 days.

“India can be a really tough place to tour, everyone knows that. The mental side of the game is just as important and I don’t think there’s too many complaints from that squad who are having 10 days in Abu Dhabi rather than 10 days stuck in a hotel.”

England have vowed not to curb the attacking instincts that have defined the so-called ‘Bazball’ era, promising to go on the attack even if faced with extreme turning conditions.

That is exactly what they experienced on their previous Test tour in 2021, a 3-1 defeat, and Duckett feels his role at the top of the innings is more crucial than ever in setting the right tone.

“Me and Zak (Crawley) at the top of the order have to realise that in the first couple of balls as we kind of judge that wicket,” he said.

“If we feel like it’s going to be a terrible pitch, sometimes getting 60 off 50 balls or whatever it may be is going to be a valuable knock for the team. It’s going to be for me and Zak to give that feedback as soon as possible, if we get 180-200, let’s do that as soon as possible.

“I know under Baz and Stokesy we will have full licence to go and do whatever we want.”

Michael O’Sullivan is eagerly awaiting Marine Nationale’s next appearance in the Goffs Irish Arkle at Leopardstown on February 3.

Barry Connell’s seven-year-old is unbeaten in six races under rules and made a perfect start over the bigger obstacles when winning at the Foxrock track over Christmas.

Having won last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, he is already a red-hot favourite to add this year’s Arkle back at the showpiece meeting in March.

“It was brilliant (at Leopardstown) – I suppose relief more than anything. (There was) a lot of pressure on his first run over fences, but for it to have gone so well was fantastic,” O’Sullivan told Leopardstown.

“He’s such an intelligent horse, you can see him looking at all his fences but I suppose until they go and do it on the track, there is still that doubt. He was very, very good.

“He really enjoyed it and he has come out of the race well.

“It was nice to show people that he is a versatile horse, a straightforward horse. For him to bowl along out in front, it was a lovely performance and, hopefully, he can build on that.

“I suppose last year as Barry said, we were under the radar a small bit but this year all eyes are on us. You could definitely feel that in Leopardstown. A Supreme winner on his first run over fences, there was a lot of attention.

“Obviously, we were all nervous, but we were happy with his work. He took a lot more work this year and I’d say he will come on from it a lot.

“We are looking forward to Leopardstown again the next day.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan insists he was a better player in his teens, despite becoming the oldest winner of the Masters at the age of 48.

O’Sullivan recovered from 6-3 down to beat Ali Carter 10-7 in the final at Alexandra Palace and claim a record-extending eighth Masters crown.

The world number one, who also won the UK Championship in December, has now won 23 Triple Crown titles, five more than Stephen Hendry, and can complete a clean sweep of the game’s biggest events with an eighth World Championship title at the Crucible.

However, O’Sullivan was typically self-deprecating when asked if there was any part of his game which was better now than when he won his first Masters title in 1995 at the age of 19.

“I thought when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 I was even better then than I was now to be honest with you,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport.

“Technically I felt I was much better, more consistency. These days I’m a bit in and out and I search for it.

“It’s got better since 2001 and I’ve had to work on the technical side just to keep things as tight as I can.

“I have some good spells, some good months, good years sometimes, but then I have some awful months and awful years and I just accept that that’s how it is and just try and play my way through it and hopefully it comes good at some point.

“It’s quite a struggle for me the game at the moment, confidence wise.”

O’Sullivan won £250,000 for each of his UK Championship and Masters victories and can take his earnings from Triple Crown events this season to £1million by claiming the £500,000 first prize on offer in the World Championship.

Andy Murray admitted the window on his career is closing and that a meek loss to Tomas Martin Etcheverry may have been his last Australian Open match.

The five-time finalist was outplayed in a 6-4 6-2 6-2 defeat that was a far cry from his glory days and he looked emotional as he gave a lingering wave to all sides of Kia Arena.

It was only Murray’s second opening-round loss at Melbourne Park in the last 16 years, with the other coming five years ago against Roberto Bautista Agut after the Scot had revealed that hip problems could mean the end of his career.

Surgery and a gruelling recovery process has given him a commendable post-script, but Murray did not dispute that this much more low-key exit could signal his final goodbye.

He said: “It’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. I think probably because of how the match went and everything. While you’re playing the match, you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything.

“When you’re one point away from the end, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is over so quickly, and like this’.

“In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it’s the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. I wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played and all of that stuff. (It’s a) tough, tough way to finish.”

Murray admitted at the end of last season he was not enjoying tennis, and it is increasingly hard to see him finding the sort of performances and results that will bring the joy back.

This was his fourth defeat in a row dating back to October and he has lost seven of his last eight matches – the worst run of his career.

At the Australian Open last year, Murray conjured two of the more memorable occasions with five-set wins over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis, and there was optimism he could achieve the sort of results he has been striving for.

The 36-year-old is now struggling to hold on to that belief, saying: “I know in the last week, 10 days, how well I was playing against the best players in the world. That’s why it’s so frustrating that on the match court it’s not there.

“I’ve been telling myself that at some stage it will. But obviously when you have performances like today, or a batch of results over a period of time like I have done, it’s tough to keep believing in that.”

Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to retire, but he admitted that date could be brought forward.

He added: “I know that Tomas is a really, really good player. I’m aware of that. Even if I play well today, I can still lose the match. It’s just the nature of the performance that makes you question things.

“I haven’t gained in belief from today’s match that at some stage I’m going to start playing really well again or winning tournaments or getting to the latter stages of major events.

“Last year was a slightly different story. Physically I held up well against two really good players. It’s a very different situation sitting here. So the timeframe narrows a little bit for me to get to a level that I want to be at.

“I’ve spoken to my family about it. I’ve spoken to my team about it. They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be.

“I haven’t made any definite decisions on that. It’s obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is.”

Murray and Etcheverry shared two close matches last season and the Scot knew to expect long, punishing rallies from the baseline.

There was little to choose between them in the first set, with Murray missing one chance to lead 4-2 when a lob fell short before Etcheverry broke.

Murray’s serve misfired from the start and his groundstrokes became increasingly wayward as the hopes of the former world number one and the supportive crowd faded away.

Monday’s meetings at both Hereford and Punchestown will go ahead as planned after the tracks passed morning inspections.

Officials at Hereford declared the venue fit for action following an 8am precautionary check, with the ground reported to be good, good to soft in places for a seven-race card.

Punchestown’s 7.30am inspection also had a favourable outcome, with a seven-race fixture on soft going.

Brendan Sheridan, IHRB clerk of the course at Punchestown said: “The track is fit for racing and the fixture today will go ahead.

“There is currently a grass frost here at present but Met Éireann have said this morning that temperatures will rise to three degrees during the day with some sunny spells.

“The ground remains soft and we will once again be using the inside hurdle straight for the first circuit and finishing on the main straight for all races.”

Damian Lillard's long 3-pointer just before the buzzer capped a remarkable rally in the final seconds of overtime for the Milwaukee Bucks, who came through with a thrilling 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

The Bucks trailed 141-137 with under 30 seconds left in overtime before pulling out a third straight victory on late 3-pointers by Brook Lopez and Lillard, who scored nine of his 29 points in extra time and added eight assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, while Malik Beasley went 5 of 9 from 3-point range while finishing with 23 points and Bobby Portis contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. 

Sacramento put forth quite a comeback of its own before being dealt a second straight loss, as the Kings overcame a 12-point deficit with under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

Kevin Huerter led the Kings' comeback by scoring 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Sacramento also received a 21-point, 13-rebound, 15-assist triple-double from Domantas Sabonis while getting 32 and 28 points from De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, respectively. 

Huerter buried a go-ahead 3-pointer and Monk followed with a jumper to give Sacramento a 141-137 lead with 33.9 seconds left in overtime. Monk missed two free throws on the Kings' next possession, however, and Lopez made them pay by sinking a corner 3 with 11.5 seconds remaining to cut the margin to one.

After Fox made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Kings up 142-140, Lillard dribbled past half-court and knocked home a 32-foot shot as time expired.

Milwaukee held a seemingly comfortable 113-101 lead with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, but the Kings gradually closed the gap and forced overtime when Fox drove the lane and scored with one second remaining to create a 128-128 tie.

 

Edwards sparks rally as Timberwolves hold off Clippers

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and led a second-half surge that propelled the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 109-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in a clash of Western Conference division leaders.

Edwards recorded 20 of his points in the third quarter and added nine rebounds and six assists to help the Northwest Division leaders to a second straight victory. The win put the Timberwolves a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in both the division and the West.

Minnesota outscored the Clippers by a 35-23 margin in the third quarter to take an 81-63 lead into the fourth, though Los Angeles cut an 11-point deficit down to three with an 8-0 run that trimmed the Timberwolves' advantage to 103-100 entering the final minute.

Rudy Gobert and Edwards combined to go 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the closing stages, however, to keep the Clippers at bay.

Gobert ended with 15 points along with a game-high 18 rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for Pacific-leading Los Angeles, which lost for just the second time in 10 games. Norman Powell had 24 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting, but Paul George struggled to a 5-of-19 shooting night while finishing with 16 points in the loss..

 

Jokic just misses triple-double, leads Nuggets past Pacers

Nikola Jokić finished just shy of another triple-double and was one of four Denver starters with at least 20 points as the Nuggets posted a 117-109 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Jokic compiled 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists to narrowly miss extending his league-leading triple-double total to 13. 

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. also had 25 points in the defending NBA champions' second straight victory, while Aaron Gordon recorded 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with 10 rebounds.

Denver went ahead to stay after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer that snapped a 71-71 tie midway through the third quarter. The Nuggets gradually extended the margin the rest of the way, and eventually went up comfortably when Jokic followed a Porter 3-pointer by tipping in Murray's missed shot with 3:16 remaining that increased their lead to 109-97.

Indiana, playing a third straight game without injured leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, was led by former Nugget Bruce Brown's 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Pacers had won their first two games since Haliburton strained his hamstring on Jan. 8 and three straight overall. 

 

Jack Draper has more confidence in his game and his body than his new Australian Open look.

The 22-year-old goes into his first-round clash with American Marcos Giron on Tuesday as the form British player having reached his second consecutive ATP Tour final at the Adelaide International last week.

Draper was hugely frustrated to miss out on silverware again, this time to Czech Jiri Lehecka, but his will be a name other players in the draw are hoping to avoid.

 

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There is no missing Draper’s new skin fade hair cut, though, for which he is expecting mixed reviews.

“I went to Adelaide with it, and I was saying to my coach, ‘Everyone’s going to be looking at me’,” said Draper.

“And then it turns out everyone in the city had the same haircut. I might get a few more fans here because of it. I like to be different and express myself. I think that’s part of tennis, expressing your game on the court.

“Some people might say it’s atrocious. But I’d say it’s bold, isn’t it? I saw a barber last week in Adelaide. And they did it and my coach was like, ‘It looks like they faded it much better, it looks good’.

“I said to him, ‘It’s not bold enough’. So I went to a Turkish barbers here and you know they’ll do the job all right.”

It is no surprise to see Draper making waves on the main tour. After an injury-disrupted 2023, he ended the year by reaching his first final in Sofia and he backed that up in Adelaide.

His run included an epic victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, who he lost to at the Davis Cup in November, in three hours and 39 minutes, as well as a much more straightforward one against 14th-ranked Tommy Paul.

He led Lehecka by a set in the final before the Czech fought back, but Draper, who reached the fourth round of the US Open last summer, headed to Melbourne in a buoyant mood.

“I had a great week,” he said. “I played a lot of tennis. My second-round match was a really long one and then to back up those performances again against top players was great.

“Obviously I came up short in the final, I was very frustrated about that. But it’s part of the journey. I’m doing a lot of great things on the court. I’m improving all the time, I think. I’ve just got to keep going. And it gives me a lot of confidence that I’m able to go deeper in these tournaments now.”

Most top players do not like playing a lot of matches the week before a grand slam but Draper is confident in the physical improvements he has made under new trainer Steve Kotze.

“I’m really pushing my boundaries,” he said. “And I think the main thing is that maybe in the years past I was a bit softer and I didn’t want to fully do the work. Whereas I’ve had enough experiences where there’s no hiding from it and I’ve really embraced what I’m trying to do.

“I’m as ready as I can be for this slam. I feel really good about my tennis and about my body and my mental side of things and where I’m at. So I’m really excited to get started here.”

Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles said she was sexually abused by Team USA’s former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, on this day in 2018.

Nassar was already serving 60 years in prison for having child sex abuse images on his computer and awaiting sentence after admitting assaulting female gymnasts.

Biles, who won team, all-around, vault and floor exercise gold medals at Rio 2016, said she was “one of the many survivors”.

“Most of you know me as a happy, giggly, and energetic girl,” the then 20-year-old wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

“But lately… I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams.

“I am not afraid to tell my story anymore. I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar.”

Three former US Olympians – Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney – had already accused Nassar of sexual abuse.

Nassar, who was aged 54 in January 2018, was involved with America’s world-beating gymnastics programme from the 1980s until July 2015, when the sport’s national governing body sacked him.

At the time of Biles’ statement, more than 130 women had filed civil lawsuits against him alleging abuse.

Nassar was later sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison for abusing athletes in his care after testimony from nearly 160 of his victims.

Biles, the most decorated American gymnast in history, went on to win bronze in the balance beam and silver in the team competition at Tokyo 2020 but withdrew from five of her six finals in Japan to focus on her mental health.

First-period goals from Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere backed Igor Shesterkin’s 24 saves as the New York Rangers snapped a season-high four-game losing streak with Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals.

The Rangers used their fast start and Shesterkin’s solid performance to avenge a 3-2 defeat to the Capitals in Washington in Saturday’s opener of this home-and-home weekend series.

Panarin put New York on the board in a hurry, as the star wing whipped a feed from Vincent Trocheck past Washington netminder Charlie Lindgren just 56 seconds into the game with the Rangers on an odd-man rush. The goal was Panarin’s 400th point in a Rangers uniform.

Lafreniere made it a 2-0 game when he knocked in the rebound of his initial shot attempt with 50 seconds left in the first period.

T.J. Oshie poked a loose puck past Shesterkin just past the midway point of the second period to get Washington within 2-1, but the Capitals managed just seven shots on goal during a scoreless third.

Lindgren finished with 29 saves in the Capitals’ fourth loss in six games.

 

Red Wings score twice late to extend Maple Leafs' skid

Andrew Copp scored the tie-breaking goal with 1:40 remaining as the Detroit Red Wings rallied for a 4-2 victory over the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lucas Raymond sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 18.9 seconds left to play for Detroit, which struck three times in the third period to erase a 2-1 deficit and extend its point streak to six games (5-0-1) to begin January.

Toronto dropped to 0-2-1 over its last three games following a four-game winning streak to start the new calendar year.

The Maple Leafs took a 2-1 lead on Mitchell Marner's goal with 1:42 left in the second period - the All Star forward's 600th career point - but Detroit answered 2:46 into the third on Daniel Sprong's breakaway goal.

After a scoreless first period, Toronto's Pontus Holmberg tipped in a shot from teammate Morgan Rielly to break the stalemate 32 seconds into the second. 

The Red Wings drew even later in the second period when captain Dylan Larkin converted a feed from David Perron with 4:21 remaining before the intermission. Larkin later added an assist on Raymond's late goal. 

Ilya Samsonov, making his first start for Toronto since being waived on Dec. 31 and then being recalled from the minors this week, stopped 20 of 23 shots. James Reimer finished with 28 saves for Detroit. 

Coco Gauff eased into the second round of the Australian Open but Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was an early casualty.

The Czech seventh seed, a surprise winner at the All England Club last summer, won only three games in a 6-1 6-2 thumping by Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska.

The 23-year-old spoke afterwards about the inspiration she takes from the bravery of people in her war-torn homeland, saying: “I’m very proud of Ukraine, proud of the people, proud of the warriors and just the civilians.

“When I was in Brisbane, before my match the rocket arrived on my grandmother’s house so it was pretty hard to play, but I think we just need to remember about it and give as much support as possible to Ukraine. I’m proud to be Ukrainian.”

Vondrousova reached the quarter-finals of the US Open but has otherwise struggled since defeating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final.

She made 19 unforced errors while the big-hitting Yastremska racked up 26 winners.

Gauff opened proceedings on Rod Laver Arena on the second day of the tournament for her first grand slam match since she lifted the US Open trophy in September.

And she brushed aside Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0 in exactly an hour, winning nine games in a row to set up a second-round clash with countrywoman Caroline Dolehide.

“I felt good,” said the 19-year-old, who was been working on her serve with former world number one Andy Roddick.

“I was a little bit nervous coming in today. Probably you could tell. I was able to just calm down and then play, not my best, but good tennis from that point.”

There was more success for Ukraine on the 1573 Arena, where 19th seed Elina Svitolina, who missed last year’s tournament following the birth of daughter Skai, saw off Australian wild card Taylah Preston 6-2 6-2.

Aaron Jones and Jordan Love starred as the Green Bay Packers upset the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the first round of playoffs.

Quarterback Love threw for three touchdowns and 272 yards in his playoff debut, while running back Jones scored three touchdowns as he ran for 118 yards.

The Packers jumped out to a 27-point lead to silence the Dallas crowd as Jones grabbed a first quarter touchdown and they added three more in the second quarter, including a 64-yard intercept from Darnell Savage.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was intercepted twice as he passed for three touchdowns and 403 yards, but three more touchdowns in the second half sealed the game for Green Bay.

The Cowboys made a late surge with two touchdowns to tight end Jake Ferguson but the Packers’ lead was insurmountable.

They will head to face the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round.

Garry Rodrigues scored a stoppage-time winner as Cape Verde beat Chris Hughton’s four-time winners Ghana 2-1 to go top of Group B in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Rodrigues took advantage of a mix-up in the Ghana defence to tap the ball into an empty net and give his side a deserved victory in Abidjan.

Jamiro Monteiro had put the islanders ahead in the 17th minute and Ghana had a goal ruled out by the VAR before Alexander Djiku got them back on level terms with a stooping header, 10 minutes into the second half.

Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori made two vital saves before substitute Rodrigues pounced at the death to secure all three points.

It was another disappointing result for the Black Stars, who last won the title in 1982 and failed to get out of the group stages in 2021.

Hughton’s side were without West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus due to injury but it was defensive lapses which proved costly and Monteiro was left with a simple tap-in to open the scoring after Ofori palmed a shot from Jovane Cabral straight into his path.

Ghana thought they had equalised in the 36th minute when Majeed Ashimeru rifled a superb long-range strike into the bottom corner, only for it to be ruled out following a lengthy VAR check.

Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo eventually decided that Ransford Konigsdorffer, who had unwittingly hit the post moments earlier when the ball was palmed onto his head by Vozinha, was blocking the view of the goalkeeper inside the area.

Djiku did equalise in the 56th minute as he headed home Jordan Ayew’s corner and the defender also produced a vital block at the other end from Bebe’s scuffed shot.

But just as the game looked set to fizzle out, Gilson Benchimol took advantage of a blunder from Mohammed Salisu to nip in front of Ofori and set up Rodrigues for the easiest of winners.

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