Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to defending his US Open title after beating Alexander Zverev to reach the semi-finals.
He will face Daniil Medvedev, who warned a player might “die” during his win over Andrey Rublev as New York sizzled in 90-degree heat and energy-sapping humidity.
Aryna Sabalenka flexed her muscles as the incoming world number one by beating Chinese youngster Zheng Qinwen, while Madison Keys stunned Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day 10 at the US Open.
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The women’s doubles provided the most drama as Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva beat Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia 5-7 7-5 6-4 in an epic match lasting three hours and 12 minutes.
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Joe Salisbury and America’s Rajeev Ram are in the semi-finals of the men’s doubles.
The defending champions, looking for a third consecutive title in New York, face second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek.
Five-time champions Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are into the men’s wheelchair doubles semi-finals.
Fallen seeds
Men: Andrey Rublev (8), Alexander Zverev (12).
Women: Marketa Vondrousova (9), Zheng Qinwen (23).
Who’s up next?
The women’s semi-finals take centre stage with Coco Gauff taking on 10th Czech seed Karolina Muchova and new world number one Sabalenka, of Belarus, facing the second American in the last four, Keys.
Carlos Alcaraz moved a step closer to defending his US Open title after sweeping past Alexander Zverev to reach the semi-finals.
The Spanish world number one became the second man in the Open era, behind Andre Agassi, to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows three times before turning 21.
Alcaraz, looking to do the Wimbledon and US Open double, will face Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev in Friday night’s semis and remains on course for another final showdown with Novak Djokovic, who he beat in July’s epic SW19 showpiece.
Zverev, the German 12th seed, has proved he is back at the top of the sport this fortnight after eight months out following the horror ankle injury he suffered against Rafael Nadal at last year’s French Open.
But the 2020 runner-up was unable to halt the Alcaraz juggernaut in a 6-3 6-2 6-4 defeat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The first set was evenly poised on serve at 3-3 when Alcaraz, by no means at his electric best, took control of the match.
He won six of the next seven games to go a set and a break up, and Zverev needed a medical time-out after Alcaraz, clapping sawdust onto his hands to get a better grip of his racket on a horribly humid night, moved two sets ahead.
Zverev forced two break points at 2-2 in the third, but when they disappeared his chances went with them as Alcaraz broke for 5-4 and served out for the victory in two hours and 29 minutes.
“To see him in the quarter-finals of a grand slam playing at his best, I’m so happy,” said Alcaraz of his opponent.
“We enjoy his game and we are really happy to have him back.”
The 20-year-old added: “I’m feeling comfortable playing in this court, playing in New York.
“I’m showing my best level. I’m feeling good physically and ready for a good battle in the semi-final.”
Jamaican netball sensation Latanya Wilson, who represents her nation on the international stage and plays for the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball League champions, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, has been given a fresh start after a devastating fire destroyed her family's home on Rum Lane in Kingston.
On August 17, tragedy struck as Wilson's home fell victim to arson in the heart of downtown Kingston. The family home, shared with her mother and sisters, was firebombed by thugs in the Central Kingston community. Since then, an overwhelming wave of support and solidarity has poured in for the 22-year-old athlete.
In a heartwarming gesture, the Jamaican government, in collaboration with the National Housing Trust and West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON), has provided Wilson and her family with a new home located in St Catherine. The house, offered under a special lease-to-buy agreement, was formally presented to Wilson at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Sports, and Entertainment on Trafalgar Road in Kingston.
Corporate giant GraceKennedy Ltd also stepped up, donating essential food items and J$250,000 in cash to assist the Wilson family during these challenging times.
Minister Olivia Grange, who represents the government and was overseas at the World Championships in Budapest when she learned of the tragedy, spoke emotionally about the support Wilson received. She shared, "It was like 3 or 4 in the morning in Budapest when I got the message, and I called and when I spoke to Latanya and asked where she was, she said she was sitting in Pastor Brown’s car, and I was really touched by that because in a moment like that, you need somebody there to make you feel like you are being taken care of."
Minister Grange emphasized the government's commitment to support not only Wilson but also other affected families by the attack the razed the dwelling. She stated, "Because Latanya is one of our star players and there is some urgency to having her settled because she is going off to greater heights very soon, we are doing this exercise this morning."
Janet Hartley-Millwood, Branch Manager of the NHT St Catherine office, expressed her delight in welcoming Latanya into the NHT family, saying, "We just want to welcome you to the NHT family and into home ownership at the National Housing Trust. We can assure you that we will guide you. We will do what we can to help you through this period of transition."
In response to the overwhelming support, Latanya Wilson shared her gratitude, telling Sportsmax.TV, "No, I didn’t expect this. Everything has come as a surprise. It’s a lot to process but it's very good that everybody is coming on board and supporting wherever they can."
Regarding the opportunity to own a home at her age, she added, "At my age of 22, it is quite an exciting journey for me to turn (the lease) over into a mortgage so I am grateful and happy at this moment."
When asked if this new home gives her peace of mind as she prepares to return to Australia to play in the Suncorp Super Netball League, Wilson replied, "To some extent, it does. It will definitely put my mind at ease in some ways given the fact that your family is somewhere safe."
Daniil Medvedev warned a player could die in the 90-degree heat at the US Open.
Medvedev needed medical attention and an inhaler as he struggled in the hot and humid conditions before beating his fellow Russian Andrey Rublev.
The roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium was partially closed to protect the players from the sunlight, but both were visibly wilting during the two hour 48-minute battle.
Late in the third set, when Medvedev went to his towel, he said into a television camera: “One player is gonna die and they’re gonna see.”
Following his 6-4 6-3 6-4 quarter-final victory, the 2021 champion recalled an incident earlier this summer when Chinese player Wu Yibing collapsed during a match in Washington.
He said: “I could talk a lot, brutal conditions for both of us.
“I mean, I don’t know if it could be seen through the camera, because we are sweating so much and use a lot of towels.
“I have no skin left on my nose here, and, like, here it’s red, but it’s not because of the sun so it’s not like you’re burned but I have no skin left.”
He continued: “I just saw Andrey in the locker room and his face is very red, and it’s also not because of the sun so I guess it’s the same. That tells everything, like we left everything out there.
“The thing is that even if it would go further, I think we would still leave even more. Then I don’t think I had anything left but if the match would go on, I would find something more.
“And the only thing that is a little bit, let’s call it dangerous, is the question how far could we go? Maybe we could go five sets and it would be… when I say ‘fine’, yeah, we would struggle a little bit next day and it would be fine, or we have a person in Wu who fell down.”
Medvedev said he felt shaky as he tried to recover from the match.
“I’m feeling kind of okay now. I’m just pretty exhausted. Let’s say, yeah, do couple of interviews here and there straightaway, and it was tough.
“I was with an ice towel there. Everything was foggy, like I couldn’t see clearly. Because the match is over, so the adrenaline is not there anymore.
“So I was, like, a little bit shaky. Then I come to the locker room and that’s the toughest part because you kind of want to just sit there for hours. But you know that if you do it, it’s not a good recovery.”
He continued: “So I sat there for, like, 10, 15 minutes, went and did a quick ice bath. Changed. Went to eat. But had, I don’t know how you call it in English, when sugar blood, sugar levels go up. I started sweating, my head started turning.
“I said to my team please bring me any food. I was sitting there like this sweating like hell even with the AC on, and they brought some food and then I felt better. Yeah, that’s how it is sometimes.”
Rublev, who has now lost nine out of nine quarter-final matches at grand slams, said: “I’m not even thinking about my health.
“I don’t know. At this moment, these moments I’m thinking that I need to fight. Doesn’t matter how, it’s tough.
“I mean, the sport is not easy. And you need to be ready for everything that can happen.”
The red-hot Miami Marlins took a major hit Wednesday as they placed reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and star slugger Jorge Soler on the injured list.
Alcantara will miss time due to a right forearm strain, while Soler is out because of a right oblique strain.
The injuries come at a terrible time for the Marlins, who have won five straight and entered the day a half-game behind Cincinnati in the race for the National League’s third wild-card spot.
Alcantara first experienced discomfort during his last start against Washington on Sunday but completed eight innings in a 6-4 win.
“I didn’t feel bad, but I talked to my trainer about it,” Alcantara said. “Knowing of the hard work that I put on my body, I just have to take it.”
Alcantara missed one start this season because of biceps tendinitis but has made at least 30 starts in each of the previous two seasons.
He is 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 26 starts this season and leads the majors with three complete games and is second in innings (184.2).
Soler earned his first All-Star selection this season and ranks among the NL leaders with 35 home runs.
The native of Cuba missed five games with hip tightness before returning Tuesday in a 6-3 win over the Dodgers.
“It’s not ideal at this time of year, but these things happen in the game,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “It gives another guy an opportunity to step up because we’re right in the middle of this thing.”
The Marlins are seeking their first playoff berth in a 162-game season since the 2003 team won the World Series.
Nick Bosa's six-week holdout is now over after the San Francisco 49ers and the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year agreed to a reported five-year, $170 million extension that will make him the highest-paid defensive player in league history.
NFL.com reported Wednesday that Bosa will receive $122.5 million in guaranteed money and the 49ers will waive all fines the star edge rusher incurred by missing all of training camp and the preseason.
The deal is the largest ever for a defensive player in terms of both average annual value and guaranteed money. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald had the largest AAV at $31.7 million while Bosa's brother, Joey, received a then-record $102 million in guarantees on his 2020 extension with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The two sides were able to strike a deal four days before the 49ers' season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, a game head coach Kyle Shanahan said Bosa may now be able to participate in to some degree.
"We've got to see when he gets here," Shanahan told reporters Wednesday on Bosa's availability for Week 1. "I know Nick will come in shape, I know he'll be good.
"We'll be smart with it and it will be based on these next two-and-a-half practices."
Bosa was a runaway winner of last season's Defensive Player of the Year award after amassing a league-best 18.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 48 quarterback hurries in 16 games. The 25-year-old was entering the final season of his five-year, $51.4 million rookie contract.
Taken by the 49ers with the second overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bosa has recorded 43 sacks, 56 tackles for loss and one interception in 51 career regular-season games as a lynchpin of a stout San Francisco defence that has helped the franchise reach the NFC Championship Game in three of his four seasons.
Bosa missed most of the 2020 season after tearing his ACL in the 49ers' second game, but returned with a banner 2021 campaign in which he registered 15.5 sacks during the regular season and four more in three postseason games.
Daniil Medvedev won the all-Russian clash at the US Open to deal his friend Andrey Rublev more quarter-final misery.
Third seed Medvedev, the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows, lost the opening three games of the match as Rublev flew out of the blocks.
The world number eight, who is godfather to Medvedev’s daughter, won the first eight points and 14 out of the first 15.
But Medvedev quickly grew into the match, winning the first two sets amid some punishing rallies in stifling heat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Rublev led by a break in the third but was pegged back again, and in a 15-minute final game, Medvedev converted match point at the fifth attempt to wrap up a 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory.
Luckless Rublev has now made the quarter-final stage in nine grand slams, and he has lost all of them.
“It was brutal,” said Medvedev. “The only good thing is in these conditions both suffer.
“I know he never gives up, but he knows I never give up too.”
Dan Cole insists England’s players understand the damaging consequences of stepping out of line while seeking to escape World Cup cabin fever.
Cole will appear in his fourth tournament when he lines up against Argentina in Marseille on Saturday with his experience giving the Test centurion an insight into striking the right balance between rugby and recreation.
In 2011 that harmony was thrown out of kilter by a series of embarrassing off-field incidents that tarnished England’s reputation and ushered in the reign of Stuart Lancaster, who then set a headmasterly tone in 2015.
Four years later in Japan, the right note was struck as a purposeful squad reached the final before falling to South Africa.
A regular sight at England’s camp in Le Touquet is players riding bikes, spending time on the beach, strolling through town or eating dinner in local restaurants – a level of freedom Cole insists is not taken lightly.
“We’ve always been told there’s a trust. If you f*** up you’re out, basically. So no one f**** up. Or tries not to,” Cole said.
“Some people do it differently to others – some are more casual with their evenings, others are more professional – but it’s whatever works.
“Players and coaches know that when you’re on the field, there’s no hiding in a 33-man squad. If you’re not ready to go then people see it straight away.
“No one really wants to be in that position. That’s down to the squad culture and that’s why good teams are good.”
One of the incidents that blighted England in 2011 was Manu Tuilagi jumping off a ferry into Auckland harbour, incurring a police warning and £3,000 fine from the Rugby Football Union.
“Well, I held his (Manu’s) phone. As a young person you learn,” said Cole, who was Tuilagi’s team-mate at Leicester for 11 years.
“The squad learnt what you can and can’t do. If you decided to do that type of stuff you hurt the squad. It does not last for you for the day. It lasts for the rest of your career.
“We had times when we weren’t training in Japan and we did go out and explore. There’s a balance, you’re in these unique places and you might only be there once in your life, so you may as well enjoy them and explore.
“It’s a mental break – the pressure of the World Cup gets to you so it’s good to get out of your room.
View this post on Instagram“Le Touquet has made an effort to have us here so we might as well reciprocate and explore.”
Cole’s Test career appeared to be over until Steve Borthwick’s arrival as head coach offered a route back and he made his first appearance since the 2019 World Cup final in the recent Six Nations.
England’s scrum was overwhelmed by South Africa in Yokohama four years ago and Cole appeared to have paid the price.
“You come back from a World Cup and you’ve got bit of a point to prove or a grievance,” Cole said.
“You have that annoyance in yourself that you want to put things right, as you always do after a loss.
“That is the way I have been brought through at Leicester and England – you want to put things right straight away and after Steve took over Leicester, he laid down a challenge.
“I thought we have got something to buy into here and that is what we did. It just becomes part of what you do, so when England came and said ‘we’d like you in the squad, would you like to help’? ‘Yes, I would love to’.
“I don’t think it is fuelled by anything. It is part of the way we have been brought up, especially at Leicester and England – every day you turn up and work and try to get better.”
All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce is listed as questionable to play Thursday when the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs open the 2023 NFL season against the visiting Detroit Lions.
Kelce, who injured his knee during Tuesday's practice, has not missed a game to injury since his 2013 rookie season.
The 33-year-old caught a career-high 110 passes for 1,338 yards in 2022, his seventh straight season eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving. He also caught a career-best 12 touchdowns last season, giving him 69 in his career.
In Kansas City's march to the Super Bowl, Kelce caught 27 passes for 257 yards with four touchdowns in three playoff games. He had six receptions for 81 yards with a TD in the Super Bowl.
Should he be forced to sit out, that could spell trouble for Kansas City given his familiarity with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the fact the Chiefs are introducing several new receivers this year.
Noah Gray, who is listed as Kelce's backup on the depth chart, had 28 catches for 299 yards with a TD for the Chiefs last season.
All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones believes he could be ready to play in the Kansas City Chiefs’ season opener Thursday night if he reaches a contract extension with the defending Super Bowl champions.
“I've been keeping in contact with my teammates. I've been working out every day, doing similar things to what they're doing in training camp,” Jones said Wednesday. “I'll be ready when the time comes.”
The Chiefs open the NFL season Thursday night against the visiting Detroit Lions.
“Hopefully it gets worked out,” Jones said. “It's always been my goal to be a Kansas City Chief for life.
“I've said that multiple time on social media platforms, from interviews, and they know where my position is at.”
Jones finished third in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season while playing a major role in the Chiefs' second Super Bowl title in four years.
The 29-year-old tied a career high with 15.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games and registered two more in Kansas City's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game.
The seven-year veteran has been named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons, while his 56.5 sacks since 2018 are the fourth most in the NFL over that stretch.
“We're going to continue to press on and work hard,” Kansas City general manager Brett Veach said. “A lot of respect on both sides of this thing.
“It’s been well-stated how we feel about Chris and he feels the same thing. We’re just going to keep working on this thing.”
Aryna Sabalenka flexed her muscles as the incoming world number one by beating Chinese youngster Zheng Qinwen to reach the US Open semi-finals.
The second seed from Belarus will take over from Iga Swiatek at the top of the rankings on Monday, ending the Pole’s 75-week reign.
She cruised into the last four at Flushing Meadows for the third straight year with a commanding 6-1 6-4 victory in an hour and 13 minutes.
Zheng, 20, playing in her first grand slam quarter-final, won just four of the first 24 points of the match as Sabalenka raced into a 5-0 lead.
She stopped the bleeding by holding serve in the sixth game, but Sabalenka wrapped up the first set in only 27 minutes.
Zheng, seeded 23, restored some pride in the second but a break in the seventh game ensured Sabalenka became the first woman to reach the semi-finals of all four grand slams in the same year since Serena Williams in 2016.
The 25-year-old has dropped just 21 games in the 10 sets she has played over five rounds in New York.
She said: “I definitely played great tennis. I’m super happy with the performance tonight and to give myself a chance to do better in the semis.
“I’m going to do everything I can to stay until the end.”
Forwards coach John Dalziel has challenged Scotland not to let physical South Africa “kill” their natural flair game in what he expects to be a style war in Sunday’s World Cup showdown in Marseille.
The Scots have become one of the most swashbuckling, fast-paced attacking teams on the planet while the Springboks are renowned for their power game.
Dalziel insists the Scots are intent on ensuring their opponents do not squeeze the life out of them at Stade Velodrome.
“We’ve got to meet them on the gain line defensively, and we’ve also got to express our attacking game on them, we’ve got to be able bring the speed we want to play at – the speed we have become famous for – into this match,” he said at a press conference in Nice on Wednesday afternoon.
“Tactically, it’s one against the other. They’re going to slow us down and kill us on the floor and we’re going to look to keep the pace high, and whoever comes out on the best side of that is going to go a long way to winning the game.”
Dalziel has been busy trying to plot the downfall of the on-form Boks, and he believes Scotland – ranked fifth in the world – are now operating at a level where they genuinely fancy their chances of pulling off a victory.
“It is very challenging, very daunting, but it is something we’ve had our mind on for a long time and we have been building towards that,” he said.
“We believe we’ve moved away from being a Scotland team who goes to event with hope, to having genuine belief.
“We believe we have a strong squad but we don’t believe we are anywhere near our potential yet.
“We believe there is huge growth in this young squad, and we’re taking a lot of learning from game to game, which means every game we have we are getting better.
“We believe that everything is ahead of this group, and we genuinely believe we can exit this group (which also contains world number one Ireland, Tonga and Romania) and progress through in this World Cup.
“The Scottish psyche, we like being underdogs. We worry sometimes when we become favourites.
“But I don’t think the players worry about it too much either way – they prepare very well and they know they have the game.
“It is just about being able to spin all the plates at once in total team performance, and I think this is what it is going to take in the pool we’re in – four consistent, high-level performances.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from September 6.
FootballAnother award for Bukayo Saka.
Port Vale were not happy with boyhood fan Robbie Williams changing his allegiance to Tottenham.
Jordan Henderson was back on England duty.
Aaron Ramsdale turned on the style.
Gary Neville received a gift.
Erling Haaland linked up with Norway.
Rugby UnionThe World Cup countdown was on.
George North was looking forward to his fourth World Cup.
Uruguay checked out the local area.
Romania had one voice.
Ireland were hard at it in the gym.
CricketHarry Brook was added to England’s ODI squad.
Jason Roy reflected on the Hundred.
Promoter Frank Warren has launched an appeal to have Daniel Dubois’ world heavyweight title defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last month declared a no-contest and force an immediate rematch.
Dubois floored Usyk in the fifth round of their fight in Poland but it was declared a low blow, giving the Ukrainian time to recover before he went on to stop the Londoner in the ninth round.
The WBA confirmed receipt of the appeal in a short statement, which read: “Daniel Dubois’ team sent a formal appeal for last August 26 fight, in which he lost by knockout in nine rounds against Oleksandr Usyk in Wroclaw, Poland.
“The WBA, now that it has received a formal appeal from Dubois’ team, will proceed with a review as per the regulations.
“Any decision made regarding this situation will be made under WBA rules and communicated in a timely and appropriate manner.”
Usyk was given almost four minutes’ recovery time by Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon following the blow, which Dubois and his team insisted was legal as it appeared to land on the champion’s belt line.
Dubois, who later tired and was stopped by Usyk, subsequently failed to attend the post-fight press conference at which both Warren and his trainer Don Charles criticised the referee’s decision.
Even if the WBA determine the result of the contest should not change, Dubois and his team hope they will mandate an immediate rematch in order to settle the controversy.
Scotland back-rower Matt Fagerson is savouring the “special” experience of finally being at a World Cup alongside his big brother Zander after the agony of being left at home in 2019.
The 25-year-old Glasgow forward was a notable omission from Gregor Townsend’s squad for the global showpiece four years ago but quickly cast aside his own disappointment to support his sibling – two years his senior – who got the nod to go to Japan.
This time the pair are in France together, representing their family on the sport’s biggest stage of all. Their loved ones are due to arrive in the host nation later this week ahead of Sunday’s first pool match against South Africa in Marseille.
“It’s pretty special,” said the younger Fagerson. “I was gutted in 2019 but obviously I had to change that when Zander was there. I was cheering on the squad from home.
“To finally get the call from Gregor this time was pretty special and it was an emotional time with what happened four years ago so I’m hugely excited to be here, especially with Zander being here as well.
“He has his kids coming out, and my fiancee is coming out so to be able to share this experience with the family will be huge.
“There are not many times you’ll get to play with your brother at a World Cup so any time we get the opportunity it will be a very special occasion.”
Fagerson is almost certain to be in the 23-man squad for the showdown with South Africa and appears to be vying with his in-form Glasgow colleague Jack Dempsey for the number eight jersey.
The Sprinboks go into the tournament in scintillating form and having climbed to second in the world rankings following recent thumping wins over Wales and New Zealand.
“Everyone is super-excited as we have all been gearing up for this game through the whole of pre-season and now we are a couple of days away,” said Fagerson.
“They are obviously a great team and are second in the world at the minute and reigning world champions so it will be a huge task for us but one we are very much looking forward to.
“We will need to be on it from minute one as we know what they can bring. They are a very physical side and they showed that against the All Blacks but the way this group has grown over the last two to three years and particularly over this last pre-season, it’s a challenge we are ready for.”
After finishing third in an encouraging Six Nations campaign, Scotland won three of their four summer Tests, with their only defeat a narrow one away to France last month in which they came agonisingly close to winning after being 27-10 down.
Fagerson feels the Scots – ranked fifth in the world – have arrived at the tournament with momentum and resilience.
“We had a really good Six Nations this year which led into the Tests in the summer,” he said.
“We’ve shown that even when we do go down on the scoreboard we can claw it back. We obviously don’t want to be going behind in the first 20 minutes on Sunday but we are a team with a lot of fight.
Scotland have been training in sweltering heat this week but Fagerson feels his team – who visited their World Cup base on the Cote d’Azur twice previously over the summer – are prepared for what promises to be an intoxicating occasion inside Stade Velodrome.
“The heat will make the ball a bit more greasy, playing in the UK it’s colder, but the hot conditions make it more greasy,” he said.
“The crowds will play a huge part as well, we know the French are pretty loud, especially when we go out to play in Marseille.”
BBC’s director of sport Barbara Slater has announced she will be retiring next spring after 14 years in the role.
Slater, a former Olympic gymnast, made history at the corporation when she became the first female appointed to the top sports executive position.
During her time in the role, she has overseen 14 men’s and women’s football World Cups and European Championships, seven Olympic Games and was in charge during the boycott by sports presenters and pundits in support of Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker earlier this year.
BBC director-general Tim Davie hailed Slater as a “pioneer, innovator and outstanding leader” who kept the broadcaster at the “forefront of sport for a generation”.
Reflecting on her four decades at the BBC, Slater said: “It was this week 40 years ago that I first walked through the doors at Broadcasting House.
“A career in BBC Sport has been an absolute passion, never just a job.
“Since joining in 1983 I’ve been privileged to have had such amazing opportunities and the delight of working with such talented colleagues and partners.
“There are a huge number of people to thank, and so many magical memories to reflect upon.”
The sport’s director noted a number of standout moments in the role included leading BBC’s Sports relocation to Salford and overseeing the company’s drive towards digital.
She added: “I also hope that in showcasing the brilliance of women’s sport the BBC has played its part in changing attitudes, increasing its profile and inspiring the next generation.
“I must also make special mention of the Olympic Games having been a competitor in 1976 and then leading the sport teams covering a home Games in 2012.
“It was a monumental achievement for the BBC and everyone involved, as the UK hosted a sensational Olympics in London.
“I will be following the BBC’s coverage of Paris next summer, this time as a proud sports fan.”
In March, Slater issued an apology to staff after the sports schedule was disrupted by presenters and pundits boycotting their shows in solidarity with Lineker after he was temporarily taken off air after tweeting a criticism of the language used by the Government to promote its asylum plans, saying it was not dissimilar to that used in 1930s Germany.
Lineker later returned to air and Davie said the corporation had commissioned an independent review of its social media guidelines, particularly for freelancers.
Following the announcement of Slater’s departure, Davie said: “Barbara has had an extraordinary career at the BBC, a pioneer, innovator and outstanding leader, she has kept the BBC at the forefront of sport for a generation.
“I wish her well.
“She will leave the BBC with a tremendous legacy.”
The BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore added: “Barbara has had an extraordinary career at the BBC and leaves a legacy few will ever be able to replicate.
“She is a much-respected leader, a real trailblazer for women in the industry who can proudly say she has inspired the next generation.”
Slater joined the BBC in 1983 as a trainee assistant producer in the natural history unit before moving into BBC Sport, specialising in outside broadcasts and overseeing the production of a range of sports, including tennis and golf.
She moved up the ranks to roles including becoming head of production and head of general sports before being appointed as director of sport in April 2009.
In 2014, she was awarded an OBE for services to sport broadcasting following on from the BBC’s broadcast of the 2012 London Olympics.
Hollie Doyle has thrown her hat in the ring for the ride on Chris Waller’s Soulcombe in the Melbourne Cup.
The jockey partnered the gelding on his final start for former trainer William Haggas, with the duo winning the Melrose Handicap at York’s Ebor meeting last year.
Soulcombe then changed hands and is now trained in Australia for a group of owners that includes Ozzie Kheir, who Doyle has reached out to in order to put herself forward for the Melbourne Cup opportunity.
Since leaving England Soulcombe has gained valuable experience of the track at Flemington, winning the Group Three Queen’s Cup on debut for his new connections and then finishing second in the Listed Lexus Roy Higgins in March.
More recently the bay was a winner at Caulfield, landing the Listed Heatherlie Stakes on Saturday.
Doyle told racing.com: “I won the Melrose on him when he was trained by William Haggas, so I do know the horse.
“I don’t have high expectations to get the ride but if you don’t ask, you don’t get I suppose.
“Obviously, he won at the weekend, and it was just an idea, an ambitious one, but who knows?
“To just get a ride in the Melbourne Cup would be great let alone on a chance with a horse like Soulcombe.
“We’ve got a few people trying to help out, but I do know how hard it is to get rides at that (Cup) meeting, so I’m just hoping.”
James Doyle is relishing the prospect of being reunited with Shaquille as Julie Camacho’s speedball goes for a Group One hat-trick in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.
Doyle rode the Charm Spirit colt in his first two starts of a whirlwind three-year-old campaign, winning a Newmarket handicap before taking the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.
The jockey’s Godolphin commitments meant he missed out on riding Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup and the July Cup when he completed a huge double, with Oisin Murphy on board at Royal Ascot and Rossa Ryan in the plate at Newmarket’s July Festival.
On both occasions he missed the break – rocking backwards in the stalls as they opened – and it is a measure of his remarkable ability that he still managed to recover and ultimately reel in his rivals at Ascot and Newmarket after giving them a significant head start.
Doyle is now free to take the ride again and following a pleasing stalls session at Camacho’s North Yorkshire base last month, with specialist horsemen Craig and Jake Witherford on hand to assist as a stalls rug was used, the leading rider is optimistic his big-race mount can cement his status as the season’s top speedster.
“I went to sit on him during York week and we just popped him in the stalls on the Malton gallops there,” he said on a press call organised by QIPCO British Champions Series.
“It was nice to sit on him at home, the guys have all said he’s completely different at home which was kind of hard to imagine.
“It was nice to experience that, he really is a calm and collected character in his own environment, it was nice to see him like that.”
Doyle added: “On the track he’s great in the prelims, he’s really grown up in that regard. He’s been foot perfect in terms of going to post, really relaxed and doing all those things right.
“In the stalls he can get a bit tricky and he’s just bunny-hopped out the last twice but thankfully the twice I’ve ridden him he’s actually broken fairly cleanly.
“On the track he’s a big, boisterous sprinter who knows he’s quick and he wants to be fast, whereas at home he knows his environment, he knows his routine and he’s so relaxed.
“The other week we popped out of the gates the first time and I had to squeeze away to get him to do even a half speed. The second time we jumped out was upsides another horse and I had to ask him to go past horses. He is a complete puppy dog at home.”
Doyle is hopeful that the schooling will ease Shaquille’s difficulties at the start, though of course the horse has demonstrated that a steady start is not enough to stop him from winning Group One races.
He said: “Going into Saturday the weight-for-age allowance is catching up with us – he got 6lb off the older horses in the July Cup and that’s brought back to 2lb. That does tighten things up, but you pray that you can jump off and get a clean start.
“Do I think he could still do it if he missed the break and gave them a bit of a lead early on? I genuinely believe in the engine this horse has, but it would certainly make things a lot trickier given we’re not getting so much weight.”
Naturally Doyle was disappointed not to be on board during Shaquille’s two previous wins and followed him home at Royal Ascot as his mount, Charlie Appleby’s Noble Style, finished ninth behind him.
The rider could not look on so closely in the July Cup as he was required to ride at Ascot and therefore had to rely on updates from the stalls handlers whilst he prepared to load for another race.
“It was tough. In the lead up to Ascot it looked like we would only run one horse in the Commonwealth and it looked like I’d be free, I remember being really excited for him and documented in the media that he was my best ride of the week,” he said.
“I was so delighted (when he won), I remember after the line catching up with him to gave him a pat on the head. I know how much this means to Julie and her whole team, they’re nervous before he runs and they’re elated when he wins – they really show all the emotions that make this sport so great.
“I didn’t get a chance to watch the race live at Newmarket, but when I cantered to the start (at Ascot) I asked the guys down at the stalls what happened and the first thing I heard was that he’d missed the break by five lengths and then they said he absolutely bolted up. I thought ‘well, he’s some machine’!”
Whilst Doyle is regaining the ride on Shaquille, next week he will miss out on partnering last season’s 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet when she is scheduled to make her long awaited return in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster, as he is otherwise engaged.
“I have spoken to George (Boughey) and I’ve seen pictures of Cachet and she looks in great form,” he said.
“Unfortunately I’m on duty that weekend, Martin Harley is getting married on the Sunday after the Leger so I’ll be over at Adare Manor for Martin’s wedding.
“It will be really sad to miss out on the ride but I think Martin would kill me if I wasn’t there!”
John ‘Shark’ Hanlon would “love to have another crack at the Gold Cup” with Hewick, as connections finalise plans for the upcoming season.
Famously purchased for just €850, Hewick has made a phenomenal rise through the ranks from useful staying handicap chaser to a bona fide Grade One contender over the past few seasons.
He enjoyed a fine 2022-23 campaign and having kicked off with Galway Plate success in the summer, would make a heroic raid on Far Hills to claim the American Grand National before being saved for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which he was still going well when falling two from home.
He gained big-race compensation for that Prestbury Park tumble when claiming the Grade Two Oaksey Chase at Sandown before going on to contest the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil.
Hewick is currently enjoying a break at Hanlon’s County Carlow base after unsuccessfully trying to defend his Galway Plate crown and connections now need to weigh-up another trip Stateside or tailoring the eight-year-old’s campaign around a Gold Cup bid.
“He’s still having a break and we’re making decisions on which way we’re going to go with him,” said Hanlon.
“We might go back to America with him, but if not then I will just train him for a Gold Cup. I need to sit down and talk to the owner and see what he would like to do.
“He was a great horse last season for us and he came home from Galway perfect, the ground was just too soft there for him.
“We’ll either go to America or we’ll make a plan for the Gold Cup because he was running a cracker in the race last year. He was definitely going to be in the money and he wasn’t really trained for a Gold Cup last year because he went to America so we’ll have to make a decision.
“Do we want to go to Leopardstown at Christmas or in February and go for a Gold Cup? Or do we go to America? If we go to America, we probably won’t go for a Gold Cup so we have to make up our minds one way or the other.”
Hewick was sent off 40-1 for his shot at Gold Cup glory in 2023 but was massively outrunning his odds in the hands of Jordan Gainford as he was still in the mix, leading the runners into the straight, and only headed just before his challenge came to an end two out.
That huge effort came on soft ground and Hanlon is taking plenty of encouragement from that performance as he eyes up a return to Prestbury Park on a sounder surface.
“I would love to have another crack at the Gold Cup and when you have a horse of his class it is the race that everybody wants to win,” he added.
“He was running a cracker last year and the ground was the softest it has been in Cheltenham in years. The better the ground for us, the better the horse is so you have to take that into consideration.”
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