Elina Svitolina's return to the WTA Tour has been nothing short of "extraordinary" following her break to become a mother, believes Marion Bartoli.
The former world number three took a break from tennis last year in order to have her first child, who was born in October.
Since making her return this year however, she has shown no signs of rust, winning the Strasbourg Open before a quarter-final finish at the French Open and a last-four appearance at Wimbledon.
With a rich vein of form behind her, Svitolina looks in contention for the season-ending WTA Finals later this year and Wimbledon champion Bartoli has been left impressed by her comeback.
"All I know is you [disturb] your sleeping pattern because your baby's waking up during the night [and] then of course you're a lot more tired during the day when you have to go through your training," she told Stats Perform.
"Obviously, your body's changing through pregnancy as well. To find her athleticism again and get yourself into shape, she has done it so quickly.
"She was so fit at Roland Garros [and] she was I thought even fitter at Wimbledon. For me, it's just really extraordinary to see her physically that fit and that match ready so soon.
"I would not be surprised to see her do extremely well in the US Open and actually qualify [for the WTA Finals]. I will not be surprised at all to see her ending up in the top eight at the end of this year."
Svitolina's form comes amid a wide-open tour where several of the world's best players are jockeying for success, while returns to the court for Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki have also caught headlines.
Bartoli believes it is an exciting time to follow the game, adding: "I think we are in for a great WTA Tour. We have the comeback [from] Naomi Osaka, we have the comeback of Caroline Wozniacki, which is really exciting.
"Victoria [Azarenka] [came back] super strong after pregnancy as well, and Ons Jabeur, she was so close to winning a grand slam. You have the feeling that it's not going to take too long before she wins her first.
"I think we have a lot of stories to tell. If those girls can stay on top, I think we're in for a good one."
Brian Harman admitted it would be foolish not to think about winning his maiden major title as he headed into the final day at Royal Liverpool with a five-shot lead.
Only two players in history have squandered such an advantage after 54 holes, Macdonald Smith in the last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.
Harman, who led by one at the same stage of the 2017 US Open before finishing second behind Brooks Koepka, said: “You’d be foolish not to envision (lifting the Claret Jug) and I’ve thought about winning majors for my whole entire life.
“It’s the whole reason I work as hard as I do and why I practise as much as I do and why I sacrifice as much as I do.
“If that’s going to come to fruition for me (on Sunday), it has to be all about the golf. It has to be execution and just staying in the moment.”
Harman’s nearest challenger was fellow American and last year’s runner-up Cameron Young, with Masters champion Jon Rahm another stroke back after storming through the field with a flawless 63.
Home favourite Tommy Fleetwood was part of a five-strong group, which included Viktor Hovland and Jason Day, starting the final round seven off the pace.
Shot of the day
Antoine Rozner carded his second 67 of the week with the aid of an eagle on the par-five 15th.
Round of the day
Rahm only made the cut with a shot to spare, but stormed into contention thanks to a stunning 63, by two shots the lowest ever recorded in an Open at Royal Liverpool.
Quote of the day
“I hear a lot of Ricky, Ricky’s out there. Yeah, I look like him. Handsome fella” – Brian Harman when asked about his resemblance to former Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting.
Statistic of the day
Only two players have lost a five-hole lead with 18 holes to play in the history of the Open Championship.
Easiest hole
The par-five fifth played as the easiest for the third day running, with one eagle and 32 birdies contributing to a scoring average of 4.632.
Hardest hole
The 14th was again the most difficult hole with a scoring average of 4.171, with just eight of the 76-man field making birdie, 16 making a bogey and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen running up a triple-bogey seven.
Weather forecast
Cloudy with spells of moderate rain, likely heavy at times, especially early morning. Cloudy with outbreaks of light or moderate rain from noon onwards, with winds around 15mph.
Key tee times
1300 Emiliano Grillo, Rory McIlroy
1345 Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka
1355 Jason Day, Antoine Rozner
1405 Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
1415 Cameron Young, Brian Harman
Sal Frelick had a very memorable debut in the major leagues.
The Brewers rookie had three hits, the game-winning sacrifice fly and made two spectacular catches to lift Milwaukee to a 4-3 win over the major league-leading Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft, Frelick was called up from Triple-A Nashville before the game and started in right field batting sixth.
He had an infield single in the second inning for his first major league hit in his first career plate appearance, singled and scored in the fifth and singled home a run an inning later to tie the game. His hard liner to right in the eighth scored Willy Adames and snapped a 3-3 tie.
Devin Williams loaded the bases in the ninth but struck out Ozzie Albies to end it.
Frelick showed off his defence in the sixth inning to keep the Brewers down 3-2.
He made a leaping catch of Marcell Ozuna’s shot near the top of the right-field wall and one out later raced into the right-center field gap, jumped and banged against the wall to snare a drive from Orlando Arcia.
Austin Riley’s three-run homer in the third inning opened the scoring and gave him home runs in five straight games. He is 10 for 21 with six home runs and 16 RBIs during that span.
Orioles recover to beat Rays
Ryan O’Hearn came through with a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning and the Baltimore Orioles recovered after blowing a five-run lead to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-5 in matchup of the American League’s top teams.
Baltimore has won two of the first three games in the four-game set to move one game ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Rays ace Shane McLanahan was bidding to become the majors’ first 12-game winner but was reached for a season-high five runs in four innings.
The Rays dropped to an AL-worst 4-13 in July.
Freeman hits two home runs as Rangers win easy
Freddie Freeman hit two of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ five homers and the NL West leaders rolled to a 16-3 rout of the Texas Rangers.
Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez also went deep as the Dodgers matched season highs with five homers and 18 hits in their 10th win in 12 games.
Freeman became the first Dodgers player with 20 home runs and 35 doubles before August. He is 12 for 21 with three home runs, three doubles and seven RBIs in his past five games.
Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia was hit on the right hand by a pitch in the fourth inning. He initially stayed in the game but was lifted for a pinch-runner and inning later.
Jonny Clayton came out on top of a thrilling Betfred World Matchplay semi-final against Luke Humphries.
The Welshman won 17-15 to set up a meeting with Nathan Aspinall in the final.
With very little to separate the two players on the Winter Gardens stage, it was Clayton’s higher checkout percentage that ultimately proved the difference.
The 48-year-old will now go in search of his first premier title since 2021, buoyed by a tough night in Blackpool.
Aspinall, who lost both the Grand Slam and Grand Prix finals last year, will now be aiming to go one better after powering past Joe Cullen.
A 17-9 win showed his superiority, with Cullen’s 148 checkout to break in the seventh leg proving to be a false dawn for the 34-year-old.
Instead, Aspinall pulled clear and never looked like slipping up as he progressed through to Sunday’s final.
The Texas Rangers will be without Corey Seager through at least the end of the month after placing the All-Star shortstop on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a sprained right thumb.
The team hopes it won't be a lengthy stint on the IL after an MRI revealed no structural damage.
“They said probably a week or so with just inflammation in general,” Seager said. “And then kind of pain tolerance from there. So I’m not overly worried about it.”
Seager sustained the injury in Friday's 11-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers when he jammed his hand in an awkward head-first slide to beat out a double in the eighth inning. X-rays after the game were negative.
Friday's loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Rangers, who own a three-game lead over the second-place Houston Astros atop the AL West.
This is Seager's second trip to the IL this season after missing 31 games from mid-April to mid-May with a left hamstring strain.
Seager is hitting .350, which would be good enough to lead the American League in batting, but he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify because of his earlier trip to the IL.
Prior to exiting Friday's game, Seager hit his 15th homer of the season and team-leading 29th double - tied for third most in the majors.
Seager, who was selected to his fourth All-Star game earlier this year, is in the second season of a $325million, 10-year deal with the Rangers.
Trinidad and Tobago, like every other team at the Vitality Netball World Cup, have big ambitions.
Though achieving those are easier said than done, particularly where winning the title is concerned, Head coach Joel “Twiggy” Young-Strong, has every confidence that her team will perform with much gusto and prove competitive throughout the tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.
The twin island republic, currently ranked at 10 in the world, is grouped in Pool D alongside Uganda, Singapore, and defending champions New Zealand.
"We have taken a clinical approach for each match, carefully tracking their performances in the lead up to the World Cup, while ensuring the team is building momentum towards the opening clash against New Zealand," Young-Strong told SportsMax.tv.
"Our realistic goals are to improve our rankings and to minimize goal difference, as well as to increase our goals against each of these teams per quarter. We would also like to capture the audience with our rhythmic style and flare, hence the reason why we are called the Calypso Girls," she added.
While they may be small in stature, when compared to the top ranked teams, it should be noted that Trinidad and Tobago is one of only three teams to have lifted the Netball World Cup trophy in the tournament’s 60-year history.
The other two are of course powerhouses Australia and New Zealand.
Trinidad and Tobago boast this unique distinction, having shared the title with Australia and New Zealand in 1979. Back then the tournament was played over two round-robin group stages with no play-offs, and after the three nations all finished with eight wins and one loss, they were declared joint winners.
They also placed second and third at the 1983 and 1987 editions and though they have lost competitive shape to some extent, that legacy still lives on in the Caribbean team.
In fact, Young-Strong, a former international umpire, pointed out that her team has drawn inspiration from those teams of the past, especially with one member of the championship winning team Peggy Castanada, still involved on the coaching side.
"It is an Honor to be counted amongst the great. It is always a feeling of nostalgia and what we will use to inspires our Calypso Girls to work towards and continue the journey for greatness. I believe that it (winning the title again) is not out of our reach, but we have to start from the ground up and build different and strong foundations," the coach noted.
Despite losing Samantha Wallace to injury, Young-Strong revealed that things are gradually falling into place in terms of readiness, with the likes of Afeisha Noel, Shaquanda Green-Noel and Daystar Swift, among others, expected to carry the fight.
"The preparation has been a challenge. Moreso with the absence of Samantha Wallace due to her injury. Nevertheless, the team continues to build capacity with a blend of experienced and young talent. They have settled down quite nicely coping and adjusting as we go along and the preparation is ongoing, so we are expecting them to give of their best when game time comes," she ended.
The Calypso Girls plays the opening match of the tournament against New Zealand on July 28 with a clash against Singapore the following day before they come up against Uganda on July 30.
American Brian Harman will take a commanding five-shot lead into the final round of the 151st Open Championship after holding the chasing pack firmly at bay at Royal Liverpool.
Masters champion Jon Rahm claimed he felt “invincible” as he surged through the field with a record-breaking 63, but that adjective could equally apply to Harman as he remained on course for a maiden major title at the age of 36.
As crowd favourites Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy frustratingly failed to fire, Harman recovered from a shaky start to compile a third round of 69 and 12-under-par total of 201.
Compatriot Cameron Young, the runner-up at St Andrews last year, is Harman’s nearest challenger following a 66, with Rahm – seeking the third leg of a career grand slam – another stroke behind.
Fleetwood was part of a five-way tie for fourth on five under which included Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland and former world number one Jason Day.
Rahm only made the cut with a shot to spare following rounds of 74 and 70, but took advantage of unexpectedly benign conditions to card eight birdies in a flawless 63, just one shot outside the lowest score in major championship history.
The world number three is the first player to shoot lower than 65 in an Open at Hoylake and had closed to within four shots of halfway leader Harman just two minutes before the left-hander got his round under way.
The gap was down to two when Harman dropped shots at the first and fourth, but he responded superbly with birdies on the fifth, ninth, 12th and 13th to maintain the five-shot advantage he held at halfway.
Only two players in history have lost a five-shot lead after 54 holes of the Open, Macdonald Smith in 1925 and Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999.
Rahm compared his 63 to an opening round of 65 at Augusta National in April which set him on course for a second major victory following the 2021 US Open.
“That is the best round I have played on a links course ever,” said Rahm, who followed a birdie on the fifth with four in succession from the ninth before picking up further shots on the 15th, 16th and 18th in a back nine of 30.
“Starting on 11 everything became downwind and it got easier.
“It is my lowest round on a links course and it’s in the Open Championship right? It’s the lowest round shot on this course. It feels really good but there is a lot of work to do.”
Rahm had cut a frustrated figure over the first two days, complaining about too many people being inside the ropes following his group with McIlroy and Justin Rose.
“To be fair, I look frustrated very often,” Rahm joked.
“I was playing good golf and I knew what I was capable of. I was frustrated because it was basically mistakes that I made. That was it. I gave up the shots at major championships that are very costly, and that’s mainly it.
“I knew my swing and my game felt better than the scores I was shooting. Today was the complete opposite, obviously.
“Today was one of those days where I felt invincible. I’ve been very comfortable from the tee, so it’s easier to stay aggressive.”
McIlroy, who triumphed at Hoylake in 2014, had made the ideal start with birdies on the first, third and fifth, but covered the remaining 13 holes in one over par to card a disappointing 69.
The world number two, who had cancelled his formal pre-tournament press conference for the second major in succession on Tuesday, declined to speak to waiting reporters and headed straight to the practice putting green.
McIlroy ended the day as he started it, nine behind Harman, while Fleetwood fell two shots further back following a 71 containing one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars.
England’s Alex Fitzpatrick equalled the previous lowest Open score at Hoylake with a superb 65 to climb into the top 10 on four under, two shots better off than older brother and 2022 US Open champion Matt, who returned a 67.
Sunday’s meeting at the Curragh must survive a 7.30am precautionary inspection due to the threat of heavy rain.
Saturday’s meeting began in decent conditions but by the time of the Juddmonte Irish Oaks, subsequently won in dramatic style by Savethelastdance, heavy rain had begun to fall.
It continued until the conclusion of the card and as a result the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board officials thought it was best to call an inspection to be on the safe side.
Brendan Sheridan, IHRB clerk of the course said: “We have had persistent heavy rain since the Irish Oaks earlier today and having spoken with Met Éireann, they are a bit unsure about how much further rain will fall at the Curragh overnight and into tomorrow.
“They said we could get anything from 8mm up to 15mm or more, it is just a bit uncertain at the moment. However, the track is currently raceable but we will hold a precautionary inspection at 7.30am tomorrow morning.”
Lewis Hamilton said he held his breath for the 76.6 seconds it took him to capture his first pole position in 595 days for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion held off Red Bull foe Max Verstappen by just three thousandths of a second as he danced his Mercedes to top spot in an exhilarating qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
Lando Norris finished third following another impressive afternoon for the rising McLaren star, one spot ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. George Russell managed only 18th on a day to forget for the Mercedes man.
Hamilton’s one-lap triumph here – described as a work of art by his old rival Nico Rosberg – is his first since the penultimate fixture of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia, 33 races ago.
The following round in Abu Dhabi – where Hamilton was denied a record eighth world title by Michael Masi’s controversial refereeing – marked the last time he started a race from the front row. Verstappen began from pole on that contentious evening in the desert. On Sunday, it will be Hamilton’s turn.
Hamilton roared with delight over the team radio before holding his head in his hands and then saluting the raucous crowd as he stood on top of the front-right tyre of the Mercedes machine which carried him to his ninth pole in Hungary and 104th in all. A cursory handshake for Verstappen followed.
“I’ve lost my voice from shouting so much in the car,” said Hamilton, moments after stepping out of his cockpit.
In the official press conference reserved for the top-three drivers, Hamilton added: “I forgot what it feels like to sit in this spot. He (Verstappen) has been hogging it for a while.
“I don’t think I breathed for the whole lap, I held my breath. I was so out of breath at the end. It is an extraordinary feeling.
“I have not been here for such a long time. Even with the success I have had before, and this is my 104th pole, it feels like the first. It is hard to explain how special it feels.”
Hamilton trailed Verstappen by 0.126 sec prior to the concluding runs. But he usurped the Dutch driver, who failed to improve on his last lap, with his final throw of the dice. He was the last man to cross the line.
“I witnessed those special moments and the days he used to have, and today was one of those,” said Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 title.
“That lap is like perfection, it is art. Only Lewis Hamilton can do that.”
Hamilton has won more times in Hungary than anybody else, and claimed his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago.
“Last year we were nowhere,” said Hamilton. “I have always had belief that if we apply ourselves the right way we would get there, and it was just a question of how long that would be?
“But we started this season with the twin sister or twin brother of the previous year’s car. It felt identical and that was worrying.
“When you lose that confidence you shed a lot of time. I had no confidence in the car. It was so nervous, and it felt like I was treading on eggshells.
“I started out this season with very little confidence, but bit-by-bit I got the thing on the right tracks, so the confidence has finally come back.
“We have been on this journey of undoing the wrong decisions we have taken and it has taken far longer than we hoped, but we are starting to see those benefits.”
Converting his 104th pole into his 104th victory will not be an easy task for Hamilton. Verstappen has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and his Red Bull team are unbeaten this season.
“We tend to have decent race pace,” concluded Hamilton. “Max’s race pace yesterday in practice was quite extraordinary. They were quicker than us.
“But if there is a way to hold position then maybe there is a fighting chance for us. I am as keen as I am to win tomorrow as I did for my first win in Montreal in 2007.”
Tadej Pogacar outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard to victory on stage 20 of the Tour de France in Le Markstein, but it was the Dane who could begin celebrating the defence of his title ahead of Sunday’s procession into Paris.
Pogacar proved unable to challenge Vingegaard for yellow in the final week of this race as his hopes evaporated in the Alps, but he made a point on the final mountain test as he beat Vingegaard in a five-man sprint at the end of the 133km stage from Belfort.
Felix Gall snuck ahead of Vingegaard for second place on the day, while Simon Yates and Adam Yates came in fourth and fifth, results that seal third overall for Adam and move Simon up to fourth after an early crash left Carlos Rodriguez bloodied above his left eye.
Vingegaard will carry a lead of seven minutes and 29 seconds on to the Champs-Elysees on Sunday as he celebrates his second Tour crown at the age of 26.
“The second one is really amazing,” the Jumbo-Visma rider said. “Of course there’s the stage tomorrow into Paris and we have to be careful not to do anything stupid, but to take my second victory in the Tour de France I almost can’t believe it.”
The front five finished 33 seconds ahead of Warren Barguil and Thibaut Pinot, who dared to dream that the final mountain stage of his last Tour de France – raced on his home roads – could end in victory when he went clear from a breakaway with 30 kilometres left.
But Pinot was caught on the last climb as Pogacar, Vingegaard and Gall went away before being joined by the Yates twins, with Adam proving the lead-out for Pogacar in the sprint.
“Today I finally feel like myself again,” Pogacar said. “It was just really good from start to finish, to feel good again after many days suffering and to pull it off in the finish I’m just super, super happy.
“Adam did a super job. I was waiting for him to come back…I know him now well, he led me out really good and thanks to him it was a bit easier to prepare for the final, less nervous and I’m super happy the team did such a great job once again.”
Both Yates twins could celebrate their best overall result in the Tour, with Adam improving on his fourth place from 2016.
“For me personally third is the best result I’ve ever had in a Grand Tour so obviously I’m pretty happy,” the UAE Team Emirates rider said. “We’re a little bit disappointed as our goal was to get yellow, but in the end there was only one guy better than us.”
For the first two weeks it was one of the closest Tours in history, but in the space of two days Vingegaard’s 10-second advantage became seven-and-a-half minutes as Pogacar was beaten by the Alps.
There had been questions over the Slovenian’s form before the Tour given his lack of racing since he broke his wrist in April, but Vingegaard’s dominance goes beyond the struggles of others, as shown by the near 11-minute gap to Adam Yates in the overall standings.
He beat Pogacar by 98 seconds in Tuesday’s time trial, but just as notable was the near three minutes between him and team-mate Wout Van Aert in third place. The way Vingegaard rode then away from the other favourites on the Col de la Loze a day later was the mark of a champion.
“It’s been a crazy battle we had over these last three weeks,” Vingegaard added. “I think it’s been a really really nice ray to watch and also for us.
“I appreciate the battle I’ve had with Tadej. It’s been an amazing fight since Bilbao and hopefully we’ll do it again in the future.”
Jon Rahm felt he had played his best round of links golf after shooting up the Open leaderboard with a stunning 63 on Saturday.
The Spaniard leapt from two over par to six under at Royal Liverpool with a flawless third round featuring eight birdies.
It was the lowest recorded round in an Open at Hoylake and fired the Masters champion into contention for his third major title.
The 28-year-old said: “That’s the best round I’ve played on a links golf course ever.
“It is my lowest round on a links course and it is in the Open championship. It’s the lowest round shot on this course. It feels really good but there is a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
Rahm’s round ignited with a run of four successive birdies from the ninth. He then finished with three more in the final four holes.
After much speculation about difficult weather over the weekend, the conditions were actually quite benign for most of the time Rahm was out on the course.
He said: “It was starting on 11 when everything became downwind and it became a lot easier. The wind conditions are what made the course change a little bit.
“The job today was to come out and give myself the best opportunity I could. Whenever you get a birdie, just thinking about one more. That’s simply all you can do.”
Rahm’s scoring was in contrast to his first two days, when he often cut a frustrated figure as he carded rounds of 74 and 70.
He said: “To be fair, I look frustrated very often! No, I was playing good golf and I knew what I was capable of.
“I was frustrated because, basically, mistakes that I made. That was it. I gave up shots that at major championships are very costly.
“But I don’t need to change anything from today, nothing at all.”
Rahm’s 63 eclipsed the best Open round of countryman Seve Ballesteros – 64 at Turnberry in 1986 – but he knows whose record in the tournament he would rather have.
He said: “I’d rather win three times and never shoot 63!”
Novakai could be set for immediate return to Group One level after stamping her class on the Ric And Mary Hambro Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket.
Second to Commissioning in last season’s Fillies’ Mile, Karl Burke’s inmate kicked off her three-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish to subsequent Oaks heroine Soul Sister in the Musidora at York.
Novakai disappointed in her Classic bid in the French Oaks, but was the 5-2 favourite to get back on track in Listed company on the July Course.
Ridden by Sam James, the Lope De Vega filly could be called the winner a long way from home as she moved powerfully to the front.
Cloudbreaker came from the rear to throw down her challenge, but Novakai was away and gone entering the final furlong and had just under five lengths in hand at the line.
“She has won that well and I’m very happy with her. She loved that step up in trip and I think we can go back up to Group class again now,” said Burke.
“Early on in the year Sheikh Obaid was keen for her to try a mile and a quarter and target the Prix de Diane.
“I’m not sure it was the distance why she ran so poorly but she wasn’t on song and it could have been down to the travelling. She is a little bit quirky, but her temperament is lovely.
“After that Sheikh Obaid gave me free rein with her so I decided to step her up in trip. She is out of a stout staying mare and she was always going to improve going up in trip and she has proved that today.”
The winner holds entries in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and the Yorkshire Oaks, but Burke will not rush into a decision.
He went on: “She is in the Yorkshire Oaks and whether that is too big of a jump I’m not sure but we will get her home and have a chat with Sheikh Obaid.
“I’m hoping I can persuade Sheikh Obaid to leave her in training next year as she will only improve and there are some nice staying races for fillies like her.”
Five-time Olympic champion Dame Laura Kenny has announced the birth of her second child.
Kenny and her husband Sir Jason, winner of a British record seven Olympic titles, welcomed son Montgomery on Thursday evening.
In a post on Instagram on Saturday showing Montgomery asleep alongside his brother Albie, Laura Kenny wrote: “Welcome to the world Montgomery George Kenny. Born 20/07/2023 Weighing 9,0lbs at 7.59pm.”
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The Kennys announced in January that they were expecting their second child.
Albie was born in 2017, but in November 2021 they suffered a miscarriage and then an ectopic pregnancy in January 2022.
Kenny became pregnant at the delayed Tokyo Olympics, where she won Madison gold alongside team-mate Katie Archibald, adding to the titles she had taken at London 2012 and Rio 2012.
Jason won the last of his Olympic golds in Tokyo in the keirin. The following January he retired from racing to become coach of the Great Britain men’s sprint team.
Emily Dickinson kicked in the turbo to get back on the winning trail in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup.
The daughter of Dubawi was the spring favourite for the Gold Cup following an impressive start to her campaign in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan – and while a disappointing run in the Saval Beg dented her claims, she bounced back to finish a creditable fourth in last month’s Royal Ascot showpiece.
Dropping in distance and class for this one-mile-six-furlong Group Two, Emily Dickinson was the 6-4 market leader to complete a quick-fire big-race double for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore after Savethelastdance powered home from an unpromising position to secure the Irish Oaks.
Emily Dickinson looked like she too could have a real fight on her hands when her chief market rival Rosscarbery breezed into contention, but Moore kept pushing on the favourite and in the end she was well on top, passing the post with three lengths in hand.
The winner will now be readied for a tilt at the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on August 1.
“The original plan was that she would go straight to Goodwood for the two-mile Group One, but when the ground changed we said we’d let her take her chance here,” said O’Brien.
“Everyone was happy with her at home and that’s why she came here. I was a bit worried that she was a couple of pieces of work away but Ryan gave her a beautiful ride and got her very confident.
“She loves the ground and loves being ridden like that. With that ease in the ground she’s a different filly. She goes on the other ground, she’s very genuine and tries very hard, but on that ground she grows another leg.
“The plan was to go to Goodwood, over two miles, and if the ground came up with an ease in it she’ll be right there.”
Tadej Pogacar outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard to victory on stage 20 of the Tour de France in Le Markstein, but it was the Dane who could begin celebrating the defence of his title ahead of Sunday’s procession into Paris.
Pogacar proved unable to challenge Vingegaard for the yellow jersey in the final week of this race as his hopes evaporated in the Alps, but he made a point on the final mountain test as he beat Vingegaard in a five-man sprint at the end of the 133km stage from Belfort.
Felix Gall snuck ahead of Vingegaard for second place on the day, while Simon Yates and Adam Yates came in fourth and fifth, results that seal third overall for Adam and see Simon move up to fourth after Carlos Rodriguez was left bloodied above his left eye following a nasty early crash.
Pogacar’s stage win earned him six bonus seconds over Vingegaard, who will carry a lead of seven minutes and 29 seconds on to the Champs-Elysees on Sunday.
The front five came to the line 33 seconds ahead of Warren Barguil and Thibaut Pinot, who had dared to dream that the final mountain stage of his final Tour de France – raced on home roads for the 33-year-old – could end in victory when he went clear from a breakaway with 30 kilometres left.
But he was reeled in first by Tom Pidcock and Barguil on the final climb and then overhauled by those who would go on to contest the stage.
Pogacar, Vingegaard and Gall opened up a small gap before the Yates twins rode back up, with Adam then providing the lead-out for team-mate Pogacar in the sprint.
“Today I finally feel like myself again,” Pogacar said. “It was just really good from start to finish, to feel good again after many days suffering and to pull it off in the finish I’m just super, super happy.
“Adam did a super job. I was waiting for him to come back and his brother again was super good. I know him now well, he led me out really good and thanks to him it was a bit easier to prepare for the final, less nervous and I’m super happy the team did such a great job once again.”
Adam Yates said: “For me personally third (overall) is the best result I’ve ever had in a Grand Tour so obviously I’m pretty happy. We’re a little bit disappointed as our goal was to get yellow, but in the end there was only one guy better than us.”
That one guy was Vingegaard. For the first two weeks it was one of the closest Tours in history, but in the space of two days a 10-second advantage became seven-and-a-half minutes as Pogacar stumbled in Tuesday’s time trial, then fell completely on the Col de la Loze on Wednesday.
There had been questions over Pogacar’s form before the Tour given his lack of racing since he broke his wrist in April, but Vingegaard has not won purely by taking advantage of his rival’s troubles, as shown by the near 11-minute gap to Adam Yates in the overall standings.
The WTA said it would be “evaluating the issue further with the event” after Russian player Vera Zvonareva was blocked from entering Poland for a tournament.
Zvonareva, a former Wimbledon and US Open finalist, had been due to play in next week’s Warsaw Open in singles and doubles but a statement from Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration said she was on a list of “undesirable” visitors.
The statement on gov.pl read: “Yesterday, July 21, the Border Guard prevented a Russian tennis player from entering Poland.
“Vera Zvonareva, using a visa issued by France, tried to get to our country on a flight from Belgrade to Warsaw. After arriving from Serbia, the tennis player stayed in the transit zone of Chopin Airport in Warsaw and today after 12.00pm flew to Podgorica.
“The Russian woman on the list of persons whose stay is undesirable in the territory of the Republic of Poland was not admitted by the Border Guard for reasons of state security and protection of public safety.
“Poland consistently opposes the regimes of (Vladimir) Putin and (Alexander) Lukashenko, refusing to allow people who support the actions of Russia and Belarus to enter our country.”
Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association were penalised by the tours for banning Russian and Belarusian players last summer following the invasion of Ukraine, a position they reversed this year.
The governing body said in a statement: “The WTA is aware of the situation involving Vera Zvonareva in Warsaw.
“The safety and well-being of all players is a top priority of the WTA. Vera has departed Poland and we will be evaluating the issue further with the event.”
Poland has been one of the staunchest allies of Ukraine, while world number one Iga Swiatek, who will be the top seed at the tournament, has publicly sided with players from the stricken country amid locker room tensions.
The country’s Minister of Sport, Kamil Bortniczuk, earlier this week said he would boycott matches featuring Russian or Belarusian players.
Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich does appear to have made it into the country based on her social media posts.
Meanwhile, another Russian player, Anastasia Potapova, said on Instagram that she would be unable to play in the Hamburg European Open because a visa was not granted on time.
“Very sad to announce that I’m not going to participate in Hamburg this year, due to difficulties with visa,” she said. “Me and my team applied for it on time, but unfortunately it was delayed.”
Potapova was warned by the WTA earlier this year after wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt on court.
Relief Rally sent the large Newbury crowd home happy when justifying favouritism in the featured Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes.
Tom Marquand’s mount was drawn near the stands’ rail and had to race alone for much of the last furlong and a half as the filly attempted to reel in those who had a clear advantage up the middle and towards the far rail.
To her credit, the evens favourite scythed through the good to soft ground and having collared long-time leader Dapperling (33-1) inside the final furlong, drew readily clear for a three-length success.
It was just compensation for Marquand and trainer William Haggas, who saw the daughter of Kodiac touched off by American raider Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Haggas said: “She was in front before the line and after the line, but not on the line at Ascot. She ran a good race there. She is a pretty good filly.
“I don’t know where the second on the stands’ side finished, but she won easy and when he asked her, she picked up well.”
Marquand admitted he had plenty of ground to make up in the second part of the valuable five-furlong contest, which was worth just shy of £123,000 to the winner.
Yet he felt confident the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned juvenile would reel in the leaders.
“To be honest, I was getting towed as far as I could while being happy, but whilst never worried that the other side had a bit of an advantage on us.
“I was lucky enough to be on her at Ascot, so I know the turn of foot she has.
“I was confident that this ground was even more to her liking. It was as straightforward as you would have hoped it would be, but it doesn’t always prove straightforward.
“The other side did have a march on, but she is a very good filly and thankfully she has had a decent day in the sun now and I’m sure she will have a few more.”
He added: “She is every bit as exciting as you’d want her to look for the future and I think my heart is still broken (after Ascot), but it is gluing back together a little bit after that.
“She has done it well. She has got bags of speed, she is super-straightforward, I think she is improving, and I think she improved for having a day like she had at Ascot – she had to race that day and it was obviously a frustrating day, but she will have come on for that and I think she showed that today by the way she just raced on by herself on her side.”
Haggas could swerve York’s Nunthorpe, as he potentially eyes the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.
When asked of a possible Nunthorpe bid, he said: “I don’t think so – I think the Abbaye, but who knows?
“I think the French race is such a draw race. If you get a low draw, it is such an advantage, whereas the Nunthorpe you can win from anywhere.
“In France, you cannot win wide. If our luck is in at the that time of the year, we will get a low draw. We will see.”
Bottom weight Born Famous came from last to first to deny Peter Bowen another success in the Unibet Summer Plate at Market Rasen.
Sent off the 3-1 favourite under Harry Cobden, the rapidly improving six-year-old looked to have no chance at halfway, detached from the main group of runners.
Bowen had two runners in the race, searching for a ninth win and a third in a row with Francky Du Berlais.
It was his other runner Courtland who looked to have been produced to perfection by Gavin Sheehan, though, as he jumped to the lead at the second last.
But as Hang In There weakened, Born Famous was just hitting top gear and the mare extended her unbeaten record to five since joining Iain Jardine.
Jardine said: “That was class and what a cool ride from Harry too. I knew he was going to take his time but I didn’t think he would take as much time as that!
“They obviously went quite quick and the rain has got into the ground and they’ve stopped, so it was a well-judged and a well thought out ride. She’s a grand filly on an upward curve and I’m just really chuffed for her owners. It’s a fantastic result.
“I’m not sure what’s clicked with her, she’s just gained that bit of confidence and is enjoying her races. We’ve been training her away quietly and we’re not too hard on her, so it’s probably a combination of that.
“She can jump. She’s very versatile regarding ground and she can’t half jump. It was some ride from Harry though – Conor O’Farrell, our jockey, had a word with him earlier and he just said it doesn’t really matter how she’s ridden, it’s all about getting her into a rhythm.
“She was in a good rhythm and finished well, so it’s an excellent result. We’ll sit tight with her now, we might have a look at something down the line but she doesn’t owe us anything.”
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